Who could have conceived of building such a vast castle in this deep valley?
The closer we drew to Veladia Castle, the more my admiration grew.
This castle, which had clearly been abandoned for an immeasurable length of time, was so magnificent that it seemed in no way inferior to any of the Empire's other famous castles.
There was no sign of collapse or damage anywhere, and even the weeds and vines that hinted at the passage of time blended in as if they had been deliberately arranged.
"That appears to be the castle gate over there."
We found the gate without any trouble. After all, the castle was planted squarely in the center of the valley, leaving no other path.
However, there was one problem.
"That... is a drawbridge."
As we approached, it became clear. The raised drawbridge.
Naturally, we could not leap over it; the bridge had to be lowered from the opposite side for us to cross from here.
But who in this empty castle could lower that bridge?
"It's not connected by chains... how is it staying up like that?"
Xenon was right. No matter how I looked, I could not see any chains to lower or raise the drawbridge.
That meant it must operate by some other method...
Of course, Xenon could use magic to easily get one or two people across, but we didn't know how to operate it in the first place, nor could we be sure it would even work.
I decided to first look around the area.
"Is this a moat?"
The area around the castle walls was deeply excavated. Looking down, I could see water filling the bottom.
From above, it looked shallow, but who knew how deep it might be if one actually went down.
Naturally, there was no boat around either.
"By any chance, is there a knight who can lower that drawbridge?"
Perhaps one of the Dullahans knew something about it?
With that hope, I looked at the Dullahans, and they all fell into thought for a moment.
While they were pondering, the baby Lizardman set Ganik down and suddenly, wagging its tail, leapt into the moat.
*Splash!*
Along with a spray of water, the baby Lizardman's body sank heavily downward.
[Oh dear, that little one! Who knows what might be in that water!]
Ganik, left alone on the ground, exclaimed in alarm and began crawling toward the moat.
[He just can't control himself when he sees water...]
Ganik, stretching his neck out, peered down into the moat. He looked both worried and fond.
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anything else in the moat.
I glanced at the baby Lizardman splashing and playing, then was about to turn my attention back to the drawbridge when Samuel suddenly spoke.
"It was a knight of the Round Table who raised this drawbridge."
"What?"
"If you free him, the path to the castle gate will open."
Samuel's gaze settled somewhere. Following his line of sight, I froze.
[Th-the one who defended the gate was...]
Mori, who had been quiet, stammered as he spoke.
[It was Ganik.]
The Dullahans' gazes also turned toward Ganik. Hearing our conversation, Ganik, startled by the sudden attention, widened his eyes in surprise, then slowly looked around.
[Ah...]
It seemed that, being so preoccupied with the baby Lizardman, he hadn't yet realized what place this was.
After slowly surveying his surroundings, he transformed into his true form with a plume of black smoke.
[Kyuaaap!]
Seeing Ganik transformed into his true form, the baby Lizardman let out a loud cry and waved its hands.
Now, it seemed the little one was neither scared nor unfamiliar with whatever form Ganik took.
In fact, it even sent him a bright, sparkling look as if to say, "Let's play!"
[Ganik.]
Ganik, who had been watching the baby Lizardman, reacted to Soana's call.
Having transformed, he had his own head from the start, as if it had always been that way.
[Ganik's head...]
At Bark's muttering, Ganik touched his own face. The middle-aged man with a rough beard wore a bewildered expression.
Wrinkles revealed his mature age, and his firm lips and thick eyebrows conveyed his upright character.
For a long while, Ganik stroked his head with a look of disbelief. Only then did he seem to finally grasp the situation, making a strange expression.
"I..."
Ganik, his lips moving slightly, stared blankly at me.
Then, what he turned to look at was neither the traitor Samuel nor his fellow knights.
[Kyaaaab!]
It was the baby Lizardman, innocently splashing in the water.
Ganik gazed at the baby Lizardman with an inscrutable look, then raised his head to look up at the towering drawbridge.
A faint emotion flickered in his eyes. His tightly closed lips slowly moved.
"My son's remains were in the castle's ossuary."
Upon hearing those words, a memory suddenly flashed in my mind, as if a light had been switched on. A memory from my past life.
"My son was very weak..."
The power of death did not always only end lives. Very rarely, it was also possible to reclaim an unnecessary death.
While it couldn't strengthen inherently weak vitality, it could push back the looming shadow of death, if only a little.
"But thanks to you, Captain, I remember he lived his short life with smiles. Yes, I remember. I have regained my head..."
