Chapter 362: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (16)

Hilde tried to stop Peru, but I waved her away.

Human emotions are like boiling pots—sometimes, you need to let the steam out for things to calm down.

What choice does she have? After all, her homeland is on the brink of destruction.

That said, if it were the Military State facing ruin, I’d probably be throwing a celebration right now.

I spoke with a parched voice.

“I didn’t want this outcome either. I had no idea it would come to this, but…”

Looking toward the vanishing Golden Palace, I chose my words carefully, maintaining a regretful expression.

“This is the Golden Lord’s will. He was never a ruler of the Fallen Dominion. He was simply created to restore the Golden Empire. For him, the Fallen Dominion is just another nation that needs to be destroyed. The fact that he has the power and determination to actually do it is the majesty of the Golden Lord too.”

No matter what I do, I can’t force the Golden Lord into action.

His thoughts and plans are his own.

Peru, realizing this, gritted her teeth and shoved me away.

Her strength wasn’t superhuman so I easily regained my balance.

She glared at me with resentment before turning her back and muttering bitterly.

“…I shouldn’t have helped you.”

“Helped us? That’s a bit of a misunderstanding, Peru.”

I could admit a lot things, but not that.

“I didn’t bring you along to help us achieve our goals. Sure, you were helpful, but even without you, we would’ve achieved similar results.”

Peru’s Juggernaut, the Golden Ark, did make the journey more comfortable. That much was a fact.

But that was all it did.

Without the Golden Ark, we would’ve struggled, sure.

But we would still have found the Golden Palace, confronted the Golden Lord, and caused an  upheaval.

How much time it took was the only variable.

The Regressor and I had the resolve. Plus, the obstacles weren’t insurmountable.

The difference?

“I brought you along to help you, Peru.”

“…Help me?”

Even without Peru, the events that unfolded so far would’ve been the same.

Even a non-prophet could deduce that much.

But what happens from here on out?

That’s different.

“Without you, the Fallen Dominion would’ve been destroyed anyway. The Golden Lord would’ve made the same choice, but here you are, with the power of Wither—the authority to render all alchemy powerless and void.”

The Witherarch’s Unique Magic is the ultimate counter to alchemy.

Not only does it seal alchemy, but it also negates the very forces it relies on.

Even homunculi are nullified in her presence.

That makes Peru the direct antithesis of the Golden Lord.

The people of the Fallen Dominion need the Golden Lord, but they can’t coexist with him.

He turns anything unnecessary into raw materials and only creates what he deems essential.

For anyone outside the Primarch level, even approaching him is out of the question.

On the other hand, the people of the Fallen Dominion don’t need Peru, but they have no hesitation in approaching her.

Her Unique Magic renders her dependent on others, so she doesn’t harm them.

She’s safe to keep close and people turn to her for help when needed.

Maybe that power shaped her personality.

Or perhaps her personality resulted in that Unique Magic.

I don’t know the cause and effect.

“Peru, you’ve always wanted to use your power for something meaningful, but the Wither nullified all alchemical value. Your dream will never come true as long as the value you seek is ‘alchemy.’”

If life’s meaning was to live alone, valuing no one else while seeking to eliminate everyone, then Peru’s “wish” would easily come true.

“But this world doesn’t just have alchemical value, does it? The Fallen Dominion which the Golden Lord seeks to destroy may hold no value to him, but it holds value to you. So, you’ll stop him, won’t you?”

“…You.”

“This is your first and perhaps your last chance. To protect the country you were born in and stop the Golden Lord, whom you respect, from becoming a calamity.”

The Witherarch’s Unique Magic.

It’s the manifestation of her Spiritual World, yet it’s not a desired ability by the wielder.

After all, in the Fallen Dominion that solely relies on alchemy, it only brings negative value.

Yet, Peru always wanted to help others.

She farmed, repelled enemies, and ensured those under her care wouldn’t grow wealthy, but wouldn’t be plundered either.

Attacking her would only result in losses.

Peru always sought an opportunity to be helpful.

And now, that opportunity had arrived.

Peru, fully grasping the gravity of it, whispered in a small, trembling voice.

“…This isn’t what I wanted.”

She’s sincere.

But opportunity doesn’t come during convenient moments—it often arrives at the height of desperation.

Wanting it or not doesn’t matter.

Missing this opportunity wasn’t an option.

I extended my finger, pointing toward the Golden Lord’s now-distant form, urging her.

“Go. Fulfill your wish.”

There was no time to waste.

Peru clenched her fists and ran.

The tents prepared for war had vanished.

The soldiers had withdrawn.

Now all that remained was the path the Golden Lord’s Kingdom had begun to pave.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

I’d just returned from enduring the Spiritual World.

My body was fine, but my mind felt drained.

Collapsing at the edge of the path, Hilde approached, curiosity brimming.

“Father, did you bring Peru along for this?”

｢Did you choose her as the Golden Lord’s antithesis from the start? To create tension in the story of the Fallen Dominion?｣

What nonsense.

Life isn’t a story

I’m no author, either.

Let alone a Prophet.

What the Golden Lord was, how he’d react, what Peru would decide—none of that was certain.

I never aimed to write a story.

