The three stared at Raguyaran from the mountain's peak for quite some time. Although he had been standing there for so long, Eugene still couldn’t sense the presence of the End coming from Raguyaran. To Eugene’s eyes, Raguyaran just seemed to be covered by a dull and misty fog.
As for the Raguyaran on the outside, not the one on this side , it wasn’t all that special or mysterious a place either.
It was just a huge snowfield with abysmal weather. A harsh land without anything of particular value, such as underground resources buried beneath its surface. A land where even mana itself was scarce, making it difficult to use any magic. No one lived in Raguyaran because it was a place full of factors that were inimical to life.
Beyond this land was the vast Arctic Sea. Since all seas were connected with each other in the end, it was said that if you crossed Raguyaran’s Arctic Sea, you would be able to reach the far-off Southern seas… but what reason was there to do something so pointless?
In any case, the Raguyaran that Eugene knew wasn’t as bizarre and terrifying a place as Vermouth had warned them about.
However, it was true that the Nur had started appearing here a hundred years ago. Molon had blocked any of the Nur from leaving here for the past one hundred years. Molon was using his own body as a barrier so the End coming from Raguyaran wouldn’t be able to cross the Lehainjar and attack the rest of the world.
“Molon,” Eugene eventually spoke up.
Even after staring at it for such a long time, nothing seemed to be approaching them from the other side of the Raguyaran. Like with Lehainjar itself, on this side, the sun never rose in this world.
This was the world that Molon had been watching over for the past one hundred years. No matter how much you tried to break it, it would always reform intact. And as the corpses of Nur piled up, the scenery would turn grotesque. Those were the only two changes that ever took place here.
Eugene continued, “What are you going to do from now on?”
This question needed to be asked. In Eugene’s opinion, his fight with Molon couldn’t really be called a fight. Even he himself thought of it as an embarrassing and ugly struggle on his part. But it was because his opponent was Molon that Eugene had struggled so fiercely. If his opponent hadn’t been Molon, there would be no reason for him to do such a thing.
“Are you going to keep staying here?” Eugene followed up with another question.
These questions, this whole conversation, all of it could only take place because of Eugene’s futile struggle. If it were the previous Molon, having a conversation like this would have been impossible. Though less than half a day had passed from then until now, Eugene was certain that Molon had changed.
“I,” Molon hesitantly began without turning his head to look at Eugene.
His sunken eyes were still staring firmly at Raguyaran, at the hazy and distant End of the World.
“I will wait here,” Molon declared.
His answer hadn’t changed from before. Even if Eugene had asked the earlier Molon, he would have given the same answer as he did now. Eugene was also aware of this fact.
In the first place, Eugene had no intention of changing Molon’s answer. What on earth could he do to change it? The hundred years he had spent here because of Vermouth’s request, all of that was proof of Molon’s conviction and commitment to this mission.
Eugene didn’t want to deny his friend’s conviction and commitment.
“It’s not just because of Vermouth’s request,” Molon explained. “It’s because I’ve seen the Nur myself. It’s because I know what an ominous existence the Nur are. I am the founder of Ruhr, and I am the Brave Molon who once saved the world. As such, I have to keep watch over this place.”
It wasn’t just Molon. If Eugene hadn’t died and been put in Molon’s position, he would have acted the same as Molon. Even Sienna and Anise, they all would have done the same.
“For how long?” Eugene asked as he stared at Molon. “Until now, you’ve been waiting for a hundred years. For just how many more years are you going to keep watch over this place?”
“I guess I’ll just keep doing so until I die,” Molon replied calmly.
“What an idiotic answer,” Eugene grumbled, only for Molon to chuckle in response.
Molon tore his gaze away from the Raguyaran and looked down at Eugene, “Hamel. It seems that you’re worried about me.”
Eugene snorted, “Of course, I’m worried about you.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to show you my weakness,” Molon sighed.
“Molon, listen closely to what I’m saying,” Eugene growled as he forced his still clumsy fingers to clench into a fist. “Just in case, if you do become a little strange once more, I’ll come back to fight with you.”
Molon’s eyes widened into circles as he looked at Eugene.
“I’ll definitely come here to beat you up,” Eugene promised sincerely.
This time, Eugene had fought Molon in an embarrassing and ugly manner, then he had lost messily.
