Chapter: 591
Having acquired the power of acceptance as a price for saving the Fairy Forest, I kept pondering over the word ‘acceptance.’
Not because I was a serious and good-natured person.
I simply thought that if I didn’t think about it this way, reaching that power would be impossible.
What can I say?
The perverted apostle had shut his mouth, saying he could only find his own way from here on out!
And Grandpa was just rambling about how he already knew everything!
The commentary was silent, claiming it was an area they couldn’t answer!
Even the tutorial function I hadn’t accessed in ages said things like “tutorial skills not available!”
What was I supposed to do when everyone who could have given me advice isn’t providing any proper answers? I needed to figure something out, even if I had to do it blindly!
Frustrated, I rummaged through the dictionary, and the definition of ‘acceptance’ welcomed me.
To generously embrace others. To respect and try to understand opinions even if they completely contrast with one’s own.
While reading the dictionary’s definition repeatedly, I suddenly recalled a video I had seen before stepping into this world.
In that video, the priest did not reprimand the troublemaker who insulted not only himself but also the church’s god and its followers. Instead, he embraced him, defending him as just a poor lamb who’d been hurt.
The video, widely circulated along with the tagline ‘truly a priest’, garnered more cynical comments than praise.
They called it manipulation, labeled him as a sucker, and predicted he’d get seriously hurt later on.
From my perspective, having been moved by that video, I found it hard to accept those opinions. Yet the priest himself simply smiled through all the mockery.
If others accepted it like that, then that’s perfectly fine, right?
Having realized what acceptance is through those past memories, I was struck more by despair than by joy.
That kind of goodness was beyond someone like me.
It wasn’t a surprise that people who practice acceptance are respected.
I mean, saying “just accept your opponent” is fine, but there’s a limit. I could accept a mischievous fairy into my heart, but I can’t hug the disgusting preferences of the evil god!
If I were to embrace even that, it would be foolishness, not kindness!
Upon arriving at the castle and climbing upwards, I still hadn’t grasped the meaning of acceptance, but I did come to a realization!
“Well, I wish I could say that, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
I still didn’t know exactly what acceptance was.
It’s different from wielding weapons, fighting opponents, and conquering dungeons.
There isn’t a clear answer to be found.
At least, that’s how I feel.
So, I decided to do my own thing.
I’m so annoyed!
Is it really an issue if I keep thinking about something that won’t give me an answer?!
Do you think I’m a philosopher or something?!
A philosopher mesugaki! What kind of line would that even deliver!?
Do you know you’re pathetic?
You’re pathetic, so therefore, you’re pathetic?!
Forget it! Enough already! I realized while switching shields today! I’m at my best when I’m being myself!
Being myself means being mesugaki, and while that ticks me off, I’ll still do as my heart directs me!
If you have complaints, take it up with the pathetic god who handed over the power to me!
The moment I gripped the sword’s hilt, I felt the will contained within it.
The pride of a knight who lived during the mythological era. The resilient will that hid behind a light façade. The unyielding self-respect that never crumbled before any formidable foe. It flowed through my hands.
This will contained within the sword must be the undeniable truth. This is how a knight could survive in the age of myth.
But is that all the knight’s heart held?
With a long exhale, I faced the history the sword bore.
One of the powers I gained from overcoming Ganshu’s trial.
There shouldn’t be records that don’t exist in the archives of a history nerd obsessed to a stubborn degree.
That’s why I can see it.
The weaknesses Garad didn’t want others to see. The guilt he felt when taking someone’s life. The sadness he experienced when he couldn’t protect his own. The fear that arose when standing against a formidable enemy.
Piece by piece. Piece by piece. Without worrying whether Garad wanted it or not, I stepped recklessly onto the history the sword held.
I understood that it’s an action that can’t possibly be called kind, but who cares.
I’ve decided to do whatever I want.
With a diary that seems likely to become a laughingstock right in front of me, there’s no way a mesugaki would respect someone else’s privacy!
Of course, I’ll open it and dissect their questionable past, ready to laugh it off one by one!
That’s my acceptance!
What I wish to embrace will be accepted regardless of other people’s thoughts!
What I don’t think is right, I’ll trample on!
I’ve decided that!
I—who now possess the power of acceptance—am a proxy of the god and a disciple of Grandpa!
So, you, who’s long dead, can just spill everything to me!
Your will!
Your sorrows!
Your regrets!
All of it!
I’ll take care of what you left behind, finally moving past all your excuses as a pathetic knight.
Let go of it!
As if answering my will, the red glow engraved on the sword surged up through the hilt and seeped into my hand.
And at its tip, the sword revealed a purity akin to a holy shield.
Hmm. This pure white light suits Garad’s sword much better than any ominous red blade.
