For nearly a thousand years, I wandered across the Gritia Continent.
I spent even longer there than the mere thirty-five years I lived in the modern world, so perhaps I could even consider the continent my true home?
No.
Because there, I was… utterly alone.
Of course, I can’t say there were no effects at all from the dimensional transfer.
Since every aspect of culture was different from the modern era, it took a long time to adapt.
But that was only a small part.
The real reason I remained alone, even after forming countless relationships over almost a thousand years, was the curse of immortality.
The lifespan of an ordinary human is a mere hundred years.
That’s even by the standards of a highly developed modern civilization, while on the continent, life rarely lasts even fifty years.
Among them, the lifespan of a Knight is even shorter.
But aren’t Knights supposed to have extremely well-trained bodies?
Why then do they live shorter lives than regular people?
Due to the nature of being a Knight, they’re constantly exposed to extremely dangerous missions and situations, and especially, the excessive use of aura rapidly consumes their lifespans.
That’s why the average lifespan of a Knight is barely forty years (of course, there are rare exceptions who live longer).
And I was a Knight.
Regardless of whether I belonged to a kingdom, Law Country, duchy, or Empire, the status of a Knight never changed.
How many friends, mentors, and comrades have I lost over these thousand years?
Countless.
And humans feel the emotion of sorrow.
The deaths of those we are connected with, and the pain of parting, deal a fatal blow to one’s heart.
My heart crumbled as I sent off so many.
I even suffered from inner demons and had to survive death’s door several times because of it.
One day, I realized something.
If I reacted to every fleeting bond that crossed my path, I would not be able to withstand it; my heart would eventually shatter.
That’s why, in order to survive, I chose restraint.
What I tried to cut away were the emotions every human is destined to feel—joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure.
I severed human emotions so I wouldn’t collapse under my inner demons, so I could survive.
That’s how I was able to become part of the Demon King’s Legion.
Standing on their side, just how many innocent people did I kill?
If I hadn’t severed my human emotions, I wouldn’t have been able to endure that moment.
But cutting off my emotions did not make a human into a demon.
Emptiness.
Loneliness.
The fact that I was alone on this vast continent always lingered like a brand.
Dimensional transfer.
A life of undying immortality.
A traitor to humanity, now among the Demon King’s Legion.
Any one of these would have guaranteed a life of solitude.
Yet, I had to bear all of these burdens together.
Who in this world could possibly understand me?
That’s why I thought I was doomed to be alone forever.
At least, until I met him.
The Harbinger of Death —no, Death himself.
A demon who had lived far longer than the Demon King, whose seat is inherited by the law of good and evil.
The gatekeeper upholding the absolute law called death.
He was a demon, yet possessed a self strong enough to refuse the destiny of being summoned as the Demon King’s heir.
Of course, the Demon King did not try to oppress him with brute force as usual, and instead tried every means to draw him into the Demon King’s Legion (I only heard about this much later, after I’d joined).
But Death rejected both the Demon King’s command and persuasion, choosing instead a life of seclusion.
What changed this balance was Salmora.
Through some transaction, Salmora drew Death into his personal guard.
And he…
“So, you too are trapped in the shackle of eternity.”
He was the only one who saw through my curse of immortality, which even the Demon King had not noticed.
“For I too wander under the same shackle as you.”
He too was bound by the shackle of eternity.
No, his shackle was even stronger, even more cruel.
Ageless and undying.
No matter what happened, he could not die; his life was the very embodiment of true, perfect immortality.
I had thought there was no one who could understand me.
But he, Death, was different.
Having lived far longer than me—almost an eternity—he understood me better than anyone.
A continent I thought I crossed alone.
Yet meeting someone who could understand me caused the locks on my heart to fall away in an instant.
We grew close rapidly, and it wasn’t only an exchange of emotions.
“Your sword is light. If you don’t give your blade weight, it will be easily blocked and broken.”
He was my close friend and also the teacher who taught me swordsmanship.
The Harbinger of Death.
Judging from the abilities of the previous Harbriners, it’s easy to mistake his power as some overwhelming authority related to death.
But no.
Unlike the other Harbingers, he did not possess any special authority.
More precisely, from the very beginning, he had no such authority at all.
He simply bore a heavy karma accumulated by his curse of agelessness and undying immortality.
Among those, what he trained the most intensively was swordsmanship.
He had lived nearly an eternity, and spent that time refining his sword to reach the ultimate state.
He was called Death because all who had faced him perished.
It was not authority that killed them, but karma built over eternity—his swordsmanship.
Even the Demon King had no choice but to acknowledge the weight of his sword.
He was someone I could trust and rely on in many ways.
But he died by my hand.
Betrayal?
No.
It was truly what Death wished for.
The only way he could be freed from the curse given to him for his past sins.
