ALL NOVEL Chapter 151
There’s a way to save Beatrice.
Although it’s a probability close to gambling.
It was an unexpected situation.
Who would have thought that the Disaster of Death would be targeting the Third Imperial Princess?
If Edanant’s proposed plan is successful, we might save Beatrice. And we should be able to rescue our comrades who have fallen to the ranks of death.
Maximilian let out a short sigh.
“You always have… an astonishing way of shocking everyone with the unexpected.”
“Really?”
“Didn’t you lead every crisis that everyone expected to fail and was deemed impossible to success? You’ve saved countless people who pleaded for salvation. You’re truly a ridiculous guy, that’s you.”
“I couldn’t have done it alone. It’s because you all believed in me that it was possible. And it’s the same this time.”
Edanant reached out his hand.
Maximilian smiled faintly and clasped his hand.
“Alright. I’ll lift the barrier. It’ll take a little time.”
“Hurry up. We can’t waste any time.”
If the Goddess of Death and her minions imprisoned in the Demon King’s Castle were freed and threatened the mortal realm, an unprecedented disaster would surely occur. The Saintess Party had been legendary heroes who defeated the Demon King.
Can I really break the promise made with my comrades and follow Edanant’s orders? The hero faced his heavy fate while grasping the Holy Sword, feeling the weight of tension and responsibility.
The fate of the continent depended on it.
And it was a decision tied to the safety of billions of people.
Failure meant destruction.
The noble sacrifice of Beatrice and the others would become a fleeting bubble. The Goddess of Death and her minions, released from the Holy Sword’s seal, would rampage and annihilate all life on the continent.
But-
Maximilian gladly accepted Edanant’s proposal.
It was a decision possible due to the immense trust and expectations he had.
“Damn those guys. At least give me a hint or something! Did you think I’d be happy if peace came from your paltry sacrifices?”
“If I had told you the truth… you would have volunteered to sacrifice yourself for us.”
With Maximilian’s retort, Edanant clicked his tongue and turned away.
He couldn’t argue.
He would have definitely taken on the sacrifice himself.
Just as he understood his comrades completely, they knew his thoughts inside and out as well.
He finally realized the reason the Saintess Party had chosen to go missing. The cause he had desperately searched for was himself, and he ground his teeth in frustration.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right that I might have accepted the sacrifice. But so what?”
He had already resolved to accept the Disaster of War from the beginning.
There was no reason for you guys to take care of me.
Every time I saved countless people, it was solely a decision I made of my own accord.
Why didn’t you tell me?
It would have been more efficient for me to sacrifice rather than see you all fall into despair.
“Edan, you are a precious comrade of our Saintess Party. And you are a hero who saved countless people. I didn’t want to ask you for sacrifices anymore. I just wanted you to be happy. That’s all.”
“……”
Maximilian, who had always remained silent and avoided answering, finally shared his true feelings on behalf of Beatrice and the others. His voice, sounding like that of someone gravely injured, resonated with strong sincerity.
He didn’t want to burden anyone with sacrifices.
He simply wished for Edan’s happiness.
As Edanant grasped the gesture of the Saintess Party, he swallowed hard and tightened his grip.
“What worth do I have…? I’ve just been swept along by you all. I never intended to be part of the Saintess Party. Moreover, I’ve concealed the truth from you all this time. If you found out the truth, you’d surely be repulsed by me…!”
“Yeah… You are Edan… my younger brother, Edanant von Hohenberc.”
What?
What do you mean-?
You knew?
That I am the reincarnated outsider possessing Edanant von Hohenberc…?
Facing Maximilian’s response, revealing he had known the truth for a long time, Edanant felt a jolt of panic in his chest.
“When did you know?”
“On the final day when we defeated the Demon King… at the moment our Saintess Party reached a grand finale… just as the world’s story was coming to a close, I accidentally found out… that you were a wanderer from outside…”
That meant he’d known for at least several months.
Edanant sighed as he gazed at Maximilian, who continued speaking.
“Why didn’t you say anything to me…?”