Ganik smiled faintly, reminiscing. Then he turned fully toward me.
"The eighth knight, Ganik, who repaid your grace with loyalty, greets you."
As if showing the time he had waited, his black armor was faded and scarred.
"I closed the gate and raised the drawbridge to protect you."
Ganik slowly approached. One of his hands had already found the hilt of his sword.
The pitch-black sword slid smoothly from its scabbard.
"And then I, I confronted that traitor here."
Samuel, at the tip of the sword, showed no surprise.
"You cannot cross this bridge."
"You said that back then as well. But you were defeated."
"Sir Samuel!"
I urgently called out to Samuel, who was provoking Ganik without the slightest hesitation.
With an expression whose thoughts were utterly unknowable, Samuel was looking at Ganik.
"Will you forsake your rest because of that little monster?"
"How shameless, traitor."
"You fear your own rest, Sir."
Samuel spoke as if Ganik did not desire rest.
Ganik's face was angry, but he did not directly deny the words.
We had all witnessed Dasha's end. If Ganik did not wish for death, the rest awaiting him might feel unsettling.
He would receive the rest he desired. But whether he would receive it in the form he wished for was unknown.
No one knew what form a rest that was not death would take.
[Ganik, we must complete the final authority.]
Soana, who had been watching the situation, spoke in a firm voice. Minte also called Ganik in a quiet tone.
Even though they had heard Ganik call Samuel a traitor, they all seemed to prioritize the realization of the final authority over that.
Ganik looked at his comrades, then slowly lowered the sword he had been pointing.
"Captain. You must have your reasons for keeping that traitor by your side. No, perhaps everything is the goddess's..."
His muttering faded toward the end.
Ganik stood motionless for a long while, his sword hanging down, then took a deep breath.
After that, he raised his head with resolute eyes.
"Welcome back to Veladia Castle. I am your shield, your steadfast wall, the knight who stands at the forefront against all threats."
Just as when he had drawn it, the sword was smoothly sucked back into its scabbard.
"Now I make a request of you."
Ganik's face was calm, without any trace of lingering attachment or hesitation.
"Grant me the rest I deserve."
* * *
With a rumbling roar, the drawbridge slowly descended.
From somewhere came the sound of gears creaking and turning. Beyond the gradually lowering drawbridge, the portcullis slowly rose.
The drawbridge and gate moving on their own, without anyone's operation, were more wondrous than eerie.
I stared blankly at the sight, then glanced down at the moat. Among the things that had changed after the authority was realized was that moat.
"The water has risen."
[It was originally for defense, to block enemy attacks.]
The one who answered flatly was Soana in her hawk form.
[Veladia Castle is regaining its original appearance.]
As if time, which had stopped, was flowing again.
I smiled bitterly and lowered my gaze.
The baby Lizardman, who had been letting the rising water carry it while laughing gleefully, cut through the current and approached the drawbridge.
Seeing the baby Lizardman, the stream of consciousness naturally shifted to thoughts of Ganik.
Ganik had calmly accepted his rest. And then, he vanished.
'Was that death?'
It was completely different from Dasha. Dasha's earnest feelings had been conveyed to me so vividly that there was no room for confusion.
But Ganik... Ganik, enveloped in the green authority, calmly closed his eyes, and his feet began to blur.
And so he vanished.
[Kyuu?]
The baby Lizardman, having reached right before the drawbridge, suddenly lifted its head.
That baby Lizardman had been swimming, completely unaware, at the moment Ganik vanished. Making a perfectly innocent sound.
[Abua?]
Soana, sighing as she looked at the baby Lizardman glancing around, flew high and entered the castle.
Just then, the drawbridge settled completely, allowing us to cross.
Samuel led the way across the bridge. The baby Lizardman, who had refused to leave Samuel's side when we first rescued him, now paid him no attention at all.
While we all began to cross the bridge, the baby Lizardman swam in circles under the drawbridge, crying loudly. It showed no sign of wanting to follow us.
It just cried noisily.
[Kyu! Abububuu!]
It still wasn't a proper sentence. And now, there was no one to arbitrarily interpret those words.
Yet, that sound kept seeming like proper words to my ears.
I averted my gaze from the baby Lizardman. For some reason, I gritted my teeth, feeling that, like Soana, I would unknowingly sigh.
The firmly closed gate opened, and the drawbridge, which had risen like a raised sword, came down.
The baby Lizardman would be completely unaware of what this meant.
From behind came the shrill cries.
Ganik, Ganik.
[Abua!]
Ganik, it's calling for you.