“What?”
He subconsciously asked back at the sudden remark.
─The Blue Knight, Pale, whom Lukas had the deepest relationship with Lukas in the World of Void.
─The Black Knight, Lucid, who was Lukas’ close friend in the past and was now following Diablo.
─The White Knight, Agolet, who, despite some things still being a mystery, he had a basic understanding of.
Although they were to different extents, Lukas at least knew some information, big or small, about them.
However, the Red Knight was different.
He had never met them before, and he had not received any information about them.
Agolet did not respond to the question and simply stared blankly at Lukas. Lukas couldn’t help but ask again.
“Why me?”“I think you can help the Red Knight.”
“…help?”
That was not a word that suited the Four Knights.
Agolet nodded his head frankly.
“Yes.”
“Are they in danger?”
“That’s right.”
“What kind of danger?”
“You will find out when you meet them for yourself.”
“…”
Lukas narrowed his eyes.
In the first place, was there anything that could put a being like one of the Four Knights in danger?
Judging from Agolet’s words, the Red Knight seemed to currently be somewhere in the Snow Field to the north.
Something in the north that could threaten one of the Four Knights…
‘The Beginning Wizard?’
The Beginning Wizard, who made even Pale wary, might be the only thing that could pose a real threat to the Red Knight. That, or another puppet of a Ruler that Lukas had not encountered…
“…”
Lukas slowly shook his head.
When nothing was certain, guesses and hypotheses only served to clutter his mind. Moreover, these issues were not things that could be resolved by his deep contemplation.
“Where?”
“Didn’t I say it was the Snow Field?”
“That is an absurdly large place. The Snow Field is the entire northern section of the World of Void. What I want to know is the Red Knight’s exact location.”
At that, Agolet smiled faintly.
“You have no intention of meeting the Red Knight.”
“…”
“However, without revealing that fact, you are still trying to get more information from me. The reason you want to know the Red Knight’s exact location is not to ‘meet them’, but to ‘avoid them’. Am I wrong?”
Lukas almost groaned internally.
He’d thought it was a natural flow, but his intention had been completely read from the beginning. He could barely hide his embarrassment as it was rare for him to be grasped by someone to such an extent.
Agolet’s words were correct.
He was curious about what danger the Red Knight was facing in the northern Snow Field, but Lukas didn’t want to increase his workload any further at this point. Just thinking about the things happening around him felt like it was causing an earthquake in his head.
“Perhaps my request was a bit rude. After all, you are Pale’s King.”
Was he acknowledging him as King?
Lukas’ expression couldn’t help but become a bit strange at his attitude.
“Aren’t you the one who doesn’t want to have, nor acknowledge the existence of a King?”
“That is a partial interpretation. Did you hear about me from someone?”
“…”
“If you don’t want to answer, then I won’t ask anymore. I’m not that curious. You asked about the existence of a King, right? To answer that, the only King I cannot tolerate is the Void King. So even if you were to rule as Pale’s King, it doesn’t violate my values.”
…So it didn’t matter if he was Pale’s King, and not the Void King?
What difference did that make?
Thinking for a moment, Lukas frowned. This was because he had a premonition that he would not be able to find the answer with just the information he was given.
Instead, he changed the subject.
“…the apocalypse.”
“…”
“Does the danger the Red Knight is facing have anything to do with the impending apocalypse?”
There was no need to explain to Agolet what the ‘apocalypse’ mentioned by Lukas was.
Agolet looked at Lukas with extremely clear eyes. Just looking at those eyes could make one feel refreshed, as if the fog in their mind was being cleared.
Finally, he nodded.
“It’s amazing. The apocalypse is a truth that only a handful of people in this world know, and yet you, who came from ‘the outside’, are fully aware of it… From your expression, it doesn’t seem to be a guess. You should really know the truth of the apocalypse, and its reason.”
“…”
“It’s as you have guessed. They are related. However, I’m still not going to tell you exactly what the danger is.”
“Why?”
“If I told you, you would never approach the Red Knight.”
As soon as he heard those words, the thought of not wanting to meet the Red Knight grew stronger.
