This ch… it’s just… huff…. maybe I’m just an emotional person…
Anyway… here it is… it’s a long ch…
7. A Man called Barha Zetta
I didn’t have a family when I started to be aware of things around me.
When I realized it, Iād learned how to live alone.
I didn’t remember the human face that raised me from a baby until I started to understand what was going on around me.
All I remember was that āthat personā was a man and that he gave me the minimum knowledge about how to live.
I’d lived alone in this countryside, without a house or work. The source of income was the accumulation of boring wrongdoing. Considering my condemnation of sins so far, it could be said that the prison life for the past year was a natural result.
I never thought my life was unhappy. After all, I didn’t know if my life was good or bad. I didn’t know what it could be called a happy life or unhappy life.
Every day, earnestly killing boredom.
I didn’t like to be bored.
11 months ago, when I was saving a girl from the lord’s son, it wasnāt an act of justice.
But at that time, I thought it would be interesting to help her. That was it.
I was really excited when I entered the prison. I thought something would happen… that something would change.
I was such a trash. Really.
My environment of living was bad.
My natural-born talent was bad.
No such excuse was allowed.
There was more freedom in this world than anyone could think.
And what made me feel like I was crippled… was that said freedom.
Humans could walk on any path if only they decided to try. There were too many turning points too. What would people think when there saw many paths in front of them?
They would think, āIt’s annoyingā.
Then they would say,
āI don’t know which path is safe.ā
or
āI don’t know which path is fun.ā
So, people chose the easy path they could think of.
Chose a road with footprints… The footprints of parents, the footprints of teachers, the footprints of friends, the footprints of a strangerāā
You stepped into the easy path that someone had pioneered and was guided unknowingly. By the time you noticed, the path was straight, and the path you had followed was already to the point where it was too long to turn back, so you were lazy to turn back.
I didn’t like to go straight, so I always stopped in front of myriad possibilities.
Old man.
Soon, I would be prepared.
Be prepared to step into my own path from the path with your footprints.
Old man.
You taught me a lot in this short period of time.
Therefore, I would like to say something to you. Well, it would be embarrassing to say it face to face.
———————————
As soon as I returned to the prison accompanied by the guard, the old man was putting down a brush.
The guard put me inside the prison cell, locked it, and left. I called out to the old man’s back.
“How are you doing?”
“āā not bad”
The old man looked sideways and looked at me leaning against the wall.
“It was long…”
That word wasn’t something for me.
“79 years was a long time… Pursuing a dream, leaving home, meeting a teacher… Became a Sealer, and threw myself into the days of adventure. “
I was sure that memories were flashing back in the old man’s brain.
It was different from when he taught me about the outside world.
He spoke slowly while remembering the joy, sadness, and all positive and negative emotions.
“I met a friend with who I could share everything, and also a woman I loved dearly… I had many encounters. There were many farewells too… overcoming all of them, I, am here now. “
“Are there any regrets?”
“Yes, but more than that I actually feel satisfied… If I were to give a score to my life, I think it’s 80 out of 100. “
Still, it wasnāt 100 points.
Of course. There could be no 100 points in the life of a human being who entered the prison at the end.
But, the 20 points that missing were infinitely large.
“If I were to give a point to my life, I would say 20 points… Well, until I came here, I got 0 points.”
Before I knew it, my voice was trembling.
The feeling of approaching āTimeā was transmitted from the old man’s back.
“Twenty points were given by you… You gave me a dream. “
It was less than half a year.
However, the thing that the old man gave me in that short time was big.
“That’s why, that 20 points, the thing left unfinished by you, old manāā I’ll do something about it.”
The old man made a troubled face, but then he smiled.
“Could I leave it to you? Sealā¦”
“Yeah”
The old man stretched his back and squeaked his neck.
And with a deliberate voice,
“Hmm… My shoulders are stiff…”
Seriously, he was bad at acting.
“Shall I massage your shoulder?”
I rushed to the old man and massaged his shoulders.
Alternately, I weakened my strength as much as possible.
“Seal… I have one present for you.”
“Present?”
“Thatās right”
I looked around, but there was nothing that could be called a gift.
“In the outside world, without a family name, thereāll be various shortcomings.”
“Thatās… right.”
“So, I’ll give you a name… Actually, the name Barha Zetta is the name I succeeded from the previous generation of Sealers… For a generation, itās passed to the main line of Sealer.”
?? That Barha Zetta’s name… to me?
“But youāre still inexperienced, an amateur…Therefore, Iāll give only half the name.”
“Yeah, yeah, I thought that would be the case.”
“Hahaha!… Donāt be like that. After all, youāre able to be called āAmateurā in just half a year āā You should be proud of yourself.”
The old man dropped his eyelids and called my full name.
“Seal. From tomorrow, I will allow you to call yourself, Seal Zetta.”
“Seal, Zetta …”
I got a name with only three letters, only three letters. [TN: why itās only three letters? Because in Japanese it is āć¼ććæā, itās three letters.]
It wouldnāt become money… it was only at most… three letters.
