"So," Ciel said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest. "This blessing that you mentioned — what exactly is it?"
Though unspoken, the eyes of the others gathered around shimmered with the same curiosity. Even Gilead, who was usually composed, looked on with the wide-eyed innocence of a child at this moment.
"I'm not quite sure myself," Eugene confessed while clicking his tongue. He had received the blessing directly from the Sage, from the World Tree itself, but it was a mystery even to him about how it could be utilized.
“All I was told is that it would aid me when facing the Demon King of Destruction…. Just that and nothing more. I did ask how exactly it would assist, but the answers I got back were rather vague."
— Eugene Lionheart.
— This blessing will grant you your most fervent wish at that moment.
“It's not very specific, is it?" Gilead, who had been listening intently without interruption, nodded in agreement. He propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand as he added, "But it must be of some help to you in one form or another."
"Yes," Eugene agreed.
He had pondered over this ambiguous blessing several times and in the end, had come to his own conclusion.
This blessing enforced a miracle. Depending on the desire, it would forcibly bring about a miraculous event through the power and faith of the World Tree, which had existed beyond ages, and the magic of the Sage, Vishur Laviola.In the moment of Eugene’s confrontation with the Demon King of Destruction, everything about the World Tree would bring about the miracle that Eugene desired. In other words, Eugene could use the World Tree as a medium to wield absolute magic.
"Can't it be used in the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration?" Gion inquired after a moment of pondering.
"It's not a blessing that can be used repeatedly," Eugene explained.
He needed to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration with his own strength. In the first place, if he was unable to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration, then the blessing wouldn't make a difference in the fight against the Demon King of Destruction.
"When are Lady Sienna and Carmen returning?" This question came from Cyan.
Though they had all departed for the World Tree together, only Eugene, Kristina, Mer, and Raimira had returned. Sienna and Carmen were still within the World Tree.
"I have no idea,” answered Eugene with a shrug.
Initially, Eugene had planned to wait for the two within the World Tree or the elves’ territory. However, the Sage had pushed him to leave. Carmen would delve into the memories of the God of Giants until she was satisfied while Sienna would undergo metamorphosis, however, it was impossible to know how long that would take.
— This child has already reached the minute world of mana and begun to reinterpret the essence of magic from there. She will first demolish the magic she amassed over a lifetime and truly ascend towards the divine realm.
— That world is the hardest and most complex to reach. She is a quick learner, and she has swiftly reached that world through our conversations. It likely will not take long.
— But Eugene Lionheart, aren’t you wasting your time staying here while the child climbs towards divinity?
Of course, Eugene had no intention of merely killing time. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the land around the World Tree had the richest concentration of mana in the world. Thus, Eugene had planned to immerse himself in mana cultivation, but….
— That’s foolish beyond measure...! You already have mana that is overflowing and beyond need, so why persist in cultivating mana? From what I, Vishur Laviola, can see, Eugene Lionheart, you no longer need to pursue mana. To divert your gaze towards it is a waste of time.
Unfortunately, Eugene had to agree. For a long time now, he had not been limited by the confines of mana.
— Foolish one, do you covet the so-called soul power that the child named? That is the purest form of essence, pulled from the intersection of mana and magic. To handle its source means to be in the divine realm of magic. But you cannot ascend to divine status when it comes to magic. No matter how much you meditate here, you'll never grasp the essence of the source.
— Moreover, your presence in this land does no good for you. It might even cause you harm over time.
That was something Eugene did not quite understand. The Sage had responded with a stern expression when he expressed his curiosity.
— The faith in the World Tree existing in this land is undoubtedly real, a very, very ancient primal faith. But what about you? Though divinity might be inscribed in your soul, in this era, your faith has only just begun to emerge. If you stay too long in this land, you risk your entire faith being consumed by the World Tree. Your faith would become bound to the World Tree.
Eugene was effectively expelled with a reprimand. Yet, in their final conversation, they exchanged more useful words.
He promised that if it was possible, he would return someday after defeating the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. At that time, he would share what the battles against the two of them were like.
— If I still exist by then.
The Sage laughed heartily while bidding Eugene farewell. Despite mentioning several times that she might simply vanish, the Sage's demeanor was still cheerful.
It was because Visuhr Laviola’s ending was far from meaningless. Even after meeting the end for the first time, she had guided Sienna as an echo. That alone brought satisfaction to Visuhr.
‘The Light is as ancient a primal faith as the World Tree itself,' Eugene thought.
