Sword Whisperer

"... Arotep, you are such a fool."

Siraz murmured as he walked down the desert path.

§

"Do you want to walk knowing that there is no way? I don't understand."

Shiraz before the battle said.

§

"........"

Shiraz, who put food in his mouth, had a bruised expression for a moment. The maid who was by his side didn't ask him what was wrong with him. Syraz's wall was always there, and it was not the first time he had ever seen anything surprising.

§

"…… haha."

Shiraz, who was in front of Van, sighed for a moment. He just met Van and greeted him with a smile. Van looks at Siraz with a trembling expression.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Oh, no. You didn't do anything wrong. Just for a second, something happened."

"…… Thinking about it, you're not here alone."

"Yeah, no. Sometimes some morons don't seem to understand that simple gesture."

Siraz smiled strangely. It's nice, it's cool. It was still an unadapted look.

This time, however, Siraz was not just a strange atmosphere. He was in a wheelchair, not just because his body was old, but because one leg had been cut off. Shiraz smiles as Van's gaze touches the chair.

"Son of a bitch. I have something to see. Do you see the sensitive part?"

"…… Oh, excuse me."

"It doesn't really matter. This is just one of the myriad bodies we have."

Shiraz laughed as if he was joking. Of course it wasn't a very funny joke. Seeing Siraz like that, Van thought so. If I was a normal person, I'd look at my amputee leg and say, "I can't even joke without emotion."

Following his spirit, tens of thousands of Siraz became one Siraz, enabling him to laugh at the tragedy that had befallen me. Is it evolution that has made tragedy lighter, or is it degeneration that can't grieve even when it's sad?

"Something's wrong, Guardian of Sunwoo. Shiraz is listening to your voice."

"…… you already call me that."

"Don't you like being called the Guardian of Sunwoo? You claim to be the loudest of Sunwoo lotteries."

"I didn't like it and left, so it was ironic. When I tell you who I am, I can't find any intention for Sunwoo from Siraz. Nevertheless, at the round table, Siraz still expressed his opposition."

"There are so many opinions in Syraz."

Siraz calmly replied.

"We can't accept all of that, so we set a principle so we don't deviate from it. And the only principle we have about round tables is that they're neutral."

"If so, why should the Shiraz participate in the round table meeting?"

"…… is it a matter of asking you to vote for Sunwoo? Then you'd better give up. That's not gonna happen."

"Don't worry about that. Fortunately, I'm here with something else."

"Hmm?"

Shiraz looks at Van as if he asked you to tell him. Van opens his mouth quietly.

"Is Arotep alive?"

"...... How could you ask that?"

Siraz was truly surprised to notice. Van quietly replied.

"There's a connection to him. Like his daughter, he's connected."

"..... That's funny. Now that I'm facing Arotep."

"You're alive."

Van sighed as if he was reassured. And I looked at Siraz quietly.

"Are you not willing to let him go?"

"Siraz has no cause to release him."

"If you need a price, you're willing to pay him."

"If you hadn't, your pockets would be a mess."

"My pockets were thicker than a full day, but I've never lived in desperate need. Because I have this."

Van points to a sword full of waist dancing. Siraz looks at Van with an interesting expression.

"Will you help us with our work?"

"At least if I can convince you, I'll be Siraz's knife at some point."

"That's not a bad offer."

Siraz nods. Soon, however, the face turned faceless again.

"But it's not an attractive offer."

"…… Why is that?"

"It's not strength that Syraz lacks. There will be no need for your sword. And…… Arotep is a more attractive prisoner than you suggest. Everything he says will be a rock that will lead Syraz further on."

"Arotep.... What the hell did you do?"

"He looked at me and saw Sarah, not Syraz."

It was that moment. Van had to be surprised for a while. Above Shiraz's face, he was filled with excitement that he had not even expected to see. It wasn't sexual tension. Thousands, tens of thousands of ghosts can find answers to questions, troubles and homework that have been carried around for many years…… in a darker form than any desire.

"Do you know why Siraz looks like he does now? Young prosecutor."

"…… I don't know. Is it because you can be stronger?"

"You're not wrong about being stronger. But not like that. We wanted to be perfect. I dreamed of the realm of God. Even the problems of the night and the day can no longer be bothered..."

The old man's voice said.

"We dreamed of batteries. And in the spirit of all of us, if we don't forget everything we've learned forever, we thought we could know everything in the world at some point."

