「Tsk, to think one of the Seven Chief Gods would fall for a mortal’s blackmail, even if he is a descendant of Caravan. The dignity of the heavens has truly hit rock bottom!」
「He’s been so intoxicated by those women who are only beautiful on the outside that his wits have dulled. Didn’t we tell him time and again? To stop playing around with mortal wenches long ago.」
「He should have just stuck with the Nine Goddesses. Ah, I suppose the rumors were true—that the goddesses refuse to associate with him because his equipment is so pathetic!」
「He should just come into my arms even now. I can embrace him even if his equipment is unimpressive. Even if it’s shriveled up from the fear of a mortal’s threats!」
「Shut it. You lot only watched from afar.」
「Isn’t watching better? Better than suffering such humiliation.」
「Do you think it would have been any different for you?」
「At the very least, I wouldn’t have been cowering in fear like you. Tsk.」
「Truly? Can you swear that on your very existence?」
「Ahem, cough .」
「Time in the mortal realm passes exceptionally slowly.」
.
.
.
「Just when is that wicked descendant of Caravan going to turn eighteen?」
* * *
The blackmail was a resounding success.
“……I will rescue the youngest of our sisters and temporarily cooperate for the sake of your territory. This is a great kindness and a massive concession from us Witches. It is also a mercy bestowed upon you by the Father of the Sky. Therefore, you must never, ever take this as a natural right. You should be grateful every single moment. Every. Single. Moment.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was a very successful blackmail indeed.
“Once this is over, the Descendant of Steel must pay the price. You must cooperate actively in finding our treasure, and there will be no further negotiations during that process. You must follow our sisters’ demands most faithfully. Most faithfully!”
“Yeeep.”
“……You have no idea what it means for me to step forward personally. I am the First Witch, the woman who first bonded with one of the Seven Chief Gods on this continent, the wizard who communicates most closely with divine beings, a presence that even the Emperor—the highest sky of the Empire—cannot move at will. An uneducated swordsman like you wouldn’t understand. So, at the very least, show some gratitude. Gratitude that wells up from the depths of your heart…….”
“Thank youuu.”
“…….”
Elizabeth, the eldest sister of the prideful Witches, had now dropped all pretenses and revealed her true colors. She was incredibly talkative, nitpicky, and prone to hysterics. Befitting the one the Witches called their eldest, the torrent of words she poured out was incomparable to Audrey, the youngest. If Audrey were placed next to Elizabeth, she would undoubtedly look like a shy, silent girl.
But so what?
She’s really been stung.
Seeing Elizabeth trembling with her pride wounded didn’t feel unpleasant at all. In fact, it was quite a sight to behold. In a situation like this, the other party’s anger and irritation were practically a reward—a reward confirming a total victory.
「It is quite amusing to see her face turn red and her body tremble so.」
Seeing my ancestor enjoying himself made me feel joyful as well. Elizabeth and all the other Witches were glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me, but what were they going to do? The situation was already irreversible.
“Ooh.”
While I was enjoying their glares, Sherizik’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me for some reason.
“As expected of a Caravan.”
“Right?”
“To think there was a method even more destructive than the Orc way. It is impressive.”
“Hahaha.”
It was high praise.
“If I become family with the Successor of Steel, I suppose I could use that method as well. Hmm, this is becoming quite interesting. It gives me much to think about.”
“……?”
It would have been perfect if she hadn’t said that last part.
“……Let’s go. I want to end this unpleasant journey as soon as possible.”
While my hands and feet were trembling at Sherizik’s words, Elizabeth took the lead.
“Eldest sister, have a safe trip.”
“Sniff, how could this happen?”
The Witches saw Elizabeth off as if they were watching a saintess making a solemn sacrifice. I truly couldn’t understand why Witches made such a fuss about everything.
“Do not worry. I am the First Witch. I shall overcome this trial as well.”