Still, he had never lost any of his faith to the Light. It made him even more suspicious regarding the true identity of the Light. He realized it was closer to a colossal force than a deity, but even the Sage didn’t know what the Light exactly was.
“Ahem.” Ancilla cleared her throat from next to Gilead and said, “Let's start the meal.”
Eugene was sitting at the dining table of the Lionheart family’s manor.
Gerhard had been quietly listening to the conversation while drinking from his wine glass. When it came to the incidents that Eugene got himself into, Gerhard had long detached himself from them and ceased to worry about them.
‘He’ll handle it well enough on his own,’ Gerhard thought.
He wasn’t being irresponsible, either. He just had immense trust in his son. Since all the members of the main house were present, except Carmen, Nina was personally directing the servants during this dinner. Eugene winked at Nina as she busily arranged dishes and utensils on the table.
Nina gave a swift smile in response.
As the food began arriving, Mer and Raimira entered having finished with their games outside. Actually, there was another person with them. The two of them were holding hands with Ayla Ruhr as they approached the table. Ayla was significantly taller than either of them.
‘She’s just twelve….’ Eugene still couldn’t get over this shock.
It was almost impossible to believe Ayla’s age, given her stature. When Ayla entered the room, Cyan immediately stood up from his seat. He took Ayla's hand with a familiar grace, guided her to the table, and even pulled out a chair for her.
Meanwhile, Mer and Raimira approached Ancilla as if it were the most natural thing. Eugene’s gaze inevitably shifted to the duo.
Although the two children looked to be just twelve or thirteen years old, in reality, they were old creatures who had been alive for at least two hundred years.
“Well then, come here. Today’s dessert is your favorite. Chocolate tart,” Ancilla spoke to them affectionately.
...And Ancilla, a lady in her forties, was affectionately caring for these old creatures….
Eugene did not want to dwell too long on this awkward truth. He quietly took hold of his cutlery. Ancilla also wanted to avoid the inconvenient, uncomfortable truth. But why did age matter?
Ancilla wanted grandchildren, and Mer and Raimira were adorable and lovable. Ancilla even personally wrapped napkins around the necks of the two girls seated next to her.
“Why did Sis—” Ciel paused after almost slipping up in what she was about to say but quickly corrected herself.
“Why did the Saint return to Yuras?” she questioned.
“To erect my statue,” Eugene answered with a straight face.
Ciel’s eyes widened in surprise at his response.
“What did you say?” she asked in disbelief.
“A statue,” Eugene replied once again as he cut his meat with an indifferent face. “They said they're going to erect a statue of me in the Plaza of Light. And in the cathedrals, too.”
The room had gone dead silent by now.
“And they're adding stuff about me to the holy scriptures,” Eugene finished.
“Well, Eugene, shouldn’t you be going there yourself?” Gion asked with a queasy look on his face.
“If I go, I'll want to die,” Eugene answered.
He recalled the time when his statue was erected in Shimuin. He remembered the moment he was posing splendidly in front of the dwarves and the large crowd. Just thinking about it made him want to disappear. It didn’t want to make him off himself, but he wished to hole up somewhere where he wouldn't meet anyone for a few days.
What if, while in Yuras, he was put in a situation where he had to pose for a new statue or deliver a grand speech in front of a crowd? He would want to die. Even if it was necessary for the amplification of faith, it would not lessen any of the embarrassment he would feel.
“Well…” Eugene muttered awkwardly, “Even if I don’t go, Kristina will handle it somehow….”
Although he suspected she might go a bit overboard with Anise egging her on from inside her, he had to accept this type of excessiveness for the purpose of having people worship him.
“It’s been a while. You always brought someone else along and made things quite difficult for me,” Ancilla murmured while serving food for Mer and Raimira.
Eugene couldn't argue back. After all, she had a point.
“Are you planning to stay at the manor for a while?”
“Perhaps,” Eugene answered.
“Then take a look at my sword.”
“And spar with me, too.”
Cyan and Ciel wouldn’t miss this opportunity. Eugene nodded while chewing his food. He had planned to stay at the manor until Sienna, Carmen, and the Saints returned anyway. He didn’t want to wander outside just to have people bothering him about his identity as Hamel.
‘I should visit Molon… but then again, do I really need to? King Aman must have conveyed to him the victory of the war anyway.’
If there were a need, Molon would have reached out. Lehainjar, where Molon was residing, was just too far. Eugene honestly found it bothersome to visit.
