Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Ego Sword Picked Me Up (14)

Satellite

“Many people survived thanks to you. When the barbarians invaded Baron Genon’s territory, I was far too late, but this time, I barely made it in time. It was because you bought time. On behalf of the people of Azif, I express my gratitude, Mercenary Rohan.”

Babel was exactly the kind of Knight I had imagined.

He was courteous, fought for honor, and knew how to express gratitude regardless of status.

After Knight Babel left, Flambeju grumbled.

―Tch! How can you fail to eat what is given to you? If you roll around under that bastard for about 3 years, you will become unrecognizably stronger!

“You say that as if you were the one who called that Knight here.”

―It would not be wrong to say so. My supreme existence draws in countless possibilities. That is why the Creator God called me the “guide of those who seek growth.” And what drew out this ability of mine was the power of your soul.

“I thought it wasn’t a bad offer either.”

―You foolish master bastard, go find Babel right now and beg him to accept you! That is the fastest path for you to grow!

Fast growth was important.

And I knew well that nothing was as sweet as the support of someone in power.

However, I decided to walk my own path.

Even without support, I intended to move ahead faster than anyone.

“It’s difficult to grow overwhelmingly if I only follow set methods. To establish the level of Achievements you want, I need to choose methods the people of this world can’t even imagine.”

―……What kind of methods are those?

Flambeju looked somewhat convinced.

“I should camp in the forest, meet bandits, subjugate them, rescue a noble young lady, and form a connection. Sometimes I’ll raid dungeons too, gradually grow stronger, and hunt Demon Kings or dragons.”

―W-What are you talking about? Are you desperate to die, Master? Things like that only happen in the stories of bards…….

The blond young man’s mouth fell open when our eyes met. He seemed to have understood what I meant.

―I see! One must cause incidents of that scale to be talked about by people!

“Before that, I need to learn Babel’s swordsmanship.”

Flambeju looked more shocked than I had ever seen him.

After I poured out sweat while performing swordsmanship, Flambeju shook his head.

―……This is madness. This truly makes no sense. How can you imitate it after seeing it only once?

“Everyone has at least one thing they’re good at.”

―What Master is good at is…….

“Imitation.”

It was my own secret method that had allowed me to produce results in a short time in my previous life.

I imitated those who were good and mixed those things together, digesting them as my own.

―Y-You have such a talent? If Master meets all 17 Knights…….

“If I fight together with them on the battlefield, I’ll eventually be able to imitate them all. Though it won’t be as simple as saying it.”

***

The Barony of Azif was buzzing with rumors about Knight Babel.

He personally visited those who had distinguished themselves on the battlefield to repay them, and he also distributed money to the families of those who had died in battle.

When Knight Babel left the barony, those who had been hidden like shadows appeared one by one and followed after him.

They gathered on a deserted hill and built a stone tower.

A priest from the Church assisted Knight Babel, and the Church’s paladins were deployed around them to block outsiders from approaching.

―The moon has risen, Babel. It is time to settle your sacrifice.

The bright full moon illuminated the stone tower. The eyes of the person inside the stone tower glittered.

His eyes were filled with fear and brimming with tears, but he had been drugged and could not move so much as a finger.

“You don’t need to say it. I know, Satellite.”

The rectangular kitchen knife called Satellite replied in a cynical tone.

―You always know, yet pretend not to.

“At this time, I remember my first sacrifice.”

Babel looked down at his own wrist.

There was a scar from a wound so serious that his wrist had nearly been severed.

It was something created when Babel first displayed Satellite’s ability.

―Human sacrifice was your choice.

Human sacrifice!

The act of offering a person was forbidden by the laws of the Rubalt Kingdom.

The Church that served God would even dispatch the Paladin Order to annihilate those who attempted human sacrifice.

Knight Babel, with the support of the Rubalt Kingdom and the Church, buried a person inside a pile of stones, poured oil over it, and set it aflame.

“My, my. Watch your words, Satellite. This is the sacrifice of those who seek to offer their lives for the sake of the world.”

―That flimsy logic will catch you by the ankle, Knight Babel.

“A scar must not remain on the body of a Knight who protects the kingdom. That would be a national loss, Satellite.”

There were 17 Knights in the Rubalt Kingdom.

They wielded power beyond human limits through sacred instruments, also called sacred objects.

And each sacred instrument came with a “restriction.”

Satellite.

The Holy Sword that created Babel, the Knight of the Moon, demanded “sacrifice.”

Originally, the sword’s master had to sacrifice something, but Babel chose a slightly different path.

He replaced his own sacrifice with the voluntary sacrifices of others.

“My squire, are you not happy as well?”

Tears streamed from the boy’s wide-open eyes. Facing that desperate expression, Babel nodded as if he understood everything and smiled kindly.

“Do not worry about your parents. For 3 years, they will receive generous support from the royal family, and afterward, they will be told of your honorable death. They will remember you as Knight Babel’s squire. Is that not glorious?”

