Chapter 8 - My Own (2)
"Oh, indeed, Poison King."
The old man bowed with an emotional expression.
"You are truly the Poison King. I never thought you'd discern it just by looking."
"Because I too was connected for a moment. Were you perhaps trying to hide it?"
"No. I intended to tell you right away. The very reason I revived you was also thanks to my connection with the heavens."
"Oh, really? And yet you didn't know I would be resurrected twice? With the Heavenly Meridian open, you must have seen the path of the future?"
"I apologize. The future revelation I saw..."
The old man sighed, choosing his words carefully.
"...began with the destruction of the Granvelle family, one of the eight main branches of the Sword King family."
"Elaborate."
"After crushing the village, all children under 18 were brought in, gathered with other children already secured, and a Gu ritual was performed. This was in a poison cave through which Leyline Poison flowed. Through that, I saw the revelation that you would ultimately be resurrected."
"Gu ritual, you say."
Kainens nodded, looking at the scattered corpses around him.
"So that's what all this was for."
"Yes, Poison King. We performed the Gu ritual you left behind."
"I only theorized it. I didn't actually know it would be effective."
"Ah..."
The Vice-Cult Leader wiped away sweat and sighed.
"It was not an easy task. Although we referenced the texts you left behind..."
"You must have had to practically create it anew."
"Just as you said. In any case, I only saw the result. The result that the Poison King would be resurrected in this way. I couldn't know precisely whose body the Poison King would inhabit or how you would be resurrected."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. My humble self's connection to the Heavenly Meridian is incomplete. Therefore, the path of the future is seen very rarely, and even then, it's unhelpful and imprecise. How could I possibly speak carelessly to you?"
"...I see."
The Poison King slowly nodded.
Should he be glad he was resurrected, anyway?
But the lingering regret deep in his heart wouldn't disappear.
Ray's body was that special.
Perhaps because the Heavenly Meridian was open.
Even the Life-Death Poison, which had wandered the leylines for hundreds of years, was captivated by the boy's body and couldn't escape.
It was an unforgettable experience.
Thanks to that, the moment a new body was prepared in a new poison cave, he flowed into it without question.
With the expectation that it might be another such body...
"Is this also fate?"
The Poison King gazed at the ceiling and sighed.
He was once human, then for a long time, he was Life-Death Poison, and now he had returned to being human again.
"If it hadn't been for that child I briefly passed through... I would still be scattered into tens of thousands of fragments, wandering within the leyline. Yet, even having been resurrected like this, the regret remains."
"My apologies, Poison King. Was that body truly so remarkable?"
"Yes. Its name was Ray."
"Ray. I will remember that."
The old man nodded and delivered his report.
"However, the situation in poison cave number 1 is unfavorable. It seems to have been annihilated by an enemy attack. It's difficult to ascertain exactly what happened."
"Is that so? Regrettable."
Kainens turned his head with an indifferent expression.
"There's no need to rush. I have already accepted my new self. So, if I wish, I can take over a new body at any time. Even if the specters try to push me out, it won't work now."
"Specters? What do you mean?"
"Like family. Something I will have to create someday... No, don't mind it. It's not important right now."
"Is that so? Understood."
The old man bowed obediently.
Kainens bit his lip as he looked at the dark cave.
"Ray Granvelle..."
He would take it back somehow.
If he had never known, it might be different, but having known, he couldn't forget.
The feeling of looking at the world through that heavenly body, the sweetness of struggling while caught in that tragic fate...
***
Did they think enough time had passed?
Three days after regaining consciousness, I was called to the Inspectorate interrogation room and met a man alone.
"Greetings, Young Master Ray. My name is Inspector Pale Trace."
A man who appeared to be around thirty, young for an Inspector, bowed respectfully.
The Inspectorate is the Sword King family's criminal justice organization responsible for investigation and enforcement.
Instead of a powerless Empire, the Sword King family effectively acts as the Empire's administration, and among them, an Inspector is a singular judicial authority capable of independent action.
They possess powerful authority to investigate criminal cases occurring domestically, as well as to locate and arrest members of the primary enemy, the Poison King family, or to execute them on the spot.
It's a very high-ranking position, even within the entire Sword King family, which is practically a nation.
It was also the dream job of my elder brother, Rajiks, who is no longer with us.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered your health, Young Master. It was an honor to be able to save your life."
"No, I am grateful that you saved my life, Inspector. I heard you personally led the search party."
I sat in the facing chair and looked at the Inspector's face.
Black hair and black eyes.
An ordinary, neat impression that seemed familiar from somewhere.
And his actions appeared flawless.
Yet, for some reason, he was looking at me with a wry smile.
"It seems you don't remember."
"I apologize. I was unconscious when I was in the poison cave, so..."
"I'm not talking about that time."
The Inspector calmly shook his head.
"This isn't our first meeting. Was it about six years ago? I trained in swordsmanship at the Granvelle family during my Inspectorate training."
Six years ago.
No matter how good my memory is, it's not good enough to perfectly recall everything that happened when I was eight years old.
But an image instinctively came to mind.
My father's figure standing in the mansion's training ground.
At that very moment, I watched my father use Union Sword for the first time.
Thanks to that, I also reached the realm of Union Sword in the poison cave.
That memory guided me to a living future.
But the face of the opponent who was with my father then...
"You were father's sparring partner."
"Yes. That's right."
