Chapter 362: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself - 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 362: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself - 16
Hilde tried to stop Peru, but I stopped her with a look. The human heart is like a boiling pot; you have to let some steam out for it to cool down.
What could she do? Her country was on the verge of collapse. Well, I'd welcome the news of the Military State's collapse with open arms, but that's another story.
I said, my lips dry.
“I didn't want this outcome either. I didn't know it would turn out this way. But…”
Gazing at the Golden Palace disappearing into the distance, I chose my words, feigning as much regret as I could.
“The Golden Lord wanted this result. He wasn't the ruler of the Fallen Dominion; he was the rebuilder of the Golden Empire. To him, the Fallen Dominion was just another nation to be destroyed. The problem is that he actually has the power and the will to do it. Well, I suppose that's part of the Golden Lord's majesty.”
No matter what I did, I couldn't force the Golden Lord to do anything. This was his own will.
Realizing this, Peru gritted her teeth and shoved me away by the collar. Her strength wasn't superhuman, so I easily regained my balance. After glaring at me resentfully, Peru turned her back and muttered self-deprecatingly.
“…I shouldn't have helped you.”
“Helped us? You've misunderstood something, Peru.”
I could admit to a lot of things, but that accusation was a bit unfair.
“I didn't bring you along to achieve our goals. You were quite helpful, but even without you, the result would have been similar.”
Peru's Juggernaut, the Golden Ark, had guaranteed a comfortable journey. That much was true.
But to put it another way, that was all.
Even without the Golden Ark, we would have doggedly sought out the Golden Palace, met the Golden Lord, and he would have gone on a rampage much like he was now. It was only a matter of whether it took more or less time; that much was set in stone. The Regressor and I had the will to see it through, and the obstacles weren't significant.
What would change, however…
“If anything, I came with you to help you.”
“…Help me?”
Even without Peru, this journey would have unfolded in the exact same way. One didn't need to be a prophet to know that much.
But from this point on, things would be different.
“Without you, the Fallen Dominion would have been destroyed all the same. The Golden Lord, having heard my words, would have made the same choice. However, you just happen to be here right now. The Primarch who wields the power of Wither, which renders all alchemy powerless and useless.”
The Unique Magic of the Witherarch, Peru, was the natural enemy of alchemy. Her power not only sealed alchemy but negated the very foundation upon which it was built. She didn't even have a homunculus.
That was why Peru stood as the Golden Lord's antithesis.
The people of the Fallen Dominion needed the Golden Lord, but they could not be near him. He created what was necessary using everything unnecessary as material, and so others were not needed in his world. He wouldn't even permit the approach of anyone who wasn't a Primarch with whom he could "converse."
In contrast, the people of the Fallen Dominion didn't necessarily need Peru… but they didn't hesitate to approach her. Because of her Unique Magic, she, in turn, needed others and would not harm them. It was safe to be by her side, and one could even ask for her help in a pinch.
Did such a power shape one's personality? Or did one gain such a power because of their personality? I wasn't sure about the cause and effect.
“Peru. You've always wanted to use your abilities for something worthwhile, haven't you? But the power of Wither erases alchemic value. From the start, your wish was impossible to grant. Not as long as the value you're thinking of is 'alchemic value.'”
But what if a person who could live entirely on their own placed no value whatsoever on other human beings? And what if they then decided to eliminate everyone else?
That is the moment Peru's wish comes true.
“However, the scales that measure the world aren't two-pan balances. Alchemic value isn't the only mark on them. The 'Fallen Dominion' that the Golden Lord is trying to destroy may be worthless to him, but it must be valuable to you. You have to stop him, don't you?”
“…You.”
“This is your first, and perhaps last, chance. A chance to protect the country of your birth and to stop the man you revere, the Golden Lord, from becoming a calamity.”
The Unique Magic of the Witherarch. It wasn't an embodiment of her inner world or a power she desired. In the Fallen Dominion, the power of Wither held only negative value.
She had wanted to be of help to the Fallen Dominion. So she farmed and drove away enemies. Under her care, one might not become wealthy, but there was no risk of being plundered. Attacking her would only result in losses.
Peru had always wished for a chance to be of help to someone.
And now, that chance had come. Peru felt this fact to her very bones and answered in a small, trembling voice.
“…This isn't what I wanted.”
She was being sincere. Then again, opportunities to fulfill one's wishes don't just arrive at the perfect time. If anything, they only appear when one's sense of lack reaches its peak.
It didn't matter if she didn't want it. You can give up an opportunity, but I won't let you miss it. I pointed my finger. I gestured toward the distant, now-unseen back of the Golden Lord and urged Peru on.
“Go. Fulfill your wish.”
There was no more time. As if afraid of losing the Golden Lord, Peru clenched her fists and ran.
The tents erected in preparation for war were gone. The soldiers had withdrawn. All that remained was the road that marked the beginning of the Golden Lord's kingdom.
“Phew, that was exhausting.”
I had just been tormented in the Spiritual World moments ago. My body was fine, but my mind was a little drained.
Hilde approached as I plopped down at the start of the road. Full of curiosity, she asked me.
“Father, did you perhaps bring Peru along for this very reason?”
'Did you choose Peru from the start as the Golden Lord's antithesis? To heighten the drama of the Fallen Dominion's story through their conflict?'
What nonsense. The world isn't a story, and I'm no author. I'm certainly not a prophet.
What the Golden Lord was, how he would react, what choice Peru would make—I didn't know any of it beforehand. I never thought about creating a story. However.
