SSS-Class Suicide Hunter Chapter 264: Family Discussion (1) Chapter 265: Family Discussion (2)

Chapter 264: Family Discussion (1) Chapter 265: Family Discussion (2)

1.

The Heretic Questioner disappeared without a trace.

In the now empty s.p.a.ce, there was a slight depression in the middle of the sofa, as if it had been stretched by the Heretic Questioner's little weight. We looked back and forth between the empty seat on the sofa and the hologram.

"Kim Gong-ja. Do you really think he'll do well…?"

"Mm. The Heretic Question has also grown a lot compared to the past."

"Even if a psycho has a change of heart and becomes a psyco, it has only decreased by one letter*. It's still the same thing."(*: There is no good equivalent for this in English, but you get the idea.)

"Anastasia. Think about it. Wouldn't it be great progress if the word 'path' in 'psychopath' was removed?"

"Indeed. If you look at it that way…."

"Oi. What the h.e.l.l are you two talking about…?"

The Crusader interrupted our conversation with a dumbfounded expression.

"After you two became friends, just listening to you talk is driving me insane. The Black Dragon Master and the Death King. It is shocking enough that you two people, who I never thought could become friends, could do so, but what's even more shocking is how well you two get along… One is the epitome of a dumb gangster*, while the other is a perfect example of a cold city girl."(*: Good for nothing)

"What is it? Are you lonely because we are the only ones who are so close? I have always kept my heart open to the Crusader too. Hey, hey. Friends! Companions.h.i.+p! Friends.h.i.+p! Come on!"

"This guy is the second ranked in our Tower…"

Just as the Crusader sighed through her helmet, a change occurred in the hologram.

"Ahahaha!"

The laughter that had erupted in the waiting room not so long ago was heard once more. This time, it came from within the hologram.

Just like if we were walking down the street, smelled something bad, and turned our heads to see the cause of the bad smell, we instinctively turned our heads to look at the Heretic Questioner like a trash can that was at least 30 years old.

"h.e.l.lo! Dear snails! And non-snails!"

The cutest blonde trash can in the world smiled brightly.

"This is the first time everyone is seeing me in this form! When I stayed in Rimepolis, I mainly possessed and used puppies to communicate with you. Even when I appeared in your dreams, I insisted on using the image of a puppy! So, perhaps— this location is the best place to greet you from."

The Heretic Question was floating in the air above the forest.

"Nice to meet you. People of the snail race!"

The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly.

It was like a twinkle in the sky.

-I-, is that…?

-It's the same. That's the same person from the video!

-What is this….

The members of the snail race looked up at the sky blankly. Not just the snails. Ever since Seimslam's overwhelming display in the duel, many races had focused their attention on this place. In other words, the place the Heretic Questioner had been sent— the air above Seimslam's head— was the best stage with which to capture everyone's attention at the same time.

-Rime. Isn't that like a G.o.d…?

-So beautiful….

The snails muttered unwittingly.

That was right.

The figure leisurely standing in the air, in itself, could already be considered holy. In fact, this was just the formal act of invoking the ability of [Sacred Technique— G.o.d's Send off(送神)] every 0.5 seconds to make it seem as if he was floating in the sky. Of course, there was no way for the snails to know that. The children could only look up at their G.o.d with entranced faces.

"…"

At that moment, a glimmer of hope pa.s.sed through the minds of my companions, who were sitting in the waiting room and staring intently at the hologram.

"Huh? This…"

"Isn't it going surprisingly well?"

"Right. The Heretic Questioner naturally has a killer appearance. In fact, even if he ranked 4th based just on his appearance, no one would object. He's the most handsome guy in our Tower, so if he gave them a few national treasure level smiles…"

"It might be surprisingly easy to incite them."

That's right. It seemed we had underestimated the Heretic Questioner too much.

Handsomeness.

That deceptive face which, together with the Black Dragon Master, split the stake of good looks in our Tower in two. In addition to that were a deceptive voice and smile. Even when that deceptive body walked on the ground, it was enough to delude the world and deceive the people, and now, it was floating in the sky. Then wouldn't that be G.o.d?!

"People of the snail race."

The Heretic Questioner respectfully clasped his hands together on his chest. After 10 years of being the leader of the Ten Thousand Temples, the Heretic Questioner's gestures as he offered prayers were truly reverent.

"I love you all."

The face of the praying Heretic Questioner was as beautiful as well carved marble. The slightly lowered eyebrows, the eyes s.h.i.+ning through the long eyelashes. The exquisitely narrowed lips as if telling a secret, or confessing…

All of these gestures made the snails stare blankly upward.

"I know you all have seen the videos. I, the Heretic Questioner, the man who you wors.h.i.+ped as the Great Puppy, was confined and separated from my companions for 200 years for your sake. I only wanted to live with you, to watch over you and take care of you from the closest distance!"

-Rime….

-Right. We didn't see the other G.o.ds because after they finished their task, they hurriedly went to another place… Another world? The outside world? In any case, they went somewhere else.

-However, our G.o.d stayed with us… it's difficult for a person to endure 50 years, let alone 200… He endured 200 years without being able to reveal his true self, or even talk to his friends…

"Yes."

The Heretic Questioner clasped his hands together.

Then smiled brightly once again.

"Because I love you all."

Ohhhh-!

The snails started to get excited. This was natural. After all, the truth that [the one who led you was not a G.o.d but a human] was obviously shocking. It was a hard truth that was difficult for anyone to bear.

But on the other hand, the truth that [even though he is a human he still loves you and is committed to you] was so moving that it could overturn the shock. So what if he wasn't a G.o.d? What was a G.o.d in the first place? Isn't the one who watches over us and cares for us our G.o.d?

-Angel!

A young snail waved their tentacles.

-You are an angel!

-Right! You are the angel that loves our race!

-Angel! You are so beautiful! Ahh, Angel! Thank you!

It would be enough for the name G.o.d to be changed to angel.

"Ahaha. Mm. My beloved snails!"

And the Heretic Questioner was a character optimized for the ma.s.s production and distribution of instigation, deception, fabrication, multi-level marketing, and fanaticism. Even if you were to take the most alluring voice, attach it to the most beautiful face template, then install the most terrible psychopath AI, you wouldn't be able to create something like the Heretic Questioner.

"Do not be surprised that you and I look different. Appearance is nothing compared to the love we share. I, too,"

Snapping his fingers, the Heretic Questioner's height began to change. It changed into an adult form. Then, as the snails shouted 'Rimu!', 'Rimu!', the Heretic Questioner changed back to the form of a boy.

"As you saw, I can change my appearance as much as I want. Appearance is not important! Love! The only thing that matters is my heart which loves you and cherishes you as truly beautiful beings!"

-Ohh, oh my rime…

-Great Puppy, guide of our race…

Mm.

Indeed.

It seems I definitely underestimated the ability of the Heretic Questioner…

Sitting in the waiting room, I looked at the hologram dumbfoundedly.

"He's the type of guy who could create a cult no matter what world he was thrown into…"

"Mhm. He was born with it, born to… born to be a cult leader. Isn't that too harsh? I think it's a mistake for such an innate ability to be allowed in this world in the first place."

"…the Heretic Questioner found all kinds of religions, countless denominations, and all manners of heresies from the outside world. He met them all, processed them, and settled the unprocessed believers. In the realm of religion, it is absolutely impossible to defeat the Heretic Questioner."

However.

There were always exceptions.

-Noisy.

Smack!

The sound of a whip resonated throughout the area. The dense forest leaves trembled, and the fragile barks on the tree trunks were swept away by the wind. Suddenly coming to their senses, the snails turned their antennae in the direction from whence the sound came.

-The Fire River Council just submitted a bill, but it seems that my foolish conspecifics did not realize the severity of that bill.

The strongest member of the snail race.

The heroine who still ruled over the Fire River Council even though she only had one tentacle left.

Looking very upset, Seimslam's antennae twitched.

