Chapter 96: Respected Teacher (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Respected Teacher (5)
To you.
“Agggggh...!”
I’m sending you my heart like this, even if it’s only through a monologue. It’s not a final goodbye or anything.
I might look like a desk-bound scholar, but I’m the woman who earned the title of Immortal Archer. I don’t die easily.
Still, man, I really am a woman lacking in sentimentality. Writing a letter from the heart in a situation like this? It feels like the older I get, the less mature I become and the stingier I get with expressing myself. It feels like I’m obsessed only with what I can see, constantly wanting to prove myself through achievements. It’s complex. I don’t even know why I’m like this. Times like this suddenly remind me that I really am that man’s daughter.
...That man. The one I despise with a passion.
‘Saki Kojima.’
But you know what?
It’s a secret between just the two of us.
Wait, no, since this is strictly a monologue letter, I guess it’s my own secret. Still, they say sincere feelings reach their destination eventually, so I’ll confess it like this.
“Fuck, blast your magic! Blast it, I said...!”
You know...
I lay flowers at his grave every year.
Funny, isn't it? Laying flowers after acting like I hated his guts so much. What a hypocrite I am.
But... you told me a long, long time ago, didn't you? That his end was a heroic, glorious death in battle.
Was that single sentence the catalyst?
“What’s with that dragon?!”
“That dragon—it’s Hontail! One of the dragons leeching off the Heavenly Sword!”
“That’s what I’m asking, you dumb fuck! Why is the Heavenly Sword’s pet with the Immortal Archer...?!”
My resentment toward that man—the Archery Saint, Saki Kojima, my father—began to fade little by little. Even the deep-seated hatred that seemed as immovable as eternal snow melted quite a bit. In a way, I even felt proud to be his daughter.
Stockholm syndrome? No, I don’t think it was that. If I had to pin it down, maybe it was because of his spirit of sacrifice.
As far as I knew, Saki Kojima was the person furthest removed from the word ‘sacrifice.’
Paradoxically, the person who personally demonstrated a hero’s sacrifice in the 2nd Human-Demon War was my father.
I used to think it was just because he wanted to be remembered by history. But after mulling it over for a long time, I realized that wasn't it.
“Dragons are living creatures too! Sp-Spells! Change the strategy to undoing its magic formulation!”
BOOOOOOM!
“I-It took a hit! Sink it!”
“The Immortal Archer is falling with it! Concentrate your intercept fire! Fire, you fucking roleplaying idiots!”
“What about you...?!”
When I asked Mom, she said Saki Kojima was a coward. A coward who lacked the courage to stand by his convictions even at the cost of his life. A coward who wallowed until his dying day in the death of the Iron Martial, Alice Louise—the woman who was an aunt to me.
...A coward who couldn't forgive himself for standing by and allowing his wife's death.
Mind you, this was just my mother’s opinion.
She said Saki Kojima must have known Alice Louise was going to force her deployment. For a man who relied entirely on his intellect, it would be stranger if he hadn't noticed the true intentions of the woman he loved most in the world.
Father must have agonized between the greater good and the Iron Martial. The night before the fierce battle with the 6th Corps Commander, Basmon, he probably stayed up all night, eavesdropping on the conversation between the Sword Emperor and the Iron Martial.
And Kojima didn't stop the Iron Martial. Only after his wife died did he berate the Sword Emperor. A despicable man who turned his self-loathing into blaming others. That was likely the true nature of my father, the Archery Saint, Saki Kojima...
It seems I inherited those exact genes.
I'm a coward, you see. Far more than you could ever imagine.
“Separate the dragon from the Immortal Archer!”
Falling from the clouds is nothing. Whose wife do you think I am? I’m the one who soars through the sky with you day in and day out. Something like this is a walk in the park.
What I truly fear...
“Now’s our chance!”
...is that I might let you go under the pretext of ‘humanity’s survival.’
...and then rationalize my actions. That scares me to death. It makes me shudder just thinking about it.
“She’s defenseless!”
That’s why I came here with Hontail—to change.
