Chapter 97

(Zen’s Point of View)

He was gazing at the golden flowers growing by the roadside, as he walked along a path he had by now become accustomed to. Had he taken the carriage he usually used for his work, this trip would have only taken him a dozen minutes. But it was only after walking for more than an hour that his destination finally came into view.

Before him stretched the scenery of an ordinary town, dotted with commoner houses (minka houses). One of the houses, completely blending in among them, was a place Zen, the Stokes family’s coachman, frequently visited.

The house’s garden wasn’t wide, but it was meticulously maintained, and a small kitchen garden was tucked into a corner. There, fresh and fruitful red groats, which Zen had known for a long time, grew. It seemed both the garden and its caretaker were still healthy and well.

While pondering these things, Zen sounded the knocker on the entrance door. After a short pause, the door creaked open.

【”Yes, who’s there?”】

【”Good day, madam.”】

【”Oh, Zen-kun. Please come in.”】

The person who greeted Zen was a woman between 60 and 70. As she made way for him, Zen headed towards the living room, where a grey-haired old man, rooted to his chair, awaited him.

That man was Zen’s old coworker, Norman, who had retired a few years prior.

【”Hey there, Norman-san.”】

Zen smiled, greeting him in a deliberately familiar way. Norman returned the smile, acknowledging the greeting.

【”Hello. I’m glad to see you look well.”】

【”Same to you. Oh, here, I have a present.”】

The present was a wooden-knit basket. Inside were various breads baked at Zen’s home.

【”Thank you, as always. Come, have a seat.”】

As Norman urged him, Zen sat down, facing him directly.

Despite his old age, Norman was free from major illness; his days were peaceful after retirement. Yet, something had been weighing on his mind for a long time. Zen understood this feeling well, and so, from time to time, he would visit Norman, sharing the occasional reports he received from Harold.

Five years had already passed since Harold had left the Stokes family to join the royal saint knight order. During that time, Zen and Jake had regularly exchanged sealed letters, keeping Harold informed of the household’s recent status. Although Harold had resigned from the saint knight order, he remained in the royal capital, and the letter exchange continued.

These letters were sent once every two or three months, and Harold replied about one out of three times.

【”So, what’s the news this time?”】

【”We haven’t received any specific instructions. Just that, as expected, the household’s situation has been worrying him lately.”】

Harold had been speaking of this for eight years. Back then, he had confidently stated that the Stokes family would eventually decline. To delay that decline, he had invented a new farming method, LP farming, expanding it into a large-scale project and winning over the household of his former fiancée.

With the Sumeragi family’s assistance, the Stokes territory somehow recovered financially, but popular support remained low. Locals were clearly leaving town. And although the household was temporarily receiving more tax revenue thanks to LP farming, the farming production of each zone was limited by current conditions, so the household was likely clinging to the brink.

From the beginning, Harold had been thinking of “delaying” the Stokes family’s decline, not “stopping” it, so he probably already anticipated the current situation.

【”Is that so? In the end, it seems there isn’t much we can do to help Harold-sama.”】

Norman seemed saddened, casting his eyes down. Zen felt a pang of sympathy.

From childhood, Harold had been exceptional. Strict yet kind in his words, extremely resourceful, and strong in both mind and body. Above all, he possessed a diligent nature that wouldn’t let him neglect his efforts.

He could manage most things on his own. And though Zen was proud to work for him, he was also frustrated at his own inability to be of help.

【”You’re right, and he’s also showing concern about Huey-sama. Although they have different mothers, his younger brother is truly adorable.”】

【”To begin with, Harold doesn’t care about his position or influence. He probably isn’t interested in fighting for succession.”】

【”Heh, he just wants to cherish his brother, doesn’t he? He even sent Huey some clothes and toys last time.”】

Furthermore, Harold had actually sent two boxes full of gifts. Unable to easily meet his brother in person due to his circumstances, he had sent a mountain of presents for his birthday celebration.

Perhaps it was hard to imagine such an action coming from Harold, who was usually cold and seemed to want to keep people at a distance, but Norman and Zen weren’t surprised. When Harold received news of Norman’s retirement in one of his letters, he sent an expensive piece of pottery as a memento. When he learned of Zen’s marriage, he sent a substantial sum of money as a congratulatory gift.

