#820 In a Quarrel, Both Parties are to Blame

“I play nice, and you get cocky! There’s just no reasoning with you! True love for the beloved Mt. Eternity is claimed by might, not talk!”

“Dealing with Mt. Eternity is a hassle I’m willing to embrace! To protect my cherished memories, I’d gladly lay down the lives of the human race!”

When I made a quick return to the farm, the situation had unexpectedly spiraled out of control.

Do those two ever consider backing down?

If they knew how to compromise, we might live in a more peaceful world.

They could even avoid being overpowered by a much greater force.

That’s why I called for backup.

I came back to the farm just to summon this particular person.

“Divine Thunderbolt Whip.”

“GEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!”

A thunderbolt summoned out of nowhere struck both Belphgamilia and Golden Bat, sending them flying.

The very pair that didn’t even flinch at the flash of my holy sword.

“Gah... That was a technique that automatically homes in on the targeted opponent and always inflicts enough damage to incapacitate them in battle...! It’s him, isn’t it...?!”

Yes, indeed.

The one who has graciously appeared is deeply connected to the now-buzzing topic of Mt. Eternity.

Actually, he’s a transcendent being who resides in the mountain itself—Sage the Lifeless King!

“A narrow-minded person will engage in mischief.”

“THE SAGEEEEEEEEE?!”

The so-called Lifeless King is regarded as the supreme ruler of all undead.

Among them, there are said to be three ultimate, most formidable immortal kings.

One of whom I now have the honor of introducing, commonly referred to as the Sage.

Feared as the most terrifying among the terrifying Lifeless Kings, he has more than enough prowess to subdue these two top-class nuisances of humanity.

Not only that, he seems to have some sort of connection with each of the culprits responsible for this mess, so he’s come quickly in response to our call.

An easygoing and adaptive yet fearsome immortal king.

Most Lifeless Kings, having transcended death, present themselves as mere skeletons or as withered as mummies, a fitting undead aesthetic.

However, the Sage bucks the trend with his smooth, refined features and looks more like a statue carved from plaster or marble.

If anything, it adds to his undead air.

Amidst this chaos, the Sage—Mt. Eternity’s dweller—arrived to put an end to the disgraceful quarrel unfolding over his abode.

“Wooooaaaah!!! Those who no one could stop have been stopped!”

“Thank you so very muchhhhhhhhh!!!”

Silver Wolf and Mamoru of the Selfless Workaholics duo cling to the Sage as if their lives depend on it.

Honestly, I feel sorry for those guys.

“In his old age, the master has not been blessed with good disciples.”

The Sage, seemingly a person of good character, is troubled by this disgraceful gathering below and has descended to meditate!

First... He approaches one of the problematic characters, Belphgamilia.

“Hey there, master. Still with that greasy face, I see. Isn’t it bothersome to come down to these plains?”

I want to retort with, “You’re the one making it bothersome,” but I hold back.

The Sage’s imposing, serene, archaic smile already seems more than the notoriously laziest human can handle.

However, the other troublemaker, Golden Bat, could not keep silent either.

“Uooooh! You! How can you be so familiar with the Sage?!”

“Don’t you know? I’m the disciple of this esteemed person.”

I think I’ve heard that before.

Belphgamilia is a direct disciple of the Sage, taught exhaustively in the secret arts of undead kings.

That’s precisely why he’s considered humanity’s strongest.

Hearing this, the fool Golden Bat exclaims...

“What?! In that case, I shall become a disciple of the Sage, too! Please, guide me!”

“Wait, what?”

Golden Bat also reached the sacred peak of Mt. Eternity after climbing many mountains and seemed to have earned some respect from the Sage who ruled there.

They were clearly acquainted.

Originally, he had to climb Mt. Eternity for his One Hundred Otherworldly Famous Mountains, with the Sage being his biggest obstacle.

Because assaulting Mt. Eternity without bypassing the Sage was impossible, he could only hope for a resolution through our mediation – which is what happened.

