It was as radiant as spring.
While the cold demonic energy of winter had gripped the entire land, Laplace was filled with freshness.
Everywhere the eye could reach was stained a pure white, making it feel as if one were in a world of stars.
No matter how outstanding an Archmage might be, or how much a king might be praised as a wise ruler, they could not summon spring in an instant. It was even more impossible to deliver a spring day to the hearts of ten thousand people.
That was why people praised such a sight as a miracle.
“It is truly warm.”
In the middle of the plaza, the stone tablet pulling out the light felt like a campfire. Everyone gazed at the stone tablet. However, no one dared to touch it, instead choosing to bask in the heat with only their eyes and bodies.
The facets of the people were reflected in the eyes of the King as she looked down at the capital. It was warm. Those who had been trembling in the cold only a moment ago were now thawing their bodies by leaning into the warmth.
Spring had arrived in the King’s heart. Perhaps the King herself had been cold all this time.
She turned around. The nobles gathered from all across Laplace were standing there.
***
A sense of emptiness rushed through my entire body. It felt as if half of my heart had been torn out in a lump. Covering the Laplace Kingdom in faith was a heavy burden for me as well. Furthermore, this was the first time I had used so much power in a single instant.
‘Ugh…’
I barely held back the groan that tried to leak through my teeth. It was not the right place to make such a strange sound.
“Richard. What is the matter?”
*Clink—*
Alisa, who had set down her teacup, tilted her head. Her lake-like eyes stared intently at me.
“It’s nothing.”
“Hmm… You look quite weak. You were perfectly fine just yesterday; why have you suddenly become like this?”
“Hmm—,” she hummed again. The twitching of her brow clearly showed her inner conflict. “You aren’t planning to activate the Eye of Laplace, are you?”
“…Holding back pain only makes it worse. Who knows, you might have contracted a serious illness. I’ve told you many times, my eyes are accurate.”
“No. I’m perfectly fine. I know my own body best.”
I firmly refused, trying my best to steady my expression. I didn’t know the specifics, but my soul was likely split in half. It would be troublesome if that sight were reflected in the Eye of Laplace.
‘It would be like confessing that I am Hor.’
In truth, I didn’t think Alisa was completely unaware. Since she had already seen my soul before, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to deduce the connection between Hor and me. However, that was precisely why I refused her kindness even more stubbornly.
“I am fine.”
‘Do not try to know too deeply. Even if you see, pretend you didn’t. Even if you notice, pretend you don’t.’
I had no intention of letting my identity slip out. I spoke with that intention in mind.
“I see. It seems my concern was excessive.”
My wise magic master readily backed off. Nevertheless, those clear eyes did not stray from me. I couldn’t see into her mind at all, yet it felt as if she alone were seeing right through me.
Isn’t this a total cheat?
‘If you can see my inner thoughts, just give me an elixir.’
Elixir. Elixir. Elixir. Elixir.
I called out for an elixir with all my heart.
“It seems fatigue has built up from your arduous training. I will give you some elixirs, so brew and take them every night.”
…Insight at its peak was truly terrifying.
“Haha, thank you. If possible, I’d like the premium ones.”
“Wow! You have already consumed a Dragon’s Heart, yet your greed is top-notch.”
“How did you know about that?”
“Those with overflowing mana like you are usually one of two things: you’ve either consumed a Dragon’s Heart, or you’ve practiced some wicked forbidden art. There’s no way you’re the latter, is there?”
Letting out a small laugh, Alisa took a sip of her tea. I couldn’t tell if the teacup was large or her face was small. Whenever she tilted the cup, most of her face was hidden.
“Richard.”
“Yes?”
“As stated in this morning’s speech, Laplace has become a Church State. It will be called the second Holy State, following the Baren Kingdom where you resided.”
I nodded silently.
A Church State. The words sounded grand, but in reality, it was just filled with believers who had just opened their eyes to faith.
If Baren was a stone pagoda built up floor by floor, Laplace was like a tower being pulled up from beneath the earth.
One wasn’t necessarily better or worse than the other. This, too, would light a fairly unique fire.
“The lords of each domain have also changed their stance. Those who used to fear Markus now fear the darkness. Only after truly seeing the light did the bizarreness of Markus finally hit home.”
Alisa spoke while tracing the rim of the teacup with her finger.
“Ideology. Yes, what you have presented to us is an ideology. Our enemy is not Markus, but the ‘heresy’ that worships the darkness. You’ve told us to embrace the light and drive out the dark.”
“That’s right. Now we must bring about these changes in other nations as well.”
“I know. It won’t be easy, but we can’t give up.”
So, why was she suddenly saying such obvious things? I didn’t understand why she had dragged me straight to her room after the speech ended in the first place.
“Richard, there is something I want to ask you.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“Is there peace at the end of this fight? After we stop Markus, I mean.”
