And then, a few days quickly passed.
A funeral was held in the cetery on the west side of the city.
The choir sang, the citizens wept, and cannons fired into the sky...
Two new graves received empty coffins.
The announced casualties were two.
Zenis.
And Mikhail.
Mikhail had been declared a casualty at his own request. Given that returning ho ant certain death, he intended to use a feigned death to escape the eyes of his holand.
"..."
Standing on a distant hill, Mikhail gazed quietly at the grave bearing his na. In front of the young knight's grave, soldiers from the Vermillion Kingdom, who had co with him, were sobbing.
"What will you do now, Mikhail?"
Standing next to him, I quietly asked as we both looked upon the scene. Mikhail grimaced and lowered his head.
"...As you said before."
"Eh?"
What had I said before?
"Anger."
Mikhail looked at his own grave with steady, unflinching eyes.
"All this ti, I have been angry at myself. At myself for making mistakes, for causing the deaths of my subordinates, for missing the one chance I had as a crown prince."
"..."
"I still despise and find myself pathetic for failing. But now, I've realized."
Mikhail clenched his fist and lifted it to his chest.
"Mistakes are not the target of anger. They are subjects of learning... And the direction of anger should not be at myself. That would only devour from within."
"Then what will you direct your anger towards?"
"Monsters."
Mikhail's scarlet eyes turned northward with an imdiate response.
"And... the system of my holand that has driven to act so desperately."
"..."
"Prince Ash, I intend to return to my holand."
I widened my eyes in surprise. Mikhail nodded.
"With this funeral, they'll think I'm dead back ho. So, I can sneak in unnoticed."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
The Vermillion Kingdom does not forgive failed royalty.
If Mikhail's survival is discovered, he will be stripped of all Griffin blood flowing in his veins and killed. That's why this fake funeral was arranged.
But Mikhail's resolve was firm.
"The only chance to change my country is now."
"..."
"To stop using people for live experints, not administering magic forcibly, not breeding them against their will... A country where even artificially enhanced humans like are treated as people."
Mikhail's face, though haggard, showed a determined smile.
"A country that gives even the failed ones a chance to rise again. The only chance to change is now."
"...Right."
In the face of his strong will, I finally nodded quietly.
It would be good to fight together on the monster front from now on. But that's not sothing I can force.
This boy before is also a prince.
The master of his fate and the captain of his soul. He has the right to live as he wishes.
Whatever awaits him at the end.
"And... I have as many as five fiances waiting for ."
"What?"
"I can't let them experience widowhood before we've even had our wedding, can I?"
Mikhail threw a joke and chuckled. I opened my eyes wide and then burst into laughter.
Mikhail, having made his joke, seed a bit embarrassed and kept stroking his nose.
"...I've realized sothing here. It's not just my own life that's at stake."
Mikhail turned away from the funeral site and surveyed the entire landscape of Crossroad.
"The lives of my dead subordinates. The lives of all my brothers who had to die before because they were considered failures. And..."
A slight bashfulness mixed into Mikhail's smile.
"The lives of all the good people of Crossroad who tried to save , even though they had nothing to do with , I owe them."
"..."
"So, don't worry. I won't die."
Mikhail, as if he had prepared beforehand, slung a backpack over his shoulder and extended his hand to .
"I'll return, filled with anger."
I silently took his hand. And said,
"Good luck."
"To you too. And to Crossroad as well. May fortune be with you."
After a firm handshake, Mikhail turned around without hesitation.
In the forest in front of Mikhail, a young Griffin was tied up. It was the Griffin that had been taken to the forward base during the last defense and had been declared a casualty along with him.
Whoosh!
As Mikhail mounted, the Griffin spread its wings and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing into the distant heavens.
"..."
As I quietly watched Mikhail's receding figure, soone approached from the side.
"...He's gone."
"Dearmudin."
It was the grand mage with a long white beard fluttering.
Watching the funeral scene, the grand mage stroked his beard and chuckled.
"It's been a while since we had a defense without any casualties, I thought it would be this ti, but two fake deaths... Is this really okay?"
"Hosting a funeral for two people to save two lives... In that sense, isn't it a good event?"
"Ha, ridiculous."
After a mont of silence, Dearmudin blurted out.
"But what's more ridiculous is... your words, calling still young. I haven't heard anything as absurd as that in decades."
"..."
"And nothing as pleasant as that in decades, either."
I glanced at Dearmudin. With his hands clasped behind his back, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Seeing that there are still so many things I haven't experienced after living this long... perhaps, as you said, it's not yet my ti to die."
"When is it ever the right ti to die?"
If there really is such a thing, it would be after living a long life, lying in a warm bed, proudly reflecting on one's past life... Dying peacefully like that might be the right ti.
But not now.
Now is the ti for all of us, every person in the world...
Too young to die.
So my people, do not die.
No.
I will not let you die.
I will show that we can prevent the end of the world.
"Prince Ash."
"Speak."
"Thank you."
Dearmudin, who suddenly offered his thanks, turned around abruptly.
"I will scatter my remaining 'youth' here, without sparing any."
The Grand Sorcerer disappeared with quick steps. Staring blankly at his retreating figure, I muttered to myself.
"...A misconception?"
Sohow, that grandfather seed a bit embarrassed...
"Senior!"
Just then, Evangeline called out to , jumping up from the bottom of the hill. I looked in her direction, and Evangeline urgently gestured.
