'Gorgon sisters!'
I gritted my teeth at the contents of the urgent report from Crossroad.
'They're like boss-stage level enemies! These kinds of monsters attack Crossroad just when I'm away?!'
But on second thought, the Black Lake always spewed out the worst monsters at the worst possible times.
It's almost inevitable that they send out an enemy that's difficult to handle with the current monster frontline's military composition, especially when I'm away...!
'If only the system window worked properly.'
I irritably summoned and then dismissed the system window in front of me.
The enemy information that should have been updated long ago in the system window was not appearing on my end. That's why my response was delayed.
'Aider, that bastard...! Is he slacking off? What's he doing?! Busy with something? He hasn't been seen much lately, what's he up to?'
Blaming the unresponsive director, I summoned all my subordinates.
I'd like to lead the entire World Guardian Front down, but that would take weeks.
I must quickly descend with only elite forces aboard an airship, the fastest means of transport.
'From the Imperial Capital to Crossroad, it’s three days by airship.'
Since we need to periodically land for maintenance and recharging with magic power, even in a hurry, three days is the limit.
'This is too slow!'
It already took several days for the courier pigeon to reach the Imperial Capital.
If we spend another three days returning, it wouldn't be surprising if something terrible happened to Crossroad.
We need to shorten the time. Is there any way...
"There's no other choice."
Having thought of a method, I clicked my tongue briefly.
"Once again, I have to sweet-talk my dear Father with some cute youngest son charm."
It was time to transform into a filial son full of fiery devotion once more.
***
Bang!
I kicked open the door to the palace that the Emperor was using as a temporary office.
Since the entire Thorn Palace had flown away, the Emperor was currently staying in a small palace to the south of New Terra.
"Father! Where are you!"
The knights guarding the entrance couldn't stop me and just sweated profusely.
"Prince, Your Highness!"
"It's difficult if you suddenly come like this!"
"You should follow the official procedures and then come-"
Ignoring what they said, I entered, shouting continuously.
"Your youngest son has arrived, Father! It's an urgent matter!"
The Emperor was sitting in the office.
Wearing reading glasses and processing a mountain of documents, the Emperor glanced at me with tired eyes.
"...Ash? As you see, I'm busy. If you have business, tell the officials outside."
"I have an urgent request to make directly to Father."
"To me? Directly?"
"Yes. It’s a very serious matter. Much more than any state affair!"
"I'm already dreading it. What's the request?"
Thud!
Walking up to the Emperor, I leaned my hands on the office desk and spoke my request.
"Let's go for a drive with your son!"
"...?"
The Emperor frowned and took off his glasses.
"A drive?"
"Isn’t a drive the best to increase the intimacy between a father and son who’ve been distant?"
"You mean to take a carriage and go to the outskirts? That wouldn’t be bad, but..."
The Emperor pondered seriously, resting his chin on his hand. But I waved my hands.
"Ah~ Father, really. We are the Emperor and Prince of the Everblack Empire, and you suggest a carriage drive? It’s not stylish."
"Then what should we ride for the drive... Wait. Don’t tell me."
The Emperor looked at me in shock.
"You're not suggesting to go out in an airship, are you?"
"Now you're talking. Let’s go out on the airship and fly away coolly!"
The Emperor, seemingly amused, chuckled and asked,
"Where to?"
Instead of getting angry, he first asked about the destination. This uncle is quite an interesting person.
I grinned back and shrugged.
"I know a place with great scenery and weather. There's a city called Crossroad at the very end of the southern continent..."
Finally catching on to my intention, the Emperor let out a resigned sigh.
"...So you mean, now. On your way back to your frontline, you want your father, the leader of this empire, to... be an airship pilot?"
Not just a pilot, though.
With a regular airship, you need to land periodically for magic fuel recharging and maintenance. But if the Emperor himself pilots the airship?
He can infuse his own magic power while flying, and maintenance isn't really necessary.
The Emperor pilots the airship by integrating his consciousness with Alcatraz.
'So, not just a pilot but also a mechanic and a living battery!'
Please!
Give me more! No, give it all!
"Really, you're insufferably arrogant, Ash."
After I explained the situation in detail,
The Emperor shook his head.
"No matter how critical the southern frontline is, and even though you're my only remaining son, how can you exploit the Emperor like this? There’s a limit to absurdity..."
"Why not help me just this once, Dad?"
"...What?"
The Emperor looked at me in shock.
In front of him, I clasped my hands and twinkled my eyes as much as I could.
"Your cute youngest son is asking like this, will you really not help, Dad?"
"Damn it."
The Emperor muttered a curse under his breath. Was there really a need to curse and hurt my feelings?
He covered his eyes with his hands as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"Stop it, it gives me the creeps."
"If you don't agree, I'll keep doing this, Dad!"
"Let's get it over with and go. Right now. Just stop it. Please."
Not just in words, the Emperor immediately stood up from his seat.
"Get those who are coming on board Alcatraz. We leave in one hour."
I jumped up, spreading my arms.
"Yay! Dad is the best! This is so exciting! A drive with Dad!"
"Didn't I say stop it! It's an imperial command, an order!"
The Emperor shivered as if he got goosebumps, then rubbed his forearms and left the office as if fleeing, presumably to get Alcatraz ready.
Watching the Emperor's retreating figure, I chuckled. Please be a bit more lenient. It's because I grew up without love.
Anyway, I've secured the fastest way to return to Crossroad.
'I'll be there soon, guys.'
I turned my gaze to the southern sky, towards my frontline far away.
'Just hold on a bit more...!'
***
Night had fallen in Crossroad.
Most of the citizens had evacuated far away, but essential personnel for city operations, including priests, were on standby not too far from the city.