-If you want to talk about G.o.d, you must challenge me to a duel and block one blow. That is the law. Clear, articulate, indisputable. The law is so clear, and yet here you are, barking like dogs, rime, or is it because you forgot to take the guidance period into consideration?

-…

-It would be fine to punish all those who broke the law.

The air in the forest suddenly became dank.

-Considering the uniqueness of this case, I will let it slide this time.

-Purrhuu.

-Rimuuu…

Sighs came from all over the forest. There was no one who didn't know how strict Seimslam was, and she was especially famous among the snail race. The general opinion was that Seimslam was stricter towards her own race.

-Rime.

When the surroundings became quiet, Seimslam raised her antennae and looked at the Heretic Questioner.

-Heretic Questioner, you said it was?

"Yes! That's right!"

-Let me ask first. Is that the real name of the Great Rime?

"If you're asking for my real name, hmmm. That is difficult to answer."

The Heretic Questioner smiled.

"I have a name that represents my life, and a name that represents my birth. [Heretic Questioner] is the former. In a word, for you, it is similar to the t.i.tle [Chairman of the Fire River Council]. It reveals my position, discloses my stance, and shows my obligations and capabilities."

-I am Seimslam.

Seimslam looked up at the Heretic Questioner expressionlessly.

-Seimslam. That is my name. I can be the Chairman of the Fire River Council, or I could quit being the Chairman. I have a life before I became Chairman, and I can carve out a new life after I am no longer Chairman. So in your words. Seimslam. That is my only name.

"…."

-What is your name?

Time pa.s.sed.

It was still noon as the sun blazed down. The noon sunlight bounced back and forth on leaves of the palm trees, scattering split shadows similar to fractals on the ground. Seimslam was covered in a split shadow, and the Heretic Questioner was also covered in a shadow that had been split two or three times.

"Bambolina."

-Bambolina?

"Yes."

The Heretic Questioner smiled faintly.

"It means doll. From your perspective, it's a different language. You could call me Kukla(Кукла) if you want, I don't mind. However, I will ask that you do not call me Bambolina if possible."

-Why is that?

"That is the name that only my master calls me by!"

-…

"If you must call me by my real name, call me Kukla."

-Understood. Then Kukla.

The waiting room.

While listening to this series of conversations, my companions silently turned to look at me.

"…"

"…"

The fact that I had become the Heretic Questioner's Master had been spread through the mouth of none other than the Heretic Questioner himself. As for how special the contract between us was, someone like the Black Dragon Master or the Crusader would have a rough idea.

Only to me.

The Heretic Questioner told his children his real name, which only I, the one he had sworn loyalty to, knew. He told them.

"Bambolina should have realized it by now."

So I had no choice but to tell them.

"That isn't just a meeting between cult leader and believers."

It took many conditions for me to learn the Heretic Questioner's real name. I had to overcome many obstacles, and prove my qualifications and abilities. Prove that I was more capable. That I could use you better…

However, there were people in the world who he had to reveal himself to even without conditions.

"To paraphrase, it's like a discussion between parents and children."

Children.

Daughter.

Son.

"Even if he is the head of a great guild, and one of the top five in the Tower, the Heretic Questioner can't reveal his t.i.tle as [Leader of the Ten Thousand Temples] to his children. 4th Rank? He can't boast about such achievements."

Maybe if the parents and children spent time together, and the parents grew old and the children grew up, and they reached a point where they were living in the same 'world'— then they might understand and respect the weight of the t.i.tle's [Leader of the Ten Thousand Temples] and [4th Ranked], and a closer relations.h.i.+p might sprout from it.

However, not now.

"As Bambolina said, this is the [first] time he is facing them."

The first face to face meeting between parents and children.

Not as the Heretic Questioner or the Ten Thousand Temple Lord, but only with his real name. He had no choice but to reveal his bare face.

Unless he intended to take advantage of the children.

"…"

Within the hologram, the Heretic Questioner was still smiling.

However, the atmosphere surrounding the smile was a bit cold. This smile, which was so warm and bright and kind when he was everyone's cult leader had now become a smile that was nothing more than a courtesy to rea.s.sure others.

