Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 16 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The World’s Guardian

Harrison remembered well the day his dream was shattered.

“That is the truth of the world.”

Upon becoming the marshal of the Holy Order, the truth was revealed to him by Gerd Kruger, who’d already become an archbishop.

This was the end of the dream Harrison had devoted his whole life to. He couldn’t protect everything in the saviors’ stead. Faced with that cruel reality, he started down the road of whittling away at his own soul.

Publicly, the Holy Order had supported saviors all throughout history. However, behind the scenes, they were one part of the system that enforced the absolute authority of saviors. It wasn’t a matter of good or evil, but rather a necessity from the point of view of statesmen.

For example, what was to be done if an evildoer were to appear as a savior? What if they turned to depravity? What if they resorted to tyranny?

The saviors had far too much influence on the world itself. If things took a turn for the worse, the entire world could be thrown into chaos—which would damage the World View and potentially trigger another Grand Calamity, ending the world itself.

Those who knew the truth had a duty to guide visitors down the proper path. If necessary...they also had to kill said visitors behind closed doors. It was a detestable job, but if nobody did it, the world would be destabilized.

On that point, the advent of saviors this time around imposed horrible working conditions. From Harrison’s perspective, the situation was pretty much a series of nonstop nightmares. The appearance of visitors on an unheard-of scale was far beyond the abilities of the Holy Church to manage. What’s more, because they’d appeared as far as humanly possible from the imperial capital, it had been impossible to deal with the situation immediately. By the time Harrison had personally rushed to Fort Ebenus, half of the confirmed visitors had already scattered.

For many reasons, saviors couldn’t be allowed to cause trouble in a world they were unfamiliar with. The visitors had to be brought in quickly before any chaos could be wrought. And yet, more than sixty had already dispersed into the world. This left Harrison at his wits’ end as it was, but the situation deteriorated further.

Around the time he started his desperate pursuit of the scattered visitors, he had received a report that humanity’s greatest stronghold, Fort Tilia, had fallen because a visitor had gone on a rampage trying to return to his own world. Soon after, it came to light that two monster tamers, beings who posed a threat to the world simply by existing, had appeared.

Even as Harrison devoted all his time to manipulating information and dealing with the aftermath, the visitors made grave mistakes all over the place, creating the fake savior panic. Continuously hounded by problems the visitors created, he found himself unable to make any moves, and needed some plan that would take immediate effect. In other words, he had to make a rash move.

Just maybe, if the only visitor who’d appeared had been Majima Takahiro, there might’ve been a more reasonable way of handling this, even if he was a monster tamer. However, reality didn’t afford Harrison that leisure.

“I’m sorry.”

Just once, Gerd apologized to Harrison. Gerd was the guardian and warden of the world, even more so than Harrison. He watched the scales of this so-easily shaken world emotionlessly. For the sake of protecting it, he would do quite literally anything. That didn’t mean he was a cruel man, though.

“Your nature would make you unsuitable for this role. However, this world is far too fragile. You’re the only one capable of doing this job.”

Gerd knew that Harrison suffered over having to commit evil deeds. Harrison didn’t believe that what they did out of necessity to preserve the world was wrong. And yet a necessary evil, no matter how justified, went against everything he stood for. Knights were the embodiment of justice, so as the one called the knight among knights, this contradiction tortured Harrison.

He never gave up, though. He continued doing his duty. There was no other way of protecting the world.

This world was so fragile and unstable. Someone had to protect it. Harrison was sure that it was his destiny to continue doing so until his last breath.

Even if there were many problems at a fundamental level, the people of this world lived earnestly. They cared for each other and stood against the cruelties of reality hand in hand. He couldn’t possibly allow the world to end. He had to protect them, no matter what.

◆ ◆ ◆

“To think I would be so badly beaten...”

Having returned from the fabricated world using the Dimensional Cornerstone, Harrison immediately fell to his knees. The wounds carved across his body by the Abomination Katou Mana were deep. Her feelings had just been that strong.

“How impressive.”

Regardless of her being an enemy, Harrison felt respect for that girl’s way of life. At the same time, his sense of responsibility put a lid on the despair boiling in his heart.

“I must do my duty...”

He had to protect the world. To that end, Harrison Addington didn’t need such feelings. He was the marshal of the Holy Order. He was the world’s guardian.

“Sir Harrison!”