Along with it, he had included a simple message: 【”You’re probably going to need that, one way or another.”】.

Naturally, Zen had hesitated about accepting such a generous gift, but considering Harold’s personality, it was easy to guess he wouldn’t let Zen argue. So Zen kept the money, saying he was saving it for an emergency.

After all, that was the kind of person Harold was. He seemed cold-hearted, yet full of kindness.

However, because he himself was reluctant to show that side, many around him feared him.

While pondering what to do, Zen reached for a cup on the table in front of him. He lifted it to his lips, but mid-action, the cup suddenly lost its weight.

It fell with a clatter, the coffee inside spilling onto the table.

【”Aah! I-I’m sorry….”】

【”Are you alright?”】

【”Yes, but the cup is…”】

Zen had broken the cup. This cup was Harold’s retirement gift for Norman.

A lump formed in Zen’s throat as he apologized, knowing how important this gift was to Norman.

【”Don’t worry about it. Everything breaks eventually, it’s just a matter of when… Still, it broke very cleanly.”】

【”Huh?”】

Only then did Zen realize. He thought the cup had slipped from his hand, but he was still holding the handle.

Then, why had the cup fallen? Zen noticed a clean cross-section where the handle had separated from the cup, as if someone had severed it.

As Norman had said, everything would eventually break; that was inevitable.

However, although Norman had used the cup for several years, would it really break in such a peculiar way due to deterioration? For some reason, this felt like a bad omen.

【”….Is Harold-sama safe right now?”】

Norman muttered the question softly, wiping the table with a cloth. But Zen had no answer.

◇

(Harold’s Point of View)

Why did things turn out like this? Harold couldn’t count the times he’d asked himself that. He’d been asking himself the same question since that day eight years ago, when fate or some higher power had thrust him into taking over Harold Stokes’ body.

But that was in the past. Now, he was concerned with his current circumstances.

Because while Harold was exceptionally skilled in combat, the person inhabiting his body, Kazuki Hirasawa, was an ordinary person. So far, he’d been taking advantage of the cheat knowledge from the game’s story, but the truth was, he was just an ordinary man.

That didn’t mean he was exceptionally smart or a brilliant tactician. Without the knowledge of the original story, Harold wouldn’t have been able to get others to assist him or outwit Justus.

This awareness made Harold obsessive about maintaining a path that allowed him to use his game knowledge. He believed it was the best way for an ordinary man like him to survive.

However, even though this reality resembled the game, it was different because this world and its people were real. So it wasn’t surprising that things didn’t go as Harold expected. And as this kept happening, Harold finally decided to abandon trying to maintain the flow of the original story.

He believed this decision would likely lead to the safest and closest possible outcome to the original story’s conclusion.

He still didn’t know if that was the right choice.

But currently, the elements Harold had been anxious about had all strikingly materialized.

As if caught in a tempest, his skin was grazed by a windstorm created by a sword’s slash. The sword strike was so absurdly powerful that Harold wondered if the wind accompanying it would tear him apart.

Barely dodging the attack, he distanced himself from the opponent standing before him. “I didn’t expect any less from him.” Perhaps a casual remark, but Harold couldn’t help but think that way.

【”Looks like the title of the knight order’s leader isn’t just for show, huh, Vincent.”】

Vincent Van Westervoort. As the young leader of the royal saint knight order, he was a heroic figure in the public eye. But in 『Brave Hearts』, he was a so-called boss character, blocking the hero’s party’s path during the final stage of the story.

And now, he and Harold were clashing swords.

Harold hadn’t expected to fight Vincent at this point. In the first place, he hadn’t expected to be fighting Vincent at all.

So why had he fallen into this predicament? The reason was simple.

【”Harold Stokes… Enemy… top priority elimination target….”】

Vincent had an unsettling look in his eyes, repeating the same words as if in delirium. He was clearly not in his right mind.

This meant Justus truly wanted to kill Harold now.

After separating from Liner and the others in the Sumeragi territory, Harold had returned to Harrison’s place on foot. He was then informed of the location of the last remaining treasure and headed there. Of course, without Justus’ permission.

