Ch.94Message

# 1.

Peter’s First Memory.

It began with the image of a woman who abandoned him and observed from afar.

She had muttered many things, but what now comes to mind is only her final word.

“Monster…”

After those words, Peter never saw that woman again.

“Oh my, his hair is black?”

“Could he be a child from the East?”

“I’m not sure? His face looks completely Imperial though?”

“Let’s take him in from the back alley for now.”

He was taken in from the back alley, but not for long.

“What the hell is this kid…”

“Throw him out!! If we raise something like that, we’ll be killed by the Inquisitors!”

“Ah… Lady Aria. This unclean one…”

Peter was abandoned on the streets once again by those who sensed something about him.

Fortunate or unfortunate, Peter was abandoned in late spring, so he could aim for survival rather than death.

When hungry, he ate.

When sleepy, he slept.

His meals were field mice and his bed was the filthy sewer, but nevertheless, Peter survived.

Then one day.

As he was lying in the sewer, chewing on a live field mouse as usual, some children playing adventurers came by and asked:

“M-monster?!”

“No way!! It’s a p-person, right?”

“Hey! Monster! Why do you live here?! No, why do you live like this?!”

Despite their contemptuous gazes, Peter answered nonchalantly.

“…Just because.”

It was a life of catching and eating field mice in the gutter, but at least he wasn’t dead.

“So I just lived.”

After answering, Peter offered them a bite of the mouse he had been eating. The already frightened children turned pale and ran away.

Rumors spread afterward.

That a demon lived in the darkest corner of the gutter, chewing on field mice.

High-ranking church officials—Inquisitors, High Priests, Holy Knights—were dispatched, and after searching for days:

“It’s just an orphan.”

“Damn it, can’t you manage things properly?!”

“I’m sorry. I never thought someone would live in a place like this… I’ll pay more attention during patrols from now on.”

Early autumn.

“Enough, throw this bastard out!! Right now!!”

“Yes, sir.”

Peter was driven out of the gutter.

Even after being forced outside, Peter’s way of living remained the same.

His staple diet changed from field mice to animal carcasses, maggots, and food waste, but Peter still slept when tired and ate when hungry.

In front of people.

“Crazy bastard!”

“Blasphemous wretch!”

“Call the Inquisitor!”

Fear and disgust.

Superiority and violence.

“Ugh, blegh…!!”

“Get lost!! Go to another village!!”

“You monster…!!”

Furrowed brows,

Sounds of retching,

Contemptuous gazes.

After several days, when his head was cracked by a thrown stone, Peter—who had been abandoned three times already—finally realized:

“Am I… strange?”

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“And that’s when Ria appeared. She embraced me, covered in filth, and whispered: ‘It’s okay, Peter. You’re absolutely—'”

“Sorry, but four minutes have passed.”

At Nahan’s sharp interruption, Peter closed his opened mouth and muttered.

“…I see.”

Nahan naturally turned his head away from the now-silent Peter.

【Time Remaining: 00:00:48.】

He had used up all his time without even mentioning the Emperor.

‘See you again, Peter.’

He thought Peter would speak briefly and end it since he’d been acting dignified after his insubordination, but…

‘He used all the time just for the introduction of his whole story.’

Nahan pushed away the sleepiness that crept in and faced Peter again.

Then he spoke to Peter, who seemed at a loss for what to do.

“I know everything. Ria was the nun who took you in. Unlike others who avoided you, she always gave you the same love and embraced you.”

Thanks to the memories he had gained as rewards, he knew more details than anyone else.

Ria, a free nun not affiliated with the Aria main church, who ran her own church and orphanage.

She gathered orphans who were ostracized like Peter and supported them with her own money.

“Growing up there, you dreamed of becoming a priest, and Ria supported you, saying it was a good idea. However, after a series of incidents, Ria was accused of being a demon spy and was assassinated by those bearing the Emperor’s mark, causing the orphanage to collapse.”

At Nahan’s calm words, Peter, who had momentarily frozen, mumbled in a small voice.

“…You truly are divine.”

Nahan’s words were all true.

Free Nun Ria.

A representative of God who poured her entire fortune into running a small church and orphanage.

A young nun who devoted her everything to raising children so they wouldn’t go astray.

And,

-That friend must have known, right? Ah, I’m somehow different…

-It’s okay, Peter. You’re absolutely not strange.

The one and only person in the world who understood and affirmed him for the first time in his life.

Such a person had left this world in vain.