“Hilde. Have you ever played poker?”
“Yes. Though not as well as you, Father.”
“That makes it easier to explain. When you keep a card, you don't know what it will be made into. Whether it'll become a pair, a straight, a flush, or a full house. Or if it'll just be a meaningless card.”
She could have helped, or she could have hindered. She could have become the Golden Lord's subordinate and attacked us, or she could have protected us from a rampaging Golden Lord.
I didn't know how it would play out. But one thing was certain.
Peru would act to fulfill her own desire. For me, that was enough.
Hilde gazed at me intently. Her look was closer to observation than a mere stare. They were the eyes of an actor trying to interpret my character.
'I don't know. I can figure out most people to some extent, but I have no confidence I can ever figure you out, Father. I want to know. If I can properly grasp the King of Humans, I might be able to play any other human.'
But, as if still unsatisfied with her interpretation, Hilde pondered for a long while before suddenly speaking.
“You seem to enjoy granting people's wishes, Father. Whatever they may be.”
“Do I?”
Not all wishes are created equal. You can't just grant them all.
Hilde thought and thought, then abruptly brought up something completely out of the blue.
“Father. 'I' received a divine revelation. 'Become the Chief Crusader of Foresight. That is the only path given to you.' While I was living without purpose, without even a 'self,' the revelation illuminated the path 'I' was to take with more clarity and certainty than anything else. Though I was treated as little more than a sharp sword, that was the only path given to 'me.' In that moment, 'I' became the sword of the Sanctum, protector of the Saintess.”
“Wow. That's amazing.”
“But was it a twist of fate? Or was such salvation a luxury 'I' couldn't afford? The Saintess who called for 'me' happened to be excommunicated from the Sanctum, a so-called fallen Saintess. Instead of the Saintess, 'I' became a sword that protected the Military State. A heartless sword that would cut down any opponent, regardless of their circumstances, for the sake of protecting the nation.”
She placed a hand on her chest and recited her monologue with a pitiful expression. Her voice, brimming with appeal and slightly moist, seemed capable of seeping into even the most emotionally hardened person.
What was this? Why was she suddenly explaining her own character after trying to analyze mine?
“As one of the Six Generals, 'I' must stop Peru. Whether by assassination or by tying her up for a while. That way… the Golden Lord will destroy the Fallen Dominion, and as a result, the Military State will profit. Therefore, Father, 'my' wish is…”
“That was a good performance of your character.”
This was exactly the kind of wish one shouldn't grant.
Was it real or fake? It didn't matter. To Hilde, lies were truth and truth was a lie. The moment she genuinely believed her own performance, distinguishing between the two became meaningless. She could already 'act' out even faith itself.
Of course, Hilde had always wanted someone who could find her true self. When I saw through her identity and dropped the anchor of being that would serve as her reference point, she followed me.
But that wasn't because she 'wanted to stop acting.' Nor was it because she wanted to take off her mask and find her true self.
“What a novel idea. Assassinating the only emerging countermeasure at a critical moment, creating even greater chaos. The Military State profits from the confusion. Ooh. The conflict between good and evil crumbles in an instant, transforming into a grand epic. How interesting. I'll give you a round of applause for that.”
Because she needed an audience.
And only someone outside her stage could be an audience. Someone like me.
After clapping for a while, I changed my demeanor and asked with a disappointed look.
“But, are you really going to do that? Is that the best you can do?”
Hilde, who had been pleading tearfully, changed her expression in an instant. The eyes that had been welling with moisture now sparkled with mischief, and her slightly higher voice seemed to be from excitement, not tears. As if to insist that everything she had shown so far was an act, Hilde spoke in a much more playful tone.
“It's dramatic, but a little lacking in realism, isn't it? Hehe. You're right! A rampaging Golden Lord would be many times more terrifying than a subdued one! If 'I' were truly thinking of the Military State, I should ensure that Peru, with her limited abilities, emerges victorious! The odds of winning against her are much higher than against the Golden Lord!”
Then, Hilde asked again, like a child waiting for praise.
“What do you think, Father? Is that close to what you were thinking?”
“Nope. I just did it because I was curious who would win. Two perfect opposites, pitting their wills against each other. It's only natural to want to watch, isn't it?”
Hilde looked betrayed. My answer was too far from what she had expected. She replayed my actions in her mind and muttered to herself.
'I don't really understand Father's personality. But I think I'm starting to get a sense of what kind of being he is. And why the Sanctum defines him as a barbarian.'
I could read her sharp insight. Hmm, did I give her too much to work with? Perhaps I had underestimated Hilde.
'The King of Humans… affirms all of humanity. Whether it's good or evil. Filthy desire or a noble mission. Even if two completely different people, like the Golden Lord and Peru, fight until one of them dies.'
It's fine. Just as Hilde has figured me out, I've also figured her out to some extent.
Just then, the Regressor and Tyr approached from the distance, warily scanning the surroundings. The Regressor, looking around, spotted Hilde and me sprawled on the main road and rushed over.
“In the middle of the fight, all of the Golden Lord's homunculi retreated at once. You succeeded, right?”
Ah, about that. I had to explain it all over again. It was a bit of a pain, but at least there was no Peru to grab me by the collar this time. I decided to be honest.
“Shei-ssi. I have good news and bad news.”
“…Coming from you, 'bad news' sounds ominous. Did you cause some kind of trouble?”
How did he know?
Patting my startled chest, I delivered the good news and the bad news, a little more smoothly than before.