Chapter. 20. Off-Road (12)
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“Off….mmmm.”
I tend not to trust conclusions based on assumptions. No matter how logical the conclusion is, if the assumptions are wrong, the conclusion is a mess.
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Boom!
But… what if all the assumptions that cannot be confirmed to be true or not are closely intertwined? Wouldn’t it be trustworthy if every single thing was explained so that no matter which side you pulled, it would fit?
“….great! “It’s good!”
After grunting for a while, he finally raised his hands as if he was surrendering and said.
“Honestly, it’s still hard to understand things like what the past was like and what the past life was like…but! At least, if it’s as Ottman said, it can explain to some extent the strange phenomena I’ve experienced recently.”
[Oh my. What if it’s a strange phenomenon?]
“The ‘desire to find’ that has driven me down the path of wandering and tormented me throughout my life is probably because of my past life, past life, past life…. It’s because I have a goal that has continued from a certain point in time.”
[yes. There is someone you must visit.]
“The reason I am half Oranite is because humans themselves are a bit imperfect.”
[Aurors are a symbol of the complete self. Rather than expressing that it is incomplete…. um…. no, please continue.]
“A strange sense of déjà vu. The ability to find artifacts like ghosts in ruins. Isn’t that because you know where it is? This is the ‘preparation’ that Ottman was talking about earlier. Since he said he went through several lives, he must have lived in a time when ‘relics’ were real. “If I was preparing for my next life here and there like a squirrel, wouldn’t that explain why I went in and out of the ruins as if it were my own home and picked up relics?”
If you look closely, it seems like they were forced together, but it’s hard to say that they fit together so well that it’s crazy and makes you jump.
Do the ruins look familiar? Is the location of the relic clearly visible? How many times have you been in and out of a place full of dangerous magic traps and been fine?
If I had actually existed in the past, in a time when places now called ruins actually functioned, it would all be possible if I had saved up useful items here and there, like, ‘Hey, I’ll use it in my next life.’
It also explains my ‘half knight’ life, where I am only a wanderer, and although it is a bit vague, it also explains to some extent the ‘desire to explore’ that made me a wanderer.
….good. I am a man with a past.
“If this is all true, the involvement with the Warlord may also have something to do with this. Right?”
[….Why do you think that?]
“Because I was looking for him. According to what Otman said, the reason I’ve been looking for something this long is because of the influence of memories from the past, but there’s no way that a guy who’s running around looking like he’s going to destroy the world is a gift prepared for me. “Then doesn’t that mean that is my target?”
[I see. Let’s continue.]
“Assuming that far, now I have to think about why I can see the Warlord’s memories as well… To be honest, I’m not sure about this. memory. Memories are shared through keywords… Was that guy also ‘Hyde’? Is he looking for something like me? Did he go crazy while searching and become an indiscriminate killer? Or…”
As I was holding on to my dangling thoughts, I felt Otman’s stinging gaze.
“….why?”
[no. I just watched it because it reminded me of old times. Please understand. Old people easily fall into the past…]
Their eyes look as if they are looking into the distant past through me.
[That friend was like that too. If you tell me one thing, I know ten. He would think so far ahead of himself that he would mumble for a while, and when we asked him what his plan was, he would suddenly come to his senses and come up with a reckless and long-winded plan.]
『Genius is often passed down from generation to generation. Hyde’s natural intelligence is definitely comparable to his.』
“Haha, this is true. If you say that by just putting together what you picked up…”
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“huh?”
wait for a sec. Something just felt strange. Did I hear wrong?
“Ottoman?”
[Did you call me?]
“What did you just say?”
[You are a friend who is weak to praise. Your natural intelligence is-]
“No, not that, before that.”
weird. I definitely think I heard a different voice. The direction is clearly…
“This way?”
When I turned my head, only the pitch-black darkness of the deep sea filled my eyes.
No, I felt something.
‘Are the ocean currents different only here?’
An ocean current that regularly pulls and pushes floating bodies. When I look closely, there is a place that looks a little darker in the dark, and it looks like a cave…
『Ah, I said it before that. Even without having to think about it, I think of a man who looks exactly like you.』
‘Wow. The cave speaks. The deep sea is mysterious.’
