episode_0143

CXXXV.

“Failure? What failure are you talking about?”

[When I first became a superhuman, there was no such thing as a superhuman. Judas was also the chief priest of the Caligo Order at the time, and Juan had not even been born yet.]

“That means you are more… … than Pope Judas?”

[If you mean old, then yes. Judas may not know me, but I watched him before he became a superman. He was a child enough to become a superman.]

“Enough…?”

The tone of his speech is strange. It’s as if he knew in advance that Pope Judas would become a superman.

[Yes. He was worthy of it. Not only Judah, but also Juan, Cyphers, the guy called Sword Immortal, and Lizzie, Freya, Advachiel, and Canviel, who are behind him and called Divine Bow, were all children worthy of becoming superhumans.]

no.

It’s not that I knew this in advance, it’s just like…

“Made you a superhuman?”

[Hehehe. That is a great insight. But no. This supreme state of being a superhuman is not something that can be forcibly reached by anyone. However… … .]

“Just?”

[However, when they needed it, I provided them with a very small starting point, and when they were in danger of dying in vain, I helped them escape. It was in the same context that I created this group called the Cradle of the Unmanned. At the time, I was having a hard time.]

“Is it hard? Superhuman? What are you doing?”

An old man sitting in a rocking chair with his eyes closed.

Who would think he is a superman?

An old man sighs so loudly that it wouldn’t be surprising if his breathing stopped right before our eyes.

And the words that came out of his mouth were also unexpected.

[To stop the group that follows the Demon King and calls forth things from the Demon World.]

“Just?”

Of course, I said just that, but I’m saying this because I’m a superhuman. If he were a superhuman, he’d be able to beat up mid-level demons while just drinking coffee.

“Could it be higher than that?”

[No. The demons were only low-level at best. Sometimes, mid-level ones were summoned, but even those were dwarfs due to dimensional restrictions. The problem was not the summoned demons, but the ‘humans’ who followed the demon lord.]

“Humans? Why humans?”

No, why humans?

There are humans who follow the Demon King? Then why don’t we just kill them?

The fact that there was only one superman means that at the time, he was the best on the continent. Is there a human that he couldn’t kill?

[Do you think you can just kill them?]

“Maybe?”

[What if the number of those humans is in the hundreds?]

“Huh? Should I kill him? Cleanly.”

[I see. So what if it increased to thousands?]

“What is this, something like Twenty Questions? I have to kill him. Of course.”

[When we found the traces and searched for them, the number of those who followed the Demon King and made human sacrifices was tens of thousands.]

“Is it over now? The units won’t increase anymore? What does it matter? Whether it’s thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, I have to kill them. Are they hiding in all directions to make it harder to kill them?”

This is an informal speech that came out without me knowing.

[No, no. They were not hiding, even though they were in a remote part of the continent. An entire village the size of a baron’s estate that I found after searching for traces serves the Demon King.]

I couldn’t answer now. No, I didn’t.

Because I could guess what this old man with his eyes closed was trying to say.

“Yeah, when I went there, there were tens of thousands of people, and there were even young children?”

[That’s… true.]

“So you couldn’t bring yourself to kill the children, so you kept them alive?”

The sound of my voice coming out of my mouth was so full of pitifulness that anyone who heard it could tell.

I was even surprised by my own voice.

That much I did not understand the void.

It may be a bit much to say, but if we had killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted them, wouldn’t the current situation of the Demon King invading be nonexistent?

Let’s say the Demon King appears right now.

Then wouldn’t tens of thousands of people die?

When the Demon King appears, will the Demon King see you as a juvenile delinquent? Will he spare you? Because you are a juvenile delinquent who cannot be punished by law?

you’re welcome!

It is safe to say that a kingdom of any size could be destroyed in one night. Otherwise, the divine realm would not have stepped forward like that.

Isn’t this the typical ‘carcinogenic’ behavior of the main characters who forgive bad guys and then get hit in the back of the head?

[I killed all of them who actively served the Demon King. Demon followers, evil wizards, blood magicians. Everyone who had the knowledge to summon the Demon King or demons. And those who didn’t… ]

“You really let me go? You told me to live a good life?”

