Chapter 48

Two humans stood at the side of the square, watching the frenzied figures of the different races shouting.

Makronis, the deputy squadron leader, and Setius, the squad leader, had been called from the fortress to serve as advisors on the response and policies after the fall of the human city.

"What a naive sense of justice from a kid. What are they getting so worked up about, spouting such ignorant nonsense?"

Setius spat out, to which Makronis smiled wryly.

"If you say so, then you should open your tightly clenched fist first."

Setius, suddenly realizing his own clenched fist, blushed.

Embarrassed, he hid his fist behind his back, and Makronis, shifting his gaze back to the square where the frenzy swirled, said,

"Indeed, it is a naive sense of justice from a kid."

Then, as if spitting out the passionate thoughts he had also felt, Makronis sighed deeply.

"But it stirs the hearts of men all the same."

Any man born in this world would have once dreamed of becoming a hero who defeats great evil or a lord of a castle. Makronis was no exception. He had run tirelessly towards his dream, sword in hand, since he was a boy.

However, reality was cruel. Each time he slipped through the battlefield, he was reminded that becoming a lord of a castle from a nameless mercenary was nothing but a fairy tale. Gradually, he began to worry more about his daily bread than about tomorrow's dreams.

But still, the remnants of his childhood dreams smoldered in his chest.

And now, a single boy was about to run towards a dream that they had failed to achieve—no, something even greater.

Would he fall halfway like they did, or would he truly reach the end of his dream?

Makronis wanted to see how far that boy could go.

Besides, even if the blue horse and his followers were suppressed by the Kingdom of Holmea, Makronis would only be held responsible for the failure of the fortress's defense. A demotion would be the best he could hope for, but he should probably be prepared for execution.

In that case, it might be interesting to follow this passionate feeling in his chest.

"Hmm. That's not bad..."

From what Makronis could see, the Zoans and former slaves did not form an army. Moreover, it seemed they did not know how to handle the city of Bornis even after capturing it.

Then, there should be a place where his knowledge and experience could be put to use.

"Not good. I feel my heart racing despite my age."

Startled by this ominous monologue, Setius turned around to see Makronis with his eyes shining like a child's.

◆◇◆◇◆

Even as the sun set, the fervor of the Zoans and former slaves did not cool.

They gathered around the lord's residence, speaking excitedly. What was surprising was that those speaking were not necessarily of the same race.

A Zoan spoke passionately to a Dwarf, who laughed and patted a Dinosaurian on the shoulder next to him, while a Dinosaurian offered a cup of wine to a Zoan on the other side.

However, this was an impossible scene.

While the human race, which upholds the Holy Teachings, was naturally so, the relationships between other races were far from good. Although not as hostile as the Elves and Dwarves, who have been enemies since the age of myths, no race would ever step into another's territory, nor allow it. This was an unwritten rule.

For example, when a Zoan asked a Dwarf to forge a mountain knife, they would only exchange a request and payment, and be told to come back for it on a certain day.

For the Zoans and former slaves in Bornis to discuss a single purpose together, except for a few eccentrics in each race, was an impossible thing. Let alone hundreds of people of different races gathering to discuss, who could have imagined such a thing?

Shemul, who watched this scene with satisfaction, was overjoyed that it was achieved by the "Lord of the Navel" to whom he had devoted everything. Unable to contain the whirlwind of joy in his chest, he, unusually for him, asked Shahata to guard the blue horse and wandered the night streets alone.

As he walked a short distance from the lord's residence, the street was as quiet as an uninhabited town. This was understandable, as the city had been captured just yesterday, and night outings were strictly restricted.

However, for Shemul, who wanted to cool his head alone, this was convenient.

Singing a small tune under the pale moonlight, she walked with light steps. Suddenly, she felt the moon move and looked up. Seeing a round moon about to rise above the towering city wall, she wrinkled her nose.

There was a figure on the city wall, silhouetted against the round moon.

With a number of people, including Zoans and former slaves, barely exceeding a thousand, it was impossible to monitor all the residents. Moreover, following the blue horse's instructions, it was better to limit night outings rather than monitor them strictly to avoid resistance from the residents. There should be no guards on the city wall.

Feeling a bad premonition, Shemul drew her mountain knife and stealthily climbed the stairs to the city wall.

Peering cautiously over the city wall, Shemul saw something unexpected.

"...?! A human girl?"

On the city wall, still stained with blood, stood a girl dressed in a white garment like a loincloth. The girl was spreading her arms and spinning around.

Thinking that a child had sneaked out to play on the city wall at night without her parents' knowledge, Shemul was about to call out to the girl when she froze.

"Oh! My dear, dear blue horse!"

The girl had clearly spoken the name of the "Lord of the Navel" whom she revered.

Most of the city's residents should not even know the blue horse's name, let alone his existence. Even if they did, there was no reason to speak his name in such a place.

This girl was clearly abnormal.

Even if she were a girl, Shemul could not ignore anything that might harm the "Lord of the Navel" he revered. He decided to question the girl and, if necessary, take drastic action.

Then, he called out to the girl and took a step forward.

"…!"

But he couldn't.

For some reason, his body froze, and his voice was stuck in his throat.

Unaware of Shemul's confusion, the girl continued to speak in a singing voice.

