CHAPTER 43

The Reason for Eternal Life

The giant castle proudly pierces the sky as if to convey the prosperity of the nation and the majesty of its emperor. A guard opens the sturdy, robust gate for us as we approach.

“You’re here.”

Clad in an azure dress, Rosalie waves us over the moment we walk inside. We follow her down a red carpet until we reach a door. Within the room is a long, large table with chairs lined up around it. However, the emperor is nowhere to be found.

“There is something I need to tell you. However, before that…”

Rosalie gives Seiya a quizzical look.

“That’s the same platinum mail you were wearing before. Where’s the legendary armor?”

“A giant turtle ate it.”

“Tch. This is no time for jokes.”

“I’m not joking. I’d be wearing it if we got it. The Demon Lord’s army destroyed the armor before we got there.”

“What?!”

Rosalie is speechless for a few moments, then she shakes her head.

“Enough about the armor. What did you want to tell us?”

“O-oh, right… Have a seat.”

After offering us a seat, Rosalie sits down on the opposite side of the table to face us and slowly begins stringing her words together.

“Thirty years ago, Emperor Wohlks Roseguard suppressed the Cyclops Revolt all by himself, and fifty years ago, he conquered the evil nation of Haades ruled by the Snake King Dorflare. Even this year, despite being in his eighties, he headed to the frigid continent of Alphoreiz in the north alone to defeat the Demon Lord. However…he apparently reverted to an infant before crossing over into the region. Our army found him crying and brought him back, but…”

“Get to the point.”

Wearing a pained expression, Rosalie reveals:

“My father…isn’t long for this world. The castle doctors believe that this eccentric behavior of his is due to old age.”

Thereupon, Rosalie’s normally grim countenance relaxes and transforms into the face of a loving daughter.

“My father was not only strong but kind as well. He would always rub my head with those big hands whenever he came back from battle. The Warmaster is my—is the pride of the entire nation. That’s why, at the very least, I want him to live the rest of his life in peace.”

Rosalie looks at Seiya pleadingly for a change.

“If my father asks to go with you to fight the Demon Lord, please persuade him not to join you.”

Seiya bluntly replies:

“That goes without saying. A geezer like that would be more trouble than he’s worth.”

Rosalie quietly nods.

“Thank you. Oh, and one more thing… Stop calling him a geezer!”

When Rosalie takes us to the throne room, we find the emperor sitting on the throne with a majestic air. As we approach him, he bashfully looks our way.

“I don’t remember much about what happened after I killed the general, but…it appears I caused a lot of trouble for you all. I am sure Rosalie has told you, but…I sometimes black out and lose recollection of my actions.”

“What about now?”

The Warmaster frowns.

“I’m sure you can tell for yourself, but I’m fine. I just blacked out earlier, so it won’t happen again for a while. M-more importantly, Hero, now that the last general has perished, I assume you plan on attacking the Demon Lord’s base?”

“Yeah. But I don’t need your help.”

“Er…”

Seiya cuts the emperor off before he can even say anything, causing him to briefly fall silent. But before long, he jovially guffaws.

“Ha-ha-ha… Ha-ha-ha-ha! But of course! You all should be able to save the world without this senile old man tagging along!”

Rosalie suddenly chimes in to back the emperor up.

“Father! You defeated the last general all by yourself! You have done more than enough to help, so let’s just leave the rest to the Hero!”

“You’re right! You are absolutely right! Besides, the actual reason I invited everyone to the castle is because I needed to speak with the goddess!”

The emperor projects his voice as if trying to persuade himself. He then flashes a warm smile in my direction.

“Goddess, I wanted to show you our very fine cathedral!”

“What a wonderful idea, Father! I am sure she would love to see such a sacred place!”

But just then, the doors to the throne room burst open, and a soldier comes rushing in with a look of desperation. Rosalie yells:

“Soldier! What is the meaning of this?!”

“I-I’m sorry, but I have a message! The remnants of Demon’s Sword have attacked the nearby village!”

“What?!”

The Warmaster jumps off his throne as if his sense of justice stirred his blood.

“I must hurry!”

Rosalie, on the other hand, stares hard at Seiya as if pleading. Apparently noticing, Seiya lets out a brief sigh.

“Hmph. Allow me to take care of this. You’re the king. Stay here and protect the capital.”

“B-but…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it in no time. How about you show this goddess here that cathedral of yours while I’m gone?”

I look at Seiya in astonishment, for I was just getting ready to go with him. But I no longer have the energy to make jokes or get angry at him.

Seiya turns his gaze to Mash and Elulu.

“You two are coming with me. I need help carrying things.”

“Su-sure…”

“O-okay…”

Although concerned about me, they leave the throne room with Seiya. Even Rosalie glances back at me on her way out. Only Seiya leaves without even acknowledging my existence.

The cathedral stands on the vast grounds of the imperial castle. The majestic and detailed architecture of the door in the front rivals the castle itself. Before coming here, the Warmaster changed into gold armor as a way to pay respect at such a sacred site. He slowly opens the entrance.

