◈ 393. [Side Story] Sleeping with the enemy (4)
Tap, tap… … .
A bonfire burns.
I still haven’t gotten out of District 10, but I had to take a break.
Apparently, my body was in a state where I came out of the spirit world, so I was not in my spirit condition. I couldn’t move for a long time.
I found an abandoned building and went inside, found firewood and set it on fire.
Salome went out to find something to eat for me (is there anything to eat in this town?), and ordered Mason to guard the outside.
“Looks like I’ll live a bit… … .”
A campfire provides not only warmth.
light.
District 10 is a place where skyscrapers all over the place emit light like street lights to provide visibility, but basically it is a place where the suffocating darkness is thick.
Shake, shake… … .
The sound of gnawing insects echoes from all directions. It is the sound of the approaching darkness.
I tried to ignore it and peered into the bonfire from a distance, then suddenly raised my head.
The dark sky- No, since it is under the lake, it should be called the dark surface of the water. In any case, it covered the field of view extensively.
Above the distant darkness lies the ground.
Again, it felt so far away.
It feels like you’ve crash-landed on an unknown alien planet in a broken spaceship. There must be an earth beyond that vast universe, but… … .
‘Can I go back?’
It’s not just a crossroads story. I wiped my tired eyes.
Recall the dream you had just before waking up here.
Me on Earth, life as a ‘classics virtuoso’.
I felt like I had come a long way from being an ordinary roommate. frightened at the same time.
‘Can I go back?’
This time it’s not a physical story.
Even if I assumed that after clearing all the stages, reaching the true ending, winning the wish, and returning to my original world.
Was the me at that time really me?
During the past year of raiding, I was worn out a lot.
I got used to Ash’s body, face, and voice, and I became a little more brazen, a little more brutal. She has seen countless real deaths.
He was a player, he tried to be a tyrant, and in the end he didn’t even become a monster.
Already, I am a completely different person from the old classic deokhu.
When I reach the end of this game, how much more will I change?
There is a famous philosophical problem called the ‘Ship of Theseus’. The question is, ‘When the parts of a ship are replaced one by one, if all parts are finally replaced, is the ship still Theseus’ ship?’
‘After all this is over… … .’
After all parts of the body have been replaced.
In the end, what am I going to be?
“… … .”
While basking in the bonfire, looking up into the deep darkness, he suddenly spat out a sentence.
I guess I was born in this darkness, grew up in this darkness, and still survive in this darkness.
Now I’m struggling because I don’t know where to go. To do it, I am haggard as if I am the focus of the century.
It was then.
《Oh clothes? what is that? city?”
Salome returned just in time. There is something like fruit in her hands.
Somehow embarrassed, I answered while rummaging through the firewood.
“… … It’s an essay. Written by a famous poet.”
“It’s cool, Ash! You look intelligent!”
“Thank you for the compliment… … .”
The poet who wrote this essay is amazing, I am just an imitator who memorizes and reads.
Embarrassed, I quickly took the fruit from Salome’s hand. The fruit exudes a refreshing scent as if freshly picked.
“How did you get such fresh stuff from a place like this?”
“Among the corps commanders, there is a guy who enjoys eating. He knew he was taking over the farms here and making cider. I secretly entered his base and sneaked in.”
Maybe it’s because he’s a dreamer, so he didn’t get caught and it seems like he succeeded in a splendid way. This guy is more useful than I thought.
I chewed the fruit I received. As I passed the juice through my dry throat, I felt like I was going to live a little.
Squatting right next to me silently chewing on fruit, Salome rested her chin on her hands and stared at me. The gaze is burdensome… … .
“… … why. what. why.”
“No, I like to look at you because I eat well. Huhuhu.》
“You’re not poisoned, are you?”
“Could that be?! what the. What do you see me as?”
As I finished one fruit, Salome drew closer to me, her eyes twinkling.
《Did you eat well?》
“Well, yes. I ate well.”
“Then should I thank you?”
“… … thanks?”
“No, don’t greet me like that.”
I was wondering what the hell did you want to do, but Salome made an unreasonable request.
“Tell me another poem! You can sing for me!”
I dropped out of school.
“What are you asking for… … .”
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“But the recitation was good! I want to hear more, more!”
“no. I won’t do it anymore because it’s embarrassing.”
“Oh, don’t do that. Seeing it in my dream, you did well when you were broadcasting in the past… … omg.”
Salome stopped talking and covered her mouth.
“… … ?”
I didn’t understand for a moment, so I blinked my eyes blankly, but belatedly I understood what he meant.
How does this guy know I’ve been ‘broadcasting’?
“you you… … ! no way!”
I pointed my trembling index finger at Salome.
“You can’t believe you read my memories?!”
“That, that, could you say it couldn’t be helped?!”
Urgently pulling her body back from me, Salome rolled her big eyes and made excuses.
《In the process of bringing you from the spirit world to reality, we had to be in contact with you! I see every dream! Should I say that I came to read your dreams naturally… … ?!”
“… … .”
“So stop, I took a peek at your memories in that world… … uh… … .》
I shuddered. I wondered why I was suddenly recalling my entire life on Earth.
This dreamer must have played tricks, to read my past… … !
“Salome, I can no longer keep you alive… … .”
I muttered eeriely and got up. Salome started to hiccup.
“Now that I know I am not the real Ash, I must kill you and seal your mouth… … .”
I am a human from another world possessed by the body of this crazy prince.
