EP.35
Elaine already had a lot of blood on her hands in order to survive. He did not hesitate to smash the heads of hostile nobles, spread rumors to undermine someone’s authority, or use trickery.
Recently, Irid tried to use the purple magic tower as a benefactor for various reasons. Because it was a dimensional shift in order to obtain that cause in the first place.
So, cutting off one boy is not a big deal.
What makes me hesitate so much? I guess it’s because I was looking at them overlapping.
The blonde boy was sometimes a childhood Irid and sometimes a Threedo. But every time the doubts in his heart raised their heads, he could hear the First Prince’s laughter from the boy’s shadow.
She knows many old stories. This is because when I was young, I looked through mountains of children’s books in the library to tell them to my younger siblings.
There was also a story about a suspicious emperor. A simple story containing the lesson that a king who cannot truly trust others will one day destroy himself due to his doubts.
After poisoning the first prince, I opened it again and found that the fairy tale book had become a book of prophecy.
I knew it with knowledge. That weak doubt will eventually come with a price. However, the past of purely smiling and purely trusting someone feels so far away. I thought it would be a very difficult road to go back.
so.
“Elaine.”
“…Pero.”
“I… I have something I want to say.”
“Me too, Pero. I’ll go first. I think we’re done here.”
We said goodbye cleanly. Because traveling with a boy was dangerous. The boy’s complexion turned pale. Even in the yellowish glow of the campfire, his paleness was clearly visible.
“…….”
“I heard that they are being hunted for their healing powers. They also suspect that Pero may have been infected by a mutant. I don’t want to take the risk.”
“…I’m sorry. I hid it.”
“It’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s natural for each of us to lie to each other in order to survive, right? I think we’ve been together like this for a long time. It was fun.”
“…Me too! I had fun too.”
The boy’s voice crept in.
“I will treat the bonfire as my last gift. I hope we reach paradise.”
“Are you leaving already? Now?”
“Because they can attack even at night.”
Elaine stood up. The guilt that he was the one who fed Pero the poison called mutant larvae was still holding him back. I felt like I could cut it out soon.
Now all you have to do is take three steps. All I had to do was turn my back on the boy and walk three steps away.
The sound of a burning campfire filled the space between them. It could be heard as the sound of a fuse burning or, conversely, as the sound of a small flame going out.
Bruises. Bruises.
As I was about to take one last step to break away, Pero asked.
“What about the compass?”
“…If it’s the story of paradise, I decided that your risk is greater than the return of paradise. Pero.”
“No… Elaine, I thought it would be a good idea to bring a compass.”
“It’s yours.”
“Is there such a thing in the wasteland…? It’s a place where you can just steal people.”
“…….”
“If you’re going to leave, it would be safer to take a compass with you. Maybe you can sell it to someone. Other than that, there are a lot of useful things in my bag.”
Elaine took a long breath and let out a soft sigh.
“Are you asking me to kill you and take it from you, Pero?”
“I hope you save me if possible….”
“Then why?”
“It’s strange. They say they’re leaving because they don’t want to take risks, but they’re not interested in taking care of things that will increase their survival rate.”
“…….”
“There is something I want to say. If you will listen, I will give it to you. A compass. And my bag.”
It was a condition with no loss. No, on the contrary, it was only a benefit. After engaging in a brief conversation, you can pick up items that will help you survive.
The feet that were about to leave for survival stopped for survival. In the gap between them, only Elaine’s heart was fluctuating violently.
“First of all, I want to say thank you, Elaine. I’ve really enjoyed the past five days. Traveling with someone… is something I’ve never even dreamed of. It’s even better than my vague imagination, isn’t it? I feel like I have a sister… I’m happy. I also did it.”
“It was a contract. You give me the knowledge I lack, and I make up for your power.”
“I think I got more. If it weren’t for Elaine, I probably would have—”
“You would have survived because some stupid woman wouldn’t have forced you to eat slime.”
“You don’t have to worry about that… It’s not Elaine’s fault. I didn’t know I was in the puddle, and Elaine has amnesia, right?”
“Why are you defending me so much?”
“Because Elaine is a good person.”
