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Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu (Light Novel) - Volume 11: The King Wisely Adapts, Intermission: Regarding Eternity
Volume 11: The King Wisely Adapts, Intermission: Regarding Eternity
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The distant horizon was slowly reddening. It looked like the sun would set soon.
“…It’s like,” Ryner whispered as he watched it. “It’s almost like… a pipe dream’s turned real over there.” He was standing on the roof of Roland Castle, the highest point in the country and the best place to watch the approaching dawn from. All of Roland seemed to shine with the sun’s red.
He looked to the man beside him, Sion Astal. He was Ryner’s buddy… no, his shitty friend? His bad influence. Either way, he was the young king of their country. He looked a little tired. But that obvious. He was always working like he was possessed for the sake of his country, even going so far as to drag Ryner in. They were on their fifth shared all-nighter in a row.
Ryner felt like he was going to die. He was seriously at his limit.
They’d both gotten killer headaches, so that’s why they decided to come out to the rooftop to breathe some fresh air.
“…The fresh air’s not helping my headache at all,” Ryner said.
Sion smiled bitterly. “I know, right?”
“Should we just sleep?”
“No, if we take a break, we’ll veer off schedule,” Sion said.
Ryner grimaced. “You’re more worried about your schedule than your life?”
“…No, well, you know…”
Sion looked back out at the rising sun. Little by little, it got brighter, its light spreading from the castle town and to the distant plains and mountain range. He looked past it all.
Ryner followed Sion’s gaze. His eyes narrowed at the sight.
This scenery was all it took for him to understand that this country was different from the mad Roland of the previous era. A few years had passed since Sion pledged to heal this broken country, and it was clear that it had really changed in that time. The townspeople were livelier, the streets cleaner and well-maintained, the rivers managed to better control flooding. All in all, it was just an easier place to live in.
If one walked through town, everyone always looked like they were enjoying themself. They all said, “Living in this country can be enjoyable thanks to Lord Astal.”
This wasn’t the mad Roland the last king had ruled over. This was now a country where people believed that they could be happy if they did their best. It had changed rapidly since Sion took the throne. Yet Sion always said that it wasn’t enough. He was always looking far past the horizon, searching for ways to make people even happier.
Sion worked himself to death to answer everyone’s heavy expectations of him. He’d been doing that nonstop for the several months since Ryner had returned to Roland, working as if he were possessed so that the country would continue to change for the better day after day.
“…A pipe dream,” Ryner said quietly.
“Hm? A pipe dream?”
Ryner didn’t clarify. He just watched darkness fall on Roland, thinking of the past.
It was the time just after he met Sion, when this country was still mad. They hadn’t yet lost anything in those days. Kiefer was there. Tyle, Tony, Fahle, and the others were all still alive, too.
It was the day before they were supposed to go to the battlefield. They’d set out for it first thing in the morning.
That day, Sion was shaking with fear. What should he do to keep his friends from dying? Had he chosen the right path? Could he protect them? Was he looking at the world the right way?
He’d shivered with fear in the library in the middle of the night, questioning himself.
Sion was still like that. He always took responsibility for everything all by himself, carrying burdens heavy enough to crush him. Even if he was so alone that he felt like he was going to die, he forced a smile and pretended to be okay so that no one would see his suffering.
Ryner could still remember the conversation he and Sion had in that dark library vividly.
“…I plan to be promoted through the ranks without losing anyone,” Sion had said.
“Hm. You’re so greedy,” Ryner had replied as if he had no interest.
“Yeah.”
“…Aren’t you tired?” Ryner had asked.
“Would you keep it secret from everyone if I answered that honestly?”
“Nope.”
“Then I won’t answer.”
“You’re definitely tired then,” Ryner had said, tired.
Sion had smiled, but it soon faded to a more honest expression. “But I think there’s worth in this. I told you before, right? I’m going to change this country.”
“What’re you gonna do it to?”
“Make it so everyone can smile.”
“Hmm.”
“This country has to change. It isn’t equal in the slightest; the strong subjugate the weak to their hearts’ content, and the fighting—”
“You told me that before, too. It’s like paradise. Honestly, it sounds like a pipe dream to me…”
Yes. A pipe dream.
He couldn’t think of it as anything else back then.
They’d lived under a mad king and mad nobility inside of a mad country. Everything was so crazy that he hadn’t been able to believe that it could really change.
But Sion hadn’t left it at that.
“I’ll make this pipe dream into a reality. Don’t you think it’d be worth it? I mean, it’s not like it doesn’t affect you. You’re an Alpha Stigma bearer. All it takes is for someone to say that for them to all be afraid of you, hate you. You can’t live like that.”
“……”
“Work with me, Ryner. Let’s change this country together.”
“………”
“Come with me, Ryner,” Sion had said and held his hand out to him, staring right at him with golden eyes that never seemed to waver. He could feel Sion’s confidence and drive to make it happen.
But.
“……”
But Ryner knew.
He knew that was fake.