Even though the other party was none other than the snail race who were no different from [his own children].

-Rimu.

Seimslam expressionlessly looked up at the smiling G.o.d-angel-father.

-We, the snail race, have a unique way of thinking. The only thing worth existing in this world are the useful things. Only the useful should survive, and the useless should be ignored so that they face natural selection on their own.

Lifting her one remaining tentacle, Seimslam continued.

-We strive our whole lives to be useful. Rest is simply a preparation stage for work. Sleep is the rest stage for every day life. I wake up early in the morning to train, and return late at night after finis.h.i.+ng my work. In the meantime, I constantly check myself to see how useful I've been and whether I was negligent.

Seimslam continued. Her world crawled along the dark ground, hidden in the shadows of the countless palm trees. Rime. The snails who clung to the shaded trees with their mucus nodded their antennae in agreement with Seimslam. Rime.

-Useless things begin to turn yellow. We give bluestones to those things, and let them rot in decayed underground tunnels.

Bluestones were stones that s.h.i.+ned deep blue, a drug mainly consumed by the snail race. Because it was highly addictive, they were generally avoided by the snail race. Upon hearing those words, the surrounding snails nodded again.

Rime.

The members of the snail race chirped from the shadows, like the sounds of cuckoos in a dark forest.

-Do we need to kill them? No. Rather, it's better to keep them alive as long as possible. Because when we [normal] snails see those guys screaming 'it doesn't matter if we starve to death, just give us bluestones', we would think 'oh, they are still useful to us'. Since they're still useful, we can rest a.s.sured.

Rime.

-Even if there are some who fail to keep their lives, it's not a bad thing. In any case, they are the ones who ruined their lives for bluestones. They say that bluestones are better than life, so every time, we give them gifts that are better than life. Rime. Eat. Eat more. Eat as much as you want.

Rime. Rime.

-They are dregs, but they are [useful] dregs. Because they make us alert. Rime. We are a great race. We are the race who subjugated the six other races under our tentacles, built great caves, and ruled. Even though the 1,000 year empire collapsed until the lowly blades of the slaves, the empire is still alive in our hearts and minds. And even today, we strive to live [useful] days as the people of the empire.

Rime.

-…this.

Rime.

-These, are all things we learned from you.

Rime.

"…"

-You taught us. You told us what was useful and useless. We, the children, nodded. After growing up, we moved our tentacles to take action. You told us to be proud, so we were proud, you led us to build an empire, so we created one according to your words.

Rime.

-You gave birth to us.

"…"

-What we feel. When, where, and how to despise someone. How to feel happy. How to be proud. How strongly to feel about things you shouldn't do. All of it. Was taught by you and inherited from you.

"…"

-So, Kukla. Even if you didn't give birth to us physically, you gave birth to our minds, our senses, and out lives. You are the parent of all of us. Look at the way we speak for example. In the beginning, you called yourself Rime. Because of that, we say [rime] when we are in a good mood, and [rimu] when we are in a bad mood. Understand? Your name determines our good and bad moods.

Rime, rime.

Rimu.

Rime.

-Nevertheless.

Seimslam glanced around.

-After hanging around the idiots of the goblin race…

The red skinned Asuras were listening seriously to Seimslam's words with folded arms.

Was it so interesting to be so serious?

Purup, Seimslam scoffed.

-I… realized how [abnormal] our race was.

"…"

-A person could be useful or not. They can exist even if they're not. Uburka, who is praised as the strongest warrior in the history of the goblin race, was born with albinism and found it difficult to even walk under the sun. He must have failed as a warrior. However, he treated his albinism as an obstacle to overcome, and overcame it, then built his own life as a series of overcoming.

Seimslam murmured.

-If he had been born into our race, he would have lived his entire life stuffed in a hole and addicted to bluestone since childhood. Then, he would have devoted his life to being [useful] by accepting our ridicule and sneers.

"…"

-Kukla.

Seimslam continued to look expressionlessly at the Heretic Questioner.

-Our Father.

"Yes."