“Are you not aware that you are being abandoned right now?”
“A really bad person would have taken the compass away a long time ago. Long before now. Elaine had countless opportunities to abandon me.”
“That…”
Elaine was speechless.
Pero heard the voice of the parasite in his head urging him to confess quickly. But I felt like I didn’t want to burden Elaine who was leaving.
“I always thought she was overdoing it. Elaine’s eyes sometimes looked like she was hung up on something. So I thought maybe Elaine was just as scared as me.”
I decided to tell the story I wanted to tell rather than the story I wanted to tell.
“But I realized it was a little different for me. I tried to run away from my fears, and I think Elaine decided to put on thick armor to protect herself.”
“…So?”
“It doesn’t suit you, Elaine.”
Perrault continued speaking cautiously. To be able to clearly convey what you think without any misunderstandings.
“We continued our journey for five days, hiding our wounds and turning our backs on each other. But you know, Elaine, we can be better… better. We can be free. It’s just a vague sentiment, but… ”
“…….”
“I want Elaine to be happy when she puts down her armor. In a nice place where she doesn’t have to worry about food or mutants. Instead of tormenting herself with survival or doubt… peacefully. Not being tied down to anything. without.”
What the boy was saying was just a list of vague words. I feel like that feeling has been conveyed.
“I don’t know what you’re suffering from or what you’re sad about, but.”
In this colorless world, I feel incontinence and in between those gaps.
“I want to tell you again and again that it’s okay, Elaine.”
Light seemed to seep through.
“I will shout again and again that we can move forward. Elaine, I mean…!”
Just before the boy’s words come to an end.
Coogung──!!
“……!!”
“What the hell is this…?!”
Suddenly, there was a loud noise that shook the ground. The earth shook and the wind blew. Elaine raised her head and looked at the source of the sound beyond.
-Oooooh.
A giant mutant was rising.
Elaine turned her head in the opposite direction of the appearance. Now there was no bait to attract the mutants. However, there is still a distance, so if you run with all your might from now on, you may be able to survive with Pero.
however.
-Oooooh!
There, another giant mutant appeared──.
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I quite liked the Mage Tower’s Pero RP.
Are you saying this is really the skill of a beginner…!
I was watching it with such warmth that I just timed it right. So far, the foreshadowing has been laid down well. It wasn’t intentional, but the important thing is that it can be used.
1) A large mutant on the plains that chased the party to a strange extent
2) Pero drank the slime (adopted the mutant larva setting)
3) A rice cake that Pero stared at somewhere in the plains while staring blankly
4) I don’t know why, but a purple light burst out earlier. Group
5) Pero’s movements were creaking as if something was encroaching on
him. All the pieces came together in his head. And he drew a wonderful picture.
The fact is that the mutant larva planted in Pero’s head is cleverly manipulating Pero and calling the giant mutant here.
-Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
-Grrrrrr!
Looking at Mage Tower’s movements, it seems like she was heading towards a calm happy ending, but even if she goes to a happy ending, the protagonist must face difficulties. So I made one. This is the second battle against the giant mutant. Quantity doubled!
A boy’s voice came from somewhere.
“You are this dog- !!”
Ah, this is a magic tower lord.
The magic tower lord seemed a little angry… but whatever. I just wanted to give the two of them a nice finale. It seemed like Elaine was one step short.
Elaine’s problem was not a desire to survive, trauma from the poison, or distrust of humans. All of those problems stem from one characteristic.
The point, I think, is responsibility.
The nature of trying to do everything on your own when faced with a crisis instead of reaching out to someone else. The thought itself, ‘I have to do it.’ The blindness to achieve a goal even while destroying oneself.
This is an enormous sense of responsibility for a mere 11-year-old child to decide to kill parricide for his younger siblings and carry it out on his own.
No one around Elaine believed that the culprit was the first prince. The hypothesis is that that experience and the sense of responsibility one was born with created synergy in a twisted direction.
Since the only variable you can calculate is yourself, the only option you can think of is throwing something away. Because there has always been a limit to what an individual can accomplish.