In other words.
‘Does that mean that if Agolet were to reveal the entire truth, I would be even more reluctant to do so?’
The reason he didn’t reveal it in the end might be to arouse Lukas’ curiosity. And in fact, this operation did work to some extent. A little head of curiosity raised slightly within him, and Lukas would probably not be able to completely get rid of it without meeting the Red Knight for himself.
However.
“I will not go to the Red Knight of my own accord.”
“Why not? Don’t you know about the apocalypse? The Red Knight might have a hint about how to prevent it.”
As he said that, Agolet moved the helmet in his hand slightly, as if to put it on.
“It is not a bad story like that. The apocalypse is something that every being will soon experience.”
“…”
At that, Agolet smiled faintly and lowered his helmet once more. It was only then that Lukas realised the meaning of that action, causing his eyebrow to twitch.
…This guy was really thorough.
While pretending to admire Lukas, saying ‘Don’t you know about the apocalypse’, he then gave him the wrong information in the next moment.
If Lukas hadn’t actually known about the apocalypse and was trying to gain inferences from the conversation with Agolet, he would have been caught up in his narrative. He would have nodded his head and pretended to know the ‘wrong information’ that he’d deliberately said.
‘If that was the case.’
What would Agolet do?
Immediately after asking the question, he was about to put his helmet on… In other words, he was about to become the White Knight, not Agolet. He didn’t know his exact intentions, but that fact alone chilled his heart.
“It’s as you said. There is probably no way to stop the apocalypse. However, it might be possible to delay its coming.”
He made it sound as if there really was a way to do so.
Although he was a little intrigued, Lukas calmly shook his head.
“Then wait for someone else. I feel like my knees are about to give out from what I’m already carrying on my shoulders.”
“Huhu… I see.”
Agolet chuckled.
“You seem to have started the fight with me to find an answer, but I have nothing more to tell you.”
“That means….”
“Leave. There is no point even if we were to clash further.”
Contrary to the gentle attitude he used before, it was a cold send off.
Lukas felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, in the end, the only impression he’d gotten from the White Knight, Agolet, was that the current Lukas was closer to ‘Pale’s King’, than the ‘Void King’.
‘If I forced a fight…’
The White Knight would, of course, respond.
However, there was no guarantee that Lukas would not die in that fight. In addition, the word ‘underhanded’ that the Lightning God had used strangely bothered him.
“It’s a pity. If you…”
Agolet muttered before shaking his head slowly.
“Hmm. That’s a pointless assumption…”
“Wait. There’s one more thing I want to ask.”
“If it’s about the Red Knight, I have nothing more to say to you.”
“Not that. It’s about the Rulers.”
At that word, a hint of curiosity appeared on Agolet’s face.
“Did you know that there are agents of the Rulers lurking all over the World of Void?”
“Well…”
He pretended to know about it.
“Do you hate the Rulers too?”
“…”
“A particular Knight I know simply cannot tolerate their very existence. To the point of killing everything that is even slightly related to them. Is it because she was born weak and was cursed by fate.”
“What do you want to say?”
“You are not like that.”
The White Knight, Agolet, was not a weakling.
He was born a Perfect One, a born Absolute who had the potential to develop to become comparable to a Ruler. He didn’t know what happened after, but he couldn’t believe that he hated those who were innately strong like Pale did.
This was because, if they were to be divided, Agolet would fall into the same category as the Rulers.
“This is the first time I’ve been asked such a question.”
Agolet grinned.
“Don’t worry. The feelings I have for those guys are no less than Pale’s.”
“Then if you were to find one of the Ruler’s agents…”
“I would draw my sword first instead of my shield.”
For a moment, an unknown dark emotion swam in Agolet’s eyes before it disappeared.
After falling silent for a moment, Lukas turned around.
It was a bit uncomfortable, so once his question had been answered, there was no reason for him to stay there any longer.
But just before he left, he heard a voice behind him.
“I also want to ask you a question.”
Lukas turned around.
“─you will become stronger, right?”
It was a very strange question.
But Lukas felt the chill he’d felt when Agolet was about to put on his helmet once again.