“You are my brother. Even if you are an outsider from the outside world, that does not change. You are still Edanant to me. Specifically, the second Edanant… my second younger brother.”
I don’t get it.
What on earth are you talking about?
The only brother I had was killed with his body controlled by a reincarnator. Though nearly in a state of loss of consciousness, since the body was taken, there would be no waking up.
You killed your younger brother.
Although unintentional, it would not be an exaggeration to say so.
Maximilian’s demeanor, accepting his knowledge with humility, fueled the anger within Edanant. He felt contempt for himself for cowardly staying silent when he had countless opportunities to confess the truth.
“Originally, Edan was… destined to die in an accident.”
“What?”
“You possessed his body at the moment he was about to die. So there’s no reason to feel guilty.”
“Edanant was destined to die at such a young age…?”
The “hero” Maximilian’s younger brother, Edanant von Hohenberc, has never appeared in the timeline of the story. He only appeared indirectly through Maximilian’s recollections.
Why,
why on earth had he forgotten that?
Before the story began, Edanant was already deceased.
The setting that Edanant lost his life in an accident had not been thoroughly disclosed in the narrative. Yet, it was strange that Edanant had been unaware of his own death until now.
“I thought it was strange from the beginning. My once-clear and kind younger brother became a reckless brat in an instant… I even thought he might have been struck by lightning and gone mad.”
“……”
“You are my brother. Although our encounter was sudden, we lived together as a family for ten years. I apologize for remaining silent until now. I was also struggling to figure out how to reveal the truth.”
“No, I have no intention of accepting your apology. It’s mutual, isn’t it?”
There was no malice.
They were simply both clumsy.
After wandering for a long time over how to express themselves, they finally faced the truth. It felt like it had been delayed for far too long, but they resolved the heavy feelings after all the ups and downs.
It took too long.
Edanant and Maximilian both turned away with wry smiles.
*
Yeah.
This is enough.
Even if we display clumsy and precarious appearances, we have always achieved victory.
I have to wait.
Believing that he will return safely.
As Maximilian watched Edanant pass through the gates of the Demon King’s Castle, he shook off the black snow and ice sticking to his body and rose.
-Brother.
When he grasped the Holy Sword Aldebaran,
Maximilian came face to face with the person he had longed for.
Is it an illusion?
Of course, it must be an illusion.
It was likely a symptom of having exhausted most of his lifespan.
Through the raging, howling blizzard, a figure emerged. It was Edanant—not the one who had just left, but the thirteen-year-old boy who had eagerly followed and supported his beloved brother.
“Edan, ant…?”
-Thank you, brother… you have kept your promise to me.
“I’m just a dropout, sacrificing my loved ones and comrades.”
-No. You became the greatest hero in the world, just as you promised me.
Such flattery.
A great hero?
I was merely a helper.
It was all thanks to Edanant leading the charge.
He shook his head at the warm praise overflowing from his younger brother. Then he took the hilt of Aldebaran with both hands and raised its sharp tip high.
“Edan… please watch over the struggles of your inept brother.”
His younger brother was dead.
With the reincarnator taking over his body, he had effectively met his end.
But as a soul, he coexisted with the reincarnator who commanded the body. Even now, he was surely looking at the world through Edanant’s senses.
I won’t let Edan die.
I will protect my younger brother… my brothers.
BOOM!
A brilliant golden current burst forth from the tip of Aldebaran’s blade.
And that wasn’t all.
Altair, Procyon, and Heila.
The other three Holy Swords also emitted brilliant light, suppressing the Disaster of Innocence that had enveloped the Demon King’s Castle.
“Scatter, oh light of the Holy Swords.”
Holy Swords are the powers of the Creator Deity forged in weapon form.
Light that drives away darkness.
Hope to repel despair.
The life of creation confronting the Disaster of Innocence threatening humanity’s existence.
As the power of the Creator Deity, humanity’s ultimate nemesis and adversary, exploded, the blizzard surrounding the Demon King’s Castle let out a chilling scream.