『I didn’t think there was any need to say hello, but it’s nice to meet you. Hyde.』
Flash!
‘Wow wow…. In the deep sea, there is a light on top of the cave… ha ha ha…’
Above the cave where regular ocean currents come and go, a light source that is enough to brighten up the dark surroundings came to mind. It has a vertically split shape, just like a reptile’s eyes. Wow, the thing that was covering it looks exactly like an eyelid. Then, can I look below through the nostrils? For some reason, the ocean current seemed a bit warm. It wasn’t an ocean current, it was an inhalation and exhalation. Then, those are the eyes and this is the bridge of the nose. Then, the wide flagstone reflected in the eye light is all scales –
boo-boo-boo-boo-boo!
I really learned to dive and hid behind Otman at the fastest speed.
“Deud de de de de de de de deu!”
『You are mistaken. The name given to our species is not ‘Dragon’, it’s just Dragon.』
What I thought was a part of a sea valley, not a valley, wakes me up.
The size of a mountain rising.
Eyes filled with a blue glow that dwarfs the magic light above my head.
For some reason, the scales have been damaged and fallen a lot, but they are still the strongest armor on earth.
And sharp teeth as big as the anchor of a sailing ship coming towards me.
『It’s been a while. Ha-』
“Please save me! The captain up there ordered it! He said there would be an airship here! “I swear I didn’t know it was a dragon’s treasure!”
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Otman, could you please stop looking at me with such a pitiful expression? You may have died once, but I am still alive. The living must live! Even if it’s a bit servile!
As soon as I identified the owner of the voice that had entered the conversation with Otman, instinct began to take precedence over reason. Instead of trying to figure out how to escape in the ocean, where it is difficult to move properly, try to pray for something.
[….We really look alike.]
『We resemble each other even to the embarrassing part.』
The sight of Otman and the dragon talking as they watch me succeed in maintaining the ‘high treason pose’ in the water.
‘…Do you two know each other?’
『It’s not just the two of us who know each other, the three of us know each other.』
“Huh!”
‘This damn dragon must read minds, too!’
『Normally, when I feel that way, I wouldn’t use expressions like ‘damn’.』
“Hehe!”
‘Oh, this is dead.’
It’s amazing. After going through such a difficult past and wandering the world, he ends up dying at the hands of an angry dragon at the bottom of the sea where no one comes.
While I was thinking about what kind of epitaph should be engraved on a death like this, the dragon was complaining with a sigh (almost flying backwards) instead of a handshake.
『….I can’t believe I fell for the trick of a guy like that and ended up getting to this point.』
[Congratulations, Aldar. I finally fully understand my situation, being dragged around by a strict guy.]
The dragon shook its head, which was half the size of the airship, and approached me as if the tip of its nose was touching it.
『Stop saying hello. Aldarshax, manager of the failed balance, sends greetings to his former comrade and friend, Hyde. It’s quite nice to be able to meet you, an ephemeral species, even after so much time has passed.』
“Uh… Yes…”
It’s strange. Today, a name I only saw in history books keeps ringing in my ear.
Even as the situation far beyond my common sense was pounding in my head, my extraordinary mind was recalling the contents of a history book I had read years ago.
Aldarshaks. Blue dragon. A dragon symbolized by lightning and sand, judgment and balance.
A dragon that proudly fought on the side of the Western Empire in the two great imperial wars and is renowned as the dragon that participated the most in human affairs in history.
A dragon that directly blocked the Dark Empire’s airship that blackened the sky, gave the West Empire the upper hand, and drove the Magic Empire into a corner, which can be seen as the starting point of the ‘Dragon Vein Twisting’.
Even now, believers in chivalry say ‘Dragon!’ If you whisper, ‘Ack!’ Another legend that graced the pages of history with just one name that made people give long speeches about loyalty and cheers.
“Why… are you here?”
『Because you called me. “Didn’t he visit me in the desert and verbally abuse me, calling me an old friend, dereliction of duty, and breach of trust?”
“Me?”
『Yes you. I can’t help it because I swear so loudly that I will correct the world’s imbalanced balance. “I have no choice but to help with one hand.”