I just…

“Hilde, you’ve played poker, right?”

“Of course. Not as well as Father, but I have.”

“Then this’ll be easy to explain. When you get a card, you never know if it will be good or bad. Whether it’ll make a pair, a straight, a flush, or a full house—or if it’ll be completely useless.”

It could’ve helped or hindered us.

Peru might’ve joined the Golden Lord and turned against us, or she might’ve stopped his rampage.

I couldn’t predict how things would turn out.

But one thing was certain.

“Peru acted according to her wish. That’s all I needed to know.”

Hilde studied me, her gaze contemplative, more of an actor analyzing a character than someone simply observing.

｢I don’t know… I can figure out most people to some degree, but with Father, I don’t get him at all. I want to know. If I can truly understand the King of Humans, could I perfectly portray any human?｣

Still dissatisfied with her interpretation, Hilde pondered deeply for a while before speaking up.

“Father, you help others realize their wishes, no matter what they are.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

A wish is a wish, but some wishes are better left unfulfilled.

Hilde mulled it over several times, seemingly deep in thought when she suddenly said something out of the blue.

“Father, ‘I’ once received a divine revelation. I was to become the commander of the Crusaders Of Foresight. Then, the revelation illuminated my path so clearly and unquestionably, it seemed like there were no other paths for me. I had no other purpose and no sense of self.  I was treated as nothing more than a sharp blade. In that moment, ‘I’ became the sword of the Sanctum, protecting the Saintess. It might not have been much, but it was something ‘I’ had.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“But was it a cruel twist of fate? Or was even that kind of salvation too much for someone like ‘me’? The Saintess who summoned me turned out to be an excommunicated one—a so-called fallen Saintess. I became a sword not for the Saintess, but for the Military State. A merciless blade that would cut down anyone or anything, regardless of circumstances, to protect the State.”

She placed a hand on her chest, wearing a pitiful expression, her voice imbued with just enough emotion to tug at the heartstrings of even the most stoic listener.

What’s this?

She was trying to interpret me and suddenly veered off into narrating her own backstory?

“As one of the Six Star Generals, I should stop Peru—whether by assassination or temporarily restraining her. With that… the Golden Lord will destroy the Fallen Dominion and the Military State will benefit as a result. So, Father, ‘my’ wish is…”

“Got it, thanks for sharing.”

That’s a wish I definitely shouldn’t grant.

Whether the wish was true or false didn’t matter.

For Hilde, falsehood was truth and truth was falsehood.

When she fully believed in her performance, distinguishing the two became meaningless.

She could even act out faith itself.

Of course, Hilde had always wanted someone to truly see her.

When I discerned her true nature and anchored her, she chose to follow me.

But not because she wanted to stop performing.

Not because she wanted to take off her mask and find her true self.

“Interesting idea. Sabotaging the only counterforce at the critical moment, causing greater chaos, and letting the Military State exploit the opportunity. A neat twist, flipping the conflict between good and evil into a grand epic. I was intrigued. I’ll give you a round of applause for that.”

Hilde needed an audience.

And an audience can only exist outside the stage.

Like me.

After clapping my hands for a while, I shifted my demeanor and asked with disappointment.

“But is that really the best ending you can think of?”

Hilde’s tearful, pleading expression vanished in an instant.

Her glistening eyes now sparkled with mischief and her voice, slightly raised, carried excitement rather than sorrow.

It was as if she were declaring that her previous display had all been an act. She playfully replied.

“Dramatic, but not very realistic, right~? Haha, you’re right! A rampaging Golden Lord would be far more terrifying than a restrained one. If ‘I’ were truly loyal to the Military State, I’d ensure that Peru, with her limited abilities, wins. After all, we have much better odds in dealing with her than the Golden Lord!”

She looked at me like a child seeking praise and asked.

“So, Father? How was it? Did that align with your thinking?”

“Nope. I was just curious about who would win. Two perfectly opposing forces clashing—it’s only natural to want to see how that plays out, right?”

Hilde made a betrayed expression.

It was because my answer was far from what she’d expected.

She reviewed my past actions in her mind and muttered to herself.

｢Father’s personality is so hard to grasp, but I feel like I’m starting to understand what kind of existence he is. Maybe that’s why the Sanctum defines him as a barbarian.｣

What sharp insight.

Huh.

Did I let her dig too deep?

Maybe I underestimated her.

｢The King of Humans accepts everything about humanity—whether good or evil, primal desires or noble missions. Even if it means watching two completely opposing forces, like the Golden Lord and Peru, fight to the death.｣

It’s fine.

Just as Hilde is figuring me out, I’m figuring her out too.

At that moment, the Regressor and Tyr approached, cautiously surveying the area.

Spotting Hilde and me lying on the roadside, the Regressor quickly made her way over.

“The Golden Lord’s homunculi all retreated. Did your plan work?”

Ah, well.

Looks like I’ll have to explain this all over again.

It’s a bit of a hassle, but at least Peru isn’t here to grab me by the collar this time.

I might as well come clean.

“Mr. Shei! I have good news and bad news.”

“…You saying there’s bad news already feels ominous. What did you do this time?”

How did she know?!

I composed myself and began recounting both the good and the bad news, a little more comfortably this time.