Elizabeth also put on a solemn air to match the mood. It was a play where they even shed tears for one another.
I left a one-line review in my head.
Idiots.
* * *
The Witches’ residence was located in the heart of the Magic City Oz. Amidst various mysterious sights, flashy things caught my eye. Iron horses moving with a mechanical clack-clack , and wizards in antique clothing holding wine glasses while debating. These were rare sights that couldn’t be found in the Iron Kingdom.
“To get to your land, we must first leave the Magic City. In Oz, a wide-scale spell formula is deployed to prevent magic crimes by restricting the use of magic above a certain level.”
Elizabeth, who was well-versed in this place, kept talking as she walked; she truly didn’t stop for a single moment. A blunt tone, combined with a mouth that never rested. It felt like mixing Tom and Audrey in equal parts. As expected of the First Witch, it seemed she had grown old while keeping all her bad habits.
She talks way too much.
Thanks to Tom, my skill in letting someone’s words go in one ear and out the other had improved drastically. As I walked, giving half-hearted responses to her non-stop chatter, my footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
“……Successor of Steel?”
Sherizik looked back at me. Elizabeth the Witch frowned as she watched me.
Even so, I didn’t move.
『I told you.』
『That you were like the wind.』
A voice was echoing in my head.
『You were like a gust of wind in my life.』
My heart throbbed. It resonated with a heavy thump , like a bell tolling.
“Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
“That…… what is that?”
“……An antique shop?”
An antique shop, yes. Numerous items were scattered across the display stands of a weathered shop with that sign. Torn carpets, empty glass flasks, thick books written in unreadable languages…… and among those items, one thing captured my gaze.
A blunt lump of iron. A rusty, worn-out piece of metal.
“Ha, I suppose it’s fascinating because you don’t have things like that in the Iron Kingdom? Among the many cities of the Sky Empire, this Magic City Oz places great importance on the historical value of objects. It’s because magical beings who live in communication with the spiritual world know that the aura of a soul dwells within objects. That’s why these antique shops exist. Shops that preserve old things.”
“…….”
“We don’t have time to be distracted by such places, let’s—”
“Wait.”
I walked toward it as if possessed. The moment I reached the display stand, I realized what that worn-out piece of metal was. It was a sword blade. A broken blade, snapped in half. A fragment that had fallen off from a complete sword. It didn’t take long to realize which sword this fragment belonged to.
『It was no longer a familiar place.』
『When I was swept away by a whirlwind and arrived in an unknown land, I spoke.』
『I was afraid, and I was lonely.』
A fragment of Gale .
The remaining piece of the sword that had been snapped in half since the moment I consumed it.
『But the wind was everywhere.』
『When I laughed joyfully, when I sobbed in sorrow, and even when I occasionally flared up in anger, a gentle breeze would caress my cheek. Just like your rough and clumsy touch.』
『I have no way of knowing whether you lived, died, or became a gust of wind yourself, just like your life. But from the moment I felt you in the wind, I was no longer afraid of anything.』
On one corner of the blade fragment, elegant writing was engraved. Writing that seemed to have been carved a very long time ago.
『I, you see, couldn’t face legions like you did. I couldn’t become a wizard who made a grand name for myself.』
『Swept away by a whirlwind, my hair turned white before I knew it; I lost my youth and became a wrinkled old woman. Even so, I was free.』
.
.
.
『And I sang of this free life you gifted me.』
『Even if someone calls it common, someone calls it made up, or someone calls it cliché, to me, it was more special and radiant than anything else.』
The Wizard of Oz.
“Ah.”
The other half of Gale was here.
『I loved you, you who vanished with the wind.』
The moment I accepted that voice, I felt the broken fragment of the sword within me click into place. As I stood there with a dazed expression, the owner of the antique shop, an old woman with a blunt face, slowly walked over. She held out the half-fragment of Gale I was staring at.
I asked reflexively.
“How much is this? I’ll buy it.”
