Chapter 195: Miracle. (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Miracle. (5)
Before I explain how this all happened, let me make one thing clear: rescuing the kids with such impeccable timing was no coincidence.
Honestly, knowing full well that Aisha could pull some kind of stunt at any moment, just playing around without any safety measures would be the height of incompetence, wouldn’t it?
Just before we set off on the trip, I used the Touch of the Devil to place a certain device on everyone except Lilac.
It was a device that leaked a miniscule amount of demonic energy; if they were exposed to a powerful force or if Lilac used the Holy Sword, the device would break and send a signal to me.
Sure enough, the signal came.
However, I had originally expected the ambush to happen inside the dungeon. Since the enemy attacked from the outside for some reason, I had no choice but to ask for help from him—no, her—who had just woken up.
“Dad.”
That’s right.
Standing before my eyes was the Seed of Calamity, the one destined to be the final boss of this world, a Great Spirit born from the very Source of the World.
Having gained knowledge from me and understood a glimmer of what it means to live, she had determined her own form and finally revealed herself to the world.
“If I did well, praise me more.”
But the thing is, this is a bit different from the form I had in mind…!
What? Why did it turn out like this?
She was supposed to be the true master of the Masked Villain, the sole ruler who would reign over this world as its law. Yet, for some reason, a cute young girl was acting spoiled and leaning her head toward me.
What? What is this implying? Is she seriously asking for headpats?
When I cautiously reached out and stroked her hair, she beamed and purred like a gentle kitten.
The problem was, isn’t she a bit too powerful for a kitten?
It’s better than her looking like a blob of black slime, but honestly, this was quite unexpected.
“Um, just so you know, I’m not exactly your Dad…”
“No, you are Dad.”
Oh? She’s more assertive than I thought.
Well, if a god says I’m her father, maybe I’m the one who’s wrong and she’s the one who’s right.
Anyway, enough with the nonsense in my head. How should I persuade her?
As I hesitated, trying to find the right words, she—still holding my hand as I stroked her head—spoke first.
“Family isn’t always determined by blood. I received knowledge from Dad, I learned about the world, and I learned the joy of thought. My world is so different before and after meeting Dad. If the person who gave me everything isn’t my parent, then who is?”
…She actually had a very sound reason? I thought it was just because I was the first person she met.
More than anything, her words contained a logic I could never refute.
If I denied those words, I would be denying the majority of the bonds I formed back when I was still Ha-neul.
“But I know what Dad is worried about. I’ve already read everything—what Dad wants and what you want me to do.”
“Pardon?”
“I thought about it inside the cocoon. What form should I take to grant all of Dad’s wishes? Even after contemplating, the answer didn’t come easily.”
She said that, then stepped back slightly and smiled at me.
“So, I decided to try everything for now.”
In an instant, her presence shifted.
Releasing her suppressed power, she revealed a form that made her previous innocent, child-like appearance seem like a total lie. She was now draped in an unmistakably alien atmosphere.
The child who called me Dad was nowhere to be found.
In her place stood a mature woman. She was beautiful, but at the same time, she exuded a pressure so immense that it felt sinful to even look at her directly.
Her hair, blacker than the night sky, and her golden eyes that seemed to pierce through everything were enough to make her look like a born sovereign and master.
She snapped her fingers, and a throne appeared. She sat upon it and began to look down at me.
“So, does this form please you more?”
Her title for me, her aura, and her way of speaking had all changed as if she were a completely different person.
“It differs slightly from the image you desired, but I believe this is sufficient to qualify as your master.”
She snapped her fingers again. A pure white dress wrapped around her, and a jet-black Ghost Mask appeared to cover her face.
The pressure subsided slightly.
[Additionally, since I thought you would like it, I added a setting where wearing the mask in this form hides the pressure. I designed the mask and outfit to be the opposite of yours, using yours as a reference.]
Ah, so since the Masked Villain wears a black suit and a white mask, she’s wearing a white dress and a black mask?
