756. [STAGE 45] Perception (7)
《Huh?》
Cromwell said in a dazed voice.
He was clearly fighting just a moment ago.
There was only one goal left – to conquer royalties, and now I was in a life-threatening battle with enemies I couldn’t even tell who was who.
When I came to my senses, I found myself inside a familiar ship.
A dimensional shift departing from my hometown.
This ship, which transported legions of demonic species to another dimension far away, was no different from Cromwell’s real home from his childhood.
Cromwell’s appearance also returned to that of a young girl.
There were no overgrown horns or chunks of flesh covered in blood and mucus.
Cromwell blinked as he examined his small, intact body.
《Is this…?》
At that time, footsteps were heard.
When the surprised Cromwell turned around, he saw a familiar figure slowly approaching.
Cromwell smiled brightly and called out to the other person without realizing it. Immediately after saying
“Dad!”
I urgently changed my name.
《Oh no… Elder.》
《Your Excellency. You are here.》
The person who approached was an elder.
The elder approached with a smile on his face, looking even sadder than usual, and slowly knelt down on one knee in front of Cromwell.
《I was worried because you couldn’t see me at the training ground.》
《Oh, I’m sorry. “I’ll go back quickly!”
the elder asked cautiously to Cromwell, who was struggling.
“You don’t want to train today?”
“Huh?”
Cromwell blinked widely and quickly shook his head.
“no. I like training!》
《….》
《The military techniques and political science taught by the elder are fun, and I also like combat techniques and magic.》 《
Excellent.》
《The elder always said. I shouldn’t lose. I am the hope of our corps. So…》
《Your Excellency》
The elder who interrupted Cromwell smiled softly.
《You can relax just for today.》
《Huh?》
《It’s okay if you don’t study, train, or do anything. Today, Your Excellency, you can do whatever you really want to do.》
《….》
《If you could spend this day freely, what would you like to do?》
I have never been like this in my life. A day like this has never existed.
So Cromwell stiffened for a moment with his eyes wide open, but then he smiled brightly with a blush on his face and grabbed the elder’s hand.
《Then I…! Then, I’m going to play with my father and the elder…!》 The
elder gently stroked Cromwell’s head as he quickly changed his title again.
《You can call me dad today.》
《Huh…? Really? But never once in all this time…》
《Today is okay. It’s okay to use any force just for today.”
The elder stood up, grabbed Cromwell’s small hand, and led him forward.
“So what shall we do today, Excellency?”
Cromwell followed his father with tears in his eyes, unable to believe whether this was a dream or reality.
The two happily spent the whole day inside the empty ship.
Cooking and eating together in the kitchen, lying down, reading storybooks together, playing hide-and-seek, touring the interior of the ship, singing… Just
like a weekend day spent by an ordinary father and daughter.
Cromwell experienced the happiness of daily life that he had never experienced before in his life.
《Whoaam….》
The happy day ended in an instant.
The elder picked up Cromwell, who was beginning to doze off, and headed to the bed.
Put your head on the pillow and pull the blanket up to your neck.
He sat next to the bed and stroked Cromwell’s hair.
《Did you have fun today, Your Excellency?》
《Yes…a lot. It was the most fun in the world…》
Cromwell smiled with a sleepy face.
《Actually, I… I didn’t want to study things like military strategy or politics.》
《….》
《I was always jealous of other children who played and sang songs. Instead of taking growth promoters, I wanted to eat sweets like other kids, and instead of holding a sword and training until my muscles burst, I wanted to read storybooks with my dad.》 《….》 《I hated training, fighting, eating, and growing up.
》
Whining
. Cromwell’s voice, confessing his true feelings, gradually quieted down.
《But since I am the corps commander… I have to take responsibility for my corps. Because failure is not tolerated…》
《….》
《You have to be perfect, so…》
《It’s okay.》
Cromwell’s closed eyes were half-open.
The elder smiled softly and stroked Cromwell’s cheek.
《Because you worked really hard.》
《….》
《It’s okay if it’s not perfect. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to lose. You did your best. So please….》 I
hope you can accept what follows after failure… without suffering.
The elder gently kissed Cromwell’s forehead and whispered in his ear.
“Sleep well tonight, my daughter.”
Cromwell, smiling vaguely, answered in a dying voice.
《Good night, Dad….》
***
“….”
Cromwell is lying down.
Violet and Diarmudin are placing their hands on the monster commander’s forehead. Violet is mediating the daydream, and Diarmudine is directly infiltrating his consciousness into it.
In this way, while Violet and Diarmudine subdued Cromwell with their daydreams, I neutralized Cromwell.
The countless horns that sprouted on Cromwell’s head – no, all the magical parasites that looked like horns were separated and killed one by one.
These parasites were the source of the zombification crisis and were the ones who stole the magical powers and abilities of each legion’s monsters and then supplied them to Cromwell.
I used my ‘will’ to exterminate these parasites one by one, as if performing a sophisticated surgical operation.
Originally, I was tangled up in a dizzying magic formula that I couldn’t even guess what the principle was, but when I borrowed the real Ash’s knowledge and experience, I was able to do it without much difficulty.
Saaaaa….
Every time a horn separated and turned into powder, the magical power of other monsters absorbed by Cromwell, which was boiling, also scattered in vain and disappeared.
Kyaaaaa!
Ah ah ah ah ah-!
Also, every time I killed a parasite, the fleshy monsters collapsed in the distance, screaming in death. There seems to have been some kind of magical connection.
