Tacchia Pheloi.
My feelings for her could be sumd up as gratitude and concern.
Even at our first eting, she did everything with a seasoned attitude, and above all, she generously gave items that were too much for a novice adventurer.
Conversely, there must be so reason she gave away such valuable items for free.
Now, try to say this. Ta.
That was also why I was concerned about the na this child introduced herself with.
The soul of the Ego Weapon, created by her hand, using the sa na as hers, might be related to that.
Ttaa~
Not Tta, but Ta. Now, again.
Taaa~
Then, Chi, and Ah.
Chii~ Ah~
Good, now what do you say if you put it together?
Ttajiya~
Right. Well done.
Perhaps because she was young and her tongue was short, her speech was a bit awkward.
But she could express her own will and, more importantly, understand what I said, even if her speech wasnt clear.
Thanks to that, communication during direct encounters like this was not difficult.
Um, so can I call you Pheloi from now on?
Phenyoi?
Yeah, since your na is the sa as your mothers, I thought it might be better to differentiate by surna.
Thinking we should at least settle on a form of address for the future, I suggested this, and the girl looking at began to shake her head.
Nyaaa, mama na different.
Youre saying your na is different from your moms?
Different.
Different? What does that an?
Was the mother she was talking about not Tacchia?
What is your mothers na?
Tacchia Pheloi.
And your na?
Tacchia Hinui.
Arent they the sa?
Nyaaaa! Differeeeent!!!
The little squirrel rat squird in my arms.
The girl, with an angry face, looked at and said firmly,
Mama is Tacchia Pheloi! I am Tacchia Hinui. Different!
Uh, uh-huh. Right. Theyre different.
I stroked the girls head as she emphasized her point, and recalling what she had said, I ca to a conclusion.
I roughly understand now.
In short, the two nas seem sowhat similar, but it must be the pronunciation that made them sound alike.
Well, if they were mother and daughter, they would both use the surna Pheloi, so the latter part would be the sa.
So, can I call you Pheloi from now on?
Yeshhha~ Hehe~
Thus, the little squirrel rat in my arms beca Pheloi.
Perhaps I should call the weapon Pheloi too when I use it.
Ego Weapon Pheloi It doesnt sound bad at all.
That being said, I wonder what I should do now.
After holding Pheloi in my arms, I decided to explore the ruined city where I stood.
While I was aware that this place was a dream, everything here felt too vivid to be just a dream.
In reality, this child, who was nothing more than a weapon, could communicate here.
It would be unreasonable to think that the events occurring here were aningless.
Hey Pheloi. Is there sothing special around here?
So, wondering if there was a reason I ca here, I asked, and Pheloi started pointing to a particular spot.
Over there~
Is there sothing over there?
Yes! Over~ there~
Yes, the way her tiny hand pointed was quite adorable. Feeling this, I stroked Phelois head and imdiately looked in the direction her finger pointed.
A huge castle was visible above the foggy, barren ruins of the city.
Smaller than the Imperial Palace, but still quite large by modern standards.
It was like a castle where a royal family might reside.
In this barren land, that place stood out, and Pheloi raised her hands and shouted energetically.
Lets go~
Yes, yes, off we go~
Well, until I wake up from this dream, I might as well go and see whats there.
Thinking this, we crossed the city, passed the drawbridge of the castle, and finally arrived at the entrance of the long-neglected castle.
Fortunately, entering it was not difficult. The door was half open, so I had no problem passing through while holding Pheloi.
Is this where we need to go?
Yes! Fast~!
Pheloi tugged at the hem of my clothes, urging on.
Despite the eerie sensation typical of an old castle, I thought it didnt matter much since it was all a dream and stepped inside.
After all, whatever awaited, it wouldnt be a problem for the real .
Mr. Hyo-sung.
That carefree thought was disrupted when, upon entering, I encountered a familiar face.
Airi Haven.
A person who was considered almost a lover to .
Airi, why?
Why was she here, staggering and bleeding?
Thud.
Before I could grasp the situation, Airi collapsed.
As I was about to rush over, I suddenly stopped, realizing I had kicked sothing on the ground.
There lay a woman in a black hood, collapsed and bleeding even before Airi
-rilyn
rilyn Sutherland.
Her eyes, usually smiling, were now lifelessly wide open.
She wasnt asleep. I had seen countless people in this state since coming to this world.
These were the eyes of a corpse.
