novelraw Chapter 131 : Chapter 131
Chapter 131 : Chapter 131
Chapter 131: Four Questions for Mourning (3)
‘Have they almost all gathered?’
Holding a faint smile, Lizer thought.
Far and near. There were crowds. The residents of Portsmouth had gathered in one place.
Even so, there weren't many. The number of remaining residents in the village could be grasped at a glance. The surface of the fountain that once spewed water was full of barnacles, and what was multiplying in the cracks of the sidewalk was none other than coral. As a Spirit, Lizer was certain. This was a land where humans could no longer live, and it would take a lot of time to recover.
‘Right. To discuss it as a Spirit…….’
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls.
The five intelligent species relied on different primary senses.
Elves were sensitive to hearing, Dwarves to touch, Orcs to smell, and Trolls to taste. Humans were, needless to say, a race that relied on sight. While having the shortest lifespan among the five intelligent species, they relied on the most intuitive sensory organ.
‘Their eyes are dead.’
The humans approaching to touch the Sensory Stone,
And the humans stepping back after touching the Sensory Stone, all lacked vitality in their eyes.
Because their gaze was dead, they had become unable to see the future. Wait, is this too much like a Spirit's thought? Lizer scratched the back of his neck. What use was it to face the sins committed by ancestors and the true intentions of a false faith? Lizer questioned as a Spirit,
‘Even so, will they come to look ahead to the future?’
He questioned again, pretending to be a human.
‘It is interesting.’
An old man drops his cane. He sinks down just like that.
A young man runs over and supports him. Someone is angry, and someone is sad. A woman grits her teeth while clutching the hem of her skirt, and a man sighs while looking into a liquor bottle. Those who touched the Sensory Stone step back before long.
“──Everyone!”
Lizer shouted.
In a bright tone because he wasn't human.
“There is plenty of time! Please keep your order!”
While feeling the chaotic sounds, the texture of bone fragments, the stale stench, and the messy taste,
Looking down at the residents who seemed already dead.
* * *
“Right…….”
Pnakotic narrowed her eyes.
In the front yard of Pnakotic's dwelling, Roberta was rummaging through a pile of scrap metal. She was in the middle of making bombs using the wreckage of magical weapons. Round bombs rolling at Roberta's feet were piled up. She must have made the outer shell with debris and planted a spell inside. Pnakotic saw through the principle without difficulty.
“You said you made a bet?”
“Yes.”
At Pnakotic's question, Roberta answered.
“Professor Argento said he would deny it. He predicted that after the villagers encountered Pnakotic-nim's Sensory Stone, they would chatter that it wasn't true and wouldn't believe it. So I bet on the other side. The villagers will probably affirm it.”
They will believe the memories stored in the Sensory Stone,
And they won't take comfort while insisting on stubbornness.
Roberta muttered like that.
“That is strange.”
Pnakotic crossed her arms.
A hint of laughter grazed the gaps of her dense wrinkles.
“That man affirmed it in front of me. Toward me, who distrusts humans, he blabbered as if he believes in the possibility of humans.”
“I see.”
If Pnakotic truly distrusts humans,
Abel would be different. It must have been nothing more than pretending to distrust. It was like distributing roles before playing a game. So that Roberta could understand the opposing position,
It must have been the same by Pnakotic's side. Abel only rebelled out of obligation. There would have been no sincerity contained in it, and he could trust or distrust humans as needed. As if whatever happened was fine, or as if everyone's position was valid.
“Child.”
Did she say Roberta Sinclair, she thought.
Pnakotic opened her mouth. While looking at the bombs Roberta produced.
“Did you touch my Sensory Stone?”
“No.”
He said I can't because I'm young.
Roberta muttered like that.
“Right. Your teacher is truly naive.”
Pnakotic took a step forward.
After stopping by Roberta's side, she reached out her hand.
“That man has no talent for reciting lies. Saying you can't touch the Sensory Stone because you are young. That is nonsense. Even if he attaches a separate reason, how could one accept it?”
It must be that man who brought you all here.
A teacher is one who pushes a disciple to a place of death by all means.
Pnakotic whispered like that.
“It is not that he didn't let you touch it because you are young…….”
TAP, it went.
Pnakotic touched the bomb with her index finger.
Roberta's eyes twitched briefly. It was because she couldn't believe it herself. It was just designed for the bomb to operate through a series of shocks, such as dropping it from the sky. If the outer shell was loose by chance, it might explode with just a hand gesture. No, that cannot be. It wasn't that Roberta didn't trust her own skills.
“Because you are too precocious…….”
It explodes when shock is applied.
It was because she couldn't believe that principle itself.
She couldn't believe the fact that something called a bomb actually exists, the fact that a tool capable of repeating killing so simply exists. She was fearing the weapon she created herself.
“That must be why he didn't let you touch it.”
Fear is distorted like a young emotion, but,
Actually, it isn't. It is unmistakably a precocious emotion.