"…… couldn't you?"

"We've already got the answer. But I can't give you that answer."

"You don't have to put out your mouth. The answer, it seems, has already been heard."

Van replied. The batteries must be imaginary. Memory doesn't always tell the right answer. The gathering of tens of thousands of voices does not always point in the right direction. The more they knew, the more they would be forced to convince themselves that the problems that were not answered were also pleasing to the world.

But nevertheless,

Knowing the difference between knowing everything and knowing all the right answers, Siraz was still unable to give up the path of the batteries.

"It wasn't enough to walk without knowing there was no way..."

Shiraz mutters in a dazed voice. It was as if he had forgotten that Van was in front of his eyes. Van opened his mouth.

"Arotep sees you as Sarah."

"I did."

"Did having confidence in a problem you don't know provoke you?"

"People call him Faith. Belief leads us to mistakenly know what we don't know. But..... he was different. When I looked him in the eye, I wondered for a moment if he really was right."

"..... that his beliefs were special?"

"There is no faith in Syraz. There is only one principle."

Shiraz said so.

"No matter how strong a belief is, the moment it becomes hundreds, thousands, it just becomes one of many voices."

"......."

Van looked at Shiraz and wanted to ask what you are continuing this bitter tradition for without even belief. But it wasn't even possible to understand them. Shiraz, who has already dedicated his life to this tradition, is hard to count. Wow, now that it seems meaningless, Syraz has already come too far to go back.

"It's your illusion that you have no faith. You have more faith than anyone else."

"I understand what you're saying."

"I still remember how you handled Kane's case."

"......."

Siraz kept his silence. That part was not a matter for Syraz to make a sound in person. Van opened his mouth.

"Arotep doesn't understand. Like I said, he would only see it in you. I love Shiraz's heart."

"... I never said we were mindless. but I have too many minds."

"And I decided to remember, sometimes the mind seemed to fight the principles."

Siraz kept his mouth shut again. Van opened his mouth.

"You know a lot. If so, please answer. What can I do to free Arotep?"

"…… half a thousand swords."

Shiraz murmured.

"You see beyond time and space. I hear nothing in this world can bind your sword. Your sword summoned even the sun from the night."

Somewhere his voice sounded desperate.

"Please. I need you to cut me some slack."

§

Shiraz's prison was relatively widespread. Few new people came in, so this new guest was forced to surprise Arotep in many ways.

".... Have you sinned against Shiraz? Van."

"Long time no see, Arotep. You're old."

"I don't think you've been caught because you're energetic."

"It's not a greeting to be caught. I'll take care of it."

Van laughs and makes fun of Arotep. Arotep sighs.

"I didn't come all this way to tease the old man..."

"Munet asked for it. I want you to save the elder."

"..... You've done nothing. I don't intend to leave here. I'm not caught. I came to see you."

"Even so, if my father were held in a place like this, he wouldn't be able to stay."

"......."

Arotep kept his silence. And it was then. Shiraz came in from behind Van. It was Siraz, whom Arotep always called Sarah. Arotep's eyes changed.

"…… Sarah."

"Well, I'm just Syraz."

Shiraz shook his head. And I looked at Van.

"Then I beg you. Mr. Van."

"How much?"

Van pulls out the glass. Arotep's eyes have become desolate.

".... Did you come here to kill me?"

"Didn't you get enough food from the prison? You just keep talking nonsense. Why would I kill you? Just go back to bed."

"Then……"

"Wait. I'll bring Sarah, whom you've always wanted."

"What...?"

Ignoring the panic on Arotep's face, Van looks at Sarah. The frightened hallucinogens of Cipher emit their horror. Arotep clasped his spear and shouted, but Van's ear did not reach his voice.

Can you ring it?

When I asked that, Siraz's face was not filled with great expectation. Of course I thought I couldn't read it. He didn't ask for a cut, either, because it wasn't normal.

'I can ring.'

Van grabs the glass. From Lopo, he learned to look beyond time, and from the ball, he learned to look at the world the way he wanted. Van could always see what he wanted to see.

So from one day on, when I saw Siraz, there were always so many stalks in my eye.

Numerous branches extending from Sarah's old body like a tree root.

That's exactly what Siraz asked to be beheaded. Cut Siraz's bonds and make this woman a real Siraz Sarah.

Van laughs. He can't cut it.

He's a night slicer.