Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyuu no Isekaitan (LN)

Here’s the chapter. Enjoy~

ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 3 – Darkness Wriggling

Part 1

“Owner, I’ll take these as well.”

Grabbing two palm-sized loaves of bread, Skaaha called to the man at the back of the dining hall.

Her arms held a vegetable dish in the middle.

Spinach with sesame paste. Boiled potatoes. Dried plums, a Grantz specialty.

All dishes are said to have been handed down by the “God of War” 1,000 years ago――perhaps as a good luck charm for the coming battle.

Perhaps the spicy smell tickled her nose, and her mouth relaxed a little.

The man she called the owner replied.

“No, I am not the owner; I am the manager of the Fort Taoen dining hall. And even if you don’t call me, you can take the food on the table as you wish.”

“I suppose it would be similar. Then I’ll take what I want, but… why’s there no meat?”

“Oh… that’s because Meteor-sama took all the meat dishes with her. I’m in a hurry to make some right now; can you wait for a while?”

“No, I’m not that hungry, so don’t worry about it. But she still eats a lot, doesn’t she? I don’t know where she fits all that food with such a thin body.”

Skaaha was no less hungry than the others, and she’s also carrying a lot of food. The dining hall manager’s expression was as if to say, “Who are you to talk about that?” But he nodded with an affectionate smile while his cheeks twitched.

“Yes… so I must apologize to Meteor-sama…”

Skaaha was suspicious of the dining hall manager, who was mumbling as if he had something stuck in his back teeth, but she shifted her gaze a little and noticed a sign.

The sign clearly read, “The Five Great General Meteor-sama is not allowed to enter.”

It was not a simple restriction but a complete ban.

“How could you make such a decision against one of the Five Great Generals?”

It may sound daring, but since meat dishes had disappeared from the dining halls, it was a natural course of action. So there was no sympathy for Meteor being banned from the dining hall. But Skaaha wondered if the head of the dining hall was not afraid of retaliation.

“I’m sure it’s all right since it’s Her Highness Celia Estrella’s order.”

“I-I see…then I guess you can rest easy.”

If Liz said so――even the immense title of the Five Great Generals would not be effective against the orders of the Grantz Imperial Family. As to which of the two would take precedence, all who live in Grantz would follow Liz’s lead. But the parties involved would suffer from being caught between the two.

“Well, it’s going to be hard, but do your best.”

Skaaha walked down the corridor with the dishes in her arms, greeting the soldiers on patrol as she went. Her steps were light, and she didn’t stop when she saw the gloomy atmosphere entering the place. As she descended the stairs that led to the chain of stairs below, Skaaha offered words of encouragement to the soldiers in their heavy equipment. She made her way to the prison where Hiro was being held.

“It’s been a long time, Hiro-dono.”

The prisoner looked up and chuckled as she called to him through the bars.

“Eating in a place like this… it seems your tastes have changed since the last time we saw each other.”

“Sometimes it’s not so bad to eat in strange places like this.”

While arranging the dishes she brought on the floor, Skaaha sat down to make eye contact with Hiro.

The guard tried to bring her a chair, but she refused because she wanted to talk to him at eye level.

“More importantly, you should get something to eat.”

“But…” 

“If you want to keep an eye on him, you can leave it to me. Or is the owner of the Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword not good enough for you?”

Skaaha summoned the “Ice Emperor” and placed it against the iron bars.

The guards shook their heads vigorously and repeatedly.

“Absolutely not! I’ll take your word for it and go get some food.”

“Oh, take your time. If they say anything, just mention my name, and you’ll be fine.”

With a wave of her hand, as if to dismiss them, the guards quickly left the prison.

In the quiet prison, Skaaha began to eat her meal. Watching her, Hiro asked.

“Didn’t you bring this for me?”

“Are you hungry? Then you should have asked the guard.”

“No, it’s okay; I’m not really hungry.”

“Well, that’s okay. Besides, the way you look, there’s no way you’ll be able to eat if I bring you food.”

Hiro was reluctant. Strictly speaking, he was not tied up with a rope or anything.

Thanks to Meteor’s ability, the prison he was being held in had strings wrapped around it. They were so tightly packed that he could touch them if he moved his arms even a little.

Skaaha was impressed by such an exquisite distance, and at the same time, she expressed her concern.

“By the way, how do you eat?”

“Meteor will bring it to me. Only then will she release me from the bonds… But for some reason, sometimes the food is hardly eaten.”

The aftermath of the ban echoed through the prison. Moreover, she seemed to be giving Hiro meat without complaint.

Not knowing how to react, Skaaha just smiled affectionately.

“I have a question, if I may?”

Cutting the meal short, Skaaha spoke to Hiro with a serious expression on her face.

