◈ 551. [STAGE 31] Two deaths (2)
And soon after a few days.
The funeral was held at the grave site west of the city.
The choir sings, the citizens shed tears, and cannons are fired into the air… … .
Empty coffins were placed in two newly created tombs.
Two deaths were announced.
Janice.
And it was Mikhail.
Mikhail was transcribed at his own request. It was intended to avoid the eyes of the homeland through a fake death, since he would die if he returned to his hometown anyway.
“… .”
Standing on a distant hill, Mikhail stared at the grave with his name on it. In front of the boy knight’s grave, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Vermillion who had come with him were weeping.
“What are you going to do now, Mikhail?”
Standing next to Mikhail and watching this scene together, I asked insinuatingly. Mikhail smiled bitterly and lowered his head.
“… Then I will do as you said.”
“huh?”
What did I say then?
“anger.”
Mikhail looked at his grave with eyes that were no longer shaken.
“All this time I was angry with myself. To the self who made a mistake, to the self who let his subordinates die, to the self who missed the only chance as crown prince.”
“… .”
“Even now, I still hate and feel sorry for myself for failing. But now I realize.”
Mikhail raised a clenched fist in front of his chest.
“A mistake is not an object of anger. It is an object of learning… … . And the direction of anger shouldn’t be myself. Because that only eats away at me.”
“Then what are you going to be angry about?”
“Monster.”
Michael’s scarlet eyes looked north.
“and… The system of my hometown that pushed me to move so urgently.”
“… .”
“Prince Ash, I’m going back to my hometown.”
I raised my eyes in surprise. Mikhail nodded.
“With this funeral, people in my hometown will know that I am dead. So you can sneak in.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
The kingdom of Vermillion does not forgive failed royals.
If Mikhail is confirmed alive, all of the Griffin’s blood flowing through his body will be taken away and he will die. Isn’t that why they even held a fake funeral like this?
But Mikhail’s will was firm.
“Your chance to change my country is now.”
“… .”
“No more human experimentation, no magic, no forced breeding… … To a country where artificially enhanced humans like me can be treated as human beings.”
Mikhail smiled, still haggard, but with a strong will.
“To a country that gives those who have failed a chance to stand up again. The only chance to change is now.”
“… okay.”
In front of his strong will, I finally nodded quietly.
It would be nice to fight together on the monster front like this. It’s not something I can force myself to do.
The boy in front of me is also a prince.
I am the master of my destiny and the captain of my soul. He has the right to live as he wishes.
No matter what awaits at the end.
“and… My five fiancées are waiting for me.”
“what?”
“We haven’t even served the ceremony yet, so can’t we already have a widow experience?”
Mikhail, who threw a joke for some reason, grinned. I opened my eyes wide and then I smiled hahahaha.
After throwing away the joke, Mikhail ran his finger under his nose in embarrassment.
“… realized here That I don’t have my own life behind my back.”
Mikhail took his eyes off the funeral hall and looked around the entire Crossroads.
“The lives of my dead men. The lives of all my brothers who had to die before me because it was a failure. and… .”
A little shyness mingled with the smile on Michael’s lips.
“Because I owe the lives of all the good people here at Crossroads who tried to save me when they had nothing to do with it.”
“… .”
“So don’t worry. I will not die.”
After carrying a backpack that seemed to have been prepared in advance, Mikhail held out his hand to me.
“I’ll come back angry.”
I quietly held her hand. and said
“Good luck.”
“you also. And crossroads too. May bad luck be with you.”
After shaking hands firmly, Mikhail let go and turned around without hesitation.
A young griffin was tied to the woods in front of Mikhail. It was Griffin who was judged as a warrior together with him because he was taken to the advance base during the last defense battle.
slap-!
As Mikhail climbed onto the saddle, the griffin spread its wings and soared into the air, then disappeared into the distant sky in an instant.
“… .”
While I was still watching Mikhail’s back as he walked away, someone approached me.
“… They are gone.”
“Dear Mudin.”
It was a great wizard with a long white beard.
Seeing the scene of the funeral, the Archmage brushed his beard and laughed.
“I thought it would be a defense battle without a funeral because there were no casualties in a long time, but there were only two fake deaths… Can I do this?”
“We hold a funeral for two people to save them… Wouldn’t that be a good event in that sense?”
“Hah really. It’s not even embarrassing.”
Diarmudin, who was silent for a moment, spat out.
“But what’s more absurd is… You said that I was still young. I haven’t heard anything as absurd as that in decades.”
“… .”
“And I haven’t heard anything as pleasant as that in decades.”
I glanced at Diarmudin. The archmage put her hands behind her back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
“Seeing so many things I haven’t experienced yet after living this long… As you said, it seems that it is not time for me to die yet.”
“Where in the world is there a right time to die?”
If you have to, enjoy all of them, lie on a warm bed, and proudly reminisce about your past life… … Dying like that would be the right time to die.
‘Not now.’
Now all of us, all the people in the world… … .
too young to die
So, my people, do not die.
no.
don’t let me die
will block it like the end of the world.
“Prince Ash.”
“Tell me.”
“Thank you.”
Diarmudin, who suddenly threw a thank you, turned around quickly.
“I generously sprinkle and cover my little remaining ‘youth’ here.”
The archmage disappeared with a gunshot. I blankly looked at the back of him and muttered.
“… Is it an illusion?”
Why did that grandfather look a little shy… … .
“Seniors!”
Then Evangeline jumped up from the bottom of the hill and called me. When I looked there, Evangeline gestured urgently.
“Time to speak! Come soon!”
“okay.”
