Chapter: 372
Suddenly, my dizzy mind cleared up. My blurry vision and heavy breathing returned to normal.
Of course, it wasn’t due to healing; my lower body was gone, and my arms had been severed.
—
This was merely the last flicker of a dying flame. Just like how a fire burns brightest right before it goes out, my body too flared up for a moment.
—
‘Incredibly resilient.’
—
After laughing for a while, I stared blankly up at the sky. No matter how many enhancement spells were cast, I shouldn’t have survived the collision of devastating forces. Thanks to that, I ended up having to share some embarrassing stories. I knew my life was tough, but this was just ridiculous.
—
But oddly enough, though I had wanted to die in silence, now that I was sharing my thoughts, I felt strangely relieved. The nemesis who granted me my end, just the thought that they would remember the path I walked filled me with joy.
—
“Do all the tribes following you think the same way?”
—
I shifted my gaze to Krasius Carl, chuckling a bit.
—
“Yeah. They’re all like me, ready to face death, refusing to coexist with the Empire.”
—
They’re crazy enough to shake their heads at the suggestion of surrendering to the Empire, even turning down the chance to go into hiding. Better to die a nomad than live under the same sky as the Empire, those fools. And for a new world to emerge, these garbage must disappear.
—
As the leader of this trash, I gave those guys one last chance to let their frustrations explode.
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“They’re stubborn till the bitter end. If I mention surrender, they’d tell me to be the first to lay down my arms.”
—
It was hilarious that those ready to fight to the death would say such things.
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“The Empire is generous to those who surrender.”
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“I know. That’s why I’m doing this.”
—
I chuckled softly in response to his low voice.
—
What I just said was Krasius Carl’s consideration. If, just maybe, they were shaken by the news of my death and broke their stubbornness to surrender to the Empire, they’d get favorable treatment.
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“I’d choose to die rather than surrender, but thanks for opening a hole for me.”
—
So I spoke honestly. Their grudge against the Empire was so deep that they’d rather snap their necks than bow down, but I still thanked him for giving me a chance to survive.
—
At the same time, it was frustrating. A slight bow could ensure safety and power, so why couldn’t they just do that?
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‘That’s not something I should be saying.’
—
When I thought about it, I was in a situation where I wanted to die while fighting the Empire. It would be hypocritical to wish for others to surrender. Just as I bore a grievance, so did they.
—
‘Grievance.’
—
I directed my gaze back to the sky. My fight was also to fulfill our ideals by following him, but it was also to relieve my own grudge.
—
The broken ideals were achieved—however clumsily—at the cost of my life and theirs. We didn’t create our nation, but at least we managed to escape the Empire’s threat and enjoy prosperity.
—
But the grudges? Were they resolved, or rather, was mine addressed?
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‘Failed.’
—
No matter how positively I thought about it, it couldn’t be so. My grudge would vanish with my death.
—
It was shameful. I spoke of unity and loyalty, yet I couldn’t handle my personal issues. Rather, had it just been my personal matter, I might’ve thought I couldn’t help that.
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‘How do I face my mother?’
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But this wasn’t just personal. Not avenging my mother’s grievances as her son was something I couldn’t easily overlook.
—
The Empire that trampled on nomads like insects, dishonoring my mother, and the one who showed me love even as a cursed being.
—
Then there was the one who cared for me like a son when my mother passed away.
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‘This is messed up.’
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It’s a disaster. I couldn’t punish the Empire for insulting my mother, nor could I fulfill the dreams of the one who accepted me as a son before collapsing.
—
I only realized this when death was before me. I thought I had shaken off all my regrets and attachments, but I hadn’t. I was filled with them from the very beginning, and it was those attachments that kept me alive. I merely chose to ignore them, unable to resolve them.
—
Ever since that person fell, the moment my kin lost hope, the goal of punishing the Empire has become an unattainable dream. I couldn’t avenge my mother’s grievances.
—
Perhaps that’s why I held tightly to the ideals. An unfortunate birth, a life unable to serve the one who was like a father, and my lack of ability to meet my kin’s shared will.
—
To face all of that, I ran towards the day when I could somehow excuse myself to my mother.
—
“Krasius Carl.”
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“What?”
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“What did you think of me?”
—
The unexpected question made Krasius Carl’s expression contort. I understood. For a dying villain to ask such nonsense must be ridiculous. Of course, I’d be considered a bastard.
—
Yet I wanted to hear it. Since there was no one but him beside me, and because this tangled opponent, my nemesis, would see me more accurately than any other person.
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“…There’s a saying: a tiger begets a pup.”
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Once he got to that point, Krasius Carl sighed deeply, almost irritated.
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“You know wolves are bastards too.”
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“Ha.”
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I burst out laughing.
