What demon would ever think there might be another race in Hell?
Even the Primordial Demons could never have anticipated that a Saint-class powerhouse would walk into Hell of his own accord.
And naturally, neither had I.
It was only much later that I learned why Elder Gran had been able to enter Hell.
Ultimate Skill [Argo] [King of Expedition].
An Ultimate Skill was an extraordinarily rare ability one rank above a Unique Skill, an ultimate power that only someone at least on the level of an [Awakened Demon Lord] could obtain.
Elder Gran was a Hero who had been the first among the dwarves to awaken an Ultimate Skill. The experiences of adventuring across countless continents had been deeply etched into his soul, allowing him to acquire [Argo] [King of Expedition], which even enabled travel between other worlds.
It seemed that even after his death, when only his soul and will remained, he had been able to keep adventuring through countless other worlds thanks to the Ultimate Skill [Argo] [King of Expedition].
Why he would want to venture as far as Hell, though... I still don't know.
In any case, perhaps because I was a reincarnator, rarer even than an Otherworlder, or perhaps because he pitied me for having been reborn into a new life only to become a demon, the old man helped me tremendously.
As befitted a dwarf—a race known for its master craftsmen—he was the greatest contributor to the construction of my mansion.
Not only that, but he even taught me the inherited swordsmanship of House Dwargo, said to be taught only to High Dwarves of the dwarven royal family.
I still had no rank as a demon, so the rank of my soul was too low for me to use it properly. It was pearls before swine, but...
Still, the fact that he had helped me so much did not change.
.........But even that bond was now slowly coming to an end...
.......................
"...The time has already come."
"It is regrettable, but what can be done? Such is fate."
Ten years.
Today marked exactly ten years since the day Elder Gran and I had first met.
And at the same time—
"As I told you before, this old man's limit is exactly here."
—it was time for him to leave this place.
One of the abilities of Ultimate Skill [Argo] [King of Expedition].
[Thousand Shifting Worlds], which could be used only once, but allowed one to venture into every other world except the Central World.
However, in exchange for being able to travel between other worlds without restriction, he could remain in any world he traveled to for only around ten years.
If he remained in another world any longer than that, it would put a severe strain on his soul. Since Gran was already dead, his soul would surely be extinguished on the spot.
Thus, he now had to move on to another world, whether he wanted to or not.
"...I'm sorry that I've only ever received your help and was never able to properly repay you."
"Ho ho, what are you saying? Just keeping this old man company all this time has been more than enough help. Meeting a demon like you in such a barren land has surely been a stroke of fortune."
Smiling brightly, he patted the shoulder of my bowed head.
"...Is that so?"
"Of course it is."
Gran, who had been smiling kindly like an ordinary old man, lightly drove the jet-black longsword in his hand toward the ground.
"Since my days in the Central World, I have ventured across countless continents. The lands of beastmen, the temples of dragons, the resting places of spirits, and the domains of elves... And having traveled the world for so long, I dare say I have accumulated no small number of bonds as well."
As Elder Gran said, the life of the great Hero Gran Dwargo was an achievement in itself.
He had been chosen by the Spirit King,
shared cups of wine with other kings,
crossed blades with countless Heroes,
and even vanquished an unnamed Demon Lord.
"Many said there was no place beneath the heavens that I had not explored, and that the people I protected numbered well over a thousand."
At the same time, he had gathered his people together for the first time and founded a nation, leaving his name behind as a great monarch.
"Those bonds of mine fell into one of two categories."
They were either trustworthy men of valor, or people whose caliber was simply different.
"But you were neither."
The demon before him was no man of valor he could trust. Yet neither was he an ordinary vessel.
If he had to describe it, he was an egg that had yet to awaken.
An unknown egg that held the potential to be reborn as something like Gran himself.
"That is why I sincerely believe meeting you was a stroke of fortune."
Then Gran pulled the longsword embedded in the ground free and held it out before me.
"Here. Take it."
"...This sword..."
"Yes. It is my beloved sword, which I restored over these past ten years."
It was the very sword he had been repairing ever since I first met him.
Half the life of a great Hero was contained within it.
"...Why are you giving this to me?"
Though its incomplete restoration had made it much weaker than before, this was undeniably the sort of armament that could grow on its own.
It was a relic that would be difficult to acquire even with a fortune in gold.
"The reason is simple."
But Gran had already had enough.
Gran—or rather, Dwargo the Adventure King—erased his kindly smile and revealed the face of a Hero.
As numerous as his bonds had been, his ability to judge people was equally exceptional.
And so—
"Because I saw it in you."
A soul that, though demonic, was closer to goodness.
"Because you possess the qualifications."
A vessel that held possibility.
"Because you resemble them."
Because he resembled the Heroes Gran knew.
That was his reason.
"So take it already. This sword is named the [Sword of the Conqueror]. It suits someone like you better than an old man who will soon disappear."
"..."
The demon pressed his lips tightly together, stretched out both trembling hands, and slowly took hold of the sword.
And at that very moment, Gran Dwargo's form began to blur.
As though shrouded in mist, as though everything had been an illusion.
Yet his sword remained in the demon's hands.
...
No one knew why he had reached out for it.
Perhaps he had coveted the sword, or perhaps he had accepted it because he had no choice.
But one thing was certain.
[Report. You have acquired the Unique-grade armament, [Sword of the Conqueror].]
He was a vessel more than worthy of wielding that sword.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register