Star-Slaying Swordsman - Chapter 54

“—From then til’ now. I will make a name for myself as the strongest, taking everything into consideration. If I can do that, I don’t care if I leave a bad reputation or not.”

“…Hey, now. Only villains say that.”

Suddenly recalling such a fond moment, I found myself looking at the memories of a different person, not mine.

“…It can’t be helped. No matter how I try to live a normal, ordinary life, being the strongest, let alone a ‘Star Slayer’ is beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Well… I understand well enough where you’re coming from.”

It was a conversation between the ‘Star-Slaying Swordsman’ and his best friend.

“With that said, I’m not a coward either. I will fight to be strong, and I will fight for the sake of fighting itself, too. I may be an idiot, but I am still a rational person. So, for what it’s worth, I will only deal with those I judge to be wrong.”

“…So, you’d even cut down the revolutionary people who are only trying to change the country, huh? Ku— HAHAHA!! If they could only hear what you’re spouting, they’d surely kill you.”

…Well, it’s too late for that, the man added with a laugh.

“What is the point of having a revolution in the first place? We are supposed to believe someone who insists that everyone should hold hands and create a beautiful, ideal world? That’s absurd. Anyhow, no revolution can be called a revolution if it is aborted simply because I stood in its way.”

“That’s a funny thing to say.”

“What’s wrong with that? …Whether it’s a revolution or a revenge, the worst thing they can do is be half-hearted about everything. If that is the case, it would be better for the world and for the people if I crushed them. It’s being half-assed that creates people like them.”

The man’s expression twitched as he heard the words.

…Now that you mention it, you’re correct, said the man.

A tinge of regret was visibly evident in his expression.

Even the now-norm-breaking ‘Star-Slaying Swordsman’ in my dreams wasn’t strong from the beginning.

He was also, as everyone has been, a weak man at one time.

And above all— he was a victim.

He took up the sword because he was the victim of an act caused by the self-righteousness of others.

For this reason, his words seemed to be filled with a passion that was somewhat uncharacteristic of him.

“If you truly wish to change the world, the only way to do so is to use overwhelming military might to defeat all and oppressive regimes to teach each and every individual how wonderful your own thinking is.”

I assure you.

There can be no other way, he asserted.

“That’s a rather very extreme ideology you have there.”

“Of course. It’s good only if the person responsible for the whole ordeal loses money. That’s perfectly justifiable. But countries are cunning creatures. They are happy to take advantage of the event and impose further oppression. Thanks to them, the outlaws will be even more abundant, and the weak will have nothing but a future of death by malice.”

Eventually, the ‘Star Slayer’ man spoke his words in the fullness of time.

“Allow me to reiterate. What’s wrong with standing in the way of others? What’s wrong with being a wall to overcome? What is wrong with shattering such ideals for my own convenience? If the country is rotten, those actions definitely shouldn’t even take place in the first place. Instead of inciting the masses, they should secretly build up their power and assassinate the upper echelons at will, on their own.”

“Since you talk like that, even if you are a ‘Star Slayer,’ do you intend to kill the king?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I am not interested in such trivial things.”

A point-blank kick to the face followed suit.

“I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, but this is ultimately just my own way of thinking. It’s just a pretext for me to be strong and to slay.”

I am the most egotistical person in the world.

You know that better than anyone, don’t you?

He said so with a carefree smile.

“You just don’t waver, do you?”

“But of course. Kings, aristocrats, and those ragamuffins. We are all, by nature, self-centered creatures, aren’t we? Don’t expect me to be ‘beautiful.’ That’s ridiculous.”

I swing my sword because I want to be strong and slay the stars.

I am more reasonable than those who have something in their stomachs yet extend a friendly hand to others because I have a clear goal in mind.

Or so he said.

—Swordsmen are particularly selfish creatures.

Ending with such a phrase…

***

***

“—A magician who originally belonged to the Order, huh?”

Said Lilea.

It was a day after my conversation with Zenoah.

I told her the things I heard from the mind reader’s mouth, breaking them down in my own way.

The ‘Magician Hunter’s’ motive was probably to kill the magicians who belonged to the Knights five years ago.

And after that, he would move on to kill the current Commander of the Knights, I guessed.

If, as Zenoah said, this was really a revenge to mourn for his dead brother, the ‘Magician Hunter’ would definitely target those who were involved in the Order five years ago.

“Certainly, if what you say is true, the chances of that being the case are endless… In fact, the magicians who have been targeted so far have been those who had some connection to the Order. But…”

But, she says.

Lilea’s doubtful gaze shot through me.

“If that’s the case, you have no reason to turn against him, is there?”

It was just as she said.

My original reason for baring my sword against him was now gone.

If I kept my ignorance to myself, there would be no harm done to us for the time being.

But…

“I think there is. I’m sure I can just make up one, right?”

In response to hearing what I just said, Lilea looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then tried to hold back the urge to blow up by biting her lip and shaking her body.

—Don’t get the wrong idea here.

I’m a person who longs to be a ‘Star Slayer’ to the end of my life.

I’m a fool who has a burning desire to somehow become the strongest and prove that my longing is truly the strongest after slaying the stars.

Being an irredeemable human being is already entangled with my whole entirety.

Therefore—

“…Yeah, yeah. You’re that kind of person, aren’t you?”

I rolled my eyes at the words that came to me.

“And the reason you went out your way to tell me this is because… you want me to take care of Sofia, am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not.”

As expected of Lilea.

Perhaps it was because we had known each other for a while, but she was very perceptive.

“…I want to say that you owe me one this time, but are you going to be fine by yourself?”

“Who knows? I wonder about that too.”

I wouldn’t say that I’d be alright.

The reason for me wanting to challenge the ‘Magician Hunter’ was because I didn’t think I had a chance of winning in the first place.

“All I know is that I want to meddle with him.”

“Meddle?”

“Yeah. My kind of meddling.”

I wanted to smack the ‘Magician Hunter’ in the face of reality with my own self-righteousness.

Assuming that he’s Bermuda’s brother and has been acting upon the government’s made-up information, then by all means I would like to call him an “idiot.”

A kind-hearted human being turned himself in out of remorse, and the upper echelons took advantage of it, forcing all the dirt on him.

And now, over time, the human’s brother, bent on revenge, is going around killing his brother’s colleagues, innocent magicians, in order to mourn for his brother.

His colleagues accepted it, thinking that they deserved to die for letting a kind-hearted person suffer the fate he did.

What a farce!

It’s like a scenario that somebody devised to satisfy their own desires… to make themselves tremble with pleasure.

It’s nothing short of sickening.

Therefore, to wipe away that feeling of discomfort.

To help a friend of Fiole, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude.

And to prevent harm to my village.

And so, like a good person with a strong sense of justice, I laid out my reasons and grabbed the sword without hesitation.

It was as if I was an advocate of justice.

There shall be no feelings of dread no more.

And that is because— I know that human beings are self-centered creatures by nature.

There is no room for such feelings when one is able to affirm one’s own actions.

——

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