Chapter 198 – Episode 198. A Child I’ve Seen Since I Was a Girl (3)
Warchief Barmash.
His prowess is not restricted by the dignity and cleverness of a chieftain, and his power surpasses even Verdia, who is said to be mankind’s strongest shield.
An existence worthy of being called the strongest warrior in the Demon King’s army in name and reality.
Common sense made it absurd for a mediocre orc to rise to such a position, but after knowing the secret of his birth, everything made sense.
Even if your inheritance as an orc is strong, if you inherited blood as an elf, you’re likely to stand out more than other orcs.
“… There must have been an extraordinary reason.”
“It’s an irrelevant story.”
Barmash immediately denies such an obvious idea.
I didn’t see the same aggressiveness there as before, but now I wasn’t particularly blaming him.
It is said that Orcs do not breed, but among them, there was no case where the genetic characteristics of the heterogeneous race stood out.
As this is historically unprecedented, it would not be strange to be proud of one’s own birth.
“Do you really think so? Even if it’s just your appearance, you’re a big difference from other orcs…”
“Even if I’m different from other Orcs, the order and discipline in the current tribe is the result of the will of the tribesmen.”
Even so, Barmash tried to refute as if he didn’t even like the evaluation that praised himself.
“Are you the one who thinks pure Orcs cannot maintain the same order as humans? If you’re not like me, do you think it’s impossible for the orcs to even form a society?”
“…”
“… If you know, put your prejudice aside. I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t like my birth.”
After hearing what I said, I could immediately understand what that meant just by looking at Verdia, who had a blank face.
Yes, this topic has to end here.
For Barmash, who has the identity of an Orc, and the tribes under his leadership.
And even considering the ripple effect when the shocking truth related to Melia reaches mankind.
“… I said something rude. I apologize for offending you.”
I realized it belatedly and apologized, but Barmash’s attention was already taken away from me.
As it is a topic that feels uncomfortable, there was no hesitation in switching.
“The head of the Witch Council. Did you slowly figure it out? What condition is that fledgling warrior in?”
“… Yes, for now.”
Yes, just like Barmash said, Melia is a good thing at this moment.
Margaret, who checked her condition during the conversation about her Melia, immediately withdrew her hand from Celica’s head and met her eyes.
“First of all, let’s talk about the conclusion…”
Gulp.
The moment you swallow your saliva and wait for the words to follow.
As her tension swirled, her mouth began to open quietly.
“… As first guessed, the entity that infiltrated her mind is completely extinct. The only thing left in Celica-san is the mighty magic power she possessed.”
“Are you really saying that Galbo-year-old is dead?”
“Yes, it’s probably because the hero overlooked the natural extraordinary and approached it carelessly.”
Barmash frowned in disbelief despite repeated affirmations.
However, anyone who knew Celica’s condition would be able to guess.
Because the current Celica’s mind became unstable, she foresaw the future, and because of that, only her mind was reborn as a ‘completed hero’.
In fact, mentally, it is already completely intact. Even if she was the queen of dream demons, who were born to use her mental attacks to the limit, there was no way that her residual power would be able to destroy her.
“Of course, her remaining power won’t dissipate and will affect Celica-san’s spirit, but in other words, she has the strength to resist against the Dream Demon Queen… If you withdraw that power, her sanity will quickly recover and she will be able to easily return to her original state.”
At the very least, the mind that was hit by the dream demon queen was not a problem for Celica right now.
It was only that it changed from guess to certainty, but now I was not relieved by her words.
What Celica and I wanted to know wasn’t such a ‘minor matter’.
“Then, Celica…”
However, only the facts revealed on the surface.
From the point of view of those who came to the Demon King’s Territory out of genuine concern for Celica’s spirit, such an affirmation would be considered more important than anything else.
“Is Celica okay? Her treatment… Is her Celica’s spirit curable?”
Verdia asks Margaret, belatedly correcting her mind.
But is it because her truth about Melia is rather shocking?
Her complexion was still pale even as she expressed her concern for Celica.
“Cure, is it?”
“That, yes. Therapy… Because I came all the way here for that.”
Because she came to know the tragic past hidden behind the smile of the one she had always regarded as her colleague.
It would be something she absolutely wanted to prevent from happening again.
So, at this moment, you may want to take comfort from Margaret’s words…
“Well, I’m not sure if the word therapy is appropriate for this job.”
What came out of Margaret’s mouth, on the contrary, was a voice that aroused her anxiety.
“What is that…”
“Miss Celica.”
Before Verdia’s question returned, Margaret spoke quietly while facing Celica.
“The reason I came here is for a reason that has nothing to do with you, but if you want to return to the way you were before, I am willing to actively listen to your wishes. Helping you is also leading to the path of resolving my destiny, even indirectly.”
Yeah, I don’t know the details, but the reason she came all the way here was because I inherited her witch blood.
In order to properly carry on such a conversation with me, I think it is also necessary to treat Celica, who is my colleague and lover.
“But I will not force it. No one is forcing you to undo your mind, it must be your own decision.”
And at this moment, Margaret was trying to give Celica her options.
About whether to bring her own mind back to normal or to keep it as it is.
It teaches that maintaining that spirit is also a way.
“… As I wish, you mean?”
“Yes, as you wish.”
Margaret nodded and emphasized my remark.
“Even though good and evil are divided into people, the concept of good and evil does not exist in power. In order to utilize the remaining power of the dream magic in your body, intentionally leaving it behind could also be an option.”
“Leaving power…”
“Personally, I hope you choose carefully. If you retrieve the power, you will return to the state before being consumed by the power, and you will never be able to return to the present.”
Going back to before being eroded by power…
On the surface, it was an offer that did not need to be rejected.
