(128)
Author’s
Comments I’m sorry I couldn’t upload it at 10:30 . I think I wrote about 1.5 episodes because it’s not a topic that I can quit …
I had a desire to serialize on the weekend, but I’ve been busy with other things lately, so it seems I’ve only been able to serialize for almost 5 days a week. I can’t give you a definite answer if it will be possible to serialize on weekends in the future, but… I’ll try.
＜ 20. In the name of my father (9) ＞
Tung !
Marco lightly struck Ose’s mace. Afterwards, he dug inside and landed a blow to Ose’s head .
Whoa- oh !
“ Gagging !”
The cracked face shattered, and a red, sticky liquid flowed out. Ose hurriedly took a step back. With the mace down, he tried to collect the liquid that flowed from his face, but it helplessly slipped through the cracks in his hands .
The red armor had already been dented to the point of scrap metal, and the body contained within it was not much different. Not to mention the difference in physical combat power, and even a fair amount of magic was not affected by the enemy. A situation that seems unlikely to win .
Since he had a higher level of spirit, he had no fear of perishing, but if he lost his body, it would take a long time for him to be resurrected. It was not the time to show pride by saying that you can’t turn your tail on a human and run away .
Ose decided to run away .
Ose turns into red mist and soars into the sky. Marco roared loudly .
“ Where are you running away !” Using the
‘ Gigantic Weapon’, the Earth Grinder’s hammer revealed its original magnificent appearance. A blow with tremendous power that is swung towards the emerging Ose .
Whoa- oh !
Kwa-ang !
Ose couldn’t even scream and fell headlong to the floor like a fly. The impact of the fall caused the ground to sink and a thick layer of dust scattered .
Demons don’t feel pain. However, Ose, consumed by fear, fell into the illusion that he was feeling pain. The flesh was crushed and the bones turned to powder, and there was no place in the body where one could move freely .
Ose senses that death is imminent. It was too much to run away with this body intact. He thought he should run away with at least a part of his body .
So, after completely ripping off the half-dead arm, Ose pushed the liquid that had flowed from his face into it. The forearm, which had been wriggling and crawling on the floor, was enveloped in a red haze and disappeared at some point .
Marco, approaching Ose, clicked his tongue slightly. An empty head and a huge immobile body. It was not difficult to see that the devil had fled somewhere, leaving only its shell behind .
‘ I should have killed him cleanly here without remorse …’
It was impossible to do anything about having already run away. Marco sighed briefly and turned around .
As I turned my head, I saw someone standing in the distance. Standing still, stiff and unmoving. As if time had stopped at some point. Only the green swell naturally shook along with the wind blowing across the field .
Even though they were so far apart, they could tell that their eyes met .
Marco took a long deep breath. And I moved my steps towards Trisha .
*
Marco and Tricia moved Emilia and Betty to the village. All of Adsel’s children stood by the two of them, waiting for them to wake up. Fortunately, Emilia came to her senses quickly as she had simply passed out, but the problem was on Betty’s side .
The limbs protruding from her back disappeared, and the grotesquely twisted bones returned to their original state, but Betty couldn’t come to her senses at all .
Possibly wondering if it was the aftermath of the breath of rest, Emilia used ‘mind and body purification’ right before she was exhausted. However, there was no improvement in Betty’s condition. Then, at one point, Emilia recalled the knowledge she had previously read in a book about demons .
‘ When the devil is temporarily incapacitated by the curse, humans regain their original form and fall into a state of suspended animation. But that’s just a futile procrastination. When the demon regains its strength, it will become like a monster again and rampage .’
‘ There are only three ways to lift this curse. First, the cursed demon releases it directly. Second, borrowing the power of a spiritual being higher than the devil. Third, to perish the demon who cursed it .’
Emilia did not directly explain this fact to the children. All three methods were absurdly difficult. I just reassured the children that Betty would wake up in time .
Emilia didn’t even explain to Marco and Trisha. The two of them needed time to talk without bothering about this .
“ I will take care of Betty. You two should go outside and talk .”
