Episode 271.1
(EP-271.1) #3
271 – Reconciliation #3
Reinhardt asked .
What would remain of if not for the titles the Queen? There was only one answer.
“The truth.”
“The truth? How unabashedly you speak of it. Amusing.”
“……”
I am quite perceptive.
If I weren’t, I would have already stumbled and fallen sowhere along the way. You could say my intuition was sharp.
From what I can tell, everything that has transpired was undoubtedly part of Reinhardt’s plan and design.
He had his people capture and used the excuse of a strange illness to stick that swab up my nose.
It was a ssage—a challenge or perhaps a warning.
Sothing like, ‘I know who you really are. And I can kill you anyti I want.’
It seems that Elga, for so reason and through so process, had revealed my identity to Reinhardt.
Perhaps information was leaked during the process of examining the red magic. Elga wasn’t really good at being sneaky, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she was discovered sowhere along the way.
「You have calmly judged the situation!
You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job experience 5」
It had been a while since Calm Thinking was triggered.
And it served as a sign that my thoughts were correct. Who would have thought that being exposed by Elga would snowball into sothing so big?
It was my fault for underestimating Elga’s proactive attitude and suspicions.
I have no one to bla but myself.
At that mont, Reinhardt spoke.
“There is much to be said. But neither of us enjoys long discussions, so let’s keep it brief. Step aside.”
“Step aside, you say?”
“Let go of everything and head to a quiet land in the West. I’ll grant you one of the territories I manage, and you can live a normal life there.”
“……”
There was sothing tempting about his offer. Despite his reputation as the Iron-Blooded Chancellor, Reinhardt’s deanor was surprisingly kind and compassionate.
That’s likely why, even after discovering my identity, he staged that bizarre capture. If he had wanted to, he could have disposed of in secret.
Of course, there’s also Queen Aira’s wrath. But it seed that Reinhardt want to at least show so rcy.
“You won’t have to worry about making a living. Depending on how you manage things, you could even live quite comfortably. It would be better for you.”
“That’s quite an assertion.”
“In a fertile and prosperous land, you could have children, cultivate fields with your own hands, and close your eyes in peace, surrounded by your offspring. Such a life suits a half-fairy, no?”
At his explanation, an image of a peaceful life floated through my mind. I saw myself wearing a straw hat under the blazing sun, with my children waving at .
Returning ho, there would be cool drinks waiting, and worry-free wives, warmly welcoming back….
It was a life that seed joyful and complete on its own, perhaps even close to the happy ending I longed for.
But deep within , there was a part that rejected this vision. The ending was appealing, but the process wasn’t to my taste.
“Do you really think I would choose that?”
“It would be better if you did. I heard about your plan from my daughter. Reuniting your family through a thod that’s more like a child’s fantasy.”
He heard my plan from Elga? For a mont, I felt embarrassed, as if soone had found a diary full of my private thoughts.
But the man’s next words hardened my heart.
“Don’t you know better than anyone that the world doesn’t turn so peacefully? Angmar’s vengeance isn’t like that. It’s bloodier, more ruthless.”
Bloodier, ruthless…
Sothing seed to stir in my mind, but I shook my head.
“Isn’t it enough if I simply choose not to act that way?”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter. The world doesn’t operate as peacefully as a child’s imagination. In the face of great waves of fate, an individual’s will is like a leaf caught in the tide.”
Creak-.
Reinhardt, firmly dismissing my words, stood up from his chair. Soon after, he turned his back to and gazed at the moon rising outside the window as he spoke.
“After the Demon King’s death, Opal Bellhawk began to pursue eternal life. Draco researched the thod of becoming an immortal lich and the half-soul forbidden art, ruining even his daughter’s life.”
“…….”
“My father and the Lioness expanded our military forces even further, increasing our number of troops. And lastly, the witches of Tarantera…”
He started to say sothing but then abruptly clamped his lips shut. As I tried to understand what he was about to speak, he continued.
“The Demon King is alive.”
I couldn’t help but laugh from deep within my gut.
“…Lord Reinhardt, do you seriously believe Opal’s nonsense? I never imagined you were such a sentintal person.”
“It’s not nonsense. The Demon King is alive. That’s why we fear his revenge. That’s why we’ve sought power, even through the most forbidden ans.”
“Revenge…”
“So, once again, I ask you. You can even call it a plea. Stop poking the hornet’s nest. That path only leads to ruin.”
There was a certain sincerity in Reinhardt’s voice. He was genuinely asking to quit everything and simply live a peaceful life.
However.
I couldn’t stop now.
“Lord Reinhardt, I truly appreciate your offer, but I want to understand the aning of my life.”
If there’s an effect, there’s a cause.
I’ve always wanted to know why I’m going through these things.
Should I say that there’s always been this strange feeling? That my being in this position was no re coincidence.
You could call it childish, like the fantasies of a child.
But this was the very concept and foundation that has driven and sustained this far. Now that it feels like the end was finally in sight, there’s no way I can stop here.
So I said to Reinhardt.
“At the end of this path, I feel like I might finally understand that aning. The answer to so many questions.”
“The aning of life…”
Reinhardt suddenly burst into laughter. It didn’t seem like he was mocking , but rather, he was reacting as if he had heard sothing amusing or nostalgic.
“There was a ti when I said those exact words to soone. But in the end, he didn’t listen to . He gave the sa answer you just did.”
He finally turned around and grabbed the sword on the desk.
“If it were that Aleister, perhaps… But in the end, trying to persuade soone like this doesn’t suit . A lion has its ways.”
Schwing—.
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