Episode 29. Building the Real Emperor (1)
[The skill 「Expression Management」 Is temporarily canceled.]
I looked down blankly at Leones, who had become rags.
It was an unrealistic look.
The body exploded and the blood spread in all directions, the organs leaked out and were scattered in the dirty dust, none of them felt realistic.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her even though I was looking at her grotesque appearance.
“Hey… Ariel…….”
“Ugh, huh?”
“Why…… Why did Leones become like this…… ?”
“…… I don’t think I could have escaped Ekabel’s breath.”
No. That’s not the answer I want.
…… Is this my fault?
Did I make the wrong decision again?
Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t I feel the beastmen coming from behind?
Because you have no strength? Was it because Ecabell was the focus?
If I had known they were coming, I would have told them to spread the barrier to protect them as much as possible, not around me.
Even if it wasn’t possible to save everyone, it would have been possible to save as much as Leones.
“Ah… aha… Ahahahahaha…….”
I laughed out loud.
Let’s calm down for now. It was just something to use anyway.
The leader of the resistance can be taken over by someone else. He says he wants to be friends with that person again. Long term can be changed at any time.
Anyway, Leones was only a supporting character in the game and in this world, and if he protects the empire and the warriors well, he can see a happy ending.
Obviously…… I can see…….
“Prause…… ?”
“…… f*ck.”
That’s what you mean, you stupid bastard.
If you really thought that way, there’s no way you’d feel so f*cked up.
I clenched my fist as I bit my lower lip until blood leaked out. I felt like I was about to burst into tears.
“Master?”
Get down on one knee and look down at Leones. My knees on the ground are wet with blood, but I’m fine now.
“Leones…… You survived until the end…….”
In the game, they survived to the end, achieved the liberation of slaves, and achieved independence safely.
But why do people die so pointlessly in this world?
“Why did this happen?”
I took a potion from her bag and poured it over her mouth. But the potion didn’t react.
For those who have already died, potions are useless.
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“f*ck!”
Clang!
I threw the potion out of nowhere. Can’t control breathing The excitement just couldn’t subside.
“Master… ….”
I slowly turned my head at the familiar voice from the side. The warriors stood there, not knowing what to do.
“…… Sorry.”
I felt like I knew how much I couldn’t control my emotions when I faced the warriors. I struggled to suppress the emotions that were about to spill out.
“…… Master, Ecabel has run away.”
“I guess so.”
I closed the eyes of Leones, who had not been able to close them until the moment he died.
When her eyes closed, she realized that she was really dead.
I felt like my head was about to go bad with guilt and sadness.
“…… I’m sure there will be victims every time the demons attack in the future.”
I’m sure it will continue to come out.
Someone I know, like Leones, may die. It could have been Ella or Urca.
In the end, even the warriors may become friends with the demon king.
However, the dead will not come back to life.
This is not the game world I knew. It was not a place where even if you died, you could come back to life.
It was a reality where everything ends once you die.
I removed the hologram floating in front of me. Facial expression management is only released when it is really useless.
What do you mean by showing emotions to others?
If you receive sympathy or even comfort, the result won’t change.
“But I will see a real happy ending. How did I get here…….”
A real happy ending where none of the people I know die, and I can meet up tomorrow and say hello with a smile.
However, when a human-man war broke out, it could not end without anyone dying. No matter how strong I or the hero was, I couldn’t protect all humans.
But I intend to do everything I can. Because this world is the reality I live in.
The reality I live in must never end in tragedy.
“I will not hesitate anymore. Never.”
I quickly wiped away the tears that leaked out of my eyes and stood up.
“Ariel.”
“Uh, huh?”
“Clean up the corpses of the prisoners here. To make it look as complete as possible. I want to bury the things that are too damaged.”
The horrors that caught my eyes were too terrible to ask the young warriors.
“Okay. I am resting for a while.”
“And…… As soon as the situation is over, I will go to meet the World Tree. I killed Ragor, so there’s no objection, right? Naiad.”
“…… Right. I will allow you to enter the spirit realm.”
Naiad, who was manifesting next to Iris, nodded.
If you meet the World Tree, there are a lot of things you need to ask. Surely, if you get answers to those questions, you might find the answers to overcome the War of Man and Horse.
But before that, I was thinking of enthroning the real emperor as in the original story. So that the prisoners could live in the empire.
Now, for the prisoners who are approaching two months of independence, re-entering the empire would be a reluctance.
However, the Forest of Beasts was no longer suitable for them to live in. The Beastman’s Forest almost collapsed due to the breath emitted by Ekabel.