They had returned now that the battle had reached a lull and helped with the repairs.
The injured were healed by priests, blacksmiths urgently repaired damaged equipment, and veteran soldiers among the regular troops volunteered for the bait unit tomorrow.
Soup boiled in the barracks' kitchen, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air. The weary ate their meals with difficulty.
"..."
Crouching at the entrance of the temple, Torkel looked down at this scene.
Behind Torkel, Zenis, looking haggard, was casting healing magic.
"It's lucky that I have dispelling abilities. What would we have done otherwise?"
Zenis had the ability to lift curses.
However, it was too exhausting to use so much divine power, so it was impossible to heal all who had been petrified today.
Therefore, as a temporary measure, Zenis was only healing the petrified parts of Torkel.
"Thank you."
Torkel roughly rubbed the parts of his body where the petrification had been reversed.
His hands and feet were still stiff, but he slowly started to feel blood circulating again in the numb extremities.
"This is just a stopgap measure. As long as the source of the curse... that monster isn't killed, the aftereffects of petrification will remain."
"...What happens if we kill that monster?"
"Then, not only the petrified parts but all the petrified people will be released from the curse. Of course, they'll suffer quite severe aftereffects..."
Zenis, sitting next to Torkel, took out a cigarette, then, with an 'Eh!' sound, crumpled it in his hand and threw it to the ground.
It seemed he still couldn't smoke because he had to return to a pregnant woman soon.
Torkel, glancing inside the temple, cautiously asked.
"How is Lady Lilly doing? Is she alright?"
"She's in a dangerous state. Lost too much blood and used up all her strength... She keeps fainting and waking up. I don't know why this child is causing so much trouble..."
"..."
"But, the end is in sight. Don't worry. I'll make sure both the child and the mother survive."
Silence fell.
Facing death, striving to protect life.
The two men, who had fiercely fought on different battlefields, sat quietly side by side for a moment, looking down at the city drowned in darkness.
Then Torkel spoke.
"Priest Zenis."
"Yes. I'm listening."
"You once told me that I was like a lost lamb. You said to come to you if I needed to confess."
Zenis, turning to look at Torkel, chuckled softly.
"I did, didn't I? Are you finally ready to talk?"
"...I always thought that being born into this world was my sin."
Torkel fiddled with the helmet covering his face.
"That I was born into this world as a punishment for sins in my past life. That's why I contracted leprosy. I believed that."
"..."
"But the previous priestess... the Saintess, said there was no such sin. She said that the world is just naturally this cruel."
The image of Margarita came to mind.
Her noble face as she bandaged her blood-soaked body.
"She said all we can do is struggle until the end in this cruel world. That's what she told me."
"..."
"What do you think, Priest Zenis? Was the Saintess right?"
Zenis didn't give a straightforward answer of right or wrong.
Instead, he smiled faintly and gestured towards Torkel.
"That disease must have made your life difficult, Torkel?"
"...Yes."
Torkel nodded.
"There wasn't a moment that wasn't hard."
"Was this world nothing but pain for you?"
"...I think so."
Torkel affirmed again.
"I believe it was... nothing but pain."
He had lived because he couldn't die.
His fellow sufferers of the same disease had all died, and the Saintess who prayed for him also died.
In this city on a grave, he was just struggling as the Saintess had said.
But - for what?
How long must he keep struggling like this?
Even with his eyes closed, he could see people's deaths. The guilt of being the lone survivor was clearer than the pain of his disfigured skin.
In this cruel world, was suffering like this truly... life?
"I was once dispatched as a priest of the Goddess Faith to various parts of the world. Once, I went to the very western end of the world."
Getting up with an 'Ugh' sound, Zenis started to speak.
"It's a strange coincidence, but the weather there was really messed up. That town was under thick clouds all year round. The weather had only three states: cloudy, raining, or foggy."
"..."
"Due to the weather, the people in that town always had gloomy expressions. It was an awful place for missionary work..."
Zenis chuckled.
"Do you know what those locals found harder to believe in than the existence of the Goddess?"
"I don't know. What is it?"
Zenis raised a finger and pointed to the sky.
"The sun."
"The sun?"
"Those people didn't believe in the obvious fact that there is a dazzling sun in the sky, shining over the whole world. It's understandable. The sky there was always covered with dark clouds. It's hard to believe in something you've never seen."
Walking briskly into the temple, Zenis waved her hand.
"In my view, Torkel, you are in a similar situation to the people of that village."
"..."
"But, make no mistake. Although you may not have noticed because of the constant dark clouds... the sun has always been shining on your life."
Leaving these cryptic words of a religious figure, Zenis disappeared inside the temple.
Torkel, staring blankly at his retreating figure, turned back towards the city and sank into thought, pondering the meaning of Zenis's words.
"I thought confession would lighten my heart."
A long sigh escaped from within his helmet.
"But it only deepens my troubles..."
Looking up at the sky, dark clouds were gathering.
It was a dark night without a trace of moonlight.
***
And under the same moonless sky.
Tock, tock...
Inside the petrification nest of monsters built on one side of the city.
Within a giant egg made of stone, Medusa was chewing and swallowing the last piece of Euryale.
Crunch, crunch!
As she did so, giant wings sprouted from Medusa's back, and the snakes on her head became even more hideous.
Medusa's body had grown larger. Her entire body was covered with rock-like armor.
"Don't worry, sister Euryale."
With clouded eyes, devoid of her usual clarity, Medusa muttered, staring into the void.
"We'll kill them all, together. Together..."
"..."
Stheno, standing behind her sister, watched silently.
The second day of invasion was soon to begin.
More death was expected to overflow in this city.
--TL Notes--
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