That’s why I entered the Demon King’s territory.
Because it was believed that it was necessary for humanity to recover that power, restore the mind to its original state, and continue the mission as a hero.
“Never again, now… Can’t you come back?”
But now the purpose is completely different.
Celica learned of her future, and she tried to find her witch in order to determine whether the tragic outcome that awaited her afterwards was a fact or a nightmare.
Not just to undo her sanity, but to change the future she foresaw.
“Do you really want to go back?”
And as the witch Margaret checked her Celica’s condition, she must have vaguely guessed it.
“Do you want me to live my life forgetting everything about her that I saw while being engulfed in that power?”
The act of asking back as if emphasizing it sounded as if he was urging regret for a choice that everyone would take for granted.
Can we ignore future tragedies like this?
Is it really right to go back to the beginning and live without knowing anything?
“… No.”
Celica’s answer was already decided.
In the first place, asking the current question itself was to teach me that what I saw while being eroded by the power of the dreamer was not a useless illusion.
That in itself was tantamount to teaching Celica that what she had seen so far wasn’t a ‘baseless lie’.
“If I can’t go back, I don’t want to go back.”
The fact that I became the Demon King and my colleagues were annihilated.
And the future where she, who couldn’t bear to kill me, wanders alone in the ruined world and goes crazy, all, all…
After hearing the affirmation from the witch that all of that was not a lie, wouldn’t it be possible to live like this forgetting everything?
“… Really?”
“Unless what I saw was an ordinary nightmare.”
“Yeah, that’s right… I can’t say that everything you’ve seen is far-fetched.”
Realizing that, Margaret replied to Celica’s affirmation.
“Mongma is cunning. Sweet dreams that are shown to seduce people are skillfully mixed with the truth to make people not even aware that they are dreams.”
I, who had been living by deceiving people, could also understand.
The best way to deceive people is to skillfully mix the truth with lies.
The sweet dreams that the dreamers show are also based on it. If it was a nightmare to the extent of being created by the Dream Demon Queen, its cunning might be unmatched.
“So what you’ve seen won’t be so meaningless. Because it’s not so meaningless, you who have that power will continue to cling to the illusions you’ve seen.”
Isn’t that cruel?
Because you don’t know what is true and what is false, you are more conflicted, more distressed, and have no choice but to move on.
If the judgment is not done properly, the reality that may eventually lead to catastrophe, and the future for which it is clearly predicted, may be nothing more than torture in the name of hope.
“A journey in the name of hope itself is tantamount to torture… Are you really willing to endure it?”
Margaret dimly reflects her sympathy for her.
Celica responded with a silent nod of her head.
“Yes.”
On the contrary, it seems as if he has found a way out of his current words.
She answered in a more confident voice than before.
“If I can change it, I want to change it.”
Yes, there was hope on her face at this moment before her despair.
Even though she knew that everything she had seen was not a lie, she was convinced that she could not change anything.
The possibility of change, if such an effort is very meaningless, it will be worth enduring.
“If that is your choice, I will respect it.”
Margaret, who read her determination, immediately nodded and put on her own mask.
Her respect for her seemed to end with the final checkup of her condition.
“Then, next…”
Turning her attention away from Celica like that, she started making preparations to come to where I was.
For exchange with me, which was her initial purpose.
“Wait, wait.”
But at that moment, a voice intrudes to put a restraint on her actions.
Verdia, who had been silent all this time, opened her heavy mouth and caught her.
“…Mr. Verdia?”
“Now, what the hell are you talking about?”
He was someone who knew nothing about Celica.
So, you can’t even guess why Celica made the decision she is now.
“Right now, you’re giving up on curing Celica… Did you say that?”
However, she was the one who had been protecting and leading Celica for a very long time.
Even if it’s not her sense of duty, she’s genuinely concerned about Celica personally.
To her, her current conversation would be an incomprehensible result even if she tried to understand it.
“I didn’t give up. I just respected her choice…”
“Respect is something that can only be established when the ego is in place. Isn’t the current Celica not normal yet?”
Verdia, who raises her body from her seat without her strength.
He headed towards the place where Celica was, but he didn’t show the same confidence as usual.
“Okay, let’s continue her treatment right now. Celica’s mind is broken, so if you think about it once you get it back…”
A precarious gait as if he would collapse at any moment.
Is it because he doesn’t want to admit that what he’s been aiming for all this time has been ruined?
“…Verdia sister.”
“She seems to have seen something, but there is no need to be swayed by it.
No, it wasn’t just because of Celica’s decision.
It was just a wedge.
The reason she became what she is now is because she learned about the shocking past of her former comrade, Melia.
“Sister, I understand your feelings, but please calm down. I can’t tell you in detail, but I have an idea…”
“It doesn’t matter what you saw.”
I could guess that.
Melia, who now smiles casually, how many tragedies she has hidden under that smile.
Because she knew how much suffering she had endured, even before Celica, as she assisted those who were born with her fate as a hero.
“If it’s painful, forgetting everything and running away is the way to go. Celica, even if you’re a hero, you don’t have to shoulder everything alone!”
“…Sister.”
“That’s why you don’t have to try to smile as if nothing is wrong. Celica.”
That such a miserable fate might be waiting in front of them, this generation.
Even though she didn’t know the future, a smile was gradually drawn on her face at the hint of it.
“Serica, please…”
With that smile, she seemed to erase her anxiety about the future she foresaw at this moment.
“Please don’t try to cover up the unhappiness you feel with laughter…”
That such a collapse is sudden…
Only I, who watched the scene silently, could not bear to think so.
No matter how strong he is, he is called a warrior.
I knew very well that the true form of her was that she was a weak woman who wanted to depend on someone.