He nodded his head and showed no change of emotion, perhaps realizing what Skaaha was trying to say.

Thanks to this, Skaaha was able to ask him without being intimidated or nervous.

“The Ice Emperor and I did not sign a new contract. And yet, it remains with me. I would like you to explain what this means. You remain the current owner, Hiro-dono.”

Skaaha was straightforward, but Hiro’s reaction was strange.

His smile deepened, and he opened his mouth happily.

“It’s all one.”

The words were unintelligible, and Skaaha asked Hiro with a question mark in her voice.

“What do you want to do? I don’t know if I should continue using the Ice Emperor, but if I can help in any way, I will.”

It was not a lie. She was ready to accept any order, no matter what it was, if she could repay him even a little for all the favors she had received from Hiro so far, favors she could never repay.

However, the expected answer did not come, and silence fell.

Hiro looked troubled and kept his face down for a while but then looked up as if he had made up his mind.

“Do you know the role of the Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword?”

“The role?”

“The Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword are individually powerful. But they are still in their infancy.”

“You mean this is not their true power?”

Skaaha waited for Hiro’s words with bated breath. He nodded in affirmation.

“The sword of origin, ‘Heavenly Emperor,’ is the vessel, the sword of strength, ‘Thunder Emperor, ‘ pours the power. The sword of vitality, ‘Wind Emperor,’ amplifies the power, and the ‘Ice Emperor’ seals the ‘Curse’ with its blocking sword.”

Hiro’s expression was cold as he muttered these words in a whisper like an incantation.

What lurked there was resignation, sadness, and anger.

The list of words, filled with various indescribable emotions, was dark as if summoning something ominous. But Skaaha’s face slowly showed understanding, and she gathered her courage to speak up and ask a question.

“What about the Flame Emperor?”

“The Sword of the End, the Flame Emperor, destroys everything.”

Hiro begins to speak with a distant look and a hint of regret in his eyes.

“When everything is in place, the five emperors of the Spirit Sword will be able to show their true potential.”

“What if they don’t all come together?”

“It is precisely because they were not aligned that the current situation arose.”

As if confessing his own sins, Hiro’s face was painted with bitterness. However, he did not stop speaking but simply continued as if apologizing.

“Once upon a time, a human race was born with the power of a god.”

――Leon Werth Altius von Grantz.

He was the first Emperor of the Great Grantz Empire and one of the Twelve Great Grantz Gods who created the Great Millennium Empire.

“He was also the one who refined the “Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword,” a great man who defeated the demon race that ruled the world at that time and created a great empire by dominating the central continent――but there were existences that even he could not defeat.”

Hiro shook his head and smiled sarcastically.

“To be precise, he could have destroyed the Five Great Heavenly Kings. But because of a foolish boy, he was unable to do so.”

“Because there was no Heavenly Emperor?”

“Yes. The Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword were created to destroy the Five Great Heavenly Kings. However, without the Heavenly Emperor, he was unable to completely destroy the Five Great Heavenly Kings, and the continent entered a period of turmoil.”

“Then why don’t we leave everything in Liz-dono’s hands? Just as the Ice Emperor came under my care, it seems to me that the problem can be solved if the Heavenly Emperor does the same…”

Hiro shook his head helplessly.

“If I could do that, I would have no problem. In the case of the Ice Emperor, it was because of his bond with Skaaha that he rushed to you, even if the contractor was me. Without that bond, there is no way it would have happened even if Liz was in danger.”

“Is it the same for the other Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword?”

“Yes. That is why Liz must be shown the way.”

The heart the Wind Emperor desires.

The strength the Thunder Emperor desires.

The determination the Ice Emperor desires.

The emotions the Flame Emperor desires.

The future desired by the Heavenly Emperor.

“You must become a person worthy of the Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword.”

Upon hearing Hiro’s passionate words, Skaaha asks, slightly overwhelmed.

“…..I heard that there is a way to force compliance.”

“It is not possible to draw out the true power of the sword. Even if you force them to obey you, if the Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword reject you, you will receive the curse again. If there are four of them, there is no telling what the consequences will be.”

“If it’s possible to endure it, then it’s okay, right?”

In fact, Skaaha did not receive the “Curse” even though she did not re-sign with the Ice Emperor.

Her power is the same as it was when she was under contract with the Ice Emperor.

So maybe――she thought of that possibility, but Hiro’s face was in denial.

“That’s the difference between coercion and obedience, a foul technique possible because the mind has a will.”

Sighing tiredly, Hiro’s shoulders slumped as if to express his disappointment.

