Chapter 175: Resolve to Die, Reason to Live (12)
“He is out of his mind and is talking nonsense. Just ignore him,” I said firmly, tugging Michael’s arm.
At that moment, Abel stopped from attempting to drive the sword into the portal and spoke.
“Er…”
“No, Childe.”
Before Abel could even say anything, Azar stopped him.
Azar came right up to Michael and shoved his face before him and spoke.
“You talk fancy but the point is that you’re asking who would die, eh?”
“Unlike your appearance, you have an outstanding comprehension. I’m glad I got through to you so quickly.”
“You quote His Grace’s doings with an angelic face. Are you trying to affect our soft hearted Childe, when he is still but a child in a grown up body?”
“No. If the Childe stays, the duchess would try to stay behind as well and that isn’t what I want.”
“What?”
Azar’s eyebrow rose with discontent.
“Any chance you are considering it, sir?”
Michael gave a grin.
Huh — Azar let out a laugh and hardened his face at once, clenching his teeth.
“To be honest, this blabbermouth and I were thinking that the Grand priest should be the best option if we are had to leave one of us behind.”
“Ah, that would be difficult. I must see Gaionia die no matter what.”
“What? Ha ha… for such an insignificant reason? I will make sure to wipe off that damnable Gaionia or what not with my lord…”
Azar raised his finger with a smile on his face, shoving at Michael’s shoulder and spoke.
“…So you, Grand priest, can stay behind. You are the most useless of us all, aren’t you?”
“If we are weighing who is useless it would instead be you…”
Michael didn’t back down at all.
He pointed at Azar with his chin, then pointed at Roxa standing behind.
“…or him.”
“Hah? On what basis? Who are you to say so, when you are nothing but a scarecrow of a Grand priest who can’t even heal…”
“Haha… it’s obvious that such abilities are beyond me. I am not a light elementalist.”
“What?”
“You didn’t know since we were being vague quoting curses and whatnot, right? Let this be an opportunity to let you know.”
Michael reached out his hand to shove Azar away. He undid his collar that was carelessly tied up in Somnifer’s forest, revealing his Nexus, which was on his chest.
Although Azar was aware that I was a dark elementalist, this should probably be the first time he saw a black Nexus.
I could only cover my face, feeling complicated.
“The dark element ability itself is part of the curse. I am a dark elementalist who is cursed to kill one’s lover in every life, and the body of a lover I must kill in this life is right here.”
Michael pointed at me with a smile.
Azar mouthed, but said nothing, looking pale.
It wasn’t just him, but Roxa and Abel were also looking at us from behind seemed startled as well.
“But surprisingly, the same goes for her. The duchess is cursed to kill her child in every life. The body of the child the duchess will be killing in this life, is…”
Michael pointed at Abel, planted to the ground.
“…you, Childe.”
“What kind of trashy curse is this?”
“I do agree with your words on that. Anyways, a curse it may be, but there is a loophole. Were you not curious as to how I survived after being taken down by Somnifer?”
Michael patted Azar’s shoulder affectionately and added.
“The duchess cannot die in anyone else’s hand but mine. The same goes for Childe. But I have no intention of killing the duchess right now, and the duchess wouldn’t be killing the Childe either. In other words, though I may look powerless, I am the best cannon fodder, so to say.”
“Then…”
“Yes, that’s right. Haven’t you sensed that we cannot use our ‘abilities’ within trials at all? Then the most useless of us all would be you, sir, and the magician, no?”
“…”
“For us, we don’t need to worry about dying no matter what we face, but the two of you are a bit of a bother. Since your lives are not guaranteed, you will only be a burden to us.”
“Ha….”
“No need to be so scared. You only have to stay put on the altar until we kill Gaionia and return.”
“Stay put? Haven’t you seen how those things act up when we touch the altar?”
“Erm, no. The part on the altar is a safe spot. No need to worry.”
As I flinched, Michael lowered his arm quickly and grabbed my hand tight.
‘The altar being the safe spot?’
He was saying something uncertain.
And now he was even signaling me to play along with it.
‘Has he really gone crazy?’
“No, that is uncertain. It’s true that they didn’t attack me first when I stepped on the altar, but that must have been to get rid of other people first.”
“Duchess, would you please keep quiet?”
Michael turned to look at me with a smile, but I didn’t stop.
“Forget what you’ve heard. It is absurd if you think more closely about it. What the Grand priest said about the curse is correct, but wouldn’t that make it more adequate for either me or Grand priest to be left behind? If we cannot guarantee the safety of the person being left behind, it’s right for one of us who wouldn’t die for certain to stay behind.”
