Chapter 999 – Resolution

000

The song of the bard, unknown whether it is a man or a woman, continues.

I should say that the content was familiar to Cleon as well. Like the lyrics from earlier, it gave a strong feeling as if the lyrics were about things Cleon had experienced so far.

The only person who can realize that is Cleon, who is present here.

Because neither Noctis, Herti, nor Zita knew everything about Cleon.

That’s about the three people who are close to Cleon, but other than them, the public around-

So, for the citizens of Asteris, who had nothing to do with Cleon, the bard’s song was simply a song conveyed through a cheerful melody and beautiful voice, although the meaning was unknown.

At the end of each song, applause and coins are thrown, and the bard will bow his head and move on to the next song.

For some reason, when you stop and listen to the bard’s song to the point where you forget the time – before you know it, he was singing this song.

＂And they took the form of a girl, walked from underground to the surface, and tried to live among humans…♪＂

No matter where or how you hear it, it’s a story related to adamantite and Zita.

The only ones who know that fact are himself, Cleon’s group, and a few related people.

He was seeing this person for the first time today, and if something unknown came out of his mouth, Cleon would have started to feel somewhat uneasy about him.

“Herti, did you feel it too?”

When Cleon asks that question, Herti answers by nodding his head.

“… Yes, I guess you are not an ordinary bard.”

“Okay. “I need to find out what it is.”

Saying that to Herti, Cleon tried to move forward through the crowd.

＂Teacher?＂

At that time, Zita’s voice calls out to Cleon.

Did you have doubts when you saw him suddenly trying to act alone?

＂Zita. Didn’t you feel something about him too?”

Strangely enough, the people around him stood still and opened their wallets as if they were fascinated by his singing.

Maybe because she is an adamantite, she has different emotions than humans…?

When Cleon questioned her with such hope, Zita closed her mouth and seemed to think a little.

＂… Now that I think about it!＂

＂!＂

Zita raises her voice as if there is something

Cleon also opened his eyes wide and looked at her, waiting for her next words.

“That person sings really well!”

It was my fault for believing!

When Cleon turned his head after swallowing those words, the bard was no longer there.

People were still standing there, as if soaked in the lingering emotions, and had not dispersed the crowd, so it was late to notice.

And Cleon, who saw the hat the bard was wearing moving beyond the crowd, urgently spoke to Zita.

＂Going away…! Sorry! Zita, let’s talk again!”

Like that, Cleon will free Zita’s hand and chase after her, clearing the crowd.

Zita, who was looking at Cleon, waved his hand to see him off and then turned to Herty.

“The teacher is gone!”

“Yes, but I’ll be back soon. But… Something is strange.”

As Herty spoke, she looked at the crowd in front of them who had no intention of scattering.

Even though they are residents of Asteris who specialize in gathering together due to the activities of charlatans, they tend to disperse just as quickly.

Those who come out to see the sights while going about their daily lives have to make a living.

However, when Herti feels suspicious of the crowd that does not disappear even after almost a minute after the performance ends, Noctis suddenly speaks as if he has noticed something.

“… Something is strange. I think people’s eyes are somehow empty. Did something happen to the bard a little while ago…?”

Her intuition as a reporter for Noctis, and her instinct as an informant, which could be said to be her main job, were sounding the alarm.

“Miss Noctis seems to be okay. Zita, what about you?”

＂Nothing!＂

As expected, the only ones that are okay are myself, them, and Cleon.

Herti tried to come to her senses by grabbing the person nearby by the shoulder and shaking it.

＂…＂

They were standing there as if their souls had escaped, unable to come to their senses despite Herti’s interference.

＂Have I have been under magic? It might be a good idea to bring Selena or Lila with you…”

Herti said that with a serious expression, and she decided to leave it to Cleon to deal with the bard, who she assumed was the culprit who did this, and she herself first took her steps to return to the merchant’s mansion. It was the moment that turned around.

“It’s okay! I can solve it!”

Said Zita, suddenly speaking in her own confident voice.