“Ever since then, I’ve revered you, who dwells in my most beloved Mt. Eternity, as my ideal. If I could become your disciple, I’d want nothing more!”

Even now, he pushes his wishes with single-minded determination.

His surging love for Mt. Eternity even seems to have infected the Sage living there.

“Besides, if that guy is claiming to be the Sage’s disciple, doesn’t that put me at a disadvantage in this feud? I’ve got to become a disciple to even the playing field.”

“Huh?”

“No, ‘even’ doesn’t cut it. Thanks to the Sage’s teachings, that guy became the strongest in the Demon King’s Army! So if I, who rose to an S-rank adventurer on my own, become a disciple too, I’d easily outstrip him! Then I’d crush him to dust, claiming Mt. Eternity as my own and—ahhhhh!”

Once more, Golden Bat, in his selfishness, was blasted away by a bolt of lightning.

Belphgamilia, too.

“He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.”

“The Sage is right. You both need to stop forcing your selfish reasoning on us.”

I didn’t quite grasp what the Sage was getting at, but I just played along to keep the conversation moving.

“To begin with, Mt. Eternity belongs to no one. It’s a treasure for all. Its beauty can move anyone who beholds it. That’s what’s important, not who owns it.”

And as you can see, Mt. Eternity is the Sage’s home.

A being far beyond human, the mightiest of them all... A Lifeless King rules its land. It would be absurd to claim it as part of any nation.

“Exactly. If anything, Mt. Eternity is the Sage’s domain. There are beings far more powerful than humanity in this world. It’s foolish to ignore such entities and argue over mortal boundaries. Keep that up, and you’ll face a reckoning one day, right, Sage?”

“What goes around, comes around.”

Even the two claiming to be humanity’s strongest could say nothing before the Sage, the transcendent being at the pinnacle of strength.

They struggled to retort but eventually showed their capitulation in silence.

“...Perhaps it’s crass to shove Mt. Eternity into the narrow confines of humanity. The mountain is, after all, majestic...”

“In the next edition of the One Hundred Otherworldly Famous Mountains, I’ll make the necessary corrections. Mt. Eternity belongs neither to the Demon Kingdom nor the Human Kingdom. It belongs to the Lifeless King, the Sage.”

And with that, a consensus was reached.

“YAYYYY!!!”

The most elated were Silver Wolf and Mamoru.

They had nearly witnessed a resurgence of the war between humans and demons on their watch.

Their relief at having averted it was immense.

“Thank you, Lord Sainttttttt! It was the right decision to ask for your help!!!”

“From now on, we’ll turn to you, Lord Saint, whenever things get dicey!!!”

Please don’t.

I understand you’ve got a tough job, but spare me from getting wrapped up in it.

Joining the Selfless Workaholics is a hard NO for me.

Meanwhile, the troublemakers who had shown a moment of reflection...

“Golden Bat, sorry for my rudeness earlier. If I stop to think, I realize that I’ve never met someone who loved Mt. Eternity as much as you do. Perhaps we can call each other comrades.”

“It is indeed marvelous to have someone to share my passions with.”

They shake hands, possibly mending fences after a storm.

Could it be that by leaving them to their own devices, those troublemakers will somehow neutralize each other’s nuisances? Or will they only amplify their problems?

“Could we have a detailed chat sometime? About the views of Mt. Eternity from the Human Kingdom’s side?”

“Huh?”

It turns out the answer was the latter.

“What are you talking about? If we’re speaking of front and back, the view of Mt. Eternity from the Human Kingdom is obviously the front. The Demon Kingdom would be its backside, right?”

“You publish a book and still speak so naively? Have you even seen Mt. Eternity from both sides? If you had, it’d be clear which view is more beautiful. There’s no room for debate.”

Now, instead of fighting over who owns Mt. Eternity, they’re bickering over which side has the better view.

Peace was too much to hope for from these guys.

Both got struck by another thunderbolt from the old master, sharing my sentiment. It seems the troubles for Silver Wolf and Mamoru are far from over.