◈ 113. [Side Story] Old soldier (3)
“She wasn’t my granddaughter.”
As I listened to Jupiter’s story, I murmured softly. Jupiter nodded.
“yes. There is not a drop of blood between me and me.”
“There are so many oddly similar corners… I thought it was mixed with blood.”
“ha ha ha. I’m glad that you look alike.”
Jupiter shook his head slightly.
“Not only are they not granddaughters… I’m not even sure if I played the role of a real grandmother.”
“… .”
“I raised those children with guilt and responsibility, but strictly speaking, I am a fierce enemy to them.”
Jupiter’s calm voice seemed to smell like blood.
“I burned my hometown and killed my family and friends.”
“… .”
“Even if you don’t speak… You must hate me.”
Jupiter laughed bitterly and put the cup in his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m not forgiven. Because the sins I committed in the first place are not the kind that can be forgiven. but.”
“but?”
“I wanted to properly apologize to those children, but… I feel like I didn’t do it right. I like that.”
Jupiter’s only eye was filled with regret.
“Junior is a very talented kid. In terms of talent alone, he far surpasses me.”
Certainly. The SSR rating is given to geniuses who transcend ordinary talent.
“But because I was struck by lightning when I was young… My body is greatly weakened. The heart, which can be called the core of magic, is weakening, and every time I use magic, my life span is being eaten away.”
Every time he used magic, he remembered Junior, who was bleeding from his nose and coughing up blood after burning herbs that had painkillers.
Was it because of a childhood injury?
“That’s why I forbade the use of magic. Not only that, but it also prevented me from learning magic.”
“But why are you so good at it?”
“Would I have been able to stop it if I blocked it?”
Jupiter chuckled.
“In front of the talent and enthusiasm of a child, opposition from adults is only a minor obstacle.”
“… .”
“I started to wake up on my own, and before I knew it, I surpassed the skills of my peers, and now I am stronger than I am.”
In a couple of days ago, Jupiter was defeated by Junior.
Although Jupiter’s condition was not good, he must have felt it himself. If both sides have power, he will lose.
“If it weren’t for what I did, Junior could have become a great wizard in world history.”
Jupiter murmured as he refilled his cup.
“Or I could have lived a normal, happy life in that small town.”
“… .”
“On that day, 15 years ago, I burned both possibilities.”
Jupiter was staring at his own face reflected in the glass.
Is it seeing the left eye he lost that day 15 years ago?
Or seeing everything else he made himself lose on that day 15 years ago.
I couldn’t find out. Just listen to the story from the side.
“But I… How should I apologize?”
Jupiter sighed softly.
“If the life of the child who was ruined by lying on his stomach could be restored, he would have done it a hundred or a thousand times. but… There is no way to turn it back.”
“… .”
“I stopped that child’s dream of becoming a wizard rather than helping him. I hoped that the child’s short life would not be burned with magic. But it was no different than interrupting the child’s dream.”
Jupiter gulped down the full cup again.
“Nevertheless, I could not give him ordinary happiness. I burned down both my parents and my hometown.”
“… .”
“None of the things taken… I couldn’t compensate.”
widely!
Jupiter put down his cup and laughed.
“I don’t know what to do. now… Honestly, that kid is scary.”
“scary?”
“I have only this old life left to give. I don’t even have any more resources to offer. If one day you suddenly say to me, ‘Give me back what you took away’. What do I have to pay back?”
Jupiter covered his missing left eye with his hand and closed his intact right eye.
“Every time I met that child’s eyes, it scared me so much… I want to hide in a rat hole.”
“… ”
“I want to apologize, but I don’t know how.”
I couldn’t utter a single word.
Because it was too difficult for me, a third party, to intervene. It was the same for me that I couldn’t even dare to guess the solution.
For a while, Jupiter and I just drank without saying anything.
The bottle that was full was empty before I knew it.
Jupiter said as he poured his last drink into my cup.
“majesty. I am proud to have served as a soldier of the Empire. The years when I was able to contribute to His Majesty the Emperor and the Imperial Family are the brightest years of my life.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“At the same time, I hate what I did.”
Medals were still dangling from the chest of Jupiter’s military uniform.
Jupiter looked down at the medals with a bitter gaze.
“And most of all, the massacre and destruction continued without self-reflection as instructed from above… I hate myself for being stupid.”
“… .”
“The foolish self who abandoned himself and lived as a part of the military, drunk on the role of a soldier and the commander of the 2nd division of the magic corps… I hate you.”
Suddenly –
Jupiter, who had emptied his last drink, bowed his head to me.
“majesty. Your Highness, please don’t be swallowed up by your role.”
“For the role… don’t get swallowed go?”
“For the role of the third prince. in the role of commander. in the role of lord. Don’t be devoured. It is by no means the essence of Your Highness.”
Listening to Jupiter’s words, I also passed the last drink down my throat.
“Only with Your Highness. Live as Ash ‘Bonehater’ Everblack.”
“… .”
“This is all the old-fashioned advice this nerdy old man can give you when you are still young.”
Jupiter’s advice came to me painfully, like poisonous wine going down my esophagus.
What am I after all
3 prince. commander. permanent residence. is it ash
Or a player. Is it after the classics?