"Oh, my dear blue horse. Your spark will ignite, burning the Dinosaurians, Mermen, Dwarves, Elves, Zoans, Harpyans, and even humans in a great conflagration! The frozen people will seek warmth and gather around your spark. But it will be a terrible conflagration, consuming everyone as fuel. Everyone will joyfully offer themselves to the conflagration for you, calling your name and burning away!"

What is this?! What is this girl?!

Shemul, frozen like a statue, screamed a question in her heart.

"Finally, the seeds of destruction have been sown! The wounded will seek solace and gather around the great tree that grows from these seeds. But it will be a great tree of destruction, consuming those who gather and growing larger, destroying everything and standing alone!"

The girl hugged her small body with her arms and spoke in a sweet, sad voice.

"Oh, what a foolish blue horse. To play the hero and show everyone the ideal they should aim for. To deceive everyone to help them! To deceive yourself to deceive everyone! Oh, what a foolish, ridiculous, ugly, and yet, what a beloved blue horse."

The girl's small feet tapped the city wall, and her body, as if freed from gravity, floated up and landed on the parapet.

Despite the risk of falling to the bottom of the city wall, the girl showed no fear, standing on the parapet with her back to Shemul.

"To lead everyone, you decorate your emptiness and play the false hero. The box, beautifully decorated on the outside, is empty inside.

No, inside is the real you. Very small, weak, timid, and very frightening, the real you."

The girl cupped her hands together, forming a bowl.

"The decorated box in which you hide is a large egg. A large egg that will give birth to a monster called you. The larger the egg, the larger the monster inside will grow. The thicker the shell, the more terrifying the monster inside will become.

When the eggshell cracks, what kind of monster will the real you have grown into?"

The girl rubbed her cheek against the egg-like hands she had cupped together.

But suddenly, she snapped her hands open.

"But if the egg cracks before the monster is fully grown, it will all be for nothing. That would be very, very boring."

Suddenly, with a creak, the girl's neck bent backward.

Shemul swallowed a scream.

The girl, with her long white hair flowing, was looking at her upside down, clearly staring at Shemul.

In the pale face of the girl, illuminated by the moonlight, only her eyes glowed intensely.

"So, you must take good care of the egg, Shemul."

Shemul was terrified.

This is something incredibly old.

This is something incredibly terrifying.

For the first time, Shemul experienced an indescribable fear that burned her thoughts to a blank.

"…?!"

Then, she came to her senses.

The figure of the girl who had been in front of her had vanished. No matter how she looked around, there was no trace of the girl.

Was it an illusion?

But the scene she had just seen was burned into her mind too vividly to think so.

Drenched in cold sweat as if she had taken a bath, Shemul wiped her chin with a trembling hand and muttered,

"What was that...?"

There was no one who could answer her.

◆◇◆◇◆

The declaration of "Soma Kisaki, the Child of Destruction," in this Bornis square would later be known as the "Iron Declaration," the first to mention freedom and equality in the Seldias continent.

At the time, it was still an age that had not fully emerged from mythology. Rulers claimed to be the agents or incarnations of the gods and ruled their countries, and many ignorant people believed them and willingly accepted the rulers' dominion.

In such an age, "Soma Kisaki, the Child of Destruction," who held the ideals of freedom and equality, was a truly heretical—no, an utterly alien—existence.

This was to the extent that even the great historian Socrates, in his own writings, wrote that he wanted to seriously examine the legend that Soma was a visitor from a different world, which was spread to deify the Child of Destruction.

However, only a limited number of historians praised the "Iron Declaration" as a groundbreaking document that truly addressed freedom and equality.

According to the majority of historians, this was nothing more than a mass agitation by Soma.

There is a proverb in a certain region: "Those who fall into hell will even seek a spider's thread." It means that those in distress will desperately cling to even the thinnest and most fragile thread.

For the Zoans and former slaves, Soma's words were indeed a "spider's thread."

Probably, among those present, there was no one who truly understood the meaning of the freedom and equality that Soma spoke of.

However, for the Zoans, who were in a disadvantaged position and felt a sense of stagnation about their future, Soma's words, which promised something new, were enough to stir their hearts, even if they did not fully understand them.

For the former slaves, it was even more so. The words of Soma, who promised to restore the dignity, freedom, and equality that had been stripped away when they were reduced to slavery, must have sounded sweet.

The "Iron Declaration" was a means to unify the wills of the disparate races by using the sweet words of freedom and equality to grasp the hearts of the people and presenting a place to belong, "our country."

This "Iron Declaration," which was evaluated so differently, was agreed upon in one aspect.

That is, "The 'Iron Declaration' by 'Soma Kisaki, the Child of Destruction,' was nothing less than a declaration of war against the entire world of the time, including the state and social norms."

And, as if to prove this, those led by "Soma Kisaki, the Child of Destruction," regardless of their race or previous circumstances, joyfully threw their lives into the flames of war, chanting the name of the Child of Destruction and the sweet words of freedom and equality.

To help everyone, the blue horse played the role of a false hero, grasping the hearts of the people.

But it was also a declaration of war against the world.

The world could no longer ignore him.

He had made the entire world his enemy.

The first to stand in his way was the man known as the greatest general of Holmea.

The battle between the blue horse and the Kingdom of Holmea over Bornis was about to begin.

Next chapter: "The General"

5/29 Typo correction