Without realizing, even the Heretic Questioner's expression had disappeared.

To this unsmiling parent, the seasoned snail race child asked.

-Why is our Father a psycho?

"Um."

The Heretic Questioner held his chin.

"Why I became a psycho…?"

-That's right. Rime.

"Mmm. That's a tough question."

Mm, umm, within he groaned. The Heretic Questioner pondered seriously. However, the Heretic Questioner's serious expression was the same whether he faced a math problem that was difficult to solve or not.

This was both an advantage and a disadvantage of being the Heretic Questioner.

At the very least, it wasn't the face of the parent the children wanted.

-Why are you so obsessed with success?

For that reason, Seimslam did not stop her offensive.

-Why did you devote your mind to distinguis.h.i.+ng between things like [useful] and [useless]? It would be fine if you just distinguished them, but why did you have to distinguish everything so [quickly]?

In the presence of the entire snail race.

No, in the presence of all the other races, Seimslam questioned their G.o.d— the G.o.d who ruled over the continent with the unconditional devotion of an ancient empire.

-People are not omnipotent. I don't know much. But I do know it's impossible to see the potential hidden in a child in front of you with a single glance. That is why we should be humble, and give the child a grace period where they can live relaxedly until their abilities blossom. That would be called education. Rimu. So, why does Kurka have to quickly sort out the [useful] and [useless] things?

Questioned their parent.

-Father. Why are you like that?

"…"

-Can you not live differently? At all?

Night began to fall in the forest.

The last rays of sunset slipped from the damp leaves and disappeared. Fwoos.h.!.+ Moving around busily, the elves began to place torches here and there. Fwoos.h.!.+ Then, the panorama of snail race members, who had been hidden in the shadows of the forest until then, was revealed through the dim light.

-…

-…

Hundreds of thousands of snails.

They could go anywhere by crawling on the ground or climbing on walls— the homes they actually lived in for their entire lives were on their backs in their spiral shaped sh.e.l.ls. A race that was supposed to be free was now bound listening to the conversation between Seimslam and the Heretic Questioner with bated breaths.

-Rime….

-Rimu.

This was not because they were overwhelmed by Seimslam's influence.

Neither was it because they were overwhelmed .

It was simply because Seimslam, at that moment, represented their entire race— on behalf of every member of their race, to their parent, she said what they wanted to say, asked what they wanted to ask, released the resentment they wanted to release, gave the blame they wanted to give, all of this strung together in the form of questions, a discussion that they were having there.

That is to say, Seimslam had become the representative of their race, or to be more precise, the eldest sister of their race. While their eldest sister pointed out their parent's faults, the other members of the snail race sat quietly like little brothers and sisters.

The scale was enormous.

It was literally a discussion with their parent.

"Mm."

Tuk.

The Heretic Questioner slowly descended from the air to sit opposite Seimslam. He stopped using the [Sacred Technique— G.o.d's Send off(送神)]. Now, standing between the eyes of the parent and child was no longer the distance between the sky and the ground, nor was it their difference in height.

A torch that had been lit by someone flickered slightly.

"Seimslam. I owe you all apologies for many things. The empire fell because I wasn't thorough enough. All of the privileges you had disappeared, and from then on, the life of the snail race was reduced to that of a baron level race, mining salt on the outskirts and supplying it to the goblins. That is my failure. When it comes to that, there's nothing I could say even if I had 10 mouths, sorry…"

-No. It's not like that.

Raising her tentacle, Seimslam rubbed it across her face.

It seemed like she was ma.s.saging the area between her eyebrows tiredly.

-The first empire, the glory of the younger years, the failed past, and the subsequent turn around to the laborers of the present… I'm not blaming you for this changing history. No, on the contrary, Father worked really hard and did well.

"Huh?"

-Which races in this world were able to become the hegemons of this continent? The snail race. And the goblin race. There were only two. Father was able to reach a level that only two people in this world were able to. Even if you did crash later, rime. We respect Father's ability.

"…"

-What we are asking about is not Father's success or failure. Look at us.

Seimslam got closer.

