[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Fifteen Going on Sixty (Going on Fifteen) Part 5
Title: Fifteen Going on Sixty (Going on Fifteen) Part 5
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1961
Summary: The secret behind the Pope's youth is no small secret. Even the Pope himself has tried to forget, but when Grisia comes too close, the Pope is forced to confront his past.
Notes: This brings us up to current events in V8!
Previous part
Part 5: Security
At one point in time, I supposed I could be considered born of money, but it had never been mine, and I'd had to leave it all behind.
Back then, it had never really mattered all that much to me, whether I had money or not, but when it became apparent that my time had stopped... Well, even the smallest of victories started meaning all that much more.
They were hollow victories, but victories nonetheless, empty rooms filled not with the laughter of companions, but rather coins and treasures that would secure the future.
Can you give these funds, this map, and these provisions to my brother? I'm sure he will probably refuse to return to the forest though. If that's the case, give these to him, okay? I'm counting on you!
Young Master, what about you?
Me? Don't worry! Knowing that my brother will at least have travel fare already puts me much more at ease!
Even back then, money had made things much easier.
Much, much easier.
I drew forth abundant water element, placing the final seal on the Divine Sun Sword.
"Here." I gave a nod at the sword, indicating for Grisia to take it. He stepped forward, sleeves loose on him as he reached a hand out. Half a year of being stuck in bed had made him thin -- I supposed a nicer way of putting it would be "slender," but that wasn't the main point.
I swept my eyes across his figure. He and the rest of the Twelve Holy Knights were all in their early twenties. A few years wouldn't and shouldn't change their appearances too much, not even by the time they reached their late twenties. It hadn't even been all that long since the moment his time had stopped either. Yet, compared to his peers, Grisia was already starting to look younger.
The signs were there. The differences could be chalked up to how Grisia had spent half a year confined to bed and the month before that frozen in a crystal, but that wasn't so, was it?
No, it definitely wasn't so, and no one knew better than I did. I could be wrong, but that was highly unlikely.
Should I tell him?
I should tell him.
Knowing could factor into any decisions Grisia might make. The Cathedral of the Shadow God wanted Grisia to be the Demon King over Roland, but that was because they didn't want an undead creature to interfere with the living world.
But was someone like Grisia any better?
Grisia touched his hair, a heavy expression on his face. I nearly wanted to turn away.
Despite holding the Divine Sun Sword in his hand, his hair had not become much more golden than before. It was still a pale golden with only a thin layer of holy element coloring it. With the Divine Sun Sword sealed, Grisia could not borrow much of its holy light.
"This seal is quite strong," he said wryly, gripping the Divine Sun Sword so hard that his knuckles turned white. He angled his head to "look" in my direction. "Just what other skills have you been hiding, huh?"
"Countless things, of course," I quipped.
Countless things...
He loosened his grip, but I'd already seen enough.
First, his eyes. Then, his life. And now, his holy abilities. In front of Grisia, I was truly just a coward, always hiding behind veils and the safety of lies. But even with the veil, it would no longer take much for Grisia to see through me.
I should tell him.
But I wasn't ready.
Instead, I said, "I finished drawing a magic circle outside the city."
Coward.
"A magic circle? For what?" Grisia asked.
Grisia was no dimwit. He would put two and two together in no time at all if I said anything.
I waved my hand in the air. "It'll take you to the forest. You and the others can change into adventurer outfits there. I've already given all the necessary things to your Storm Knight."
Outfits. Paperwork. Funds. Everything they would need to be an adventurer team so that they could sneak into the Cathedral of the Shadow God undetected.
"A bard, a warrior, a thief, an archer, a cleric-"
"I-I can fight too!"
"What a perfect adventurer team!"
"I-I said, I c-can fight too!"
"If only we had enough money to register our team..."
A crooked smile came over my face at the thought of what their reactions might be like once they found out the name I had prepared for their adventurer team. Moneyless Squad. Money might not buy happiness, but it sure gave you a lot more options.
Once Grisia returns, I'll tell him.
I'll tell him then...
Grisia didn't return.
I could only smile bitterly at my cowardice. The world had nearly been engulfed by darkness, yet here I was, relieved that the choice had been taken out of my hands.
What a hypocrite I was, yearning for control yet fearing it.
Would Grisia have made a different decision if I'd told him?
It was too late to wonder now.
With one last mark, I finished tallying up the current funds we had. As always, money was all I could turn to. When all was said and done, at least cold, hard cash couldn't lie, my eternal companion when all else was too painful.
