Vol 1 Chapter 21: A Woven Possibility (Great Labyrinth Arc)

What I could do now. What Nio could do now. First, we shared those things.

What became clear was that although I had grown stronger over these two years, having only one arm meant I couldn’t fight properly.

Nio said that even if I faced Grain one-on-one, having both arms would give me a fighting chance—but with just one, all I could do was stall for time.

Nio, too, hadn’t yet regained his strength, making even fighting a challenge.

Even though he could still teleport to the old throne room, the offensive magic he presently wielded was utterly useless against Grain.

In other words, the two of us as we are now stand no chance against Grain. All we can do is teleport to his location and buy ourselves some time.

To win, I have no choice but to fix my arm. But for that, I must persuade Yuu to reattach it.

Fortunately, when Nio sensed magical energy, he noticed that Yuu and Grain had left the previous room—and that they were moving together.

Whether she’s been taken to be sealed again or lured by Grain’s smooth talk remains unclear.
If it’s the former, then once we rescue her, regaining her trust should be simple. But if it’s the latter, she might attack us out of hatred.
In that case, I’d be forced to persuade her while bracing for death, and I still have no idea how Grain will react.

“…It’s a bad bet.”

“Besides, even teleportation magic isn’t something you can use endlessly. If we don’t wait for it to recharge, then after using it to reach Grain’s place, one more use is all we’ve got.”

“You’re practically useless… If all you’re good for is leading the way, then I end up fighting—rescuing Yuu or convincing her to fix my arm—and then fighting again… hyaa”

I’m exhausted. I’m really worn out. I probably haven’t had anything decent to eat in nearly a month.

With only one arm, I might even be resented by those I’ve helped, and I can’t count on anyone as backup.

To top it all off, our enemy is Grain—said to be the second strongest after Nio, the one called the Demon King.

It’s a situation that could easily make anyone lose heart. If asked what to do, most would likely say that running away is the best option.

Even so, I’m going. I stand up, grasp Asterion, and check with Nio.

“Anyway, there’s no point in hiding. I’m not one for all-or-nothing gambles, but I can’t just sit around either… Can you go?”

“Well, I’ve always been at a disadvantage anyway, and this is the chance that comes only after centuries of wandering. I’ll go—but I’m saving one extra teleport as a safeguard for the worst-case scenario.”

“Worst-case scenario?” he said, pointing at me.

“I don’t know how things will turn out, but if you end up dying, I’ll use it to get you out. That’s entirely on me for dragging you into all of this. I won’t give it up.”

I’m not planning on dying that easily, but given the circumstances, I understood what Nio meant.

I reluctantly nodded, and then Nio also got to his feet.

“Alright, then—let’s go. Once Grain meets up with his henchmen, things will get messy, so I’ll teleport right in front of him. Are you ready?”

“Just hurry up and do it.”

I answered with a sigh, and Nio touched me, saying just one word:

“I’m counting on you.”

And with that, we were enveloped in light by the teleportation magic.

　＃＃＃＃

When the light vanished, just as promised, Grain and Yuu stood before me. We were in the great chamber where we fought Grulton, and there was no sign of any other monsters.

Grain, unfazed by seeing Nio and me, narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.

“Oh, I expected you’d come, but you’re surprisingly early.”

“Enjoy your composure while you can, Demon King—uh, Grain.”

“The fact that you know even my true name means that Nio must have told you everything. If that’s the case, then—”

For a moment, I thought Grain’s figure had vanished—but then I sensed his presence behind me.

At that instant, the highest-grade magic converged in his hand and was unleashed. Had I instantly slashed it with Asterion, the gathered power would have dissipated. But Grain teleported behind me.

“To think you’d really fight me with one arm. A foolish act. Were you incited by Nio?”

“This is my own decision—not only to fight you, but, of course…”

I turned and looked at Yuu’s face as she stood frozen.

“I also intend to wake you up, Yuu.”

“…Kaim.”

Yuu called my name in a voice that sounded dead. Nio had feared that Grain might be controlling her mind, yet there was no sign of it. Now, Yuu was calling my name on her own accord, her expression as lifeless as ever.