[I would like to talk more, but we don’t have much time. I have summoned your friends here, but the one outside will soon break the entrance and invade.]
She slowly rose from the throne and approached me.
[So, lift your head and look at me. Tell me what you desire with those fine lips of yours. As your master, I shall grant your wish.]
What can I say? Well, first of all, I was surprised.
Honestly, this wasn’t exactly the picture I had in mind.
But thinking about it carefully, it didn’t seem like there was any particular problem.
In fact, isn’t it just a prejudice to think that the master of a mastermind has to be some hulking, muscular guy?
“Then, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
…The die is cast anyway. I should put out the urgent fires first.
— She’s a daughter who takes right after you.
…Be quiet.
* * *
Lilac, who had lost consciousness due to the sudden teleportation, slowly came to his senses.
The first thought he had upon waking wasn’t about the unfamiliar scenery or his missing friends.
…I lost. We all fought together, but we lost again.
He was filled only with regret and self-reproach for his defeat and his failure to protect his comrades.
He had survived thanks to someone’s help, but the killing blow the villain had shown at the final moment was at a level he couldn’t have blocked.
If it had been So-hyun in that position instead of him, wouldn’t he have come up with some brilliant move to stop him?
Wouldn’t his comrades have been able to endure without collapsing?
I am weak.
He felt terribly arrogant for his past self, who thought he had the strength to at least protect the people around him.
He needed to find out if his other friends were safe and if they were even here, but he felt lost and lacked the will to move.
[Have you despaired?]
At the sudden voice, he looked forward and saw a familiar figure. He immediately took a defensive stance, on guard.
Even if he used his crumbling heart and the reality of his ruined trip as excuses, there was no reason to be careless when an enemy was before him.
A jet-black tuxedo and a pure white Ghost Mask.
The voice and the pressure were still alien, though he had grown somewhat used to them.
This man was also one of the walls they had failed to overcome, even when they all attacked at once.
[You may draw your sword if you wish. However, this is merely a projection. I am not actually there, so cutting me will be useless.]
Lilac cautiously lowered his guard. He knew from experience that while this man sometimes seemed like a dreamer and spoke grandiosely, he didn’t tell lies about such things.
Besides, he didn’t think he could win even if he drew his weapon and fought him.
[But I have yet to hear the answer to my question.]
“Pardon?”
[I asked if you have despaired.]
Lilac was momentarily flustered, not knowing how to answer, but he eventually decided to respond truthfully.
“…Yes.”
He didn’t want to, but a self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips.
[Ho, you are quite honest.]
“Honest or not, it’s not like blustering would work on you anyway. I’m aware of my own state.”
Of course, that wasn’t all.
For some reason he couldn’t quite explain, he had never felt that this man was purely evil when facing him. In fact, there were times when he even felt the man was someone he could rely on.
[Is that so? Then let me change the question. Have you merely despaired?]
“…What?”
[Failure and despair happen to everyone. Almost no one is born perfect. The important thing is whether you simply despair, collapse, and wither away within yourself, or whether you overcome it and learn something.]
Normally, if it were the always-energetic Lilac, he might have agreed with those words.
But today, he wasn’t in the mood.
He felt pathetic for failing to save his friend, and the constant appearance of powerful enemies felt cruel.
Did effort and growth even have meaning?
It was only natural for him to have such thoughts.
The masked man sighed as he watched him.
[It seems I overestimated you.]
“…Yes, you did.”
[I believed you could stand up on your own, but it’s troublesome for me if you despair in a place like this.]
Is it that again? That I’m the hero who will stand in the way of his master?
How can I, who keeps failing because I can’t even protect those around me?
The man remained silent for a brief moment before speaking.
[It is your choice whether to listen or not, but if I may offer one piece of advice: you are trying to cut the enemy with a shield.]
“…Pardon?”
[You do not truly understand your own essence, which even I can see. Why are you fighting with half—no, not even half—of your power?]
