Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Motherly Love [6]
From the very beginning, the moment he saw Tears of the Fallen in that book, Kael had always had a question in his mind:
— How to make a dragon cry in pain?
It seemed like a possible task.
After all, dragons in Tower of Glory were portrayed as extremely powerful creatures.
Both in strength and mental.
But, the moment he met Mavis, he found his answer.
She had a son named Durin.
That meant she was a mother.
And even though Kael didn’t have a mother, he could put himself in her shoes.
And then, he figured out the best way to obtain Tears of the Fallen, to force Mavis to cry in pain.
— Just kill the son she loved and that would be it.
***
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
That was all that remained in Mavis’s mind as blood gushed out from Durin’s chest.
Why did the world treat her like this?
Why was her happiness always destroyed like this?
First it was the husband that Mavis loved.
And now it was Durin, her beloved son?
Mavis really couldn’t protect anything.
She had broken her promise to her late husband.
"Did... I do something wrong, world...?"
She muttered.
"No, this is not your fault at all, Mavis."
"..."
"It is the fault of this world."
Kael’s sword was raised high.
"...But, if you want to appease your anger, then just blame it all on me. Just hate and despise me, Mavis."
Then, his sword swung down.
Slash!
"...So tiring... So painful."
Kael closed his eyes.
He had obtained the Tears of the Fallen, but at what cost?
***
The moment he opened his eyes, Kael appeared in that place.
A deserted city, completely covered in darkness.
He didn’t know exactly what this place was, he only knew that after receiving [Death King], this place had been unlocked.
But, Kael could guess that this was where his soldiers were stationed.
And in this place, he was the king.
Since it didn’t have a name, Kael gave it one:
Death City.
And the place he was sitting in was the Death Palace, a palace made just for him.
From above, Kael looked down at the citizens of the city below.
"..."
At first, there really wasn’t any sign of living creatures anywhere.
But after he killed more people, and more Tower Creatures, things became a little more lively.
"Did you call us here for something, my lord?"
Mavis’s voice rang out from behind.
Currently, she and Durin were both kneeling behind Kael.
With a sigh, he turned towards the two of them.
"Do you hate me, Mavis?"
"Yes, I hate you very, very much."
"Is that so...?"
How ironic.
Mavis still remembered very clearly what Kael had done to her and her son, but now and forever, she had no chance to take revenge.
"...Erase your own memories. And I don’t need to tell you and Durin which memories to erase, right?"
Instead of letting them still remember that memory and hate him for the rest of their lives...
...Then Kael would rather erase himself from their memories.
"As you command."
***
Duke Sylvania’s territory.
It was nighttime.
It was raining.
"Oh, it’s raining? That’s great. I really like the rain."
Holding a bloody sword in his hand, standing in the garden of the mansion, Hans Varun muttered to himself.
"Do you want to know why, Duke Sylvania?"
The protagonist asked, looking at the man who was glaring at him with eyes as if he was looking at a demon.
It was Duke Sylvania.
One of the people who betrayed the royal family of Dicathen, this kingdom of Dicathen.
A smile appeared on the corner of Hans’ lips.
"Because all traces will be washed away in the rain."
To deal with such a bastard, Erza sent the protagonist to take his head.
"Don’t come near me, you demon!"
The duke grabbed a handful of mud, then threw it at Hans.
"Tsk."
The protagonist glanced at the stain on his pants.
"You’ve soiled my clothes. How deplorable."
Hans hated people like him.
People who relied on power and money, and used them to exploit those of lower status than them.
The protagonist had also experienced it, so he understood the feelings of the exploited people very well.
"Any last words?"
Hans raised his sword.
"Well, even if you really did, I have no intention of hearing it."
With a smirk, he slashed down.
The head of Duke Sylvania was separated from his neck in an instant.
***
A few days ago, after Kael had left for his own mission, Erza had gathered the remaining three people to discuss with them.
About his plan.
And about the future of this kingdom.
The prince, standing in front of a giant window, looked at his loyal subjects below.
After everyone was present, the meeting began.
"The situation is not good at all."
"We can all see that, Erza."
Taking a sip of tea, Alaric replied nonchalantly.
It could be said that this kingdom was nearing the end of its rope.
To be more specific, it was hopeless.
The royal family was now just an empty shell, apart from having a position and a bit of power, it really had very little else left.
Soldiers, money, ...
And that was why those nobles all thought that the royal family was about to come to an end.
They didn’t even bother listening to Prince Erza’s words anymore.
On the contrary, they decided to rebel.
"Pft!"
Erza and the others laughed.
Those traitorous nobles thought that the prince had nothing left, but they were wrong.
Erza still had the most important thing.
And that was...
The prince turned around, facing the three of them.
"I’m glad I still have you guys, Kaede, Hans, and Alaric."
He also had Kael, but he was currently on a more important mission.
"So what do you want us to do, Erza? I’ll tell you this first, I don’t understand politics very well."
From a drawer, the prince took out a stack of papers, then threw them in front of Hans.
"What are these?"
The protagonist picked up the first piece of paper.
"Proof of all the crimes those traitorous nobles have committed."
Before leaving, Kael had told Erza that Hans only killed bad guys.
So, the prince had to take this out for him.
"...And what do you want me to do?"
"Simple, kill them all."
Erza replied indifferently, as if he was talking about what to eat tomorrow.
"With pleasure."
With a smirk, Hans left the room.
And following behind the main character was Kaede.
Now, the room was left with only Alaric and Erza.
Leaning back in his chair, The King spoke:
"Kill them all? That’s a bold idea."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"But are you sure that’s a good idea? After all, if they all die, there will be a lot of problems later."
Erza looked up at the clear blue sky.
His face was clearly haggard from not sleeping for many days.
"Tear it down and rebuild it, that’s what I need to do now."
Speaking of this, the prince suddenly remembered a saying that he found quite interesting.
"The beginning after the end."