"Oh? Now that's an interesting proposal. Go on."
"Evol" clearly perked up at Steven's words. The hand he'd raised toward the heavens stilled mid-motion, as if to signal his other self to continue.
"The reason you want to destroy this place… it isn't just about the aning of knighthood, is it? You're not blind. Look at the people before you—the ones collapsed on the ground, and even the knights still struggling to fight. Their actions have already given you the most perfect answer possible. Surely you won't deny that, will you?"
Steven gestured toward the battered figures strewn across the battlefield. The Blood Knight. The Radiant Knight. Even Młynar, who could hardly be called a knight at all. Their deeds—each and every one—proved they were worthy of carrying the title.
And as soone who had fought among them, Steven himself could admit it: he recognized their answer, written in blood and resolve.
Otherwise, why go to such lengths? Why stand here, talking to himself, trying to drag all of Kazimierz into the bargain?
He could just as easily have made up so excuse, dusted off his hands, and walked away. Whatever Kazimierz rotted into afterward—what business was that of his?
But no. Because these true knights existed, he felt the country might still have hope. And so, he chose to say these words.
Those words weren't just for his "Evol" persona. They echoed into the hearts of everyone watching the broadcast. In their veins, in their mories, the glory of knighthood still lingered—and it was being rekindled by these warriors who fought with everything they had. Compared to the so-called "competitive knights," these were the real heroes worthy of admiration.
"…That point, I can't deny," "Evol" admitted at last. "But they are only a minority. This nation, this city… it was already rotten to the core from the very first mont I laid eyes on it. A handful of knights alone cannot change that."
"Evol" shook his head, voicing his harsh judgnt of Kazimierz's current state.
Yes, there were still true knights. But far more common were the ordinary people, numbed and complacent. They had no will to fight, no desire for change—only a hunger to drown themselves in the illusion of prosperity.
Awakened souls like these knights were always the exception.
And then there were the capitalists—the ones who had sold everything they could, then vanished with their buckets in hand. The thought alone was enough to make him sick.
"…From one perspective, you're not wrong," Steven replied, slipping back into his human role. "But the most fascinating thing about humans… is that they can change. Once upon a ti, Kazimierz was a land where everyone yearned for knightly ideals. What they are now is not their true selves—they've rely had their edges worn down."
His monologue continued—half performance, half self-convincing. Because if you judged only by K.G.C.C's deeds, then yes—the Grand Knight Territory was rotten to the marrow.
But even so, Steven wanted to give them one more chance. If this ordeal could beco the spark of change, then perhaps all his theatrics wouldn't have been in vain.
"…So what are you saying, exactly?" "Evol" pressed. "That I should sit back and wait for these hopeless wretches to change?"
A cold laugh rang out. "Evol"'s voice—Steven's voice—dripped with disdain. To believe these people could truly change? He had no such expectations. re words like that were far from enough to convince him.
"I'm simply saying—you could wait. There's no need to be so hasty. After all, they won't abandon a massive mobile city like this. And besides… if you truly intend to act, do you really think they'd willingly cast aside all of Kazimierz?"
Steven's human self remained composed, speaking with the calm poise of a seasoned negotiator. Of course, when you were negotiating with yourself, there was no chance of taking a loss.
"Heh. And why should I wait? Why should I ever place my hopes in this crowd of wretches who disgust ? Give a reason."
With a casual wave of his armored hand, the black hole looming in the sky pressed downward. The imnse suction bled through the heavens, tugging at the earth below. Even the residents felt themselves growing light, as if one misstep, one loosened breath, and they'd be pulled into the abyss above.
That suffocating pressure smothered them until even breathing beca labor.
And only under the weight of this very real threat to their lives… did they finally awaken. In that mont, each of them silently wished they could rush before "Evol", to prove with every fiber of their being their desire to change.
Forget about ideals—if survival ant discarding their dignity as human beings, they'd do it in a heartbeat.
