Chapter 7: The Weight of Truth
Sins? What sins?
What did she mean by that?
Did my father commit some crime?
“What do you mean by… sins?”
I asked with a serious expression.
“…”
The atmosphere grew solemn.
After a brief silence, Garvas spoke as the representative of the divine beasts.
“Nothing is gained without sacrifice.”
He continued calmly.
“Before the great war, we each led various tribes here. Elinore’s kin, the Entri, were under my leadership.”
I had thought their tones and auras seemed similar.
So that was their connection?
“Dilayzer’s anger stems from Jinred using her tribe as bait to seal Magridon.”
“...!”
“To be precise… it was a diversion tactic.”
Garvas took a breath and began explaining.
*“You’ve felt it this time, but Magridon is a very cautious demon. He rarely shows himself, preferring to harassstedt
System: torment his minions to harass his enemies. Suspicious and cunning, he relies on his demonic forces.”*
“Hmph, a cowardly creature. To end the fight, we had to find and attack his true body, but he hid behind his army of monsters.”
Valuzer snorted, adding to the explanation.
“So how did you deal with him…? What’s this about bait?”
“Fortunately, Jinred had a way to locate Magridon’s true body behind his forces.”
“But there was an overwhelming number of monsters surrounding him.”
Garvas and Valuzer glanced at Dilayzer before continuing.
“Dilayzer’s tribe was deployed to draw the attention of the demonic horde.”
Though the specifics varied, every tribe was mobilized to distract the enemy. The most effective were Dilayzer’s tribe, the Kaiye, who could fly.
To allow Jinred and the other heroes to reach Magridon’s true body, they sacrificed themselves, drawing the enemy’s focus and perishing.
“And the plan succeeded.”
Dilayzer, listening silently, interjected with a choked voice.
“Jinred…! For a more effective diversion, he planted mana bombs in the bodies of the children of my tribe!”
“...!”
For the Kaiye sent out to draw the enemy’s attention, there was no hope of survival.
Their only fate was to die, detonating mana bombs amidst the demonic horde.
Dilayzer glared at me as if she wanted to tear me apart.
“He didn’t tell me about it beforehand!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Dilayzer’s voice echoed through the hall, leaving only a hollow reverberation.
Garvas closed his eyes.
It seemed he hadn’t wanted to delve into such details.
“Hah, yes… My tribe was just cannon fodder. Sacrificial pawns to shed blood in our place.”
“Dilayzer! Are you going to dishonor their sacrifice?!”
Valuzer, who had been listening quietly, roared at Dilayzer’s self-deprecating mutterings.
“I saw my children’s limbs explode with my own eyes! Sacrifice? Who could call that a sacrifice? It was nothing but a meaningless slaughter!”
Dilayzer shouted back, undeterred.
“Limbs rained from the sky, and children fell into the midst of the enemy, exploding. What grand meaning was there in that?!”
“…”
I shut my eyes tightly.
I had heard tales of war’s horrors, but Dilayzer’s words were on a different level.
A diversion tactic that sacrificed countless lives to create an opening for attack.
The tribes that followed them were sent as suicide squads with no hope of survival.
I could understand Dilayzer’s rage.
‘Mother and Elinore called Father a hero, so I never imagined. I never thought Father had such a cruel side.’
It was hard to believe he had orchestrated such an act.
“You’re misunderstanding something, child.”
Garvas' calm voice came from above.
I looked up at him.
“Jinred didn’t force anything in that plan. He merely proposed it.”
“Proposed?”
“Yes… ‘deal’ might be a better word. In exchange for the Kaiye’s dedication and sacrifice, he staked his own life and the safety of his descendants.”
A deal.
To me, it sounded grotesque.
How could anyone make such a request, knowing it meant death?
“It was entirely their choice to accept the deal. The situation was so dire that if they did nothing, they and their descendants would have been trampled by the demonic horde.”
“Even Jinred, infiltrating Magridon’s stronghold, didn’t expect to return alive. It was a time when nothing could be protected without sacrificing lives.”
A time when sacrifice was a given.
Jinred, in exchange for asking for others’ sacrifices, repeatedly threw himself into the most dangerous places.
“To honor the promise with the Kaiye, Jinred created this place. Telaria, built on the final battleground. Though we shaped the environment you see now.”
