Ch.223Chapter 223. Take care, and I’m counting on you.

After the battle with Hellcry ended, the ark began advancing toward the archipelago after rescuing survivors.

Along the way, they encountered several groups fleeing from other territories.

They were able to rescue those being chased by monsters because the Demon Lord’s army, which was supposed to advance along their path, had been annihilated.

Yes, all because Hellcry had swept them away on our behalf…

Although he didn’t intend it himself, looking at the results, we owe him a great debt.

So I don’t regret giving him a proper send-off. This battle needed to end that way.

-Slap!

…Of course, the problem is that others can’t see it that way.

“Ow, ow! That hurts, Flan!”

“Did you think I was gently caressing you when I was hitting you to make it hurt!?”

Fortunately, there were no major injuries, but having taken such monstrous strength—capable of destroying mountains—with my bare body, I was under severe physical strain.

In that battered state, as I rested in bed, Flan came to visit me and repeatedly slapped my bandaged body.

And the others who came to check on me seemed to agree with her actions.

“Honestly, you always treat your body so roughly, just like that time.”

“Although we’ve benefited from your heroism… our hearts are in our throats every time we see you, so we wish you would be more careful in situations like this.”

Everyone agreed with Garam and Sanson’s words.

Beside them, Annabelle Britannia, who approved of Flan scolding me, even raised the corner of her mouth.

“Hit him harder. Unless you do, this immature fool won’t realize what an idiot he is until the day he dies.”

Damn her. Why is everything she says so irritating when we’re essentially the same?

Is it because she’s more like a younger sister than an alter ego?

“…Master is stupid.”

After continuing her scolding, seemingly unable to contain her emotions, Flan withdrew her hand and leaned her head against me.

The trembling that accompanied it was clearly from sobbing.

Her emotions were vaguely felt in her following words.

“Master, you know where we’re heading soon, don’t you.”

“…Yes, I know.”

“We’re talking about the Demon Lord, not just any being. The supreme ruler of the Demon Tribe… and possibly a catastrophe that might even surpass the Lord of Corpses, who will soon descend upon where we’re going.”

A child who had always feared the unknown.

For her, demons from another world would be seen as the greatest variable, and she would feel indescribable terror toward their leader, the Demon Lord.

Despite that, she’s worried about me because I’m determined to go there with her.

“…It won’t just be the Demon Lord.”

But she’s not the only one worried about the other.

I’m also concerned.

I worry whether Flan will truly be able to endure what awaits us at the archipelago.

“The fact that the Demon Lord, who has been quiet all this time, is now starting to move means there must be something there that’s drawing him in.”

“……”

“…You suspected it, didn’t you?”

Yes, didn’t Merilyn say it too?

That those of us from other worlds are merely byproducts meant to bring in concepts from outside, and that the current crown prince’s goal is to seek mutual destruction with the calamity through these concepts.

And what was created for that purpose might be in the sanctuary…

Furthermore, it might be something even more terrible and horrifying than what I saw in the past in Briton.

“…I know.”

Facing our imminent entry into the archipelago, where such beings are expected to swarm, Flan responded with a voice tinged with sadness.

She acknowledged that the empire would soon fall, and that the one leading its downfall was none other than the one who had inherited the empire.

“I don’t know the details, but I also know that what’s happening now might be the Crown Prince’s doing.”

That must be a conclusion reached after giving up many things.

She has protected humanity as its guardian for nearly a thousand years, with the empire always at the center.

For someone like her, humanity and the empire are inseparable, but her next words conveyed resignation and dependence on me.

“And if that’s really the case, then the best option for me, who must abandon the imperial family, is to protect this ark.”

Although I took charge somewhat unexpectedly, I am now the person responsible for this ark, and everyone has settled here with me at the center.

Since it’s not just my life at stake, every situation I face will be shouldered together with the people on this ark.

“…So please value yourself. Because you are the master of this place.”

And for this girl who wants to protect those left behind, I am an irreplaceable existence.

Understanding this, I apologized to Flan as she embraced me from behind, quietly accepting her feelings in front of everyone.

