Chapter 182: Winter’s Moon (3) (1/2)
“E-Enough with the bullshit, you fucking asshole!
Her curse echoed through the room like a lion’s roar. The whole house shook violently, and Epherene slammed into the ground.
“This son of a, ugh-!”
The wood steel gripped the back of her neck.
“Stay still.”
“Let go of me! Let go!”
Epherene fluttered like a fish on a hook, but the steel calmly restrained her.
“It is your dream. If you get shaken, it will be your loss.”
“…No!”
“Think of what you have learned so far. How long are you going to act immature?”
“…”
Those words certainly sounded like those of Deculein. Thanks to this, Epherene, calming, glared at Decalane. He was smiling.
─…Kid. You will find out someday. Your destiny started from the moment you were conceived…
At that moment, the metal fragments scattered by the wood steel resonated. They blocked the very air, drowning out Decalane’s voice.
“…”
Decalane’s mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear him. Epherene looked up at the wood steel, then stared back at Decalane.
—…
Soon, Decalane shook his head. But Epherene read the movement of his lips.
‘You are alone in this world. Trust no one.’
Decalane disappeared, leaving her drowning in silence. Epherene sat across the bed and took a deep breath.
“What’s with that guy…”
Epherene frowned. She looked up at the wood steel as she murmured, ‘that pig, damn skeleton….’
“Even his bullshit should make sense. Is that it?”
Then the wood steel looked down upon her. She was expressionless.
“…Right? How would dad hate me?”
“…”
“Pffft. He thought he could deceive me?”
“…”
Still, there was no answer.
“Gosh. That’s ridiculous…”
Epherene’s face, forming a tight grin, hardened a moment later. She looked back at the wood steel.
“…But you.”
The one who took the form of Deculein still kept his mouth shut.
“Why don’t you say anything?
Epherene didn’t know why. No, she thought she knew but tried to deny it.
“…”
The wood steel resembled Deculein. He had his memories, and he never spoke a lie. He’d rather be silent.
“You…”
Epherene stared with blank eyes. A fragment of emotion fluttered in his cold pupils: remorse.
“Why…?”
Snap—!
The wooden steel snapped his fingers. At that moment, the room in the mansion shrunk, and Epherene awoke with a start.
“Ugh!”
She raised her torso, looking around. But something was strange.
“…!”
She couldn’t see ahead. The world around her was submerged in darkness as if she had lost her sight…
“I-I can’t see!”
* * *
“Ugh!”
A strange voice came out. I glanced over.
“…”
Epherene, who had been sleeping on her face, appeared to have finally woken up, but perhaps because of her saliva, she had a piece of paper stuck to her face. A working document called [Reccordak Dissemination Survey]. She looked around in that state and flinched—! Then she screamed.
“I-I can’t see!”
“…”
“…No way, no way, that bastard!”
What bastard would she be talking about? I shook my head, and Epherene waved her arms in the air.
“I can’t see, no, why, I can’t see—!”
She was pathetic. As the days went by, her head seemed to be growing even emptier.
“I can’t see….”
I peeled off the paper sticking to her face with Psychokinesis.
“…”
Flutter-flutter-flutter-
“…”
The paper glided to the floor, and Epherene silently followed its descent.
“…”
As if she had finally grasped the situation, she looked back up at me.
“…Oh.”
Chijijik—
Steam raised from her ears, and her face burned red.
“S-Sorry. I fell asleep for a while and lost my mind…”
I handed her a piece of paper.
“It’s an apology. Write down the cause properly.”
“…Yes.”
I picked up my fountain pen again. However, I found no progress. This letter was to be sent to the Imperial Palace, taking the form of a battle memorial to some extent. It would be delivered to the Emperor and her ministers, but it was difficult to write because it wasn’t academic at all. The proportion of books I read in this world overwhelmingly leaned toward academics, humanities, and magic.
“Hmm…”
However, there was a very famous pre-battle-letter on Earth, the Ancient Sages Memorial. It was the record of Zhuge Liang that anyone interested in historical games should have read at least once, starting with the first line, ‘Shin Liang is calling—.’
“…”
I closed my eyes and began to trace the remaining sentences in my head with Understanding. Referring to his feelings at the time when he was writing it – although Epherene, who was squinting at me, was annoying – I wrote my lines down…
* * *
…These days, meetings were in full swing in the Imperial Palace. Meetings were held several times a day, and violent remarks came and went whether Sophien was present or not. The subject was their course of action.
This was because reports of monsters infesting the mountains and forests in the central region and on the borders of the continents, including the northern and western regions, were serious.
“Rohalak is perfectly defended, but the problem is the North.”
Sophien sat and looked down on her ministers.
“As a result of Reccordak’s reconnaissance, it is said that the number of beasts is near endless.”
The report from the North caused astonishment in the Imperial Palace, the description of millions of monsters gathered sending a shock through those gathered.
“It means that Deculein’s prediction was correct.”
“…Yes. For now, it was.”
Everyone in the hall bowed their heads for a moment. The servants who criticized him and ridiculed him as a prophet couldn’t raise their heads.
“You always attach something. ‘For now?’ Idiots.”
Sophien clenched her jaw and scolded them.
“We’re sorry…”
“I hate to hear that! Whatever you do, it’s always, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Don’t do anything for which you need to apologize for in the first place. Okay, tell me what you think! Would it be right to support the North?”
The ministers looked into each other’s eyes. They had something to say, but they were afraid of Sophien.
“…If Professor Deculein’s prediction is correct.”
Then the old Romellock stepped forward.
“It would be unrealistic to stop such a formidable horde in the North.”