episode_0072

While Yohan struggles with Irowell’s physical condition.

The situation in the western part of the Masurin Forest was becoming increasingly threatening.

It was a kind of two-power system. In the confrontation between the Dragon King Endros, who was awakening from a long slumber, and the Nio King Johan, who was popular in the West, the demonic beasts divided into sides and fought.

It was not an all-out war. The dragon king, Endros, had not yet completely escaped from the magic of sleep, and Johan was preoccupied with Irowell.

However, it was undeniable that an implicit faction had emerged among the demonic beasts under his command. The monsters worked hard to determine whether it would be more advantageous for them to join the king of the old age or the king of the new generation.

When he encountered monsters from the opposing faction while walking through the forest, he would often give them a glare, and he would even deliberately mess up the opposing faction’s hunting grounds. Or, you can subtly invade the other person’s territory and put pressure on them without knowing it.

As such, the conflict between the forces of the Dragon King and the forces of the Nio King was intensifying.

An incident occurred.

“Month! Wolwol!”

“Huh? Scarface, what’s wrong?”

“month/month!”

“… What?”

An incident that foreshadows the deepening of full-scale conflict.

“A group of orcs were annihilated? To those guys?”

“month/month!”

“… ! Let’s see! Wow!”

A group of orcs from John’s forces were attacked and destroyed by griffons from the Dragon King’s forces.

John was furious. No matter how much he was unable to pay attention to Irowell, the helpless loss of the Orcs under his command was enough to make him feel indignant.

“Month Month Month!”

“We will pay back the same amount as we received! Crrr… !”

Johan immediately found a griffon resting somewhere in the west. As a result of spreading the word to the monsters of Johan’s faction, Johan was able to find Gryphon’s hideout sooner than expected.

A griffon with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Of course, he was so strong that a mere human could not even stand in front of him, but a mere gryphon could not handle Johan, who had grown up under Irowel’s care.

On the day that Yohan visited the Gryphon, a monster that had been walking around with some strain on its shoulders died in the Demon Forest. From then on, the confrontation between Masurim reached its peak. Although it is still not a war, the two powers have hurt each other with retaliation after retaliation.

Naturally, John, the king of men, was at the center of that conflict.

Irowell did not look favorably on John’s actions.

“John, don’t do that.”

Irowell is lying on the bed as usual, and Johan is pressing her thin wrist. The thickness of the fingers and wrist is similar.

“What.”

“Revenge eats away at yourself.”

“But you can’t just sit still. They say they take it easy on us.”

“What if it looks a little funny?”

“… .”

“John, I have a favor to ask. Unless you have the power to overwhelmingly overpower the Dragon King, do not engage in confrontation. Too much blood will flow.”

Irowell’s voice had faded considerably. Even though John was engaged in a war of nerves with the Dragon King’s forces when he was outside the hut, his heart ached when he came inside the hut.

However, no matter what Irowell said, even John would die in silence.

“No.”

“John… .”

“The orcs are dead. That’s not all. The trolls’ hunting grounds were destroyed by a fire spell, and old Lenin even lost his only grandchild.”

“But they also suffered a lot of damage.”

“It was the Dragon King who fought first. If we leave you out of this, how should we be compensated for the damage we suffered?”

“Compensation… John, revenge is not something that can be done in that name.”

“… My expression was a little strange. Anyway, this is just revenge. Since they attacked us first, we must inflict equal damage! Only then will the souls of those who died unjustly be appeased!”

“That won’t stop them. They will rush at you even more viciously. All that will remain at the end will be an indelible scar.”

“No matter what, we can’t be the only ones affected. If you have caused harm to others, you must be prepared to be punished yourself!”

John, who had already inflicted countless ‘revenges’ in the name of King Nio, could not accept Irowell’s dissuasion.

We have come too far to stop now. There was so much blood on my hands that it couldn’t be washed off even if I washed it in river water. John believed so.

“John.”

“I don’t like it.”

or-.

“You… .”

“… Irowel also pushed me away.”

It may have been the pampering of a young boy who had not yet achieved mental maturity.

“… .”

Irowell did not accept Johan’s confession of love. No, I couldn’t accept it.

John did not understand the reason, and although he was for Irowell, on the other hand, he became hostile to Irowell’s words.

A kind of ‘whining’. What makes it different from the common whining is that its scale is such that it dominates the western part of the Demon Forest. A small revenge that a boy who was hurt by not accepting his feelings can take.

“How long do you think you can go on like that?”

“What does that mean?”

“John you attack them, and they attack you John, and again John you retaliate against them… This is a fight that will inevitably be at your disadvantage, John. Please, don’t you want to stop now.”

“Ha… Irowell.”

“That’s what the bondage of revenge is like. Unless one side completely gives up, the cycle of revenge will not stop.”

“Then all you have to do is make the Dragon King give up.”

“You’re repeating the same thing as before. At that time, John, you must have shed too much blood. It’s not just you. Everything surrounding you will be caught up in the aftereffects of your sins.”

“… What happens to Irowell, what does it matter.”