“Forget it, just take it.”
“Pardon?”
Just take it? As I stood there dumbfounded, the old woman spoke.
“I can’t take payment when the object wants the customer.”
The Magic City Oz. I had gained one more unexpected harvest here.
* * *
「Heh heh, the Successor of Steel has gained a faint connection.」
「He has taken hold of the wind that lingered, unable to leave.」
「It is a strange thing. A connection that the first Caravan, that man, would never have obtained. Was he not a being who worshipped only strength?」
「It will swirl even stronger and grander now. It won’t be a gale; it will become a storm.」
「Puh-hel-hel.」
「It’s fascinating, truly fascinating. I envy that fellow Sherdic. I want to peer into the stars and watch the path the Successor of Steel will walk as well……」
「A Caravan who receives the love of the sword? Has there ever been such a being until now?」
「Not a single one. Not even one.」
「Then he is a peculiar Caravan.」
「A peculiar Caravan…… well, it’s one of the two.」
.
.
.
「Either peculiar, or special.」
* * *
As we moved to the outskirts of the Magic City Oz, the mysterious scenery faded somewhat. A rainbow-colored aurora hung in the sky. The aurora was beautiful, as if jewels had been crushed and scattered across the heavens. Beneath the magnificent view, Elizabeth floated into the air and chanted a spell, and soon our bodies drifted upward as well.
“We are leaving now.”
Our floating bodies were soon enveloped in a cluster of light. While the beautiful scenery was completely obscured by the light, I closed and opened my eyes against the flash, and soon a familiar sight unfolded. A mountain with lush thickets. It was the mountain behind the Caravan estate, so familiar and yet so different from the Sky Mountain Range.
“……Have we moved?”
“Yes. Do you not even recognize your own land?”
“It was simpler and faster than I thought.”
“Originally, highly advanced magic is simple, not complex. Those who pursue flashiness and complexity are merely amateurs; the masters who have realized the truth are—”
Looking at Elizabeth, who blathered ten words for every one I spoke, I snapped my head away. From the mountain behind the Caravan estate, our territory was clearly visible. My intention was to check the general situation before returning to the estate.
However.
“……?”
The estate was not visible.
My dear and precious village was engulfed in soaring flames. A roof made of fire was covering the village, preventing anyone from seeing inside from the outside.
“What in the……”
“It’s a Curtain of Fire .”
“A Curtain of Fire?”
“It’s one of the spells used by War Mages belonging to the Machine Empire Magic Corps. It’s a spell that separates the outside from the inside with powerful flames to prevent personnel in a designated area from escaping.”
“…….”
“It seems the situation is worse than what I heard.”
Elizabeth let out a low hum of concern. I looked at her and asked.
“Can you clear that away?”
“Is that even a question?”
The cloth covering her face fluttered. Beyond the fluttering cloth, I could see an arrogant smile spreading.
“Clear a path. All the way to the front.”
“…….”
“You can do it, right? Descendant of Steel.”
Clear a path.
After hearing those words, I put strength into my eyes.
The power of a superhuman was granted, and subsequently, my vision—enhanced by the aftermath of the contract with Dragon Aion—made the world appear vivid. Furthermore, the blue world of Ascension unfolded, and the vivid world slowed down as if coming to a halt.
Soon, I saw beings loitering around the Curtain of Fire draped over the Caravan estate. Pitch-black uniforms, and on the chests of those uniforms was a gear-shaped emblem symbolizing the Machine Empire, Laprien.
The moment I perceived them, I drew my sword.
“Is that even a question?”
Doubt.
My own unique trait, sensitive beyond measure. Doubt, tempered alongside superhuman senses, dismantled the aura emanating from them and turned it all into information. The moment my brain received the information, my instinct made a judgment.
“Just get ready to follow me.”
None among them are my match. Not a single one.
In that case?
“I’m going.”
The uninvited guests all die here.
The young Lord of Caravan had returned.
