Kapitel 266: Tomorrow
[Frederick's Pov]
Taking a sip of the tea that Lillie had prepared for me in my office, there was a lot of things to consider after James had bared his teeth.
'I do wonder where they went...'
Though it did feel a bit bad that we had lost the portal room that belonged to the academy, I was more interested in finding out just where they had gone. Because as far as I knew, there was no portal connected to the wastelands, or at least, there shouldn't be.
That being said, he had already surprised me once, so I couldn't dismiss the risk of him having somehow found a way to make his own portals. And for the nation of Mensch, that could spell absolute disaster.
"It seems like times are changing, Lillie."
"Time cannot change, master. It always moves forward at the same velocity."
She wasn't wrong, my loyal subject. Time was, indeed, simply moving forward, and just like always, it cared not for the wants or needs of the humans that walked on the planet. But that still didn't mean that I wasn't a bit annoyed at her response.
What was ironic, however, was the fact I also had to get out of my seat now as I would otherwise be late for the tragic event that was going to happen today. An event that had been splendidly prepared by the masked man who didn't follow the unwritten laws of the world.
****
[Sophie's Pov]
Standing around the hill filled with the stones of memories of the past, with everyone dressed in black, my eyes were once again filled with tears. Almost as if to show its empathy toward us, the sky was also darkened with sorrow.
In front of us, an old preacher was standing next to the king himself, his white cassock contrasting the black suit that George was wearing. A preacher who was acting as a teacher to us stood beneath the dark clouds, talking about the ones lying in the two coffins that we were all looking at.
However, despite his guiding us forward, his wrinkled face looked just as weary and filled with just as much sorrow as all of us.
"Usually I regard days like these when we get to say farewell to the ones who have departed as days of celebration. Celebrating that our loved ones get to be reunited with the gods above us. But I know that it would be shameful for me to say that about today."
Arthur's hand squeezed mine a bit harder as the priest spoke, showing what could only be called a very rare sign of weakness. Not even he was able to remain unperturbed when he heard the words that came out of the priest's mouth. Just like everyone else.
All of us who were standing in the cemetery were struggling to keep our composure, as we all knew that there was, just like the preacher said, nothing that was fair about this day.
Even the king himself looked pained to the point where I wouldn't have been surprised to see a tear exit his eyes, despite knowing the weight that he was currently carrying on his shoulders.
As the priest continued to speak about the ones that had left us, there was nothing we could do but endure. Enduring today's truth while ensuring we had the conviction to face tomorrow.
All because of what happened in the past.
****
[James' Pov]
'This is truly the point of no return...'
Looking up at the roof of my newly built office, this was a thought that I had encountered many times in the past. Yet, this was the first time when I truly felt it to be completely true.
Putting my hand up towards the ceiling, it wasn't as if I disliked this feeling. No, in fact, I reveled in the sensation of finally having pushed myself into a spot where I could no longer look back.
In this place, in Jotunheim, I had cemented the role I would play in this world.
'A villain...'
Unlike the king of Mensch, who had acted out of perceived necessity, I didn't have that kind of weight on my shoulders to defend my actions. At the same time, it would be against my own beliefs to pretend as if that mattered to me.
That did, however, make me a villain. Not because I believed myself to be one but because that would be how the world would perceive me.
*Knock, knock!*
"Come in."
*Click!*
"I greet the One."
"No need to act like that, Two. So? How are things going for our newly acquired members?"
The green-haired old man had entered my office, quickly taking a knee to show me some very unnecessary respect. Luckily, it didn't take much convincing before he stood up again, though he still kept his fist on his chest while speaking to me.
"That's..."
It wasn't difficult to see that he was having a hard time giving me the answer he thought I would want to hear. Rising from my chair, I walked over to the old man who was clenching his teeth, undoubtedly sad that he wasn't able to give the one he acknowledged as the savior of his people a good answer.
With a smile, I put my hand on his shoulder, "It's okay, Two. It would be foolish to expect them to accept their new reality even if they chose it for themselves."
"Yes."
"But is that the same for all of them? Not to mention your daughter, but there should at least be one who shouldn't have a problem with their new life."
His white brows rose a bit as he realized who I was talking about.
"You mean that blue-haired girl? Well, it's true that she doesn't seem to mind being here, but..."
"Hmm?"
Though I could see that there was something bothering him about Stella, I had no choice but to wait for him to explain himself as I had no idea what was going through his head.
"She is... a bit unstable. It's lucky that the boy you brought is able to calm her down a bit but I'm afraid that if something doesn't change, there might be an incident."
"Ho? An incident? How so?"
"She seems to be having trouble accepting the fact that only us numbers are allowed to come here to your office. In other words, she wants to see you. A lot."
'Makes sense, I guess.'
I wasn't all too surprised to hear what he had to say about Stella. It was, after all, me who had put those kinds of thoughts into her mind, to begin with.
Greed, one could say, the fact that I hadn't wanted to lose the prospect of having someone with her kind of unique Manual at my side, as well as the fact that a part of me didn't want to have to let go of someone Zero regarded as a friend.
Taking my hand off Alexander's shoulder, I turned around.
"I see. Then, tell her that she will get to see me as soon as she manages to progress her Manual."
"Are you sure? Wouldn't that..."
"I'm sure."
"...alright, then I will do so. But One, what are we to do about the rest?"
Pondering a bit as I made my way back to my chair behind my desk, I also wasn't quite sure what to do about them.
Their roles had more or less already been fulfilled, with the parenthesis that they still needed to survive and live happily here. Of course, I would use the ones who were willing as troops in the future, but their most vital function had never been to act as a military force.
Their purpose was to show the world that anyone who came under my flag would be safe.
As I sat down in my leather-covered desk chair, Alexander spoke.
"They are exceedingly hesitant to recognize their choice as being the correct one, but it seems like they are slowly coming to terms with it. However, I am afraid that if they somehow got shown a way out, they wouldn't hesitate to run away."
Putting one leg over the other, I leaned back into the chair, "Not surprising. After all, they made their decision in the spur of the moment. It would be more surprising if they just suddenly felt comfortable here. That reminds me... how is your daughter doing?"
Almost as if a dark cloud entered the room, Alexander's face turned grim.
"She... she will come around in time, One."
"Hmm, is that so? It must've been hard for her to realize that her dream of living a normal life was nothing but an illusion."
"That is so, One. However, with the king rallying his troops like mad dogs, I am certain that she will understand in time that this was for the best. Once again, I thank you for showing us another way."
The green-haired old man bowed down in front of me, once again showing unnecessary respect. This time, however, I did not stop him. Because I needed him to believe that I truly was their savior.
In reality, I hadn't done much. I had merely opened a door that they thought was closed, but it had always been an option for them to make their escape if they wanted to do so. But that wasn't something they could ever do on their own.
Even if they could have escaped and created a new home by themselves, they wouldn't ever have done so without external intervention. Solely because of one very human trait.
Pride.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein