242. Butterfly Effect (10)
“It came much faster than I expected. We almost had appointments that overlapped.”
The dignified tone contains a slight sense of playfulness and imitates complaining.
An old man with a gentle expression smiled.
“As I get older, I sleep less. Even if we had overlapping appointments, I was willing to wait. I guess I’m the one who came early on my own. More than that…” Silver-blue eyes shone sharply
.
“What business does this old man, who is so famous these days, care about?”
“There are rumors… I won’t deny it, but I don’t think it’s something you should say.”
‘Stigma Primiro’ is not the only rumor related to ‘a person wandering the continent’. Stigma raised the corners of his mouth as if showing off. The eyes were not smiling.
There is one more rumor that has not become widely known due to being buried in the rumors of a ‘hero’, but has been steadily becoming known beneath the surface. Was it a rumor about an old man killing monsters? It is a rumor that is even more absurd than ‘Hero’ and is a rumor that does not give any hope or expectations, so it is being buried helplessly, but it is the absolute truth.
The old man in front of me, Remember, was wandering the continent for some reason.
“If you are looking for me after hearing late news about the mercenary brokerage, I would like to tell you that it is too late. This old man has already retired and no longer has authority.”
“That much can be inferred just by looking at the way the broker moves around rather than staying in one place. That’s not the purpose.”
…Then what business did you come looking for me for?
Now that the empire that had enforced mercenary support and benefited from it was pushed to the brink, Remember gave up his position as a broker and retired in return for endangering Esperanes.
They say I am wandering the continent to compile a history book, delaying my return to the kingdom due to my status and connections, but I no longer have any authority.
An old man who only knew how to fight a little had a question on his face. Stigma spoke as if giving an answer.
“I heard that you want to write a history book.”
“I didn’t really hide it, so it’s worth hearing. But why is that…”
“I’m making an offer to accompany you.”
“…yes?”
The old man, who was never embarrassed, widened his eyes slightly.
The elegant man gently raises the corners of his mouth. He held out his hand with a gesture full of elegance.
“I am wandering the continent and you are also wandering, so there will be no problem if we travel together, right?”
There will be some monsters that are too old to deal with.
Let’s go with me.
***
“Actually, that’s true.”
“?”
As Dan was slowly getting used to the silence in a space filled with silence, Dan suddenly looked up at the sound of a voice.
Regardless of whether his eyes landed on me or not, Deon played around with the ‘Chess’ on the table without even paying attention to Dan. A mumbling that was almost like talking to myself continued.
“I knew it would be a burden.”
“….”
Dan realized what was being said and chose silence instead of a hasty answer. The mouth that had opened as if to answer at any moment had been closed for a long time.
Since he wasn’t really expecting an answer, Deon continued talking without paying any attention to the non-answer.
“Even though I knew that, I did it on purpose…”
Even though he knew it would be a burden, he sent regular troops to the 8th Corps commander. Even though I knew it would be more efficient to send him alone, I did it to prevent him from doing so.
“The same goes for believing.”
With that said, I knew he would do his best to live up to expectations.
The retreat route was blocked so that they could not easily give up and return. To prevent general troops from being carelessly abandoned as baggage, shackles were placed in advance.
The blood that had accumulated on the floor splattered. Deon, who was habitually searching in his arms because he felt like he had a headache from the bloody smell, realized that there was no medicine in hand and dropped his empty hands. An irritated voice leaked out through my teeth.
“…Damn it.”
“Suck.”
The green stem pats the back of the hand. Deon stopped and looked down.
“…Calm down?”
“Suck!”
“Huh…”
…I live, live, and get pats even from plants.
I let out a sheepish laugh, as if I had just blown away with my frustration.
As if the irritation from earlier was a lie, I felt better and instead of shaking it off, I quietly received the pat and then moved my hand to grab the long green stem.
“Yuck?!”
“Why are you surprised?”
“WHW!”
“…?”
The guy who was poking around Deon with another stem, as if on guard, suddenly stopped when he saw a face full of question marks. The moment Deon tilted his head at the sight, which had hardened as if it had been turned into a stone, the strength from its once strong stem disappeared.
“Sweet…”
“Why is your body twisting again… Are you in pain?”
“That’s not true, since he always jokes around, he thought it was like that this time too and was wary of it, but then he realized it wasn’t and he seems to like it. To me, it looks like he’s playing in and out.”
“…?”
Only then did Deon’s gaze land on Dan.
It was a pretty face, as if he had heard something absurd.
“Inside and out…? Was this a female?”
“Looking at his mannerisms,
he seems like a male…” “Then… is he a hermaphrodite? No, this guy is a plant to begin with. Plants also have male and female… but…”
Yes, there is…
soul . After muttering something, Deon immediately tried to talk while holding a flower pot. The content was spectacular.
Are you a female? Juicy fluid.
Is it male? Juicy fluid.
Are you a hermaphrodite? Juicy fluid.
What are you doing? Juicy fluid.
Fuck.
Dan’s face, who was watching, was filled with bewilderment.
“…What are you doing?”
“Oh, isn’t this important? I ask again.”
do you like me
Suck!
Fuck.
“You should be able to understand what is being said….”
“The one who understands is the weird one.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
Now that I feel better, let’s go back to the topic.
This is the end of the pointless flirting.
Deon poked the center of the flower bud, which was visible both as the snout and as an eye, with his finger, telling him to play alone and not to disturb him. He put the glowing monster aside and looked at the table again. A green stalk hissed in, but I swatted it away with one hand as if swatting away a fly, and touched the board with the other.
