chapter 585
Chapter 153 Family (2)
Atlas, the abode of Frondia.
The personnel here who heard the operational situation also moved to head to Tavern.
Ludovic, who already knew the location, took the lead.
Of course, while carrying Pierlot who was sleeping soundly.
Basileo asked.
“… … This guy, will he wake up before we get there?”
“I hope so.”
Ludovic didn’t seem too worried as he answered.
Rather, Ludovic was worried about those who followed him.
“Basilio, are you sure you’re okay? If you keep doing that, won’t your mana run out when you get there?”
Basileo is now following Ludovic with his flying magic.
Up until that point it was no problem, but behind him Ajax and Glaucus were also flying in the sky.
These two originally couldn’t use flying magic. Basileo used multiple spells.
“It’s okay. Since I reserved it in advance, I already filled up the mana for it to start operating. It can’t be helped that it consumes mana while flying.”
“A reservation? Huh.”
Ludovic looked at Basileo with admiration.
In Palind, where high-speed chanting is popular, reservations are rather rare. While anyone can increase the speed of chanting to some extent with effort, reservations depend entirely on talent. Reservations cannot be trained in educational institutions that teach many students. This is the same for Atlas and Constell.
Of course, high-speed spear shooting at the level of Elodie requires talent.
Ajax, coming from behind, asked.
“Then the only people left now are Mr. Gregory and Mr. Arald? Even if Mr. Gregory is like that, why is Mr. Arald still there?”
Ajax and Glaucus do not yet know much about Frondia’s party, for they have not had time to do so.
But given the circumstances, it’s clear what Gregory’s role is. The only means of communication with that distant continent. It’s thanks to Gregory that they can go to Tavern like this.
But I’m not sure what Arald’s role is.
“Isn’t that guy a combat veteran?”
Glaucus asked,
“… … He looked incredibly strong.”
Ajax tilted his head and muttered.
Basileo answered him.
“I don’t know much about it, but I think something needs to be calculated.”
“calculate?”
“what?”
“That’s why I said I don’t know. Senior Frontier asked me to stay. That’s all I heard.”
“Hmm… … .”
Ajax looked intent, but didn’t ask any more questions. It seemed as if Basileo really didn’t know any more.
“But, you know.”
This time it was Ludovic who opened his mouth.
“Is he okay?”
“Who is it?”
“You know, that, that, that kid that Frondia is taking with her…?”
“Oh, Mayo.”
Basileo nodded as if he understood.
“May is a housekeeper.”
“Who is May?”
Ajax asked.
“There’s a little girl. She’s at Elodie’s house right now. She’s the one I take turns looking after with Frondia.”
“Huh, Mr. Frontier’s daughter?”
“What? Similar deal.”
Basileo answered with a very general meaning. In fact, he also did not know much because he only heard the story.
“Is it really okay for that kid to be a housekeeper? You may not know, but in the last war, he did quite a great job.”
Ludovic knows May’s true identity. He is also one of the Zodiacs who witnessed the demons pouring out of the palace in the past.
Of course, I didn’t know that Frondia had the ‘Metamorph’s Calamity’, the culprit behind the incident.
That is, until the Battle of Mangot.
When I looked back on the situation after the war, I quickly realized that. In fact, at the time, I only thought that Frontier was doing something extremely dangerous.
… … No, isn’t that thought still very different now?
Metamorph’s scourge, May, is capable of high-speed learning. Truly beyond human standards.
If Mei were to take in the entirety of this war and study it, no one knows what Mei would become as a result.
“That’s what my senior said. If May herself doesn’t want to do something, then just leave her alone.”
“Frontier again?”
Ludovic let out a sigh. Frondier is involved in many things.
But strangely enough, knowing that fact makes the anxiety go away.
May’s distinction between good and evil is not yet clear. To be exact, May is not human, so it is not known whether she will ultimately side with humans. Rather than relying on such uncertainty, it would be better to leave her alone.
Ludovic asked.
“But why is Frontier taking May with him? He knows best that she is so dangerous.”
* * *
Frondier’s eyes flinch and tremble.
“If you confirmed that the curse worked on Elodie, what were you going to do?”
“What, what can I do? Nothing in particular.”
“You b*stard, you’re telling me that even to Ampere… …!”
“Oh, no!!”
Frondior shouted as he stepped back.
“What nonsense are you talking about! He’s my father! Don’t you dare think of that… …!”
“Frondeer.”
There Atji opened his mouth.
“When I fought Thanatos, he told me that the souls that go to Tartarus are selected in advance. This is because of the Moirai. The goddesses who can observe the future already know what sins the souls will commit. So he knew your sin from the beginning.”
Frondier’s face turned pale at Atjie’s words.
“Well, then you already know. What crime I committed.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Then Atji turned his cold gaze towards Frondia.
“I just wanted to see what you would say.”
“Ahhh……!”
dump.
Frontier sat down.
I asked the guy.
“Then really Ampere?”
“……under.”
Frontier lowered his head and let out a hollow laugh.
“That damn Ampere.”
The voice has clearly changed.
The b*stard soon raised his head and turned his angry gaze towards me.
“You are so naive. To think that Ampere is all you need!”
“… … Not Ampermann.”
“I was ready to curse everyone around me! Anyone with power! Whether it be Ampere or Atzier or whoever! I was ready to turn to Constell’s men!”
The maddening voice of the Frontier.
