Chapter 127. When Steel Opens the Door (2)
“Jump!”
A voice was heard along with a shadow flickering in the sky.
The Night Watchers.
Although they succeeded in achieving their intended mission, they were driven to the edge of a cliff without securing a retreat route.
“……We’re in trouble.”
Unlike his words, the Captain looked over the bushes with an expression that didn't look troubled at all.
Soon, things darkened with pitch-black fingernails and void eyes would reach here.
“……Is he telling us to jump from here now? Is this for real…….”
The Captain began to grumble while rolling the cigarette paper he was holding.
Blanc leaned over and looked down the cliff.
A pebble he touched began to fall down the cliff.
However, no matter how long he waited, the sound of the pebble hitting the ground was not heard.
“I said jump!”
The shadow in the sky urged with a receding voice.
“……Since we die whether we do this or fall, it’s all the same death, how about killing one more before going?”
The Captain bit the cigarette with his unique listless tone.
“I will just fall.”
Blanc estimated where the voice came from and fell off the cliff without hesitation.
Starting with Blanc’s words, the Night Watchers began to fall off the cliff one by one.
“Going first!”
“Come quickly. Captain!”
The Captain muttered gloomily watching that scene.
“……I raised them too well. Look at them struggling to survive somehow.”
When all Night Watchers fell down and only the Captain remained alone on the cliff.
Along with rustling sounds over the bushes, void things approached.
“……Ah, damn it.”
The Captain spat out the cigarette he was biting roughly and fell down the cliff following his members.
“…….”
The void things that lost their targets.
The only thing remaining for them was a cigarette butt rolling on the ground that hadn't finished burning.
Suddenly, there were massive shadows covering them starting from the sky.
The things stained by the Void looked up at the sky with hollow gazes.
There were massive birds moving following the sun in the sky.
They were Griffins, divine birds said to eat things stained by Evil.
***
The third bank head of the Iron Bank, Perlman Acehover.
He was currently sitting at his desk, hands clasped, deep in thought.
In the magic circle in front of his eyes, hidden accounts connected to the first account were floating.
“When all accounts are opened, steel shall open the door and follow the natural order following the guidance of gold…….”
He, reciting the phrase left by the first bank head, felt that the time for all accounts to open was not far away.
The knight who was a boy became a lord and planted a proud banner.
And beside that banner, a torch brightening the darkness stood side by side.
The Sixth Knight of Aselheit.
Seeker of the Blue Star.
Demon-breaking Knight of the Torch Knights.
The young torch wearing shining titles finished preparations to burn himself.
“……A torch burns only when darkness begins.”
Perlman’s eyes looking at the magic circle shone coldly.
A torch burns when it is dark, and a hero appears in turbulent times.
‘I came here following a flow of fate pushing my back.’
If the flow of fate was pushing his back to light the torch called Blanc, that meant the same as the time for darkness to begin was approaching.
“Bank Head, Count Blanc has arrived.”
“……Show him in.”
With the secretary’s report, the door to the bank head’s office opened.
“I have returned after finishing the task. Sir Perlman.”
As the young torch entered inside, Perlman could feel it.
The flow of wind started from behind his back.
“I intend to open the second account.”
The golden order started from the golden key he was holding.
Perlman carefully received the golden key Blanc handed over.
“Could you tell me the name of the account owner?”
At Perlman’s question, Blanc closed his eyes.
Blanc pulled him, who did not exist in this life, out of his memory.
Ulrich returned to the past 190 years ago and eventually couldn't reach the present.
And although he didn't know what happened to the other Regressor Blanc was recalling now, even if he existed in this timeline, he wouldn't possess the self of a Regressor.
If so, he would have come to find him in front of Wilhelm I’s statue.
However, even if not a Regressor, his name was a shining one.
“Count?”
He was a person born on the highest branch of the World Tree.
A person born in the place closest to the sky and who swore to protect that place all his life.
“The name of the second account owner is…….”
Those who guard the highest place of the World Tree.
Those who look out the furthest from the highest place.
The captain of the Griffin Riders leading them.
“Beronion, the Guardian of the White Branch.”
Blanc Cadmus of the fallen Cadmus family.
If that was the activation word for the first account.
The sentence ‘Beronion, the Guardian of the White Branch’ was the activation word for the second account.
Perlman nodded and brought the golden key to the central control magic circle along with the activation word Blanc uttered.
It was a golden light.
The magic circle encountering the golden key emitted brilliant golden light and confirmed that Blanc was the rightful owner of the account.
“Confirmed.”
The magic circle, accepting the right name and right proof, shone brightly.
That appearance was just like when opening the first account.
RUMBLE-.
At the same time Perlman finished speaking, a rough vibration echoed from deep within the Iron Bank.
As if an earthquake occurred.
When they first felt that vibration, both Blanc and Perlman were flustered, but.
“It seems the account is opening.”
“It is so.”
Now they could know.
That the second account was revealing its appearance greeting the person with full qualifications.
Perlman and Blanc sitting opposite each other met eyes.
As the vibration shaking the Iron Bank stopped, Perlman stood up.