“I’ll come here to fight with you and defeat you,” Eugene vowed.
If he lost next time as well, then Eugene would just have to try the next time again. No matter how many times he was defeated, Eugene would keep on challenging Molon.
Eugene continued speaking firmly, “Whenever you grow strange, whenever you get bored and start going crazy, I’ll come here to beat you up while calling you an idiot.”
There was no way to know where the Nur came from or why they were coming here. Vermouth hadn’t said anything about how long Molon would have to keep doing this. Without even a promise of when he could rest, he had made Molon watch over this place for over a hundred years.
“Molon, you weren’t lonely, and you didn’t get any weaker. Do you want to know why? You beat me half to death, after all. That alone would be proof of your strength. You’re still the brave and strong warrior you always were,” Eugene assured him.
It was a clumsy and awkward attempt at consolation. Even Molon could sense that. The same went for Eugene himself as the one who said it. However, Eugene didn’t know how else to offer his consolation.
If he had won his fight with Molon, the lines Eugene had used just now would have been slightly different.
You really are weak, idiot. However, I was just a lousy opponent for you. Even in my previous life, I was already stronger than you. So, just because you lost to me, that doesn’t mean you’re weak. It just means that I’m way too strong. Don’t be too heartbroken. Your opponent was me, after all.
Therefore, you should keep watch for just a little longer. As the one who is stronger than you….
“Neither you nor I know when this duty of yours will end,” Eugene said as he raised his still-clenched fist from his side. “That’s why you were lonely and in pain. Because you don’t know when this damn mission will be over. That’s why you felt like your mind was slowly getting weaker. As the people you knew died one by one, but only you remained.”
Molon couldn’t think of what to say to this. With blank eyes, he stared at Eugene’s fist. Compared to Molon’s, that fist was childishly small. It was a light fist that wouldn’t be able to hurt Molon even if it struck him several times.
“However, I’m here now, and so is Anise,” Eugene continued. “There’s also Sienna. As such, you don’t need to be lonely. We will remember what it is you’re doing here and why. If you’re in distress because you don’t know how much longer you have to stay here, then I’ll go and ask him for you myself.”
“Who are you going to ask?” Molon questioned after a beat.
Eugene scoffed, “Idiot, why ask such an obvious question? The one who made such a shitty request of you is Vermouth, right? Coincidentally, I also have a lot of things I want to ask that bastard Vermouth. So while I’m at it, I’ll also ask about your mission.”
Molon wasn’t smiling, but Eugene still grinned.
“In that case,” Eugene said as he thrust his raised fist toward Molon. “...In that case, just for a little longer, keep protecting this place for just a bit more.”
In the end, Eugene couldn’t help but say something like this.
After all, who in the world, apart from Molon, would be able to guard this place? Apart from him, who in the hell would have been able to block those ominous monsters from invading for over a hundred years?
“...Haha!” Molon burst into laughter. “You really are cruel, Hamel.”
Molon shook his head as he kept laughing.
“Vermouth’s request alone has forced me to endure all this for the past one hundred and fifty years. Now, with your request on top of that, I’m being forced to accept both of your requests,” Molon said with amusement.
“And just why are you ignoring me?” Anise, who had been silently standing beside them listening to all this, suddenly spoke up. “Did you think that I wouldn’t make a request of you when even Hamel has done so? Molon, in my opinion, the only one who can handle this sort of mission is you. Even if all of us had survived, if we had had to request one of us to take up this duty, then all of us, not just Sir Vermouth, would have asked you to do it.”
“Is that so,” Molon muttered as he lifted his head. “Hamel, Anise. With the addition of you two, it seems like I have three people counting on me. Also, Anise, you said I’m the only one who could have done something like this. Hamel, you said that I am still the same brave and strong warrior that I used to be.”
Just like Eugene had, Molon also clenched his fist. He lifted his tightly clenched fist up to Eugene’s.
“If that’s the case, then it seems that I have no choice but to do so,” Molon said with renewed confidence.
Tap.
Their fists lightly knocked against each other.
“Hamel,” Molon said as he stared straight at Eugene.
His body may have changed, but on the inside, he was still unmistakably Hamel.
‘Isn’t that the same for me as well? ’ Molon thought with a grin.
