◈ 393. [Side Story] Sleeping with the enemy (4)
Tapping… … .
A bonfire burns.
I still haven’t gotten out of District 10, but I had to take a break.
Apparently, my body was in a state where I came out of the spirit world, so I was not in my spirit condition. I couldn’t move for a long time.
I found an abandoned building and went inside, found firewood and set it on fire.
Salome went outside to find something to eat for me (is there anything to eat in this town?) and had Mason guard the outside.
“Looks like I’ll live a bit… .”
A campfire provides not only warmth.
light.
District 10 is basically a place of suffocating darkness, although skyscrapers everywhere emit light like streetlights to provide visibility.
sigh sigh… … .
The sound of gnawing insects echoes from all directions. It is the sound of the approaching darkness.
I tried to ignore it and peered into the bonfire from a distance, then suddenly raised my head.
The dark sky- no, it is under the lake, so it should be called the dark surface of the water. In any case, it covered the field of view extensively.
Above the distant darkness lies the ground.
It felt so far away again.
It feels like you’ve crash-landed on an unknown alien planet in a broken spaceship. Beyond that vast universe, there must be an earth, but… … .
‘Can I go back?’
It’s not just a crossroads story. I wiped my tired eyes.
Recall the dream you had just before waking up here.
My life on Earth as a ‘classics virtuoso’.
I felt like I had come a long way from being an ordinary roommate. frightened at the same time.
‘Can I go back?’
This time it’s not a physical story.
Even if I assumed that I would return to my original world after clearing all the stages, reaching the true ending, and winning my wish.
Was the me at that time really me?
During the past year of raiding, I was worn out a lot.
I got used to Ash’s body, face, and voice, and I became a little more brazen and a little more brutal. I’ve seen countless real deaths.
He was a player and tried to become a tyrant, but in the end he didn’t even become a monster.
Already, I am a completely different person from the old classic deokhu.
How much more will I change when I reach the end of this game.
There is a famous philosophical problem called the ‘Ship of Theseus’. The question is, ‘If the parts of a ship are replaced one by one, if all parts are finally replaced, is the ship still Theseus’ ship?’
‘After all this is over… … .’
After all parts of the body have been replaced.
What am I going to be in the end?
“… .”
I looked up at the far darkness while being hit by a bonfire, and suddenly spat out a sentence.
I guess I was born in this darkness, grew up in this darkness, and still survive in this darkness.
Now I’m struggling because I don’t know where to go. To do it, I am haggard as if I am the focus of the century.
It was then.
《Oh clothes? what is that? Poetry?]
Salome returned at just the right time. There is something like fruit in both hands.
Somehow embarrassed, I answered while rummaging through the firewood.
“… It’s an essay. Written by a famous poet.”
“It’s cool, Ash! You look intelligent!”
“Thank you for the compliment… .”
The poet who wrote this essay is amazing, I am just an imitator who only memorizes and reads.
Embarrassed, I quickly took the fruit from Salome’s hand. The fruit exudes a refreshing scent as if freshly picked.
“How did you get such fresh stuff from a place like this?”
“Among the corps commanders, there is a guy who enjoys eating. I knew he was taking over the farms here and brewing cider. I secretly went into his headquarters and sneaked in.”
Maybe it was because he was a dreamer. This guy is more useful than I thought.
I chewed the fruit I received. As I passed the juice through my dry throat, I felt like I was going to live a little.
Squatting right next to me silently chewing the fruit, Salome rested her chin on her hands and stared at me. The gaze is burdensome… … .
“… why. what. why.”
“No, I like to look at you because I eat well. Huhuhu.]
“It wasn’t poisoned, was it?”
“Could that be?! what the. What do you think I am?”
As I finished one fruit, Salome drew closer to me, her eyes twinkling.
《Did you eat well?》
“What is it ? I ate well.”
《Then should I express my gratitude?》
“… thanks?”
《No~ Don’t say hello like that.》
I was wondering what the hell did you want, but Salome made a strange request.
“Tell me another poem! You can sing for me!”
I dropped out of school.
“What are you asking for… … .”
“But the recitation was good! I want to hear more!”
“No. I won’t do it anymore because it’s embarrassing.”
“Oh, don’t do that. Seeing it in my dream, you did well when you were broadcasting in the past… … Huh.”
Salome stopped talking and covered her mouth.
“… ?”
I didn’t understand for a moment, so I only blinked in a daze, and I belatedly understood what he meant.
How does this guy know I’ve been ‘broadcasting’?
“you you… ! no way!”
I pointed my trembling index finger at Salome.
“Did you read my memory?!”
《Can you say that it couldn’t be helped?!》
Salome, who hurriedly pulled back from me, made an excuse while rolling her big eyes.
《In the process of bringing you from the spirit world to reality, we had to be in contact with you! I see every dream! Should I say that I came to read your dreams naturally… … ?!”
“… .”
“That’s why I took a peek at your memories from that world… uh… .”
I shuddered. I wondered why I was suddenly recalling my entire life on Earth.
This dreamer must have played tricks to read my past… … !
“Salome is no longer able to keep you alive… .”
I muttered eeriely and got up. Salome started to hiccup.
“Now that I know I am not the real Ash, I must kill you and seal your mouth… .”