After a brief silence, she looked toward Nio, who was with me, and in a faint voice said, “…That’s enough. Truly, living has become too painful for me… so, at the very least… please, kill me with your hand.”

I shook my head at her plea, making it clear that I’d never do such a thing—even if it meant my death. Instead, I declared, “I will become your hope. I’ll brighten that gloomy face of yours. I’ll even give you a reason to live. So, trust me.”

“Now, what is there to trust in you, Kaim…? No, I no longer wish to believe in anything. So, at the very least, while the love I have for you still remains, I want to die and atone for my sins. Even if I have to run away, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to commit any more sins… I want to erase my past mistakes and sins by dying…”

“If you truly love me, then now is your chance. Once we get through this, I’ll do whatever—embrace you, or anything you want. So, my arm—”

That was as far as I got. Sensing Grain’s magical power, I spun around and swung Asterion. Flames were closing in, but thanks to Asterion and Nio’s meager defensive barrier, they were repelled.

Still, Grain muttered, “How boring.”

“I was expecting you to show up so we could clash in mutual hatred with the elf woman again, but if the very elf woman is like this, it just won’t do.”

At this point, if Grain were to fight seriously, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Not to mention, it was uncertain how much time we could buy. At least regarding Yuu, she wasn’t a threat in battle—given her state, she wouldn’t now attack Nio.

However, there was another problem: my arm was gone. Whether I had Nio search for it or persuaded Yuu to retrieve it, I needed to avoid combat as much as possible to buy time.

If that’s the case,

“What the hell, for a guy who’s risen to Demon King, you’re spouting such petty nonsense. Or is it that you’re so scared of Yuu reattaching my arm?”

I formed the hypothesis that Grain, in the current flow of events, feared that Yuu might be persuaded to reattach my arm. It needn’t be true—I didn’t really believe it.

I just intended to goad pompous Grain to create an opening, or perhaps further provoke his arrogance to force a duel once my arm was restored.

I considered taunting him with, “You can only win against a one-armed opponent, huh?” but Grain simply snorted.

“Your arm has long been obliterated.”

“Wha!?”

“Of course it has. The basic principle in battle is to further corner a weakened opponent. I wouldn’t want that arm restored to the Sword Saint.”

My arm no longer existed. In other words, trying to persuade Yuu was now meaningless.

Any hope of beating Grain had vanished. As I stood dumbfounded, Grain gave a faint smile—as if he’d caught on to my intentions.

“I see. How clever. Or is that Nio’s wisdom? But either way, your guess was off.”

Then, fixing his gaze on Nio and me, Grain spread his magic around us.

“I won’t let you teleport any longer. I’ll finish this here and now!”

With his words, magic rained down upon Nio and me. Nio, perhaps resigned, grabbed me to attempt a teleport—but,

“Not so fast—aren’t you giving up already?!”

I threw Asterion at Grain to create an opening, then, with my free arm, hoisted Nio and hurled her toward Yuu.

“Gathering the three of us might not work, so you two figure out a breakthrough plan! I’ll buy us time, even if it costs my life…”

Clad in the dark magical power of Asterion for the third time, I slashed at Grain.

I wondered how much time I could buy. Was there even any breakthrough plan?

Shaking off such timid thoughts, I swung Asterion, determined to land at least one blow. Grain, watching me, remarked, “This is starting to look fun,” and began to fight in a tormenting manner.

“…It’s hopeless, with what we’ve got.”

I had been thrown back by my own foolish act and watched the battle unfold—Grain was completely toying with us, and even with both arms, I probably wouldn’t have been able to win. Nevertheless, I was fighting with desperate ferocity.

Facing all of this, what could I do—

“Hey, Yuu?”

I called out to Yuu, who stood there with a dead expression. If anyone here possessed the power to defeat Grain, it would be only you—the Ancient Elf.

So I spoke to Yuu: for my sake, as I stand on the verge of becoming the Sword Saint of Hope; and, above all, to free you—the tragic product born of my own mistakes—from your past sins.

—So that we might seize the future together. Casting aside my shame, I fixed my gaze on you.

“Hey, can we talk for a moment?”