No matter how weatherbeaten he had become over the past three hundred years, even with all the rust, Molon was still Molon. He was still strong. He was still brave.
“You said that you would kill the Demon Kings,” Molon recalled.
“That’s right,” Eugene confirmed this.
Molon continued hesitantly, “I probably… won’t be able to go with you to kill the remaining Demon Kings. Since I have a mission to continue guarding this place.”
Perhaps, if they managed to kill all of the Demon Kings, there might no longer be any need to worry about the End coming from Raguyaran.
“If one day you put an end to everything and find out that I no longer have to be bound to this mission, if you reunite with the missing Vermouth, then… at that time, come here and tell me about it,” Molon requested.
He would be fine.
Molon added, “Just in case, if I’ve turned strange once more, then give me a beating with your own hands and tell me that my mission is over. Tell me that I am free.”
After today, Molon believed that he would no longer lose his mind. The fists that he exchanged with Hamel, along with their conversation — no — the memories that he had made with both Hamel and Anise, these comrades from his past, over the past few days. These few days of memories were weightier and clearer than the hundred years Molon had spent guarding this place.
Molon had said those sorts of things to show them that he was prepared to wait even if he didn’t know just how long it would take them to return here. He was expressing his determination to protect this place without taking his own life or allowing anyone else to kill him.
“Alright,” Eugene agreed with a smile as he lowered his fist. “At that time, I’ll also bring Vermouth with me. …Maybe even Sienna as well.”
To think that Eugene would get embarrassed at this point. Anise, who had been listening quietly, swallowed a laugh inside of Kristina’s head. Hamel wasn’t comfortable with sensitive topics and wasn’t very good at expressing himself.
‘...The gap is pretty nice,’ Kristina thought to herself.
[Huh?] Anise questioned.
‘Sir Eugene’s usual behavior is extremely rough,’ Kristina pointed out. ‘His tongue is so sharp that it’s hard to believe he’s a great hero, and he also curses a lot.’
[This is actually after he’s improved a little, Kristina. At first, Hamel’s mouth was truly filthy[1]. So in order to clean his tongue, whenever Hamel cursed, I would stuff an actual rag into his mouth.]
Just how low could Hamel’s position have been when he first joined the party three hundred years ago? Kristina considered this question for a moment.
Kristina defended him, ‘...Although Sir Eugene may be rough, at times, he unconsciously shows his inner nature. Like the fact that he’s able to distinguish between you and me, Sister. When we eat together, he puts my tableware in front of me first, as if it’s instinctual. Or when we walk down a street together, he lets me walk on the inside where it’s safer; and whenever a monster appears, he steps forward in front of me as if it’s only natural for him to do so….’
[Do you really remember all of those moments?] Anise asked in disbelief.
Flustered, Kristina stammered, ‘A-anyways, Sister, isn’t that the case? While his mouth may spit out harsh words, in his heart, he’s worried about his friend and comrade-in-arms, Molon…. But even after he was covered in blood and half-dead, he still didn’t change tactics and went up against Sir Molon with all his strength…! Just like when he saved me….’
[Indeed, Kristina, perhaps because we’re soul sisters, but you’re attracted to the same points as me. You’re right. Hamel has always been like that since three hundred years ago. He’s all spiky on the outside while soft on the inside…. It was that sort of gap that captivated both Sienna and me.]
‘Lady Sienna as well…!’
Although Kristina had yet to meet Sienna personally, she had become familiar with Sienna by hearing Eugene and Anise talk about her numerous times. In addition to that, after hearing these words from Anise, for some reason, Kristina felt herself sympathizing with Sienna, even though they hadn’t even met yet.
[There’s just one thing that you should remember, Kristina. In the end, Sienna, that shy little chick, will become your and my enemy. Mer Merdein, that cheeky brat, might be willing to flatter us now, but once Sienna is released from her seal, she will surely stick to Sienna’s side as if she had never gotten close to us and report everything that has happened until then.]
‘If that’s the case, then what are we supposed to do? Sister, I don’t think that we’ve done anything wrong.’
[Sienna is a savage girl who speaks before she thinks and whose fists speak louder than her words. Even if we don’t commit any crimes, Sienna might rain fireballs down on our heads just because she’s in a bad mood. If you want to counter her, Krisitna, you must make sure to not neglect your divine magic. The two of us should hold hands and combine forces.]
