Chapter 139. Gold Coins Instead of Swords (1)
Light was shining from over the hill.
The sky that had collapsed was now shining blue, and the crack in the world had lost its existence and lay scattered on the ground.
“…Is it over?”
Gornas, having exhausted all his strength, was on one knee, barely supporting himself with his sword.
He was a man who would break but never fall.
“Good… work.”
The leader of the Night Watchers handed Gornas a cigarette and looked at the sun rising from afar.
With the rising sun, there were those who were gliding through the sky.
The pride of Elbhenin, now burned and gone.
The Griffin Riders.
Last night, the Sword Saint of this era and the Night Watchers were able to assault directly above the Void Tree thanks to them, who were guarding the highest point of the World Tree.
And so, they had finally managed to cut down the tenth Void Tree.
The sacrifice of the Liberation Front warriors who had drawn their attention for them had not been in vain.
“…”
Blanc, covered in blood from head to toe, quietly looked at the red sun rising behind them.
There was a scene captured in Blanc’s eyes.
Beronion, slowly descending from the sky on a griffin.
The leader, quietly handing a cigarette to the Sword Saint of this era.
And Gornas, who had cut down the Void Tree with the hope of humanity in his sword.
Blanc filled his eyes with the sight of them in the rising sun.
There were heroes there.
Blanc quickly closed his eyes, afraid that the sight might disappear.
He held their image and kept them closed for a long time.
The red light of the rising sun played on the corners of Blanc’s closed eyes.
***
“There must be a reason why Adolf is rushing in like this.”
Blanc said to Hansen as he watched the unconscious Adolf being carried away.
He thought there must be a hidden reason, as Adolf had attacked with a desperation that was too intense for a simple challenge to a knight’s sword.
“Prepare Nilsen. After asking Adolf for a rough account of the situation, we need to send that boy up to Moirai.”
“Understood, Count.”
Watching Adolf’s unexpected behavior, Blanc predicted that some mishap had occurred in the Maximilian family.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for a young master of Maximilian, who was located in the north of the Kingdom of Anton, to come all the way down to Norington in the south of the Kingdom of Felix.
If something had happened to the Maximilian family, Bartomyu, who was in sharp opposition to them, would know well, and if he didn’t know, it was a matter that must be reported to him.
After giving his instructions, Blanc quietly sat in the lord’s seat and maintained the sword of Aselheit.
Thinking of Adolf’s sudden headbutt, Blanc thought of himself from the past, when he had challenged Aselheit.
It was certain that Adolf, just like himself that day, had some desperate reason.
“My lord, the guests are waiting.”
At Simon’s report, Blanc replied.
“Guests? Is today some special day?”
Without taking his eyes off the sword, Blanc let out a dry laugh as he thought of the visitors who were flocking in ceaselessly today.
“Report.”
However, after hearing Simon’s next words, Blanc could no longer laugh.
“Who did you say?”
There were people who came to Blanc’s mind.
People who felt as if they would be right in front of him if he still closed his eyes.
“Sir Beronion of Elbhenin, and…”
People who seemed as if they would always stand before him and find the light.
“...Sir Gornas of the Balthazar family.”
Hearing the names that were engraved in his soul, Blanc froze like a stone.
Although Simon could not see, he could feel the waves of aura that were emitting from Blanc’s body and shaking violently.
Blanc was agitated.
“…One moment.”
Blanc caressed the sword of Aselheit and tried to calm his racing heart.
The green light that seeped quietly from the sword calmed Blanc’s mind.
‘I must not be Blanc Scar.’
Blanc calmed his racing heart and reminded himself of the position he was in.
The one who greeted them had to be Blanc Cadmus, in every aspect.
The current Gornas was not the sole Sword Saint of his past life, and the green-eyed elf who had firmly vowed to find him had not come before the golden statue.
“Hah…”
Blanc hid his lonely tears in a great sigh.
Now, he had no choice but to truly accept it.
“…A pleasure to meet you for the first time, Sir Beronion.”