-Look at us. Kukla.

The sole remaining tentacle, covered in scars from countless battles, tightly covered the back of the Heretic Questioner's hand.

"…"

The Heretic Questioner looked.

-Look at us. Father.

And.

On Seimslam's face was the exact same smile the Heretic Questioner had.

Faced with this smile, the Heretic Questioner seemed to freeze for a while, as if he'd been paralyzed.

-We smile as we throw useless children into the bluestone cave, saying, 'It can't be helped'. Perhaps that is our dirtiness. Perhaps it is a smile that comes from viciousness. However, it's different. Father.

-…

-It is an innocent smile we got from you.

『Mm! It's unfortunate but this one is useless!』

『Let's throw them away!』

『Ahaha.』

-We look a little different, and we have a few more arms than you do… or a few less.

Seimslam playfully flicked her one remaining tentacle.

-Nevertheless, we inherited almost your entire legacy. What you intended. And even what you didn't intend. Your laughter, gestures, the very weight you chose to sink into this world… everything.

"…"

-That's why, Father does not need to thank us for achieving the first empire, nor should you apologize for the empire's downfall. Those are all secondary issues. What I, what we want to know is…

-Why our Father is a psycho.

For what reason.

-Only then can we understand why we are psychos.

The antennae of every snail turned in the direction the Heretic Questioner was sitting.

-Tell us. Father.

"…"

-We, we want to know.

Silence fell.

In this miry silence, the Heretic Questioner opened his mouth.

"I."

-…

"I…"

[The 40th Floor Quest is currently underway.]

Then.

2.

-No, why are you so obsessed with making money?

The elves surrounded the Count.

The atmosphere in the forest was noisy, as if a court hearing was being held, and unlike their beautiful appearances, the elves' faces carried sharp grimaces as they bombarded their [G.o.d] with waves of attacks.

-What you do is for money. What you don't do is for money. Money no matter what. The world is all about money, money, money.

"So that makes you upset?"

Huu, holding a hookah, the Count let out a puff of smoke. It was a hookah developed by the elves, and this person had just purchased it at a high premium. The parent had purchased the product developed by their children, and as one could see from the atmosphere, they were not particularly pleased about it.

"It feels good to make money. Doesn't it?"

-No just touching money feels good… seriously, couldn't you teach us something other than making money?

"Like what? Music? Singing? Art? How to exaggerate and say things like 'this world is so beautiful I could just die'? Or how to make others lose themselves and say 'you are so beautiful the world could just die'?"

-…

"I don't know anything like that. I can't teach you anything other than how to make money."

-Ah, why is that?

"I was born as a child who had nothing."

Behind the smoke from the hookah, the Count grinned.

"I had a house that was empty. No, actually, I didn't have a house. Do you know what a garbage city is? You don't. The world I was born in is much larger than your continent and has a lot more people, and the garbage that people threw away was enough to create an entire mountain range."

-Eh…

"Nevertheless, sometimes, there is garbage that can be recycled. I'm talking about garbage that could make money. Then merchants were bound to get screwed. Garbage that others threw away after eating, garbage that others threw away after p.o.o.ping, garbage that others threw away after playing, garbage that others threw away after having s.e.x… I sifted through all kinds of garbage to find the garbage that could at least make [money]."

-Uh.

The business ac.u.men of every elf was sharp. They briefly pounded the calculators in their heads.

-Was such a business profitable? The profitability seems pretty bad.

"Huhu."

The Count smiled cheerfully.

"It can't make money, right? It's bad, right?"

-Yes.

"That's right. You're correct. That's why my daily wages were even less than little boogers."

-…

"Even so, if I was taken advantage of by adults, I was left with almost nothing. What else could I do? All I could do was wake up while the adults were sleeping and secretly work overtime rummaging through the piles of garbage. Whether I got caught or not was a small risk. I had to split my sleep up four to five times a day in order to pretend everything was okay. That way, I could collect as much valuable garbage as possible."

-…

"Listen carefully, my children. At least, you are like children."

The Count slowly put down the hookah.