The real Sion always hesitated, shivering with fear. Had he made the wrong choice? Could he actually save anyone doing this? He always questioned himself as he pushed forward. Because he wanted to save someone, anyone. He wanted to push the world along a path that was closer to right if it was the last thing he did.
“Come with me, Ryner.”
His outstretched hand was full of confidence. But it was still shaking from fear, even with his false confidence trying to hide his sadness.
That was why Ryner took his hand.
Because he was screaming. Screaming that he just wanted someone to take it. He knew that he’d break himself sooner or later if no one ever took it.
Right now, standing on the rooftop, watching Roland together, he felt that he’d made the right decision by taking Sion’s hand that day.
“…Sorry,” Ryner mumbled.
Sion looked to him, confused. “Huh? For what?”
Ryner shrugged. “Something I said a while back. It didn’t feel right leaving it.”
“Uhuh? What did you say?”
Ryner gazed at Sion for a moment, then answered. “It wasn’t a pipe dream.”
The pipe dream that Sion had told him about back then was now their reality.
The king wasn’t mad now. The nobility were under control. They were truly heading towards a Roland where everyone smiled.
“You might not remember it, but… a while back, I said that what you wanted was just a pipe d—”
“It is a pipe dream,” Sion spat.
Ryner looked back at Sion. He was smiling, tired, somewhere on the verge of crying.
When Sion continued, his tone was mocking. “It’s a pipe dream, Ryner. Back then, I said I’d do it without anyone dying. But right now… right now, who’s still alive? How many people have died for my view of the future? Just how many—”
“But still,” Ryner interrupted. “Sion. It wasn’t a pipe dream. This country changed. If you hadn’t been here to do it, it would have stayed dark forever,” he said, and looked over towards the horizon once more. The sun was high enough to really brighten the world, now, and he couldn’t help but squint. It was too brilliant for his tired, sleep-deprived eyes. The streets were starting to fill with people. It was different from before.
People could live without fearing their mad king now. They could live without fearing the nobility now. They could live without fearing a war.
Yes, sacrifices had been made. And there had been bumps along the way.
Even so.
“…It’s enough,” Ryner said. “You’ve worked hard enough. I know that for a fact. So don’t keep blaming yourself and working yourself to death like this…”
Sion didn’t answer.
So Ryner continued. “It’s enough. This country has changed enough. Things won’t go back to the way they were before even if you take a break.”
“…….”
“I know you’re still wondering if you did the right things and thinking you need to do more, but… You don’t need to be afraid of how things were before. I mean, me and Ferris are here… and so are the others, uh, what were their names again? Like, the redheaded idiot, and the pervert who has a thing for old ladies, and I know you’ve got lots of others too… It’s fine. The country’s fine now. You don’t have to do it all alone now. Things’re changing for the better.”
“…Really?” Sion asked, meeting his eyes.
“Yeah.”
“…I see,” Sion whispered. He seemed like he wanted to say something else too, but… he exhaled without any words, shook his head, and smiled instead. “Thanks,” he said quietly.
Ryner shrugged again. “So what do you think about getting some sleep? Honestly, I’m pretty worried about sticking to this suicidal schedule of yours.”
“Huh? I thought we were just talking about how you would work in my place so that I could sleep…”
“We’ll both die if we keep working like this!” Ryner yelled.
“Well, we did stay up for five nights straight… Even I’m starting to get nauseous,” Sion said.
“Y’know, I’d really like it if you felt like that after the second all-nighter…”
Sion laughed, then yawned loudly. “Alright, let’s sleep.”
“Alright, then… I’ll go back to my inn for now,” Ryner said. He turned and waved.
“Okay. I’ll send a carriage for you when it’s time to get back to work.”
“Noo.”
Sion ignored him. “In three hours.”
“Wh, what!? You idiot! I’ll barely have time to sleep then, for all the time it takes for me to get back!”
“How much time do you think you should have, then?”
“Three hundred hours?” Ryner suggested.
“Whoa, three hundred…? You’re planning on sleeping for ten days straight? Oh, fine… I’ll give you four hours.”
“The hell!? Okay, look… I guess I can stand it if I come back in four hundred hours…”
“That’s more than before… Okay, I’ll just call for a carriage once I’ve slept a reasonable amount of time,” Sion said.
“Ugh. Just be sure to sleep at least eight hours, alright?” Ryner asked.
“What? E, eight hours? That’s too m—”
“No, it’s not! Your perception’s way off! You don’t sleep nearly enough!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really!”
“…Hmph. Alright, fine. I’ll see you in eight hours.”
“Yeah. Alright, I’m going home now.”
“Good night.”
“Niiight.” Ryner shuffled away on tired legs, but he stood for a moment at the exit to the rooftop to look back out at Sion, who was still looking down at the city. “See you ten days from now.”
“Hey, wait!”
Ryner ignored him and left.
It was a nice day, entirely free of clouds. Kids had the day off, so they were laughing as loud as they could. “Shut it already,” Ryner grumbled to himself. “Some of us are sleep deprived.”
Nobody listened to his ill-natured mumbling.
This was the world that Sion created.
Ryner looked up at the sky.
“It’s a great day for a nap,” he whispered.