I couldn't tell him, but at the very least, I could give his companions a helping hand with the necessary funding.
The usual funds I allocated for everyday use wouldn't be enough. We would actually have to dig into the funds I had set aside for emergencies. Well, if this wasn't an emergency, then I didn't know what would count as one. They really should thank me for all that I'd helped the Church save up over the years.
When I looked up, the golden-haired man before me was curiously examining the outfit I had him try on. He was, of course, not Grisia. Even if Grisia were here, his hair would not be golden.
"This is better than anything you've ever had tailored for us in the past!" Neo remarked. "Has age addled your mind?"
"Of course not." Perhaps it has. "I just know the art of self-preservation! Grisia would never forgive me if I let his holy knights out to battle in paper-thin armor."
Blue eyes regarded me skeptically, so much like another pair of blue eyes from a lifetime ago, minus the skepticism, of course. I don't think he even knew what it meant to doubt.
"He is the Demon King, you know," I explained with a helpless shrug.
Neo tugged his shirt on. The sleeve of his missing right arm hung uselessly. These Sun Knights seriously had no sense of self-preservation! "Bah. Demon King or not, he's Grisia!"
Neo was right. Demon King or not, Grisia was Grisia.
And one day, when everyone was gone, we would still be left.
I fussed over my papers, stacking them neatly.
Logically speaking, I had no need to involve myself with current affairs. Grisia had become the Demon King for the sake of the world. Though I had yet to tell him the consequence of resurrecting Lesus, we had time yet. I could even tell him once everything was over. With him so far away, he might even be able to peacefully endure the passing years without having to see his companions pass away in front of him.
But... what was logic, anyway?
That path would only lead to regret.
And I'm done with regrets.
"Brother, what's with the veil?" After speaking, he tilts his head curiously at me.
"He asked me to watch over them all... His students, our students... the future... I... Do you think I look more dependable like this?"
Sun, have I become a little more dependable?
My brother smiles and pats me on the shoulder. "Brother, you've always been dependable." He pauses. "But you've really been collecting a lot of jewels and trinkets lately... Do you like jewels, Brother?"
"Ah, that? No, no, I don't particularly like jewels or anything..."
It's just that having them makes me feel a lot safer.
Laughingly enough, the king wanted the Church to pay the expenses for dealing with the undead creatures that were running about. While I was prepared for the Church to splurge on new equipment and armor, that was money spent on our own holy knights. There was no reason for us to pay adventurers.
The king was relentless though, in wanting to deduct funds from the Church. How silly of him to think he could take advantage of the Church while Grisia wasn't here! Just who does he think I am?
The king rubbed his temples. Our conversation was going nowhere. Just like our last one. And the one before that.
"Your Holiness," he tried again. "You and I both know that undead creatures are the Church's responsibility-"
I cut him off. "Yes, and you and I both know that most of the undead creatures are appearing in the Kingdom of Kissinger, which we are not responsible for. Besides, this is all just a sham anyway, to make sure Grisia doesn't get bored."
He fell silent, his face weary. It was with a sigh that he said, "Exactly. We both know who the Demon King is. Considering his identity, don't you agree that the Church should have some responsibility for what is currently happening?"
Oh. Oh. So that's how you want to play it, Archer. Too bad for you, you're just a fledgling.
I'd basically watched him grow up. Did he really think he could win against me? Try again in a different lifetime, boy.
I splayed my hands out. "Really, Archer? If you go through with deducting funds from the Church, I'll head directly to the Demon King's Castle and tell Grisia!"
"You!" the king spluttered. "You wouldn't... dare..."
I wouldn't dare? Oh Archer, I've lived too long to be afraid of the Demon King.
I shrugged. "Losing face, losing my life, what does it matter? You won't get a cent out of the Church! If you're so foolish, we can just perish together!"
The king groaned. I still remembered when he had been a tiny little thing, with wide-eyes and chubby cheeks. But he'd been forced to grow up before his time, a child taking on the responsibilities of an adult, all because of his irresponsible father. Even at ten, he'd already been taller than me, his face angular, and he'd carried himself just like an adult. But beneath all of that, he had still been a child.
Just the opposite of me, really, an adult stuck as a kid.
It was a bit mean of me to bully him like this. Here he was, the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders. That child forced to grow up before his time was now a resigned adult with nowhere to turn.