The one who called out to him was a boy who’d exited the fabricated world with him—Kouzu Asahi. He was one of the former exploration team members being sheltered by the Holy Church. When expelling all foreign matter from the labyrinth, Harrison’s skill with the Dimensional Cornerstone hadn’t been enough to differentiate friend from foe. Everyone had been forcefully removed. He’d coincidentally managed to keep Kouzu Asahi inside with him. Thanks to that, he was the only one with Harrison when he exited himself.

“W-We need to stabilize your wounds!”

After being carefully cared for in the capital, Kouzu Asahi had recovered emotionally and now felt deeply indebted to the Holy Church. He had genuine concern for Harrison’s critical condition.

“Please calm down, Mister Kouzu.”

Harrison was grateful for his concern, but he couldn’t allow himself to depend on it. The plan had failed and they’d suffered greatly for it. Even if he needed treatment for his severe injuries, he couldn’t take any breaks.

“There’s no time to drag things out...”

Harrison encouraged his screaming body to move. First, he had to order his subordinates to...

He realized the abnormality immediately after that. Harrison was in a top secret sector of the grand cathedral that led directly into the fabricated world. There were several entrances to the labyrinth, but this one was kept a secret even to those who knew about that world.

There was a specific reason it had to be that way. That was why he normally had subordinates who were in the know standing guard here at all times. However, those knights were nowhere in sight. If they were, they would be panicking like Kouzu Asahi over Harrison’s wounds.

He couldn’t sense anyone. It was ominous. The space was empty. Harrison felt blood draining from his already-pale face.

“What happened...?”

His question echoed vainly in the empty room.

◆ ◆ ◆

It had all happened before Harrison was defeated in the battle against Majima Takahiro and returned everyone to the world using the Dimensional Cornerstone. There was a figure running down a secret corridor leading to the fabricated world.

It was a suspicious man wearing a hood. He had a blood-soaked sword in hand. On his way here, he’d encountered many knights guarding the area. He’d killed all of them and forced his way through. Normally, it would’ve been far harder to break through, but the current crisis made it easier.

This was a secret sector that led to the fabricated world. The personnel who could be assigned as guards were limited. A majority of them had been dispatched in the plan to attack Majima Takahiro. Who could possibly predict that an intruder would appear with such perfect timing to attack a place that hadn’t seen an intruder in centuries?

That said, even short on hands, security was strict. It would be impossible to infiltrate this far through normal means. Those serving as guards were without a doubt the strongest knights in the world. They all surpassed even the strongest knight of the northern Woodlands—without the help of her spirits, at least. Some even matched her prowess with the support of her spirits.

“Stop!”

A man so large his armor looked tight on him stood in the intruder’s path. He had a beard that went down to his chest and a distinctive tattoo on his cheek.

“My name is Jackson! The Raging Bull Knight of the Prairies!”

He wielded an enormous axe in two hands and proudly announced himself. The mana in his body swelled. He had an abnormal capacity for a resident of this world. It was extremely rare for such an outstanding knight to have been born among commoners. He had surely overcome many trials with clear conviction in his heart, devoting himself endlessly to his improvement. The knight boldly took a stance and glared at the intruder.

“For the sake of my people, I—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

The intruder’s voice cut him off, and in the next instant, a tremendous crash shook the corridor. The intruder had suddenly accelerated to inhuman speeds, ramming the knight head-on.

“Guh?!”

Caught off guard, the knight barely managed to block the attack with his axe. His eyes shot open, trying to figure out what had happened, and witnessed something sticking out of the intruder’s back.

“Th-Those are...?!”

They were large dragon wings made of an explosive amount of mana. Such power was surely enough to even save the world. Unfortunately for the knight, he identified his opponent.

“A savior?!”

Faced with the enmity of an absolute savior, the deeply religious knight’s heart broke. Using that fatal opening, the intruder struck mercilessly. His sword flashed, cutting a deep diagonal gash through the knight’s armor. The next attack lopped off the knight’s arm. The prodigious knight screamed in agony, but still wielded his axe in one hand to resist. After the third strike, however, he reached his limit.

The knight collapsed wordlessly and the intruder slipped by him without giving him a second glance. He proceeded farther. His path was one smeared in blood. If anyone got in his way, he would cut them down mercilessly too. The intruder ran at full speed down the gloomy corridor.

“Gah?!”

And letting out a scream, he was impossibly sent flying the way he came. His neck arched back as if his head were a ping-pong ball. It was like he’d run headfirst into an invisible wall. This was enough to send him reeling off-balance and falling on his rear.

“Wh-What?”