“ Are you okay, Emilia …?”
“ Yes… it’s okay Don’t worry .”
Tricia worriedly looked at Emilia, who had grown pale after just one day, but in the end, she couldn’t refuse the offer. Because I really don’t have much time left .
After destroying the card, Marco was slowly disappearing .
The card was the prison that imprisoned Marco, but at the same time it was also the ground that allowed him to exist here. It was not unusual for the body to disappear since he destroyed the base with his own power .
Right now, only the fingertips have disappeared, but I didn’t know when the speed of disappearing would increase. Tricia left the village with Marco and after walking in the fields for a while, they sat down on top of a low hill .
“…”
“…”
We had so much to say to each other. Questions bubbling as if they would pour out of their throats at any moment. But the silence lasted for a long time. I had so many things to say, I couldn’t decide what to say first .
After that long silence, it was Trisha who spoke first .
“ How did you find out ?”
“…”
“ No, since when did you know ?”
“… I overheard a conversation between you and Andrea in the rift. That was the first time I noticed .”
“…”
“ I wanted to run out and talk to you right away, but I decided to respect your wishes rather than that. If you lose your life like you said, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle the sadness .”
“… that ‘s savage. And you’re disappearing right now ?”
“…”
Marco smiled bitterly. The right hand is now almost completely gone. As the range moved away from the extremity of the body, it felt like the speed of disappearance was getting faster and faster .
Tricia tried to look away from that figure and continued .
“… Aren’t you curious why it was in my deck and not Andrea’s ?”
“… Come to think of it, that’s how it is. Why did you do that ?”
Trisha explained everything that had happened since she got out of the 80th floor. After listening to the whole story, Marco nodded with a faint smile .
“ Andrea is wise. You made the right decision to put the card that summons me into your deck .”
“ But because of that… Marco-san seems to disappear .”
Marco closes his eyes and shakes his head .
“… don’t blame Andrea, Trisha. Andrea knew exactly what was on my mind. Because this is exactly what I was hoping for. If I couldn’t do this and you died or were injured, it might have been a lifelong grievance .”
Trisha slowly lowered her head, as if she still couldn’t comprehend it .
Silence came again. Marco patiently waited for Trisha to make up her mind .
After quite some time, Trisha finally raised her head and looked at Marco clearly .
“ Is n’t that strange ?”
“… what ?”
“ Mr. Marco and now I don’t even have that much age difference. Besides, Marco will not only remember me when I was young. But do you really think of me as a daughter ?”
“… Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked my life to save you .”
“ How could that be? In fact, I… I’m still a little awkward .”
“ Even if the times were more out of sync and you were older than me, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The important thing is not your appearance, but the person you are and the relationship you and I have built .”
Tricia bit her lip. The feeling was so strange. Her vocabulary could not describe the feeling. The devouring sadness and gratitude, the deep emotions that such an explanation would not be enough .
A breeze passed between the two, and a small shadow fell. Marco’s gaze turned to the clouds blocking the sun. After the clouds had passed, the gaze turned downward, scanning the fields. Dandelions were blooming sparsely .
Marco had a soft smile on his lips .
“ Do you remember your mother’s favorite dandelions ?”
“… of course .”
“ It was when I was living as a slave and wandering the sea… One day I couldn’t remember your mother’s face. I was terrified. I was wondering what to do if I don’t recognize you even though we met later .”
“…”
“ No matter how much I tried to draw a picture in my head, it was quickly scattered. I desperately relived the memories I had with your mother. Even there, your mother’s face was blurred or invisible… But… there was just one moment I’ll never forget .”
“… when ?”
“ The moment when I received a bunch of dandelions and smiled like a child and was happy. So ever since that day, the picture of my wife has been that way in my head. Smiling brightly, with a pure look, it still lives in me with that look .”
“…”
“…”
“… Before my mother passed away, I missed my father a lot .”
“… Yes, that’s right .”
The two of them started talking about their common denominator, their mother. How did you live, what kind of people did you meet, what were your feelings… Once I started to confide, I couldn’t stop like a dam burst .
