Chapter 108
At the King’s sudden words from behind, I was startled as if I had seen a ghost.
“……?”
Thud―.
I was so surprised that I dropped the .
Like a young boy caught by his father watching a forbidden book—a dirty book or video.
Such a boy could have a relatively light yet serious conversation with his father, like 「“That’s sothing everyone does when they grow up, so you don’t need to know now!”」
But what I was caught with was on a different level.
‘……What did the King just say? What? Asking if his ending is in my ?’
“……Pardon?”
So many questions and so much bewildernt rushed in at once that I could not properly ask any of the things I was curious about.
Instead, I blurted out an awkward question, “Pardon?”
Pfft―.
Seeing my expression, the King answered in a voice tinged with laughter. I could not see his face because it was covered with a cloth, but it seed he was smiling.
“It seems you are surprised that I know about that diary.”
“…….”
“It is only natural to be surprised. But there is no need to be. I also had my own .”
“……You had this diary too, Father?”
“Indeed. But I do not have it now. I threw it away.”
“T-threw it away? The ?”
The King had a too, and he threw it away? What was this all about?
“Yes. Because my beca an empty book with only the cover left. There is no need to keep an empty book with only the shell, is there?”
“What does it an for the to have only the shell left…… ah.”
As I spoke, I rembered what I had just read.
The part that said, 「‘The King decided to beco a sacrifice himself in the Minotaur’s dungeon.’」
‘If one’s death is confird and they accept it…… does the beco just an empty shell?’
A stream of complex thoughts made just stare blankly at the King. Then the King asked again.
“So, you still have not answered my question. Was my ending written in your diary?”
“That is…….”
I could not answer rashly.
‘If the King had a , he would already know his own ending. So he wouldn’t be shocked if I told him.’
But why.
‘Why am I reluctant to say that the King chose to beco the Minotaur’s sacrifice himself?’
……Why?
‘Why do I want to change that future?’
I had not known the King for very long. It had been less than a year since I ca to this world, and even then, I had spent very little ti with him.
So it was too short a ti for not just a father-son love, but even a friendship to form.
……But why did I want to change the ending where the King is sacrificed?
‘Is it because this man treated like a son?’
As I was lost in thought again.
Flick―!
“Ouch…….”
The King flicked my forehead with his finger and laughed. A so-called 'forehead flick.'
“What are you thinking so seriously about? I told you I had a too, right? I know my future too. So I am well aware that I decided to beco a sacrifice in the Minotaur’s dungeon.”
“If you know, why are you asking…….”
“I am asking because I am curious. I am curious how my ending is described in your diary.”
“…….”
“In my diary, it was described quite coolly, like ‘I proudly beca the Minotaur’s sacrifice. Without regret. Because I was able to give a final gift to my son who will beco the great king of humanity, beyond just the kingdom.’ But in your , was I described as crying pathetically at the end, or wailing that I wanted to live?”
“Ah, no. Just as you said, Father, it was written that you happily and proudly beca a sacrifice yourself…… sir.”
I had blurted out what I had read without realizing it.
“Then that is a relief.”
A relief?
“……A relief?”
“Yes. The fact that my final monts were described that way in your diary ans that in your eyes too, I appeared to accept my end coolly. Not that I evaluated myself that way.”
“…….”
“I hoped you would see that way too.”
The King spoke leisurely but kept fidgeting as if his body was uncomfortable. I was concerned about the King’s behavior, but more than that, I was curious about why he was trying to beco a sacrifice himself.
“Why…… are you trying to beco a sacrifice?”
“For the kingdom, for you. You know that a sacrifice is needed to seal the Minotaur, right?”
“Of course, I know. But what I an is, why of all people do you have to be the sacrifice, Father―.”
“Then who else should be the sacrifice? In my diary, it was written that the five people entering the Minotaur’s dungeon are you, , Jereuth, Philip, and Grondar. Which of them would not be a waste to sacrifice?”
I could not answer that question.
The protagonists of novels or movies, or even ‘heroes’ in real life, would have proudly said, 「“I will sacrifice myself!”」 but those words did not co out of my mouth.
