234 – What lies beyond
“Oh, you are indeed of the royal family. Still, it seems like there are some things you learned through home study. You did very well for your first time. “I will ask you more often in the future.”
The Prime Minister smiled brightly and spoke words of praise. The princess, who was already exhausted, fell into her chair and couldn’t even reply.
It’s definitely not physically exhausting. Up until now, he had undergone several arduous training sessions, and had already reached the master level and was able to convert magical power into physical strength. He had even reorganized his body and increased his capabilities by consuming firefly crystal fruit, so his body did not complain of fatigue at all.
But I thought it would have been better for my body to be hard. Sticking out your tongue, panting, and sweating like a tired dog seemed like a better option than this.
‘I really don’t have the aptitude for this kind of work.’
Now I truly understand why my father always looked so stressed out. Governing was not an easy thing to even joke about. In order to rule properly, rather than just enjoy power, the monarch had to be prepared to suffer physically and mentally.
Of course, that was also because the current beast-human kingdom does not seem to be running properly anywhere, so it needs a ruling hand from start to finish. This means that more work has been added than usual.
“I heard you’re going home early today…?”
As proof, the sun has already set and the moon is high in the sky, but Prime Minister Lambeth, who claims to be going home early today, is not even ready to pack his bags. Yang, who was yawning, burst into laughter upon hearing the princess’s words.
“It’s early. I usually leave work around the time the rooster crows and go back to work in the morning. “I think I’ll be able to go home before dawn today, so I’m satisfied.”
The princess, who was deeply dissatisfied, became solemn. If that is true, it was clear that he asked for help because he really wanted to live. He had no idea how anyone could live like that.
“If you do that, will you have enough time to sleep?”
“You can make up for lack of sleep by taking a nap during the day. It feels like my lifespan is decreasing in real time, but thanks to that, I’m not starving. “Isn’t it good to accumulate wealth because you don’t have time to spend money?”
Whether I was liberated or enlightened, the answer I received was shocking. However, beyond being just the recitation of a crazy person, it also had its own sagacity.
“There are people in the world who work from dawn to night and only receive a daily salary to survive. “Compared to that, how happy am I?”
Seeing the Prime Minister smiling while saying that, Ardein could not say anything. In his younger days, he would have laughed at the Prime Minister’s words, but now he knows full well that it is true.
There are people who cannot even compare themselves at their lowest point and who live more miserable lives than the sick even though they are not sick. When the world is in turmoil and there are more people desperate for a penny, the value of manpower sometimes becomes less than that of a cow.
I hope the world becomes peaceful as soon as possible.
Now she prayed sincerely.
*****
“Whoa! I think I’m finally going to buy some! “The frustration has gone away.”
After shouting loudly, Roca now smiles brightly, as if he had just spit out all his troubles. I had to close my eyes because of the mercilessly blowing wind, but this guy seemed to enjoy even the wind passing by him. Now we were sailing quietly across the distant sky.
[It used to fly like this. It wasn’t flying, it was jumping. Hmm, it feels good to fly after a long time.]
The dragon that regained its body seemed to be happy about anything it did with its body, and its expression was bright recently. To put it in an analogy, it is like a person suffering from paralysis who is able to get up and walk again.
I can’t even imagine how great the emotion and joy would be at that time. Even humans are like that, so how frustrating must it have been for a dragon to lose its body?
I regretted that if I had known this would happen, I would have given the firefly crystal fruit a long time ago.
“Master, look at that! “You can see Epirna’s royal castle at a glance!”
The dragon’s speed was so fast that it took him about a day to return the way he came in an instant. By the way, considering that he still calls it Ephyrna’s royal castle and not ‘my’ royal castle, it seems clear that he consciously or unconsciously regards the position of the king as something to be desired.
“Hey, look at that! The Beast King is riding the Guardian Dragon!”
“The guardian dragon passed away in the form of a dragon! Everyone, come out! “You can’t see something like this even if you pay money!”
The beasts came rushing out from below and opened their eyes wide at the sight of this amazing sight. In fact, I thought I would go outside if I heard that a dragon had appeared. Moreover, if His Majesty the Emperor were to ride on a dragon, he would be willing to pay to see it.
