173 Chapter 173: Guarding the Gate (1/2)

After dropping Dad off at the main gate of Sakha City, I then began to proceed to the other gate where Dad told me to go.

”Richie.”

I stopped for a moment to glance back at Dad.

”I'm sorry. But we can't be everywhere at once. We are not gods. We can only do so much with the hand we are dealt with. Perhaps you'll understand it eventually, but…”

”I already understand, Dad.”

Sacrifice the minority for the majority. Choose the many over the few. That was only logical. I hated that decision, but as Dad said, we weren't gods. We couldn't split ourselves up and be everywhere at once.

”…sorry.”

”It's not your fault.”

I made my choice according to Dad's logic. I was going to have to live with it.

”We'll do our best to save as many people in Sakha City as possible.”

Dad grinned, back to his usual self. ”Now you get it. Run along now.”

Turning away, I urged Cygnus toward the gate. Dad didn't notice how forced my demeanor was, how it was so difficult for me to speak. I had always looked up to Dad, always thought of him as a hero and wanted to emulate him.

However, today I understood for the first time how naïve I was. Dad wasn't a god. True, he was a hero, but he was still human. There was no way he could save everyone in the world.

Did Dad have to live with such hard choices like this all the time? Knowing that he had consigned a few to doom while choosing to save the majority?

Did I still want to become a hero like him? Was that what it meant to be a hero? To save the many at the expense of the few? To be able to live with that choice? To harden yourself against guilt and move on to the next day, and make the same calculated, ruthless decisions again?

If that was the case, then I wasn't cut out to be a hero. I couldn't make such a decision. Who was I to decide who should live and who should die?

But…if Dad didn't do that, then everyone would die. If Dad didn't make that decision, then nobody would be saved. At least in this situation, the people of Sakha City would be saved, even if the village of Shinra and Guo Hao wasn't.

”I…”

Perhaps I shouldn't dwell on this too much. I should just focus on holding the gate for now, and doing my best to survive. Most people would claim that I wasn't obligated to save others, that I should just run away and think only about myself.

What nonsense. They wouldn't be saying that if they were the ones inside the city, the ones who were facing impending doom. It was so easy to be self-centered and selfish when you weren't the one in danger. Those same self-centered commenters will immediately turn on me and demand that I do my job as a mage-soldier and protect them if they were the ones in the city and seeing the monsters arriving. That I had no right to leave them to die after being provided a military education and taught how to use magic to fight thanks to taxpayers' money.

Honestly, if I was an ordinary person living inside the city, I would be looking to the mages to protect me to. I would be outraged if they were derelict in their duty to stand up for us. Just like how any civilian in my previous world would be furious if the soldiers they relied on to defend their country suddenly ran away when in invading army landed upon their shores. What the fuck was the point of raising and maintaining a military, and blowing large amounts of cash on a defense budget, if the soldiers were too cowardly to defend you?

Great power came with great responsibility. I had lived off other people long enough, now it was time for me to pay my dues.

”Gr…”

I could almost see the first row of monsters approaching. Taking a deep breath, I summoned a horde of Canis Minor, Ursa Minor and Leo Minor, each pack led by Canis Major, Ursa Major and Leo. I also summoned Aries, Capricorn and Taurus. Whatever I could summon, I did at the moment. Then I drew Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

”Ready, guys?”

They didn't say anything. They didn't have to. We were linked mentally, and they would obey my commands without question. Sometimes it felt lonely, and I wondered if it would be better if they each had their own personality traits and whatnot. But it was certainly convenient when it came to combat, especially with soldiers who would never go against my orders.

Taking a deep breath, I swung Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, unleashing twin waves of black and white mana. The first row of monsters, which were Horned Hares, immediately disintegrated as they were swallowed by the devastating technique.

The bigger, stronger monsters followed in their wake. Dark Apes. Dire Wolves. Ravagers. Scaled Drakes. Dark Panthers.

Even so, I stood strong. And then, I unleashed my small army of Constellation spirits upon them.

”FILLER!”

Excuse me?!

I raised my head and saw a few humans tearing the fabric of time-space open. They were raging and jabbing fingers in my direction, their mouths frothing and their eyes bloodshot as they leveled absurd accusations.

”STOP WITH THIS FILLER!”

”HOW DARE YOU WRITE FILLERS?!”

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”I don't care about some stupid city you never mentioned in the story before!”