There were already six treasures in Harrison’s possession, but in reality, they were in Justus’ hands. Harold, however, didn’t feel like following the original story’s flow anymore. He was ready to fight to the bitter end in the few months remaining. So he figured snatching the treasure would delay Justus’ plan.

However, that was just an ordinary man’s idea, and it seemed Justus had anticipated it. Waiting for Harold in the ruins was a Vincent who had lost his sanity.

【”Hey, you! Why the hell are you attacking me?”】

【”Harold is the top priority elimination target….”】

With a strange light in his eyes, Vincent repeated the same words. Harold had tried to reason with him, but to no avail.

It was likely Vincent had been brainwashed. Like the two people from the stellar tribe, he had lost his free will, but perhaps the brainwashing was incomplete, as he could still speak.

Therefore, Harold tried to resolve this through dialogue, but he had little hope.

Taking a powerful step that shook the ground, Vincent drew his large sword and attacked with a wide slash. Harold dodged, moving towards Vincent’s vulnerable back. He wouldn’t stand a chance attacking head-on given Vincent’s high attack power. So Harold countered with his strength, his speed.

However, Vincent stopped the attack from behind with his left-hand gauntlet. The attack carried Harold’s speed and strength, yet Vincent stopped it with a single arm. It felt like slashing against a wall.

Furthermore, Vincent was using only his right hand to wield a large sword that seemed impossible for a normal person to lift. His offense was sharper and faster than the average knight’s, but instead of slashes, he used crushing blows.

In the game, a character would only lose some HP from these attacks, but in this world, a single blow could be fatal. Although Harold considered using his R-Guard, he feared the strike might ignore his defense, so he abandoned the idea and continued dodging.

Despite his heavy equipment and weapon, Vincent’s speed didn’t seem threatening, but he compensated with outstanding durability and attack power. But the most troublesome aspect was that, in the brief moment between Vincent’s sword swing and blocking Harold’s attack with his gauntlet, his speed became astonishing. This was another difference from the game, and it made sense.

Because even though Vincent had high attack power and demonic durability despite his current madness, that alone wouldn’t have been enough for him to reach the leader’s rank. In reality, he earned it because he had few exploitable openings.

Harold now faced two choices.

The first was to abandon the treasure and escape. With Vincent as his opponent, getting away wouldn’t be difficult.

However, if Harold did that, all the treasures would fall into Justus’ possession. Although in a sense, things were following the game’s path, Harold couldn’t shake the suspicion that the original story’s events might happen sooner. If that were to happen, perhaps Liner and the others wouldn’t be ready in time for the final event.

The second choice was to defeat Vincent here.

Originally, Vincent was supposed to be manipulated by Justus to fight Liner and the others in the final stage of the story, but in this world, that was likely not the case. In the game, Vincent was persuaded to work for Justus after the Beltis forest battle, his best friend Cody leaving the order, and the order losing authority following the massive slaughter of the stellar tribe. The accumulated mental strain weakened Vincent, and Justus took advantage of it.

However, since Harold’s actions had prevented all of this, he thought Justus wouldn’t be able to manipulate Vincent. And that was indeed the case.

Therefore, Justus had resorted to a more drastic measure: brainwashing. But not to kill the Hero, Liner, but to kill the villain, Harold.

【”You bastard….”】

If Harold retreated, Vincent, in his brainwashed state, would join Justus as a subordinate. He would become Justus’ trump card, his joker. And Justus’ plan would undoubtedly accelerate.

Harold wouldn’t have the foresight to predict such a complete deviation from the original story. No matter what he did, Harold would likely fall behind, unable to stop Justus.

So he had no choice but to defeat Vincent here. However, viewed another way, it was a golden opportunity to reduce Justus’ war potential.

Therefore, Harold resolved himself.

【”…… Vincent Van Westervoort. This place will be your grave.”】

This was a battle against an opponent Harold wasn’t sure he could defeat. And if he lost, he would likely die.

In reality, he didn’t want to use “it” until the very end, but if he remained so particular, he would likely die without achieving his goal. Right now, the only thing on his mind was defeating Vincent, and he would do everything in his power.

【”Let’s go!”】

Harold shouted, and the jade-green crystal embedded in the sword in his right hand shone with a subtle sparkle.