Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint chapter 467

467 – The actor and the role are separate

Hilde is currently not playing any role. Her acting is intended to deceive someone. But as the one watching from outside the stage, I cannot be deceived by Hilde. Who would sit in the audience and believe the words of the actor on stage without questioning them.

However, the person on the stage is not solely defined by their role.

“Are you still acting now?”

“Acting? No way. Not me.”

“What do you mean? You even call yourself my father. How can that be sincere? Even if I die and come back, it can’t be true.”

When Hilde was born, Hilde was already wandering the world. If the parent-child relationship is what I know, it is logically impossible.

Then Hilde said, as if rebelling, “This face, this name, this status! All given by you! Since you gave birth to the true ‘me,’ you are my father!”

“Did it mean the father of the role? The concept may be exaggerated, but… well, let’s say it’s possible. But it’s noticeable.”

He won’t deny it because he knows it himself. Hilde said that when acting, strength is put into ‘me,’ not in words but in the heart.

With a sharp twist, Hilde opened his eyes and mumbled, “Heh~. Acting really doesn’t work with you, Father~. Oh, I failed~.”

“Failed? What do you mean?”

“‘Me.’ This time, I tried to become a girl that you would like~. Since you helped ‘me,’ I also wanted to ask ‘me’ to adjust to your taste while acting~.”

Hilde, who let out a deep sigh, shook his head and continued, “Maybe because there is no clear motive. It’s much more difficult than acting as someone else~.”

“What do you want to achieve by pleasing my heart?”

“Filial piety! Isn’t it natural for a child to want to look good in the eyes of their father? And… I have to bring you to the imperial court.”

“Are you talking about the king of the imperial court you mentioned back then?”

“Yes~. The king of the imperial court that you hastily made and abandoned.”

Hastily made? It’s not something I made; he awakened on his own and took on the role. Seeing my expression, Hilde shrugged.

“Yes. You let Avery decide everything. Manager Yuel resisted you, but ‘me,’ who is in charge, agrees with you. However… even with Avery, it’s impossible to handle everything alone.”

“Avery Captain is not alone. There are hundreds of communication soldiers.”

“Whether it’s a few thousand, it’s the same. A country cannot be built with a few hundred girls modeled after a convent. Saint Chong is not just coming to the empire for no reason. Even if you have the power to manipulate destiny, you can’t rule over humans without dirt.”

A convent. Still, isn’t it a bit too dismissive of communication soldiers? They have imitated the power of the original to some extent. Well, saints, like nuns, seem equally incapable of ruling a country.

“Anyway, Hilde has achieved his goal.”

“Well, Tirkanshaka went wild, and somehow it went that way. But the purpose of pleasing you didn’t succeed, right?”

“That purpose has already been achieved, hasn’t it?”

“What?”

“If the purpose was to flatter me, it’s already a success. I liked Hilde, after all. Not just for helping me escape.”

From Noble mtl dot com

It takes up a considerable part, but well, it doesn’t have to be just that.

In fact, it’s a natural thing. To openly show off and stick close, there’s no reason to dislike it, right? Adulation is mutual, even though you know it. The attitude of trying to look good to me makes me satisfied.

Hilde grinned unexpectedly, as if it were a surprise.

“You knew I was an actress?”

“Why does that matter? Everyone in the world wears multiple masks and lives. After I check who is in front of me, I change my mask. The attitude is completely different when I face Ahji or Tir.”

“Knowing that it’s a mask makes it regretful. Just like Tirkhanjaka said to my father.”

“Well, maybe. Instead of genuinely respecting me, Hilde knew that I expected him to use me as the King of Humans, so I paid attention to that. But… so what?”

Unless you are a sage who has meditated repeatedly, there is no one other than me, a cunning sorcerer, who knows what true self really means. And I and the sage would likely reach the same conclusion.

That distinguishing is meaningless.

“Wouldn’t knowing what your true self is, and what my true heart is, make a difference? We are just humans. We make judgments and act in limited time and options. Whether the attitude adopted at that moment comes from sincerity or is acted out to match the other party. Isn’t that sincerity? Hilde acted sincerely.”

After repeated performances, Hilde was looking for something that would anchor her existence, but she still cherished acting. Even in this situation, Hilde did not give up acting.

“Hilde said that her previous life was all a role… Isn’t filmography really important to an actress? God didn’t save Hilde, but she still uses divine power, right? She was brought to Lushé and suffered martyrdom, but she still has attachment to the kingdom, right? Whether it’s acting or whatever, she carried it dearly in her heart.”

If she were someone who disliked acting, she probably wouldn’t carefully preserve the roles and remember them. Hilde genuinely liked acting. So much so that she might even lose herself.

Well then. Whether she lives as the embodiment of acting or not, I think it’s fine.

“It’s fine as long as my father is okay with acting.”