Because things to be truly afraid of arise only when one gets old.
Pnakotic muttered like that, and,
“……Are you afraid?”
Roberta asked toward Pnakotic.
“Pnakotic-nim, are you afraid that the residents will deny the memories stored in the Sensory Stone?”
“It cannot be helped.”
Pnakotic nodded.
“I have put everything inside the Sensory Stone.”
You have put a spell inside the bomb, but,
I have ended up putting life inside the Sensory Stone.
If discussing which side is more intimidating, naturally,
“Rather than a bomb that can kill me right now…….”
Wouldn't it be the memory that will remain healthy even if I die?
* * *
‘It tastes bad.’
Ernst frowned.
He put down the canteen and wiped his mouth. He had stopped by the village chief's mansion before heading to the camp. He transferred the liquor sleeping in the cupboard there into the canteen. Swallowing a sip of the low-quality moonshine, it felt like his uvula was rotting away. The taste was nasty.
‘The residents are mostly gathered in the square…….’
Ernst's gaze tilted downward.
In the middle of the camp, the Tactical Controller was operating.
The residents who would be numerous in the square were marked as mere dots. The Tactical Controller recorded humans in a form that was too simple. For instance, it looked like he was watching pieces placed on a chessboard. The map constructed based on contour lines was no different. He felt like he was looking down at a game board, not a battlefield.
‘Roberta is in the front yard of Pnakotic's house, Demian and Eleanor are in the thicket near the cliff, and Professor Argento is at the seaside.’
Monica seems to be wandering around the village.
After confirming that, Ernst shrugged his shoulders.
There was still time left before evening came. He intended to tune the Tactical Controller in the meantime. He had experience operating the latest models at CIAR, but his head throbbed trying to handle an old-fashioned Tactical Controller that was used back in the Mirror War.
‘I don't care what the relationship with the residents becomes.’
Professor Argento,
Or the guys in the same class will be caring about it instead.
Ernst decided to keep his reason. It didn't matter if Portsmouth was a fishing village full of good residents or a remote area with an ugly history. Either way, a battle with monsters was waiting. The Tactical Controller would surely be a big help.
“Do not fear the strange land.”
Ernst grasped the canteen.
He recited while adjusting his glasses. The phrase in the chivalric literature that Altria Amnesia, his dead grandmother, wrote while hiding behind a pen name.
“A knight's duty is a seed; mold your path into a tale. The duty soaked in time shall form a scene. Flowers shall bloom in every land you have passed.”
That's bullshit, Grandma.
Swallowing the moonshine, Ernst whispered.
“Isn't it too desolate for flowers to bloom?”
Not just this land,
But even people's hearts…….
* * *
“Do not fear the strange land.”
Demian opened his mouth.
The sea breeze ruffled Demian's blond hair.
“A knight's duty is a seed; mold your path into a tale. The duty soaked in time shall form a scene. Flowers shall bloom in every land you have passed.”
It is a passage from chivalric literature I like.
Demian muttered like that.
“Altria Amnesia wrote it.”
“That's a really weird name.”
Eleanor gave her impressions with an indifferent expression.
In the thicket near Portsmouth, Demian and Eleanor sat on the edge of the cliff. The sea faced at night and the open ocean borrowing the day were no different. Because it was dyed black by all means, she wondered if only the sea was evening. Eleanor grasped her dark blue hair and aimed a glare at Demian.
“You.”
Her expression looks much more relieved.
While harboring such a thought.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“I thought we had to evacuate. Because the residents who touched the Sensory Stone might question Eleanor-nim.”
“No, I mean…….”
Why did you choose this kind of dog-like place of all places.
Eleanor muttered like that.
“I was planning to die here. You know that too, right?”
“I apologize. No other place came to mind.”
Demian smiled cautiously.
He scratched the back of his neck while tilting his remorse toward the sea.
“You, I mean.”
Eleanor's gaze narrowed.
She looked into Demian while mumbling with her lips.
“I heard you're incredibly strong? I heard from your friend.”
“That is not true.”
Demian shook his head.
He is not strong. He could never be strong.
Demian thought so. The scale distinguishing strength and weakness had long become colorless. It was a problem because it was too clear in the Capital. A score was given every time a move of swordsmanship was displayed, and sparring was repeated based on rules. It was a useless standard in the outer lands where ratings and protocols were useless.
It was no different just because it was a knight's duty.
“Eleanor-nim, the people of our family follow duty.”
The treasured sword of the Farenheit family.
While drawing it out, Demian recited.
The duty that the illustrious family of swordsmanship upholds.
“Serve the lord with valor and faith.”
“That's convenient.”
At the same time Demian's words ended, Eleanor pursed her lips.
“What if the lord is a son of a bitch? Would following such a lord also belong to duty?”
“Respect and protect the weak.”
“How will you judge who the weak are?”
“Despise rewards made of gold coins.”
“Then where and how did you scrape together your fortune?”