“The curse will be passed onto future generations. Even if you are safe, you cannot be sure that your children will be safe as well. There are many different kinds of curses, and sometimes even the person himself is unaware that he has been cursed. Even the “Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword ” do not fully understand their own “curses,”――or rather, they do not know enough about them to be able to use them with any degree of skill. It would be more accurate to say that the intelligence of the “Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword” is not high enough to use them skillfully.”

“I understand that Hiro-dono is extremely afraid of the ‘Curse.’ But why do you have to be so worried about the ‘Five Great Heavenly Kings’? I think there is no problem if we can get rid of them even if they are there.”

As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that Hiro was afraid of the “curse. However, the reason why the “Five Great Heavenly Kings” must be extinguished with the “Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword” was not clear to Skaaha.

“The 23rd Emperor of Grantz saved the Great Grantz Empire from chaos by forcing the “Flame Emperor” to follow him. He was revered as the ‘God of Military Arts,’ one of the Twelve Great Gods of Grantz.”

“That’s the red hair…”

Skaaha’s words were cut off. She now fully understood what Hiro was trying to say and why he was so obsessed with the “Five Great Heavenly Kings.”

“After I met Liz… when I had time, I locked myself in my study and looked up various references. I found out that the 23rd Emperor of the Grantz was originally blonde-haired and golden-eyed.”

Blond hair and golden eyes indicate the lineage of the first Emperor Altius. The only way to explain the transformation was that he was cursed.

“The price for forcing the “Flame Emperor” to obey him, the “curse” made him have red hair and eyes, his life span was short, and he died at a young age. If you think I’m lying, just look at the literature you can find in the study at Fort Taoen.”

Skaaha could not put her current feelings into words.

She could not deny it, she could not affirm it, and even if she tried to respond, she would not be able to find the words to satisfy even herself. Therefore, she could only stare at Hiro. While Skaaha struggled, Hiro’s story continued.

“In the process, I learned the secret of the Grantz family.”

Hiro was probably referring to the rumors that have been circulating lately about the dark side of the Grantz family.

It is said that three hundred years ago, the then Emperor Grantz was assassinated by the hands of the “Black Death Village” and that the Grantz Imperial Family was taken over by the chaos of the assassination. The source of the rumor is unknown, and its credibility was low, so it had not caused much of a stir.

But it was true. Except for Liz, there was no one who had the blood of Altius in the current Grantz family. Therefore, the number of those chosen as the “Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword” has dwindled over the past three hundred years, and the current Grantz family has begun to grow impatient. In the midst of all this, the previous emperor, Greyheit, found a woman.

“It’s the mother of Liz-dono, isn’t it?”

Skaaha had also heard about Liz.

Hiro turned his face down with an ambiguous expression that showed no signs of joy or sorrow.

“Yes… and I’m sure the curse is still there. Because Liz’s mother also had red hair and eyes. And she also died young.”

The Inner Palace Massacre――an incident caused by the mental illness of the first queen.

Looking deeper into the case, the mastermind was the “Black Death Village,” and the person who started it all was the former emperor, Greyheit, as well as other important figures in the Six Kingdoms.

The tragedy caused by the complicated intertwining of the various camps involved Liz’s mother, who died at a young age.

“If that is the case… then the ‘curse’ still continues… in Liz-dono.”

Hiro’s face contorted as if he did not want to admit it, but finally, he gave a small nod.

“She probably won’t live another ten years. If not, it might be five years… or even less. I don’t know what caused it or what will cause it, but I am certain that she is destined to leave this world at a young age.”

“But it is Liz-dono who possesses the current Flame Emperor. Maybe it’s not a curse. In the first place, the curse was placed on the 23rd emperor, not on Liz-dono, so I don’t think you should overreact.”

“No, the curse was passed on to Liz. As I said, this is a problem that the Flame Emperor has no control over. In fact, I think even Altius, the creator himself, would not have expected such a situation to arise.”

Looking at the circumstances surrounding Liz, it could be confirmed that the “curse” that drove her to her “death” exists.

From her childhood to the present, Liz has been involved in too many incidents that could have killed her. However, various factors have saved her in the nick of time.

“I think it was redemption for the Flame Emperor. He saved her from danger many times by allowing the descendant of his former master, Altius, to take over the curse.”

――After that, the “Spirit King” was supposed to protect her.

Hiro’s small voice melted in the darkness and did not reach Skaaha as he whispered.

No wonder. After all the explanations so far, she had been brooding.

A moment of silence fell.

When silence fell between them, it was Skaaha who spoke first.

“Even if that’s true… is there any way to break Liz-dono’s curse?”

When Skaaha asked, Hiro let out a deep smile.

“Preparations are being made.”

“What is it, and how can I help?”

“All in one.”

In a matter-of-fact tone, Hiro said it plainly, naturally, and too short.