However, it is a battlefield designed so that the moment you broaden your perspective and recognize the small boy as an ally, rather than thinking of him as a burden or a potential threat, you will see the ending angle of everyone’s survival. This place.
So to speak, it is a simple gimmick war.
Information has been given. Espero is infected and the mutant’s aggro is drawn to the boy. Additionally, the boy was described as having the coveted healing power. When aggro and healing are combined, it means you are a tank.
Just destroy the mutant while the boy is tanking. Simple.
This gimmick had already been delivered to the magic tower owner in advance. Of course, I lowered the pain sensitivity to a level comparable to a cat punch.
Will Elaine see the boy as a tank or as bait? That part can be said to be the point to watch.
Or, you may recall the existence of Learo that you have already erased from your mind… Learo is designed as a sub-dealer position. Aren’t we in a situation where we are being attacked by each other? It was also nice to have a short message like, “Let’s all cooperate to survive together.” If you succeed in simple persuasion, they will give you a supplement of their own.
Now the first attack of the giant mutant was flying.
Flight or fight? To use Faroe or not? Learo, have you forgotten or do you remember…
Kuaaaaaa-!!
“?”
The 1st princess chopped off the mutant’s arm.
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Allegorization was the process of changing the color of the soul.
Strong emotions such as shocking experiences, firm resolve, and overflowing affection color the soul. If you do that, the magic power you gain by burning colored souls will have a special effect.
The reason why 1st Princess Elaine was able to achieve success on the Eastern Front was because she herself was at the level of a fable. I have refrained from using it due to the extreme nature of its power… but
I decided that now is the time to use it.
Elaine stretched out her arms and memorized the starter word.
“『Gyogok’s Wind Gloves』.”
The wind began to swirl around Elaine’s scarred hands.
It was a general-purpose magic that covered both offense and defense with a wind blade that wrapped around the hand like a glove. But if we add color here again.
The sharp wind gradually increased its speed, making a whistling noise, and at some point it became quiet. Because it exceeds the range of sounds that humans can hear.
Squeak.
Blood splattered.
The wind was so strong that it was cutting the skin of the caster, Elaine. Following the wind’s path, wounds formed and blood flowed, becoming part of the wind.
It was because of this technique that Elaine’s hands were scarred and tattered. Strengthening specific movements using magical power expressed by changing the color of the soul.
“Fable – 『Blood Wind』.”
From a distance, she seemed to be holding a red storm in her hands.
-Grrrrrr!!
The giant mutant’s arm flew out, scraping the ground. A cloud of dust rises from the ground and stones fly in all directions.
Even in a situation where it felt like a huge wall was falling, Elaine just held her stance.
And the storm struck with a sudden advance.
Kuaaaaaa-!!
Grumpy!
The massive mutant’s arms were literally torn apart as the storm whirled through its spiraling trajectory. And the mutant’s shoulder is greatly thrown away by the explosion. A bloody wind spread across the sky.
A destructive power that is significantly superior to other fables.
But Elaine’s complexion was rapidly turning pale. Just maintaining the technique causes a large amount of blood loss, so on the Eastern Front, she used it with the back-up of the priesthood.
Now that there is no priest, it takes about 5 minutes to die from blood loss.
You have 5 minutes to make your choice. Can you slaughter two giant mutants within time? It was difficult. They weren’t that sturdy, but they were so huge.
The head, where the nucleus was presumed to be, was placed far above. At least four times to get a good hit on the head while cutting the legs into pieces. Considering the mutant’s regenerative abilities, it took five punches. Plus, there are two enemies.
A total of ten times while avoiding or parrying a huge amount of attacks. I might have been given more time, but 5 minutes was too short.
then. You have to break through and escape.
“I have to run away!”
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Elaine stood still and fended off another attack from the giant mutant. Why don’t my feet want to move?
I didn’t even know I was tired. To all doubts and all survival. Because I’m sick of living a miserable life using evil.
I was so pathetic that I couldn’t even accept the boy’s kindness and just spit it out.
Maybe the boy’s last words, which I hadn’t heard yet, were holding me back.
The voice was still ringing in my head. Run away from here. If you throw away everything, including your memories and feelings, and run away, you can survive like you did that day.
