Chapter 115
Chapter 115
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Why Should I?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"......"
Before the empty round table, the man in the robe was lost in grim silence. The fact that he, who would normally have said something by now, remained silent served as another reminder of how things were going.
"Kekekekek! Is this the best your brilliant mind can come up with? If this was the plan, you should've just let me invade like I said!"
Another man, sitting opposite him, spoke mockingly. Unlike the robed man, his appearance was fully revealed. His skin was a pale violet, his pupils were red and dark, and his teeth were as sharp as a shark's.
"Be quiet."
As the man who had been silent until now uttered a single phrase, the air around them seemed to grow heavy.
"It doesn't matter that a few died. The preparations are proceeding smoothly, so just do your part."
While each demon was a calamity in its own right, it wasn't as if their numbers were small. The number that could cross from the demon world to the human world was limited, so some demons still remained behind. Thus, there were plenty of replacements. There was no need to make a fuss just because a few demons died.
"Kekek... What does *He* say?"
"...He has said nothing."
"Again?"
He had never been one for many words, but He would give him orders from time to time. Lately, however, He had strangely given no commands at all. Was it His way of saying he was doing well and should maintain the status quo? Or had He handed over all authority on this side to him? As the robed man was lost in thought, the one across from him quickly began to jeer.
"Heeheehee. Maybe He's dead?"
*CRACK!*
The round table split in half as the robed man glared fiercely. At the same time, an immense killing intent washed over the man across from him.
"You'd do well to watch your tongue. It's a thousand years too early for a mere creation like you to speak of His death."
"Kyahahahaha!! I thought you'd lost your touch since you've been so quiet lately, but you've still got it!"
The atmosphere was thick with the promise of an imminent battle. However, it was the robed man who withdrew his aura. With the humans uniting, fighting amongst themselves here would be proving they were even more foolish than the humans they considered idiots.
"What's this? You're not gonna fight? I was hoping for a little fun for the first time in a while."
He paid it no mind. The man across the table simply licked his blade, disappointed. Watching him, the robed man let out a sigh and changed the subject.
"I have a job for you."
"Kehehehek—I've been dying for this!"
"Head to Alfheim. The seal will soon be broken."
"So you've decided to stop hiding things?"
"We are not the ones doing it. That monster is."
Once its seal was broken, it would only be a matter of time before Alfheim was wiped off the map. Even with the World Tree, its powers were primarily focused on defense and support. It couldn't defeat the creature, so it would eventually be erased after merely buying time.
***
After someone called my name, a brief silence fell over the guild. It was as if time itself had stopped. But that was just a prelude; soon, the murmuring grew even louder than before. Given the situation, it meant that whoever was looking for me was the cause of this commotion.
So, who could cause such a stir in the guild just by showing up? S-rank adventurers came to mind, but they had no reason to look for me, so I ruled them out. With S-rank adventurers excluded, no one else came to mind. So I cleanly pretended I hadn't heard. In cases like this, it was a troublesome matter ninety-nine times out of a hundred anyway.
Then, *thump, thump*. The sound of footsteps echoed through the center of the guild before stopping at a certain point. Judging by the sound, it was the reception desk where we had just been. And by the direction, it was probably where Adela was.
"Receptionist. Is there a human named Luke here?"
Please say no, Adela! They say if you wish hard enough, the entire universe will help you. I tried sending Adela a telepathic message.
"Uh... Mr. Luke is the black-haired man over there."
Damn it! Adela betrayed me! My desperate wish failed to reach the universe. As soon as my location was sold out, I heard the footsteps of some unknown group heading straight for me. I should have put on a mask the moment I heard my name.
"Human. Are you Luke?"
A woman from the group that had approached me from behind spoke. Who in the world was looking for me so desperately? I figured I should at least see their face, so I turned around. To briefly describe the appearance of the people who had so eagerly sought me out, it was two men and one woman. The woman seemed to be the leader, standing at the forefront. She was characterized by her pale yellow hair and long, pointed ears.
'Why are they here?'
As you can probably guess from the description, the person who had been so desperately searching for me was an elf. As is typical for elves in fantasy, the elves of this world were arrogant. Arrogance was a passive trait for them; they looked down on all races except their own and never left their villages. That's why I had excluded them from the list of people who could cause a commotion in the guild. Seriously, why are they here?
Of course, it's not that elves don't appear in the story. There's a World Tree arc, and in it, they visit Arthur at the academy, just like now. The problem is that it's far too early for that event to happen. The World Tree arc features monsters incomparably stronger than any we've seen so far.
"Human. I will ask one last time. Are you Luke?"
"No! I'm Arthur!"
Beside me, Luna and Liche looked at me as if I were a strange person, but what could I do? I wasn't about to give my name to a stranger.
"You speak exactly as Lord Yggdrasil said you would. It seems you are indeed Luke."
Ah, damn it, foresight. I was caught in a catch-22.
"No, I told you, I'm Arthur."
"I have no time to entertain your games."
You're the ones who came looking for me, so why are you acting like you're the one humoring me? Are these people completely insane? I guess there's a reason they're called knife-ears.
"There is something we must discuss. Could we move to a place with fewer ears?"
We just got to the Adventurer's Guild, and now she wants to move? What a pain. I just pointed a finger at an empty table inside the guild. I had no intention of talking to them in the first place, but since I was already caught, I figured I'd just hear what they had to say and send them on their way quickly.
The elf woman frowned as she followed my finger.
"...Did you not understand my meaning?"
"If you don't like it, you can just leave."
"......"
