――That was, the way of a soul who had lived a fearsome number of years and vehemently matured.
It was beyond conjecture what way of life must one take, for the soul to get shaped this way.
He had walked this world for what felt like an eternity, yet standing here, he realized just how narrow his understanding still was.
He was taught so, however, threw all of his sentimentality for it behind.
There existed no time to halt, to contemplate. The crisis had already been set in motion.
???: [Even if I were to surrender, a way to survive surely would not be presented before me. Nonexistent.]
He had unwittingly danced upon a carefully laid-out board, moving exactly as the enemy had desired.
By the time he took notice, no place to escape remained, and he had been entirely isolated from the environs. For him to be helplessly isolated here, he could find no such spectacle in even his oldest, most ancient of memories.
Overwhelming disadvantage, the choice to flee also came to his mind, however――,
???: [――To let that thing go, would be outrageous. Foolishness.]
He could not choose that option, his sense of purpose, now akin to decaying wood, asserted.
As aforesaid, what made him pile up the impossible experience of doubting his own eyes, was the existence of the owner of a soul smothered in wounds and patches.
However, the object awakening his greatest sense of crisis and vigilance was not his personage.
Nestled beside that soul, the owner of the traces of a dusky, wicked, devious and malicious existence. ――That which he was acquainted with, was the soul of a Witch who should have perished centuries ago.
???: [Not even considering that the Factor came unstuck and got inherited by the next vessel, to think she yet has not cleared herself of her flawed ideas…. no, perhaps that tenacity itself is precisely their true form. Dispiriting.]
A hand on his eyebrows, he adjusted the slightly off monocle back to its position and sighed.
Their relationship could not be labeled as a friendship from antiquity, nothing more than acquaintanceship that existed long in the past. Anyhow, reuniting with an acquaintance after this much time had passed was not something particularly frequent.
And, reuniting with the Witch, was something not meant to be ever again.
???: [The world is already in a new era… to barge onto its stage. Inelegant.]
The world, was something that ought to be the stage of those living in that era.
Himself and the rest, as well as those women and the rest, had an era where they had the world as their own stage. Their selves had lived through that era, and had expired. That was how it was supposed to be.
Yet, to cling to the stage even after death, was befitting of being labeled as the acme of boorishness.
???: [――――]
Upon directing his concentration toward his environs, the presences of many people clamored within the magnificent structure.
A Witchbeast called a calamity, and a hazardous person who had tormented people for long had been respectively subjugated, this was a ceremony to thank, reward and commend those who achieved these meritorious feats.
The Royal Candidates too were attendees, thus it was a significantly auspicious event for the Kingdom.
Hence, neither could the opponent do anything untactful, he therefore intended to finish this in one move.
When it came to the chaos and hounding subsequently caused as well, he was supposed to have readied himself to counter, and yet.
???: [It is as though, my actions had been foreseen… no, to say as though, it is but a foolish act to repudiate what is transpiring. Senility.]
To do away unanticipated actions of the opponents as sheer coincidence would be the deed of a simpleton.
Moreso when those except himself, were always contemplating the greatest way of action. He must simultaneously attempt to outstrip those greatest ways of action.
That was the readiness of the almighty steward, and the minimum courtesy for confronting the Witch.
???: [――Witch.]
Yes, the opponent was a Witch. One who should have already perished and lost any means to interfere with the world.
Now that it had appeared forth once again, as one acquainted with those dark ages, his morality of rights and wrongs was――,
???: [――Hey hey, where are you, bro! Playing hide and seek? How cold!]
The next instant echoed the mighty voice of the youth intimidating and constraining him.
The young man, laughing mockingly, stood on the balcony overlooking the garden, searching for him. The unmistakable presence of evil radiating from his chest made it clear that he was carrying some kind of supernatural Anchor. [1]
Though he wanted to openly highlight that and implore who was the one to blame, he would forfeit any chance of victory upon doing so. Who could ever, possibly meddle with him via words.
For the youth was indeed one of the lead actors of this evening.
For he was the one and only Knight of the silver-haired half-devil who made immense contributions to subjugate great evil threatening the world.
???: [Knight to the Witch of Frost, and a contractor to a Witch of Sin… Distasteful.]
Faced with such outrageous titles, he could only laugh; this was precisely what it meant.
Though unfortunately, he refrained from expressing a smile thirsted of loathsomeness beyond criticality.
???: [I've given you company till now. Stop running around like a mouse, and come at me from the front!]
Though he seemed to not have ascertained this side's position, the youth's voice sonorously resounded into the air of the chilling night. The will to vexate sojourning his tone, was a substitute for rubbing the opponent in the wrong way.
It shan't make for an easy escape should he err the significance of the danger which the youth posed.
???: [So, it seems you are not a simple puppet of the Witch. Obstreperous adversary.]
To begin with, the cause behind tonight's ceremony of conferring honors, the subjugation of the great catastrophes were battle accomplishments the youth had attained regardless of the Witch.
Of course, he was no ordinary individual. ――A contractor of the Witch who made full use of her.
???: [Thinking back to it, even in that era, I never experienced meeting an opponent this malevolent. Uncharted.]
Once again, he piled up identical contemplation as before.
Having lived for long, his disposition came to be that he had seen the entirety of the world, but that did not hold true. Neither for people, nor for the world, nor for things other than those, nor for anything or everything.
???: [The future holds bright for the lively, pure world. Blessing.]
Despite the predicament of being cornered, to hold his head high upon thinking of the future was the special privilege of the old.
Concealing his brazen smile with a hand, he took action conforming with his own mission.
???: [――I cannot allow the world to be brought to ruin by the insatiable, unbounded "Greed". Promise.]
There once lived those, who fought to preserve this world.
Likable people, and correspondingly discordant people, however, the direction they all looked in, and what they all wished for was supposed to be the same.
――As the final one to remember those wishes, he could not possibly give up.