EP.5
It was unpleasant.
Kugugugung——.
It was exceedingly unpleasant.
The man I had just encountered was a being so repulsive to me.
Having lived long in this body, I had gained the ability to see things invisible to the human eye.
For instance, I could observe all the metabolic processes flowing within living beings, and the otherworldly energies coursing through their forms.
To put it simply, I could perceive forces like mana and aura.
Simply facing a creature meant I already knew all its information—through the reactions of its blood, I could discern what emotions it felt, and through the contraction and relaxation of its muscles, I could predict its actions. Everything was vividly apparent.
Furthermore, with each flick of its tongue, I could understand snippets about the life it had led and the character it harbored.
Thus, I understood.
I could sense the stench of blood and cruelty emanating from the grotesque doppelgänger of the man before me.
I instinctively knew.
He was my enemy.
The number of humans he had slain must surely surpass that of all humans born over several centuries combined.
And it was merely a doppelgänger.
Even the faint scent clinging to that doppelgänger exuded such a repulsive odor.
Then, how horrifying and dreadful might the original being be?
That was why.
I had inadvertently released my aura.
The doppelgänger perished simply from that, yet it also meant I could not locate where he was.
[How foolish.]
I should have extracted all his information and stormed into his lair to tear him apart.
I felt uncharacteristically emotional about it.
Grinding my teeth changed nothing, however.
But one fact remained clear.
He and I would meet again, one way or another.
And that moment would be when he last remembered his own existence.
* * *
The rage of Jörmungandr had widespread consequences.
Suddenly, a tempest arose throughout the region, with rain and wind raging as lightning struck down. Yet, astonishingly, it caused no harm to human lives; it solely obliterated monsters and beasts in a natural disaster that was both wondrous and fearsome, deepening the king’s troubles.
“A dragon, huh…”
The King stared blankly at the sky.
Thick black clouds filled the heavens, and whenever lightning struck, the outline of a gigantic dragon seemed to emerge from the darkness.
To speak frankly.
I fervently wished Hans had misseen it.
Merely flustered, I thought perhaps he had mistaken the dragon due to encountering an unexpected foe.
Still, I sent sacrifices, preparing for the calamity that Hans’s words could perhaps conjure.
The king always thought of his people.
Every one of his judgments held the lives of countless citizens in the balance.
Thus, he had sacrificed animals to eliminate even the slightest risk factor.
However.
“It seems it wasn’t to your liking…”
The tremendous storm and rain confirmed that.
“As expected, you are as greedy as the tales say, oh Dragon.”
Why is it that you cannot be satisfied with such meager offerings?
The reason the tempest and rain lashed out was simply because of the appearance of the Demon King, but the King could hardly have known that.
Naturally, he recalled the myths he had heard.
It was, to be precise, the “most important sacrifice” that the dragon from mythology demanded.
“A sacrifice of the most noble and pure maiden.”
It was so abstract.
What was the standard of “most noble”?
Was it the path that person had walked?
Was it the character that person possessed?
Was it the blood that flowed through that person’s veins?
I could not possibly discern which was noble. Yet, the king instinctively bit his lip at the thought of one particular girl that flashed through his mind.
“Eliserde…”
His one and only daughter, the most noble child of Trelinia.
Was he to sacrifice Eliserde?
Just to appease a tale from myths, to preserve his kingdom?
Where was the guarantee that the dragon would be satisfied with that? And what were the chances that his daughter would be used as leverage for further demands? No, could it even be that the myth was accurate? Was this being truly a dragon?
Countless questions filled his mind.
It felt like his head would burst.
Crack—
Blood flowed from his tightly clenched fist, yet he felt no pain.
It was overwhelmingly burdensome.
He was afraid he might not be able to make a wise choice.
The kingdom and his daughter.
To weigh those two against each other was an unbearably cruel dilemma.
As a father of one child and as the king of a kingdom.
The king gazed at the storm and rain, recalling his daughter.