“Me?”
The one-eyed dragon met my desperate look that said it could never happen, and nodded.
….Wow!
ouch. weird. It definitely hurts when I pinch it. Why isn’t it a dream? Should I stab my thigh with a knife?
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I saw three legends today alone.
Airship No. 1 Otman Baudelaire Dragon Aldarshaks.
I drove one out and left it here, and I told the other two to wait here. They both heard it again.
Wow, this one story could get you a lifetime of drinking money at a bar. I could publish it as a book.
What on earth should I think of this?
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“…Was the ‘Hyde’ of the past a god?”
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『I’m getting depressed.』
[What can I do? All we have left are those people.]
They were serious in their own way, but what came back were faces that were even more pitiful than before.
I’m so jealous of Eggwill floating over there, sleeping, that I’m dying of envy.
****
The scale was so big that it made me feel sick, but one thing was certain.
“Now, even if I don’t want to believe it, I have to believe it.”
Even if it’s a war hero who died and came back to life, what can you do when the dragon guarantees it? If the dragon says, ‘This is correct-‘, then even if you make bread with mushrooms, that is correct.
Okay, I’ve decided.
I took a deep breath and slowly approached the Otman and Dragon who were trembling in my direction. And then,
rumbling-
“Well, I’m mentally prepared, so why don’t you do something to say you’ve prepared for this moment!”
He spread his arms wide towards them. Very open.
‘Just as Notum gave me memories of my first past life, Otman said he was waiting for me this time. I guess… I guess this is where I get my memories, right?’
It’s a bit unsettling that memories I don’t know are being overlaid on my head… but I can’t say I don’t like it because I’m scared when they’ve opened the door to this level.
‘Honestly, there are some things I’m looking forward to.’
I followed a mysterious guide and an ancient mythical relic suddenly popped out.
The ghost or spirit that appeared there is also a legendary figure. When we meet him, what he says is something like ‘I’ve been waiting for you for a long time’ or ‘I have something ready for you’? Has a dragon even appeared there now? When he saw me, he greeted me first and said, ‘Ah, nice to meet you, comrade. ‘I was waiting for you too.’ You pick up the same sound and serve it, right?
Even the bard’s song is likely to be criticized for being too typical. The atmosphere literally felt like everything was prepared for me.
‘…Honestly, I’m an extraordinary person! Memories I don’t know come up, I have a strange mental illness, and the person is tall, so it’s okay!’
Okay, let’s accept it. Destiny has gone from whispering in your ear to screaming in your ear, so it’s time to accept it!
I closed my eyes and opened my heart wide. Now, dazzling light pours from the wizard’s fingertips, revealing the true power that was dormant along with the lost memories!
[….]
….strength?
“hey?”
[….What are you doing?]
“Uh…don’t you? “Remember what… you said…”
The dragon now looked as if he was going to cry because he was so dumbfounded.
[I guess I was wrong about that. I don’t know what I expected, but memories aren’t something you can hand over like that. Even if you live in the present, no one can revive the memories lost as the dead spirit goes through the ‘cycle’. It is impossible for me, who achieved miracles of magic even in my later years, and for Notum, who has reached both the ends of magic and spirit magic.]
“I heard earlier that Notum gave me back my memories.”
[No one in the world can remind us of the memories of the past that ‘circulation’ has erased. It’s like not being able to turn back time that has passed. All the memories of that life along with the past were left out of our reach.]
[We didn’t bring it back to life. From the moment you started your new life, you already had memories of the past. Notum says that when you first met her, it was as if a dam full of memories had cracked. Memories were already leaking out, and because of that, ‘Hyde’ was wandering the world under the compulsion to find something. That’s it. Is there something you can guess by looking at the expression?]
“Ugh.”
I’m not guessing, I lived exactly that way.
[If I tell you everything I know about your previous life without making any mistakes. Can you accept that? That’s me, the true identity of ‘me’ that I don’t know? What would you think if you heard a story that was close to an epic?]
“Hmm… it would be interesting, right?”
[And.]
“It depends on how you lived, but you might be impressed.”
[And again.]
“Uh um….”
