Epilogue

A freezing evening wind blew by.

Brain Unglaus’s hair whipped in it, and his clothes flapped.

“Brr.”

His white breath and low murmur were scattered and carried away by a northerly gust.

He felt like he was going to freeze to his core.

Brain was alone atop the rampart tower the three of them had climbed before, deploying.

There was nothing there but darkness.

In the battle on Katze Plain—no, the massacre—a huge number of the kingdom’s people had died.

He remembered running from the battlefield for dear life.

The people who had fled looked so pitiful and ragged, their gaits unsteady.

Even Brain, who had fought through many life-and-death battles, would never be able to forget the hellish scene caused by that single caster.

Despite its walls, E-Rantel couldn’t be called safe, but the soldiers who somehow managed to make it this far practically collapsed with fatigue, falling into a deep slumber.

Up in the empty rampart tower, Brain exhaled deeply once again.

Then he silently looked up at the sky.

“Man…I kind of don’t care about anything anymore.”

He looked at his hands.

The weight of that man’s lifeless body still hadn’t left him. Even if he tried to forget it, he couldn’t.

He had been a great warrior, as well as Brain’s rival, one step ahead of him.

The loss he felt—the loss of Gazef—was tremendous.

Gazef was more to Brain than a good rival.

Because that man had stood before him in the tournament, because he broke him back when he had such a big head, because of Brain’s passion to defeat Gazef someday—those were things that made Brain the person he was now.

Brain Unglaus was birthed, raised, and trained by Gazef Stronoff. Gazef’s strength was the strength that Brain was meant to spend his life trying to surpass—just as a father existed as a wall to be overcome.

But now the person he was supposed to surpass was gone.

Gazef had towered before him like a mountain to the last.

Shalltear Bloodfallen had shown Brain true strength. And for a time, he wasn’t able to recover from it.

He understood now that because he had been so confident in his strength, which he had made his sole foundation, he was fragile and weak when Shalltear shattered it.

But Gazef was different.

“Ainz Ooal Gown… He must be as powerful as Shalltear Bloodfallen. Gazef stood before him and issued a challenge.”

Gazef didn’t take him on in single combat for some pathetic reason like surviving. His attitude had been completely different from when Brain waved his sword recklessly at Shalltear, sobbing.

Then why did he do it?

“I don’t get it. Why didn’t you run away?” He painfully choked out the words. “Why did you choose death?! That monster was going to let you go! You should have built up your strength! Why did you…? If I have to die, I wanted to go with you!”

If he couldn’t surpass Gazef, his wish was to die beside him.

Brain looked at the weapon on his hip.

He’d been authorized to borrow Razor Edge temporarily.

Drawing the razor-sharp blade, Brain used a martial art.

“Fourfold Slash of Light.”

It was the move that Gazef had used to defeat him in the tournament.

Four flashes sliced through the parapet. There was virtually no resistance; the sword was so sharp, it felt like cutting through water.

“I even learned this because of you… I admired you so much… I wanted to die together, if it was possible. Why didn’t you let me fight beside you? Why didn’t you tell me to die?”

Brain buried his face in his hands.

The backs of his eyes grew hot, but the tears didn’t fall.

Just then, Brain heard the clacking of footsteps. He could think of only one person who would come here.

“…It’s true that you get sentimental with age…”

“I don’t think the sorrow of losing someone important to you has anything to do with age.”

It was the hoarse voice he expected.

“…Sorry, Climb…for making you handle everything.”

Brain rubbed his eyes and sheathed his sword before turning around.

Climb was standing there with a solemn expression on his face, still in his armor.

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have been much use anyhow, right? And under the circumstances, there’s probably no one trying to kill the king at the moment. So what’s the latest?”

“Since Prince Barbro still hasn’t returned, the plan is to send out a search party tomorrow.”

Apparently, since they couldn’t use soldiers, they would hire adventurers.

“Then there were no objections regarding the transfer of E-Rantel. All the nobles are in favor, and the king agreed as well.”

Apparently even the members of the king’s faction agreed.

The king’s faction had gained power after the demon disturbance. That was how they had mustered such a large army for the war, but when that army suffered a catastrophic defeat, there was major backlash. Moreover, none of the nobles would be harmed by handing over this area, which was a part of the king’s domain. If it would help them stay alive, surely they had no reason to be against the deal.