Still āā
It was dangerous.
I felt happier than I expected.
āā I was recognized after all.
I felt that I was truly recognized.
I tightened my facial muscles tightly.
It was somehow embarrassing if he knew that I was really happy to receive the name.
“Haaah-, Iām glad… At the very end, Iām able to pass over… this name.”
Then… the power returned to my fist suddenly weakened.
“Old man …”
The end was approaching.
It was transmitted while I was massaging the shoulders.
“Seal”
“ā¦ā¦what is it?”
The old man laughed with satisfaction.
Then, dropped the eyelids and said something silly.
“Youāre getting better at massaging, huh.”
Somehow, I could hear a cutting sound.
“Right? I never massaged anyone’s shoulder, so I practiced… I sneak up in the middle of the night and massage your shoulder … “
” āāā”
“Old man…It’s too early to go to bed. There are three hours left until the lights are off.”
“āāāā”
“That’s right, old man…I came up with a new way to use Sealing Technique. Iāll show it to you later. “
“āāāā”
“Hey, old man… Are you listening?”
“āāāā”
There was no power returned to my fist.
“Master…”
I squeezed out my voice in an empty room.
“Thank you very much.”
One month left, until my release.
Barha Zetta died at the end of spring when the cherry blossoms were falling.
———————— Barha Zetta POV ————————
Barha was a sealer.
So far, he had sealed a number of great evils. In particular, he had sealed immortals, the ones who could come back to life by rebirth, and those who couldnāt be defeated by normal means.
The <JINMA> and <MAJIN> were afraid of him, he was called the āNatural Enemiesā. [TN: The Kanji of the word itself can be tl-ed as āThe one who sent you to heavenā, but the author chose for it to be read as āNatural Enemiesā, so yeah…]
He was sure what happened to him was also one of their schemes.
One day, when he visited the laboratory, strange corpses were lined up.
Most were related to the Knights, including the wife of the Knights.
Then he heard well-organized footsteps come in his direction at the same time… At that moment, he immediately instinctively could tell that he was trapped.
A platoon led by the knight captain was furious when he saw Barha and the corpse.
āāSo, he was sentenced to death by a curse.
Killed by the curse was said to be painful.
The meaning would be close to burning at the stake. It was a punishment that causes as much suffering as possible before dying.
Barha was engraved with a curse.
He thought that he would be thrown into the prison of the imperial capital, but he was transferred to the prison in the countryside by his friend, Pearl.
ć”I believe in you!”ć
His wife was screaming until the end of the false accusations.
ć”Unforgivable. I will never forgive Grandpa…! ć
His granddaughter was crying and screaming at him with a grudge and left.
Barha couldn’t do anything.
He appealed for innocence, but everything he did, failed.
Perhaps there was a <MAJIN> in the upper ranks of the Knights. <MAJIN> was different from <JINMA>, and its appearance wasnāt so different from humans. So, it wasnāt impossible to blend into human society.
Barha told Adolphos and Pearl about that, but from their standing, both would be difficult to reach.
He had lost.
He was defeated by a monster for the first time.
Among <MAJIN> and <JINMA>, those who boast extraordinary power and had eaten tens of thousands of humans and monsters were called, <MATEI>. [TN: <MATEI> or could be tl-ed as <Demon Emperor>]
Barha had repelled many <MATEI>. He didn’t feel like losing in a head-to-head battle.
But, they finally noticed. To kill humans, they could just use humans.
I will die soon.
Barha was about to die, so he was prepared for it.
The regret he had was what happened to all of the <MATEI> that he had sealed up until now. If they came back, the āWorld Coreā would be disturbed and the ecosystem would be affected. The living beings without intelligence such as plants and monsters would be particularly affected.
I need it. The one who will succeed me …
Barha needed a person who was qualified to become a sealer.
Speaking of talent alone, up until this point there was one.
ć
Niamh… She had Yellow Mana and was prominent at handling Blue Mana. She was perfect to become a Sealer which required a person to be dexterous at Mana Manipulation.
However, he felt darkness in her.
The same darkness as his younger brother who became a <MAJIN> a long time ago…
If the Sealing Technique were to fall into the hands of <MATEI>, the world would end.
That was why, he couldnāt pass over the Sealing Technique to her.
So now, what should I do?
Who should I entrust this power to?
What kind of person do I want to be my disciple?
I donāt know.
I wish I could not care so much about the world after I died.
But unfortunately, I love this world.
Please…. someone… Is there really no one?
Is there really no one out there who deserves to inherit my power?
ć”Come here. come quickly.”ć
When Barha arrived at the prison in the countryside where he was taken to, he thought that this might be what they called āFateā.
The boy had a demeanor that made him look languish from his whole body.
The eyes that could be seen through the gaps in the jet-black bangs… That eyes of him were hungry… hungry for development.
āāpure white.
This was the impression Barha got from the black-haired boy.
And surprisingly, the boy had no name.
His right eye could see the quality and quantity of the target’s Mana.
His left eye could see the true name of the one he saw.
His left eye, which always reflected the other person’s name, couldnāt see the boy’s name.
