Chapter 136: Answer , Human (5)
Since when did he see the afterimages of his comrades.
Abel thought he didn't quite know. A sensation regarded as real even though there is not an inch of stimulus. It was called hallucination collectively. Sight, hearing, sll, taste, touch. If the five senses constitute mory, hallucination, which cannot be one of the five senses, was a problem because it disrupts mory.
They should have been dead, but they were lively.
Although they were taking the appearance at the ti of their death,
The afterimages that arrived by Abel's side seed not to have died yet.
Thus they must be questioning. Toward Abel, asking why he does not die. Asking why he remains alive.
“To kill all the Demon Kings.”
Abel answered like that, but,
“It is an unachievable goal.”
Vanessa denied cheerfully.
“Because you are nothing more than a single human.”
That's right.
Abel Argento, the rising star belonging to the Holy Knights of the Royal Capital.
Recall the ti when you had just been knighted.
“Surely you haven't forgotten, right? Everyone laughed at you. Saying you are too inflexible even for a Holy Knight.”
“I rember.”
Abel held a smile.
While rowing, he continued his words.
“At that ti, I tried hard to keep the duty of a knight. Because it was regarded as a brilliant law to . I believed the world would change if I solidified my duty.”
“You were arrogant and naive at the sa ti.”
“That's right.”
“You are the sa now.”
You were an orphan raised in a village,
And I was an orphan raised in the slums.
Vanessa muttered like that.
“When we first t, you were a novice Holy Knight. I belonged to the City Guard. We worked together to subjugate a monster nesting in the sewer. Throughout accompanying you, I thought. What kind of guy is that.”
It couldn't be helped.
Looking like a young master of a noble family in a cheap play,
Because every ti you opened your mouth, you recited the duty of a knight. I heard you were a commoner and an orphan, but you were too different from .
Protect the weak.
Resist self-righteousness.
Defend the faith.
Such duty is a culture that only the well-fed can enjoy.
Besides, to be able to see fairies.
To be able to beco friends with fairies.
“I thought it was nonsense. Because fairies only talk to the pure.”
Abel listened silently to Vanessa's words.
It was like that once. He must have been innocent enough to build friendship with fairies. Races other than Elves couldn't interact with fairies. Maybe a Troll Shaman could. Fairies didn't easily reveal themselves to humans. Thanks to that, Abel was known as a peculiar figure within the Holy Knights.
“Fairy Knight Abel.”
Right, he thought.
Listening to Vanessa's words, Abel thought.
Once, he was called by such an embarrassing nickna.
“I know your temper well.”
“You always insisted on doing more than one person's share.”
Vanessa spoke, and Maurice chid in.
“That wasn't all. Didn't you blabber sounds soaked in galomania, like wanting to save the world. It felt like watching a protagonist in so fairy tale.”
“It probably isn't different now.”
Vanessa laughed.
“Saying you will kill all the Demon Kings. How many worlds are there? Even fairy tales don't write such content.”
“Answer again, Abel. For what reason are you still alive.”
A sneer spread on Abel's lips.
He knew. The fact that the number of worlds is countless, and that it is impossible for one person to subjugate all the Demon Kings.
Wandering about a hundred worlds was the limit. In the anti, Abel lost his senses. Whatever he crumpled into his mouth, only pain was felt. All resources of the world beca poison to Abel. It always felt like he would fall asleep, but he beca unable to sleep. It was like he forgot the authority to dream.
“To not create a Hero like .”
Thus, Abel answered like that, but,
“It is an unachievable goal.”
Maurice denied cheerfully.
“Because you are nothing more than a single human.”
That is right.
Abel Argento, the Hero among ‘The Mother God's Right Hand’.
Recall the mont you t .
“You probably rember. You told . That you would liberate from my family.”
“I rember.”
Abel withdrew his smile.
While rowing, he continued his words.
“Although your family fell, it ford your na like a brand. You were obsessed with reviving the family, and I wanted to eliminate the deep-seated grudge inherited by you.”
“Hmph, you were quite ddleso.”
“That's right.”
“You are the sa now.”
You were an orphan raised in a village,
And I was a noble with sick parents.
Maurice muttered like that.
“When we first t, you were just about to be chosen by the Holy Sword. I was rely a wanted man. Because I was in the middle of assassinating political opponents to raise the family. You tried to arrest , and I thought. Why must I be caught by a guy like that.”
Wouldn't it be unavoidable.
You must be a Holy Knight with a high reputation, but you are sowhat dim-witted,
And you were talking to with an expression that looked infinitely laid-back. Asking why I am killing people.
You can choose a different path.
You can forget the family.
You can beco free.
You whispered like that after defeating , but,
I could not do so.
“I could not forgive those who exterminated my family. Becoming free from the inherited deep-seated grudge is impossible.”
Abel listened silently to Maurice's words.
It was like that once. He believed all deep-seated grudges could be silenced depending on effort. Wouldn't deep-rooted resentnt also be resolved? Even hatred passed down through generations with blood, he questioned if it could be replaced by sothing else. Abel was overlooking the solidity of inheritance.