As the heavy door closes behind us, I survey the inside of the cathedral, which is more spacious than I could have ever imagined. Against a backdrop of beautiful stained glass windows rests a stone statue of a goddess with wings. Light colored all the shades of the rainbow flows inside. There are no chairs on the marbled floor for visitors to use for prayer—just a vast, open space. The two of us walk briskly alone.

“Legend has it that a few decades ago…a goddess appeared before the one who would save the world. I built this cathedral in longing for that moment. I was never granted such a role, though.”

The emperor stops before the goddess statue, then gives me a smile with a sorrowful hue.

“However, I never expected I would be given the honor of inviting the real goddess here during my lifetime. I am truly moved.”

I am feeling like crap thanks to Seiya, but I can’t keep sulking when someone’s pouring his heart out to me like this. I break my silence with a cheerful note.

“This really is a wonderful cathedral! Not only is it beautiful, but it’s really well-made. Its elegance is unlike anything I’ve ever seen!”

After just saying what’s on my mind, the emperor’s lips curl upward.

“I am so happy you noticed. We made sure this cathedral was sturdily built so it could also be used as a temporary shelter if demons were to ever attack.”

“Oh, wow! You were really thinking about the people when you built it! That coldhearted Hero could really learn a thing or two from you!”

“Goddess, after watching you two together…I have to ask. Are things not going well between you and the Hero?”

I can no longer hold in my pent-up frustration.

“You wouldn’t even be able to imagine! Seiya completely takes me for granted! I mean, it’s been like this ever since we first met! He always puts me down by saying things like, You’re useless or I don’t need you. And to top it off, he ends up doing such lewd things with other goddesses. Ugh… Just thinking about it pisses me off!”

The emperor remains mature and smiles in stark contrast to my rage.

“Ha-ha-ha! The more talented you are, the more twisted your personality is, after all.”

But the old man in front of me has a wonderful personality despite being talented. Perhaps this is the wisdom of age, but…sigh. I really wish I had a Hero like him instead!

“Either way, you are a divine being who will live on for eternity. Therefore, these frustrating times are nothing more than a blip for you. You shouldn’t concern yourself so much with what humans shackled by mortality have to say.”

“Y-yeah…I guess you have a point.”

The Warmaster gazes up at the goddess statue before muttering:

“By the way, Goddess, do you know the reason gods live for eternity?”

“N-no…? Why?”

“When you live as long as I have, you hear many legends and whatnot. And well, while I do not know whether it’s true, let me tell you a story. Just think of it as a fairy tale.”

With that, the emperor begins to tell me a tale in a husky voice that projects throughout the cathedral.

“You descended on this world, Gaeabrande, in human form. In addition, the soul you currently bear is a tentative spirit known as the astral soul. Your real soul—your divine soul—is in the spirit world, being kept in a place where time has stopped. Therefore, even if you died in this world, you would only lose your temporary fragment—the astral soul. As long as your divine soul is in the Chamber of Eternal Stasis, you will live on forever. That is why.”

Wh-what?! I had no idea! Seriously?!

“It is the same principle for the Hero as well, which is why he will simply return to his own world even if he dies in this one. The Hero’s true soul is still in his world. Therefore, he would simply return to it upon death.”

“O-oh, wow! That makes sense!”

“But, well, as I mentioned earlier, this tale could be nothing more than a rumor.”

“I think it’s real.”

“Oh, do you?”

The emperor smiles. However, Aria once told me about a room where time is frozen in the unified spirit world and that the Great Goddess Ishtar managed said room. I always wondered what Ishtar was doing there at the time, but it all makes sense after hearing the emperor’s story.

“Anyway, I’m surprised you know so much!”

“Ha-ha-ha! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Then let me tell you one more tale of a certain magic item.”

“A magic item…?”

“Yes. Somewhere in the universe exists a terrifying magic item known as Chain Destruction. If used to destroy an astral soul, then the divine soul will be destroyed as well due to a chain reaction.”

“S-so you mean that…both Seiya and I could die if someone has that?!”

“Precisely. And there are rumors that the Demon Lord of Gaeabrande may already possess this item…”

The emperor looks at me as if he were telling me a late-night ghost story, sending a chill down my spine.

“Qu-quit it! You’re scaring me!”

“Ha-ha-ha. My apologies. However, there are also rumors that the reason the Demon Lord doesn’t leave his castle and waits for the Hero and goddess to show up…is because he has already used Chain Destruction, making resurrection impossible…”

“B-but that’s just a rumor, right?! First of all, Chain Destruction probably doesn’t even exist! There’s no way it’s real!”

I raise my voice, trying to rid my heart of the fast-spreading fear.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”

The emperor slowly walks behind the goddess statue before returning with a sheath in hand.

“The Demon Lord has already tortured thousands of clergymen, ruthlessly stealing their life force in order to produce a negative aura, which he used to create Chain Destruction. Then after using it, he stretched its powers around his fortress. Furthermore, the Demon Lord’s magic isn’t restricted to just that. He can even produce weapons that possess the terrifying magic of Chain Destruction…”

Before I even realize it, the emperor’s good-natured expression is gone. The Warmaster Wohlks Roseguard unsheathes a coal-black bladed sword, then points it at me.

“A weapon that induces Chain Destruction, that can destroy the Hero’s soul and even kill the goddess—this is the God Eater.”