As I lost myself in satisfaction over creating this white glow, an ominous sound reached my ears.
A sound of something cracking. The clattering of debris falling down.
…
The castle is collapsing!? Why!?
[You took away what was supporting the castle, so it’s only natural for it to collapse!]
“Why didn’t you tell me that beforehand?!”
[Sorry. I’ve been a bit out of sorts myself.]
“Wait!? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?!”
Oh. This isn’t the time for that. First, I need to escape…!
Hurg!? My forward step falters as the floor comes rushing toward me.
Is this dizziness?
Well, it makes sense.
Suppressing my unstable physical state while engaging in continuous battles, plus using powers…
My body was already exhausted. My limits had naturally dropped far below what they used to be.
Right before my forehead almost touched the floor, a rough yet careful hand embraced me.
“Goodness! It’s fortunate I came without saying a word! I can only imagine the drama I’d get if I told everyone I collapsed Garad’s castle!”
“If you have time to say that, then run! Loosen the smoke; that’ll slow down the building’s collapse!”
“Thank you! Lady Rina! Let’s hurry and escape before this chaos begins!”
I, overwhelmed by the steady comfort that pierced through the wind and relieved, unknowingly closed my eyes.
*
In Lucy’s spiritual world, known as the training grounds. Today, an uninvited guest resided in the space where only Ruell remained when Lucy lived her reality.
“You’re such a cranky old man now that you’re aged.”
Ruell, the holy knight respected since the mythological era, was a figure whose name silenced anyone who would dare blaspheme against him, except for a few exceptions.
“I’d never want to treat you as a superior with that face.”
“Talk about your own appearance; you wouldn’t stand a chance of talking to a girl.”
“Hah! Ruell! You’ve never properly met a woman in your life!”
“I’ve said it before, but I’ve maintained the priestly code! If I had wanted to date or marry, I could have at any time!”
“So what? You finished with nothing in the end, you flabby bachelor.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who died after being dumped by a girl!”
The two, exchanging remarks worthy of the local uncles in the marketplace, burst out laughing simultaneously.
The lighthearted tone couldn’t be found in Ruell, who usually made efforts befitting a knight who swore loyalty to the god. It was a tone he revealed only in front of his good friend.
“So, Garad. How did you come to find yourself here?”
The exception granted to knight Garad, who responded while arranging his nearly white, faded hair that looked more like that of a monster than a person, was not by his own foot but by force.
“I didn’t come here of my own accord. I was dragged over.”
“Dragged?”
“Yeah. A small girl over there grabbed the nape of my neck and forced me to sit here.”
The girl’s actions were clearly outrageous.
Garad the knight couldn’t be satisfied with just leaving behind the meaning he intended for the future.
He asked the one who had left everything he’d been reluctant to leave behind on the ground to hand it all over.
The girl yelled that she could handle everything he didn’t want to keep and take all he wished to leave behind into herself.
“What on earth is that brat? I mean, it’s too small to even say it, but I’m a hero. The things engrained in my heart aren’t small enough to fit in such a little body.”
“Right. I know better than anyone else. Your intention cannot be light. But, you know that the size of one’s appearance doesn’t correspond to the size of their heart.”
“Let me ask you again. What’s that kid?”
“The first apostle chosen by the great god. A warrior who faced numerous evils and became a hero who accomplished what even we could not. A kid who unconditionally cherishes my disciple and friend.”
Ruell, who usually didn’t hold back his opinions about Lucy, suddenly fell silent, then gazed at Garad with a playful smile he’d never possessed in life.
“That knight you acknowledged.”
“…Me?”
“Yep. You.”
“What kind of nonsense is this? I’ve never even seen that kid once.”
“Of course, you never did.”
“Hey, Ruell. Cut the jokes.”
“However, the skeleton created from the memories Ganshu took acknowledged that kid. That’s why she was able to wield your shield.”
Ganshu. I had wondered why he took my shield; I now understood the intention.
Ah, damn it. No matter how much time we spent together, how can we think so similarly?
This way, I can’t be special in the future; what the hell is wrong with that mage!
“Is that small child the current hero?”
“Probably the last hero.”
“Ha. Got it.”
So, the one who carries my shield and my skills.
“A child who embraced your regrets. If it’s something you can give, it’s only right to offer it.”
I wish that helps somehow.
“To ease your loneliness too.”
“…I apologize, Garad, but I’m not into that.”
“What? I’m not into that either! You know that well!”
“Hahaha! Ah! Now I can finally tease you!”
As Ruell laughed heartily while clapping, Garad lost track of what he was supposed to say and let out a chuckle.
Is this what the child has done for that stiff human?
Nice. I like it. Surely, she must be a good person.
I can’t wait to have a conversation with her.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
