Ed’s goal was not just to rescue Montrant’s children. More important than that was facing this girl in person.
His concern that the original storyline would change was not unfounded.
“I asked who you are… Are you just going to keep staring without answering?”
A cheerful voice rang out. It was completely unsuitable for this somber atmosphere.
“….…”
Could he really save this child? No, could it even be called saving?
She had been captured by Bimelion at birth and subjected to years of experimentation.
In the original story, she would endure several more years of torment before finally awakening and becoming the Demon King.
But even now, before her awakening, it was difficult to say she was safe. Her transformation was not something that happened in an instant but rather a gradual process over a long period of time.
According to the setting, she had been born with the “Seed of Evil” inside her. That seed fed on negative emotions and would continue growing until it finally bloomed. That would mark the moment of her true awakening.
In every part of the original story Ed had read, Versilia appeared as the final villain. As one of the key characters, her background had been described in great detail.
But even he could not be certain how far along her awakening had progressed.
Even though he had found her earlier than in the original timeline, she had still endured years of experimentation.
A child fated to become the Demon King. A child still walking toward that inevitable destiny.
Choosing to take her with him instead of killing her on the spot…. perhaps that was a foolish decision.
Ed did not want her to suffer through endless experiments, only to meet a miserable end. But at the same time, simply taking her outside was no easy choice either.
Could he change her fate? Or would he only bring about an even more tragic conclusion?
After endless deliberation, Ed finally extended his hand.
“Do you want to come with me?”
It was more than just an offer. It was a test.
If she took his hand, perhaps it would mean she was still worthy of salvation.
He hoped she would take it.
If she did, he would do whatever it took to care for her. To make sure she never became the Demon King. To prevent the Seed of Evil from ever sprouting.
And then—.
Versilia laughed heartily. As if the darkness that filled this place had nothing to do with her.
She raised her hand, only to be stopped by the chains that bound her. Unable to lift her arm any further, she pouted.
“I want to grab it, but I can’t.”
Ed turned his head toward the entrance of the staircase. As expected, the key dangled from the ceiling.
It was Bimelion’s doing. He had wanted her to look at the key right in front of her and yearn for escape.
Bimelion hadn’t known she would become the Demon King. He had simply wanted his test subject to develop willpower and grow stronger.
By coincidence, however, his actions had nurtured the sprouting Seed of Evil. And that, in turn, was why he eventually became an officer of the Demon King’s army.
Ed could never fully understand why Versilia hadn’t killed Bimelion, the man who had tortured her for years.
But perhaps it was only natural that the present-day Ed couldn’t comprehend the choices of the Demon King. A Demon King who had lost all emotion.
So Montrant fell because of her, too.
She had taken on the appearance of the child he had once seen in this place and led him to corruption. Just for fun.
That won’t happen again.
Without hesitation, Ed reached out and grabbed the key.
The moment he unlocked her shackles, she rotated her wrists a few times, then jumped to her feet and started bouncing excitedly.
“Wow, I’m finally free! Hand. Hand. Give me your hand. I want to hold it.”
Ed extended his hand, and she immediately clasped it with her small fingers.
***
The next day.
With Versilia’s small hand held firmly in his, Ed bowed politely to the bishop.
“You’re not heading straight back to Vinen?”
The bishop asked with a puzzled face.
“No, I have some business nearby. I figured I’d take care of it while I’m here.”
“Hmm… I see. I’ll inform Bedrick. I assume that’s what you’d prefer.”
The bishop easily saw through Ed’s intentions. His gaze soon shifted to Versilia.
“This child is…”
“She was wandering the streets alone. I plan to take her to our orphanage.”
“Your love for children is truly remarkable. Are you aware of that yourself?”
“Is that so…? I’m not really sure.”
Ed answered absentmindedly. In reality, he was so tense that he hardly knew what he was saying.
The bishop studied Ed for a moment, as if mulling over his words, then turned his gaze back to Versilia.