If you criticize me for being reckless, I have no excuses.
That’s right, this was impulsive.
The moment I got the intel, I rushed over here to shake off the cowardice embedded deep within my genes. It was obvious that if I told you, I’d end up placing the whole burden on your shoulders again. If I did that, how would I be any different from my father?
I’ll explain later how I pinpointed the Villain Syndicate’s hideout. Oh, and as you already know, the bribe I used on Hon was 1++ Korean beef. We really need to keep a tight rein on her, you know? She looked ready to sell off Gehenna itself if someone offered her Korean beef.
“Gotcha—!”
And Abel.
Even if I get hurt, it’s not your fault at all.
The reason I’m here is my own greed, not because of you. I came here to break out of the eggshell that trapped me.
The spirit that my father—my greatest negative example—taught me as he sacrificed himself.
The hero spirit.
He was a dreadful man, but on the other hand, there was no better teacher.
“I hit her! I hit her!”
Archery Saint, Saki Kojima.
Your final moments served as an exemplar for heroes, and remained the one bit of pride I could hold for you as my father.
-A Respected Teacher. Fin-
*
I summoned everyone I could reach. Rachel, the Dragon Clan, angels. Irrespective of race, I called upon them indiscriminately.
Almost all of them answered and rushed over at breakneck speed. Rachel and the agency personnel dispatched to Korea. Even the asymmetric strategic forces centered around Joaquin—every single one of them. While the butler Karon had returned to Castle Sigurd, Shail, who was scheduled to depart yesterday, immediately unpacked her bags.
As if they had foreseen this, elite personnel were gathered rapidly. This was thanks to the large number of heroes stationed in Korea, owing to the villain sleeper cells spread throughout the country.
However, assembling everyone at Joaquin using standard transport was too much of a time waste.
I dispatched Mad Dragons forged from lightning to every corner. Flying at the speed of light, the dragons returned in an instant, carrying those who joined the cause.
“Everyone’s here, Geomma.”
Rachel said, cracking her stiff neck from side to side. I deliberately kept my voice low and heavy.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming right away.”
“We can hear the explanation after everything’s over. We don’t know the full story, but that’s not what’s urgent right now, is it?”
Just as Rachel said, I hadn’t given them any explanation. In a situation where my blood was running cold, I simply didn’t have the leeway to inform them one by one.
A dozen or so heroes had accepted without a word of complaint and rushed over at literally ‘light speed.’
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Come on, between us? Let’s move immediately.”
We hastily finished our preparations. We immediately rode the Thunder Dragons and moved toward Avallon Island.
Everyone’s hair whipped violently in the wind, their cheeks quivering. Even for heroes, traveling at this velocity must have felt like swimming through the deep sea. It would be no surprise if they felt nauseous or felt a burning sensation in their throats.
“It’s because of me...”
Even so, Abel kept muttering beside me. She was in a complete state of panic, her blood freezing over with guilt.
“It’s not your fault.”
I wrapped my arm around Abel’s shoulder. Pressing her close, I rested my chin against her forehead and whispered:
“Ryozo isn’t an ordinary girl. Nothing terrible has happened yet. So don’t worry.”
“...Okay.”
She answered, but her face remained dark.
Comforting her any further here will only increase her sense of guilt.
Rambling on uselessly wouldn’t offer genuine comfort. She needed to face the outcome and see it for herself. Only when the certainty that Ryozo was safe was etched into her own eyes would Abel’s heart find peace.
Besides, I was only putting up a calm front with my words. On the inside, I was burning with agony.
Damn it.
Please. Please be safe, Ryozo.
Because I’m a pathetic husband, I drove you to the front line. Because I’m a horribly indifferent man, you felt forced to step up yourself.
While I engaged in self-ridicule inside my head, we arrived above Avallon Island. I snapped my fingers. After the dragons descended, the heroes safely touched down on the ground. Once I verified everyone had arrived safely, I finally spoke.
“We need to find Ryozo.”
My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my throat.
“However, searching every inch will take too much time...”
BOOOOOOM!
