671 – 8. Last Words (45)
“None of the good swordsmanship or the famous sword that was said to be sharp were of any help. Because I was a human being who only knew how to kill something, but not how to save it… Only then did I realize it. “How helpless and selfish I was!”
The calm voice suddenly took on a wave of emotion and began to tremble repeatedly. The middle-aged man’s lips trembled as he confessed his sin.
“I didn’t give up the throne. It’s just that it was troublesome and difficult, so I passed it on to my younger brother… The child lived and died in the imperial palace all his life. Didn’t my younger brother have a dream? “If I had fulfilled my responsibilities, wouldn’t it have allowed me to enjoy a more free life?”
“Isn’t that something unknown?”
“I know!”
Even with my impulsive consolation, the swordsman could not easily shake off his regret. If he had been a child who didn’t have to worry about his body, he might have been struggling by now.
Death.
This is probably because the helplessness I felt in front of him was worse than I imagined. If he had a disease that even the imperial family could not cure, it would most likely be a lifespan issue. No matter how great a person he was, he could not live against the will of heaven.
It was something that even a ‘saint’ who freely crossed the threshold of life and death would not do.
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“But after reaching the position of ‘swordsmith’ and living for several decades… I kept thinking of my younger brother. That child must have been just as frustrated and tired as I am now. “I am living to fulfill the responsibilities I was unable to fulfill then.”
After the last confession, the swordsman slowly stood up. He put a thick hand on my shoulder with a stern expression.
The weight that was placed on my chin was so heavy.
I almost stopped moaning.
“Every stubbornness comes with responsibility. You may think that you have been carrying out your beliefs on your own, but that is not true… Someone will be accepting your responsibility. “Isn’t it true?”
No.
I wanted to shake my head reflexively, but there were too many scenes flashing on my retina.
The saint who cried not long ago.
Senior Elsie was often covered in blood. Senior Delphine also had to gamble with his family, and Shien almost died in a battle with a ‘vampire’.
It wasn’t just that.
Emma, Ceria, Celine.
The lips that were quivering close as the names come to mind one after another. As I was unable to answer and was avoiding eye contact, the swordsman continued to give me soft advice.
“Did you say you wish you had power? No, even if you become a ‘master’, you can’t not throw away anything.”
Suddenly, a man from the future came to mind. He was a man equipped with overwhelming force, but in the end he had to throw it all away.
He also probably didn’t want to lose anything.
“Actually, I am… I hope you will follow in my footsteps and become the defender of the empire. “Furthermore, I hope to become someone who will protect humanity.”
He patted my shoulder a couple of times and confessed his true feelings without hiding anything.
“So, become an adult. “Protecting something also means not protecting something.”
I couldn’t answer for a while. As if the swordsman understood my feelings, he patted my shoulder a few more times and then turned his back to leave the conference room.
Just before he left the conference room.
“…… “The old swordsman!”
At the sound of a voice that could not hide its agitation, the swordsman’s gaze glanced backwards. I still gathered my confusion and somehow managed to spit out a question.
“What…” What have you thrown away? “To become an adult.”
“My dream.”
This was the answer that came back without even hesitation.
Huh, the swordsman’s eyes, after bursting into laughter, became particularly lonely.
“I plan to travel around the entire continent and live there…” It was an immature dream. “It may not be possible now.”
Just like that, the swordsman left. He left a heavy warmth on my shoulder and presented me with an unresolved problem.
Maybe I should think about it a little more. Suffering a little more.
*
It was two days later that the decision to dispatch the swordsman was made.
Research on how to destroy the relics of the Seven Sins began the day before, and I was going about my daily life after giving instructions to senior Syene to obtain intelligence related to Dalton.
No, should I say it is everyday life?
Spending time in bed doing nothing was truly unfamiliar. It was the life I dreamed of every time I went through hard training as a child, but as an adult, it was as frustrating as clothes that didn’t fit.
It would have been better if we had been able to prepare for battle.
My already broken body was refusing to even train. If I vomited blood again, I would have to see the saint’s tears again, so I had no choice but to quietly rest.
Is the life of a married man this bleak?
It was around lunchtime that day when I suddenly remembered a goal I had forgotten.
It was an opportunity to access ‘me’ memories from the future while I was asleep. Perhaps because the assimilation rate had increased so much, the frequency with which I peeked into the man’s memories had become unprecedentedly frequent.
And I saw it again.
An alchemist with reddish-brown hair, a woman laughing and chatting as she walks side by side with her man.
“Okay, Emma… ….”
Why did I forget?
I said I would visit you as soon as the meeting ended, but I was so busy going through things afterwards that I seemed to have forgotten. I quickly got ready and headed out the door.
Even after the swordsmith left, the academy was having an uneventful day. At first glance, I heard that a faculty meeting will be held soon and a decision will be made to temporarily close the school.
It was a story that had nothing to do with me. As I was heading towards the research building of the Department of Alchemy, a strange sight suddenly caught my eye.
It looked like the soldiers of the Seongguk were moving something tightly hidden in cloth. Several people were blocking the shipment with their bodies, but my developed energy was still alive regardless of my physical condition.
It won’t matter if we pass by like this.