The boy’s head turned slightly. It meant the drug’s effects had weakened a little.

Babel brought a torch and lit the fire himself.

BLAZE!

Babel burned alive one who had sworn to become a “Knight’s squire.”

It was a custom he performed every time he used his ability.

Those chosen as squires swore to devote themselves to the Rubalt Kingdom, and immediately after, while drugged, the sinews of their limbs were severed and they were offered as sacrifices.

Babel did not look away from the process of a person melting inside the fire. If someone who did not know the circumstances saw him, they would think he was grieving the squire’s death.

As tears gathered in Babel’s eyes, Satellite’s voice sounded inside his head.

―I will say it again. Sacrifice is not recognized only when someone is hurt.

“A visible sacrifice tends to be more effective.”

―It only appears that way on the surface. With only the sacrifices of others, you cannot reach my true intent. And the world is changing. If you reject that change, you will become a relic left behind by an age of savagery.

Although not as much as Flambeju, Satellite was a sacred object that had lived for quite a long time. In particular, his previous master had been brilliant enough to be called a Sage.

“When that time comes, I will make a different choice. The moon changes, after all. Just as my judgment changes every time.”

―Only your excuses will increase.

“Perhaps. Even if it seems to change, the moon always has the same form. Like you and me.”

―Do not bind me together with the likes of you, Knight Babel.

“You were the one who chose me, Satellite.”

―As I tell you every time, it was not my choice. You and I merely resonated. A sacred object cannot choose its master. If I had been given the right to choose, my world would be different from what it is now.

***

“Can you do that movement again?”

―As much as Master wills.

Baluka, who had massacred 10,000 innocent commoners in life, was a skilled man.

It was not that he had killed only the powerless. He had survived amid the pursuit of enraged nobles and Knights, and established an Achievement.

Baluka demonstrated his swordsmanship, and I made his movements my own.

For a martial artist, it might have been an unreasonable request, but Baluka seemed ready to hand me his liver and gallbladder if I asked.

It was because the more he enjoyed the sweetness of the present life, the greater his torment became when he was sent back to Hell.

To maintain Baluka’s summoning, I had to keep feeding blood to the Necronomicon, and that, too, was no easy task.

Baluka, who had been teaching me dagger techniques, watched my expression.

―……May I go hunting?

The Necronomicon’s sheen had been fading. Only by filling it with blood again would Baluka’s time be extended.

More blood was also needed to uncover additional necromantic secret arts that had not yet been revealed.

“Go. Be careful not to damage the corpses.”

―Thank you, Master.

―Why are you taking me with you? Master, stop this bastard! He can hunt perfectly well even without me!

After sending Flambeju and even the Necronomicon with him, my surroundings became quiet.

“Now I can finally focus.”

“Brother Rohan!”

When I approached, the children gathered by the riverside waved their arms and greeted me.

“Are the materials ready?”

“Of course! We took turns watching them all night!”

“I told you that wasn’t necessary.”

There were around 30 children gathered around me. What they had in common was that they had no parents.

They had no proper homes to stay in either, so sleeping outdoors or hiding in abandoned houses, only to be caught by soldiers and have their arms or legs broken, was their daily life.

I put a few silver coins in the hands of such children and had them work.

“Well done. The oil and lye are both just right.”

When I praised them, the children’s eyes sparkled as they rejoiced.

They were filthy little things. Putting aside the dirt, they reeked so sourly that it was hard to go near them.

These children were especially dirty, but the other children were not much different.

‘If you wash too cleanly, you’ll receive the demon’s curse!’

It was superstition. They believed the layers of grime piled on their skin protected them from filthy curses.

Even such people always washed twice a year, on the holidays designated by the royal family.

‘I don’t know if this will work well, since it isn’t animal fat but Vulf fat.’

I mixed the Vulf oil and lye the children had boiled, one pot each, in a 1-to-1 ratio.

I lit a small fire with firewood and had the larger children stir it with wooden sticks.

“Keep stirring. Do not stop. It will be hard alone, so take turns.”

“Yes, Brother!”

The children followed my words well.

It was because I gave them horned rabbit meat for free.

And after making them work, I always calculated the hourly wage and paid them.

It was a completely different attitude from ordinary adults, who were always eager to prey on street children.

“Let’s eat some meat first.”

When I held out rabbits with the horns and blood removed, the children swarmed over and skillfully skinned them. Then they made a bonfire on one side and roasted the meat.

The process of mixing oil and lye and hardening it took unexpectedly long. It was partly because the quantity was large, but also because neither I nor the children had the knack for it, so we had to go through trial and error.

“It’s done.”

What had hardened in the large pot was an enormous lump of soap.

I cut it with a knife, made pieces, and handed one to each child.

It smelled awful and became mushy when it touched water, but soap was an essential survival item.

“From now on, if you want to eat the meat I give you, you must wash cleanly with this.”

“They said if you wash cleanly, demons will take you away.”