‘I’ve always been holding your hand, Sister, ever since the very beginning.’
Anise and Kristina’s sisterly affection grew even stronger.
“Well then, shall we head back now,” Molon proposed.
Bang!
Molon’s huge hand smacked Eugene on the back. Eugene was almost sent flying to Raguyaran. The only reason he didn’t fly away was thanks to Eugene hastily casting a spell on himself to hold his body in place.
However, even if Eugene wasn’t sent flying, his whole body hurt as if it had been shattered into pieces. While under the effects of Ignition’s recoil, the sensitivity of his whole body, especially towards pain, would become very intense. While still in this state, Molon’s huge hand had just struck him on the back.
Eugene gasped in pain, “Gaaagh…!”
Anise chided Molon, “Idiot, have you forgotten that Hamel’s Ignition is a suicide device that destroys his own body?”
“Won’t the recoil be less painful because his body became stronger?” Molon asked curiously.
Anise replied, “His days spent moaning in bed might have reduced from his previous life, but it seems like it still hurts. Even though I’ve warned him several times since his previous life… to think he would use a suicide device in a mere scuffle with you, Molon. No matter how much I think about it, Hamel, you’re an even bigger idiot than Molon.”
“That’s just how strong I am,” Molon declared proudly. “Hamel tried with all his might to defeat me, but in the end, he still couldn’t win.”
“I’ve said this once already, but it wasn’t a defeat,” Eugene insisted. “I didn’t even use any weapons or any of my techniques, so how can it be called a defeat…!”
Molon curiously pointed out, “Isn’t Ignition one of your techniques? And that Prominence as well….”
Eugene faltered, “No, that’s… the techniques I’m talking about are… um….”
While trying to endure the tingling sensation running down his back, Eugene struggled to decide whether or not to spit out the words he was thinking of.
Molon’s eyes lit up, “Asura Rampage! That’s right, Hamel, you didn’t use your Asura Rampage. But it’s strange, even though you didn’t use Asura Rampage when you fought me, you really were like an Asura…. Once you’ve reached the limits of your Asura Rampage, do you actually become an Asura yourself?”
Molon didn’t have any malice. Even during Eugene’s previous life, Molon had just been that sort of a guy. Even though he knew this, hearing that name coming from someone else's lips made Eugene want to jump down from the mountain peak and end his life that instant.
“Even so, Molon, about this barrier, were you the one who opened it when we arrived?” Eugene asked as he desperately tried to change the topic.
Having said all that he wanted to without any malice intended, Molon immediately showed a surprised reaction to Eugene’s words, “Weren’t you the ones who opened it when you came in?”
“As expected, it must have opened because of the Moonlight Sword,” Eugene reasoned.
In a natural manner, Eugene managed to completely change the topic. Anise, who was looking in his direction, and Mer, who was peeking from inside his cloak, seemed to be laughing at him. Eugene did his best not to pay them any attention.
“The Moonlight Sword was Vermouth’s favorite sword,” Molon observed. “Since he didn’t leave it with the Lionhearts and even completely erased it from their records, Vermouth must have been holding on to it until the very end. Your reincarnation was planned by Vermouth, and my mission was also because of Vermouth’s request.”
Also, the Moonlight Sword had been found in Hamel’s grave. In the Darkroom, Vermouth had taught him how to find the grave hidden in the desert. So, in the end, this meant that Eugene would have eventually been led to the Moonlight Sword no matter what happened.
‘Did he arrange for the Moonlight Sword to be used as a key, just in case Molon ended up trapped within this barrier…?’ As he considered this idea, Eugene touched the Moonlight Sword within his cloak. ‘...But in fact, the Darkroom’s Vermouth didn’t say anything about Molon.’
When one considered it, this was only natural. When Vermouth left his recording in the Darkroom, both Sienna and Anise had been alive and well. It was about one hundred and fifty years ago that Vermouth had appeared in Molon’s dream to convey his request.
That was fifty years after Vermouth’s apparent death.
During those fifty years, what exactly did Vermouth go through?
With a bitter feeling, Eugene let go of the Moonlight Sword.
1. The original Korean idiom used for this says that Hamel went around biting on a rag. ☜