Removing the masks one by one wasn’t difficult.
The problem was that I had to do it hundreds of times. Plus, so much time had passed. I had been at it for at least 30 minutes. That meant the cooldown was roughly an hour.
Of course, since it was 1.9 times, the cooldown itself would be shorter, but it was easier to think of it as an hour. Anyway, after removing all the masks, I flicked my fingers to解除(unstoppable).
The elves whose masks had been removed were looking around with bewildered expressions. Inside, I cheered. It was worth it to have removed their robes just in case.
“Wh-where is this?!”
“What is that tree?!”
“Attack! Everyone, dodge!!”
The elves had a variety of reactions. But for now, no elf was attacking the tree. I realized they worshipped the tree more than necessary.
In this sudden situation, Ameli was looking around with an expression that showed she had lost her composure for the first time. Soon, her eyes met mine. I slowly removed my mask.
“Royal Knights Commander…!!!”
“I’ve heard your values, Ameli.”
“H-how?! That engraving can’t be undone by itself once it’s activated!?”
“There’s no such thing as absolute in this world.”
I responded casually with a line that some mysterious figure somewhere would think was cool. Ameli let out a little ugh and stepped back. But she wasn’t the kind to just let it slide.
Honestly, I didn’t even need to step in. There were two people who had business with that gal anyway. The first to act was Cluna.
Cluna leaped forward and quickly closed the distance, firing her bow. Ameli, who had dodged the arrow coming at her with high speed, burst into laughter as she tried to counter. But she overlooked one thing.
“You tricked me?!”
“Ugh?!”
Clara, after all, was a member of the Royal Knights too. I acknowledged that Ameli was a great knight. But ignoring Clara was her mistake.
She was easy to disregard. Clara is not that weak. Overwhelmed by Clara and Cluna, Ameli could do nothing but yell.
“Let go of this! We need to take him and offer him up quickly!”
“Stop it, Ameli! Why can’t you give up?!”
“Because it’s better than you dying.”
“Do you think you can get past this situation with that statement?”
“No, but I’m serious. Cluna.”
I could feel that Ameli was being sincere. The thought of sacrificing others for her comrades, her friends. I understood that much. But sacrificing innocent lives was wrong.
“By now, you know what you must do.”
“I… have already prepared myself, Commander.”
“What do you mean? What are you going to do?”
“Do you really mean to kill that thing?”
Unlike Clara, who knew nothing, Cluna already had her resolution, and Ameli realized what that meant and was aghast. That was a natural reaction, just like trying to kill a god.
“If you kill it, we won’t be able to maintain the forest…!!!”
Thump!!
“I just knocked her out for a moment, Commander.”
“O-oh. Good work.”
Cluna seemed to have accumulated some things. She didn’t even ask before knocking someone out. I would have acted like Cluna too, maybe even more so.
After all, I had brainwashed the only daughter left and other innocent elves and manipulated them at will. I turned my head. The World Tree that had been attacked by Cluna was still wriggling.
It seemed to lack intelligence. If you had to pinpoint it, it was similar to a beast. It didn’t attack unless provoked, which gave me a little leeway. I opened my mouth.
“Clara, take Ameli to the village.”
“But, then you and mom…!!”
“It’s okay, Clara. I’ll explain everything later.”
“…You have to explain everything for sure!!”
Clara bit her lip, then quickly took off with Ameli on her back. She wasn’t a little kid anymore. She was a full-fledged member of the Royal Knights. She should understand that.
She knew that was the best course of action in this situation. I turned my head again. I saw the massive, polluted tree stained purple. After all, perhaps it was better if I was gone and Clara was here.
“I don’t know how to repay this favor, Commander.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“No, if it weren’t for the Commander, I would have had to choose one of two options.”
“…”
“And I would have regretted that choice for the rest of my life, even knowing there was nothing I could do about it.”
Cluna would have chosen her daughter, I guess. But she’d suffer from guilt thinking about the elves that died because of that choice. Cluna was that kind of elf. I smirked.
“Then now all that’s left is what to do about that thing.”
“I have a method.”
“You have a way?”
“Yes, I’ve been contemplating how to deal with that thing for a while.”
“I see, then let’s hear it.”
Cluna had been preparing to deal with the polluted World Tree for a long time. And she had finally figured out how. Thank goodness for that.
I was worried what might have happened if she hadn’t had a solid plan from the start. I listened to Cluna’s strategy. In a nutshell, I needed to buy time.
During that time, Cluna would finish preparing and completely obliterate the polluted World Tree. It was a simple plan, except for one problem. I shouted in shock.
“You mean I have to draw its attention by myself?”
“Yes, it’s something only the Commander can do.”
“Only I can do it?”
“That’s right. It was overwhelming for me too.”
An elf who had lived for centuries just said it was overwhelming. And that too from Cluna, who was the companion of the former Hero. But now she was telling me to do it? Clara! Please come back quickly!
“When I begin to draw the magic circle, it will feel threatened and attack. So, please be the threat first, Commander.”
In other words, she wanted me to aggro it.
W-what to do? I really don’t want to do this. But it looks like I have to. Damn it.
*
The lives of innocent beings and the lives of my family. Naturally, the scale will lean towards the latter. However, the guilt of sacrificing others for my family will probably haunt me for life.
But even so, Cluna would have chosen the latter. The only treasure remaining in this world was Clara, after all. It’s a lie if I say I don’t feel disgusted with myself for that.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to make that choice. Thanks to the Commander. The moment I was faced with the dilemma, Cluna snapped out of her despair at the sound of the Commander’s voice that shattered it.
At that moment, what she saw was the elves all throwing off their masks and robes. It was undeniable that the Commander was involved in that situation…
Instinctively, Cluna moved her body. She approached Ameli quickly, planning to subdue her. In pure battle ability, Cluna was several steps above Ameli.
But Ameli was no easy opponent either, so the subduing process would be tedious. However, Cluna, who had been right next to her, unexpectedly ambushed Ameli.
Thanks to that, she was able to subdue Ameli without much difficulty. I had just thought of her as a little kid. Now, she had truly become a member of the knight order. Cluna smiled wryly.
Children eventually gain independence from their parents.
I already knew that fact.
But I couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet smile. Therefore, as a parent, and as a fellow elf, I want to ensure my children live in a better world. Even if that means sacrificing my life, it wouldn’t matter.
I had already lived a long life. I didn’t want to survive anymore at the cost of the young sprouts’ lives. I would throw everything I had at it, and if that didn’t work, I’d sacrifice myself afterwards.
Yet, the reason why I hadn’t realized my completed theory was simple. I couldn’t possibly leave that little one behind to die. But I had gained courage now. I was no longer a child.
I became a proper knight, and I had trustworthy comrades by my side. It was still a bit early, but this was enough. That day, when I received the letter, I had undoubtedly resolved myself like this.
“Then now all that’s left is what to do about that thing.”
“I have a method.”
“You have a way?”
“Yes, I’ve been contemplating how to deal with that thing for a while.”
“I see, then let’s hear it.”
The Commander is that kind of person. Just being next to him brings hope. Because I feel nostalgia from his presence. For the first time, Cluna thought that.
To survive until the end, and witness the path the Commander would take beside him.
“Do you mean I have to draw its attention by myself?”
“Yes, it’s something only the Commander can do.”
“Only I can do it?”
“That’s right. It was overwhelming for me too.”
The Commander silently turned his head. And then he walked forward. Despite that back being quite unremarkable, it felt as solid as a mountain. Clara began to draw the magic circle.
It was time to end all the bad connections.
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