＂Zita?＂

With Zita’s words like that, both Herti and Noctis must be wondering what kind of solution she has.

“Yes! That person’s performance just touched one’s soul! However, ordinary people do not have many opportunities for someone to touch their souls directly, so they are shocked and become frozen!”

As Zita said that, she parted the crowd and walked to where the bard was standing a moment ago.

Then she closed her eyes and said, ‘There’s no need to do that,’ and took a deep breath.

After a while.

＂~~~♪＂

A singing voice flowed from her mouth.

The singing voice did not have lyrics clearly composed of human language.

If something called language exists among adamantites, it could be said that sound was forcibly given to it.

It resembled the instrument she played in her basement earlier to block the mass-produced adamantite golems around her, as well as her voice that flowed from her.

And, the power of that song will soon be revealed.

＂Huh…? “Who was the bard who was here just now?”

＂Was it that kind of girl who was singing earlier?＂

They quickly came to their senses and focused on Zita who was singing in front of them.

That’s right, just by looking at her appearance, Zita is such a beautiful girl that several descriptions can be attached to her, and her voice also feels like the beautiful tone of an instrument rather than a human being.

It was inevitable that people would focus their attention on her even after she came to her senses.

And, as an adamantite, she is more sensitive to her magic than humans, and can even interfere with the souls of others through her magic.

Through this, Zita succeeded in restoring the soul that had been paralyzed by the bard to its original state.

This place, which had been the bard’s performance venue just moments ago, had suddenly become hers.

When I look at her singing her song and shaking her body little by little without realizing it, intoxicated with her excitement, I feel the same shock as when I first saw her ‘canon’ in real life in her Hertie’s head.

The shock was the light and exciting shock that occurs when you bounce an abacus.

“Oh, I’m glad it seems to have been resolved somehow, Herti…”

Even though Noctis saw that the people had returned to their normal state, he did not forget to take a note to turn this incident into an article and spoke to Herti.

Herti was already concentrating on the calculations in her head, so she didn’t answer Noctis’ call and didn’t say anything for a while.

＂… Herti?＂

When Noctis called her again for the second time.

“Yes? Ah, ah… I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Because she could barely come to her senses and answer.

“No… I’m glad it seems to have returned to normal… Come to think of it, Cleon, did you catch that bard?”

Noctis shook his head at Herti’s lukewarm response, and instead changed the topic and asked about Cleon, who went after the bard who had literally taken people’s souls, just like before.

Then Herti will nod his head and answer.

“I think you’ll be okay, Cleon. You know his strength because you’ve seen it, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true, but. Since I didn’t know what kind of person the other person was, I was just a little worried…”

While Noctis responded to Herti’s reaction, he looked in the direction where Cleon had disappeared.

A bard who sings a song that can interfere with a person’s soul.

Well, they say that when art reaches the highest level, it can even touch the soul…

Why did such a bard suddenly appear in Asteris?

Even though I felt something was not clear, I had no choice but to wait here for Cleon’s return.

001

Cleon, chasing the bard, ended up in a narrow, dark alley that could be found anywhere else in Asteris.

At the end of the wall, the bard stopped and stood leisurely.

As if he wanted Cleon to follow him.

“I guess you have something to talk about with me.”

When Cleon also understands the intention and says so, the bard raises the corners of his mouth and turns to look at Cleon.

As the white hair beneath the robe swayed, he looked at Cleon, engulfed in the shadowy darkness of the alley, and only the strangely shining golden eyes inside felt even more special.

“Yes, if possible, in a place where no one else can hear, just the two of us.”

And, just like when he sang, the voice that came out of his mouth was a voice that could be heard by both men and women.

“… I’ve seen someone similar to you before.”

Cleon said this while recalling the first time he met a song in his head.

In fact, the atmosphere I felt from the bard in front of me felt similar to Gray.

Of course, he had a more mature look than Gray and had an expression that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

“So? Who are you? “Why do we know things that only we can know?”

In response to Cleon’s question, the bard lightly places her hand on her chin and then nods her head.