[Expelled.]

“Huh? Expulsion?”

[Yes. To a place that does not touch the continent.]

“A place that doesn’t touch the continent…? Ah! A stick?”

[Yes, that’s right. But as if mocking my idea that they would be all there was, they would appear again whenever I forgot about them. I was getting tired of it, and I thought that at least there needed to be some ‘strong’ people who were noticeable enough to keep the demonic hybrids from setting foot on the continent.]

“So you want to claim that you created superhumans? Now?”

[No, absolutely not. As I said earlier, I would say that my contribution to their becoming superhumans is only about 1%. It’s just a little luck.]

“… … .”

[Little ‘luck’ like when Juan lost Marlene and was in despair, and his Mana core was not damaged, or when Judah secretly placed a Holy Power accumulation circle around where he was praying so that he could remain in optimal condition during his thousand-day fasting prayer.]

“… Thanks for your hard work?”

What else can I say?

Above all, the reason why it is difficult for me to bring up the subject carelessly is because it does not seem like Muheo spoke to brag about his own hard work.

On the contrary, his tone was self-deprecating and somewhat filled with a sincere feeling of regret.

[The children were lucky enough to become strong. They became superhumans. So the children don’t know about ‘war’.]

Superhumans who are renowned throughout the continent.

At first I was surprised that they could be described as ‘children’. Then, a sense of wonder followed.

“Is that a problem?”

The reason I asked this question is because of his regret,

The guilt he feels,

Because everyone seemed to be focused on the word ‘war’.

It wasn’t just me who felt that way, the Arcanas were also looking at the void, whose eyes were still closed, each with their own unique expressions.

[It was fine before. No, I don’t know if it wasn’t fine before. You know? Plague LOST. Even then, Judas was a superhuman, and Royce, called the Sword of Caligo, was also a superhuman. Juan just needed a trigger, he was almost like a superhuman. But the way he responded to LOST and the aftermath was really… ]

“Ahh.”

I agree with this.

When I heard about Dean Hu’s actions at the time, I had to worry about the inspiration tank right in front of me.

Are you a fool or a idiot?

Either way, the problem is serious.

“Huh?”

That means for a moment, right now… … .

“Is that why superhumans are so dull and simple-minded, just strong fools?”

I was so embarrassed that I even forgot I was speaking informally.

People naturally think, but I honestly think it’s an exaggeration to say that they become such fools just because they haven’t fought a war.

Have I ever been to war?

No. Neither I nor the other souls belonging to me have directly experienced war.

Of course, I have had countless indirect experiences with this guy called Confession. Through books, movies, dramas, and games.

And the souls from the dimension called Joseon fought against all kinds of malicious sorcery.

But the war that Muheo was talking about now didn’t feel like that.

It seemed to be talking about a war where betrayal and malice were rampant.

[I can’t say it’s ‘only’ because of that… … . If I had experienced many wars, I would often regret ‘what if things had not been different?’ Those who helped me become a superhuman and the pure superhumans who never fought in wars or experienced dirty things like politics.]

[To put it more fundamentally and directly, I think it is because all pretexts for the continent to be engulfed in war were removed in advance.]

“Hey, that’s honestly over… … ? Wait, you removed the pretext for war… right? ”

Before I knew it, I realized I was speaking informally and raised my voice in an awkward manner.

그래도 유다 교황보다 나이가 훨씬 많다는데, 아직 나한테 트롤 짓을 한 것도 아닌 노인에게 반말을 할 만큼, 개새끼는 아니다.

“No, that’s not the point. Really? How?”

[Isn’t it strange? In the two most powerful, populous, and powerful empires on the continent, not a single superhuman appears.]

“Oh, oh, that’s right… Yeah.”

Yeah, it was weird.

In the first place, it was strange that it was called an ’empire’ without any superhumans.

What if we start a war to expand our territory in Evergreen?

Of the two neighboring empires, the one targeted had no choice but to retreat without mercy.

It was not for nothing that in the early days of his candidacy, he readily agreed to my joke that Pope Judas should have the continent.

At that time, it was a statement that could have been made because an answer like ‘It’s unfortunate, but at least the western part of Alfonso’s empire’ was truly possible.