Kuuk-.

The strength of Johan’s fingers gripping Irowell’s wrist became stronger. A faint moan flowed through Irowel’s beautiful teeth.

“ugh… !”

No matter how angry he was, John had no intention of hurting Irowel. The boy was startled and relaxed his hands.

“Ah! I’m sorry! It hurt a lot, a lot… ?”

“No… It’s okay… John.”

“Ugh… I’m really sorry… I got angry for a moment… .”

It’s not like I was very angry. My fever rose just a little, so I only put about the slightest amount of strength into my fingertips.

That was just enough for Irowell to feel pain. This part clearly showed how weakened her body had become.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry… .”

“John, come closer.”

“Ugh… ?”

John kept lowering his head and seemed at a loss. Irowell, who had been staring at the young boy, smiled with an infinitely gentle frown and spread his arms. Then she took the boy in her arms and wrapped him warmly.

“My sweetest baby in the world.”

“Why are you like that… .”

“Revenge, you won’t quit even if this happens… ?”

“… Uh.”

“Yes, I see… .”

Irowell’s palm stroked John’s head. That pleasant passing made John feel very happy.

*****

“Kuaaak-!!”

“John? Johan!”

“You bastards! Those bastards who will tear and kill you!!”

John slammed the door of the hut! He opened it and came inside. There was a dead body in his hand.

Irowell, who was resting in the hut, asked a question in a surprised tone. John answered as he grabbed one of the stone bats in the hut.

“Dragon Kings! I killed Scarface!!”

“… !”

I could clearly guess John’s anger from his trembling voice. It wasn’t just a whine.

“They even made those bastards like this!! You damn bastards!!”

Yohan considered his relationship with Scarface to be nothing special.

It’s just that they treat me favorably because Irowell made the relationship. It’s a passing relationship that doesn’t matter if it disappears.

However, Jeong was truly a scary thing. The bond between them was very great as they shared food every day, patted their heads occasionally, and even talked to each other. Even Yohan himself could not have predicted such a wave of passionate emotions.

“John… .”

“Don’t stop me! This time, I’m going to put these bastards out of business! Don’t let them touch us again! I will completely annihilate you!”

John walks with long strides. Heat rises with each step. With bloodshot eyes, John headed towards the camp of Dragon King Endros.

Irowel, a sickly woman, had no choice but to quietly watch. Because I knew that no matter what I said to John now, he wouldn’t be heard.

He accepted the fate before him obediently.

After leaving Scarface and the bodies of the cubs in the hut, John took a stone bat and went straight to the forest occupied by the Dragon King’s forces. Then, he started swinging the bat and destroying the terrain.

When the orc died, John killed the griffon. The price of blood was received as a reasonable amount of blood.

However, it was different now.

Kieeek!

“Uraaa! die! Everyone die!!”

The Dragon King has not fully awakened yet. In other words, there was no creature anywhere that could stop John.

Kwakwakwakwakwa-!

John’s bat was nothing short of a destruction tank. Everything in the bat’s path had its flesh crushed and bones shattered.

A body that developed rapidly as he was born and grew up as the king of humans, and a physical strength that evolved several times after being healed by Irowel’s divine power.

Tom Boar, who had been pushing Johan until a few months ago, was now nothing more than an animal that would flinch when Johan stomped his foot.

Kuuuung-!

John kicked the ground hard. The power that has been restrained as much as possible so as not to shock Irowell is being poured out generously in areas where it will not have any impact on Irowell.

The ground that John steps on is dented as if it had collided with a meteorite. At the same time, the ground around it suddenly rose, the ground began to warp, and the ground began to separate.

The power that John possessed was a power that changed course. The monsters fell helplessly. Occasionally, demonic beasts flying in the sky would fire their breath at John.

Huuung-!

As Yohan held the bat with one hand and swung it vigorously, their breath became no better than a breeze. The wind pressure derived from the bat became a vortex that dominated the sky. A whirlpool that mercilessly tears off the wings of winged monsters.

There were many demonic beasts that could fly and fly for a long time, but there was only one peak. John was the pinnacle of that.

Nothing could stop John from going on a rampage. The mountain, home to countless demonic beasts, was blown to smithereens by John’s punch. The sight of debris erupting in all directions was reminiscent of a volcano erupting.

A huge river that runs through the forest. The river, which is the lifeline for most demon beasts, is filled with blood. The river water had turned red and was no longer drinkable. The corpses of monsters were floating, and the corpses on the ground formed a mountain.

All of this was the result of King Yohan’s single-handed efforts. Even John himself didn’t know. I never thought my strength would be this much.

If the Dragon King had been awake, the outcome might have been different.

“Kaaak!”

As John let out a roar of victory, the frightened demons abandoned the battlefield and fled. It was a complete victory.

John was proud after winning the battle. As I said to Irowel, I stepped in to prevent it from coming back again. Now I will no longer be tired of revenge, and I will spend the rest of my life in peace, taking care of Irowell.

