Of course, just because it was possible didn’t mean he would take it.
“That artificial sun is the lifeline of this ruin and the surrounding forest.”
The moment it disappeared, a wave of extreme cold would sweep through the forest.
When that happened, not only the vegetation growing there, but the vast majority of the beasts living in the forest would die.
Even if they were creatures without speech, committing mass slaughter like that sat poorly with him.
“And besides.”
As he spoke, Ludger fixed his gaze on Lexuror.
“You don’t look like you want that either.”
[......What. You noticed?]
Lexuror spoke casually, but perhaps he’d been pricked by the truth, because his voice trailed off.
[Well, to be honest, I don’t really have any grounds to stop you. Appealing to your compassion wouldn’t work anyway. Most mages are like that. More than anything, the real issue is that I fundamentally don’t have the power to stop you.]
If it were anyone else here instead of him, they still wouldn’t be able to stop Ludger.
The gap in power was that vast. If Ludger truly wished it, he could erase this entire ruin.
The only reason he hadn’t was because he didn’t feel like it.
Lexuror had never felt such helplessness in his life.
Even when the Lumenis Church had obstructed him at every turn, it hadn’t felt like this.
Once again, he was made keenly aware of how terrifying an individual wielding overwhelming power could be.
Still, if Ludger truly intended to take the Relic—
He would have tried to stop him by any means necessary.
“A needless worry.”
Ludger brushed aside Lexuror’s concern.
“I came here out of curiosity once I heard there was a ruin. That, and to make sure dangerous people didn’t get their hands on any artifacts or Relics along the way.”
[Is that really true?]
“I may be a mage, but I’ve traveled the world far more than you think. The cultures of each nation, their histories, ruins, legacies—things like that. I’m not stupid enough to treat them lightly.”
[......Hearing you go that far does put me a little at ease.]
“If anything, the one who needs convincing is over there.”
As he spoke, Ludger looked at Veronica.
With the attention suddenly on her, Veronica visibly flustered.
“M-me?”
“Lady Veronica. What do you intend to do with that Relic?”
“What? Well, that is...”
Veronica fell silent.
That was right. She had come here not only to prevent the Relic from falling into the hands of the Church.
Recovering it and bringing it back to the Empire had also been one ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of her objectives.
In truth, Veronica had believed the latter was impossible.
She’d expected the path to the ruin to be treacherous, and even if they made it inside, she hadn’t thought there would actually be a Relic there.
‘I never imagined it would turn out like this.’
Ludger could more or less guess what Veronica was thinking.
They found the ruin, met Lexuror, wiped out the remaining forces of the Lumenis Church.
And finally—discovered a real, existing Relic.
Everything had happened in a rush, like a sudden flood, and Veronica was struggling to keep up.
It was only because Ludger reminded her that she had to carry out her duty as an imperial knight that she’d even managed to collect herself.
“I-I mean...”
If it were the usual Veronica, she would have declared without hesitation that the Relic should be recovered by the Empire and stored safely.
That Relic was no ordinary object. Its energy output was immeasurable. It could very well replace the Empire’s next-generation energy source.
How much easier would life become for countless citizens with just that one Relic? And the advancement of technology?
Taking it was the right choice. Veronica’s reason screamed that at her.
But—
“If I take that, what happens to you, Sir Lexuror?”
She couldn’t avoid asking that question.
Lexuror seemed to think for a moment, then answered with a hollow smile.
[Well. I’d die.]
She’d vaguely expected it. But hearing it directly felt different.
[I’m assimilated with this ruin. I embedded my soul and consciousness into it. And this ruin only functions through the power of the Relic.]
The Relic was both core and battery. Once it was gone, the ruin would lose its function.
And Lexuror, bound to the ruin, would die with it.
[Well, I’ve already died once, you see. The first time’s the hard part—maybe the second won’t be so bad?]
“Then why did you guide us all the way here?”
[Why else? That monster over there would’ve found this place on his own even without my guidance.]
It was what he said while looking at Ludger.
[If I can’t stop it anyway, the best I can do is cooperate as much as possible. Who knows? Maybe if I do that, you’ll feel just a little sorry for me and let it slide.]
Of course, it was a ridiculous hope.
Standing before a Relic anyone would covet, giving it up out of a sense of moral debt?
Lexuror himself thought it was foolish.
But given his situation, it was also true that this was all he could do.
[So all I can do is leave it to your choice. Of course, even if you take it, I won’t blame you. Honestly, if I weren’t the caretaker here and were just an outsider, I would’ve grabbed it immediately.]
“That’s a lie.”
Lexuror turned to look at Casey.
[Why do you say that?]
“Because the Lexuror I know would never be that kind of person.”
[And how much do you know about me?]
“Not everything. But I’ve heard your life story enough times to be sick of it. There are countless books about you too.”
[And who’s to say those books aren’t lies? They were written later. Of course they’d add all kinds of embellishments.]
“But the core would still be the same. Praise without reason doesn’t exist. The Lexuror I know is a man who pursues romance. Someone who, even after discovering priceless treasures, would readily hand them over to the poor.”
There were many reasons Lexuror’s name was so often discussed among gossipmongers.
He systematized 6th-circle magic and had his name attached to the title.
He was a mage who wandered the world, exploring remote frontiers—an eccentric personality.
On top of that, he accumulated countless scandals with women across the continent.
He was the perfect subject for endless stories.
But above all, what made people like Lexuror was his deeds.