‘Thank you.’
Those were the last words he spoke to me, who had granted him the eternal rest called death.
But now—
“Close friend…?”
He appeared before me, alive and well.
Even though I had clearly broken his curse with the Divine Slayer’s Spear.
That could only mean that some power even greater than the authority of the Divine Slayer had been at work.
It seems that an unimaginable being stands behind the demons transferred to the present world.
“…Has there ever been someone who could call me close friend?”
Death, seated on his throne, fell into deep contemplation.
But only for a moment.
“At least, in my memory, you do not exist.”
Just like the other demons.
Not remembering me, despite the deep bond we shared.
It was clear—my very existence had been erased from their memories.
Still—
“That’s a relief.”
Even if I no longer existed in his memory, he was still my close friend.
“You keep muttering strange things. Close friend… and now, what is this about relief?”
If my words were only meant to confuse him, he wouldn’t react this way.
He had awakened the Soul-Reading Mind’s Eye, able to read the truth from my words.
Of course.
It was Death himself who taught me about the Insight Eye.
That’s why I know.
He can sense that everything I say is sincere.
“Because you’re free of the shackle of eternity.”
At those words, he fell silent.
Just a moment ago, he seemed relaxed, like a mere observer, but now his attitude shifted.
“…How did you know? Don’t tell me…?!”
His emotions trembled.
For someone who’d lived as long as I have and learned restraint, such a reaction was rare.
“The Insight Eye…?”
The awakening of the Insight Eye.
It’s not just about reading people’s hearts or simple mind-reading.
Its effect in battle is enormous.
You can read your opponent’s moves and respond accordingly.
It’s as if you’re seeing through your enemy’s every move with a kind of foresight.
That’s why only someone else who possesses the Insight Eye can confront another user.
But I paid no mind to the turmoil of his emotions.
“I ask you.” I simply asked my old friend.
“Do you still wish for it?”
“Eternal rest?”
Death hated the shackle of eternity he bore.
It was a feeling that bordered on loathing.
He was exhausted, desperate for rest.
He joined the Demon King’s Legion because Salmora promised to free him from his eternal curse.
“…You say that as if you could grant it?”
“If you wish.”
Thanks to the Divine Slayer’s Spear, he had been freed from immortality.
But the heavy karma and accumulated power he’d gathered over an eternity had not vanished.
Couldn’t he just end his own life?
Impossible.
With the Insight Eye, I can see it.
The brand marked within him.
It’s a kind of defensive system against all outside attacks.
Whether Death wanted it or not, the system forced him to fight.
In other words, he could only find rest at the hands of an opponent who surpassed his own power.
“Hahahahaha!”
He burst into laughter at my confident words.
“I have trained throughout the ages. I have broken countless walls and at last arrived at my current state. My strength, will, and skill have surely reached the realm of the gods.”
A level that even the Demon King would fear.
The word ‘god’ is no exaggeration.
“To think there exists one who claims to be able to defeat me. And your words are filled with sincerity.”
Most would find this offensive.
But Death accepted it with joy.
“Let’s see, then. Whether you can truly fulfill your bold words.”
Through the Insight Eye, I can see it.
The hope blooming within his heart.
He truly wishes for it.
For his death.
For eternal rest.
He longed for another chance at what should have ended last time with the Divine Slayer’s Spear.
A close friend’s wish.
That is enough.
“I shall grant your wish, here and now.”
With those words, I released my Magical Power.
“Tsssss!”
My armor and sword of frost—all of it vanished.
Why?
In truth, in my current state, Magical Power surpasses aura.
Maintaining the state of a Legion Commander is overwhelmingly powerful.
But I do not blend aura and Magical Power into a chaotic force.
Instead—
‘I empty myself.’
Aura, Magical Power, even Poison Energy.
I emptied everything within me.
With that intent, the three powerful forces filling my body vanished.
This was a method I devised to confront those who had awakened the Insight Eye.
The realm I once used to grant Death the rest he so desperately sought.
“State of Selflessness”
A state where the mind is entirely focused and forgets the self.
The Insight Eye can read all of an opponent’s moves.
If only one side has awakened it, that’s one thing, but if both have opened the mind’s eye, the outcome depends solely on physical prowess.
But I am merely an inexperienced youth who’s lived just a thousand years.
Meanwhile, Death is an immortal who has lived thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of years.
Even with the same span, the physical superiority of a demon would be overwhelming, and the difference in time makes it certain—I have a 0% chance of victory.
But now, at this very moment, as I enter this state of selflessness, everything is reversed.
With only the single intent to kill Death—moving on that pure will alone—my actions and next moves cannot be predicted by the Insight Eye.
Just like now.
“Thud!”
“Guh!”
In this instant, with a single blow, Death’s abdomen was pierced.