Because I was just a very ordinary person.
‘……Jereuth said before. That they conquered the Minotaur’s dungeon but failed to seal the Minotaur at the end. That…… was the reason. They had to sacrifice one of their deeply trusted comrades, so it wouldn’t have been easy.’
“This diary is just an ordinary diary. It is sothing I recorded while regretting the mistakes, failures, and obstinacy I committed while living as a king.”
“…….”
“Do you want to see it?”
Of course. Because that book was like a notebook of wrong answers of a person who had used the much more than I had.
Nod.
I nodded my head. Then the King shook his head.
“Now is not the ti. I promised myself I would give this to you before I die. It would not do you any good to read it now either.”
“…….”
“You must be curious why I suddenly ca to talk to you for so long. You are probably getting bored and tired of listening, but it is important, so listen.”
“I am not bored.”
“Then I am grateful.”
The King patted my head and continued what he was saying.
“I am still curious. What would have happened to this kingdom if I had died as a sacrifice in the Minotaur’s dungeon in the past? ―That is.”
“…….”
“If I had beco a sacrifice then, Jereuth would probably have beco king. And since Jereuth is a superior person to in many ways, he would have used his powerful authority as king without hesitation. In other words, he would have strongly suppressed the nobles as soon as he noticed signs of them ruining the kingdom. Then this kingdom would have been peaceful like in my father’s generation. Victoria would have been much happier too.”
The King said he was 'curious,' but his tone was filled with conviction.
The King smiled bitterly.
But I could not agree with the King’s words.
“Well, we do not know that, do we?”
“We do not know?”
“Yes. No one knows whether the Commander would have led the kingdom better than you, Father, or not.”
“…….”
“Also, you said that the kingdom that should have been peaceful was ruined because you fell in love with Mother. But―.”
As I spoke, my words trailed off slightly.
Because the words I was about to say next were a bit burdenso and, in a way, embarrassing for to say.
Still, since I had started, I decided to continue.
“……If I lead this kingdom well, wasn't your love for Mother a great choice, Father?”
“…….”
“It’s a bit strange to say ‘produced,’ but that’s what happened because of your love.”
“Produced…… I see.”
My words sent the King into deep thought.
I do not know if it was just my imagination, but it felt like the invisible weight on the King’s shoulders had lightened.
“You little rascal, you speak well. You’re all grown up.”
“Ugh…….”
The King ruffled my hair again.
“Thank you for saying that. Hmm, the welco banquet seems to be starting soon, so if you have any questions, ask quickly. This will be the last ti you and I can be alone like this.”
The last ti we can be alone?
‘……Was it written that way in the King’s ?’
If it was written that way in the King’s diary.
Then why was this situation and scene not in my ?
‘Perhaps for the King, having a conversation with , his son, was an important enough mont in his life to be in the . For , this mont wasn’t important enough to be in the .’
At that thought, I felt a sense of apology for so reason.
That man was genuinely worried and cared for , but I…… was not.
The King shrugged his shoulders and continued the conversation himself.
“Do you not have any questions?”
“Uh…… questions-.”
“I will just answer them for you. It was written in my diary what questions you would ask.”
“Ah…… yes.”
He already knew what I was curious about. It was a strange feeling. This is what it feels like when soone else uses a .
“You asked if the has been passed down through the Plank royal family for generations. The answer to that is ‘yes.’ One chosen person from each generation of the Plank royal family gets it. And the one chosen by the always beca king. I do not know if the diary chooses the one who will be king, or if the one with the makings of a king chooses the diary.”
“…….”
“Second, you asked again why I volunteered to be the Minotaur’s sacrifice. You asked again why I was trying to sacrifice myself. The answer to that is ‘because I am going to die soon anyway, so it is not a waste to be a sacrifice.’”
“……You are going to die soon?”
“Yes. I have a disease. A very terrible disease. I was wearing the necklace I gave you to suppress that disease.”
So that was it.
That was why the King was wearing this necklace.
“So it does not matter at all if I beco a sacrifice. I already told Barut and Jereuth that I would be the sacrifice for that reason. Barut cried his eyes out…… but anyway, that’s what happened.”