“You seem to be the type of person who wants answers right away.”

＂… What?＂

Cleon frowned and asked back at the remark that seemed to treat someone like a fool.

“There is an order to everything, Cleon. It’s no fun if you just accept everything as it’s given to you. Wouldn’t it be okay to think for yourself a little bit?”

… No, this is definitely treating us like fools.

Cleon, who was so confident, frowned even more and put one of his hands in a position where he could draw his sword at any time.

“As you said. I’m the type of person who wants answers right away. Even if you say that, when the answer is right in front of you, it’s not leisurely enough to deliberately choose the right option.”

When the atmosphere between the two became tense, the bard muttered without lowering his hand from her chin.

＂I’m not free… I guess.＂

＂…?＂

Cleon tilted his head at those words that seemed to convey something.

“It’s just as you said. We are not free. I like to save as much time as possible. I can’t help but agree with that.”

“Then, can I understand that I can hear the answer?”

When Cleon asked that question-

The bard replied with a chuckle, raising the corners of his mouth and giving a smile that made people angry.

“But that is that and this is this. If you wait for others to give to you, then you are a human being who has become the obedient slave that Adam wanted.”

＂Adam… As expected, I knew.＂

“Ah. Of course.”

From the atmosphere I felt from him, I thought he was related not only to Cleon, but also to Adam, the being that Cleon is ultimately opposed to.

He nodded his head as if what Cleon said was correct.

And then I’ll say more.

＂Is it better to say that I am his family? Or would it be better to call it a creature? Because that’s what it is.”

＂… What?＂

Cleon felt as if he had been hit on the head for a moment by his words.

It took some time to understand what he was saying.

Adam is a machine.

To be exact, a machine that can artificially produce humans for the preservation of humanity created by Tris Megistos and an artificial personality placed within it.

That is the identity of Adam.

The human race of the succession era that he resurrected, and all of its descendants, can be said to be Adam’s creatures.

Except for the clan of dark demons created by Eve.

However, no matter how you think about it, the words the bard in front of you spoke did not mean creatures in that sense.

In other words – a tone of speech that seems to directly say that it was created by ‘Adam’.

But then, it means that he is a human being who has been alive since the beginning of the era of succession.

“It seems like you have slowly unraveled the thread in your head and learned something about me.”

＂Humans created by Adam himself…＂

Even as Cleon said that, he had no choice but to put strength into the hand he held the sword.

If he is…

Because he would be the one who can feel Adam’s will most strongly.

Cleon, ready to engage in battle with him at any time, waited for his reaction.

Then the bard said ‘huhu’ and smiled suspiciously-

Immediately, in front of Cleon, he said, ‘Fuck!’ And took off the robe he was wearing and threw it away.

＂What…!?＂

Cleon thought it was blocking his vision before attacking, so he immediately pulled out Galatea and swung it horizontally.

Then, the robe that had flown in the sky was cut off and scattered, and the figure of the bard who had taken off his robe could be seen beyond it.

What was there was something a little different from what Cleon had thought.

Kklik, kklik.

The sound of gear wheels moving busily.

And, what fixed the creaky joints was a fastener made of screws and bolts.

＂The body of the machine?＂

＂That’s correct. This is all because they cut off their own bodies and reattached them to escape from Adam.”

As the bard spoke, she extended her hand to shake Cleon’s hand.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you this time, Demon Swordsman Cleon. A clan of reincarnated black devils.”

Seeing his somewhat friendly attitude, Cleon suddenly grabbed his hand.

“My name is ‘Seth’. One of Adam’s first descendants, and the (recorder) of eons who betrayed him.”

Cleon twitched and furrowed his eyebrows at the coldness of his fingers, but he couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the self-introduction.

“This is my first time meeting you, but I have one favor to ask.”

＂… What is it?＂

Cleon, feeling uneasy about something, asks, and the bard answers.

“Won’t you get naked? Because there is something I want to check and investigate.”

＂…＂

Silence. If it’s natural, then it’s natural.

＂Ha?＂