But he didn’t seem to harbor any suspicion and soon averted his eyes.
That was a relief.
The bishop hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Versilia.
Given her current state, it was only natural that he wouldn’t. Her seed had yet to fully sprout, and until her true awakening, the signs of the Demon King would remain undetectable.
Still, I can’t help but be nervous.
After parting ways with the clergy, Ed hired a coachman.
His next destination was the place where a swordsmanship technique was hidden—
Grintania, the city where the protagonist of the novel was born.
The journey there would take a full fifteen days by carriage.
After preparing ample food and supplies for the long trip, Ed climbed into the carriage with Versilia.
As the carriage jolted into motion, Versilia looked at Ed with eyes full of excitement.
“Where are we going?”
“I need to find something, so we have to travel a bit far. It might be uncomfortable, but can you bear with it for a while?”
“It’s fine. What are you looking for?”
“Power.”
“Power? What kind of power?”
She was incredibly curious. Since yesterday, she hadn’t stopped talking.
Ed smiled calmly and gently stroked Versilia’s purple hair.
“The power to protect myself and those around me.”
“Wow, are you going to protect me too?”
“Mhmm.”
“Do you really need that? I know something like that too. Want me to teach you?”
A sinister gleam flickered in her crimson eyes. As a child destined to become the Demon King, perhaps she could sense such things instinctively.
But Ed quietly shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
“Why? Isn’t it better to have more?”
“Greed always leads to destruction. There’s only one thing in this world that the more of it exists, the better.”
“What is it?”
“Salvation.”
It was a concept that might have been difficult for a child to grasp, yet Versilia seemed to understand it instantly.
She pouted slightly and asked again.
“But that’s not something you can get just because you want it.”
“That’s why I’m going to strive for those who do.”
Versilia’s expression grew more serious.
“…You are?”
Instead of answering, Ed simply smiled.
Perhaps it was a statement that could never truly come from the mouth of a man dressed as a cleric.
***
Ed stopped the carriage in front of Grintania and paid the coachman. The man offered to take him anywhere within the city, but Ed politely declined. There was no need for him to enter the castle.
Turning away from the view of the southern gate, Ed set off toward the mountains.
Versilia who was fast asleep rested on his back.
Without a hint of exhaustion, Ed steadily climbed the mountain.
As night fell and navigating through the dense trees became increasingly difficult, a vast cemetery emerged before him.
Rows of silent graves stretched out. They remained untouched by any gravekeeper.
Ed stood quietly before one of the graves, waiting. When starlight began to decorate the sky, he murmured softly.
“Stella.”
At that moment, the seemingly ordinary cemetery wavered and instantly transformed.
Huge rocky mountains rose on both sides and in the middle of them, the entrance to a tomb that had been hidden for hundreds of years was revealed.
It was the tomb of Ascal, the Knight King. A place that the protagonist would visit years later under the guidance of his High Elf master.
Of course, Ed had no intention of taking the power that the protagonist was meant to obtain. He had resolved to stay out of the protagonist’s story, and he had no desire to interfere.
If it had been a swordsmanship technique that the protagonist was meant to claim, he wouldn’t have even considered coming here.
But what the protagonist would take from this place was not a technique. It was a sword.
Didn’t I already insert myself into the story the moment I took Versilia with me?
Ed let out a bitter smile as the tomb finally came into view.
When he stepped before the stone door, it slowly parted on its own, opening the entrance.
Deep darkness loomed inside, but it was soon chased away as countless wall-mounted lamps flared to life all at once.
The interior of the tomb stretched into a corridor interwoven with gold and black iron.
The ceiling soared high above. It was decorated with gemstones that shimmered like stars as if recreating the night sky.
Lining the walls stood stained glass windows depicting the legends of the Knight King. A faint trace of magic remained in them, making the figures’ eyes subtly follow Ed’s movements as he passed.
Ed walked forward calmly.
