Chapter 354: Chapter 354
"You, of all people, must remain human."
Startled by Nameless's words, I blinked in confusion.
What kind of obvious thing is that to say?
"I'm just a human commander fighting against monsters. Of course, I have no intention of becoming a monster myself."
"..."
Nameless looked at me with a blank stare and then said,
"...Your handkerchief has gotten dirty. I'll wash it and return it to you next time."
She tucked the handkerchief I had offered into her robe and pulled the hood over her head.
Her face, as white as her pale hair, was hidden in the shadows.
"Then, Ash. Let's meet again."
And with that, Nameless disappeared into the darkness.
I could only stare blankly at her retreating figure.
Why?
The words Nameless had just said to me felt like a warning...
But they also sounded like something she wanted to say to herself.
'Don't end up like me...'
Does that mean Nameless herself is already a monster? Already swallowed by the darkness?
"...I won't become a monster, Nameless."
Even if I stand as a tyrant above the rules of the game.
I won't become a monster.
I will become a tyrant within the bounds of humanity.
"And I won't let you become a monster either."
The 742nd game.
The final boss I met at the last stage - 'The Princess of the Sleepless Lake'.
I remember her completely tainted by darkness, turned into a fallen monster.
'I won't let your end be as a grotesque monster.'
Because you are within my reach.
So... I will save you too, Nameless.
I clenched my fist tightly.
No matter what it takes.
***
Time flew by quickly. Almost ten days had passed.
The snow that had been falling steadily was now subsiding, and the weather was clear and dry.
Crossroad was preparing for the next defense with all its might.
The city was filled with the noise of reinforcing walls, sawing stakes, and people busily moving military supplies.
Indeed, Crossroad was a fortress city, the forefront against the monsters.
This bustling scene was truly the essence of Crossroad.
And, in one corner of the busy Crossroad -
"A~sh~!"
...I was caught.
By the dragon lady with teeth like saw blades, Dusk Bringar.
'Damn it...!'
Dusk Bringar's tiny hand was deceptively strong. I couldn't even budge with just the end of my collar caught.
After the last conquest, I had been desperately avoiding Dusk Bringar, but now I had been caught...!
"You've been running away well until now! But I won't let you go this time! Come on, look at me properly! Let's have a talk, Ash!"
"..."
I tried to avoid her gaze and turned my head, only sweating cold sweat.
The reason Dusk Bringar had been looking for me, and I had been running away, was simple.
She had found out that I had eaten a dragon's heart.
"What exactly is that inside you! Where did you pick up such unhealthy... things that are bad for your body! Tell me the truth!"
"...What do you mean? I am of the Imperial Family. I wouldn't even touch junk food, only a clean, clear, and expensive organic diet..."
"Stop the nonsense! My bloodline carries the blood of dragons! How could I not detect the dragon's aura flowing within you!"
"..."
"Can't you just be honest! When, where, and how did you come by that power!"
"Look, that's not something I wanted to eat..."
In the end, I spilled everything.
The first time I had used 'Imperial Edict', I collapsed from exhaustion of my magic power, and while I was out, Nameless had somehow procured a dragon heart for me to eat.
After hearing the entire story, Dusk Bringar's face looked utterly incredulous, then she swiftly grabbed my ear. Ouch! That hurts!
"You just swallowed it down without question?!"
"No, it wasn't exactly... someone fed it to me while I was asleep! It wasn't my choice!"
"You idiot! When you're asleep and something is put in your mouth, you spit it out immediately! What kind of home education did you receive?!"
"Who receives home training to spit out things when they're asleep!"
"Royalty must! Preparing for poisoning is the very basics!"
Uh? Really? Do royals receive that kind of training?
After bickering, Dusk Bringar seemed to lose her energy and slapped her own round forehead with her small hand.
Watching her furrowed brow, I cautiously asked.
"Is it because it was the heart of one of your kind that you are angry?"
"What? My kind? Heart of my kin?!"
Oops. Did I say something wrong?
I seemed to have touched a raw nerve. Dusk Bringar looked furious as she growled at me.
"What did you say? Heart of my kin?!"
I immediately bowed deeply.
"I apologize. I misspoke. Please explain what angered you, and I will rectify it."
"Haah."
With her hands on her hips and a deep sigh, Dusk Bringar slowly began to speak.
"The dragon heart you consumed is not of my kin."
"Excuse me?"
What is she saying? You're a dragon. Isn't the dragon heart from one of your kin?
"In the distant past, there were many kinds of dragons, but among them, there were two archenemies."
Dusk Bringar glanced at the sky.
"The Red Dragons and the Black Dragons. The Crimson Dragon Clan and the Obsidian Dragon Clan."
"Ah...!"
"As you well know, the Crimson Dragon Clan is wise, intelligent, graceful, and thoughtful—perfect beings. But the Obsidian Dragon Clan, they were violent, evil, vicious, horrible, AAARGH! Very, very bad creatures."
The explanation seemed to become more visceral as it went on.
"The Crimson Dragons believed that the world was worth protecting and that life should flourish, but the Obsidian Dragons disagreed. They argued that the world was fundamentally flawed and that all life should be cleansed to start anew from nothing."
"..."
"From their birth to their demise, these two dragon clans battled each other, eventually leading to a massive war. As a result of this war, both clans were destroyed, leaving only the ancestor of the current Dusk Bringar, known as 'Dusk Bringer', who married the Emperor of Everblack."
So that's why the current Dusk Bringar is the last of the Red Dragons. They wiped each other out in a war.