‘For a while, I should just stay at the main house and work on my faith and divine power,’ Eugene decided on a plan.
Over a month had passed since the war in Hauria. The trend was obviously perceptible. His divine power had grown incomparably. Yet, Eugene could still only wield the Divine Sword and was still unable to access Agaroth’s other powers. Although he could now swing the Divine Sword five times, frankly, it was far from satisfying. Agaroth himself had wielded the Divine Sword freely yet failed to inflict effective damage on the Demon King of Destruction.
‘Just swinging it five times… I doubt it would work against the Demon King of Destruction, let alone the Demon King of Incarceration,’ Eugene thought mockingly with a mental shake of his head.
He needed more power, a way to use divine power beyond simply wielding the sword. Agaroth skillfully managed divine power to massacre the Nur and even created a holy land to bless the divine army. However, Eugene had yet to manipulate divine power in such ways.
— A way to handle divine power? How foolish. That is something you must develop on your own. I cannot offer advice. And even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.
Eugene had also sought advice from the Sage regarding this, only to receive harsh reprimands instead.
He clicked his tongue and pushed his empty glass forward. Nina stepped forward from behind and immediately filled Eugene’s glass to the brim as if she had been waiting. Eugene carefully lifted the full glass, ensuring it didn’t spill, and brought it to his lips.
‘If I just keep grappling with it, something should come from it….’
Halfway through his drink, Eugene frowned and glanced towards the door. After a moment, everyone seated at the table turned to look at the door as well.
Though it remained firmly shut for now, it would soon burst open. It was foretold by the sound of hurried footsteps that drew close.
The door flung open.
“Sir Hazard?” Gilead remained unruffled as he called out the name with composure.
Hazard bowed with a pale face. After serving the main house for decades, he had recently become the new leader of the White Lion Knights.
“My apologies for interrupting your meal,” said Hazard.
“It’s alright. If you’ve come running here yourself, it must be for a reason of that magnitude,” responded Gilead while standing from his seat. “What’s the matter?”
“Just moments ago, there was a proclamation from Duke Gavid Lindman of the Helmuth Empire,” answered Hazard.
“A proclamation?” questioned Gilead.
“Yes.” Hazard lifted his head. “Duke Lindman seeks a duel with you, Sir Eugene.”
Eugene’s mouth fell open at those words. He hadn’t misunderstood what Hazard had just said, did he? A proclamation? A duel? Those blatant words left no room for misinterpretation.
That was what made it all the more absurd and baffling.
Gavid Lindman.
The Blade of Incarceration.
The Grand Duke of the Helmuth Empire.
He was directly calling for a duel?
“Has that bastard lost his mind?” Eugene blurted out without realizing it.
Had any other demon made such a proclamation, Eugene wouldn’t have felt as he did now. But he could not believe that Gavid Lindman had made such a declaration. It could not be true. Eugene knew Gavid Lindman would never do such a thing.
In the first place, such a proclamation went against the will of the Demon King of Incarceration. Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn’t actually care whether one of his demons proclaimed a duel against Eugene or not.
All the Demon King of Incarceration wanted was for Eugene to ascend Babel. If Eugene did not climb Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration would not act.
Gavid was a loyal knight of the Demon King of Incarceration, and since three hundred years ago, or even before that, all his thoughts and actions had been aligned with the desires of the Demon King of Incarceration.
He was Incarceration’s Blade, knight, and duke.
If the Demon King of Incarceration had decided to wait for Eugene in the throne room, Gavid would do the same. That was the kind of demon he was.
‘Did the Demon King of Incarceration command it?’ Eugene wondered. ‘No, that can’t be.’
It was highly unlikely for him to change his mind now, and if the Demon King of Incarceration really had changed his mind, he wouldn’t have just ordered Gavid to declare a duel.
‘He would have started a war outright, like three hundred years ago.’
In other words, this duel was Gavid’s own doing.
But what kind of change of heart made that stubborn and dull demon go against the Demon King of Incarceration's wishes?
‘He wants to kill me.’ Eugene came to this realization.
If that were truly the only reason, Gavid could have done so in Hauria.
“Huh.” Eugene let out a scoff.
He didn’t know why he had contemplated all of this after hearing Hazard’s words. The reason behind Gavid's actions was already apparent from the beginning.
“A duel.”
Eugene thought they’d meet in war, on the battlefield.
But what Gavid sought was not war but a duel.
Gavid wanted the whole world to witness the beginning and end of the duel.