Time passed too quickly. Trisha stopped talking and found herself anxiously watching Marco disappear. Marco pretended to be indifferent to that gaze and talked casually .
As the sun slowly began to set, Trisha realized that time was really running out. Marco’s right arm and right leg were completely lost, and now his upper body is starting to disappear as well .
Marco handed over a card with a trembling hand. It was the hammer of the earth crusher .
“ Please return this card to Andrea. Thank you so much for all this time, and um… I want to tell you that I’m sorry once again for trying to eat it as food. Oh, don’t forget to say hello to Priest Emilia as well .”
Trisha took the card and struggled to keep her voice from shaking before answering .
“ I see .”
“ Yes… Oh, and could you lift me up? I want to look over the fields one last time .”
Tricia put her shoulder on the shoulder and helped Marco up. Marco looked down at the field with calm eyes .
Trisha glanced at her eyes. After hesitating for a while, Trisha was placed in Marco’s arms .
Marco froze for a moment, as if surprised, but then carefully raised his arm and hugged Tricia. Then he asked in a playful voice .
“ Tricia, can I ask you something ?”
“ What is it ?”
“ When was the last time you washed your hair ?”
Tricia let out a big laugh as if it was ridiculous .
“ Did you even watch Andrea say that ?”
“ Well, it seemed like it was rude to the two of them, so I only saw it that far. Could n’t you have done something after that ?”
“… If you were in good shape, you would have had to hit me several times .”
Marco chuckled. Trisha let out a small sigh. The silence that comes back after that. Time to engrave in your head so that you don’t forget each other’s warmth .
After a while, Tricia opened her mouth in a low voice .
“ I won’t say I will miss you .”
“ Why ?”
“ Because we will meet again soon. Didn’t Arpan say that everything you wish for in this dungeon is dormant before? If so, there must be a way to bring back the missing person .”
It was more like a vague wind. But Marco didn’t bother to point out that fact .
“ Yes. Then don’t say you’ll miss me too .”
Marco’s body is now only part of the upper half of his body. It was clear that the disappearing speed would accelerate, and even that would disappear soon .
Marco had a hunch that this was the last thing he would say. Marco carefully opens his mouth .
“ Tricia, I have a favor for you .”
“… tell me .”
“ Lastly, can you smile at me just once ?”
Trisha hesitates as if she was embarrassed by the sudden request. Marco urged Trisha with a benevolent smile as if he was pretending to be okay. A red-hot sunset was setting over Trisha’s shoulder .
Finally, Tricia raised the corners of her mouth and gave a small smile .
Tricia’s smile and the brilliant sunset were simultaneously captured in Marco’s field of vision .
It seemed to him that the sun was rising instead of setting .
*
Trisha, since I broke up with you who grabbed my pants crotch and told me not to leave, I had to endure countless harsh nights .
There were also dark nights. There were nights of tossing and turning. There were also starving nights. There were nights filled with longing. There were nights when I had nightmares. There were nights when my muscles were bursting and my bones were about to break .
Those nights were so long, it seemed that no matter how long they lasted, they would never end. A pitch-dark night where not a single piece of salt-like starlight falls. No one ever told me that this night would have an end .
But thanks to your small smile, a smile as bright as a thousand suns ,
After all those nights, dawn came .
I will remember you At sunset, when the wind blew across a wide field of dandelions and the whole world was dyed red, with that image of you smiling at me .
Even if I disappear, forever .
*
The sunset was over. A gloomy twilight lay. Tricia stared blankly into space .
There was nothing left there anymore .
Trisha rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. I didn’t want it to look like this, I tried not to, but I couldn’t. At times, my whole body trembled with emotions rising up .
But it didn’t last long. Tricia quickly got her emotions under control and took control of herself .
Promise that we will meet again soon. In order to keep that promise, I had to become a little stronger. Tears could have been saved for that moment of reunion .
It was time to leave .
＜ 20. In the name of father (9) ＞ End
Damn