His pure and kind daughter, who always smiled brightly.
“……”
He closed his eyes.
As calmness settled over him, his racing heart began to soothe.
At that moment, the king of Trelinia, Resbeligo Trelinia, made his decision.
“I need to recruit the kingdom’s forces…”
He would gather the strength of the kingdom to negotiate with the dragon.
And if that negotiation failed, he would wager everything on a war against the dragon.
That was the decision of a father.
“Father.”
“Eliserde?”
…It must have been.
He turned his head at the voice that should not have been heard.
There stood his most precious daughter, Eliserde Trelinia.
With a smile on her lips.
The girl carved out his heart.
“I will be the sacrifice.”
“Eliserde!!”
That sorrowful laughter.
It shredded his heart again and again.
For the first time in his life, the king, the father, shouted at his daughter.
“I don’t know how you heard that, but even if this body dies a hundred times, I will never sacrifice you!”
She was an active child.
From a young age, bright, versatile, and always wearing a cheerful smile, she was like a treasure to the kingdom.
A precious daughter who had grown up receiving everyone’s love.
To offer such a child to a dragon was out of the question.
“No, go away. We’re not discussing this any further…”
“Father, do you really believe you can defeat the dragon?”
“Of course. The Kingdom of Trelinia boasts a long and noble history.”
“A being that can shake the very natural disasters with merely changing emotions?”
“……”
“Father, do you really think you can communicate with the dragon?”
“It is, of course…”
“Do you really think you can march with countless soldiers?”
The king fell silent.
Yes, he knew that too. The greedy dragon, which could not be satisfied with merely hundreds of livestock, would not heed the call for peace through force.
Moreover, there were many enemy nations near his kingdom. The moment he gathered troops to confront the dragon, the kingdom left unprotected would be swiftly occupied by another nation.
What if he managed to catch the dragon?
Could he finish the battle without any bloodshed in the process?
The king was not an optimist.
He knew very well that facing a dragon capable of causing natural disasters would entail significant casualties.
And if that were to happen, the Kingdom of Trelinia would… be unable to fend off foreign powers.
The anger surged within him.
He felt as if he could vomit blood at any moment, and in his rage, he shouted.
“Then!!”
What should he do?
“Are you telling me to sacrifice my daughter as a father? Yes, I understand. Even if I catch the dragon, it will be nearly impossible to avoid casualties. I know that the surrounding kingdoms will invade!!”
But…
“How could a father ever offer his daughter as a sacrifice?!”
Hot tears streamed down his face.
He resented the reality that he could not evade.
“Father…”
Eliserde’s gentle touch wiped away the tears that had pooled in the king’s eyes.
Then she took a step back and gracefully bowed to him.
Not as his only daughter, but as a princess in front of the King.
“As a maiden, I am prepared to become the sacrifice.”
“No!”
“So please, Your Majesty.”
“Eliserde…!!”
“Please, allow me to be sacrificed for the kingdom.”
And on that day,
The king lost his right to be a father, and upon hearing the news of the sacrifice made, the kingdom shed more tears than the rain falling from the sky.
* * *
Jörmungandr stared blankly at the girl.
She was an incredibly beautiful girl.
If the deity were to create a work inspired by their own image, perhaps it would resemble that girl.
However, the reason for his blank stare did not solely arise from her beauty.
The girl was kneeling and gazing up at him, dressed in a pure white dress.
And behind her,
Countless knights and soldiers, as well as attendants and maids, were alternating their glances between the girl and him, shedding tears.
Specifically, when looking at the girl, they expressed sorrow and anguish, while when they looked at him, it was filled with hatred and resentment.
At a loss for words amidst this bizarre situation, he stood there silently.
The attendants and maids, with pitiful expressions, glanced at the girl, and without a word, walked away.
Left alone, the girl smiled sorrowfully and spoke to him.
“Hello, Dragon. I am the sacrifice for you, Eliserde.”
A sacrifice?
For me?
To be continued…
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