But although he had been kind enough to provide the Holy Temple funds to crusade against the Demon King, that didn't mean I had to return the favor. If I didn't put my foot down, he would think he could walk all over the Church!
That really wouldn't do.
Holy knights and clerics stretched as far as my eyes could see.
The sight before me wasn't unfamiliar, but it had been a long time since I'd seen so many troops gathered all in one place. Recent years had been so peaceful that the Holy Temple didn't even keep as many holy knights as it used to keep in the past. Companies of knights had even shrunk down into knight platoons. That had taken some time to get used to.
The new uniforms and armor made the holy knights look quite striking.
In many ways, I'd failed Grisia. I'd failed to stop him from using Resurrection. I'd failed to stop him from leaving. I'd failed, really.
But damn it all if I'd let myself fail in something as easy as outfitting his holy knights. He really would never forgive me if I let them come to harm.
If something could be solved with money, then it really wasn't a problem at all.
I gripped the staff in my hand.
I can fight too, in my own way!
to be continued
Now the fic has caught up with the English translations! Next part skips to post-canon stuff, so I'll be flitting off to write other fics until the translations finish. The focus of this chapter is thanks to 15b's musings about money and control~
So, I received a comment about the Pope and his brother's identity.
Yes, the Pope is Cash Elante from Female Warrior, in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet. XD; He was the first generation Earth, the youngest looking of them all and a good friend of Silvester's. I purposefully haven't been using any names in the flashbacks, but I'm pretty sure most of you have already figured it out.
Here's where it gets a little messier, which was why I thought an explanation was necessary.
Some people think that Cash Elante and Shahot Elante are brothers and that Cash is not Halfleaf's brother, but I've always believed that Cash is Halfleaf's brother while Shahot is another relative of theirs. Nothing has been made clear yet, but when Yu Wo said that reading the artbook should make the identity of Halfleaf's brother clear... well, Cash was the only one who mentioned having a brother, so I assumed he was the brother. This fic was written under that assumption. (If I'm wrong, pretend they're brothers just for this fic. =P)
And I'll say here that I'm sure this fic will be jossed when Female Warrior actually gets written. I'm just making a bunch of stuff up that fits with current canon but will unlikely work with any new canon that gets written. =P
I guess I'll also mention that I'm very amused that his name is Cash... With how much he ended up focusing on money later in life in this fic, I guess that fits...? It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy or something.
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1961
Summary: The secret behind the Pope's youth is no small secret. Even the Pope himself has tried to forget, but when Grisia comes too close, the Pope is forced to confront his past.
Notes: This brings us up to current events in V8!
Previous part
Part 5: Security
At one point in time, I supposed I could be considered born of money, but it had never been mine, and I'd had to leave it all behind.
Back then, it had never really mattered all that much to me, whether I had money or not, but when it became apparent that my time had stopped... Well, even the smallest of victories started meaning all that much more.
They were hollow victories, but victories nonetheless, empty rooms filled not with the laughter of companions, but rather coins and treasures that would secure the future.
Can you give these funds, this map, and these provisions to my brother? I'm sure he will probably refuse to return to the forest though. If that's the case, give these to him, okay? I'm counting on you!
Young Master, what about you?
Me? Don't worry! Knowing that my brother will at least have travel fare already puts me much more at ease!
Even back then, money had made things much easier.
Much, much easier.
I drew forth abundant water element, placing the final seal on the Divine Sun Sword.
"Here." I gave a nod at the sword, indicating for Grisia to take it. He stepped forward, sleeves loose on him as he reached a hand out. Half a year of being stuck in bed had made him thin -- I supposed a nicer way of putting it would be "slender," but that wasn't the main point.
I swept my eyes across his figure. He and the rest of the Twelve Holy Knights were all in their early twenties. A few years wouldn't and shouldn't change their appearances too much, not even by the time they reached their late twenties. It hadn't even been all that long since the moment his time had stopped either. Yet, compared to his peers, Grisia was already starting to look younger.
The signs were there. The differences could be chalked up to how Grisia had spent half a year confined to bed and the month before that frozen in a crystal, but that wasn't so, was it?
No, it definitely wasn't so, and no one knew better than I did. I could be wrong, but that was highly unlikely.
Should I tell him?
I should tell him.
Knowing could factor into any decisions Grisia might make. The Cathedral of the Shadow God wanted Grisia to be the Demon King over Roland, but that was because they didn't want an undead creature to interfere with the living world.
But was someone like Grisia any better?
Grisia touched his hair, a heavy expression on his face. I nearly wanted to turn away.
