novelraw Chapter 99: An Argument?
Chapter 99: An Argument?
That emptiness in his heart every time he woke up after seeing the past was... palpable. It was a heavy feeling, as if he were dragging a great weight with him—the weight of regrets chained to his constant pessimistic thoughts.
It was hard not to cry, as that person’s emotions squeezed his heart mercilessly.
’I wonder... is this what it means to take someone’s existence? To take the lives of specters and merge them with my own... Almost every time I kill something or someone, the system always tells me the same thing.’
[ You have defeated X enemy and have taken its existence. ]
Was this part of the nature of the Herald of the Unnameable? To kill, erase, steal... Thinking about it only raised more questions, since most of the abilities he possessed hadn’t originally belonged to him.
’Besides, I think I saw Arthur in Gawain’s memories... How does all of this connect to what happened four hundred years ago? No matter how much I think about it, I still can’t find an explanation.’
He closed his eyes, thinking, but something interrupted him. Beside him, Marco cleared his throat to get his attention. Mitsuki startled and jumped off the bed, summoning his shotgun and aiming with precision. When he realized it was just Blondie, he sighed and lowered the weapon.
"You scared me..."
"Well, you’re so distracted you didn’t notice I’ve been here the whole time."
"Oh..."
Marco shook his head. Standing with his back against the wall next to the bed, he crossed his arms as he analyzed Mitsuki’s physical condition.
"You seem fine, but still, how do you feel? It looked like you were having a nightmare. You even cried a little."
Mitsuki looked away.
’He saw me crying? No way... That’s so embarrassing!’
Embarrassment hit him out of nowhere, but he shook his head to clear those thoughts and answered in a dull tone.
"I guess. Nightmares are, in essence, the manifestation of the darkness that resides within us. After all, there’s no way to avoid them or not feel bad."
Marco looked at him suspiciously, then sighed.
"I know what you mean. It seems we understand that pretty well."
"Yeah... sure..."
An awkward silence.
There was nothing either of them could say at that moment. They were supposed to talk about everything that had happened over the past few days. That would be the logical thing, but Mitsuki wasn’t the type to start a conversation—much less speak alone with someone like Blondie.
After a few seconds, it was Marco who decided to break the ice.
"To be honest, we couldn’t have gotten a better vanguard than you. The first one ran away the moment he heard we were going to Nemoria. He was a coward—but a Rank A coward."
"Rank A..."
"Yeah. He was strong, but he didn’t have the guts to come with us. On the other hand, I know you’re at the lowest rank, but I suppose you already know that ranks don’t truly define your power—they show your merits. You have no idea the things my friends and I had to do to be recognized as Rank S adventurers."
"That makes sense, I think... I don’t think there’s some kind of magic stone that can measure your potential right off the bat."
Marco tilted his head slightly.
"There are, actually, but they only measure magical potential—not an adventurer’s physical potential. But going back to what I was saying, I really didn’t expect you to adapt so quickly during the fight against the dragon. That surprised me. You’ve got talent."
’Ellegaard said something similar, but I don’t think I’m actually talented. Maybe I owe it all to the system,’ he reflected for a moment.
Then he sat down on the bed beside him, its wooden frame barely holding together.
"Talent isn’t enough if there’s no effort behind it."
As the best player in the world, he knew that better than anyone. He had worked relentlessly to reach the top and stay there. He sacrificed half his life in the dark, practiced until his hands couldn’t take it anymore, and let a part of himself die in the process.
In the end, he made it—and the result was satisfying...
It was...
"You’ve got a pretty clear understanding of how things work. Sensible people are the ones who survive in this world. Maybe we can learn something from you."
Mitsuki clenched his fist, slightly irritated.
’Learn from me, you say... What could someone who tramples over those who can’t defend themselves possibly learn from me? I’ve really been holding this in the whole trip...’
He looked down to avoid meeting Marco’s eyes and, with his heart racing, breaking his reserved personality to face his fear, he said:
"I see... Then why did you humiliate me that day at the guild? Is it because of how I look? Because of how I act around others? I don’t think you can learn anything from someone as pathetic as me."
Marco paused for a moment.
’Of course... You won’t answer, because anyone who bullies the weak is brainless trash.’
He was wrong. Marco took it seriously and answered plainly.
"I apologize for that, but the reason for my actions was because you’re friends with the Witch and the Princess, and I can’t stand people who associate with arrogant nobles. Anyone who wags their tail happily in front of those despicable people is nothing more than a naive idiot who can’t see reality."
"The truth? What truth?" Mitsuki said, raising his voice slightly. "Ellegaard and Jeanne are good people. They saved me from the dangers of Nemoria, guided me to Luxar, and taught me how to defend myself. What other truth is there besides that?"
Marco paused. Disappointed, his voice lowered.
"You’ll realize it when you explore more of the world and see what nobles are capable of. If we make it out of this alive, I’ll show you the truth."
After saying that, Marco moved to leave the room, but stopped to add something else.
"Monar is outside right now, looking for a way out. For the moment, there are no enemies nearby, so rest as much as you can—we’ll be running again very soon."
Finally, Mitsuki was left alone, staring at the floor as he thought.
’You’re the one who doesn’t want to see the truth.’
They belonged to different worlds, so it was difficult for them to see what the other saw. While Mitsuki had met those girls who helped him, what had Marco experienced to hold such a view of nobles?