So when I isolated most of the parasites from most of the horns.
“The eastern wall monster has been subdued!”
“The North also received a report of completion a little while ago!”
“The West is almost done too! Now, we will enter the castle and subdue the remaining monsters!”
The tide turned in an instant, and the battle was already in a state of victory.
It was then.
“Whoa….”
Diarmudin let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. At the same time, Violet, covered in sweat, was also panting.
And Cromwell, who had been subdued by the two people’s daydream…
《….》
was still locked in a dream as he died with a faint smile on his lips.
After lightly patting Violet on the back, thanking her for her hard work, I looked at Diarmudine and asked.
“…What dream did you show Cromwell?”
The reason I asked this question was simple.
Because Cromwell had such a peaceful face.
It was not an expression that a monster, even one who had been turned into a zombie and ran wild like a demon, could make. He was so gentle that it was a little embarrassing.
Then Diarmudin muttered bitterly.
“The dream this child wanted to see the most. And… I showed him the same dream that the elder who was this child’s father wanted to see.”
***
It is said that Diermudin stayed with the elder at the abandoned cathedral and listened to his stories.
“The elder looked upon Cromwell as his own daughter. And Cromwell also regarded the elder as his father.”
But it was never expressed to each other.
Cromwell was a corps commander from birth, and the elders were just training books.
“After so many years passed and Cromwell was killed by the Night Bringer, the elder regretted it later.”
“Regret?”
“I regretted training my daughter to function solely for the Legion. And he also regretted not having played a bigger role.”
“….”
“You should treat me more warmly instead of treating me functionally. “It’s such a belated regret that I wish it would have helped me live more ‘like a human being’.”
We quietly looked down at the enemy general dying in a peaceful dream.
Cromwell, with all parasites removed and his zombification state lifted, died quietly.
Diarmudin let out a light breath.
“I understand that regret.”
“You understand?”
“I, too, have raised many students who are like my children. “I’ve seen so many young people leave before me, an old man.”
Diarmudin turned his bright eyes towards me.
“Of course, Prince Ash, I don’t regret putting my students in danger.”
“….”
“The history of humans and the history of magic is built with blood and lives. My disciples who went first played their roles heroically. “It may be sad, but it’s not something you’ll regret.”
Diarmudin repeated.
“I have never had the same regrets as the elder. “I just understood his feelings.”
Is it a heart?
“So… I wanted to give this child a peaceful end. “I wanted to give them the happiness they couldn’t achieve, even if it was just a daydream.”
It’s not because this is the only strategy.
I wanted to grant the last wish of someone who was an enemy and a monster, but whom I sympathized with and understood.
Diarmudin had proposed this operation.
“….”
Actually, I had a different strategy. A method that may have been safer and more certain. Because now I have many powers and powers.
However, the reason I followed Diarmudin’s suggestion
was because this ‘heart’ that Diarmudin held was necessary for my future strategy.
“What I thought about while staying with them at the abandoned cathedral was… the difference between humans and monsters.”
Diarmudin tried to sound dry.
“You told me the other day, right, Prince Ash? It is said that what separates a person from a monster is the heart. “If we can join hands and look in the same direction, I will treat you as the same person, no matter what race you are.”
In fact, the World Defense Front is an alliance of people who were originally divided into various races and countries.
We are now standing shoulder to shoulder with the enemies of a thousand years ago, the enemies of a hundred years ago, and the enemies of ten years ago.
“I thought the demonic species in the abandoned cathedral could be like that.”
We attempted to build a forward base fortress in the abandoned cathedral in District 10 of the Lake Kingdom.
Because the demon species survivors survive the zombies, we needed a bait to attract the zombies’ attention and reduce the number of zombies.
Their interests were aligned, and the abandoned cathedral was able to function as a forward base, even if only for a short time.
For a moment we were allies.
“It’s a ridiculous idea to become allies with monsters, but… perhaps it’s no different from the history we’ve experienced so far. “Thinking like that.”
Diarmudin clicked his tongue bitterly.
“I thought they could become people like us. “Because they also had human nature.”
“Assuming…”
“That’s right. Those who treated the elderly carelessly and tried to burn this world also had feelings that connected with us. I thought that even though the cultures are different and we point weapons at each other, there are areas of agreement and understanding. “Just like people in our world do to each other.”
Diarmyuddin, who thought about the days at the abandoned cathedral for a moment, eventually shook his head.
“But you know, Prince Ash. “This is the result.”
“….”
“Everyone in the abandoned cathedral is dead, and this demon that ate all of my compatriots turned into a zombie and invaded our people. “Perhaps it would be absurd to give such a peaceful end to this monster who caused so much damage to royalties.”
Diarmudin’s voice trembled.
“But I… I clearly saw the possibility, even if it was just a vague spark that disappeared before my eyes. The moment when yesterday’s enemy almost became today’s compatriot….”
“….”
“Haha. Diarmuidin of the world can say such a weak thing.”
Diarmudin pressed his hand to his chest.
“Perhaps this cognitive assumption is our greatest weakness.”
“And it might be our greatest strength.”
It is the human heart that has put the battle line here in so many dangers.
And it is the human heart that has brought us this far.
‘And that cognitive assumption….’
The heart of a weak person who can understand and sympathize with even the enemy.
Because I need it for the path I plan to take in the future.
Diarmudin exhaled bitterly and slowly stretched out his hand forward.
“Sleep well.”
Diarmudin whispered as he closed the blurry eyes of the monster that was breathing its last breath.
“Sleep well….”