If there were physical traps within this tomb, there was no way he could overcome them. Even if he knew about them, his body wouldn’t be able to react accordingly.
But the reason he had come here was because he could endure.
Before long, Ed reached the heart of the tomb.
Without any preparation, he simply stood there with Versilia still resting on his back and waited.
Versilia didn’t matter. The protagonist had visited this place with their master as well, but in the end, they had faced the trial alone in the heart of the tomb. Only those who spoke of the revelation of the stars upon entering were granted the right to undergo the trial.
Then, a sharp sound suddenly rang in Ed’s ears.
At the same time, an unfamiliar whisper filled the air, and in the next instant, the ground beneath him vanished. He plummeted into an endless abyss of darkness.
The Versilia that had been strapped to his back had also disappeared before he knew it.
There was no doubt. The trial had begun. That meant this wasn’t reality but an illusion.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an all-too-familiar place.
A shabby one-room apartment. A bed sitting desolately in the middle. Through a small window, the faint city lights seeped in, casting a glow over a modern-day Ed who lay atop the bed staring at his phone.
Tears were streaming down the eyes of the Ed lying there.
And as Ed watched himself, an overwhelming flood of indescribable negativity surged through him.
Endless failure and despair. Guilt and misery. A crushing sense of helplessness.
The emotions swelled. They were suffocatingly heavy and intense. As if they were amplified beyond what he had felt back then.
But unlike his past self on the bed, Ed did not cry.
Instead, a quiet laugh escaped his lips.
He didn’t miss that time in his life. And the reason he didn’t miss it was simple. He had already overcome everything he had felt back then.
This trial was far too easy for him.
The struggles of his past self were nothing compared to those desperately fighting to survive in this world.
Those who had to march onto the battlefield, risking their lives in brutal combat to provide for their families. Those abandoned by their parents due to poverty and forced to live as slaves. Compared to the despair and suffering they endured, his own despair had been nothing more than a trivial matter.
“You may not have gotten the person you wanted, but what can you do?”
For Ed, who had once lived a life without major struggles when it came to eating, sleeping, or simply existing, this trial had been far too easy.
Soon, the illusion began to break apart. The modern-day Ed, the bed, and the computer in front of it all faded and vanished into empty space.
At that moment, the crushing weight of the trial lifted from Ed’s mind, and he returned to the reality of the tomb.
Before him now stood a huge obsidian sarcophagus.
“You’re awake?”
Versilia who had been asleep throughout the trial stirred on his back.
Ed who hadn’t even broken a sweat during the trial quietly set her down and gently took her hand.
Then, he stepped forward and slowly pushed open the lid of the sarcophagus.
Inside, there was no skeletal remains of the Knight King. Only a huge sword rested within.
It was Celester. The very sword the protagonist of the novel would one day wield.
Beneath it, a scabbard for Celester, a thick book, and a smaller sword named Stellion were neatly arranged.
Ed left Celester and its scabbard untouched and instead grabbed the book on Ascal-style swordsmanship and Stellion.
The novel’s protagonist who had already mastered a different swordsmanship and used Celester as his main weapon had no need for them.
Carefully, Ed drew Stellion from its deep navy scabbard.
Its blade was sleek and sharp, like starlight cutting across the night sky.
It was slightly shorter and lighter than a typical sword and seemed perfect for one-handed use.
The blade carried a dark silver sheen, but upon closer inspection, a faint nebula-like glow shimmered across its surface.
Since it had never appeared in the novel, he had no way of knowing what other abilities it might possess.
“Why aren’t you taking the big sword?”
Her gaze remained fixed on Celester that was still resting inside the stone coffin.
She seemed puzzled by Ed’s decision to leave behind the sword, which was, at a glance, the most important one, and close the lid instead.
“Someone is waiting for it.”
“…How can you know that?”
Versilia asked with a face full of curiosity. Ed replied.
“The stars told me.”
It was the best excuse he could come up with. He couldn’t just say he knew the future.
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