Despite holding the Divine Sun Sword in his hand, his hair had not become much more golden than before. It was still a pale golden with only a thin layer of holy element coloring it. With the Divine Sun Sword sealed, Grisia could not borrow much of its holy light.
"This seal is quite strong," he said wryly, gripping the Divine Sun Sword so hard that his knuckles turned white. He angled his head to "look" in my direction. "Just what other skills have you been hiding, huh?"
"Countless things, of course," I quipped.
Countless things...
He loosened his grip, but I'd already seen enough.
First, his eyes. Then, his life. And now, his holy abilities. In front of Grisia, I was truly just a coward, always hiding behind veils and the safety of lies. But even with the veil, it would no longer take much for Grisia to see through me.
I should tell him.
But I wasn't ready.
Instead, I said, "I finished drawing a magic circle outside the city."
Coward.
"A magic circle? For what?" Grisia asked.
Grisia was no dimwit. He would put two and two together in no time at all if I said anything.
I waved my hand in the air. "It'll take you to the forest. You and the others can change into adventurer outfits there. I've already given all the necessary things to your Storm Knight."
Outfits. Paperwork. Funds. Everything they would need to be an adventurer team so that they could sneak into the Cathedral of the Shadow God undetected.
"A bard, a warrior, a thief, an archer, a cleric-"
"I-I can fight too!"
"What a perfect adventurer team!"
"I-I said, I c-can fight too!"
"If only we had enough money to register our team..."
A crooked smile came over my face at the thought of what their reactions might be like once they found out the name I had prepared for their adventurer team. Moneyless Squad. Money might not buy happiness, but it sure gave you a lot more options.
Once Grisia returns, I'll tell him.
I'll tell him then...
Grisia didn't return.
I could only smile bitterly at my cowardice. The world had nearly been engulfed by darkness, yet here I was, relieved that the choice had been taken out of my hands.
What a hypocrite I was, yearning for control yet fearing it.
Would Grisia have made a different decision if I'd told him?
It was too late to wonder now.
With one last mark, I finished tallying up the current funds we had. As always, money was all I could turn to. When all was said and done, at least cold, hard cash couldn't lie, my eternal companion when all else was too painful.
I couldn't tell him, but at the very least, I could give his companions a helping hand with the necessary funding.
The usual funds I allocated for everyday use wouldn't be enough. We would actually have to dig into the funds I had set aside for emergencies. Well, if this wasn't an emergency, then I didn't know what would count as one. They really should thank me for all that I'd helped the Church save up over the years.
When I looked up, the golden-haired man before me was curiously examining the outfit I had him try on. He was, of course, not Grisia. Even if Grisia were here, his hair would not be golden.
"This is better than anything you've ever had tailored for us in the past!" Neo remarked. "Has age addled your mind?"
"Of course not." Perhaps it has. "I just know the art of self-preservation! Grisia would never forgive me if I let his holy knights out to battle in paper-thin armor."
Blue eyes regarded me skeptically, so much like another pair of blue eyes from a lifetime ago, minus the skepticism, of course. I don't think he even knew what it meant to doubt.
"He is the Demon King, you know," I explained with a helpless shrug.
Neo tugged his shirt on. The sleeve of his missing right arm hung uselessly. These Sun Knights seriously had no sense of self-preservation! "Bah. Demon King or not, he's Grisia!"
Neo was right. Demon King or not, Grisia was Grisia.
And one day, when everyone was gone, we would still be left.
I fussed over my papers, stacking them neatly.
Logically speaking, I had no need to involve myself with current affairs. Grisia had become the Demon King for the sake of the world. Though I had yet to tell him the consequence of resurrecting Lesus, we had time yet. I could even tell him once everything was over. With him so far away, he might even be able to peacefully endure the passing years without having to see his companions pass away in front of him.
But... what was logic, anyway?
That path would only lead to regret.
And I'm done with regrets.
"Brother, what's with the veil?" After speaking, he tilts his head curiously at me.
"He asked me to watch over them all... His students, our students... the future... I... Do you think I look more dependable like this?"
Sun, have I become a little more dependable?
My brother smiles and pats me on the shoulder. "Brother, you've always been dependable." He pauses. "But you've really been collecting a lot of jewels and trinkets lately... Do you like jewels, Brother?"
"Ah, that? No, no, I don't particularly like jewels or anything..."
It's just that having them makes me feel a lot safer.