I was caught by an unknown intuition and stopped walking. My hands and mouth started moving randomly, as if I had thought out of context that I had to go see Emma.
“Wait a minute.”
Then the procession of Seongguk soldiers suddenly stopped.
As soon as they confirmed my identity, they saluted me and immediately did not hide their puzzled looks. His face looked as if he had no idea what on earth he had called him for.
The people I encountered once or twice in passing were probably not low-ranking soldiers at least.
I secretly guessed their identities and asked questions.
“What is that?”
At the end of the direction my finger was pointing, of course, there was the transported goods wrapped in several layers of cloth. The Seongguk soldiers just made eye contact and looked confused.
Of course, it was just a moment of agitation.
Soon, a soldier who appeared to be the representative approached me cautiously, and he whispered to me, being careful not to let his voice escape.
“This is the liquid that leaked from the relic of the Seven Sins.”
It was inevitable that my expression crumpled in an instant.
“What nonsense… No, you mean? How dangerous is that? Last time, the liquid fell into the hands of the Seven Sins and caused an uproar…… !”
“Permission was granted to export for research purposes. I received permission from Prince Dalton Alpenhauser… Since Patriarch Eindel also agreed to this, we are delivering the liquid to the Patriarch as requested.”
Dalton?
Even without that, it was unpleasant. When I heard the name of someone I disliked, my voice naturally became harsher.
“Is Dalton the only representative of the Empire? Assuming that the old man was absent, I didn’t hear a single word.”
“Yes?”
Rather, the one who was embarrassed was the Seongguk soldier. His eyes widened, and then a tone full of disbelief followed.
“But, isn’t this something that Sir Ian also agrees with? A request to take out the liquid came in early this morning in Sir Ian’s name, so I must have delivered it to you.”
“Me? At dawn?”
Soldier Seongguk was even more incredulous at my absurd reaction and began to look around at him. As soon as I saw it, I felt it right away.
The fact is that if you interrogate this person, no meaningful information will come out.
After saying that I understood, I immediately turned around and headed towards Alpenhauser’s office. I was planning to ask Dalton in detail what was going on.
What kind of confidence did you have to do something like this?
That liquid was clearly a dangerous item. Even if research was conducted, it was not allowed to be touched by soldiers, and it had to be investigated in complete secrecy by a trustworthy person.
While heading to the office, my hand fiddled with the hatchet at my waist several times. I tried to control my temper as much as possible, but if they crossed the line first, there would be no reason for me to endure it.
I didn’t even feel like knocking on the door.
With a bang, Dalton burst through the office door and entered right in front of me. He was sitting in his office looking at his documents, and then his inorganic gaze turned to me.
“Ian, what’s your business?” ….”
Quick!
The hatchet that was thrown struck a surprisingly accurate trajectory and landed on the edge of the desk. Nevertheless, I walked steadily towards Dalton, who showed no signs of being agitated.
Boom!
My fist hit the desk as if it would break it. Dalton looked at his hatchet and my face in silence, then began to shake his head.
As if you don’t understand my attitude.
“You seem very angry.”
“Liquid withdrawal, what does that mean?”
Even though I growled out the words, the man’s expression did not change. He just gave obvious answers like an automatic response doll.
“It is legitimate permission for research. Of course, everything from the personnel participating in the export to the person who can request the export has been thoroughly reviewed. Representatives from each country and their trustworthy guards…….”
“Did you secretly take the liquid out last time because you couldn’t trust them?”
Whoa, Dalton sighed softly and slowly stood up. Despite his harsh aura, there was no hint of hesitation in his manly demeanor.
“Ian, I know very well that you hate me. But I’m always trying to make rational decisions.”
“It must be quite difficult to convince me, right? “If you don’t say it right, you’ll have to talk to Hatchet for me.”
“Good. “We’ll make up.”
Dalton said that and pointed out the door with a quick glance. I frowned, but he began to walk without hesitation. He motioned for me to follow him.
“He made up a lot of funny pranks. “Are you trying to get me out of office?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… “Stop talking about it and just talk about taking out the liquid.”
Of course it was a meaningless excuse. Because Dalton didn’t even pretend to hear my denial.
Instead, he continued his steps and added his words.
“It seems like Ian doesn’t really know his position, but I don’t want to turn him into an enemy. “He is someone who will become one of the keys to the next generation of power, both in name and reality.”
“I don’t make enemies on purpose either.”
“I guess so. Of course, the human mind is not that simple… “I tried to show my sincerity as much as possible.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that obvious statement.
Sign of gender?
It was funny that I thought something like that would work for me.
“Let me warn you, gold coins mean nothing to me… ….”
“Now.”
Dalton’s steps stopped only after reaching a certain door. Finally, without hesitation, he opened the door and showed me the view inside.
There, naked.
“How about this? “Not a bad deal for the Alpenhauser family.”
Senior Shiene, naked, was panting and looking at me.
Out-of-focus pupils are turned towards me. I suddenly sensed that something uncontrollable was boiling inside my heart.
And the next moment.
“Is one not enough? Of course, I can add the other one as well… There is no guarantee that you will come to your senses. Well, if you’re okay with just the size of your body… …..”
Tight!
The sound of a fist crushing a face rang out.