Lexuror was a mage, but he understood romance.
He always acted with purpose. Some criticized that as irresponsibility, but Lexuror never cared.
“It’s all in the records. Just the artifacts and treasures you discovered would’ve been enough to live comfortably for a lifetime. And yet, you kept wandering the world. Because you gave away every bit of money you earned to others.”
[.......]
Even Lexuror, who’d been acting cynical, couldn’t bring himself to deny that.
As he traveled the world, he handed over the money he earned to acquaintances, friends, and locals alike.
Saying that what one should travel with wasn’t gold coins, but the wind.
“And I also know that despite your bad reputation with women, you regularly sent money to the women you left behind.”
[......Damn it. Even that became public knowledge?]
“It’s not just rumors. It’s written in the records.”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected even that to be exposed, because Lexuror rubbed his face with his hand.
[Hoo. This is something. I thought that when my story got passed down, I’d be remembered as an unparalleled womanizer.]
“So you were aware of it. Some people do say that, yes. But the ones who defended you most passionately were the women you’d met.”
With his handsome looks and eloquent tongue, Lexuror often charmed women.
He was like a blazing flame. Always passionate, and the women who met him were drawn to that side of him.
Of course, that flame was fleeting—vanishing with the wind once the sun rose.
But the warmth of those moments was never a lie.
“They’re the ones who left the most annotations in your biography.”
[So that’s how it was.......]
Lexuror let out a small laugh.
[Well, I am charming enough to be hard to forget. A truly sinful man.]
“Save the self-praise. Anyway, my point is simple. You’re not a villain. If anything, you’re too kind for your own good—that’s the problem. You lack a bit of responsibility. Your manner of speech is also frivolous. Honestly, your looks aren’t my type either, but I suppose that’s a matter of personal taste.”
[......If you’re going to praise me, couldn’t you just praise me?]
It somehow felt even more hurtful.
“Anyway, stop talking nonsense. You say dying is fine? There’s no way someone like that exists. If that were really true, then why are you still here, enduring all this?”
[That’s.......]
“You just want to live. Because you couldn’t stand the idea of no longer continuing your adventures.”
Casey saw straight through Lexuror’s heart.
The path Lexuror had walked was itself a clue.
Given just the clues, Casey could reach the correct answer.
After all, she was a great detective.
[Even if that’s true, what good does it do? Do you expect me to beg for mercy here? If you really know me, then you know I don’t bend on things like this. Look at me. I’m nothing but an illusion without a body. A recorded past? That’s all over and done with. It was glorious, but now there’s no one left who remembers those days.]
“You’re here now.”
[.......]
“If you die, even those memories will disappear. Are you really okay with that?”
Lexuror couldn’t say a word.
He stared blankly into the air, then looked up at the floating sun, then down at the ground, letting out a long sigh.
[Ah, damn it. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.]
Lexuror roughly raked his hair back.
[If you’d all been heartless bastards, I could’ve given up cleanly. Why are you planting hope in me like this?]
Nothing disappointed people more than pointless hope.
Lexuror knew well the despair that would follow.
“Because people need hope to live. Someone I know used to say that—did you know?”
Lexuror froze as if he’d been struck.
Because it was something he himself had habitually said back when he’d lived as an explorer.
[Ha, haha.]
Lexuror let out a hollow laugh. Shaking his head as if troubled, he then fixed Veronica with a clear gaze.
[Fine. Knight girl. What will you do?]
“Honestly, if it weren’t for you, Sir Lexuror, I would have recovered the Relic without a second thought.”
Veronica looked around.
The beautiful forest scenery. The small animals wandering among it.
A place where life was being born—no matter where you searched across the continent, you’d never find another like it.
Yes. This place was unique.
“But after hearing everything, I realized that I can’t do that. Destroying such a beautiful place for my own selfishness doesn’t sit right with me. And killing a person is even more out of the question.”
Looking Lexuror straight in the eye, Veronica spoke.
“A knight draws her sword to save lives. That is my unchanging belief—one I’ve held since the day I became a knight.”
The Relic was tempting. Dangerous enough that every nation would covet it.
As someone who lived as an imperial citizen and received the Empire’s stipend, Veronica couldn’t help but consider the Empire’s interests.
But she couldn’t abandon her convictions for that.
Other knights might.
But Veronica would not compromise.
She was the proud deputy commander of the Coldsteel Knights.
“So I will give it up.”
[You may be reprimanded by your superiors.]
“So be it. I’ll take responsibility for my choice. I’ve made my decision, and this is my answer. That’s enough.”
Ludger, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
“So that’s how it is. Things turned out well, didn’t they? A ruin with such immense historical value must be preserved.”
Lexuror’s lips twitched.
To be honest, he couldn’t deny that Ludger’s help had been the greatest factor.
He wanted to say thank you—but the words wouldn’t come easily.
“I only did what I had to do. So you should do what you have to do as well.”
[Ha.]
Lexuror burst out laughing.
Just when he was about to thank someone, they made it impossible.
[You really are unbelievably irritating.]
Despite his words, a bright smile spread across Lexuror’s face.
Then his expression stiffened.
[I think I just saw something.]
Lexuror’s blue eyes rapidly scanned something unseen.
Because he was linked to the ruin’s systems, he noticed abnormalities outside faster than anyone else here.
[......By any chance, did something other than the Lumenis Church show up out there? Like, I don’t know—a gigantic monster or something?]