Chapter 405

Chapter 405

The world was silent.
An odorless breeze was blowing crisp and cool.
From the top of the unnamed mountain, I had a great view of the surrounding landscape.
The mountains of our star were lined with tumbling volcanoes that would topple them all into Nimburton Hill.
It could have been my grave, but I survived thanks to a great group of people.
I tossed the canteen to Fantasia, who was sitting in front of the campfire.
“Tough. Muscle deer.”
“You too.”
Accepting the canteen, Fantasia smirked.
The color was noticeably duller than it had been before the trip.
I asked, patting myself on the head.
“Are the antlers okay? I’m not a deer, I don’t know, but isn’t that kind of important to you guys?”
“It’s important, it’s a symbol of power and authority.”
“I knew it. We’ll put it on when we get back. I’m sure Sister Navarordze will do something about it.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m fine.”
Fantasia shook her head.
Honestly, I don’t know what’s okay.
The wounds that covered his entire body were deep enough to leave most of them scarred.
His majestic antlers were nearly all shattered, and he was no more than a stag walking on all fours.
The battle surrounded by the Bald Legion had taken a lot out of him.
He pauses for a moment, then continues.
“Because of you—because you avenged your enemies.”
Nevertheless, Fantasia seemed happy.
He emptied his canteen in one fell swoop and dozed off.
I didn’t wake him up, even though we still had a long conversation to have.I was hoping to catch up on the past, but alas.
“Yeah. Grow up.”
I turned my gaze to the side of the Pantheon.
A groaning Letancier and Orse lay on the ground.
“Ko-oh—ko-oh—”
“Navarrozze–ewww–stop it!”
“What the hell is this guy dreaming?”
All the fatigue that had been building up to this point was released in one fell swoop.
What saved me right now is that he came running as soon as the fight was over.
I realized that I was glad we all came together.
Sooner or later, when I’m gone, these three will take care of the Navardoze and restore the world.
“Good, because I didn’t think you’d be a good fit.
I was the only one who wasn’t sleeping anymore.
I didn’t want to talk to him because he was shaking the entire time we landed.
I’m going to go eat now.
He pulls a jerky out of his coat pocket.
I heard a sigh from behind me, as if the earth was about to give out.
“Hahhh… Stupid… The world’s biggest idiot…”
“Ew, crap. He’s still doing that.”
It was tolerable, to a point.
I threw the jerky I was holding at Abel.
Voila!
The meatball flew in a parabolic arc and hit him in the head and bounced off.
Still, Abel didn’t move.
“Cut it out, man. How long are you gonna stand around in there?”
“Shut up. You’re an even bigger fool than your brother. If you had left some–even a fraction of it–we could have been rulers of the world.”
“Cut the crap and come eat. I’ll eat yours too?”
“Eat yourself–you’ve robbed everyone on our planet of a chance–you’ve slashed with your crude sword the only possibility for a rat to become a lion.”
Abel stared blankly up at the sky.
Spirits freed by the destruction of the Source littered the clouds below.
The sight of billions of light clusters rising like lanterns was beautiful beyond words.
How can you be unhappy watching something that kills it, it’s an amazing talent as it is.
I clucked my tongue and reached for a new jerky.
“Not ours, but yours.”
“What?”
“Don’t give people arbitrary limits. You’re a shrew to begin with, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a lion, and I think you’re an asshole for making assumptions about your only chance, and the ruler of the world, and all that–personal stuff.”
“Ha! Funny, do you think I don’t know mortals? Do you know what I’ve seen in my travels with you?!”
Abel, who had been staring at the sky, looked back in my direction.
I flinched reflexively.
Tears were streaming down the face of the man who looked like me.
It was clear and transparent, unlike the purple, cloudy blood.
I’m a little confused.
I scratched my cheeks, dumbfounded.
“——But it’s nothing to cry about, is it?”
“Shut up. I’ve lost everything now. I’ve lost everything–even my goal, the only thing that gave me a reason to live–and my anger is justified.”
“That was a shitty goal to begin with, but what the–oh, I already ate it.”
It was like having five beggars in your stomach.
I was hungry no matter what I ate because I was exerting myself.
I picked myself up and walked over to Abel.