Dan looked tired at the unfamiliar sight.
‘…Still, I guess I should say I’m glad that the atmosphere has become a little lighter.’
Just a moment ago, I felt like I was suffocating from the weight.
Thanks to that plant stepping in whenever the mood gets serious, I feel like I have some breathing room recently. Deonhardt also seems to soften more when dealing with plants. Should I say that it has become much more humane?
‘I don’t know if it’s good or bad.’
At this point, it would be no exaggeration to say that that plant has taken on the role of the second Lofty Knights… Oh, is this rude to that plant?
Anyway, as I was looking at the strange plant with new eyes, Deon, who had caught the flying stem and suppressed it by pressing it against the table, raised his head.
“Dan. Do you want to play a game?”
“Are you talking about the thing on the table? First of all, it looks like it’s the ‘Chas’ you made last time… but it’s a lot different from the previous one.”
“We just changed the game board itself to a sliding puzzle form, but the basics didn’t change.”
Dan glanced at the monster, which had become quiet from exhaustion, and slowly approached the table.
As before, it is based on the form of a chessboard with a large number of squares, and topography such as mountains, rivers, and fields are engraved within the squares, but pieces of the board are missing from the positions of the two sides that were determined from the beginning. I knew it as soon as I saw it.
“You decide the terrain before the game starts.”
“That’s right. You change the terrain by taking turns pushing the board pieces. It is impossible to immediately return the board pieces pushed by the opponent to their original positions in the turn. The number of times you push the board… is determined by rolling two 20-sided dice. .”
“Lands rich in supplies should be guided closer to your camp, and barren and rough lands should be guided to locations that are easy to defend.”
“That’s right. The game progress afterward is not much different from the last time, so shall we skip it and just decide on the terrain?”
“….”
Instead of answering, Dan looked at Deon.
‘What are you taking this long to say…’
I know that the game is not the intended purpose. It looks like he’s been filling his mouth with what he wants to say and then swallowing it repeatedly, unable to spit it out, so he probably suggested it to buy time.
‘I don’t think people who have shown almost the bottom of their humanity hesitate to speak out because they are pricked by their conscience or are reluctant to show their ugly side…’ As if it was strange that there was no answer, red eyes turned in this direction
. Our eyes met.
Even if you urge him, it will only backfire, there is nothing to get out of it, and you cannot dare to ask him questions. Dan nodded obediently and sat down in front of the table.
“All right.”
***
Deon’s mouth opened faster than expected.
He repeatedly opened and closed his lips throughout the game, but when he reached the halfway point, he tried his luck by pushing a piece of the board to change the location of the terrain Dan was trying to take.
A voice with a clear sense of hesitation slowly filled the space.
“At that time… the comment you made in front of the screen.”
“yes.”
“…I’m serious?”
If it wasn’t just one or two remarks I made in front of the screen, how would I be understood if I said that?
I don’t know what you are referring to. Dan pushed the board to pass the turn and then quietly looked at Deon. Deon, who belatedly realized his mistake, added.
“You told me why Cruel sent me to the demon world.”
“ah.”
I know what it is.
“Did you really mean that?”
Did he really think that deeply about me and do it for me?
I know for sure that I don’t have the ability to read minds, but I don’t know why I can hear the words he swallowed before saying out loud. Dan sighed.
“Are you planning on going to the human world?”
“….”
“You look like you’re asking how I knew, but other than that, there’s no reason to think like this again. It looks like you were considering participating in the battle yourself…” He raised his hand and rubbed the area around his chin
.
He also clenched his fist for a moment and placed the knuckle of his index finger under his lips, grinning mischievously.
“It seems like you have a new feeling now that you’ve made up your mind?”
“…Be quick to notice.”
“Should I see Master for a day or two?”
He shrugged his shoulders proudly at Deon Hardt, who was quietly criticizing him for being unlucky, and was lost in thought.
…When exposing the duke’s sin in front of everyone, Paul asked why Cruel Hart sent Deon Hart to the Demon World instead of other options.
The answer I gave back then was probably this.
[As his own death was certain, he probably wanted to send the person he was trying to protect to the safest place.] It
was an insignificant remark, but it seems to have struck Deonhardt differently.
The game has entered its final turn, but there is no progress because Deonhardt does not move. Dan, who was looking at the fixed board, raised his head and met red eyes looking at me.
“What answer do you want? You know everything.”
“….”
“Kruel Hart thoroughly deceived and hid the Master from his eyes while he was alive. Because of this, the Master only learned the truth after his death and realized his sacrifice and consideration. If I were to ask you here, do you think what the Master has learned is everything?”
This would have been a sufficient answer.
He smiled coolly at Deon, who was frozen with his eyes wide open.
“Perhaps he is more than the Master thinks . It would have been for the Master. Actually, considering what I have learned so far, I wonder if he could have done more than this…” “…
”
“In any case, he placed the Master’s safety and survival as the top priority. That’s why I chose the Demon World instead. And the Master survived as he intended and became a hero, escaping from a dangerous situation.” Is he
just escaping? There is only one individual who can threaten him.
He lowered his gaze.
The terrain of the sliding plate was already Deon. It was structured in Hart’s favor. With his index and middle fingers, Dan pointed out the last board that Deon Hart had not taken, and pushed it in with his own hand, saying, “So, don’t worry about going against your brother’s will again, and have a nice trip. Already
. “You have a history of fighting in the human world yourself, so why are you acting like a man who has now left?”