Chapter 684: Vail’s Delusion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 684: Vail’s Delusion (4)
*
Inside a cabin aboard the ship Ram.
[I am a being who would not have truly died even if I perished. Why did you save me?]
Though his voice was calm, a hint of fury simmered in Padler’s tone.
By all rights, his neck should have been crushed by Vail’s grip just moments ago. As Padler said, that wouldn't have meant his permanent death, but the fact that he had been forced to retreat from a hated opponent against his will was utterly humiliating.
Had he fought like a vengeful spirit once more, just as he did during the first all-out assault on the Garden of Swords, Padler could have continued the battle for a while even without a head.
[Reconstructing your body and soul requires some effort, even for me. I had no desire to waste it on something so meaningless.]
Rosa replied just as calmly, but her words were laced with contempt and mockery—the disdain of the strong for the weak, the ridicule of the useful for the useless.
That was how she viewed most of the people currently occupying the Garden of Swords.
Once her awakening as the Evil God was complete, she would likely find even the few she currently deemed somewhat useful to be unnecessary.
‘This must have been how Cyron looked at us in the past.’
Mere insignificant creatures that made the ground he stood upon slightly less lonely; vermin that could be wiped out at any moment with the press of a finger or a single breath.
To the current Rosa, the members of her clan were exactly that. Padler was one of the better ones, but he was no different from the rest in his constant failure to complete the tasks assigned to him.
The others like him remaining in the Mausoleum were no different.
Rosa was realizing that she was becoming a being who required no one’s help, yet she felt no particular emotion about it.
The only one who could stir any emotion in her was her youngest, Jin. Only when she thought of him or saw him did her lips curl into a genuine smile rather than a sneer.
Just as she had smiled a few minutes ago, watching Jin through Padler's eyes as she summoned him away.
[I hope such a thing does not happen again.]
[Ah… is that so?]
Rosa considered crushing Padler for a moment but then let out a hollow laugh.
His refusal to yield to fear or power often made him an annoyance.
[It seems your grudge against Runcandel isn't as deep as I thought. The vengeful spirits I've known always sought to survive at any cost to strike down their enemies… they didn't throw fits as if they didn't care whether it all ended then and there, as you do.]
[I am not your slave, Rosa Runcandel. I decide my own end.]
[Indeed, you are not my slave. You are merely a remnant of the past, brought into this world by my hand. You lack the utility to even qualify as my slave.]
Padler showed no particular reaction to Rosa’s insulting words. Instead, a cynical smirk played on his lips.
[Well said. In truth, you have no need for the help of a remnant like me, so why don't you simply let me fade away?]
[For the same reason you do.]
Padler laughed once more.
[You thought I would be necessary, but I wasn't?]
Rosa met his gaze.
[Precisely. Just as your revenge is essentially already complete, I simply did not realize my power would stabilize this quickly.]
The claim that Padler’s revenge was complete was based on a simple truth.
—“What I desire is not the revival of Runcandel, but its corruption and ruin. The descendant of Temar, your mother… the power Rosa Runcandel has chosen will eventually plunge Runcandel into the abyss.”
As he had said during his first fight with Jin, Padler desired only the destruction of Runcandel.
From the moment he first returned to the human world, he possessed nothing but blind hatred for the clan.
Because of this, Ilina hadn't needed to take special measures like breaking his spirit or brainwashing him. At the time, she had intended to use Padler to keep Rosa in check later on.
However, the moment he saw Rosa awakened as the Evil God after that battle, Padler realized his goal had already been achieved.
The Garden of Swords had already become a place that could no longer be called Runcandel, and in the end, she would destroy even this corrupted version of it before swallowing the entire world.
Ilina’s plan to use Padler to check Rosa had also lost its meaning. Even if several more powerhouses like Padler were added, keeping her in check from within Runcandel had become an impossible task.
Furthermore, there was no longer a need to keep her in check. As the Evil God, she was already dyeing the world in despair.
[Then you can simply reclaim your power and let me vanish, can you not? I do not understand why we are bothering with this tedious charade.]
Just as Rosa was about to answer, Ilina spoke up first.
“Sir Padler, you seem quite exhausted. It hasn't been long since you returned to the mortal realm, yet your mind is already filled with the pathetic desire to end the new body and soul you’ve been granted.”
[Ilina.]
“But Sir Padler, the Patriarch is no longer human; she is a god. Whether you exist or not depends solely on her whim. And from what I know… most gods tend to respect the destinies of mortals.”
[Destiny? What are you talking about all of a sudden?]