“Well, since you’re here, find a new goal. Not something bad, of course. That’s what my dad would want.”
“—Builder.”
“I’m sleepy and hungry, so let’s go home. Thank you for today.”
I tapped Abel on the shoulder.
He’s still an asshole, but he deserves the lion’s share of the credit for the group’s survival.
No matter how much I pushed my blood to the limit, fending off a concentrated barrage of bald men was no easy task.
“Yes. Do you know how to get to the original world? I’m a little nervous.”
“—What do you think I am, it’s dozens of times easier than coming.”
“Okay, then.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear and laughed.
The bald race is dead, as they say.
Just as the innocent souls had all returned to their respective heavens, our star was now left to return to its original form.
If there was one thing that made me nervous, it was Akasha’s presence.
The tension didn’t show until the moment when the king was cut in half.
Am I fighting my future self?
Or am I running amok in another parallel universe?
We couldn’t tell at this point.
I said, keeping my eyes on the ascending spirits.
“Let’s leave no stone unturned, no regrets.”
****
“Cheers to the heroes who saved the world!”
“Cheers!!!”
With a cheer, the glasses clashed.
The spilled liquid has soaked the floor.
The evening of your third day back from Bald World.
The banquet has begun as usual.
“Captain Orse, tell me one more time, how did you rescue Ronan?”
“Kahaha! You mean that time? I’ll tell you a special story. That kid was running out of steam and falling down—”
Orsay chuckled and began his tale.
His drunken henchmen gasped.
It was such a pleasant memory, I didn’t even mind telling the same story for the dozens of times.
“Hey, Letancier, show me that one more time!”
“Ehhehe… Should I? Let’s go!”
“Oooooh, Archmage of Alcohol!”
The two archbishops were having fun, too.
Letancier was using telekinesis to levitate and mix drinks in midair.
Only she could pull off the spectacle of a giant ball of liquid exploding and accurately filling everyone’s glasses.
“Your horns are cute, Fantasia—can you come to my room for a minute?”
“I have a wife who is already widowed.”
“Oh, it’s me. My third husband was the last.”
Fantasion was being courted for the fifth time that I’ve seen.
Today it wasn’t even the same number, but an elf.
I thought the horns would make him less popular, but instead, he seemed to be more well-liked, saying it made him cute.
“Here comes the food!”
“Today is your last day. Enjoy it while you can, because tomorrow you’ll have to work yourself to death again!”
The hall dedicated to Ceniel had been transformed into a giant ballroom.
It was so beautifully landscaped by Navarrozze that it reminded me of a garden party for aristocrats.
The four of us who returned from saving the world (Abel was absent) were treated accordingly.
“Child, how are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling much better. How’s your sister?”
“Me too. Woohoo, all thanks to you.”
Navarrozze stuck close to my side.
If Adeshan had seen it, he would have fallen on his back.
My side was pressed against her chest, making it hard for me to breathe, but she never let go of me.
“Ah, this is it.”
She was feeding me the most delicious part of each new dish.
I didn’t understand why they would pick up the utensils with their bare hands when they were ready.
Do hot hands make food taste better?
“Come on, eat more. It’s the first pig to reproduce.”
“Well, stop–if I’m going to eat more here, I’m going to have to be really cheap, and my stomach isn’t made of rubber.”
I’m not kidding, I thought my stomach was going to explode.
No matter how well I eat, this was just not right.
Navarrozadeh blushed with embarrassment.
“Ha, but didn’t you say you were hungry, and I made it myself—.”
“That was three days ago, and I’ve been feasting every day of the week, and if you’re hungry now—oh, okay, I’ll eat, don’t look at me like that, ha ha!”
That look was foul.
I took a deep breath and took a bite of the meat Navardozze was holding.
My fingers were hot with sauce on them.
She stroked my head and picked up the next piece of food.
“Hoo hoo, I’m glad you ate well, I made this too—”
“Now, wait a minute!”
If I ate any more, it would get really boring.
I slipped out of her embrace and clapped my hands.
“Whoa—damn, I’m just going to get some air, is that okay?”
“Ugh—I guess that’s the way it is, I’ll be back soon.”
Navarrozze grimaced.
She snapped her fingers nervously the entire time I left the hall.
My heart sank.