“I will guide you.”
From now on, as the bank head of the Iron Bank, he had to open the account of the person with rightful qualifications.
It was when steel opened the door.
***
The group descended to the deepest part of the Iron Bank riding the Magic Elevator.
Something new appeared in front of them walking without hesitation on the path they had walked once.
A massive door situated on the opposite side of the first account’s vault.
The vaults of the first and second accounts facing each other as if looking at one another.
Compared to the door of the first account where the Phoenix slept, it was small, but the newly appeared door was massive enough not to be contained in one glance.
And the patterns embossed closely on the door, which could only be described as massive, caught the knights’ eyes.
“Just, just what is inside there…….”
Like Rakshar’s words, Blanc’s knights couldn't dare predict what slept inside.
However, what they could guarantee was that something with a presence similar to the Phoenix of the first account would be sleeping there.
Those things exist in myths and legends that a human would struggle to see even once in a lifetime.
Simon and Rakshar recalled their lord Blanc at the end of their thoughts.
Although Blanc didn't tell them, now they could vaguely understand.
Evil and Void.
Phoenix and Saintess.
Things an ordinary human would find hard to see even a single one of or achieve.
Blanc dealt with, defeated, awakened, and saved them in less than 5 years.
A person who ceaselessly dealt with things that would be hard to achieve even a single one of even if devoting a lifetime.
And their lord was now trying to achieve another accomplishment.
Blanc Cadmus.
Now his knights could also know.
That their lord was a person standing on this land harboring a certain mission.
“I will open it.”
A golden key twinkled within the young torch harboring the mission to save the world.
Although it was small enough to be called a key opening the massive door in front, its light was lucid enough to catch everyone’s eyes.
Blanc looked at Perlman and said.
“Through the golden key I am holding now, I will prove that I am the owner of the second account.”
At Blanc’s words, Perlman nodded.
Within Perlman’s eyes looking at Blanc, things like doubt or distrust did not exist.
“Steel merely watches.”
There was no justification to stop a qualified rightful person from taking his own things.
Perlman, and the Iron Bank, were merely existences storing safely and watching.
“Phew…….”
Blanc took a deep breath briefly before inserting the key.
Normally, the one opening this door should have been him, the other Regressor, not himself.
However, the only Regressor active in this world now was himself.
The moment he opened this door and took his things, Blanc would also be taking over the duty he had to shoulder.
However, Blanc did not hesitate.
Because he was a person who returned to do so.
CLICK-.
It was a keyhole that surely hadn't been touched by human hands for a long time, but the moment Blanc inserted the key, the hole accepted the golden key smoothly.
As soon as Blanc felt the key fit the hole, he put strength into his hand and turned the key with all his might without an inch of hesitation.
Then, the spectacle began.
“Ohhh…….”
Admiration burst out unknowingly from the mouths of Rakshar and Jerome watching that spectacle.
The golden light starting from the key climbed along the patterns embossed on the door adding light to the massive door.
Brilliant golden light starting from the second account was bursting out from the deepest place of the Iron Bank.
Simon, hearing the exclamations of Rakshar and Jerome, regretted cutting his eyes just for this moment.
Because it must be something massive, shining, and magnificent to contain with human eyes.
Whether knowing Simon’s heart or not, the light starting from the door finally faded.
The massive door slid open without making any friction sound.
It was a movement too quiet.
As if it didn't want to wake up what was sleeping inside.
Lava was flowing in the first vault.
It was to make a vessel to contain the eternal Phoenix.
And in the second account where the door opened now, green trees and grass were packed closely instead of red lava.
“Is it a forest?”
Just like Jerome’s words, it looked like a forest.
However, the refreshing air digging into lungs and the wind were unusual to call it an ordinary forest.
“Mmm…….”
Perlman felt his eyes clearing and simultaneously wanted to stay for a long time looking at the vault of the second account filled with strong vitality.
A forest where even the dwarf Perlman felt comfort.
“There is something over there.”
Only then finding his duty, Rakshar used his vision to discover an altar soaring in the highest place.
Blanc looked there following Rakshar’s finger.
“……As expected.”
At the highest place of the second vault.
There was a seed standing, receiving fully the light whose source was unknown.
The source of the refreshment and comfort felt by the knights and Perlman, and the strong vitality emitting from the forest lay on the altar.
The forest with a comfortable atmosphere created in the second account was a vessel to contain that seed.
Blanc’s eyes looking at the seed placed on the altar deepened.
In the past life, there were pitiful Griffin Riders who wandered the void world searching for the World Tree’s seed.
Although they searched wandering all their lives, what awaited them was eventually the destruction of elves.
The Guardian of the White Branch who wanted to return to this life wanted to stop that.
Blanc looked at the seed placed on the altar with eyes mixed with many emotions.
From the moment he picked that up, he had to lift Beronion’s wish together.
That would surely be heavy and difficult, but.
“Keep watch.”
“Yes, Count.”
Blanc climbed the altar by his own will to do so.
One step, one step.
His knights were guarding the back of Blanc climbing the stairs to shoulder a heavy thing.