Laughingly enough, the king wanted the Church to pay the expenses for dealing with the undead creatures that were running about. While I was prepared for the Church to splurge on new equipment and armor, that was money spent on our own holy knights. There was no reason for us to pay adventurers.
The king was relentless though, in wanting to deduct funds from the Church. How silly of him to think he could take advantage of the Church while Grisia wasn't here! Just who does he think I am?
The king rubbed his temples. Our conversation was going nowhere. Just like our last one. And the one before that.
"Your Holiness," he tried again. "You and I both know that undead creatures are the Church's responsibility-"
I cut him off. "Yes, and you and I both know that most of the undead creatures are appearing in the Kingdom of Kissinger, which we are not responsible for. Besides, this is all just a sham anyway, to make sure Grisia doesn't get bored."
He fell silent, his face weary. It was with a sigh that he said, "Exactly. We both know who the Demon King is. Considering his identity, don't you agree that the Church should have some responsibility for what is currently happening?"
Oh. Oh. So that's how you want to play it, Archer. Too bad for you, you're just a fledgling.
I'd basically watched him grow up. Did he really think he could win against me? Try again in a different lifetime, boy.
I splayed my hands out. "Really, Archer? If you go through with deducting funds from the Church, I'll head directly to the Demon King's Castle and tell Grisia!"
"You!" the king spluttered. "You wouldn't... dare..."
I wouldn't dare? Oh Archer, I've lived too long to be afraid of the Demon King.
I shrugged. "Losing face, losing my life, what does it matter? You won't get a cent out of the Church! If you're so foolish, we can just perish together!"
The king groaned. I still remembered when he had been a tiny little thing, with wide-eyes and chubby cheeks. But he'd been forced to grow up before his time, a child taking on the responsibilities of an adult, all because of his irresponsible father. Even at ten, he'd already been taller than me, his face angular, and he'd carried himself just like an adult. But beneath all of that, he had still been a child.
Just the opposite of me, really, an adult stuck as a kid.
It was a bit mean of me to bully him like this. Here he was, the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders. That child forced to grow up before his time was now a resigned adult with nowhere to turn.
But although he had been kind enough to provide the Holy Temple funds to crusade against the Demon King, that didn't mean I had to return the favor. If I didn't put my foot down, he would think he could walk all over the Church!
That really wouldn't do.
Holy knights and clerics stretched as far as my eyes could see.
The sight before me wasn't unfamiliar, but it had been a long time since I'd seen so many troops gathered all in one place. Recent years had been so peaceful that the Holy Temple didn't even keep as many holy knights as it used to keep in the past. Companies of knights had even shrunk down into knight platoons. That had taken some time to get used to.
The new uniforms and armor made the holy knights look quite striking.
In many ways, I'd failed Grisia. I'd failed to stop him from using Resurrection. I'd failed to stop him from leaving. I'd failed, really.
But damn it all if I'd let myself fail in something as easy as outfitting his holy knights. He really would never forgive me if I let them come to harm.
If something could be solved with money, then it really wasn't a problem at all.
I gripped the staff in my hand.
I can fight too, in my own way!
to be continued
Now the fic has caught up with the English translations! Next part skips to post-canon stuff, so I'll be flitting off to write other fics until the translations finish. The focus of this chapter is thanks to 15b's musings about money and control~
So, I received a comment about the Pope and his brother's identity.
Yes, the Pope is Cash Elante from Female Warrior, in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet. XD; He was the first generation Earth, the youngest looking of them all and a good friend of Silvester's. I purposefully haven't been using any names in the flashbacks, but I'm pretty sure most of you have already figured it out.
Here's where it gets a little messier, which was why I thought an explanation was necessary.
Some people think that Cash Elante and Shahot Elante are brothers and that Cash is not Halfleaf's brother, but I've always believed that Cash is Halfleaf's brother while Shahot is another relative of theirs. Nothing has been made clear yet, but when Yu Wo said that reading the artbook should make the identity of Halfleaf's brother clear... well, Cash was the only one who mentioned having a brother, so I assumed he was the brother. This fic was written under that assumption. (If I'm wrong, pretend they're brothers just for this fic. =P)
And I'll say here that I'm sure this fic will be jossed when Female Warrior actually gets written. I'm just making a bunch of stuff up that fits with current canon but will unlikely work with any new canon that gets written. =P
I guess I'll also mention that I'm very amused that his name is Cash... With how much he ended up focusing on money later in life in this fic, I guess that fits...? It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy or something.