“Hah really…”
Michael hardened his face and stroke back his hair.
“No way!”
Just then, Abel intruded.
“I am going to be with mother no matter what.”
“Abel, that’s…”
“No! If you want to stay behind, stay behind with me! I can protect you! I am strong now!”
“No. I know that you’ve gotten stronger, but this is…”
Turning to look at a few hundreds of monsters. I shook my head.
“Even His Grace cannot handle this. We can’t even use our abilities.”
“Still, no. I have no intention of being apart from you, mother.”
“Phew…”
Michael turned around all of a sudden from watching the two of us.
“Alright, then. You’re saying that you would like to stay behind, right?”
He suddenly said those words and started walking away. I ran towards him and held his arm.
“That’s not what he meant.”
“What are you, a kid? What do we do then? You keep saying you don’t want this, you don’t want that, where there isn’t even any other way.”
I was lost for words. It was true that there was no other way, and it was true that I didn’t want anything to happen to any of us.
I must look like I am throwing a thoughtless tantrum, and perhaps I might really be doing that, but…
‘But really, what do we do then? To choose to kill someone, when all of us had entered Orcus all together to live?’
I threw away Michael’s arm and walked ahead of him.
“I am going to think a bit longer on how all of us can survive.”
He may think I was just doing as I please, but I didn’t care.
I moved to look more closely at the altar, Abel followed.
I could hear Michael let out an annoyed sigh behind.
* * *
Perhaps about an hour had passed. It was difficult to estimate time here.
‘No matter how I try to decipher in a positive light. the person left behind cannot be safe and sound.”
Even after deciphering the ancient words written densely on the altar dozens of times, that was the conclusion I had.
Whether it was the fearsome words saying how blood must be shed, and the use of hair-raising words like ‘sacrifice’ and ‘offerings’ indicated so.
‘It’s an awful death for either Azar or Roxa if they are left behind. It’s only me and Michael and Abel who can hold on without dying even after being attacked…’
My mind was slowly getting set to a conclusion.
Looking at my grim expression, Abel grabbed my hand.
“I have no intention of being apart from you, mother. I have no intention of leaving you behind here, to be precise. It may sound selfish, but it could be anyone but you.”
“You know, Abel.”
“I won’t hear it,” he said firmly as he tightened his grip on my hand.
Perhaps because he was physically grown up, he seemed to be a few times stronger than he was when he was little.
I could see Azar walking towards us from a distance.
“Childe, have a little talk with me.”
“Azar.”
I stood between the two of them right away.
“I don’t know what kind of words Grand priest used to persuade you while I wasn’t there, but I’m not agreeing to it. If what you are trying to say to Abel privately is some kind of unsettling farewell, say it here where I can hear you.”
“It’s not like that. I am also a man who values his life. Could it be that the duchess is secretly hoping for me to stay behind as well…?”
“As if. Anyways, glad to know that isn’t the case. Speak here.”
“I just have some questions. Don’t worry. We won’t be far and we will be quick.”
“I’ll be back right away.”
Abel pushed me aside lightly and followed Azar.
I tried to hold them back, but decided not to.
Well, even if Azar stubbornly decided to stay behind alone. I could always decline it.
I sat on the ground once again and mused.
Even at this moment, time was passing by.
‘How far did Hades go? Will the future I saw even happen? It’s so difficult… just to reach him.’
Even by the time my quite extensive musing ended, Abel and Azar were talking. From this distance, I couldn’t hear their conversation. I could only see Abel’s troubled face now and then.
After a while, Abel and Azar approached me again, seemingly ending their conversation.
“No matter what baffling things the Grand priest has said, I won’t hear of it. Abel, mom is not hearing it.”
I waved my hand before Abel who was about to say something.
“Mother.”
“I don’t hear you.”
Seeing my firm attitude, Abel and Azar shared looks with each other.
What…
Just as when I had an ominous feeling,
“Ah!”
Abel stepped forward all of a sudden and embraced me.
And easily, he held me on his shoulder like a cargo.
“…What, what are you, what are you doing?”
I did not see this coming.
“What, what are you doing!? Put me down!”
It was frustrating being hung upside down with my vision limited by Abel’s back in my way.
Though I forced my head up and smacked down on Abel’s back, it was of no use.
He had already grown big and strong enough for me to do anything against him.
“What are you… what are you doing?! I said let me down!”
Abel turned around and I could see Azar within my vision as I raised my head forcefully.
“Are you crazy?”
“I…”
Looking confused, He patted his face a few times and spoke.
“Be safe.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry.”
I could hear Abel’s crying voice. He started to run towards the portal with me on his shoulder.