Roka is the Beast King, so here in the Beastin Kingdom, he is not inferior to the Emperor. That’s the norm, and even for the same monarch, his status varies greatly depending on his national power, but for those below, Loka’s status will surpass His Majesty the Emperor.
“Waaah, long live Your Majesty the Beast King! Hurray! Long live!”
In fact, when one person cheered, everyone shouted words of praise loudly as if they were singing in unison. It was so loud that even we up above could hear it.
At a time like this, it would have been possible to win over the public’s support if he had just waved his hand, but instead, Roca covered his face with both hands and lowered his head. It looks like his face got hot.
“Please don’t do that.”
[Good to hear. What are you doing?]
“…I have a lot to say, but I won’t.”
Luckily for Roka, the dragon was so fast that it passed by the Beast King Castle in no time. The cheers of the numerous prisoners in the capital were soon drowned out by the sound of the wind and could no longer be heard.
[Should we go a little further north?]
“Yes. “It looks like we still have to go further.”
[Hmm, tell me if it’s cold. I’ll lower your altitude. Unlike us dragons, humans are very fragile.]
As we headed a little further north, it started to snow. The snow blew in the wind and settled on us a little.
Things that touched the face immediately melted and disappeared due to body heat, but things that fell on the hair or on the dragon’s carapace stayed a little longer.
“You won’t be cold. “Because I am there.”
Roca took advantage of this opportunity and hugged me from behind. It was warm enough to feel comfortable, as if the sun’s magic had been slightly increased. It really felt like the sun was shining on me from behind. When I said thank you, Roca smiled happily.
How much longer did we have to go through the blizzard? Beyond, I could vaguely see a mountain range that I had already crossed once.
Any man-made castle wall would be nothing more than a crude toy in front of those tall, towering mountains that stretch out like a wall.
The Kalkamir Alpine Mountains are famous on the continent. The wind continued to blow from there. Our altitude was already quite high, but compared to the Kalkamir Mountains, we were only halfway up. The summit wasn’t even visible yet.
[It’s an incredibly large mountain range. Are those the Kalkamir Mountains that I only heard about? But, should we go further north than this?]
I should give you an answer, but the words didn’t come out well.
Gulp.
I swallowed my saliva without realizing it.
It can’t be like this, it shouldn’t be like this.
“Master? Are you okay? Master?”
[Huh? Do I have to go further north?]
Why further north than here…
Do you feel this much vitality?
She looked at Roca for a moment, but she only had a worried look on her face, and she didn’t seem to notice anything strange. Azahada just opened her mouth in a similarly blunt manner and urged me to answer.
…Do you really feel nothing?
Is there such a huge existence of life?
[Let’s talk quickly! I mean, is it the north?]
“Not north… But up. “Can we go a little higher?”
[Higher from here? Surely you don’t want to go up to the sea of stars? It’s not that it’s impossible, but I don’t really want to do that.]
Absolutely not.
It’s a lot lower than that.
A place that can still be called heaven.
…I hope you can see the outline at that level.
[Hmm, then shall we go up to a higher altitude? I, too, would like to see the top of this mountain range.]
I’m not sure right now whether what I’m seeing is real or just an illusion. For now, I just hope that my worries are unfounded.
I wish I could see the outline at that level.
If not, its size… Would be beyond my imagination.
*****
Into the swirling curtain of cold, he quietly stretched out his hand. It was only after I felt his entire hand freezing along with a cold sensation that I withdrew his hand again.
Not even the seemingly invincible purple sword or nearly infinite magic power could prevent his arm from freezing. The demon king casually broke his frozen arm and ripped it off.
“Was it really the best?”
Even though it was as if his arm had been cut off, he didn’t make a single groan. Anyway, for someone with a monster’s body, about one arm is the only area that can be recovered.
Instead, he clicked his tongue and continued speaking in a sad tone. The Demon King, who has lived for a long time, has met many heroes in history.
Among all the heroes, he was the great hero who contributed the most to increasing the number of people in this world, but he paid a price for more than just his feats. No matter how much I shouted, he probably wouldn’t hear me.
Something not even allowed by God.
If humans try, they will only be destroyed.
“Maybe it was like that for you.”
But even after paying such a price, the only thing that could be done was to postpone.
It is truly unfortunate. Indeed.