[See. That’s it. Memories are something that you can’t ‘recall’ no matter how long someone tells you about them. It just becomes new knowledge.] I
suddenly became anxious. Isn’t this trend ultimately about not telling me whether it’s my past or my past life? It’s not like I’m just talking!
“You won’t know that if you don’t try it, right? No way, ‘I won’t teach you because you have no choice but to think of it!’ “Honestly, I think it’s a bit too much to say the same thing, right?”
When I protested, Otman shrugged his shoulders as if there was nothing he could do.
[okay? Then I’ll tell you. In fact, in her previous life, Hyde was a fierce, thin woman who wore dozens of iron rings on her face. Crushing people’s heads with a big stick was my joy in life.]
“Cough! “Kek!”
[As I walked, the iron hook on my face bounced and my body smelled like dead human blood and rotting oil. It was terrible. I didn’t want to tell you this terrible truth, so I tried to hide it. Can you accept yourself?]
“Um, that’s….”
[You don’t like it? So how about this? Hyde was a royal with a tall appearance and a sculptural body that anyone could look up to. He was a great crown prince who raised his country despite hardship and adversity and was praised by ten thousand people… How about this? Is this acceptable?]
….Is this a joke?
[Isn’t this one too? So what if he was a one-eyed assassin? What if he was a drunkard with a stomachache? What if he was a bard or a kind-hearted chef?]
“No, Ottoman! This seems like a joke-”
[Or!]
[Throwing away several lives to somehow keep the world from collapsing amidst the tribulation! Even though he had already enjoyed many different lives, in order to remember his one life that lasted only about two years, he used some kind of means that neither wizards nor soul magicians knew about to preserve his memories beyond the moment when his soul was bleached! If only there was an article that said that the reward for all that hard work is just a perfect encounter for a single moment.]
Ugh.
[Can you truly accept that as ‘me’? That look, that determination, that choice at that time. Just by hearing through my mouth all the moments of endless waiting using both life and death as tools in a world that was constantly collapsing!] […
If you can recall, I will tell you my story.]
Kindly. The cold, subdued passion of the old man that I could only see was enough to overwhelm me.
Snow sunken deep, very deep. Who on earth is that old man looking at beyond that retina?
[It’s difficult. ‘Knowing’ and ‘remembering’ are different. Like a wizard’s enlightenment, the moment someone explains it in words, it only becomes more difficult to get to the truth. I don’t want to ruin your long preparations by talking in vain. Hydra is someone who respects and respects humans, absolutely.]
Otman said firmly.
[You may be very frustrated and curious, but… you are not ready yet. Ready to recall all of your past, ready to carry out your plan]
[Prepared to face what you will face right now head-on.]
Before I knew it, the ocean current had become fierce.
Otman’s face was full of lament and regret as he raised his head and looked upward.
After such a nearly impossible task, I have finally come across it.
[I see. [It’s too early.]
Hyde’s preparations aren’t complete yet to face those two.
『What do you plan to do?』
[Whatever. Wasn’t it arranged for moments like this? This too… must be the flow.]
The old man and the dragon made their resolutions with a small nod.
To greet guests who arrive at the door instead of the organizer of a plan that I don’t even know the English language of yet.
Kuddeuddeuk!
The moment the rock covering the airship was crushed like a lie, the dragon and wizard were moving forward.
Two human figures revealed between fragments of rock.
[A nostalgic face and an unhappy face are the same.]
『It’s been a while, Saladin. And… a traitor.』
The dragon said, his remaining eye flashing with anger.
The one who left him with an indelible wound.
The one who made the world like this.
their enemies.
usurper.
system.
She responded to Aldarshaks’ words as she left the house.
“…As a resident of this world, I have also been given a proper noun, so please use a more accurate name.”
『It’s an undeserved name for someone like you.』
“The judgment is up to the individual.”
She lightly stomped on Aldarshax’s anger and looked at the being behind the dragon and the old man.
“This is my first time seeing you. Hyde.”
The system treated him with the same respect she treated all players.
“Administrator system. The current name is World.”
“Please call me World.”
The system introduced her new name and smiled brightly as if it were a lie.
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