“…I’m sorry for worrying you.”

With the thought that once this battle ends, we would establish a master-servant relationship in the true sense, not just formally.

****

Later, as the sun that had appeared began to set…

No, the sky was so dark that even the sun couldn’t be seen, welcoming those entering the imperial territory with an ominous red hue.

In a moment when even the distinction between day and night had become uncertain, though the approximate time could be known through a clock.

As that unsettling sky seemed to foretell the future ahead, I encouraged the anxious companions to get some rest.

Everyone except for the minimum number of watchmen had fallen asleep by around midnight.

I too should conserve my energy for our arrival at the archipelago tomorrow, but there was one place I needed to visit first.

“You’ve come, my son.”

In a personal workshop set up in one part of the ark.

At the center of a place scattered with blueprints and tools, a craftsman who had been working until just now welcomed me.

The apron she wore and the dust on her face indicated how arduous her work had been.

“Yes, is everything I asked for ready?”

“Yes, I managed to finish it in time somehow.”

Tashian gestured to me without complaint.

What greeted me at our destination was armor similar to what I was wearing, but its shape and the jewels embedded in it were quite different from before.

After finishing the fight with Hellcry and recovering his magical core, I thought it necessary to upgrade my existing equipment using it as material.

“I’ve made some changes to the armor, but the fit shouldn’t be much different from before. I didn’t think it necessary to change the material, so I kept it the same.”

“You replaced the magical core with Hellcry’s, right?”

“Yes, using both cores would cause too much repulsion due to their incompatible natures, and it would also burden the user, so I refrained… would you like to try it on?”

Since that’s why I came, there was no reason to refuse.

I immediately placed my hand on the armor Tashian had prepared and took time to examine the energy emanating from it.

When I unleashed Sloth’s potential before, it put a heavy burden on me until I got used to it.

Of course, I’m used to it now so handling it isn’t a problem, but whether that applies to Hellcry’s magical core is a separate issue.

Placing my hand on the armor, I took time to listen to the voice generated by the core’s will.

-HONOR!!!!

A familiar voice transmitted through my hand on the armor.

But unlike with Sloth, it doesn’t feel too burdensome. At least when I’m just placing one hand on it.

-HONORRRR!

The voice became more distinct the moment I put on the armor, compared to when I just placed my hand on it.

And as soon as I started channeling mana, a series of shouts followed…

-HONORRRRR!!! HONORRRRRRRRR!!!!

“My son, your face looks a bit stiff. Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes, well, I can handle it. Here, take it.”

Fortunately, having experienced this with Sloth, I’m accustomed to withstanding the power emanating from desire.

The noise is annoying, but I don’t think it will be distracting during battle unless I focus on it too much. I took off the armor and immediately returned it to Tashian.

While receiving a sharp look from my companion who wasn’t yet used to this sensation.

-You, do you even realize that I have to bear this burden with you?

“…Please bear with me.”

I’d like to take a long time to find harmony, but the problem is that time is not on our side.

With an awkward smile, I thanked Tashian for placing the armor on the workbench and prepared to leave.

“Thank you for the great equipment, Tashian. I’ll be going now, so you should rest for tomorrow…”

“Wait a moment.”

At that moment, Tashian stopped me as I was about to leave.

Wondering if there was something else to do, I turned my head to see Tashian looking at me intently and beginning to speak carefully.

“Could you spare a moment before going to sleep?”

“What? Oh, yes. If it’s just a moment… Tashian?”

“Stay still.”

Tashian embraced me and began feeling various parts of my body with her hands.

As I froze at her uninhibited touch, her hands moved from my upper body to my lower body… heading toward sensitive areas.

“Um, Tashian… you’re too close…”

“You’ve grown a lot.”

Grown? Where?

“Yes, you’re much stronger than when we first met. Both physically and mentally…”

Ah, that’s what she meant.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief…

“…And your scars too.”

My breath caught at her next words, and my gaze gradually turned to Tashian’s face as she embraced me.

She was now resting her head against my chest, listening to my heartbeat.

Along with that, her caressing hands would be feeling the scars through my clothes.