So this time, the king’s faction lost power, while the nobles’ faction grew stronger.

What would happen next?

Climb suddenly realized he was trembling.

It wasn’t anger but fear. Recalling what had happened, his fractured heart cried out, as if that absolute despair was still nearby.

“…Just remembering it all frightens me.”

Had it only been the extraordinary strength of a person in crisis?

Brain thought back to when Climb had stood beside him to fight the King of Darkness. Then he thought he might know the answer to his question.

“Hey, tell me. Why did Gazef challenge him to single combat?”

Climb looked at him questioningly. Brain wondered if he hadn’t worded it clearly enough, but before he could even open his mouth to say more, Climb spoke.

“This is purely my personal thoughts, but would that be all right with you?”

“Sure, tell me whatever you think.”

“…I think he wanted us to see.”

“…See what?”

“The power of the King of Darkness, King Ainz Ooal Gown. And…I think he wanted to create a future.”

“A future?”

“Yes. I think he wanted us to have some record, some strategy, for the next time.”

A shocking realization struck Brain from his head to his toes like lightning.

There could be no other reason. Climb was exactly right.

The man must have risked his life to draw out even the slightest bit of intelligence. Brain didn’t think the King of Darkness would accept a close-quarters battle without an entourage. But Gazef had bet on the miracle of it happening once more. And who did he want to give that possibility to?

Brain smiled self-deprecatingly. You couldn’t even manage to think that far, Brain?

Now that I know how Gazef felt, how should I live my life?

When Climb could no longer tolerate the silence after Brain sank deep into thought, he asked, “…By the way, you aren’t going to resurrect Sir Stronoff?”

“Gazef’s not that sort of guy.”

And casting the spell didn’t guarantee resurrection. He had heard that people who were satisfied with their life refused.

“The king won’t accept that.”

“Probably not, but he’s not coming back… It’s strange…”

“It is. I don’t understand what Sir Stronoff was thinking. I can’t help but think the right thing to do would be to come back and remain loyal.”

“Oh? That’s all right for you, Climb. If I die…don’t resurrect me. With that dissatisfaction hanging over me…I wouldn’t feel alive.”

“I would want you to resurrect me. I want to devote myself to Princess Renner until there is nothing left. Of course, only do it if you can afford it.”

There was only one caster in the kingdom who could use resurrection magic. She would probably charge an astronomical—and fair—price to bring someone back.

She made a special exception for the demon disturbance, since all the adventurers had formed a team, but usually resurrection required quite a lot of gold. It was an eye-popping sum that a commoner or soldier could save for all their lives and still never have enough. That applied to Climb as well.

Brain didn’t speak his thoughts aloud—that the princess would probably pay for it. His only reply was, “I see.”

Another silence descended, and this time Brain broke it.

“I wanted to defeat him…”

Climb didn’t say anything. And Brain didn’t want him to. Even if he told Climb the whole story, it wouldn’t matter. But for some reason, he wanted to spit it out, something that had been building up in his heart.

“A long time ago, I lost to him. So I wanted to win the next time. But it’s impossible now… Ahhh, I can’t escape.” Brain looked up at the night sky. “Damn it all…”

“…Brain.”

What should I do?

What should I do with these thoughts of Gazef?

“Well, let’s see. What am I fretting about, really? I have two choices. To follow his wishes or not. So I’ll have to…win…? Ah, I see.”

There’s only one answer.

Brain broke into a savage smile and thrust Razor Edge toward the sky.

“Ha! Why would I do what you wanted?” Brain roared from the pit of his stomach. “You asshole, you chose death! You took the easy way out! I hope you’re humiliated over there in the next world! I-I’m gonna—I’m gonna surpass you in my own way! Climb! Let’s drink! Booze! We’re gonna go nuts!”

Brain didn’t know what to do.

But he had no interest in inheriting Gazef’s way of doing things and working. He would never best his rival that way.

He knew he would remember Gazef time after time. But for just a moment, he wanted to forget him.

Putting his arm over the shoulder of a bewildered Climb, he forced the young man to join him as he set off walking. His hands felt a tiny bit lighter.