Chapter 270: The Sage Finds the Answer |
She moved slowly.
Her appearance in the middle of the rain was somewhat grim.
Fragile, as if she would disappear if one looked away.
It was hard to think she was the same person as the hero with a noble spirit that wouldn’t back down regardless of the situation.
However, the appearance in front of me now was real.
She had worn a mask as she carried out her mission.
“Such are my thoughts. How is it, are you disappointed?”
“There’s no way I would be. You are indeed a real hero.”
I answered immediately.
“…Why do you think so?”
“It might be a different policy than the one I follow, but it ultimately also seeks the same conclusion. I wouldn’t deny such an idea.”
She sought for world peace.
Although it differed from my methods, it was undoubtedly aiming for a better future.
She tried to change the current state of the world, just like her title as a hero suggests.
“Your expectations for humanity are real. Despite the fact we were executed out of human desire, you didn’t abandon such hope.”
She was disappointed in the world.
Just like me — or perhaps even more so than I was.
Despite such pessimistic thoughts, she continued to believe in the future of humanity and subjugated the Demon Lord as a hero.
An impossible feat had she been a typical person.
In addition, she was executed at the end of it all.
It wasn’t an unexpected tragedy for her, so she even treated her own life as a necessary sacrifice.
Even though she has resurrected now, her desire for peace was still there.
She didn’t blindly believe in justice.
Even though she noticed the fundamental problem, she kept pushing on her belief.
It was an aspect that I, the sage who accompanied her in that journey, knew nothing about.
I took a step forward.
Then, I gave her my gratitudes.
“Hero-sama. I’m glad to hear your true intentions. I’m very happy.”
“Dwight…”
She muttered in surprise.
It might be the first time I saw such an expression from her.
Even as I made such trivial discoveries, I continued to speak.
“Because I thought your methods were mistaken, I tried to seek peace in a different way. However, you aren’t wrong! Trusting the future to change by believing in humanity is also one answer.”
There was no need for a hero and Demon Lord.
Humanity will sometimes go into conflict and be wounded, but they will go on as they were.
Such was her ideal world.
It was the first step towards true world peace.
I found such a future fascinating.
It was more beautiful compared to the world peace I was aiming for.
The Demon Lord who reigned as an absolute evil would bring eternal fear to humanity.
Such an indestructible threat was far from happiness.
As she became expressionless, she raised a question that pierced the core of the topic.
“Now that you’ve heard my true intentions, what are you going to do? Do you intend to abandon your plans and perish?”
“The world peace you envision is a wonderful one. It doesn’t compare to the thorough control of absolute evil. Even though I have been corrupted into my current state, I still admire you even now.”
I blurted out my heartfelt words.
I told her all my thoughts without hiding anything.
Once I was done, I quietly raised my sword once more.
A large amount of magic power was poured into the blade and shot out overhead as a beam.
Jet-black light penetrated the clouds.
They were swept away in the aftermath.
Soon the rain stopped and the night sky was clear to see.
The stars shone brightly around the moon.
Silence filled where the sound of rain was previously.
She was momentarily stunned, but the breeze made her regain her thoughts.
With the moon as a witness, I held my sword and declared.
“—Therefore, I have to surpass you.”