The great mage of the Illusion School, Ulrich, was trapped in the past.
Blanc, from the fallen baronial family, had arrived a month late, and as a result, had lost his family and parents.
And Beronion of the White Branch had failed to regress.
“It is an honor to meet the guardians of the World Tree.”
As a result, Beronion had lost his self from his past life.
Blanc looked at the green-eyed elf with longing, but his eyes did not answer anything.
Blanc, the sole regressor in this world, was now truly alone.
***
“The Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up is coming back to life.”
“…”
Blanc looked at Beronion, hiding his bloodshot eyes with the sword of Aselheit he had propped up in front of him.
In the end, Blanc succeeded in separating the Beronion of his past life from the Beronion speaking in front of him now.
The moment he succeeded, there was a pain as if his soul was splitting, but he had always thought that a situation like this could come.
He had prepared for the worst.
“I will ask you directly.”
Not the Beronion of his past life, but the Beronion of this life looked at Blanc, the lord of the humans, with a cold gaze and asked.
“Where did you get the seed of the World Tree?”
If it had been the regressor Beronion, he would have been able to confess everything, but the current him was not.
The Beronion of this timeline did not yet have the qualification to be included in his plan.
“The seed of the World Tree? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Blanc, who had succeeded in suppressing his emotional turmoil.
The young lord, who had arrogantly lifted his head from the highest point in Norington, asked back.
“…”
Since Blanc had shown emotional turmoil just a moment ago, Beronion could not help but tilt his head.
He had thought he could easily extract information from Blanc, as he was showing a naive side befitting his age, but.
“Of course, I did plant a seed.”
The him now was looking down at him with the shrewd and cold demeanor of an old lord.
“…I would like to ask about that seed.”
Beronion, who was puzzled by the young lord’s sudden change in demeanor, did not forget the reason he had come here.
There were those who were murdering the Spirit Trees located all over the world, and there was one young Spirit Tree that had suddenly taken root.
He didn't know if the man named Count Blanc who was feigning ignorance in front of him was the one who had murdered the Spirit Trees, but it was clear that he was connected to them in some way.
“Even if you ask about the seed, I can only say that I received it from my ancestors.”
The young lord, who was cleverly hiding his expression with the sword he had propped up in front of him.
Beronion looked at him and felt that he was already a complete person, despite his young age.
Sometimes, among humans, unpredictable beings would emerge that were difficult to explain.
And they always went on to do great things, enough to be recorded in the history of mankind.
For better or for worse.
Feeling something similar from Blanc, Beronion sensed that things would get difficult and wet his lips with his tongue.
“Elbhenin has a complete grasp of the movements of the Spirit Trees, which can be called the children of the World Tree, and their seeds.”
Beronion made Blanc aware that Spirit Trees were being cut down all over the world and that the young tree that had taken root in his land was a Spirit Tree.
However, even after hearing that, the young lord did not show any emotional turmoil.
‘There’s something.’
Beronion actually felt a sense of unease from Blanc’s calm demeanor.
Because it was a matter that would surprise any ordinary lord at least once.
“The only seed that escaped our eyes is the one that was given to the first chieftain of Brotswav long ago for the sake of friendship with the dwarves.”
Beronion spoke with the intention of saying that there was no way he could have it, but Blanc, on the contrary, was able to learn the background of the World Tree seed he had obtained.
“I’ve heard your story well, but…”
Blanc realized that he would not get anything more from Beronion by dragging the conversation on any longer.
“Even if you say that, I don’t know. I only know that it is a seed passed down from my ancestors.”
Seeing Blanc speak in such a way, even Beronion felt that he could not do anything more.
“In that case, would it be alright if we investigated the Spirit Tree in the Gorge Where Even Tears Dried Up?”
“Please do so.”
Although Elbhenin was not a force that could greatly influence him, there was no need to create a bad relationship, so Blanc readily agreed.
In the future, he would have to fight alongside the elves in the battle against the Void, so there was no need to be at odds from now on.