“Hate unfairness, meanness, and deception.”
“Most people who say that are probably swindlers.”
“Defend the faith. Protect the honor of fellow knights. Fight for the well-being of all.”
“I'm getting embarrassed just listening to it.”
“Do not turn your back on the enemy. Do not refuse a challenge from an equal standpoint. Live for honor and glory.”
“Cut it out.”
Every time Demian spoke, Eleanor tackled him.
It wasn't a particularly agitated reaction. Demian continued his words in a flat tone while looking down at the sea, and Eleanor only responded with a blank expression while staring at the empty air.
“You don't need to live so complicatedly. Just living is hard enough.”
“That might be so.”
Demian corrected his grip on the hilt.
He tilted the blade toward the opposite side of his eyes. The gray eyes reflected in the glistening blade were clear. While looking into his own eyes that were forged upright, Demian muttered.
“It seems I didn't know because I lived too comfortably.”
“I'm envious, Lord Noble.”
“Eleanor-nim.”
Demian's gaze tilted toward Eleanor.
“This Demian Fernando von Farenheit…….”
“Your name is damn long.”
“Before long, we will fight a battle with monsters. I have lived following the duty of one who became a knight until now, and even if there is a land where my duty does not work, I will surely draw my sword as a knight.”
“What exactly is a knight that you are so determined…….”
“I do not know either. I have come not to know.”
Therefore, I became tempted to check.
Demian muttered like that.
“Just as Altria Amnesia wrote, whether the thing called the duty of one who became a knight can become a seed. I intend to find out if it can fill this land with flowers.”
“I can't live with this, really.”
Are all the guys from the Capital like this?
Twitching her lips, Eleanor complained.
She wouldn't be able to understand for the rest of her life. No matter how much she tried to fathom it, the day she accepted chivalry would not come. It merely felt distant because it was too solemn. Just as most ethics do.
I will pray to God. I will sincerely pray for your well-being. As a Miko, Eleanor could say that, but,
“Just don't die, idiot.”
She decided to speak as a girl.
While gently pushing Demian's temple.
* * *
‘What is this?’
Abel tilted his head.
He was scanning the ‘Daily Watcher’ distributed on today's date. The editorial department of ‘Daily Watcher’ distributed newspapers to regular subscribers every morning through teleportation magic, and Abel was grasping the political situation for the first time in a while.
‘……Mysterious Masked Man.’
Then, one article caught his eye.
It was content about a certain man wearing a clown mask.
「Mysterious Masked Man, Where Is He Heading?」
- There are those called righteous bandits. Bandits who resist corrupt power are collectively called righteous bandits. Of course, the majority of righteous bandits are merely calling themselves that. However, very occasionally, one who sincerely helps the people appears. The man wearing a clown mask, the so-called Mysterious Masked Man, is one of them.
The Mysterious Masked Man is wandering each region and confronting oppressors. He distributes wealth fairly and only demands something like a flower as his share. Thanks to this, there are plenty of nobles bloodshot on arresting the Mysterious Masked Man. The region where the Mysterious Masked Man was last witnessed is……,
‘Osmond Epanoui.’
It wouldn't be a mask given to do that.
With a pensive expression, Abel thought. Apart from being hired as a spy for the Orléans family, Osmond seemed to be wandering each region quite noisily. Right now, the place where Osmond was last witnessed was nearby. It is a region far from the Capital, yet has he arrived near here already? Just as Abel was folding the newspaper thinking so,
“You aren't surprised.”
Monica was standing there.
Opposite Abel.
“I approached while killing my sound on purpose.”
“You have to work harder.”
THUD, it went.
The carelessly folded ‘Daily Watcher’ rose onto the table.
“Did you examine the Sensory Stone?”
“It was a spectacle.”
Senior Lizer told me to have free time, so……,
After wandering here and there, I came to you, Teacher.
Monica muttered like that, and,
“Right.”
Abel nodded.
“You can attend to your respective businesses until sunset. Because time will be needed for the residents and for you all.”
Would you read a book, he thought.
Saying so, Abel reached out his hand.
He picked up a children's book and held it out toward Monica.
“No, I already finished memorizing this…….”
Accepting the children's book, Monica spoke,
And while caressing the illustration of the hero, she handed a question.
“Aren't you sleepy? You haven't slept for days. You didn't eat meals either…….”
“Did I not tell you.”
I became unable to sleep.
I became having no need to eat meals.
Abel whispered like that.
“No, stop talking nonsense.”
You are bluffing strangely again.
While thinking so, Monica was continuing her words, then,
“Is it true that it is a lie?”
Suddenly doubt entered, and she grilled him.
One who cannot sleep, one who has no need to eat, where on earth would such a person be.
Unlike the days when she thought so,
“Please answer, Teacher.”
Because she reached the conclusion that it might be possible if it's Abel now.
Since he didn't seem human at all.
“……Was it not a lie?”