“Hero Abel Argento.”
Right, he thought.
Listening to Maurice's words, Abel thought.
Once, he possessed such representativeness.
“I know your temperant well.”
“You are bound to fail in the end.”
Maurice spoke, and Vanessa chid in.
“Killing all the Demon Kings is impossible. Saving all the Heroes is also impossible. You don't have enough capacity for that. In the first place, it's not a goal you can handle alone.”
“We didn't even succeed in reform.”
Maurice laughed.
“Don't you know well. Saintess Ion Blanche, she t a death different from ours. Leon died to kill monsters, Vanessa died to protect the Royal Capital, and I died to save you. However, Ion…….”
Maurice trailed off.
He knew. Hierarchy and self-righteousness, power and fanaticism. The fact that what killed Ion was not a Demon King, but countless people.
It would be easier to reform ordinary people than to kill a Demon King, or to save young Heroes. Abel failed to succeed even in that. The subjects who killed Ion believed in the Demon King rather than the Hero, and Abel watched the woman he loved dying due to distrust.
“So be honest.”
Vanessa whispered, and,
“Right. Say it now.”
Maurice also whispered.
“It's mourning, isn't it.”
“Isn't it mourning.”
The reason you cannot die until now.
Isn't it because of mourning? Since if you die, you will beco unable to honor the dead. Aren't you clinging to life like this rely to mourn?
Vanessa and Maurice asked like that.
“Wrong.”
Abel shook his head.
“Because I……, do not know.”
Mourning.
I cannot mourn anyone.
Abel whispered like that.
“Because I don't know how.”
RATTLE, it went.
Abel's oars were withdrawn.
The black-dyed oars were placed in the middle of the rowboat.
The energy of monsters beca distinct. Before long, slimy lumps beca rampant on the Black Sea, and an indescribable stench ravaged Abel's nostrils. The monsters' nest must be located nearby. The need to move by rowboat disappeared.
Abel's lips twitched.
The second chapter of Mother God Theory, ‘Forming Water Current’.
It was a spell available to walk on water.
Green halos wrapped around Abel's feet, and Abel stepped on the water by ans of that. TAP, TAP, it went. While walking a couple of steps, lifeless ripples spread on the surface of the Black Sea.
“Regarding the thing called mourning.”
Abel looked back.
He saw Vanessa and Maurice sitting on the rowboat.
“It starts when you recall the deceased to not forget them, but nevertheless begin to forget them. It is completed when you suffer because of increasingly blurring mories, and linger around the deceased's grave while knowing it will be painful.”
I cannot do that.
Smiling softly, Abel said.
“Because I cannot forget.”
Because I cannot forget you guys.
Because it is not painful. Because I am happier than ever whenever I face your afterimages. Because I am persistently glad even seeing your appearance at the ti of death.
Because sothing like a grave doesn't exist.
If I have to say, I am your tombstone.
“So I cannot mourn.”
I do not mourn, but rely obsess more than ever.
Abel muttered like that.
“If that is your intention…….”
Looking at Abel, Vanessa spoke.
Abel had moved away, treading on the water current.
“……We have no choice but to apologize.”
Maurice also spoke while looking at Abel.
The figure of Abel with his back to the two gradually beca smaller.
“Because none other than us said it. While facing death, asking you to eliminate the Demon King.”
“It ans our wills made you like this. It would have been better if you had rather died together.”
Abel did not hear.
He just moved forward. Treading on the squelching seawater, he drew his beloved sword. Ripples spread following Abel's steps, and the sword blade withered by ti sharpened while darker than the Black Sea.
The hallucination disappeared, and reality solidified.
“──You ca.”
Thus, in the middle of the sea.
There was a monster.
“I was waiting.”
Intelligent Species, Nodens.
The monster stood on the water current covered with sli.
Two arms and two legs. At a glance, it seed to possess the sa body structure as an intelligent life form.
However, it was different. What covered Nodens's body was sothing like the shell of a crustacean. Its eyeballs were compound eyes made of calcite crystals, and the saw blade grafted onto its right hand extended long like a knife blade.
“Did you co alone.”
“That is correct.”
At Nodens's question, Abel answered.
“Dealing with you alone is enough.”
Abel and Nodens stood facing each other.
Suddenly, while the seawater polluted black beca silent,
“Answer , human.”
Nodens's compound eyes sank into jet black, and,
“What color is your sea.”
“Why do you ask such a thing?”
Abel shrugged his shoulders.
“It is black.”
Infinitely black.
Abel muttered like that.
“Because you guys polluted it.”
Abel spoke while looking back.
Before Abel's eyes, the Black Sea spread endlessly.
He couldn't feel the movent of life in the slightest.
“Is that so.”
Nodens spoke while looking back.
Before Nodens's eyes, blue seawater was rampant.
Lives dense in the water shimred at his feet.
“Then it has beco self-evident.”
WHOOSH, it went.
Nodens swung the blade.
Taking a stance just like that, he announced.
“We will not be able to mix together.”
Co, human.
Let us decide the owner of this sea.
Nodens muttered like that.
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