Inspector Pale smiled brightly and nodded.
"At that time, I was your father's opponent. Although I was miserably defeated. The small child watching from afar then was Young Master Ray. I still remember you staring intently at your father and me with wide eyes."
"Yes. I remember your face too, Inspector. Your skin is much tanner than back then."
"Is that so? Haha..."
The Inspector looked at my face and smiled.
"You've grown so much. But your face is still the same, so I recognized you immediately. You still resemble your mother so much."
"Yes. I've heard that a lot since I was young."
"Anyway, I'm glad you remember me. The Granvelle family holds special memories for me."
Pale stopped smiling and closed his eyes.
I organized the story I had prepared in my mind and spoke first.
"So, now that introductions are over... is the interrogation beginning now?"
"Interrogation? No. Absolutely not."
Pale shook his head, looking surprised.
"This is not that. Oh, now that you mention it, this is an interrogation room. It seems there was a misunderstanding because I called you to a place like this. I apologize. I've been so frantically busy lately that I haven't had time to look after the Inspectorate building. Please understand that I simply brought you here because there was no other place to call you."
"You didn't call me here to interrogate me?"
"No. I absolutely did not intentionally call Young Master here to interrogate or question you."
However, that's just the nature of an Inspector's work.
I smiled as if I appreciated his consideration.
"Still, you have your job to do. It's okay, please speak freely about anything. I will answer everything I know."
"Well then... Young Master Ray, you are very mature for your age."
Pale touched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression.
Then he cleared his throat and bowed his head.
"Anyway, my apologies. This is sudden, but I will presume. First, I would appreciate it if you could explain what happened after you were captured and taken to the poison cave."
"Yes."
I closed my eyes first.
As if recalling those memories was painful, but as if I would earnestly try.
And I recounted everything I remembered, from the beginning, one by one.
Except for three things.
One was seeing the future illusions.
Another was that the minds, or souls, of the deceased entered me.
The last was that something related to the First Poison King briefly entered and then left me.
The moment I revealed this here, I wouldn't be able to reach the future of revenge I desired.
It could take years just for the investigation.
That's not to say I made up lies.
I merely omitted a few facts and adjusted the surrounding details accordingly.
Most of what I said was what actually happened.
"..."
The Inspector, after hearing my story, remained silent for a long time.
His expression hardened, and a reddish aura flickered in his eyes.
The Inspector avoided my gaze, looked at the interrogation room wall for a moment, then sighed.
"Haa... I'm deeply sorry, Young Master Ray. I truly have no words. You went through something horrific, truly unspeakable. Not only your friends, but even your siblings lost their lives protecting you... As someone in a high-ranking position in the Sword King family, I feel a great sense of responsibility for not preventing this."
Thud!
And then he slammed his forehead hard on the table.
I remained silent for a while, looking at the top of the Inspector's head.
"I truly have no words."
The Inspector, raising his head, adjusted his clothes for a moment and continued.
"I will absolutely take the lead in uncovering the truth behind this incident and executing the enemies. Please trust me and wait."
"Yes, Inspector. I will trust you."
It wasn't easy to say things I didn't truly mean as if they were sincere.
Fortunately, the Inspector nodded with sad eyes, without much suspicion.
"Thank you, Young Master Ray. But what you said at the end... Is it true that you personally dealt with the enemy minions?"
"Yes. It's true."
"Exactly how did that happen?"
"Just as I told you."
"I don't understand. Even from being present at the scene, this was the biggest question. The bodies of enemies were found around the unconscious Young Master."
"The minions, you mean?"
"Yes. I suspected the intervention of a third party. But you're saying Young Master dealt with all of them yourself?"
"Yes. I killed them."
"How?"
The Inspector leaned forward, pulling his chair closer to the table.
"Even if they were just minions, they were powerful warriors that ordinary people couldn't handle. Moreover, Young Master was poisoned by a potent toxin and couldn't even control your body properly. Didn't you say so yourself? That you could barely move your hand a little?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Then how could you defeat fully capable opponents, and five of them simultaneously?"
"How I did it was..."
I had already seen this very moment in an illusion.
I didn't know if the opponent would be Inspector Pale, but it was a fragmented moment, like a flash, connected to the future of revenge.
"..."
I was silent for a moment, then pointed to the Inspector's waist.
"Could I perhaps borrow your sword?"
"Yes?"
"If I have a sword, I can explain the situation at the time."
"Is that so? Understood."
The Inspector handed over his sword without hesitation.
Was it confidence that someone like me wouldn't be a threat even with a sword?
Or perhaps he wanted to convey that he trusted me that much.
In any case, I got up and lifted the sword I had received.
And I closed my eyes, recalling the memories of that time.
Union Sword.
The realm where person and sword become one.
This is the Sword King family's officially designated 7th Stage of Swordsmanship.
It allows one to wield the sword as freely as if their hand had simply extended, and further, one can cut enemies regardless of the blade's sharpness, and even further, cut through things harder than a sword.
I was capable of all of that.
But I didn't need to cut a wall with the sword to prove it.
Just like this.
Whoosh!
All I needed to do was hold the sword and wave my hand.
An Inspector would understand what I was doing just by seeing this.
And as expected, a gasp escaped him.
"Huh. The blade... as if it's connected to your hand..."
Suddenly, the Inspector's eyes gleamed.
"Union Sword? Is that truly Union Sword?"