At the thunderous roar, everyone’s eyes snapped toward the sound. Flocks of birds fluttered wildly up into the sky.
“Over there.”
Rachel pointed her finger beyond. Billowing plumes of smoke rose from the far side where the birds had fled. The epicenter was near the World Tree Yggdrasil.
“We will fly there immediately.”
Wings sprouted from the shoulders of the dragon executives. The archangel Metatron and the Nephilim Leon scattered feathers in tandem.
“No.”
I shook my head at the non-human beings preparing to rush forward. I stated flatly:
“Ryozo’s safety hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
“What the Chief means is... if Ryozo happens to be captured...”
Weapon backed up my argument, phrasing the concept of a ‘hostile hostage situation’ as tactfully as possible.
“If the dragons or angels suddenly appear, the enemies might feel threatened and commit an unpredictable action, right?”
“Yeah. It could become an unwanted variable.”
The composure I had barely held onto swayed violently at my own words. Tasting the metallic tang of blood in my mouth, I continued:
“A human life is on the line. I don’t want to gamble.”
I glanced at Abel as I spoke. Her face was deathly pale. Holding her hand tightly, I declared:
“We have to go all at once and stun them psychologically. If we attack in waves, there’s no telling what those villains will do. We must hit them all together.”
“To do that, though...”
Rachel scanned the surroundings. The foliage on Avallon Island was extraordinarily dense. A single tree reached the height of a five-story apartment building. Furthermore, having been abandoned for a long time, the terrain was no different from a maze.
“Weapon.”
I spoke as I drew Murasame.
“The annual Arbor Day event hosted by the Association hasn’t happened yet, right?”
“...Out of nowhere?”
Weapon nodded reluctantly despite his confusion.
“...It was postponed because of the Parsi Massacre, so it’ll probably happen in a week or two. But why bring that up all of a sudden...?”
Ching.
The resonance of the blade.
“Request to the Association President that we host that event here on Avallon Island.”
“What on earth...”
A flash of sword light gleamed.
It wasn’t flashy.
A sword trajectory sliced diagonally.
Immediately afterward, the entire ‘forest’ was sliced clean through at a slant.
RUUUUUMBLE!
The trees tumbled and crashed down. Not only was the line of sight to Yggdrasil completely cleared, but with the trees collapsing to leave only stumps behind, a wide-open path opened up.
I focused my gaze sharply. At the end of my vision... several villains came into view. Panic washed over their faces. A moment of deadlock.
“Let’s go.”
I sprinted forward. My path was a straight line, leaving behind only the shimmering lingering light of motion.
It happened in a flash. In less than a second, I was face-to-face with a sheep-headed villain, so close our noses almost touched. I could clearly see his eyelashes, and his dark hair reflected on my retina.
Crack!
Murasame sheared through his ribs and split his heart. Before he could even utter a groan, I whipped the sashimi knife. He was shredded to pieces right where he stood.
Leaving behind the villain who died without even screaming, I scanned the remaining villains—
The landscape shook as if an earthquake had struck. It burned into my trembling retina. Sky-blue hair sprawled out on the ground, taking thin, ragged breaths.
She was injured.
It wasn’t minor. It was a severe injury.
Ah.
A high-pitched beep echoed inside my head.
BEEEEEEEEEP—!
“Chief...!”
Weapon’s voice struck my eardrums a moment late. But it slurred and distorted before shutting off completely.
I could feel it.
Pure white frost spread across my hair and eyebrows.
++++++++++++++++++++
《O Almighty One who became a boy.》
++++++++++++++++++++
I sank into murderous intent. Arms rising from the abyss pulled at my subconsciousness.
Downward.
Deeper downward.
Swoooosh.
Yggdrasil, which had been withered for ten years, was bathed in a golden hue. My eyes captured the scene of greenery bursting forth. Leaves fluttered wildly in pieces. As I watched, my eyes half-opened.
Red.
Crimson red. Red lines filled this world. So many things needing to be cut. In fact, the entire world was something that needed to be cut.
++++++++++++++++++++
《May you be set free.》
++++++++++++++++++++