“Ah…”
“The Kaiye knew mana bombs would be planted in their bodies. Knowing this, they stepped forward honorably for their descendants.”
Garvas let out a deep sigh.
“It’s painful to think of standing at that crossroads amidst the shadow of encroaching demons.”
“Dilayzer, you know why Jinred couldn’t tell you the truth.”
“If he had, you would have caused an uproar.”
I glanced at Dilayzer sidelong as I listened to the divine beasts’ conversation.
“To prevent internal division.”
“Yes. Otherwise, we would have destroyed ourselves before fighting the demons. That one chance, despite countless sacrifices, was all we had.”
Garvas looked around.
“I don’t want to blame Jinred or the Kaiye’s choices. Because of them, we prevented greater losses… for the sake of the few who survived.”
Garvas turned to me.
His beastly eyes were chilling, a stark contrast to before.
“Thus, the book must be sealed.”
The other divine beasts and Elinore solemnly bowed their heads, as if agreeing with Garvas.
***
“Lord Garvas! But without it-!”
This was not an outcome I could accept.
Sealing my father’s legacy because it might be dangerous?
I was the heir of a hero, but without the book, I was just an ordinary person unable to wield magic.
‘The book is the key to sealing the Great Demon, and using magic attracts demons’ attention?’
But could I face demons without magic?
They had already appeared.
Taking the book from me now would leave me unable to escape or seek revenge.
“That’s exactly why you can’t have it.”
Garvas coldly dismissed my protests.
“You can’t protect the book now, nor can you escape the demons’ pursuit even with it.”
“Until now-”
“Yes, you’ve escaped thanks to Elinore’s power, not your own.”
Without others’ help, I couldn’t protect anything from the demons.
They couldn’t trust someone like me.
I had no strength, no ability, no knowledge.
“But depending on how you grow as a mage, you might reclaim the book someday.”
“How can I learn magic without the book?”
A natural question.
I had heard the book brought magic to the continent and caused the rise of mages.
How could I become a mage without the means to learn magic?
“It’s true the book first brought magic to the continent, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn magic without it. Your book isn’t the only one.”
“…”
“The demons are fixated on it because Jinred used it to seal the Great Demon. If it were another book, they wouldn’t pursue you so relentlessly. There are many other books on the continent. And right now, you can’t handle the magic in that book.”
To ensure my safety, I needed to seal Father’s Book here and build my skills.
Garvas turned to Elinore.
“Elinore… I agree with your decision to take the boy to Shukain Tarutoro. She has deep ties to his father and has long studied the essence of magic. She’ll be of great help.”
I finally understood why Elinore chose to flee to the northern hero Shukain and why the divine beasts wanted to seal Father’s legacy.
“Can’t I learn magic from the divine beasts here?”
But one thing puzzled me.
Why leave this place, with powerful divine beasts and Elinore, to travel to the distant north?
At my question, Garvas gave a slightly complicated expression.
Not negative, but rather… awkward?
“Lumanis.”
“Yes?”
“Can you teach the boy magic?”
“Sure, it’s easy~ Just whoosh and zoom!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“What? It worked for me that way.”
Lumanis chattered as if it were obvious, looking around at her peers.
Garvas, as if expecting this, gave a small smile and shook his head.
He looked at me as if to say, ‘See?’
“Child, we’re not in a position to teach. Born and raised with nature’s spiritual energy, we wield mana instinctively.”
“Ah…”
“For a human child like you to learn magic, a stable, structured environment is better.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
The other divine beasts nodded, showing no intent to object.
“Valuzer.”
“Yes?”
“We’ll need your strength. Break through Magridon’s barrier so the boy can escape.”
“Krhung! Finally!”
“Lumanis.”
“Yes.”
Lumanis turned her head.
“Weaken Magridon’s barrier so Valuzer can break through.”
“Got it.”
“Sleipnir.”
“…”
Sleipnir raised its head, as if waiting.
“Clear a path for the boy to pass through the gap Lumanis and Valuzer create.”
“…”
Sleipnir nodded and closed its eyes briefly.
“What about… the book?”
“Leave it here. Come back for it later. It’ll be sealed safely with us.”
“…”
“Alright, then…”
I waited for Garvas' next words alongside the other divine beasts and Elinore.
His eyes gleamed fiercely.
“Let’s go.”