No, it was even worse than that.
It wasn’t just a chill, it was as if a lump of ice had fallen onto his chest.
“Probably.”
Lukas spoke in a clearer tone than usual to dispel that feeling.
Growing continuously, and eventually evolving.
Even though he had to take a step back from time to time, those eventually became the foundations for him to take two steps forward.
That’s how it would continue to be.
“…I see.”
The White Knight smiled.
As if he’d heard the answer he wanted, he gave a pure white smile.
“Please, don’t forget the resolution you just made.”
* * *
Leaving that space, Lukas returned to the rocky area once more.
Before he could even take a proper look around, he smelled a savoury scent. Lukas’ gaze shifted in front of him.
There was someone sitting in front of the bonfire, groping at the firewood. The fire was raging, and there was a skewered piece of meat being grilled.
A 3 metre tall body, reptile like appearance, pale skin and eyes… and wearing a type of armour he had never seen before. A being whose right arm was the most bizarre thing Lukas had ever laid eyes on.
The ‘Exile’ turned his eyes over to him.
[Σ∨∧… ∠∂∪∃…]
A bizarre language that he couldn’t even begin to guess.
Lukas opened his mouth.
“You don’t want me to eat with you, do you?”
[…]
His emotionless, inorganic eyes spun.
After a while, the Exile spoke again.
[The White Knight… you met…]
It was a distinctive raspy voice.
Striding over to the bonfire, Lukas sat across from him.
“Should I have asked for permission?”
[That space does not… belong to me… However…]
“However?”
The Exile pointed to the skewer.
[This… is my prey…]
“Ah. Right.”
Lukas had no intention of eating the octopus looking creature with hundreds of eyes stuck all over its body and countless hairs covering its tentacles.
Crackle…
The bonfire burned.
When the meat was about half cooked, Lukas spoke.
“I want to go to the Magic Planet.”
[…]
“Can you send me there?”
The Exile’s gaze turned to Lukas.
The moment he met that gaze, Lukas recalled his past life.
At that time, to Lukas, who had wanted to go to the Magic Planet, the Exile said.
-I know… where you really want to go… not the Magic Planet…
And also said.
─And I… have no intention to harm you… I called you here… to help you…
Soon afterward, the Exile offered Lukas two paths that he hadn’t expected at that time.
On one side, there were people from his home universe.
On the other side, were people from Earth.
The most precious relationships that Lukas had built during his long life.
In the end, Lukas didn’t choose, but he was forcibly sent to the Three Thousand Worlds with the power of the Exile and the interference of the Lightning God.
It was possible that he might try to do something similar now, so Lukas remained vigilant to any tricks he might try.
‘This time there won’t be any interference from the Lightning God.’
But the Exile didn’t carry out any unexpected actions. Instead, he looked at Lukas and nodded calmly.
[If that is what you want… I can send… The current you… is qualified to go…]
“Qualified?”
[However, you should… know one thing… If you go to the Magic Planet… you will die…]
“…”
It was not the first time he’d received a notice of death or destruction. On the contrary, he’d received too many to count. This allowed Lukas to remain calm without being greatly surprised or taken aback.
“Who will kill me? The Beginning Wizard?”
[He will not… personally kill you… but… he will have… a profound influence on your death…]
Lukas’ eyes narrowed.
“You know who he is.”
[…]
“Who is the Beginning Wizard? Is it someone I know?”
[I… am the Exile…]
Lukas was silenced by this sudden remark.
[I was banished from the Three Thousand Worlds and the World of Void… Do you see…? This hand of mind… it is the exclusive property of ‘that place’…]
The Occultic Hand.
There was a strange light that clearly shimmered around the thick hand called by that name.
“What are you talking about?”
[Aren’t you curious… Lukas Trowman… why I was abandoned by both worlds…? Where I went…? What I saw…?]
After a while, the Exile said something shocking.
[I… have witnessed the ‘apocalypse’…]
“What?”
Looking at Lukas,
[As a qualified person… I will tell you… the form of the apocalypse… I saw…]
The Exile spread his fingers.
[There were five…]
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