Dusk Bringar placed a hand gently upon her slender frame.
"As you are aware, I have the blood of the Crimson Dragon Clan. And what you consumed was..."
Finally, it started to make sense.
"...the heart of a member of the Obsidian Dragon Clan, you mean?"
"Yes! Now do you realize the identity of the defective heart you ate!"
Dusk Bringar pointed her finger at me and yelled furiously.
"You ate the heart of an Obsidian Dragon while suffering from magic power depletion?! That's like setting yourself on fire because you're cold! Right now, there's a bomb planted inside you!"
"Eeek!"
No, Nameless! Why did you feed me something so dangerous! It was an emergency, but still!
"Do you know what happens to a human who consumes a dragon heart?"
"What happens?!"
"You become a 'vessel' capable of containing a dragon. Now, you are halfway to earning the right to become a dragon!"
Oh, holy shit! Even on Earth, I was born in the year of the Dragon!
"Then, what is the other half of that qualification?!"
"..."
"What?! What is it?! I'm pretty scared right now! I don't want to become a dragon! I want to live as a human!"
But Dusk Bringar, having floated a bit of hope, didn't speak of the other half.
Instead, she coughed hollowly and changed the subject.
"Anyway, the Obsidian Dragon Clan are very, very bad creatures. They tried to destroy this world."
"No, what's with the abrupt change of topic? So, how do I not become a dragon?"
"They must all be killed and eradicated, and indeed, they have been killed and vanished. But where did you come from all of a sudden, having eaten the hearts of those creatures? Where on earth..."
Dusk Bringar, hesitating, then seemed to realize something as she shuddered.
"Don't tell me, within that dungeon, the Obsidian Dragon Clan has also resurrected...?"
"Yes? Yes, what..."
Black Dragon Legion.
One of the most powerful monster legions. In the game, every time these bastards were taken down, my allies died in droves.
But right now, they weren't the opponent I needed to worry about, honestly, I hadn't even been considering them...
Dusk Bringar ground her teeth and muttered fiercely.
"The Obsidian Dragon Clan, they are sinners simply for being born into this world. They must all be eradicated."
"No, isn't that a bit too extreme?"
To be sinful just for being born.
That's just too much.
"There exist beings whose very birth is a sin, Ash."
But Dusk Bringar said this with a serious face.
"Consider the monsters you're up against."
"..."
"Think about the goblins that are invading this time. They are tumors of this world, like a skin disease. Beasts that only repeat the cycle of looting, killing, and burning."
Dusk Bringar pointed her finger and poked me sharply.
"Aren't you the one who intends to exterminate every last one of those creatures? Could one say about such monsters, that being born is a sin?"
"That is... certainly, I am in the position to kill them all, but..."
But.
Even so.
Is being born, existing in this world, a sin just because of that alone?
My intent to kill them is because they aim to destroy humankind.
If, by chance, there exists a goblin that does not harm people, one that has no interest in looting, killing, or burning.
Even for such a goblin, is it necessary to kill it as soon as it's born?
Is that... right?
'No, what the hell kind of dilemma is this! Are you stupid?! An army of over 50,000 goblins will soon invade here!'
I know that.
But... I couldn't help but suddenly question it.
Dusk Bringar suddenly grabbed my pondering hand and dragged me away recklessly.
"Anyway, let's go to the temple."
"What? Why to the temple?"
"Why indeed! You've eaten junk food, so we need to check if you're okay, don't we!"
What kind of checkup, checkup! Obviously, I'm completely healthy!
***
Eventually, I visited the temple, unable to withstand Dusk Bringar's insistence.
But I couldn't get a checkup right away. The temple was quite busy.
Parties that had gone for autonomous exploration in the dungeons today had just returned, and it seemed there were several injuries.
I saw hero characters groaning as they received healing from the priests.
"At least there appear to be no serious injuries."
Dusk Bringar craned her neck to inspect the injured, and I also took a closer look at the heroes.
"Huh?"
And then, I spotted a man who was off by himself from this group of the injured.
"..."
It was Torkel, the leader of the newly joined Leprosy Extermination Squad. He was standing quietly against the wall in the corridor of the temple, his helmet pressed down firmly on his head.
"Torkel!"
Approaching closer, I was startled. Beneath his feet lay a pool of blood.
"What's this, are you okay? You're not seriously injured, are you?"
"...Ah, Your Highness."
Torkel, turning slowly to face me, bowed deeply, and blood showered from his body. What in the world!
"Are you okay?! You're not dying, are you?!"
"I am fine... It's bearable. I was waiting... to get treated last."
"Waiting for what! Hurry over there and ask someone to wrap up your wounds with bandages!"
"..."
Upon hearing that, Torkel glanced over at the other patients gathered,
Suddenly,
The other patients, who had been keeping an eye on this side, flinched and hurriedly cleared the space.
"...That's why I'm waiting to be treated last."
Torkel bitterly muttered from inside his helmet.
"Everyone avoids the leprosy patients."
"No..."
"It's okay. I am used to this kind of treatment."
Torkel bowed his head in silence.
"They say that those who sinned against the goddess in their past lives are reborn as leprosy patients."
"..."
"So, we leprosy patients are sinful by the very fact of our birth."
Being born is a sin...
It was a topic that had just come up before. I hadn't expected to hear it again here.
As I stumbled over my words, not knowing what to say, Dusk Bringar suddenly burst out from beside me, exclaiming,
"No, it cannot be a sin for anyone to be born into this world!"
...Your Grace, isn't that a bit different from what you said earlier?
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