“I…”

“You think you killed her because you couldn’t prevent it, right?”

“……”

Peter, who had been silent for a moment, was about to say something but stopped and raised his head to declare:

“I don’t know why you partially know this, but I still must kill the Emperor. Please step aside.”

A demeanor devoid of emotion.

Despite his chillingly cold attitude, Nahan responded without backing down.

“Let me make a deal, Peter. If I don’t die after your Requiem ends, you won’t try to kill the Emperor for today.”

“…Die? There’s no way you would die from my magic, divine one.”

“Why are you like this, Peter? You actually know it too, don’t you? I’m not divine.”

Peter’s pupils wavered.

Glimpsing his hesitation, Nahan patted Peter’s shoulder and added:

“I’ll take that as acceptance.”

【<Requiem> has ended.】

【<Heart Attack(Ex-)> has been activated.】

Wow, that was fast.

Thud.

With intense pain, Nahan’s vision suddenly went dark.

He collapsed to the floor, struggling with blocked breath and numbing limbs.

“…lance.”

“…Divine one?”

“Ambu…lance… damn…it…”

“D-Divine one…!!”

This was the sight Peter had seen when his ultimate skill succeeded against opponents.

As he had said earlier, he truly hadn’t intended to kill, so he hurriedly knelt before Nahan.

【<Ring of Iasos(Ex)> has been activated.】

【Unique Skill – <Immortality> has been activated.】

【<Immortality> judgment is rendered against all attacks except the power of <Annihilation>.】

【”Child… please stop abusing your body like this.”】

An emerald light emerged from the ring and flowed toward Nahan’s heart.

Thump!

His heart began beating again, and color returned to his skin.

‘…It actually works.’

Iasos had said it would work, but honestly, he had been half-doubtful.

“That ring…”

After Peter’s small murmur, Nahan slowly raised himself up.

“Keep your promise.”

“…I didn’t agree.”

“Silence is traditionally taken as consent. Anyway, shall we talk over a meal? You haven’t eaten properly for days, have you?”

At his ordinary attitude—unbelievable for someone who had just died and come back to life—Peter almost nodded unconsciously.

However, he managed to gather his wits and asked Nahan, who was withdrawing his mental world:

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Doing what?”

“You know. I betrayed the Captain, and I even tried to kill you—I’m a traitor.”

Having recovered all his power, Nahan shook his head with a serious expression.

“You didn’t try to kill me—you did kill me once.”

“That’s exactly…!! Even if you spare me, I’ll defy the Captain’s will again and try to kill the Emperor!! Just punish me here and now!!”

Peter knew it.

The moment he failed to ambush the Emperor with Castler, he had squandered all opportunities.

The Captain had ordered them to leave it be, and as always, all members followed that order, but…

-Peter. What I believe in is your good heart.

At that very moment, Ria’s voice had come to mind, and Peter couldn’t help but disobey the Captain’s order.

He had resolved to die then.

Either be caught and torn apart by the members, or be caught and torn apart by the Captain.

Having committed insubordination, he was doomed to die anyway, so he wanted to burn his last moment for Ria.

But why on earth,

“You spared my life by having the members let me go, and even though I attacked you trying to kill the Captain…!! Why are you keeping me alive…?”

“……”

Seeing Peter calming down quickly, Nahan confirmed something.

But revealing that would come a little later.

After considering his answer to Peter’s question, Nahan replied briefly:

“Because you’re a victim too.”

“…What?”

“Not just you, but the Emperor, the members, and countless others… you’re all just victims who’ve been played by Ilsik.”

Thanks to Peter’s recent rampage, he had realized:

‘Whether I hide information or reveal it, the future ultimately diverges from the original work.’

Due to his early interference without understanding, resolving late-story episodes differently, moving differently from the original work, creating and using entirely new characters, and so on…

There were many possible reasons, but the result was a deviation from the original work.

So if there would be problems either way, wouldn’t it be better to share at least some information with the Black Wolf members?

Even without clear evidence, if he had shared that Ilsik was the main enemy, wouldn’t Peter have avoided going berserk like this?

So Nahan decided.

Even if not with others, he would share information with the members.

“…What do you mean by victims?”

“Listen carefully, Peter. Actually—”

Just as Nahan, facing Peter, was about to explain everything.

Ding.

With a cheerful notification sound, a blue system window appeared before his eyes.

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【You have received a message.】

【All that is about to unfold shall be your responsibility, you who have meddled with the story.】

【Sender: Hallorand.】

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Something had gone terribly wrong.