Either way I’m living my life… … Are you living right?
“Thank you for listening to my complaint, Your Highness. It’s a little better if you tell me though.”
Jupiter giggled and put away the empty bottle.
I don’t know how many bottles the two of us finished in one sitting. Ugh. Drunk comes late
“With Junior… Let’s have a good talk.”
Jupiter quietly muttered as he sent me off to the outside of the guild.
“Anyway, she’s not my granddaughter. My granddaughter who inherited my name. If you talk openly… … You will find a clue.”
Lucas, who was waiting outside, opened the carriage door.
Jupiter shrugged his shoulders and smiled as I climbed into the carriage seat.
“I want to believe that.”
I hope so too. sincerely.
As I rode the carriage back to the mansion, I saw Jupiter standing alone in the distance. Thought.
No matter what the ending is for the two of them… … I hope you won’t regret it.
***
A few days later.
A silver weapon has arrived from the forge. Some of the ordered items, not the entire quantity, came as samples.
[Silver Longsword (R) Lv.30]
– Classification: Longsword
– Attack Power: 20-40
– Durability: 3/3
– Deals 100% additional damage against all unclean enemies.
Look at my poor durability.
But options are really good.
‘This 100% additional dam goes into a bonus to skills as well as simple weapon attack power.’
It’s a gear that only deals with a small number of enemies, but instead it’s a solid counter against those few.
Booung-!
I gave the longsword to Lucas. Lucas drew it out, gave it a light swing, and nodded.
“how is it?”
“You have a good balance. It seems fine.”
“Good good. I guess I should just make it like this.”
This time, they came with two silver long swords, daggers, and spears. and three arrows.
He gave both long swords to Lucas and both spears to Evangeline.
“You can think of it as an expendable item and use it while exploding.”
“It looks expensive, but it’s okay… ?”
Evangeline, who carefully received the silver long spear, before long wielded it skillfully.
Booung-!
Whiririk!
Evangeline has mainly used a weapon in the form of a cavalry spear, a lance, but she also handled the normal spear spear that came this time.
Spinning round and round, yap! It slammed forward with a sound. you are good?
Evangeline blushed as Lucas and I, who were watching, clapped in applause.
“Don’t react to each child, really! ashamed.”
No, your reaction to our reaction is fun.
The best restaurant for reaction Hyeja is you. This house is good!
“You handle it very well even though it’s not a cavalry spear?”
“Of course it is. The basic principle is the same.”
Well, spears do not share proficiency categories. I understand it because I understand it that way.
‘… No, wait, I think I’m thinking too much of a game.’
For a moment, Evangeline shrugged her shoulders triumphantly as she contemplated the absurdity of replacing everything in her world with game.
“Well, there is that, and all weapons aptitude tests at the academy were A+. If you give me a long sword, I’m confident to handle it as much as that man.”
“Hoo. as much as me?”
Lucas’ eyes darkened. What about Evangeline? He cocked his two pointed eyes cheekily. These guys are here again.
“You guys take care of Dalian later, and pack your equipment first. Armor and shield.”
At my words, the two knights looked at me with surprised eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“okay.”
I took a silver dagger and put it on my waist while grinning.
“It’s time to leave for the next area of the dungeon.”
I waited long.
The silver equipment you’ve been waiting for will also come. Finally, the time has come to slow down the free exploration of the dungeon.
***
This free exploration was decided to proceed only with the main party.
First of all, the area to go this time is too dangerous to take the Dion mercenaries.
The main party will also have a dangerous moment, but it’s too busy to take care of the newbies.
The shadow unit itself had good fighting power, but this time the organization was holding back.
‘It’s an overly aggressive combination.’
Two mages and three archers.
It’s fine when exploring other areas, but the place to go today is a narrow dungeon.
Shadow troops biased towards ranged attacks are dangerous. So excluded.
I decided to operate slowly and stably with a small party.
‘Well, actually, it’s all an excuse.’
It was more about accelerating the leveling by feeding experience points to the main party.
Because during the Celendion Raid, the main party is the number of people who have to face off against Celendion.
‘It would be really nice if I could pull the level up and learn the ultimate skill.’
The final skill that completes each character. ultimate.
The performance of a character who has learned the ultimate skill and a character who has not learned it slightly overdoes it, so there is a difference of two times.
It would be much easier if there was a character who learned the ultimate skill during the Celendion Raid.
However, the ultimate is unlocked at level 50 with the 3rd job advancement.
Lucas and Evangeline, who are the highest among my hero characters, are currently in the late 30s. It’s still a long way off.
‘If the leveling speed is normal, stage 10 is going to unlock the ultimate skill.’
At least Damian and I were the only ones worth aiming for to unlock the next skill.
Currently I am level 24 and Damian is level 33.
At level 35, I changed my 2nd job and learned the 2nd skill, so this is worth aiming for.
‘… No, isn’t it a bit conscientious to say that something that requires level 11 is worth doing?’
But what do you think will happen if you twist it well?
I licked my lower lip with my tongue and tried to roll a plan for a big rep in my head.
‘Give me your experience, damn game!’
Give me your next skill! It’s also a cheat! A game that can just explode!
Give me!