If the Dragon King truly awakens in the future, conflict will arise again. I decided to think about the problem at that time. For now, I wanted to enjoy this feeling of elation and satisfaction.

More than anything, I wanted to quickly deliver this good news to Irowell.

John hurriedly ran away, pounding. To the hut where Irowell would lie. Scarface’s revenge was more than he could think of, so he had no regrets left.

However, the hut we arrived at with such happy steps.

“… Huh?”

Hwii-.

Only, with traces that something had exploded.

So much so that you can’t even imagine that it was a place where huts were once built.

Together with the ‘contents’ inside, it had become a handful of ash.

“Irowell.”

My thoughts stopped. Thinking, brain, and speech stopped working.

Suddenly, I took a step closer to the remains of the explosion. The given situation felt like a dream, not reality.

“Irowell. Irowell. Irowel. Irowell.”

Tap, tap, tap, tap! John’s steps became faster and faster. Before you know it, the boy is running. The ‘wreckage’ in the boy’s field of vision grew bigger and bigger.

“Irowell!!!”

dump-!

Finally, John arrived in front of the ‘wreck’ and fell to his knees.

‘Remains’ raised his head with difficulty and stared at John’s face filled with embarrassment.

“John… You came… .”

“Oh, no… This is not this… !”

“Still, I can see you… thank god… .”

“Why, why! why! Why did it become like this!”

John hugged the ‘wreck’ with both arms. It was a very, very small wreck.

Maybe he was caught in the explosion that occurred here, but his lower body is nowhere to be found.

Even his upper body had one arm blown away, and he was barely holding his breath, which was about to run out.

Irowell… .

“Aaaaa!!”

He let out a yell that was close to a scream. In John’s shaking vision, several large corpses of insects were caught.

Giant Bomb Beetle.

It is a type of monster that sided with the Dragon King. Capable of causing a huge explosion.

As soon as his thoughts reached that point, John’s brain instantly grasped the situation that had occurred here.

From the beginning, the Dragon King’s monsters were targeting this place. Because he knew that he would always stay here and treat every sick human being with great care.

He lures himself in by killing Scarface, and in the meantime, deploys a giant bomb beetle to blow up the hut and the humans.

was completely exploited.

Although they too suffered damage that was close to annihilation.

What does it matter?

I lost the most precious thing in the world.

It was all his fault.

“I’m sorry… !”

“John… .”

“I should have listened to Irowell… ! I’m really sorry… !”

Hot tears flow from John’s eyes.

“When I told you not to take revenge, when you said that people around me would be eaten away, I should have listened to you… !! I’m really sorry… !”

“It’s the past… .”

“But! Irowell has become like this… !!”

Yohan hugs Irowell, who has only his upper body left. Although it may have been painful, Irowel only smiled weakly and hugged John.

“It’s okay.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“With this incident as an opportunity, Yohan can grow even more. You knew that I wouldn’t last long anyway and that I would die.”

Irowel’s carefully whispered words pierce John’s ears.

“Ugh, uh… !”

“Do you understand, John… ?”

“I… I can’t do it… ! Of course, I was wrong for not listening to Irowell, but I will take revenge on Irowell! Those trashy things! I will kill everyone, not a single one! Even the people involved!”

“John, that’s not it.”

Irowell’s hand moves slowly and picks up an object that managed to survive the explosion.

The object was actually a silver cross.

“You said that revenge is done to appease the souls of victims who died unjustly.”

“Well, now I want to take revenge on Irowell… !”

“No, Johan, you have just completed all the revenge you needed to take. Even Scarface’s. And let me say this clearly right here and now. If John takes my revenge, I’ll be really sad.”

“… !”

“I will stand at the end of the cycle. Okay then? I don’t want John to take revenge. The way to appease my soul is for Yohan to stop seeking revenge and live happily. Happier than anyone else in the world. Is that possible?”

Irowel, with a very clean and pure smile, asks a question implicitly.

Who can say no in front of a dying person?

“Hmm, ugh… !”

“John, please answer. There is not much time left… .”

The floor is hot. Blood, tears, and bodily fluids are mixed together, contaminating the floor.

“But… How can I be happy in a world without Irowell!”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. Time is the healer of all wounds. There will come a day when Yohan also forgets me.”

“No! I’m not coming! I will never forget Irowell! If you forget, you’ll definitely die! How could I forget Irowell!”

“Thank you for saying that… .”

The sound of breathing becomes increasingly faint. Irowel’s heart was moistened by the tears shed by John.

A boy sobbing with his face buried between a woman’s breasts.

The woman moved her trembling left hand and stroked the back of the boy’s head.

With his right hand, he placed a silver cross in the boy’s large grasp.

“John, my sweetest child in the world.”

“Now, let’s stop this meaningless revenge.”

“May you always be happy. May you enjoy simple happiness in a bright flower field. May the grace of the merciful Lord rest upon you.”

So, I prayed.

Irowell closed his eyes, saying he would leave for now.

Eternal rest descends upon the woman’s body.

With the body trapped in his arms, the young savage boy whimpers and cries.

The crying continued for a long time.