I am a human from another world possessed by the body of this crazy prince.
There’s nothing good about a monster knowing that. After all, Salome has no choice but to kill… … !
《What does it matter?!》
Salome exclaimed bitterly.
“I didn’t like you because you were Ash! I didn’t like you because you were a prince, and I didn’t like you because you were the lord of the city or because you had a lot of money! That doesn’t mean anything to me, a monster!”
“… .” “I
only
liked you because you were you!”
“No, of course, I’m not sure if this is really the right feeling, so I’m sticking to you to find out… anyway… .》
… How did you lose your pulse?
I was about to kill Salome by using the ‘Absolute Command’, but I sighed and sat down again in front of the campfire. Salome carefully looked at me like that.
《Aren’t you going to kill me?》
“I am going to kill you… Not now, later… … .”
For now, Salome is useful.
Killing is certain, but not now. I’m a bit tired right now to see more people die.
As I crouched helplessly again in front of the campfire, Salome crept back to me.
《Hee hee.》
“… What do you like to laugh at?”
“Your secret that no one else in the world knows, only you know,”
Salome boasted while beating her chest.
“Don’t worry, we are already accomplices, right? Your secret must be! I’ll take it all the way to the grave!]
I’ll dig that grave myself sometime.
Swallowing my words, I silently nodded. Salome kept laughing at what was so good.
***
Called in Southern Mason to guard outside.
His body was still repeating disintegration and regeneration. I don’t know when I can’t stand it and die, so I’ll have to do some interrogation while I’m still breathing.
It took the form of a monster that seemed to be a mixture of all kinds of beasts, but among them, bears and tigers stood out.
Here again, the face is half human, so it’s a bit scary to face each other.
“Answer my questions now, Mason.”
Salome’s fascination is still being heard. Mason nodded quietly.
“I said the mission was accomplished. what exactly does that mean Did you really come to meet the demon lord?”
“That’s right. The audience with the demon king was successful. >
I gritted my teeth.
To be honest, I looked down on the Aegis task force.
Because everything these bastards do is a waste of money. I have nothing to do with the grandiose name of Ambu.
But I have to admit this.
These damn bastards succeeded in dispatching an envoy to the bottom of hell here and ended up meeting the enemy commander.
After- I breathed in and glared at Mason.
“Fernandez said he was sending you to make a ‘declaration of surrender’ to the demon king.”
Mason once told me clearly:
– A declaration of surrender, Your Highness Prince Ash. A declaration of complete surrender to the human monstrosity.
The reason why Fernandez dispatched an envoy to the demon king.
It was for the declaration of defeat against the monster of mankind.
… I wonder if it’s some kind of crazy bullshit that I can’t understand even now, but anyway, this was Fernandez’s order to Mason. And Mason
replied, “Yes. I had an audience with the demon king and informed them of humanity’s intention to surrender.” He
really conveyed that.
It was a fucking feast of crazy idiots. I pondered for a moment on whether or not to spit out the surging nutmeg, but Mason continued.
《Instead of surrendering, we begged to avoid the future where the monsters would exterminate all mankind.》
“… what?”
《The Empire, to be exact, requested that all personnel in New Terra be spared. This was Her Highness Fernandez’s request.]
So what?
Instead of giving up fighting the monsters and letting the rest of the world die, did you ask that at least the people of the ecliptic be spared?
“why? I’m still holding on to the crossroads. The monster front can fight enough more… … !”
《His Highness Fernandez has the power to foresee the future, albeit in a limited form.》
Maybe it’s because he’s in a state of fascination.
Mason continued the story in a gulp. I swallowed dry saliva.
can you see the future? Is it Fernandez?
《His Highness Fernandez witnessed it himself. The collapse of all four fronts of the Empire and the threat pouring in from all sides devastating the Empire.》
“… .”
It reminded me of the ‘Guardian Meeting’ that I had in the ecliptic in the past.
North West Central and South.
The four imperial defense fronts that the emperor and the three princes each took charge of.
“All other threats were overcome. The alien gods of the northern spirit world, the dragon lady of the western kingdom of Bringer, and the strife in the central underground… … But only the southern monster front. It was a ruin that could not be overcome no matter what.”
“… .”
«In the end, Inse was destined to be invaded and destroyed by monsters unleashed by the demon king. His Highness Fernandez said that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t overcome this.》
“So?”
“So, His Highness Fernandez has decided to become emperor. I want to rise to a position where I can decide the fate of mankind
and save as many people as possible.” … ?”
“That’s right.”
I was dumbfounded and let out a blank laugh.
It’s limited, but you can see the future?
And doom is destiny?
So you chose to surrender to the Demon King and beg for your life? Not even all of humanity, but only a select few living in the ecliptic… … ?
《But the Demon King refused our surrender.》
“… !”
《The Demon King said this. ‘Among the innumerable iterations of the game, there has never been a case like this one. Your declaration of surrender gave me great pleasure. But Fernandez. You are not my adversary.’”
Mason raised his eyes and looked at me.
《’My player is still fighting. He is struggling to make the next move on a collapsing chessboard.’》
I clenched my fists tightly.
《’Until he gives up, the game isn’t over yet.’》