“Did you also tell them about the ?”
“No, I did not tell them that. It is not sothing they would be able to understand even if I told them. Only those who have written in the can understand it.”
“……Yes.”
“Last, third, you asked for one last piece of advice.”
The King spoke ‘the questions I would ask’ without hesitation, as if he had morized a script. It was a strange feeling, as if soone was reading my mind.
But in reality, every ti I heard the King’s words, it seed that I had been curious about those things.
“What advice can I give you, who are already a superior king to ? But if I must, I will tell you this. ‘A healthy mind cos from a healthy body.’ So no matter how busy you are, you must train your body. Do you understand?”
“……I understand.”
I put every single one of the King’s words into my head. Like a father’s last words before death.
Just then.
“Perhaps…… I have a sudden question, may I ask?”
“You have more questions than this? My only had these.”
“…….”
“Yes, ask away. The future will not change with just one question.”
The King muttered to himself carefully and then nodded his head.
“Father…… do you regret falling in love with Mother?”
This was what I was really curious about. Whether a person who had defied the warning of the would regret it or not.
Because it was a very difficult question, I thought it would take the King a long ti to answer my question.
But the King answered imdiately, without any hesitation.
“I have never regretted it for a single mont. I can say with certainty, not even for a single mont.”
“…….”
“First, I was sorry to the people. I was sorry to your two older brothers who died. I was also sorry to your mother who lived a hard life and died because of my misplaced love. But Leonardo, I never regretted falling in love. My ‘kingly way’ is to not look back and just move forward once I have decided.”
“…….”
“And as a result of loving your mother, I ‘produced’ you, who will make the Plank Kingdom great, so from the perspective of the kingdom’s history, I do not think I need to be sorry. A king must look at the long term. One cannot be a king by being swayed by every joy and sorrow.”
“……Yes.”
“The sa goes for you. If sothing you regret happens, find a way in the ti you would spend regretting it. Just as I wanted to be seen as ‘not a failed king, but a king who challenged until the end to fix it.’”
Earlier, the King had said that the kingdom would have been led better if Jereuth had beco king. On the grounds that Jereuth was a stronger person than him.
But hearing these words, I was convinced that was wrong.
‘The King…… Father is by no ans weaker than Jereuth.’
As I was thinking.
The King, who had been speaking seriously, stood up and said, dusting off his bottom with a comical movent.
Pat, pat―!
“Then let’s go out. The Giant’s banquet to welco us should be ready soon.”
“Ah, I was curious about that too, why a sudden banquet―.”
“Find out for yourself. If you find a Giant lady you like, give it your best shot. It might be a little difficult because of the size difference though.”
The King chuckled and said as he left the tent.
He was, what should I say…… an unpredictable person. To be serious one mont and then change to that kind of mood in an instant.
For so reason, I felt like I had seen soone like that before.
Though I could not rember clearly.
“Ah, right. I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind not looking at the iary until I die?”
“Not look at the diary?”
“Yes. I would be happy if you could have a short conversation with instead. Since it is a fixed future that the Minotaur will be sealed, there will not be any problems until then, right?”
“…….”
“And it is not necessarily a good thing to check every single future. It makes life boring.”
The King said in a light voice. As if joking.
But I could feel that the King genuinely wanted to have even a trivial conversation with . I could feel that he wanted to spend his remaining life conversing with his son.
Feeling that, I could not refuse.
‘Yes. The already said that we would depart for the Minotaur’s dungeon one week after arriving at the Giant village…… and that we would eventually arrive safely and seal the Minotaur, so there is no need to look.’
“I understand. I will not look at the diary…… until you pass away, Father.”
***
Ti flew by quickly, and it had already been a week since we ca to the Giant village.
And today, we were to depart for the Minotaur’s dungeon.
“Let’s depart.”
With Barut leading the way, we began to cross the wasteland.
The direction was southeast.
The destination was the Minotaur’s dungeon, located at the very top of the northernmost mountain of the Plank Kingdom’s Monster Mountains.
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