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“That’s quite the compliment.”
—
As I watched his expression twist even more, I closed my eyes. I had said everything I needed to say, and I heard everything I wanted to hear. My life had ignited its last flicker, so it was time to go.
—
As death approached, I felt curious. What would the afterlife look like?
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If possible, I hoped it would be a world without heaven or hell. Because if split, my mother would go to heaven, while I’d head to hell.
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But if there is separation,
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If there’s only one afterlife,
—
And in that place, I see my mother,
—
I’d tell her I couldn’t repay her grievances, but I did my best.
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I’d say I managed to protect the safety of my kin somehow.
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So please, to this inadequate son,
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Thank you for your hardships,
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For managing alone,
—
Just once—
—
*
—
Doragon closed his eyes, never to open them again.
—
In those moments, a faint smile remained on his face, as if he had left this world dreaming a pleasant dream.
—
– Is it over?
—
‘Yes.’
—
I answered the voice resonating in my head while gazing at Doragon’s face.
—
‘It is over.’
—
– …Yeah, I guess so.
—
The submerged voice murmured, and only after a while did the Eternal Blue Sky speak again.
—
– I used to be like a singular deity. Before the concept of sedentism arose, all tribes on the continent lived as nomads, and I was the sky god they worshiped.
—
It was a sudden bout of self-praise, but I listened quietly. It wasn’t just for boasting.
—
– As time passed and sedentary populations emerged, the number and domain of nomads dwindled. Naturally, as that happened, my power weakened.
—
I already knew that. When I first met the Eternal Blue Sky, he mentioned that “the rise of sedentary people making the fall of the nomadic god a matter of time.”
—
– Even though I weakened, those nomads still worshiped me. They were the only ones who worshiped me, and they were also the only ones I answered.
—
Normally, I would have commented, “it seems no one worships the nomads anymore,” but I kept quiet. The voice of the Eternal Blue Sky had transcended sadness at this point, mixing with moisture.
—
– I’m not saying those kids did well. Just as they may have suffered, sedentary people also suffered. After such a long time of spills of blood, I no longer remember who started first.
—
That was true. At this point, it was too late to trace who struck first in the conflicts between sedentary and nomadic peoples. They probably fought before nations even existed on this continent.
—
– …But if I also turn my back on these kids, no one will embrace them… May I ask one favor?
—
‘Yes, go ahead.’
—
– If possible, could you please cremate this child? Nomads like cremation too…
—
‘I see.’
—
– Ah, how you do it doesn’t matter before cremaination. Whenever it happens, it’s common in nomadic life to display the enemy’s corpse.
—
Sensing that I might refuse, the Eternal Blue Sky hastened to add that last part, and I nodded.
—
It wasn’t a difficult request. The Empire prefers cremation over burial, even without requests, they would have burned the body in the end.
—
‘I understand. I will take care of it, so don’t worry.’
—
– Mhm, thank you.
—
With that voice of relief, I continued to gaze at Doragon’s corpse.
—
It was common to use the enemy’s corpse as propaganda. Displaying a traitor’s head is the quickest way to show their fate against authority.
—
But, strangely, I didn’t want that. I just wanted to burn Doragon’s body peacefully.
—
‘Sympathy?’
—
No, that wasn’t it. I wasn’t trying to paint him as a “good guy” after all. Regardless of the circumstances, Doragon was definitely the enemy of the Empire.
—
I just no longer harbored any thoughts of hatred. Doragon had paid for his connections with death—specifically, death by my hand—and thanks to that, my lingering feelings had dissipated. Though I wouldn’t defend Doragon, I had no reason to hate him.
—
‘I could have ended up like that.’
—
With no inclination to defend or hate him, only an objective viewpoint remained. Doragon’s end could very well have been mine. I thought of how I could have ended up in the same state if I had wandered just a bit off course. Thinking this way made me want to send him off quietly.
—
…But then I realized, wasn’t that sympathy?
—
‘Tsk.’
—
Then let’s consider it sympathy. He’s dead; as the victor, I should be able to afford at least that much.
—
Sighing lightly, I expelled all the mana within me. Now that the fight was over, I should return, but the horses had already perished. They had likely been caught in the shockwave of the Sky Slash.
—
So I released my mana, sending a signal. A sudden surge of mana in the open plain would certainly look suspicious. If the battle was over on their end, they’d send someone over.
—
‘It’s over.’
—
Only then did it hit me. This truly is the end.
—
The enmity that lasted for five years, the lingering feelings that persisted for three years, have come to a conclusion. The peace they desired has finally arrived.
—
‘It’s over.’
—
I slowly raised my gaze to the sky.
—
Due to the clash of two sky slashes, the sky was torn in a cross pattern.
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