“I am the audience outside the stage. No matter how realistic Hilde’s acting is, I still know that it is acting, right? I’ll prepare myself to be impressed.”

“The audience….”

What Hilde was looking for was not her true self, nor a life without acting. She was an inevitable actress. What she wanted was an audience. Someone to watch her acting and evaluate it.

At first, it was the all-knowing god. Then, it was the prophetess who could see the future. Hilde acted sincerely for them… But in reality, the god was just a prop on stage, and the prophetess was a designer trying to create that stage. Neither of them could be Hilde’s audience.

The next thing she discovered was the King of Humans, me. Fortunately, I could give Hilde what she really wanted.

“hehehe. That’s right. I guess I can say that since I’m your father~.”

Hilde stretched and closed her eyes for a moment. In her soul, she chose a role behind the stage. What costume to wear, how to speak and act. She played the role according to the opposite role.

But I am sitting in the audience seat. I am the audience who knows all of her filmography and watches it. I cannot be deceived. Even if I want to be.

‘…That’s right. Since our first meeting happened so abruptly, I ventured into it without coming out of my ‘self’ from that time. Could there be such a mistake…. To act something new, I had to empty what I had done before.’

It couldn’t be helped. At that time, I was traveling with Tirkhanjaka and Rhea as a returning traveler. If Hilde wanted to be with me, she had to be in the position of a kingdom’s ace martial artist. In order to cross over to my stage, Hilde also joined as an ‘Eun-gwae’ with her acting.

But now, there is nothing beside me. Neither the kingdom, nor the returning traveler, nor Tirk. The stage where I am has already been closed.

‘I….’

Hilde, who had secretly pondered, opened her eyes again. Her appearance was the same, but I could tell that Hilde had changed her role.

“Hoo, thankfully. A vampire who has lived for a thousand years would never even dream of having such an underground den. Even though vampires who don’t sleep can’t dream… Well, at least it’s safe here for the time being.”

By chance, she found a hiding place in the midst of the constantly approaching danger. She couldn’t live for thousands of years, but she would be safe for a few more days. In the paradise where she had promised to leave someday, Hilde turned her eyes away from despair.

“It’s already late, so let’s stay here until the sharp stake comes to mind, Father.”

The kingdom disappeared from Hilde’s thoughts. The divine power also disappeared. The role Hilde now played belonged to a woman who was fleeing from the vampire with a ray of hope.

I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing, but since I had agreed to this, I went along with it. It didn’t matter as long as we escaped the kingdom. I nodded eagerly.

“Yes, right. It’s getting late, so get some rest and we’ll do the repairs tomorrow.”

“Okay! Then….”

Hilde, who seemed to be waiting, silently slipped into my fur. It wasn’t fast, but her movements were so natural that I didn’t even question it. It wasn’t until later that I raised the fur. Hilde, who had been clinging to me, pulled her head back with a flick.

“What, what is this? Why did you suddenly come in?”

Hilde tilted her head with an attitude as if it were obvious.

“Well…? It’s cold at night, so I wanted to share body heat….”

“Body heat? What body heat? You can change it as you please if you need to!”

Someone who has mastered the technique of catching a cold can manipulate their body as they wish. It may vary depending on the level, but all the transformations, be it Hansa or Mandokbulp, stem from catching a cold. So can Hilde, who can change her face and body, not change her body temperature?

But….

“My father is something. When I was young, we used to sleep together without any problem…. Maybe he feels burdened because I’ve grown up. Maintaining body temperature is important on a perilous journey.”

For Hilde, it was the truth. She is in the middle of acting right now.

This crazy concept nut. She completely changed her belief! I was so immersed in her acting that I didn’t even question it until Hilde came in. Since the person involved, Hilde, didn’t feel any doubt!

Amazing, amazing. As I was surprised anew, I felt warmth inside the fur.

Even if Hilde doesn’t know, I still need her. I can use the Mimicry I just acquired to imitate a cold, but it’s more convenient for Hilde to be my heater than for me to concentrate.

“Don’t you hate sleeping with ‘me’…?”

I replied, shaking my head.

“It’s not that, it’s just that there’s a smell.”

“You idiot! Of course I smell, I’ve been walking nonstop for days! I was planning to shower tomorrow!”

Defiantly, Hilde puffed up her cheeks and turned her head sharply. But she still clung to my body. The body is honest.

“Father’s body is indeed big…. ‘I’ have grown quite a bit, but I’m still much smaller compared to my father. If I can just stay in my father’s embrace like this….”

Being a daughter with a father complex, it’s an extremely annoying setting. What wind blew to make her do such a crazy acting?

“What am ‘I’ thinking! Even though he’s not exactly my real father…! He’s the one who raised ‘me’! Escaping safely is the priority for now!”

The settings are quite complicated!