Chapter 192. The Scar Left by Misfortune
Inside a carefully polished crystal orb was the Heart of the Hollow Tree.
Within it floated something like a mummy, wrapped in black mist.
An enormous power that neither the Heart of the Hollow Tree nor the crystal orb surrounding it could fully contain leaked outward.
The energy twisted around itself like vines before hardening in place.
The result looked almost like a magic staff.
...
This was the final form of Happy, who had once been human.
[The Orb containing unstable Misfortune brings Misfortune even to its user!]
[...You resisted!]
“...Long live resistance!”
I refined the Heart of the Hollow Tree containing what had once been Happy, tinkered with it in a bunch of different ways, and eventually turned it into equippable gear.
I didn’t feel even the slightest bit sorry for him.
Which made me think I was starting to resemble the kind of person the Chairman wanted me to become.
So...
I decided to feel at least a little sorry.
That didn’t mean I planned on going easy on him.
He had pissed me off way too much.
He should be grateful I had imprisoned him without pain.
“All right... then....”
As for what happened with Count Conte, I had watched Inbang’s stream and seen how everything played out.
The result was fairly positive.
If this incident caused the Empire to unite and finally use all its strength under a single will...
Then it could become a force capable of properly opposing my own faction, which I intended to keep expanding.
For the complete destruction I wanted...
Both good and evil needed to collapse together.
It would also be troublesome if the balance of power tilted too heavily toward either side.
In that sense, I’m actually grateful I’m only moderately strong right now.
At this point, killing any monster in the publicly accessible fields no longer gave me levels.
The only way for me to grow stronger was by refining my skills.
And I barely had any skills.
The ones I did have were all difficult to practice.
Flow.
Domains.
Things like that.
“Ohhh, Teacher.”
A voice came from nearby.
“Are you planning to pretend to be a magician now?”
...
Gildeupin was sitting on the sofa over there, solving a cube.
He would definitely make a good training partner.
On the day I returned after capturing Happy, I had been drowning in paperwork before anyone could even properly congratulate me.
Then Gildeupin barged into the room claiming he had left the Haemo Church.
On top of that, Karantlia suddenly sent people over.
We had to arrange separate accommodations for them.
Construction crews were hammering away everywhere.
And fights over territorial expansion kept breaking out.
For a while, I genuinely had no idea what was going on anymore.
Anyway.
His timing was good.
If he had shown up while I was still incredibly on edge instead of during the break I got while turning Happy into a staff...
I probably would have punched every last one of them once before throwing them out.
Gildeupin looked around.
“This country really is fascinating.”
He grinned.
“A Great Hero from the distant past is staying alongside the Demon King of Madness.”
“And anyone who wants to become a citizen has to undergo chimera modification surgery.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“We’re still modifying people as closely as possible to what they personally want.”
I wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but apparently we had ignited the artistic souls of the designers.
They had come up with all kinds of bizarre and creative designs.
Even the café manager...
I told him he didn’t actually need to become a chimera.
But—
“Novelty and freshness are my pride.”
That was what he said before fusing with a Water Spirit.
Everything below his neck had turned into water.
It looked extremely inconvenient to move around.
Yet he was thrilled because washing dishes had become easier.
Maybe I had created another new trend after the slime-pet craze.
After what happened to Pie and Aien, I hadn’t even looked at the message boards.
At this point, I was almost afraid to find out what kind of influence I was having on the game.
Phew....
I just wanted to live quietly.
Why did everyone keep doing this to me?
Seriously.
Gildeupin looked at me.
“Teacher, can’t you attach two more arms to me too?”
He pointed beneath his armpits.
“Right here.”
I stared at him.
“I don’t think I can make anything that would satisfy a Great Hero.”
“You gave your knight the Arm of the Fighting Dragon, but you can’t give one to me?”
He sighed dramatically.
“Teacher....”
Then—
“Oh, I solved it.”
I stared at the completed cube in his hands.
How the hell did he solve something that tiny with that enormous body and those thick fingers?
Was he a monster?
...
Yeah.
He was.
Still...
An Arm of the Fighting Dragon for Gildeupin.
Hmm.
That was actually an interesting topic.
Ah!
What if I did something similar to what that summoned old man had done?
Take metal and shove my Madness, Indomitable, or maybe even Misfortune into it, then create mechanical arms for him.
Misfortune had taken the form of tree branches.
So rather than mechanical arms...
Would they be more like pseudo-organic arms?
What even was that?
“Whatever we do, Gildeupin, you’re next in line.”
I waved him off.
“Wait your turn.”
Gildeupin sighed.
“I know you treasure your own people, but being discriminated against like this makes me sad.”
“I never said I wouldn’t do it.”
“Stop whining.”
Anyway!
The long-awaited day had finally arrived!
The day we removed the curses affecting Pie and Aien!
I had waited forever.
I had already captured Happy, yet I had no idea how to actually use him.
I had buried myself in research trying to figure it out.
And the result was this staff...!
Even with Game-Dori’s help, it had taken forever to complete this incredibly valuable item!
Phew....
Still...
There was one problem.
Could this really fix both of them?
What if Chaos had created this situation while thinking—
Hehehe, I suppose you may keep one person beside you.
Then things might actually turn out that way.
Or perhaps...
All of this had simply been designed to throw me into even greater despair.
What if the hope I thought I had finally seized turned out to be nothing but an ordinary rock?
Would I still be able to remain calm then?
Gildeupin looked at me.
“You look troubled, Teacher.”
He smiled.
“I like that expression on your face too.”
I stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
“The festival you once shared with us.”
His voice softened.
“During that festival, you worked harder than anyone to bring us happiness.”
“You reminded us of the value of family and companions.”
He pointed at me.
“And you wore exactly that expression.”
“...Uh, right....”
It wasn’t like I had done all of that specifically for their sake.
But there was no need to say something unnecessary and ruin the mood.
Gildeupin grinned.
“Whatever troubles you...”
He placed a fist against his chest.
“Never forget that this Friendship stands beside you.”
“Even if it’s only worries, I can share them with you!”
...
Reassuring.
Great Heroes really were all....
Yeah!
Let’s do this!
Mm!
BOOM!
I kicked open the door to the room where Pie and Aien were recovering.
Filled with anxiety and completely baseless confidence, I shouted—
“AAAAAAH! INGWANG IS READY!!!”
“Be quiet!”
Right.
Having someone who could handle things afterward was reassuring.
But I had just realized it did absolutely nothing to make the thing I was about to do less terrifying....
And now that I thought about it, I had been too excited to pay attention earlier.
Aien had been worried about Happy.
What would she say if she realized that the thing inside this crystal orb was what remained of him?
Aien stared at the staff.
“...Happy...?”
I hesitated.
“...I killed him.”
There was no point hiding it.
There was little more despicable than lying to someone who trusted you.
So...
I decided to explain everything honestly.
The story of the hardworking woodcutter.
Chaos’s bullshit.
Even Happy’s final choice.
Though honestly...
I didn’t actually know what Happy’s final choice had meant.
He chose Freedom himself.
And because of that, his soul immediately started dying.
His soul had already been corrupted, toyed with, and grotesquely modified by Chaos.
If that soul escaped every shackle and gained complete Freedom...
There was really nowhere left for it to go except heaven.
“I could have just let him die like that.”
I looked at Aien.
“Maybe that alone would’ve broken your curses.”
She stared at the staff.
“Then why...”
Her voice trembled.
“Why did you turn him into this?”
I answered honestly.
“...Because it annoyed me.”