The impact had had enough force to break a human’s neck, but the man stood back up immediately. However, the blow had removed his hood. Beneath, his face was hidden by a mask. It had many feathers decorating it that stretched to the back of his head.

Because of the collision, cracks ran all over his mask. The intruder held it in place as someone appeared before him. It was a slender old man with a perfectly straight back. The intruder’s eyes shot open.

“Archbishop Gerd Kruger...”

“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to pass,” Gerd said quietly. “May I ask you to withdraw, Dragon Jinguuji Tomoya?”

The masked intruder froze. Coincidentally, his mask chose this moment to crumble to pieces, revealing a boy with cold eyes.

◆ ◆ ◆

With no more need to hide his identity, Jinguuji Tomoya took off his mask. Watching him, Gerd let out a huge sigh. It was a truly sorrowful gesture, one sad enough to make anyone feel guilty over their sins even if they’d done no evil.

“Please stop this, Mister Jinguuji. I believe we’ve built a good relationship with you. Why are you resorting to such violence?”

The Holy Church and the Dragon were secret collaborators. In exchange for his helping the church, they’d promised to give him a way to return to his world. The attack on Draconia had been part of this deal, as was helping in the battle against Majima Takahiro. And yet, here he was cutting down every knight he came across. It didn’t look like anything more than a wild rampage.

“I don’t know what happened, but please calm down,” Gerd pleaded. His tone was calm and devoted, befitting a clergyman. “There’s no reason for you to oppose us.”

“Cut the shameless bullshit.” However, his pleas fell on deaf ears. Gerd’s white eyebrows furrowed as Jinguuji Tomoya spat back at him. The usually affable boy’s voice was far rougher now. “A good relationship? Don’t you mean a convenient one? I was supposed to be paid with a way back to my world for helping you out, but you have no intention of giving me anything of the like, do you now? I’m just a fucked-up kid who believed in a convenient dream after being driven to the end of his rope—a pawn. That’s what you think of me.”

“You’re...”

Gerd held his tongue. Jinguuji Tomoya was right. Visitors had no way of returning to their world. That was common sense here. Even the Holy Church, who knew everything that happened behind the curtains, didn’t know of a way.

Jinguuji Tomoya was obsessed with the idea of getting all surviving visitors back home. At this point, his obsession could only harm the world. If manipulated well, he could be of use in Majima Takahiro’s assassination. That was the cruel plan that had been put into action.

“How unfortunate for you. I’ve got a plan of my own,” Jinguuji Tomoya said, his lips curving into a sneer at this thought. “You’re gonna let me through. The Dimensional Cornerstones are this way, yeah?”

“Wha?!” Gerd’s eyes shot open. In all sorts of ways, this was an impossible question. “How do you know that...?”

Jinguuji Tomoya was right. The Dimensional Cornerstone Harrison was using was but one of the many the Holy Church had gathered. There were others under strict watch. This corridor led to their storage vault. That was why Gerd had believed that Jinguuji Tomoya had become emotionally unstable and had reached this place by coincidence while going on a rampage. But that wasn’t the case.

“Judging by your reaction, they’re really here,” he said, his smile like that of a snarling fanged dragon as he watched the old bishop’s face twist in shock. “I doubted that guy big-time, but looks like the asshole was right. I get it. The reason you had me attack Draconia was that you wanted to recover the Dimensional Cornerstone that was taken out of the capital a long time ago, yeah? You said something like, ‘I’d like you to retrieve the magic tool responsible for the Mist Barrier.’ Well, that plan ended up failing...”

With that, Jinguuji Tomoya pulled something out of his bag and held it out ostentatiously. It was a jewel—the Dimensional Cornerstone responsible for the Mist Barrier.

“Aah, my bad. I mean I pretended it failed.”

“So you really retrieved it?” Gerd said, trying to keep his shock hidden, but his mind was shaken.

Jinguuji Tomoya had been informed by someone about the Dimensional Cornerstones. Judging by his doubts about the information, he didn’t have a good relationship with whoever that was, though. In any case, Gerd’s reaction had now given him conviction.

It was careless of the archbishop to have let it slip, but he immediately reevaluated the situation. Regardless of his suspicions, Jinguuji Tomoya would’ve come here to confirm it for himself. What Gerd had to focus on now was Jinguuji Tomoya’s goal; the one that had driven him to such lengths.

“Did you come here because you’re after the Dimensional Cornerstones...?”