Then, she leaned over and whispered— to the tens of thousands of elves looking at her.

In a somber voice. With a bitter tone.

"Asking me why I didn't teach you anything else, don't be pathetic. The moment you did something so pathetic, you already proved that you were nothing but babies."

-…

"Making money is hard. But you are lucky to be able to make money."

The Count's gaze seemed to be shrouded in a ghastly aura.

"Those who don't have money. For example, let's say there was a little kid living in garbage city who, all of a sudden, desperately [wanted to learn piano]. That's just a delusion. Don't you think so? Something so beautiful could only happen in a dream. If that kid really wants to learn piano, first they have to be fortunate enough to find a used piano in the garbage mountain, then, they have to be fortunate enough to find an old person around who knows how to tune a piano, then, they have to be fortunate enough to be able to read and collect sheet music that had been thrown away, and lastly, they have to be fortunate enough to have musical talent."

-…

"For those who don't have money, just the desire to want to learn something, or want to do something is the gamble of a lifetime. What I mean is that it is a gamble they would have to risk their time, luck, life, everything they have, just to touch it."

-…

"What about you?"

The Count looked around at her audience.

Upon making eye contact with the Count, some elves couldn't help but shudder. Among them, there were certainly elves who had lived longer than the Count, but it was difficult for them to withstand the pressure of the 5th ranked in the Tower.

"What about you?"

Sometimes it was easy to overlook because she often turned into a cat and pawed at foxtails.

Born into the lowest cla.s.s in a garbage city, the Count had become a magnate who controlled all of the commercial districts in the Tower.

There were very few people on this Continent, in the Tower, or in the world outside who could withstand the malice in the Count's breath.

"Do you want to learn music? Pay for it. Use money to find a teacher. Buy sheet music. Buy a musical instrument. Right, you might have to think carefully when you buy a musical instrument. They're quite expensive. Choose an instrument based on your level of enthusiasm for music and the capacity of your household. Carefully… right, you have to be careful."

The Count laughed.

It was an old laugh that was filled with poison.

"You're able to think carefully because of money."

-…

"Money gives you many possibilities. Music? If you don't think it's worth it, you can stop. It costs money, but you're not lacking that little money. Many people are mistaken, money is not a goal or result. It is the [starting point] As your parent, I simply gave you the starting point."

The Count pulled a fan out of her pocket.

"Right, you're worrying about [why our parent only taught us to make money], aren't you? Fine. That's fine. Take your time to think about it. Even if you waste your time thinking about it, you're not in a situation where you'll starve if you can't meet your daily wages, are you? Then you can enjoy wasting."

-…

"Worries. Thoughts. Contemplation. They are all [enjoyable waste]. This is because whenever you lose yourself in your worries, or get absorbed in your contemplation, you will secretly realize that you have enough to spend the rest of your lives in leisure. Do you understand? It is the subtle luxuries that make you amazing. Or, at least, gives you the illusion of being amazing."

The Count beamed.

Then, she opened her fan and covered the lower half of her face.

"Think whenever you want to think, live whenever you want to live, and do whatever you want to do. That's called freedom. Money gives you freedom. Only, money."

-…

"So I'll ask you again, my children. Or people who are like children."

The Count's cat like eyes were locked onto the tens of thousands of elves.

"Was it really unfortunate to be born as my children?"

"Or do you [think] it was unfortunate?"

"If that is the case, then how did you feel when you thought [it was unfortunate to be born as that person's child]? Did it feel bad? Or… perhaps."

The Count grinned.

"When you thought about it, you felt a little proud, a little boastful, or even felt a little better?"

-…

"As I said, thoughts, worries and contemplation are enjoyable luxuries."

It was a smile that curved like a dark crescent moon.

'Aha', this crescent moon let out a laugh.

"From my perspective, your lives seem pretty enjoyable, don't you think?"

Then.

[The 41st Floor Quest is currently underway.]

3.

-Why did you choose us?

The mermaid race asked the Crusader.

-We are creatures who live in water. On the other hand, the Great Dolphin… you, seem to be a being who lives on land. The worlds we live in are different.