The place where demons infiltrated once could come twice or three times.
No prisoner would want to live in such a place.
“Phasma, you must have listened to Chris’s instructions not to let the beastmen in, right? If you intend to stop me, I will not use your sword any longer.”
[…] … Do not worry. Do you intend to follow It was a bit disgusting to me to see him trying to exclude the beasts from the threat of the demons, rather than saving them. It’s not something I would say as I once assisted the imperial family.]
Phasma’s expression was somewhat uncomfortable, but she agreed.
“I will have Chris step down in a few days. If you refuse, I will kill you without hesitation.”
This time it’s not a deal. It was a threat.
Today, just collecting the bodies and handing them over to the bereaved families seemed to be running out of time. Do I have to inform Princess Se-ri to prepare for her enthronement as emperor?
“Of course, if there is anyone other than the emperor who resists, I will kill them all with my own hands.”
No one opened his mouth to my declaration that I would openly commit treason.
Now, this is the only way to make beastmen on the side of the Empire. Except for making them aware that if the empire collapses, they will die too.
“I will follow.”
“Iris, I told you. It’s not your business to intervene—”
“But Master is acting for the Beast Tribe right now, isn’t it? If I am the hero of the Beast Tribe, I think it is justified to intervene in this situation.”
“…… Is that so?”
I reluctantly agreed. If she had her it would be easy for her to take down Chris forces.
“Can I wear it too, Master?”
“Me too! I want you to let me do it. Since Iris is my friend, it was written in the book that it is only natural to help a friend in trouble.”
Tina said, holding Iris’s hand tightly.
“… I get it. Do it. But I will make it impossible for you to step forward. This is because of my poor judgment.”
I organize the variables I created.
* * *
When all the corpses were collected and returned to the gates of the empire, many people just stared at them in amazement.
Soon after, the gathered beastmen began to wail loudly in search of their parents or children.
Even Glair, who always had a cold and indifferent expression, stared blankly at the gruesome scene for a while.
After a while, he asked me about the situation, and I answered it in as much detail as possible. He immediately understood the seriousness of the situation and shook his head heavily.
“The Todia family will take responsibility and guarantee their safety. I will also look for prisoners who have not escaped yet. I’ll call the wizards later to cast a massive teleport, so rest until then.”
“…… Thank you.”
I felt less tired on the physical side thanks to the potion, but my mind, which couldn’t easily accept Leones’ death, was in a state of exhaustion.
Every time I thought of her, I wanted to get her to sleep as soon as possible because of the headache that hit me.
“…… Prause,”
“What is it?”
Glare catches me trying to hide.
“Then, do you intend to start a succession war to destroy Chris’ power?”
“Not right. If you follow me, I won’t kill you. But if you try to resist even a little, I will kill you without mercy.”
“…… Is it.”
He carefully looked into my expression. It’s like trying to read my thoughts and feelings.
“Are you going to stop me?”
“…… How can I stop someone stronger than me? It’s obvious that you won’t listen to me anyway.”
“You know that.”
I laughed helplessly. He stared at my face quite seriously.
“…… Is the treason worth it?”
“Seri will be of great help in achieving harmony between humans and other races. And that unity will surely be a great strength in dealing with the demons.”
“…… Is it.”
He had a nonchalant voice like any other answer, but his face seemed prepared for something.
“I cannot help the rebellion.”
“I don’t even want it.”
“But I will not be on the side of Emperor Chris. If you succeed in rebellion, the Todia family will fully support Princess Tax Collector.”
“Why? Shouldn’t the Todia family be loyal to the current emperor, Chris?”
“It is my judgment. If it’s wrong, it can’t be helped. But I know for sure that what you’ve done so far is for the sake of the Empire.”
Is it because I heard it from an unexpected person?
Unknowingly, I opened my eyes wide.
“No matter how rough and violent the process was, you always fought for the Empire. As for the issue of other races, at first glance it seems like betraying the empire, but in reality it was to protect the empire from demons. Humans alone won’t be able to deal with demons.”
“!”
“So I won’t stand in your way.”
At the end of his words, I unknowingly clenched my fists.
What is it? This feeling.
It seems to tell me that what I have done so far has been right. The feeling of being understood made me feel more comfortable than I thought.
“…… Thank you, Glare.”
“Huh. If you’re grateful, tell me how to break through the 8th tier later.”
…… Are you a snob to the end? Give me back my excitement
I thought so, but I didn’t feel bad. Rather refreshing.
I felt like I had gained a new driving force to move forward so that Leones’ death would not be in vain.