As I looked at the palm of the mutant flying through the sky again and prepared for the third strike.
“It’s here——! You evil mutants, it’s here——!! Your babies are inside me——!!”
“…Pero?!”
exclaimed Perrault. I don’t know what the principle is, but purple light is emitting from both hands.
The giant mutants turned their heads and looked at the small boy. Towards something in the boy’s head that was screaming to look this way. And I stretched out my hand.
A large hand fell to crush the small boy.
“This idiot…!!”
Elaine lifted her body up at an angle and hit the ground diagonally. It shot out in a red storm with such acceleration that I couldn’t control my body.
In an instant, it reaches the boy and catches him.
Kuung-!
The mutant’s hand fell just a short distance above the spot where Elaine and Pero flew past, hugging each other. In the meantime, 『Blood Wind』 was unlocked.
Elaine grabbed Perot’s collar and shouted.
“Are you an idiot, Pero?! If someone else is wasting time, shouldn’t you have run away instead of being indifferent?”
“…Elaine is left!”
Elaine’s expression distorted.
Is this boy saying that he wants to save her, even at the cost of his own life, and that he will take on everything and die?
It was as if Elaine, who was caught up in the 1st Prince’s game, made a decision in pain.
When you think like that and try to vent your anger.
“I have the ability to heal… Did you hear from Learo? That’s why I can survive as long as I don’t die instantly. I won’t be so violent because of the mutant inside my head!”
“…….”
“Then Elaine can finish off the giant mutant! Before I get crushed!”
Elaine blinked in embarrassment. Every boy had a plan.
“…Wasn’t it self-sacrifice?”
“Uh, um… wouldn’t it be nice if we could all work together to survive…?”
Elaine’s expression changed fiercely.
It was new, but the boy trusted Elaine. He seemed to believe that if they fought together, they would be able to overcome this challenge without anyone dying.
Elaine froze with a bewildered expression, as if she had heard someone say that 1 plus 1 is 3. I immediately burst out laughing.
I thought maybe I had misunderstood something. I felt like some scattered puzzle pieces were being put together.
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How long has it been since you last trusted someone?
Ever since the incident at the Painting Palace, Elaine has never fully trusted anyone. I never even believed in myself.
If there was even the slightest danger, I took a detour and always looked out for betrayal when meeting someone. The only thing you worry about is ‘Can you do it?’ Inside her mind was a dreary world.
If this had been a safety-first policy based on firm beliefs, there would have been no need to worry.
As Perrault said, it didn’t seem like an attitude that suited his aptitude. Every time I made that choice, I could feel my heart drying out.
If you use Pero as bait, you will be sure to escape.
If you use yourself as bait, you will be sure to save Pero.
But if you try to save Pero and yourself at the same time. If I failed, it would be nothing but… I felt very relieved.
so.
Elaine decided to believe it.
Both myself and Espero.
The wind that cut into her skin stopped. Although sticky blood was inevitably flowing from the already open wound. The wound no longer increased.
And at your fingertips. The wind. Instead of drawing an unfettered spiral trajectory, it was released freely. As if you don’t want to get caught up.
Elaine felt it intuitively. I guess I can’t write 『Blood Wind』 anymore.
But this power I gained instead. Even though the destructive power was lowered── many things were possible. Elaine looked at the wind blowing in wonder and gave it a name that suddenly came to mind.
“…Fable – 『Expectation』.”
A small realization changed the direction of my mind. Because it was not completely overcome, it did not reach Seunghwa (昇華), but it was a definite step forward.
The wind lightly blew around Elaine’s body. And when he stretched out his hand, a ray of wind began to swirl around Perot’s body.
“…Wow wow?!”
“Please, Pero. I’m going to blow off the heads of two giant mutants at once. Can you get their attention?”
It’s the first time I’ve received it, and I’m shaking with anxiety… but with a clear sparkling trust. Espero nodded vigorously.
“…yes!”
It was time to fight back.
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Distance remaining to ‘Paradise’──
0.
A word from the author (author’s review)
It’s packed with plenty. It’s a high-quality meal, right?
I am full of hope that you will eat to your heart’s content…
Today is also a good day──
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