The people who were special to appeared before as corpses at this mont.
Why, how could this?
As I realized this and reflexively tried to understand the situation.
Familiar faces appeared before my eyes.
Garam, who had adventured with ; Tacchia, who had given weapons; and hundreds, thousands of others who had connections with in this world, all lay dead, welcoming into the castle
This is a dream, right?
Convinced that such reality couldnt exist, I took a deep breath and stood up from my crouched position.
Yes, from the mont I encountered Pheloi, I knew this was a dream.
Yes, its a dream. This cant be real
Yes, its just a dream.
Just as I was about to dismiss it as a nightmare, a familiar voice whispered in my ear.
-But who can guarantee that this wont beco reality? As you know, this world is gradually moving towards destruction.
At that mont, startled, my head twisted towards the direction of the sound.
On the field of corpses, there stood an undead with a withered physique, draped in a black shroud.
-Even if it were just a dream, it would still be based on so foundation Since youve foreseen such a situation, isnt it you who witnessed this tragedy in your dream?
Gorgon Zola.
I knew him.
Three months ago, I encountered him and, by good fortune, have managed to keep my life until now.
And since then, my decision to face my formidable foe, known as fallen heroes, stemd from my resolve not to suffer the sa humiliation as before
-Its been a long ti, Woo Hyo. Do you like the gift Ive prepared?
Its not Woo Hyo, its Woo Hyo-sung.
-Hahaha! Wouldnt I, who aims to be an excellent professor, know that? I simply call you Woo Hyo affectionately, seeing you in a good light.
No, if you drop the surna, its Hyo-sung. Why do you keep dropping the part of the na and ssing around?
At that mont of rising anger, I felt a tingling sensation near my neck.
I belatedly realized what the situation had turned into.
A gift? What exactly do you want from ?
That day, when I t this guy, a strange power was infused into as he twisted my neck.
The Red Knight of War intervened midway, and sohow I avoided becoming a completely drained corpse, but that didnt an the power he infused in was gone.
Whispers or impulses felt from ti to ti
Until now, I passed them off as hallucinations due to fatigue, but now that theyve beco clearer, I couldnt just dismiss them lightly.
-Khehehe, what could I possibly want from you? I just wish that you had a stronger attachnt.
Attachnt?
-After all, all humans are destined to return to dust. Yet, if there is an existence beyond that, its not authority or strength, but attachnt that would prove the value of that second life.
Whoosh.
Gorgon Zola, who had turned to dust and disappeared, now revealed his presence behind .
His whisper, as he grasped my shoulder with his emaciated hand, held no malice towards .
-Do you not also have hunger? No matter how hard you try, no matter what you grasp, dont you always feel its insufficient?
On the contrary, his whisper held a sense of kinship and seed to draw empathy towards .
-Hunger is not just about eating and drinking. Whether its wealth, power, or strength, all humans inevitably live their lives in hunger.
Just as he said, I was always hungry.
I needed power.
Heroes and disasters like this guy, and even more, the power to block all dangers targeting in this cruel world.
No, beyond that, I had always dreamt of overwhelming power to protect the people around , those who have beco corpses scattered around here.
-Let that desire be unleashed.
But this was dangerous.
No matter how much I needed power, it was sothing that must be achieved through my will.
If it was instigated by others, the outco would be far from what I desired.
-Dont look back, and keep striving. If you accept that desire, my power will endlessly drive you, so you wont falter.
Its my business, so shut up and get lost!
The black shroud dispersed with the shout.
But stubbornly, he didnt disappear right away; instead, he solidified his form again and let out a mischievous laugh.
-Kehehe, indeed. You are a special human, so this much wont completely control you.
That damn undead turned his full attention away from as he spoke.
But that wasnt his declaration of disappearing from this dream.
Rather than giving up, he seed to be considering a detour, slowly shifting his gaze away from .
-But it seems your companion is a bit different.
What?
My head slowly turned towards where he was looking.
There, I saw Pheloi standing in front of Tacchias corpse.
The girl was solemnly looking down at the body of her creator, who she rightfully called mother.
Pheloi.
Daddy, do you want to beco stronger?
That girl, soon after, began to turn towards with her hands and mouth sared with blood from handling the corpse.
Her previously clumsy words changed to beco clear, as if they had never been clumsy.
Her eyes, which once shone purely, were now tinged with a dull color.
I also want to beco stronger. So that.
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