Zeppelin Gold had thought that his time in the Southern Continent was like a dream—so full of happiness. Kind people. Dreamlike natural landscapes. But above all, what made him happiest were the changes happening around him.“Young Master, at this rate you’ll end up as the heir, won’t you?”
Upon hearing of his success in the Southern Continent, many people from the Black Archipelago reached out to him. The prickly sharpshooter from the Red Bank joked that his efforts were finally bearing fruit.
Zeppelin Gold welcomed the compliments of the seniors who once trained him and the peers who had learned alongside him. For the first time, he felt as though he had spread his wings—not as a descendant of the Gold family, but as a man in his own right.
“I always knew you’d make it.”
“You're going big this time, huh? Really big!”
He took joy in the changes he had helped sow. Collapsed buildings were beautifully rebuilt. The once-mischievous children scrawled his name on the new walls. Families who had once slept on the streets now had roofs to keep out the rain. People once broken and despairing found work, and with it, dignity. They no longer starved—they ate well and slept well. And on nights when the weather was nice, they would come outside, clink beer mugs together, and chatter about silly things.
“Zeppelin, you’re our hero too!”
Those who once lived in fear of the Crusaders— Those who had lost everything— Had found happiness and peace again. Tears turned to smiles.
Seeing people dancing and singing under starlit skies filled Zeppelin Gold with deep, genuine joy. The boys who ran up to high-five him playfully. The girls who shyly offered him flowers. The couples who smiled dumbly as they watched it all. The old man who wept at the return of the harbor city Visente’s former beauty. The fact that he had helped bring all this about with his own hands—It had made him so incredibly happy.
“Thank you, mister!”
“Uncle Zeppelin, you're the best!”
He would probably never forget it. Even if he struck a massive deal with the Empire and bathed in gold coins— It wouldn't compare to this joy.
That’s why Zeppelin Gold remembered them all.
“…It seems even you have golden blood in your veins.”
“Well done.”
His indifferent older brothers. His sisters, who rarely showed emotion. Even the elders of the household acknowledged him for the first time. It was the first recognition he had received as the fool of the great Gold family. And though that was a joy that couldn’t be traded for anything.
The thing that truly made Zeppelin Gold happiest was something else:
“Now it’s our turn to shine!”
“We always believed in you, Young Master!”
“Seriously, where else would we find someone like you, Young Master?”
The people who had stood by him when he was still insignificant.
The ones who didn’t leave, even after his repeated failures.
The ones who became his people, not the Golds’.
The fact that he could finally repay them— That alone filled Zeppelin Gold with joy.
“Young Master.”
And.
“I think it’s only natural.”
My Baltimo.
“You’ve always pushed yourself, haven’t you? Always worked so hard for recognition, running everywhere on your own feet. I always knew you'd shine someday, Young Master.”
Since his boyhood, she had watched over him. Even when he had cried shamefully in frustration, she stayed by his side. A sister-like figure who never left, always walking in his shadow.
“You’ve worked so hard, Young Master. Really, you’ve done so well.”
She deserved to be rewarded. Yes, with anything.
“So be happy. My Zeppelin.”
But.
“Ah.”
Eventually, one must wake from a sweet dream.
***
“Zeppelin!”
“Wh-What is this?”
“Stay still!”
Zeppelin Gold opened his eyes. And what he saw—was a world in flames.
The fire devoured everything. The building that bore his name. The smiling faces of the children. The people of Visente who had, just moments ago, been toasting drinks. Their recovered smiles. Their reclaimed happiness. All, consumed.
“The army of the Glorious Land has arrived! The Crusaders brought in the Descendant of Khan! The conquest army of the Great Prairie is here—!”
And the person who had stayed by his side until the very end— Who never left, even at the last moment— Who deserved to be rewarded…
“Ah… Aaaah.”
The smell of alcohol still clung to his lips. The stench of liquor filled his nostrils— But the drunken haze had long since cleared.
Eyes now open, Zeppelin looked ahead. A clang rang out and his body was flung to the ground.
Lifting his head, he saw Arhan locked in battle with a massive man.
“L-Lord…”
“Don’t come any closer! I’ll handle this quickly!”
Zeppelin couldn’t even see the clash of blades. Only the thunderous sounds as steel met steel, and sparks dancing in the dark.
Lying flat, Zeppelin stared blankly at Arhan’s back.
If I’d known it would end like this…He would have learned the Gold’s sword. Even just one simple technique. That regret surged through his mind. And then a voice echoed in his head:
“Young Master, all combined, you’ve said ‘If I’d known this would happen, I’d have learned the Gold’s sword’ more than five hundred times now.”
His fists clenched tightly. The feeling of helplessness gnawed at him.
Still staring at Arhan’s back as he fought in the dark, Zeppelin was overwhelmed by despair.
It was like being cast into the ocean with his limbs cut off.
The weight of it made him choke on his tears.