"It's ti for your speech! Please co soon!"
"Alright."
Even if it's a fake funeral, we must follow the procedures.
Slowly walking down the hill, I softly humd the poem I was to recite at the 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;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
***
"..."
"..."
From the gravesite further west, at the entrance of a shallow forest.
Zenis and Hannibal, squatting on a stump, quietly observed the funeral.
As Ash recited the poem, gave a speech, and Evangeline waved her arm, gunfire resounded in the air...
And the funeral ended.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Zenis quietly watched, and Hannibal asked cautiously.
"How does it feel?"
"Eh?"
"Watching your own funeral."
"..."
Zenis looked down at the bandages still wrapped around his body.
"I don't know. Having died and co back to life several tis over these few days, I can't really feel whether I'm actually dead or alive."
"..."
"What about you?"
Zenis turned to Hannibal, who widened his eyes in surprise.
"?"
"Do you feel like I'm your father?"
"..."
"I an, you must know from what was said before, even if I'm not your biological father..."
Zenis awkwardly scratched his bearded chin. Hannibal smiled awkwardly too.
"Actually, I knew from the first ti I saw you."
"Eh?"
"That you weren't my biological father."
Zenis's eyes widened. Hannibal explained, scratching his ssy hair.
"I'm a half-breed of human and beastman... But my mother is definitely human, so my father must be a beastman."
"Ah..."
Now that he ntioned it, that was true. Zenis laughed bitterly. It was sothing he couldn't have hidden anyway.
"You must have known the mont you saw ."
"Yes. That's why I was more curious. Why you... considered soone completely unrelated like as your son."
Hannibal added honestly, hesitating slightly.
"Whether you truly considered as your son."
"..."
"And whether I can truly... consider you as my father."
Though they sat side by side.
There was still a significant emotional distance between this false father and son.
After hesitating, Zenis asked haltingly.
"Do you resent ?"
"Eh?"
"For leaving you in an orphanage, for never showing my face in your life."
"..."
"Do you resent your biological parents?"
After a long hesitation, Hannibal slowly brushed his ssy hair aside, then looked directly at his father with his round eyes.
"It would be a lie to say I never resented them."
"..."
"But you must have resented too, right? You had a hard ti because of ."
Zenis hesitated too but eventually nodded honestly.
"Yes."
"Then let's call it even."
Hannibal smiled and extended a small fist.
"It's a draw, so let's not bring it up again. From now on, no more dwelling on that."
"Is that how it works?"
"Let's just do that."
Zenis chuckled and extended his fist in return.
Their fists lightly touched in the air and then fell apart.
A mont of silence followed. The two quietly watched the funeral site, now nearly cleared.
"...Dad."
"Yes?"
"The words mother left for ... When you were telling about them before, I didn't catch them properly."
Zenis glanced at Hannibal. Hannibal seed nervous, his leg shaking slightly.
"Could you tell again?"
"..."
Recalling that day, Zenis slowly responded.
"...She said to sing. She claid she was good at it."
"Singing? Ha, I'm tone-deaf. Didn't take after her in that."
"Get a job too. She wanted to work in a reputable business."
"Uh, does being a rcenary count as reputable...?"
"Travel as well. Said to wander the world, talking to people from all places."
"I've done plenty of that!"
"And..."
Delivering the last ssage, Zenis grinned mischievously.
"Make offerings at the temple."
Hannibal frowned.
"Did she really ask for that?"
"Ha ha ha!"
Zenis burst into laughter. Looking at Zenis with narrowed eyes, Hannibal cautiously asked.
"...Dad."
"Yes?"
"What do you want to do with your life now?"
"..."
"You can do anything now."
Zenis, or rather.
The man who was Zenis, looked towards the gravesite. Where a tombstone with his na stood.
Priest Zenis had died. Recognized posthumously for his valor, he was reinstated and his lost honor restored.
The incident from 14 years ago was completely buried, and no more assassins from the Mist Kingdom would co seeking him.
And... nothing remained.
Even if it was said that a priest's life begins and ends with nothing, starting over from scratch, burying everything beneath the grave, was a hard task.
Thus, Zenis didn't know where he should go.
Then,
"Let's find it together."
Suddenly, warmth was felt.
Startled, Zenis saw Hannibal's small hand carefully holding onto Zenis's pinky.
"We're still young."
"..."
"Let's sing together, find jobs, travel... and make offerings too."
Hannibal smiled shyly, yet brightly.
"Let's live that way."
"..."
After a long silence,
"Yeah, let's live."
Slowly, Zenis bowed his head, touching his forehead to Hannibal's.
And whispered with all the warmth he could muster.
"Let's live together, my son."
The still awkward father and son sat there for a long ti.
Facing the harsh sunlight, listening to the cicadas in the distance, feeling the hot wind.
Talking about the future they would share.
Indeed, sumr was beginning.
***
[STAGE 31 CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP Ash(EX)]
[Level Up Characters]
- Ash(EX) plus 50 others
[Deceased Characters]
- None
[Injured Characters]
- Mikhail(SSR) plus 30 others
[Acquired Items]
- The Oldest Scarecrow Magic Core(SSR): 1
- Scarecrow Corps Magic Stones: 211
[Stage Clear Rewards Have Been Distributed. Please Check Your Inventory.]
- SSR Grade Reward Box: 1
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [Next STAGE: Impregnable]
Reviews
All reviews (0)