“…I’m sorry.”

Yes, there’s sadness in her voice because she anticipates that such scars will only increase in the future.

“But I still think I have to go.”

I’m sorry that despite understanding this, I can’t decide to turn back.

“Because I think your love shouldn’t be for me alone.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Tashian nodded quietly at my guilt-laden words, then stepped back from me and began to smile.

“So go without regrets. Mother will support her son until the end.”

With a very gentle and warm appearance, showing respect for my choice and preparing to send me off.

“Take care. And…”

After trailing off, she looked at me with half-closed eyes.

“She’s inside you, isn’t she?”

Or rather, the companion inside me.

Although she wasn’t saying anything, Tashian bowed her head respectfully as if acknowledging her presence.

“…She is my only precious child.”

At that moment, a being once called the pinnacle of all creation, despite her decline, bowed her head.

Though her action was without hesitation, the emotion drawn on her face afterward couldn’t be hidden.

“Please, take good care of my son.”

A sad smile revealed as her usual composure crumbled.

Faced with that smile, I opened my mouth to speak but ultimately just bowed my head and left her workshop.

Because the final greeting wasn’t directed at me.

The one who should feel the sentiment about that is not me but my half-sister.

-Even a calamity that killed so many people is now reduced to such a pitiful state.

As that sentiment faintly reached me while walking down the corridor, I paused for a moment to listen to her words.

-Even in her decline, she probably knows my true identity. Yet her reaction suggests she also knows that I am a separate entity with no connection to her.

“…Annabelle.”

-As I said before, for me, there is only one mother… the Saint who gave birth to me and followed that foolish holy king to the end, dying as a human. Surely you don’t intend to provide a venue for dialogue like with that foolish ghost?

Despite having Tachia’s memories, Annabelle still focuses her foundation on being the heir to a fallen kingdom.

That’s essentially denying her connection with Tashian and asserting that their relationship is nothing.

The final request too would be perceived as coming from a stranger with no relation to her.

“Are you okay with that?”

Yet does she still intend to honor my mother’s request?

Does she truly wish to stay with me until the end as I head into danger, while pursuing a relationship with a being separate from me?

“Since I’m stuck in the same body as you, I have no choice but to go along with your rhythm, whether I like it or not.”

In response to my question laden with these doubts, Annabelle emerged from my body and began poking my forehead with her finger.

With her characteristic frown and fierce gaze directed at me.

“So don’t show any weakness from now on. There’s nothing worse than seeing the person who became my master continue to show weakness.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her words, which reminded me again that my life is not mine alone.

“Yes, let’s make sure we return alive.”

Because I realized I had a comrade who, despite thinking my choice foolish, doesn’t deny it and stays with me until the end.

****

Yes, right now I have both armor to assist me and comrades to support me.

At this moment when I’ve prepared as thoroughly as possible.

What I need going forward are just two things.

The determination to head into danger and return alive.

And the information needed to formulate future plans.

“An-angel…”

I realized that information had just arrived when I encountered refugees fleeing from the archipelago.

“Angels descended upon the archipelago, emitting light… and then, everything disappeared.”

“I-I ran away. Just ran from it… and then… haha, ahahaha!”

Refugees pouring out their despair while losing their minds.

Merilyn, who heard this with me, spoke to me in a serious voice, her usual smile gone from her lips.

“You remember what I said about the Imperial Crown Prince preparing bait to lure in the Demon Lord, right?”

So angels are what was prepared to counter the demons, and they’re attacking people within the archipelago?

Of course, in a world where even beings called gods cause chaos, it would be unreasonable to expect beings called angels to be benevolent toward us.

“…It might be a hell beyond imagination.”

Yes, soon the empire will become a battlefield for angels and demons, and God will descend there, annihilating everything.

And naturally, there will be no place for humans in that scenario.

So what we need to keep in mind as we head there is not to join the fight, but to evacuate as many people as possible before that time comes.

“Call everyone. I’ll explain our policy and strategy from now on.”

After this final battle ends.

I earnestly hope that the outcome everyone here desires will unfold.