Gerd had several questions. Did Jinguuji Tomoya know that the Dimensional Cornerstones were tools to maintain and manage the world? If he did, why was he trying to access them? Also, who could possibly have told him about the vault, which nearly nobody knew about?

If someone who knew had let it slip, then that was fine in its own way. But if an outsider had told him...it was extremely bad. This suggested a certain possibility that only Gerd was capable of recognizing. If that really was the case, he had to deal with it immediately. To that end, he had to remove the threat right before his eyes.

“Do you really think I’ll let you through?”

His voice echoed down the corridor, filled with so much rage it could freeze one’s spine. All emotion vanished from Gerd’s face. He wasn’t the clergyman who guided the people to salvation anymore. He was the world’s guardian who would commit any atrocity necessary to protect it.

In the next instant, mana that rivaled that of any knight swelled within his withered body. Facing him, Jinguuji Tomoya’s eyes widened slightly.

“This is...a wall?”

A practically invisible wall appeared in the corridor to block his way. This was what had brought Jinguuji Tomoya’s full-speed charge to a halt.

“It’s called the Barrier of Devotion,” Gerd said from the other side. “Even a great savior’s attack cannot pierce it.”

“So you’re of blessed blood too, huh? I thought you were a total civvy.”

Jinguuji Tomoya drew his sword and struck immediately. He put all of his supernatural strength behind it. A terrifying crash resounded down the corridor.

“Tch.”

However, the transparent wall didn’t budge. It didn’t even have a scratch on it. It was actually the sword that had bent from the unreasonable force.

“I told you, you can’t break through,” Gerd said calmly. “It’s just as you say, I’m no combatant. All I’m capable of is creating a wall. That in itself is more than enough, though.”

Gerd Kruger sat at the summit of the Holy Church as an archbishop. However, he saw his true nature as something else entirely. He was a living defense mechanism to protect the root of the world, which had to remain untouched. His inherent ability, the Barrier of Devotion, and all those who wielded it, existed for this purpose. Gerd’s family line had started not too long after the first savior’s arrival and had protected the world like this ever since.

To protect the world, he would resort to inhuman acts. If necessary, he would pull a knight who was filled with hopes and ideals into the darkness. He knew with all certainty that he wasn’t going to go to the same place as saviors in death. As an archbishop, as one of the most devout people in the world, Gerd believed this with all his heart.

In other words, his life was like that of a slave. Nevertheless, he’d decided to protect the world by his own will.

“You won’t pass,” he said with determination.

He had no idea why Jinguuji Tomoya was trying to reach the Dimensional Cornerstones, but that didn’t change what needed to be done. He had to protect this place. He absolutely couldn’t let an intruder through.

Gerd had a grasp of Harrison’s current situation through a magic tool. He’d confirmed that the knight had met unexpected resistance in the plan to use a Dimensional Cornerstone to attack Majima Takahiro. Gerd couldn’t expect reinforcements anytime soon. With this in mind, he was ready to endure until Jinguuji Tomoya gave up and backed down.

The old man stood there unmoving. He was like a manifestation of the will to protect the world. What did the boy in front of him see in this?

“I get it...” A deep sigh shook the air in the corridor. “It looks like I won’t be able to get through here.”

Staring at the old man and the barrier blocking his way, he admitted his predicament. Did that mean he’d given up? No. That was impossible.

“Oh well. Time to get serious.”

Jinguuji Tomoya casually threw aside his bent sword. There was no time to parse his ominous tone. A dreadful amount of mana surged from the boy’s body.

“I’ll destroy the Dimensional Cornerstones. Then, I’ll return to my world.”

“Wha...?!”

Gerd’s eyes widened at the unbelievable statement. If the Dimensional Cornerstones were destroyed, the world would collapse. That was one thing that could never be allowed. Gerd also couldn’t understand how that led to returning to Jinguuji Tomoya’s world. Destroying the Cornerstones wouldn’t allow him to go home, after all. Nevertheless, Jinguuji Tomoya was serious.

“I don’t got time to keep up appearances. I can’t afford to stop here.”

He spread his mana-made dragon wings behind him. The ferocious blow with his sword had been nothing but child’s play. The inherent ability within him was his true power.

“Don’t regret it.”

“Wai—”

Gerd screamed upon realizing what the boy was about to do, but it was too late. Jinguuji Tomoya’s mouth opened wide and let loose the destructive breath of a dragon—a torrent of pure mana. The torrent collided with the Barrier of Devotion, and as the boy turned his head, the tremendous power slammed against the underground corridor’s wall and finally broke through.