Trying to cut the enemy with a shield?
[You should have one more sword. The sword you are always afraid of and suppressing. The sword you were on the verge of drawing that day when you thought I had killed your friend.]
On that day, in his rage, he had indeed felt something he had never felt before.
However, he had subconsciously denied it.
Anger always eroded one’s reason and interfered at the moments when cool judgment was needed.
In the ideal swordsmanship he envisioned, anger was nothing but a hindrance.
[You look like you don’t understand. To put it more directly, I am not telling you to lose your reason. Do not be consumed by anger. Use your anger.]
“…That’s not something that just happens because I want it to.”
[Do not speak so weakly. I am neither your master nor your comrade.]
Wait, then why give me advice in the first place…? What exactly does this man want? If he’s neither my master nor my comrade, why is he advising me?
[You are the adversary recognized by my master. It is troublesome if you remain weak forever. Do not become a blemish on my master’s perfection.]
Honestly, he still didn’t quite understand.
If one’s level could rise just by listening, who would bother with the hardship of repeated training?
Did his attitude displease the man? He spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.
[Fine, it seems your hesitation runs deep. Then let me ask you point-blank. Do you want power?]
“…What?”
[I asked if you can endure the humiliation of bowing your head and reaching out your hand to me, a villain and your enemy.]
Normally, he would have refused instantly.
[If you can, I will provide assistance. Of course, it is both help and a trial. If you overcome it, it is also a fortuitous encounter that will allow you to move to the next stage.]
Yet, for some reason, he found himself listening.
It was just a hunch, but he felt that the “trial” the man spoke of wouldn’t be the wrong path.
[If you overcome it, you will gain the power to protect, and the power to cut through the walls before you and move forward.]
His tone didn’t sound like a hand extended by a villain; it felt as though he were actually looking out for him.
Though his expression was hidden behind the mask, Lilac felt as if the man were scowling.
Perhaps that was why he nodded as if possessed.
[I see. A wise choice.]
Something vast began to envelop him.
[This is a blessing, so pray make it your own.]
* * *
“It’s over.”
The counseling session for our precious comrades is finally finished.
Fortunately, everyone accepted without a single refusal.
Actually, I called it a “trial” to make it sound grand, but it’s nothing much.
I’m just going to use that cocoon to have the kids absorb the energy remaining in the dungeon.
Since they’re absorbing the nest where a god once resided, not just a simple dungeon, they’ll probably power up several stages at once.
The master of the dungeon herself will be helping them absorb it, so it’s not even dangerous.
But I figured they’d refuse if I told them it was just a freebie.
Later, I can just say things like, “Do you not remember?” or “It’s a side effect of forcibly crossing the wall,” and they’ll all just accept it and move on.
“I saw it in your memories, but Dad, you really become a different person when you put on that mask.”
“Well, it’s because this mask is cursed. It has that kind of tendency.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t use formal speech when you’re in this form. And I don’t feel anything from the mask.”
No, how can I speak casually when a god is using formal speech with me?
I’d rather you just spoke casually like you did earlier.
By the way, when I asked why she was using formal speech, she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
‘Because it feels more like a daughter.’
That’s what she said.
As I stared at her blankly, the deity in the form of a young girl waved her hand in the air, and a portal leading somewhere appeared.
“Now that your friends’ problem is solved, you’re going to fight, aren’t you? The villain who was fighting your friends outside just happened to enter the dungeon, so I’ll send you right to him.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“…I could just catch him for you, though.”
She seemed dissatisfied, but she didn’t stop me.
She probably had a good idea of how I was feeling.
Yeah, honestly, if I asked her to catch him, she probably would, but I don’t want to hand this over.
I’ve done everything urgent, and now it’s finally time to make that villain—who dared to hurt my people without knowing his place—regret it.
Leaving it to someone else? That would be a waste.
“You’d better not expect a painless death.”