But deep down, they knew. What "Evol" demanded wasn't so twisted humiliation. He simply wanted them to reclaim the dignity they themselves had thrown away long ago.
"Perhaps he cannot give you that reason."
A new voice cut through the crushing tension.
"As the one who holds authority over the Grand Knight Territory of Kazimierz—the Grand Knight of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi—do I have the qualifications to give you that reason?"
A tallic chorus of armor striking stone echoed across the battlefield. The Silverlance Pegasi of the second rank had finally cleared away the iron golems, escorting a golden-haired elderly woman to the center stage. Her arrival broke Steven's one-man performance at last.
And for him, it was a relief.
Finally, Kazimierz's ruling class had been forced to show themselves. And with her appearance, Steven no longer needed to juggle two roles on his own. He had drawn the curtain; now the true actors could step forward.
"Oh? So you didn't send your Silverlance Pegasi to strike down first?" "Evol" smiled beneath the armor, focusing fully on the role of the villain now. "That's disappointing. I had been hoping to test myself against them in battle."
The old woman shook her head.
"I have already gauged your strength. Even if they charged you, it would only an needless deaths. Your power… even across all my years of campaigning, I have never witnessed anything like it."
In truth, had there been even a chance to strike him down, she would not have co here to parley. But the man before her radiated a strength beyond reason. Not even the young Wendigo she had once faced on the Ursus front could compare.
It was almost impossible to fathom that such a monster, a being beyond the human realm, could exist in this world.
"…So then, Grand Knight," "Evol" said, his voice echoing like iron on stone. "What is your reason?"
Steven tilted his head, feigning curiosity as he looked at the old woman before him. In truth, he had already laid the groundwork with his earlier "businessman" persona. Now it was just a matter of whether she could pick up on it and play along.
"My reason is simple," the woman said at last, sighing softly. "Give the Grand Knight Territory three years. In that ti, we will show you a Kazimierz reborn. Not the hollow, ugly facade of prosperity you see now—but sothing that will et your expectations."
It was a promise—though to be honest, it sounded more like an empty check than a solid guarantee.
"Evol", however, only clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
"Hah! The way you say that, it almost sounds like you're swearing fealty to . Otherwise, why should I grant you three whole years? I've no ti to sit around in Kazimierz waiting. Wouldn't it be cleaner—simpler—if I just erased all of this right here and now?"
As he spoke, he raised his armored hand toward the sky once more, as if willing the black hole above to descend further.
"…If you wish, you may take it that way," the old woman answered quietly. "Not fealty—but a vow. A vow from all of Kazimierz, and a vow to ourselves. I will not deny it—the Kazimierz of today is far removed from the nation we once dread of. But that only ans it has strayed from the path. Nothing more."
She t his gaze with a steady resolve.
"What you want—what you've wanted all along—is for Kazimierz to reclaim its lost glory, isn't it? That is my goal as well."
Her eyes, however, carried a hint of sorrow. Everything the Black Hole Knight had said about Kazimierz—its corruption, its lost ideals—she, as Grand Knight of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, understood all too well. But it had been the choice of the people themselves, and she was powerless and could only watch as it unfolded.
Yet now, things were different. The Black Hole Knight actions—dangling a blade over Kazimierz's neck—were a brutal wake-up call. A blow hard enough to shatter the complacent dream the people had been clinging to.
With this, perhaps guiding them back to the old glory was no longer an impossible task.
That was why she had chosen to appear here, only now.
"As Kazimierz's political representative, I, Grand Knight of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, and as its economic representative, you, Sir Steve—the inheritor of the K.G.C.C's shares… if we together offer you this guarantee… will you grant Kazimierz that sliver of ti to change?"
Her eyes turned to Steven's human self, who had been quietly standing aside since her arrival. Her gaze, unflinching and resolute, was filled with a plea directed at the armored figure looming before them.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
sdrive.google/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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