To Zeppelin Gold, his time in the Southern Continent felt like a blissful dream. The warmth of the people, the ethereal vistas—but above all, it was the transformation of those around him that brought him the greatest joy.
“Young Master, at this rate, won’t you end up becoming the heir?”
After word of his success in the Southern Continent spread, many from the Black Archipelago reached out. Even the prickly marksman from the Red Bank joked, asking if his years of silent toil were finally coming to light. Zeppelin cherished the praise from the seniors who had taught him the ropes and the colleagues he had trained with. For the first time, he felt like he was spreading his wings—not as a mere scion of the Gold family, but as an individual.
“I knew you’d make it someday.”
“You’re really going to have to treat us to something big this time!”
He also took pride in the changing scenery he had helped create. Crumbling ruins were reborn as beautiful structures, and innocent children scrawled Zeppelin’s name on the fresh plaster of the new walls. Families who once slept on the streets, exposed to the elements, now had roofs to shield them from the rain. People who had once been lost to despair and sorrow found honest work; they no longer starved, but could eat their fill and sleep soundly. On pleasant nights, they would gather outside, clinking beer mugs and chatting about nothing in particular.
“Zeppelin, you’re our hero, too!”
Those who had lived in fear of the Crusaders and lost everything they held dear had reclaimed their happiness. Those who had once sobbed in grief had found their laughter again. Watching the people singing and dancing under the starlit sky made Zeppelin Gold truly happy. The boys playing and giving him playful high-fives, the young girl shyly offering him a flower, the sight of a couple smiling aimlessly at the scene, and the old men shedding tears as they saw Port City Vicente restored to its former glory—the fact that he had achieved all of this with his own hands was deeply gratifying.
“Thank you, mister!”
“Zeppelin is the best!”
He would likely never forget it for as long as he lived.
Even if he were to close a massive deal with the Empire and be buried in gold coins, it wouldn’t compare to this joy. And so, Zeppelin Gold remembered every single one of them.
“…It seems the blood of Gold does flow in your veins after all.”
“Well done.”
His indifferent older brothers.
His sisters, who rarely expressed their feelings.
Even the elders of the family had acknowledged him for the first time. It was the first recognition he had ever received as the once-spoiled brat of a great family. While that was a joy beyond measure, there was something else that made Zeppelin Gold even happier.
“Now we’ll finally get to shine, too!”
“We always believed in you, Young Master!”
“Exactly! Where else could you find someone like our Young Master?”
The people who had helped him since his most pathetic days.
The grateful souls who had stayed by his side even when he failed time and again. Those who had become Zeppelin’s people, rather than just employees of the Gold family. The fact that he could finally repay his own people made Zeppelin Gold incredibly happy.
“Young Master.”
And.
“I think this is only natural.”
His Baltimore.
“You’ve always run yourself ragged. You were always on the ground, working your hardest to be recognized. I was certain that someone like you, Young Master, would eventually shine.”
The woman who was like an older sister to him—the one who had looked after him since he was a boy, stayed by his side even when he was pathetically weeping in sorrow, and remained with him like a shadow, never leaving.
“You’ve worked so hard, Young Master. Truly… truly.”
She deserved to be rewarded.
Yes, no matter the cost…
“So, be as happy as you like, my Zeppelin.”
But.
“Ah.”
Every sweet dream must eventually end in an awakening.
“Zeppelin!”
“W-what is… what is this…”
“Stay still!”
Zeppelin Gold snapped his eyes open.
The world reflected in his pupils was a sea of fire. Raging flames were consuming everything. The buildings bearing his name, the bright smiles of the children, the people of Vicente who had been tilting their glasses just moments ago—all the laughter and happiness they had reclaimed was being reduced to ash.
“The army of the Great Land has arrived! The Crusaders have brought the Descendants of Khan with them! The Conquest Army of the Great Steppe is here—!”
And his person, who stayed by his side until the end, who never left until the final moment, who deserved to be rewarded…
“A-ah… ahhh.”
Zeppelin Gold smelled the stench of alcohol clinging to his breath. A foul reek of booze poured out, but his intoxication had long since vanished. Zeppelin looked ahead. Soon, with a sharp clang , his body rolled across the floor. Lifting his head, he saw Arhan and a massive man locked in a fierce sword fight.
“L-Lord Arhan.”
“Don’t come any closer! I can handle this!”
Zeppelin Gold couldn’t even follow the movements of the clashing blades. Metal shrieked against metal with the force of thunder, and sparks flew in the darkness. Sprawled on the ground, Zeppelin could only stare blankly at Arhan’s back.
If I had known it would come to this…
I would have learned the Sword of Gold.
I would have mastered at least one blade.
As that thought crossed his mind, a voice flickered through his head.
“Young Master, if you count them all up, you’ve already said ‘If I had known it would come to this, I would have learned the Sword of Gold’ over five hundred times.”
His fists clenched tight.
Helplessness. A terrible, gnawing helplessness consumed him as he watched Arhan fighting in the darkness. An unbearable frustration washed over him. He felt like a man whose limbs had been severed before being tossed into the sea. Amidst the crushing pressure, Zeppelin Gold fought back his rising tears.
“Zeppelin, get up!”