“I am saying that only those who have fulfilled their destiny can find the peace of oblivion. If your revenge were truly complete, the Patriarch would have erased you in an instant, whether you wished for it or not. But that is not the case. You still have work to do.”
Padler glared at Ilina.
“How ridiculous would it be for someone once revered as one of the Ten Great Knights to achieve his revenge only through the help of others? Shouldn't you accomplish at least one thing yourself to earn the right to rest? As it so happens, the man you hate so much has also awakened…”
[Are you speaking of Vail?]
“Yes, Vail Runcandel. Eliminate him yourself—that man presumed to be a remnant of another god. If you do, the Patriarch will appreciate your struggle to fulfill your destiny and grant you eternal rest.”
Padler remained silent for a long time before turning away as if to leave.
[…Vail will end up in the same position as me the moment he stands before Rosa anyway. Patriarch, I cannot fathom why you, who are already prepared to end the world alone, bother with such useless games.]
“There is no need for you to know the Patriarch’s will.”
[However, since I am but a remnant, I shall participate in your game one more time.]
As he left the cabin, Ilina bowed to Rosa.
“I apologize if I overstepped, Patriarch. He remains cynical to the very end. This is the problem with those who have nothing to lose and no specific desires. Though, I suppose it is better than being incompetent and greedy.”
[It is as Sir Padler said. I was considering erasing him before you intervened.]
“I did so because it felt like a waste.”
[From your perspective, perhaps. Your actions were presumptuous, but since your intent was not to mock me as it was before, I shall let it slide.]
“Thank you for your understanding.”
[I do not respect the destinies of humans, let alone his. Only my youngest is worthy of respect. However, if Sir Padler contributes even a single thing to the story between me and my youngest through today's events, I will grant him a reward. My thoughts on him might change slightly then.]
Ilina’s expression brightened.
“It shall surely be so. I will remain your most loyal servant, Patriarch, even after you fully awaken…”
[Bring the 2nd Flagbearer to me tomorrow. Tell him I shall be delivering punishment for his past failure.]
“Understood.”
*
Meanwhile, the Barmul Alliance was watching the sky from the seabed after the battle had ended.
Because Padler had suddenly vanished, Vail was now radiating golden energy across the entire sky, clearly in a state of immense fury.
Rosa had only summoned Padler back to the Ram.
[You insignificant wretches! Tell me where Padler fled!]
The remaining Chaos Dragons, the Black Ships, the knights, and Lionel and Stam were left to bear the full brunt of Vail’s wrath.
[Or you lot can flee as well, and I will crush your headquarters to dust. Where is it? The Runcandel castle?]
Lionel and Stam were in no condition to answer. They had already overextended themselves trying to save Padler, and their bodies were being torn apart by Vail’s energy.
‘Why did Rosa only save Sir Padler? I doubt it’s because she lacks the power to summon everyone else back.’
When Rosa had looked down at the seabed through Padler’s eyes, Jin had felt her power for a moment.
It was a power so infinite it could only be called divine, and it had weighed down on him for that brief moment.
‘…Does it mean she doesn't even feel the need to save the rest?’
The thought that anyone below Padler’s level was of absolutely no help to Rosa sent a chill down Jin’s spine.
Rosa was growing stronger even faster than he was.
He was almost certain that if she could simply move outside of Huphester herself, she could destroy the world within days.
A massive wall, one that felt impossible to surmount, was waiting for him beyond this sea.
“Jin?”
Valeria grabbed Jin’s shoulder. He looked back and saw his comrades staring at him with concern. Ever since Padler had vanished, Jin had been wearing a worried expression without realizing it.
Jin looked at his comrades for a moment and then shook his head.
“Rosa has become stronger. To the point where I don't even understand why she bothered to save Padler just now.”
His comrades nodded in understanding.
“…I’m starting to think the day we face Rosa in a final battle might come sooner than Orgal predicted.”
At that moment, he had a premonition that Rosa wouldn't even care about pawns like Padler. She would face the world alone.
And unlike that monster, he would not fight alone.
“But for now, that’s not our immediate concern. First, we need to calm down that rampaging former member of the Ten Great Knights.”
“Oh, Jin. Should I tell that guy to stop now?”
Jin shook his head at Sandra and smiled.
“He’ll stop on his own. Everyone who tried to harm you is dead. However, we need to help him face the truth.”
Shing!
Jin drew his sword again.
“So, tell Sir Vail to deal with me. Threaten him. Tell him that the moment any of my comrades are harmed, you will never see him again.”
“But what if something happens to you, Jin!?”
“As long as I can fight with the certainty that Sir Vail won't attack my comrades, nothing will happen to me.”