“Of course, I am only permitting an investigation. As I said before, that young tree is a family treasure passed down from my grandfather’s father.”
Hearing Blanc’s threat, which was as good as telling him not to even think about touching the Spirit Tree on his land, Beronion had no choice but to reply that he understood.
Beronion didn't necessarily have to be mindful of a human lord, but Blanc was different.
The man named Blanc Cadmus was someone who had a close relationship with the goddesses and the saintess, the only point of contact between the elves and humans.
In preparation for a possible catastrophe, Beronion also had no choice but to bow his head.
“I will prepare a handwritten document for you.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Having said what he had to say, Beronion turned his back without any hesitation and left the lobby.
“…”
Blanc’s eyes, as he looked at Beronion’s back, were contorted in a complex way.
“Hoo…”
Blanc, who had received a shock so great that it shook his soul, wanted to rest for a moment, but the world would not leave him alone.
That was the responsibility that the sole regressor in this world had to bear.
“My lord!”
Bonas, who had come in almost tumbling as soon as Beronion left.
“What is it?”
Blanc was mentally and physically exhausted, so he wanted to rest if possible, but Bonas' condition looked too urgent for that.
“In the end, it has happened.”
Bonas quickly took out a document from his pocket and brought it to Blanc.
As Blanc took the document, a single emblem entered his eyes.
It was the emblem that signified the council that governed the Free City Baywood.
“They say they will block all goods that come to us through them!”
Hearing Bonas' words, Blanc’s brow furrowed.
“My lord!”
Before Bonas could finish his words, another vassal came into the lobby, limping.
It was Jesman, the scribe of Norington.
He waved a letter and dragged his legs, which he could not even move properly, as he approached Blanc.
“It is a letter from Count Lacie.”
Blanc roughly tore the envelope of the letter he received from Jesman and read the words written inside.
“…What was bound to happen has happened.”
After reading the letter, Blanc quietly looked at the treasurer, Bonas.
“The thing you feared the most.”
Seeing Blanc smiling coldly at him, Bonas swallowed hard.
“If only we had a little… just a little more time.”
Bonas, who had guessed Blanc’s decision, was growing paler and paler.
The treasurer, who had just been able to breathe after selling off Count Cohen, felt as if his own neck was being choked again.
“Baywood and Lacie. For them to move at the same time is surely no coincidence.”
Blanc’s eyes, as he held the two letters, no, the two declarations of war, grew cold.
“There is no turning back now. This is a declaration of war, and we must enter a new form of warfare.”
Without even a moment to recover from the sense of loss from Beronion, Blanc had to enter a state of combat against Baywood and the Count Lacie family.
Because now, he was truly the only one who could see through the Void.
Personal sorrow was a small thing compared to the destruction of humanity, so Blanc ignored the sadness that echoed in his small universe.
“This war will not be a war fought with swords and spears, but a war fought with gold coins and power.”
Instead, he sublimated that sadness into anger and began to burn it towards the enemies who were pointing their swords at him.
“Ah…”
Bonas, who had figured out who would be squeezed the most intensely in this war, grew paler and paler.
“It’s just that what we had prepared has been moved up a bit, so don’t be too agitated.”
As Blanc was patting his vassals on the back, he suddenly felt the presence of a certain man in his field of vision.
He, who had not yet been granted an audience by Blanc, stood at the boundary of the door and the lobby, smiling.
“I did not intend to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear.”
A robust young man with gray hair took out a letter from his pocket and shook it at Blanc.
“I don’t know for sure, but I think I can help with the matter regarding Baywood?”
Gornas of the Balthazar family.
The knight who had come to Norington to make his name known to the world with his father’s message was smiling at Blanc.
“…”
Blanc closed his eyes as he looked at Gornas smiling at him from afar.
While recalling the images of the heroes from his past life that were stored in his eyes.
Although they were not the same as in his past life, in the end, they were standing before him.
“Welcome, Sir Gornas.”
With his eyes closed, Blanc felt as if he could see the sun he had seen that day.