There’s nothing good about a monster knowing that. After all, Salome has no choice but to kill… … !
《What does it matter?!》
At that time, Salome exclaimed in an angry voice.
“I didn’t like you because you were Ash! I didn’t like you because you were a prince, and I didn’t like you because you were a city lord or rich! That doesn’t mean anything to me, a monster!”
“… … .”
“I just said that I liked you because you were you!”
Salome, who shamelessly continued her embarrassing confession, murmured while avoiding her gaze immediately afterward.
“No, of course, I’m not sure if this is really how I feel, so I’m sticking with you to find out… … anyway… … .》
… … How did you lose your pulse?
I was about to kill Salome by using the ‘Absolute Command’, but I sighed and sat down again in front of the campfire. Salome carefully looked at me like that.
“Aren’t you going to kill me?”
“I will kill you… … Not now, later… … .”
For now, Salome is useful.
Killing is certain, but not now. I’m a bit tired right now to see more people die.
As I crouched helplessly again in front of the campfire, Salome crept back to me.
“Hehehe.”
“… … What do you like to laugh at?”
《Your secret that no one else in the world knows, only you know.》
Salome patted me on the chest and boasted.
“Don’t worry, we are already accomplices, right? Your secret must be! I’ll take it to the grave!”
I will dig that grave myself sometime.
Swallowing my words, I silently nodded. Salome kept laughing at what was so good.
***
Mason, who stood guard outside, was called.
His body was still repeating disintegration and regeneration. He doesn’t know when he won’t be able to hold on and die, so I’ll have to do some interrogation while he’s still breathing.
It took the form of a monster that seemed to be a mixture of all kinds of beasts, but among them, a bear and a tiger stood out.
Here again, the face is half human, so it’s a bit scary to face each other.
“Answer my questions now, Mason.”
Salome’s fascination is still being heard. Mason quietly nodded her head.
“I said the mission was accomplished. what exactly does that mean Did you really come to meet the demon lord?”
“That’s right. You have succeeded in meeting the Demon King.”
I gritted my teeth.
To be honest, I looked down on the Aegis task force.
Because everything these bastards do is a waste of money. I have nothing to do with the grandiose name of Ambu.
But I have to admit this.
These damn bastards succeeded in dispatching an envoy to the bottom of hell here, and ended up meeting the enemy commander.
After- I breathed in and glared at Mason.
“Fernandez said he was sending you to make a ‘declaration of surrender’ to the demon king.”
Mason once told me clearly:
– A declaration of surrender, Your Highness Prince Ash. It is an expression of complete surrender to humans and monsters.
The reason why Fernandez dispatched an envoy to the demon king.
It was for the declaration of defeat against the monster of mankind.
… … I can’t understand it even now, I want to be some kind of crazy bullshit, but anyway, this was Fernandez’s order to Mason. And Mason,
“That’s right. I had an audience with the Demon King and informed them of humanity’s intention to surrender.”
really delivered it.
It was a f*cking feast of crazy idiots. I pondered for a moment on whether or not to spit out the surging nutmeg, but Mason continued.
《Instead of surrendering, we begged to avoid a future where the monsters would exterminate all of humanity.》
“… … what?”
《The Empire, to be exact, requested that at least all the personnel of New Terra be saved. This was Her Highness Fernandez’s request.”
So, what is it?
Instead of giving up fighting monsters anymore, instead of letting the rest of the world die, did you ask that at least the people of the ecliptic be spared?
“why? I’m still holding on to the crossroads. The monster front can fight enough more… … !”
《His Highness Fernandez has the power to foresee the future, albeit in a limited form.》
Is it because he is enchanted?
Mason continued the story in a gulp. I swallowed dry saliva.
can you see the future? Is it Fernandez?
《His Highness Fernandez witnessed it himself. The collapse of all four fronts of the Empire, and the threat pouring in from all sides, devastating the Empire.”
“… … .”
It reminded me of the ‘Guardian Meeting’ that I had in the ecliptic in the past.
North, West, Center, and South.
The four imperial defense fronts that the emperor and the three princes each took charge of.
“All other threats were overcome. The alien gods of the northern spirit world, the dragon lady of the western kingdom of Bringer, and the strife in the central underground… … However, only the southern monster front. It was a ruin that could not be overcome no matter what.”
“… … .”
«In the end, Inse was destined to be invaded and destroyed by monsters unleashed by the demon king. No matter how hard you try, you can’t overcome this, His Highness Fernandez said.”
“so?”
“So, His Highness Fernandez has decided to become emperor. He rises to the position where he can decide the fate of mankind, and wants to save as many people as possible.”
“Is that ‘human’ limited to humans living in the capital of the empire…? … ?”
“That’s right.”
I was dumbfounded and laughed out loud.
It’s limited, but you can see the future?
And doom is destiny?
That’s why he chose to surrender to the Demon King and beg for his life? Not even all of humanity, but only a select few living in the ecliptic… … ?
《But the Demon King refused our surrender.》
“… … !”
《The Demon King said this. ‘Among the innumerable iterations of the game, there has never been a case like this one. Your declaration of surrender gave me great pleasure. But, Fernandez. You are not my adversary.’
Mason raised his eyes and looked at me.
《’My opponent is still fighting. I am struggling to make the next move on top of the collapsing chessboard and enduring it.’
I clenched my fists.
《’Until he gives up, the game isn’t over yet.’》