A long silence followed. The elf woman, staring intently into my eyes, seemed to be contemplating what to do. Before long, her deliberation seemed to end, and she broke the silence.
"Fine."
And so, our group and the elves headed to an empty table, drawing the gazes of all the adventurers. With seven of us in total, we couldn't all fit, so only the main parties to the conversation—me and the elf woman—sat facing each other.
As soon as I sat down, a thin barrier of wind formed around us. Given the situation, it was probably a soundproofing barrier.
"Given the location, I will be brief and to the point."
She got straight to the point as soon as she sat down. Just what kind of incredible thing was she going to say to warrant all this? That was a lie, of course; I already knew what she was going to say.
"The world is in danger. Lord Yggdrasil seeks you. Will you come with us to Alfheim?"
"But I'm not Luke."
"We know everything, so do not feign ignorance. The fate of the world is at stake, so we must act without a moment's delay."
I tried to play dumb until the end, but foresight is truly a cheat. That damn World Tree. I don't even know why it's looking for me to deal with the world's fate. It should have gone to the toilet bowl at the academy next door. Seeing my bewildered expression, the elf woman's face grew even more solemn.
"Do you not care if the world is destroyed?"
"Not really."
"...What?"
You don't care about the world's destruction either. Why are you acting all high and mighty, burning with a sense of justice? If their precious Alfheim wasn't included in that "world's destruction," the elves wouldn't have given a speck of interest even if the world ended and all other races died. The reason they've made a personal appearance to find me is because they're the ones in the most danger. These knife-ears, I swear.
"This is why humans are...! Did I not say the world is ending! You will die too! Not just you, but countless humans will shed blood! And yet you feel nothing!"
"Did the World Tree tell you that?"
"What?"
"Did the World Tree tell you that I'm the hero who will save the world?"
It wouldn't have said anything of the sort. It just said it needed help. If so, it seems the elves in front of me have misinterpreted things and deluded themselves into thinking I'm some kind of hero who will save the world.
If that's the case, they've come to the wrong place. If you're looking for a hero to save the world, you should have looked in the academy next door. Sorry, but I don't give a damn what happens to the world.
Haven't I always said it? I aspire to be a psychopathic villain rather than a foolish protagonist brimming with a sense of justice. I aspire to be a sage who has reclaimed true freedom—doing whatever I want, not caring what anyone thinks, and being oppressed by no one.
"Hey, do you know what the scariest thing in the world is?"
If you ask what the scariest thing in the world is, no one can give a definitive answer. The fear people feel is different for everyone. Ghosts, monsters, demons, demonic humans, mothers, someone who is prepared to die. All of these are objects of fear to someone, but I can say with certainty. The scariest thing in the world is...
"A person with nothing to lose."
Regardless of race, having nothing to lose is truly terrifying. The reason people live is because they have a reason to live, no matter how insignificant. Some continue to live simply because they are afraid of dying.
But what if there's truly nothing? No family, no acquaintances, no wealth, no honor. What if there's nothing left and they can't find a reason to live? From that point on, you don't know what that person might do. They might go on a killing spree until the moment they die, they might kidnap and rape any woman they see, or they might try to rob a bank with nothing but a knife.
Why am I saying this now? Because what I just described applies to me. I'm a person with nothing to lose. Luke's family? I don't know if they exist, but seeing as there hasn't been a single letter to their child at the academy, they're either dead or he was an orphan from the start. Am I a tycoon who can shower in gold coins? Not at all. I just have enough money to get by.
In short, if the world ends, I can just die and hope for a better next life. As I explained all this with a serious expression, the elf woman just stared at me with a look of incomprehension. At that, the elf underling who had been watching from the side stepped forward.
"Lady Evangeline, is it really necessary to go through such trouble with a mere human? Let's just cut off his limbs and take him."
Listen to the mouth on this bastard. They say elves have long lifespans; maybe he's lived so long he's gone senile. Look at him, willing to stop at nothing just because it's an order from the World Tree.
To the elves, the World Tree is like a god. Unlike the god that humans believe in—one they can't see and whose existence is uncertain—the World Tree actually exists and grants power to the elves. So, to the elves, the World Tree is an existence equal to a god.
That's why they follow its orders so faithfully. But their method of following them is completely wrong. For example, if the World Tree ordered them to bring the emperor, they would bring the emperor before it, even if it meant destroying the empire. Just like now, if it ordered them to bring me, they would cut off all my limbs and bring me with just a breath of life left in me.
The male knife-ear, as if to act on his words, drew the sword from his waist. A subordinate acting on his own without his superior's command, all puffed up with bravado. We'd call someone like that a liability.
"I'm sorry, but you have no right to refuse. We have our own circumstances, so we will take you, even if we have to use slightly more drastic measures."
The elf woman spoke as she dispelled the soundproofing barrier. With the sudden confrontation, the atmosphere inside the guild grew heavy. Even the notoriously belligerent adventurers, knowing the extent of the elves' power, seemed to be backing away hesitantly. I asked Luna with an indifferent expression.
"Luna. In a case like this, even if I fight, I won't get kicked out, right?"
"You won't be without responsibility, but you will not be kicked out."
Usually, the Guild Master, Argo, would come out and handle things himself, but he seems to be away on business today.
"Human. Either come along quietly, or become a cripple with your limbs cut off. Choose."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"Yes. I'll give you exactly one minute, starting now."
During that minute, I ordered Luna and the other two not to lift a finger. These guys who don't know their place need their confidence shattered, but Luna and Liche don't know how, and Yui is too naive. And besides, I have a knack for this kind of thing.
"One minute is up. Your answer?"
"Yeah. Die."
*BOOM!*