“Zeppelin, get up!”
Even as he fought the tears, the situation came to an end. Arhan reached out a hand. Zeppelin looked around once more. No one he had known was alive.With a trembling voice, he asked:
“…Has the Glorious Land truly arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Then… it’s really over.”
Zeppelin Gold shut his eyes tightly.
“Lord Zeppelin, do you know about the Glorious Land?”
“…No.”
“I do. I know it very well. The people of the Black Archipelago, who sail across all the seas, have all visited the Eastern Continent at least once.”
“……”
“They’re demons.”
His voice trembled. A maelstrom of emotions.
“Those protected by the order of the Holy Empire have no idea. Those who’ve never seen the hell that lies east, beyond the vast ocean—they don’t understand.”
“……”
“The Southern Continent is… finished.”
Zeppelin stood still.
Then—smack!
Pain bloomed on his cheek. Someone had slapped him. The stinging burn brought him back to his senses. He turned his head—to find Arhan Karavan staring him down.
“Don’t give up.”
“……”
“Nothing is truly over yet.”
***
I didn’t know why Tom, the steward who should’ve been back at Karavan’s territory, was here.
I didn’t know why Hugo Rhapsody, a vanished Swordmaster, had come to help me.
But right now, the reasons didn’t matter.
Survival was the only thing that did.
“Zeppelin Gold.”
Tom had crossed blades with a Sword Expert from the Glorious Land to protect me. While he held off the enemy I couldn’t possibly defeat, I grabbed Zeppelin and escaped. Luckily, we didn’t encounter another Sword Expert. And any other Sword Runners stood no chance against me.
Everyone I met in the dark fell to my blade. But
“Is there any way to get out of here alive?”
Too many problems still remained.
“The Glorious Land’s conquest army appeared with the Descendant of Khan. They used the Machine Empire’s warp gates for a surprise attack. Most of Visente’s people are already dead. The mercenary corps from the Black Archipelago is essentially annihilated. I suspect the city’s already surrounded. With the Machine Empire’s help, they’ve likely disabled all magic devices. So—can you think of any way out?”
Nothing came to mind.
Hugo Rhapsody wouldn’t be able to hold off the Descendant of Khan for long.
That man was one of the Six Masters, the Continent’s greatest swordsman before Carlos emerged.
The moment he defeated Hugo, he’d come straight for us.
Escape would be impossible. In a space ruled by a Swordmaster, only another Swordmaster could flee.
‘Damn it.’
And Tom was also in danger.
Tom wasn’t a complete Sword Expert. He had forged his armor, but he was still a half-finished one. Even back when Rhapsody’s army visited Karavan’s lands, and again when we encountered the dragon Aeon in the Sky Mountains, Tom had called himself a “half-measure.”
If I couldn’t find a solution soon, both Tom and I would die here.
That couldn’t happen. Absolutely not.
“Is… surviving even meaningful?”
“Zeppelin!”
“Baltimo is dead. My mercenary corps is dead. All my people. All the innocent civilians. If we make it out alive—what does it change? What—”
Zeppelin was in full-blown panic.
I shouted, staring into his wavering eyes.
“We have to survive or we can’t change anything!”
“……!”
“All these senseless deaths. All this horror. If we don’t let them be erased in flames, someone must live. So we can demand justice. So we can grow stronger, and take revenge. Whatever it is as long as we’re alive, as long as we remember, that alone gives it meaning, Zeppelin.”
I stared at him.
“The world is unfair, Zeppelin Gold.”
“……”
“This world… steals what’s precious to us without a second thought. It destroys everything we’ve built, so easily, so cruelly. Will you just accept that? Will you submit to this cruel, unreasonable world? I won’t. I’ll stand against it. I won’t accept it. I’ll crash into it, and even if all I have is a rusty blade I’ll still strike. So tell me— is there a way out of this alive?”
At that moment, light returned to Zeppelin Gold’s eyes.
Just as he opened his mouth—BOOM!
Tom appeared beside me.
Bloodied. Barely breathing.
His voice was hoarse, cracked.
“Young Master… I can’t hold on much longer.”
“Are you all right?”
“If I were younger, I could’ve lasted longer… Time is cruel.”
He chuckled weakly.
“…What about the enemy?”
“Don’t worry. This old man took care of him.”
“How?”
“The sword I learned, humble though it is, was made to face enemies far stronger and greater than myself. And besides I couldn’t possibly lose to someone that much younger, now could I? I’ve got age on my side, haha… cough!”
Tom, who had been speaking cheerfully, suddenly coughed up blood. Though he’d been retired for a long time, it was astonishing that he had defeated a Sword Expert. But he had clearly suffered grievous wounds. His face was pale. Looking at him, I was sure we didn’t have much time left.
“Zeppelin…”
“There is a way.”
Finally, Zeppelin Gold spoke.
“It’s unlikely to succeed… but there is a way.”