Drawn all over the bodies of the mermaids were tattoos that looked like waves, so that when the mermaids swam together, it looked like beautiful waves was.h.i.+ng ash.o.r.e. They were a race of the water.

-Kekerkker chose the goblins. Rime chose the snails. Although they look different, they are all races who were born on land and live on land. They probably have more similarities than differences. But, what about you?

Even now, the mermaids were gathered in the river.

-Why us?

The Crusader sat on a huge rock that rose up out of the river, and this rock was surrounded by tens of thousands of mermaids swimming in the water.

"…"

The Crusader looked down at the river.

The blue moonlight reflected gently off of the forest river.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize that it was not moonlight, but the tail of a mermaid. With their arms resting on the rock and their body submerged in the river, the mermaid splashed water with their tail. Every time they splashed in the water, the droplets smeared with moonlight shattered brilliantly.

"On the land,"

As she looked at the moon shattering on the water's edge, the Crusader spoke.

"I didn't want to make you live on land."

-Huh?

"If you lived on land… you would come to hate it. Gradually, little by little, you would begin to hate everything that walked on land too. You would come to despise them. Every living thing on land would look terrible."

Clink.

The Crusader slowly removed her helmet.

The blonde hair, which had been asleep in the iron bucket, relaxed as it trickled down.

"I didn't want to raise you like that."

-…

"I didn't want you to smell the contempt of the world with every breath, but to simply feel the refres.h.i.+ng scent of the sea. I didn't want the heavy gravity to pull you down, so I made you swim. I hoped the light waves and merciful water surface would accept your swimming."

Murmuring, the Crusader looked down at the moon reflected in the water.

Her blonde hair hung down, hiding her face and covering the corner of her mouth.

So her voice seemed to flow from the moon reflected in the water, rather than her.

"The air is too light. The ground is too hard… For someone like me, despite clearly being alive, it is so easy to stand, so easy to walk, that it's difficult to feel my own existence at times. I grew accustomed to it."

-…

"However, you are different."

Splash.

Someone flapped their tail, causing ripples to spread across the river. Other ripples could be seen overlapping with that one. Stopping their actions, the tens of thousands of mermaids looked at their mother.

"The surface is light. The depths are heavy. The sea floor, should be terrifying. Unlike when we walk… you can feel the world around you every time you swim. You can feel your own body, your own outline, and your own existence as you swim through the world. When you skillfully pierce the waves cras.h.i.+ng down on you, you can look up at the bright sun s.h.i.+ning brilliantly on the sea, and the moment you see it, you… will feel happy. I thought you would be pleased."

-…

"You could drown yourself in your swimming skills, admiring the colors of the sea that changed every day, and finding amus.e.m.e.nt in the flavor of the water that changed every time as it seeped through your gills. And if you ever got tired of the sea and the waves, you could go to the surface and look at the ground… Look at the land. At the greens, browns, and grays, at red maple leaves, the yellow wheat fields, and the many other things that you could see on the land."

The Crusader said.

"I wanted you to feel the beauty."

-…

"I wanted you to find the land, and everything that walked on the land, beautiful, and love them."

She could hear the sound of running water.

The forest river was dark, and the sound of the running water was indistinguishable from the sounds of the mermaids.

Tiny sounds flowed from all over the world.

"That's why I chose."

The Crusader raised her head.

"That's why I chose you guys, the mermaid race."

-…

"Was it my own selfishness?"

-Yes.

Splash.

-It was selfish.

The Queen of the mermaids created waves with her tail.

-However… compared to other parents, compared to the G.o.ds of the other races, it is really pretty selfishness.

The mermaid stretched out a webbed hand. She stroked her mother's blonde hair, which had been suffocating in the armor. Hesitantly. The Crusader took a breath. It was wet. Breaths near the water carried the moisture of the river. In this place, the breaths of humans and mermaids were not much different.

Cool droplets of water, resembling the moon, dripped down her hair.

-I am very happy that you are our mother.

Then.

[The 42nd Floor Quest is currently underway.]

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