She really had been treating me like her youngest son since I returned from Bald World.
“Son—right?
It does get a little racy at times, but it’s probably for the best.
Dragons show affection differently than humans.
Cancer.
I couldn’t bear to feel sorry for Adeshan, who would have been in the midst of his birth in his original world if I hadn’t hypnotized him like that.
“This is a different stone altogether.”
As I walked out of the hall, I stopped in front of Ceniel.
The giant boulder floated in the middle of the ballroom, radiating life energy.
I could feel the improvement from the first time I saw it.
The grayish-white surface had a glow of life.
Just being around him was energizing, and I could see why he was called the heart of the star.
Over time, it will recover more.
I was about to leave when I finished watching.
“—hmm?”
Something caught my eye.
A blue light was emanating from inside the hair-thin crack.
This was something I had never seen before.
“What the–whoops.”
I wanted to take a good look at it, but I felt too sick to do so.
I walked out of the headquarters with my mouth sealed.
The nearest entrance faced the beach.
It was like walking through an iron gate.
Ouch!
A cool northern breeze flipped my bangs.
The sun was setting, and the sea was coming into view.
“Great—I think I’ll buy some now.”
The cold air seemed to revive me.
I took out a cigarette and put it in my mouth.
The sun, red as a grapefruit, was being swallowed by the sea, turning the sky purple.
“That’s killer.”
It was a spectacle that made me forget about the dirt for a moment.
After all, the world had to have color.
Now that the giants were gone, the other half of the world would slowly return to its original colors.
“Okay–let’s call it a day.”
The fatigue in my body seemed to melt away.
It was the last day I could play anyway.
I hadn’t told anyone yet, but starting tomorrow, I was going to start looking for ways to move on to the next world in earnest.
“You can’t stay here forever.
I still had some work to do.
With so few clues, tomorrow would be another day of headaches.
He exhaled, and white smoke dispersed.
I used to put extra leaves in my cigarettes.
“Wow—so pretty—!”
“Flying squirrel?”
Suddenly, I heard an exclamation from behind me.
When he turned his head, he saw Letancier stumbling around drunk.
“Why did you come out?”
“Yihihi, I just came for some air—Ronan, what are you doing in a place like this? Mr. Navarordje was looking for you—crrr.”
“I’ll be right in, just finish smoking what you’re smoking.”
They were looking for it.
I sucked vigorously on the lit cigarette.
Letancier leaned against the iron gate and began to mutter.
“From today on, I’m going to live with a new heart—oh, I know, I’ve said it before—it was such a stupid thing to do—never—never will I ever do anything bad again.”
“That’s great. Of course.”
“It’s all because of Ronan—meeting him that day at the roots was the best thing that ever happened to me—hee hee, really—really.”
A voice behind her caught her attention.
I could feel the good vibes.
Clearly, she was a completely different person than when I first met her.
“What’s the big deal–if you fix the world, what are you going to do with it?”
“Ehhehe, uhm… So I…”
He was interrupted.
There were so many things I wanted to do.
“Oh dear. On the subject of villains.”
I smirked and finished my cigarette.
The light merging into the ocean was beautiful.
I didn’t answer until I had burned all the leaves and put the cigarette away.
“Flying squirrel?”
It was too long for my liking.
I wonder if I fell asleep on the way.
He smiled and turned his head, and I was frozen in place.
“Uh.”
Letancie had disappeared, leaving only her legs behind.
You can see the white bone inside the smooth cut.
Red blood gushed from the severed aorta.
The iron door she had originally leaned against had been ripped open.
Poof.
His leg, which was down to his calf, collapsed.
“——!!!”
No voice came out.
Every cell in my body felt like it had turned to stone.
Is this real?
If it’s a dream, isn’t it time to wake up?
In a moment of desperation, I grabbed the hilt of my sword.
I could feel the popularity not far away.
“——you.”
I reflexively turned my head away.
A black cloaked figure stood with his back to the setting sun.
The face was covered by a bizarre mask, so I couldn’t see it.
The moment I saw him, the goosebumps I’d gotten from the antlers in winter raced up my spine.
I had never seen it before, but I knew who it was.
My mouth, glued shut like glue, slowly fell open.
“Akasha.”