My eyes sunk.
This guy is exactly as I initially judged him to be.
Frontier de Roach is just a villain.
“What effect does that curse have specifically?”
“You know when you see Elodie.”
Frondier said.
“That magic stimulates the weaknesses of a person. The emptiness of the heart, the guilt, the past mistakes that one cannot help but face even if one wants to turn away, the mistakes, the inherent evil that has not been forgiven and cannot be forgiven by oneself. It brings all those things that were pushed aside in a corner of the heart back before one’s eyes.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s enough. After that, they will continue to grow their own evil in front of them. That becomes trauma. Humans can punish others’ evil, but they cannot do so for themselves. That evil is also their own. It is difficult to distinguish between good and evil in human nature. However, people always believe that their evil deeds are due to their own evil nature.”
Whether it was Elodie or Ampere.
Their nature is not evil. In fact, from what I’ve seen, it’s very difficult to find that side of them.
But it can’t be perfect. That’s why I regret things. When things don’t turn out well, when I make mistakes. Things that, from a certain perspective, can be considered evil deeds.
But even if it is not done with malice, they do not think so. They consider it to be because of their own malice.
The curse of Frondia is a way of bringing it before your eyes. In Elodie’s case, her past dealing with Frondia must have always been before her eyes. It is a curse that keeps coming up in front of your eyes even if you try to forget it or push it out of your consciousness.
That’s what Frondeer did.
“……what.”
Frontier chuckled.
“But it was all in vain because my body was suddenly taken away.”
“… … You haven’t even checked whether the curse you put on Elodie really worked.”
“Yes. Once that was confirmed, I could have placed a more certain curse on the others. I was ready to make them into useless people who couldn’t use their divine powers or anything.”
I saw Campe.
“I haven’t committed a sin yet, yet I’m in Tartarus?”
“As I said, he didn’t die properly. That’s why he’s been tied up here for years. However, it’s definitely irregular for a soul to leave without a death process. And it’s not just a small mistake. It’s irregular from the perspective of the entire world.”
Campe opened his eyes wide, his eyes sparkling with life as he looked at Frondia.
“I’m saying this because he himself admits it, but if his soul hadn’t escaped, he would have definitely used that curse. The Moirai had already predicted this, and he himself would admit it. It’s a dirty curse that insults the spirit of the god who gave it power, and all the humans who received it. Of course it’s a grave crime. Rather, he stopped before doing it and didn’t go straight to Tartarus. Consider yourself lucky.”
“… … .”
perhaps.
Maybe when I played the game, most of the characters I saw were already under this guy’s curse?
The Roach family doesn’t appear much in the game, but Atjie and Ampere already?
I’ve seen so many game overs. Did Frondia have any influence on that?
“……under.”
I closed my eyes.
Let’s calm down.
Enough is enough. We now know why the Frontier is here.
I have to do what I have to do.
I saw Atjie.
“Oh my.”
I took a step toward him. I called Atjie, who I always called hyung, by his name.
It was so obvious, yet so awkward.
And Atjie stepped back.
“Don’t come near me.”
“… … .”
“I can’t accept you.”
Atji clearly rejected me.
“I have been watching Frondeer for a long time, from the day he was born until now.”
I’ve been seeing Atjie for the past three years.
However, Atji has been watching Frontier for over ten years.
But then suddenly my younger brother changed, and I only realized it three years later.
“My heart is not wide enough to tolerate you.”
Of course it is.
Atjie must be trembling with betrayal towards me right now.
That’s why I can say it.
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. That’s not what’s important right now.”
“……what?”
“You know, we’re at war with God right now. Humanity needs you, Atji.”
“… … .”
“I feel the same way. I have no intention of playing friendship games.”
If it were original, it would have been a little simpler.
If I hadn’t met Frondeer here.
I would never have talked to Atjie like this.
Why do I have to have this kind of face?
Why did it turn out like this?
“I don’t know if you’ll believe it or not.”
I just,
“I came to save you.”
These words.
I spat out feeling like a real beggar.
“… … You did something dangerous. To step into a world like this.”
Atji looked at me with stern eyes.
There is no joy in coming to save you, but rather.
… … It’s the way you speak that makes me feel worried.
“I fought Thanatos and lost. That’s why I died.”
“I think it’s okay now.”
I shook my head.
Whether Atjie really died or not.
Whether you want Atjie to come back to life or not.
“I just do what I want to do.”
I have to save Atjie.
That’s what was decided.
It was Campe who interrupted me.
“I said it before, but it won’t work.”
I looked at him and said.
“He said he didn’t die in Aji.”
“No. Since the souls are here, they are all dead to me. There are no exceptions.”
“Because that’s the rule?”
“Yes.”
Campe nodded.
so.
“I get it.”
I nodded too.
“huh……?”
Campe looked at me and asked back.
He had a very anxious look on his face. It was as if he had sensed something bad about my answer.
If so, then you could say that you have a very good sense.
“Campe.”
I looked at him and asked.
“Where is Thanatos?”
“what?”
“Since Thanatos’ Eclectis forced the opposing soul to come here, it is subject to that rule.”
“… … You. Are you really going to kill Thanatos and get rid of that rule?”
“Of course there is a reason for that.”
I affirmed.
If we are to consider the rationality of this action, the reason would be the biggest one.
however.
“Even if that’s not the case, I have to beat that guy up.”
It’s not the biggest reason in my mind.