This time, I took a sip of tea. A more bitter taste than expected lingered in my mouth, making it difficult to answer easily. Alisa waited until I had cleared my palate.
“…No. There isn’t. The kind of peaceful world you’re thinking of probably won’t exist.”
I took another sip of tea. Strangely, this time it was sweet. It meant the words I had just uttered were bitter and lacked flavor.
“Is that so? There is no peace even after that.”
Alisa’s voice was calm. But just because it was calm didn’t mean it wasn’t heavy. A woman who didn’t know peace but yearned for it. I knew a bit about this woman.
“Master. What do you think true peace is?”
“I do not know. Even after agonizing over it for more than a dozen years, I haven’t found the answer.”
Only… she continued.
“No one being in pain. No one being hungry. No one being insecure. No one being sad. At the very least, I think a world that isn’t unhappy is peace.”
“That could indeed be called peace.”
Yes. If such a world existed, it would undoubtedly be peaceful. But where on earth would such a world be? Such a thing was nothing more than a pipe dream.
“…What do you think peace is?”
For the first time, Alisa’s eyes looked clouded. It seemed even peak insight couldn’t exert its power before the difficult problem of peace.
That made sense; how could one find an answer that didn’t exist?
“Master. There is no world where no one is unhappy.”
I opened my mouth and stated my thoughts.
“Someone is happy because someone else is unhappy. If no one were unhappy, everyone would be unhappy. Because no one would be able to feel happiness. The desire for achievement and the drive to improve… they would all be castrated.”
“If happiness can only be obtained by trampling on the unhappiness of others, wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t exist? The world is unequal. It is a world where someone is endowed with talent like you, while others are not. And that’s not just for talent, but backgrounds as well. Does that mean those without luck must be unhappy until they collapse?”
Truly, what a communist household. No, Alisa was a noble compared to some. Alan, that crazy guy, had gone a step further and dreamed of killing every person in power.
“Is that why you became the King of Laplace?”
“Is that what you thought, to the point of liberating Laplace even while losing both your eyes? Is that why you used your own fortune to relieve the poor and recklessly opened the granaries?”
Originally, Laplace had suffered under what was essentially exploitation by Markus.
Almost all of its national power existed for Markus. It was only natural, as it was a country founded strictly for Markus. And it was Alisa who had broken that bad bond.
“The people must have been soaked in happiness. They would have cheered for Your Majesty. Even I wouldn’t have been able to help myself. That is how Master brought peace to this country.”
She looked confused. I suppose she couldn’t look into her own heart even with those all-seeing eyes.
“Master’s sacrifice lies beneath that peace. And now, as if to make that sacrifice meaningless, we are facing war.”
Alisa’s peace was broken. The peace of Laplace was broken along with it. Could such a glass-like peace, which shattered so easily, be the real thing?
“Then…”
Alisa frowned. A voice that sounded like it was being squeezed out followed.
“If that is the case… if what you say is true, then Alan’s argument was also wrong. His intention was to cut and trim everything to balance equality.”
“I think that’s an answer that missed the mark by a long shot.”
“I will ask again. What do you think peace is? Does peace come if the whole world believes in Hor? Surely that light wouldn’t need to use the unhappiness of others as fertilizer.”
We had returned to the starting point. Alisa ultimately failed to find the answer. I smiled.
“No. God does not deliver peace.”
Sorry, but I don’t have such a grand ability.
“What?”
“Peace is something we seize for ourselves. By fighting and winning. By working hard and hard again. By pushing through to the end without yielding to adversity. Seizing it with our own hands at the end—that is peace.”
The men of Riot Castle. They fought countless times. They lost many comrades. And when they finally won, they let out a roar.
They protected the castle, and they protected the country. And they protected their mission and convictions.
Thus, the Baren Kingdom remained standing today. If that wasn’t seizing peace, then what was?
“Hor simply assists.”
The Alisa of today was a crouching dragon. Even though she had power, she didn’t wield it easily, and she wasn’t greedy. Buried in the thought that the world should be equal, she felt a repulsion toward exercising her superiority.
How she became that way didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that the crouching dragon before me had to change once again.
Back to the unprecedented witch of Markus, who once sought only victory.
“Once the fight begins, you must be greedy with all your might. You must wield your power with all your might. Hor does not bestow help upon those who do not do their best.”
Her head dropped. She seemed to have nodded.
***
After finishing the long conversation, I returned to my room. To be more precise, it was the first time I had entered my room since handing down the Laws. However, the scenery inside the room was quite different from my memory. Or rather, just one thing had changed excessively.
“What is this now?”
Just in case, the ‘Bad Bond’ that I had tied up tightly with a branch of the World Tree was floating in the air.
“Kalgos, what are you trying to do now!”
I immediately wove A Single Star and confronted the ‘Bad Bond’. It was then.
[I—I have just one thing to ask…]
[Could it be… are you Hor…?]
The Hero’s voice echoed through the room.