Even if it’s a fake funeral, all procedures must be followed.
Slowly going down the hill along the road, I hummed the poem I was going to memorize at this funeral.
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They
shall have stars at elbow and foot; Though
they go mad
they shall be sane
Though
they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Even if I fall into the sea, I will rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not; And
death
shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion over us
***
“… .”
“… .”
further west from the grave site. The entrance to the shallow forest.
Here, Janice and Hannibal, squatting on top of a tree stump, watched the funeral in silence.
Ash recited a poem and gave a speech, and gunshots rang in the air as Evangeline waved her arm… … .
And the funeral was over.
As Janice watched the group of people gradually dispersing, Hannibal asked cautiously.
“How are you feeling?”
“huh?”
“It’s like watching your own funeral.”
“… .”
Janice looked down at the bandages still wrapped around her body.
“I do not know. After dying several times over the past few days, I can’t really believe whether I’m dead or alive.”
“… .”
“How are you?”
Janice turned to Hannibal. Hannibal widened his eyes.
“yes?”
“Do you feel that I am your father?”
“… .”
“No, you would have known if you had heard about it, but even if it wasn’t your real father… .”
Janice awkwardly scratched her bearded chin. Hannibal also laughed awkwardly.
“Actually, I’ve known you since the first time we met.”
“huh?”
“That my father is not my biological father.”
Janice opened her eyes wide. Hannibal scratched his unkempt head and explained.
“That’s a mixed blood between a human and a beastman… But since the person who becomes the mother is said to be a certain human being, the father must be a prisoner.”
“ah… .”
Then I saw it. Janice smiled bitterly. It was a problem that could not be faked in the first place.
“You must have known me from the first time you saw me.”
“yes. So I was more curious. Why do I have nothing to do with… … Did you consider him a son?”
Hannibal hesitated and added honestly.
“Did you really consider him a son?”
“… .”
“And I really… Maybe you can consider your father a father.”
Although we were sitting side by side.
There was still a great distance of heart between these false father and son.
Janice, hesitant, stuttered and asked.
“Don’t you resent me?”
“yes?”
“I haven’t seen your face once in my life since I was in the nursery school.”
“… .”
“Your biological father and biological mother… Aren’t you resentful?”
After hesitating for a long time, Hannibal slowly brushed his messy hair and looked at his father with round eyes.
“I’d be lying if I said I never had a grudge… Is that right?”
“… .”
“But did my father ever resent me? Because you suffered so much because of me.”
Janice hesitated too, but eventually nodded honestly.
“okay.”
“Then let’s play teacher.”
Hannibal smiled and held out a small fist.
“Because it was a draw, it was soft. In the future, I will not pursue it.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Let it go.”
Janice smiled and held out a fist in front of him.
The fists of the two collided lightly in the air and then fell.
A moment of silence came. The two of them quietly watched the funeral scene, which was now being cleaned up.
“… that father.”
“huh?”
“These are the words my mother left for me… I couldn’t hear you properly when you were talking about it.”
Janice glanced at Hannibal. Hannibal’s legs were trembling slightly, perhaps because he was nervous.
“Can you tell me one more time?”
“… .”
Recalling the memory of that day, Janice answered slowly.
“… told me to sing He sings well.”
“A song? haha that sucks It doesn’t look like my mother.”
“Get a job too. He must have wanted to work for a solid business.”
“Umm, mercenary isn’t going to be a sound job… ?”
“I also travel. Wander around the world talking to people from all over the world.”
“I’ve already had enough of that!”
“and… .”
As she said the last words, Janice smiled mischievously.
“I want to make an offering to the temple.”
Hannibal frowned.
“Is that really what your mother told you to do?”
“ha ha ha!”
Janice burst out laughing. Hannibal, who was looking at Janice with narrow eyes, asked cautiously.
“… My father.”
“huh?”
“How do you want your father to live in the future?”
“… .”
“You can do anything now.”
Janice is not.
The man who was Zenith saw the grave site. The place where the tombstone with his name was erected.
Priest Janice is dead. After his death, he was posthumously awarded for his merits and regained his lost honor.
The incident of 14 years ago was completely buried under the dust, and now the assassins of the Mist Kingdom will no longer come.
and… Nothing left.
Although coming empty-handed and leaving empty-handed is the life of a priest, it was difficult to bury everything under the grave and start from scratch.
So Janice didn’t know where she was going.
And
“Let’s find it together.”
Suddenly, I felt warmth.
When Janice saw it, surprised, Hannibal’s small hand was carefully holding Janice’s little finger.
“We are still young.”
“… .”
“We sing together, we get jobs, we travel… I also make a donation.”
Hannibal smiled shyly but brightly.
“I live like that.”
“… .”
Janice was silent for a while, then
“… Yes, let’s live.”
He slowly lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Hannibal’s forehead.
And whispered with maximum warmth.
“Let’s live together, son.”
The still awkward father and son sat there for a long time.
In the warm sunlight, listening to the sound of cicadas ringing in the distance, and feeling the hot wind.
Talking about our future together.
Summer was just beginning.
***
[STAGE 31 – CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP – Ash (EX)]
[Level up character]
– Ash (EX) and 50 others < Expand list >
[Dead character]
– None
[Injured character]
– Mikhail (SSR) ) and 30 people < Expand the list >
[Acquisition item]
– The oldest scarecrow magic core (SSR): 1
– Scarecrow Legion Manastone: 211
[Stage clear reward has been paid. Please check your inventory.]
– SSR grade reward Box: 1
> > Get Ready For The Next STAGE
> > [Next STAGE: Impregnable]