ć”What’s your name, boy?āć
ć”ā¦ā¦Seal”ć
Red , Blue , Green , Yellow. And āāGolden.
There was a Mana in him that Barha didn’t even know.
There was a higher ranking in each of Mana colors.
Red Mana -> Scarlet Mana.
Green Mana -> Dark Green Mana.
Barha knew only these two types.
He quickly realized that the boy Golden Mana was the higher-ranking of Yellow Mana.
However, the Golden Mana couldnāt be handled by ordinary means.
He didn’t even know what kind of power it would be. That was why, Barha judged that it was better not to touch it without knowing it.
ć”What does a sealer do?ć
ć”Are you interested?ć
ć”Maybe? Just a little…?”ć
After a little stimulating of the boy’s curiosity, he came on board.
The curious boy reminded me of a pure white notebook.
It seemed that the person Barha was looking for, was such a person.
The boy had a medium upper potential for the three main colors (Red, Blue, and Green). But, the Red color was a little better than the others.
If the boy made an effort, he could reach out to any field, but he couldnāt reach the top level in any field. That the how he was.
Eventually, the boy would be a Versatile type, but for the time being, it was better to lead him in the direction of developing Red Mana. The Red Mana was excellent for both offense and defense, and as for the Green Mana, it would only make him confused if he touched as of now, so Barha decided to postpone it.
Now, about Yellow Mana and Golden Mana… the digits were different for these two.
Both were too many for those who hadnāt received any Magic training. It wasnāt as good as Barha was in his heyday, but the boy had the same amount of Yellow Mana as he was now.
Based on the total amount of Mana, it surpassed most people.
Regarding the sense of Mana Manipulation, the three main colors were about the same.
In a week, he showed off a certain amount of progress in handling Red Mana. Well, Barha learned Magic and was able to use it almost perfectly in a day, so the boy was far inferior to him. However, since he was a genius, it was difficult to use him as a standard.
Barha didn’t know how he was compared to other magicians. He had never taught magic from scratch, so he himself was the only one to compare.
Next, regarding how good the boy was at handling Yellow Mana…
The boy was definitely a genius in this regard.
He learned it in three months, even though it would take at least three years to learn even basic sealing.
ć”I’m just killing time”ć
When asked why he learned Sealing Technique, he replied so.
Many people had visited me in the past to ask me for teaching them Sealing Techniques. When I asked them the same question, āfor the world,ā or āto be stronger,ā or āto protect someone.ā…
Sure, all of it was all a nice word.
But it didn’t touch my heart.
After all, the reason why I learned Sealing Technique…
It was just for killing time.
It was a killing time for me to become a disciple of my teacher. I was bored since I lived in a remote village, after all, there was nothing much to do, so I became a disciple of the person who happened to visit the village.
Sealing Technique was an evil technique that would rob the other party of their freedom and give them a fixed time.
Only those who knew āthe fear of boredomā and āthe fear of leisureā could handle it.
Humans were creatures that were dominated by unawareness.
There weren’t many people who could control themselves.
Hey, Seal.
We don’t want to control anyone, right?
We want to rule over our own life. rightā¦ā¦?
ć”If I were to give a point to my life, I would say 20 points… Well, until I came here, I got 0 points.”ć
ć”Twenty points were given by you… You gave me a dream. “ć
ć”That’s why, that 20 points, the thing left unfinished by you, old manāā I’ll do something about it.”ć
If my life is to be written in a book, this may be the āConclusionā part.
However, the story of this world will still continue even after my life is completed.
Seal… perhaps my last mission is to be in the āintroductionā part of your life.
Yeah, I have no regrets.
In the very end, I was satisfied with my life.
As a thank you āā I’ll present you this name.
“Seal. From tomorrow, I will allow you to call yourself Seal Zetta. “
“Seal, Zetta …”
The name of Seal-Zetta came to my left eye.
The true name was the thing given by your parents when you were born.
Without his parents, he probably had lost the chance to get his true name.
But at this time, the moment Seal acknowledged the name Barha gave to him, his true name became it.
Master… Iām able to pass over your name, though only half.
“Youāre getting better at massaging, huh.”
Seal, this is all thanks to you. You taught me.
That Iām not that free until the very end.
That my life wasn’t a boring life.
Seal, at last, I want to say this word to you.
Well, it’s embarrassing to say it face to face …
ć”Thank you”ć
The name of his wife, the name of his son, and the name of his granddaughter disappeared from Barhaās soul.
So, this is whatās called, the purification of the soul, huh…
I’m scared… the darkness is falling.
Mysteriously, no tears came out from Barha.
Barha Zetta certainly completed his life.
Goodbye world.
Until the day we meet again.
Barha (Character Design)
Barha (Character Design) translated by me
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
So far so good
My grandfather died two years ago. I couldnāt visit him in his final days, I regret it very much. This chapter hits me hard
Aww, man. Stuff like this hits hard. When an important person enters a character’s life then dies early in the story and their legacy influences the character for the rest of the story…that kinda impact is deep.