A superhuman is a monster to that extent.

When two of them come together, they are beings that can easily eat up a dragon.

Wouldn’t such an empire have made efforts to cultivate superhumans?

no.

In fact, the two empires are the ones that send the most talented people to Evergreen Academy. Of course, most of them are of noble blood.

[Was there no talent that could become a superhuman in both countries for a long time? No. There were. However, they died violently shortly after reaching the Grand Master.]

“… … .”

[Yes, that’s right. I killed him. The other kingdoms did the same.]

I didn’t ask why.

Now, I think I understand why this man, who is almost dead, applied the word ‘failure’ to his life as he looked back on it.

[The children I chose as superhumans, Judah and Royce (the Sword of Caligo), Juan and Lizzie (the Archer), Cyphers (the Sword of the Sword), Canviel and Advachiel, Frey, the difference between them and the geniuses of the empire or kingdom is not only in their origins. The biggest difference between them and those who became superhumans is their temperament. Innate character.]

[The children of the empire all showed greed as they became stronger. Greed for power, greed for wealth, and desire for war. Of course, that is human nature, so it can be like that. However, I did not want such people to reach the level of superhumans. If such people reach the level of superhumans, it does not end there. Even if they are killed, the wisdom they left behind can always be passed on to their descendants or disciples.]

[… I killed a lot. I really killed a lot. Maybe I brought the crisis on the continent upon myself.]

As expected, the ending ended with a sigh.

For someone who had protected the continent without anyone knowing to say something so absurd as he had little time left to live, it was terribly absurd.

“So?”

That’s why I spoke rudely without realizing it.

Even though the results of this person’s actions were wrong, I think he lived the most intense life among the superhumans.

I think he felt a little uncomfortable with the fact that he was regretting and denying his life.

[As you can guess from my appearance, I don’t have much time left. I’m sure the superhumans will be okay now that Gray-nim is here. I’m sorry for burdening you with such a heavy and difficult burden. They are children who are just like my mistakes, but they are quite smart, so as time goes by and they have many experiences, they will learn quickly.]

“… … .”

[Instead, these children with good character that I have nurtured in the cradle of the unmanned will follow in Gray’s footsteps.]

“Not that much… … .”

I was going to say that I didn’t need it.

Maybe it was because I didn’t hate this person who was strong but also annoyingly kind.

Or maybe it’s because he doesn’t like having to clean up the mess he made.

[You’re planning to go to Jipangu, right? That’s where the demon lord’s followers were banished hundreds of years ago. Even though they lack natural resources, their technology is backwards, and they can’t use magic or spiritism, that’s their home.]

[The intermediate-level demons on the continent have already left the continent. This is thanks to Gray-sama’s excellent handling of the demons. If you go to Zipangu now, you will have to deal with two advanced-level demons, including the intermediate-level demons that retreated and one advanced-level demon that has newly arrived from the Demon World.]

“Added a higher level?”

[Yes, that’s right.]

“What’s weird?”

Muheo didn’t ask what was strange. He just remained silent, as if waiting for me to finish my thought.

Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the Arcanas who knew the most about the Demons.

“Isn’t that strange? Right now, there are two upper-level ones, at least ten middle-level ones, and I can’t even figure out the lower-level ones.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Last time, the goddess of time said that. She said that ‘power’ is needed to intervene in this area, whether it’s the gods or the demon world. But in the demon world, like that?”

“If it was only the lower level, I don’t know, but if you send the upper level as well… … .”

“Confession This special kid.”

A series of situations that would have passed by without much thought if there had not been a soul that lived in confession.

However, having lived his entire life as a gamer, a life that might be looked down upon as shallow by the standards of the world he lived in, is unexpectedly helping me at this moment.

When gathering information, it was clear that the Demon King’s side was predicting some sort of restraint based on the way they had initially acted.

But did you feel that the continent shook more than you thought?

If you just count the number of upper-level and intermediate-level characters that have already appeared, it’s well over thirty.

It’s as if it wasn’t intentional, but a coincidence,

“I’ve seen this a lot. The scene where you lose a few rounds to a fool and then eat his underwear. Yeah.”

That’s it.