While he was struggling with his grief, the skirmish came to an end. Looking at Arhan’s outstretched hand, Zeppelin Gold looked around once more. No one he knew was left alive. He spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Has the Great Land… truly come?”
“Yes.”
“Then… it’s all over.”
Zeppelin Gold squeezed his eyes shut.
“Lord Arhan, do you know of the Great Land?”
“Not well.”
“I know it. I know it all too well. The people of the Black Archipelago, who roam the entire sea, visit the Eastern Continent at least once.”
“…”
“They are demons.”
His voice trembled involuntarily, thick with a mixture of every possible emotion.
“Those protected under the order established by the Sky Empire don’t know. Those who have never seen the hell that stretches across the East, beyond the vast ocean, don’t know.”
“…”
“The Southern Continent is… finished.”
Zeppelin Gold stood there, dazed.
Suddenly, a sharp smack rang out, and a stinging sensation flared on his cheek. Someone had slapped him. Snapping out of his stupor from the burning pain, Zeppelin turned his head. Arhan Caravan was glaring at him.
“Do not give up.”
“…”
“Nothing is truly over yet.”
*
I didn’t know why Caretaker Tom, who should have been at the Caravan Estate, was here. I didn’t know why the vanished Swordmaster Hugo Rhapsody was helping me. But right now, the circumstances didn’t matter. Survival—that was the only thing that mattered.
“Zeppelin Gold.”
Tom had clashed blades with a Sword Expert from the Great Land to help me. While Tom held off a powerhouse I couldn’t hope to face, I grabbed Zeppelin Gold and fled in haste. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any other Sword Experts. And no mere Sword Runner could be my match. Every enemy we met in the darkness died beneath my blade.
But.
“Is there any way to get out of here alive?”
There were still too many problems.
“The Conquest Army of the Great Land appeared alongside the Descendants of Khan. They launched a surprise attack using the Machine Empire’s Warp Gate, and most of Vicente’s residents are already dead. We have to assume the mercenary groups from the Black Archipelago have been wiped out as well. I suspect this city is already surrounded. Since they’ve borrowed the power of the Machine Empire, most magical tools will likely be unusable. In this situation, can you think of any way to get out alive?”
I couldn’t think of anything on my own.
Hugo Rhapsody wouldn’t be able to hold off the Descendant of Khan for long. One of the Sixteen Beings, the Descendant of Khan was the Foremost Sword of the Continent before Carlos. And the Descendant of Khan would pursue us the moment he defeated Hugo Rhapsody. Escape was impossible. Only a Swordmaster can escape a space dominated by another Swordmaster.
Damn it.
Moreover, Tom was in danger.
Caretaker Tom wasn’t a complete Sword Expert. He had forged his armor, but he was only a half-baked Sword Expert. Even when Rhapsody’s legion came to the Caravan Estate, and when we encountered the Dragon Aion in the Sky Mountains, Tom had called himself a ‘half-wit.’ If I didn’t think of a way right now, not only I, but Tom as well, would meet our end here. I couldn’t let that happen. Never.
“Is there… any meaning in surviving?”
“Zeppelin!”
“Baltimore is dead, my mercenary group is dead, my people, the innocent residents—they’re all dead! If we survive and get out, what changes? What—!”
Zeppelin Gold was in a state of pure panic.
Looking into his shaking eyes, I shouted.
“You have to survive! Only then can you change anything!”
“…!”
“If you don’t want these unjust deaths, these horrific events, to simply vanish into the flames, someone has to make it out alive. Only then can you hold them accountable, or grow your strength to seek revenge later—you can do anything! As long as you are breathing, as long as you live and do not forget, that alone has meaning. Zeppelin!”
I glared at him.
“The world is inherently unreasonable, Zeppelin Gold.”
“…”
“This world naturally takes away what we hold dear without a second thought. It collapses what we have painstakingly built with hollow ease. Are you going to submit to this harsh and unreasonable world? At the very least, I cannot. I will stand against the world. I will not accept it, I will clash with it, and I will stab at it even if it’s just with the blade in my hand. So tell me. Is there a way to get out of here alive?”
At that moment, the light returned to Zeppelin Gold’s eyes.
Just as Zeppelin was about to open his mouth, Tom appeared beside me with a thunderous crash. Tom was covered in blood, and even breathing seemed a struggle for him. The old man’s cracked voice leaked out.
“Young Master, I can’t hold out much longer.”
“Are you alright?”
“If I were in my prime, I could have held out longer, but the years are cruel.”
Tom gave a soft, wheezing chuckle.
“…What happened to that guy?”
“You don’t… need to worry. This old man took care of him.”
“How?”
“The meager sword this old man learned was, originally, made to face larger and stronger enemies. More than anything, I couldn’t very well lose to such a young fellow at my age. I have my experience, after all. Heh, cough !”
Tom, who had been speaking cheerfully, suddenly coughed up blood. It was incredible that he, who had been retired for so long, had taken down a Sword Expert, but it seemed Tom had also sustained fatal injuries. Looking at Tom’s visibly pale face, I was certain. Time was running out.
“Zeppelin…”
“There is a way.”
And Zeppelin Gold finally spoke.
“The possibility of success is… very low, but…”
