R4STWH - Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Elias chuckled as if he knew Heerin’s inner thoughts and replied.
“Saintess, please take care of yourself as well. You have to survive to achieve what you wish for, right?”
“Uh… yes, thank you?”
Heerin, feeling awkward at the unexpected encouragement, got on the horse.
'What’s wrong with that man?'
She was inexplicably unsettled by the man’s uncharacteristic kindness when he would usually just nod and pass by.
'Surely, it’s not like this is the last time or anything?'
People were said to change when their time to die was near, weren’t they?
Of course, it wouldn't be strange if either of them were to die, but the fact that Elias knew about the various endings of this world fueled Heerin's anxiety.
The content she had read in her previous life was now completely useless.
“Saintess, where should we start checking first?”
Clea, who had gotten on the horse with Crow’s help, asked Heerin.
“I think it would be good to sweep the forest first.”
Heerin pointed towards the north side of Tenaclad, just as she had thought of beforehand.
If she were Ermitar, she would choose that place, which was out of the SS-rank monster’s detection range, but had a high altitude that was good for hiding and watching, while also having a good view of the area.
“Okay, then I will send the spirits out first.”
At Clea's gesture, a gust of wind arose, and the forest could be seen swaying greatly.
It was astonishing how she had awakened and reached that level so quickly.
Perhaps in order to take on the role of a protagonist in one era, rapid growth based on excellent talent was a basic requirement.
'Well, the girl who was the female lead is also with us, so what could possibly go wrong? We should be able to overcome this somehow.'
Heerin desperately suppressed her anxiety and set off towards the north side of Tenaclad.
She earnestly hoped that Elias would succeed in luring the SS-rank monster away.
I forcefully racked my brain that was barely working properly due to the overwhelming aura that made my skin tingle.
To figure out the identity of the opponent.
“……Could it be, the Gluttonous Monarch?”
[Hmm…….]
Perhaps I should be grateful that it was a human-type boss monster.
By observing minute changes in his expressions, I was able to deduce his emotions to some degree.
[That's what some people call me. It seems like I have several other nicknames as well. There's no correct answer, but none of them are entirely wrong.]
I stared intently at the guy who was muttering something. Honestly, I wasn't interested in his name.
“Why did you appear here? To eliminate me?”
As someone with the nickname ‘God of Bets,’ it was understandable that he would want to eliminate me, who was getting in the way of his match with the god of this world.
However, the answer that the Gluttonous Monarch gave me was different from what I had expected.
[Eliminate you? Why would I do such a waste?]
Wasteful? What did he mean by that?
[You're a precious being who will become my successor.]
“Successor? Me?”
[Yes.]
After replying curtly, the Gluttonous Monarch looked at me with a gaze as if he was admiring something.
“I don’t want to.”
[You don’t want to? Why?]
“Why, you ask…… Isn't it strange to accept it so readily? Who would want to go around destroying worlds?”
The things that the Gluttonous Monarch did while wandering through dimensions were things that were completely unsuited for my aptitude.
I wasn't particularly fond of gambling, and I didn't have the hobby of tormenting people for pleasure.
Perhaps because I had looked at him with a disgusted expression without realizing it, the smile disappeared from his face.
[I never expected to be rejected.]
“……?”
How was that possible? Wouldn’t it be normal to reject him?
[Aren’t you afraid of me? I can kill you if I want to.]
Ah, so that was why…….
“If I lose because I am not capable enough, then that’s just how it is.”
I had lived half of my life fighting.
The opponents were sometimes people, sometimes monsters, but there was no real difference in essence. The winner survives, and the loser dies was a natural principle.
Since I knew how much power I possessed, I wasn’t tense every single moment, but in my previous world, I had prepared myself to die in every single battle.
Believing that I was an exception was just arrogance.
Even if I met an opponent stronger than me, there was no reason to give up from the start, but it was inevitable that I had to risk my life.
I gripped the axe handle even more tightly and stared at the Gluttonous Monarch.
“I can’t force myself to do what I don’t want to do just because I’m afraid of death.”
[Usually, don't people just…… force themselves to do it?]
Maybe there were some people who would do that, but at least I wasn't one of them.
Even if it was a matter of my preference, I wouldn’t take on the task of senselessly eliminating countless lives just because I was afraid of death.
[Okay, whatever. If that’s the case…….]
He trailed off, glancing at the axe that I held in my hand.
'Is he going to attack me right away?'
Could I even properly defend myself even once?
'Even if I can’t, I have to do it.'
I had to deal a blow to his soul, even if I were to die trying.
To prevent him from killing me and escaping this place to destroy this world where Elias and my comrades were.
It was at the moment I was resolved for the worst.
[Won’t you gamble with me?]
That was when he made a new offer.
'He’s changing the direction like this?'
He had been acting like he would attack me right away, but he suddenly changed his attitude.
“A gamble, what do you mean by that?”
As I asked him, I was quickly thinking.
Perhaps there was a reason why he couldn’t just do what he wanted, like killing me or forcing me to do something; I had to find even a single possibility.
[I mean that we should have a gamble about the ending of this world. If you lose, you’ll follow my will.]
I stared blankly at him before shrugging.
“I don’t want to either.”
[……What?]
“You’re already in the middle of a gamble with the god of this world, aren’t you? To be betting with both sides over the same thing is just shameless, isn’t it?”
[You’re…… looking for a sense of conscience in me?]
“Why? Don’t you have one? There should be one around here.”
As I said while rubbing near my solar plexus, his gaze followed my hand.
[…….]
“……?”
For some reason, a deep silence fell.
'Hmm…….'
Perhaps the Gluttonous Monarch really didn't have a conscience.
Still, after pondering for a while, I came up with a hypothesis that would be advantageous to me.
'Perhaps, the Gluttonous Monarch is unable to exert any direct influence in this world other than speaking through the body of a boss monster.'
If Ermitar’s words were true, the Gluttonous Monarch and the god of this world were in a heated battle right now.
If he was able to do what he pleased, he could have just released all the powerful monsters at once and finished off the world in an instant, but the fact that he wasn't able to meant that there was a reason for it.
'Perhaps, this guy is also bound by rules.'
If that was the case, then even if I rejected the gamble and everything else, the Gluttonous Monarch wouldn’t be able to do anything.
[I may not have a conscience, but there are many things that I can give you.]
After a long moment of silence, the Gluttonous Monarch opened his mouth.
[Should I show you my treasure vault?]
“I’m not interested in treasures. All I want is a peaceful life.”
[A peaceful life……. with your partner, I see.]
I closed my mouth and stared at the guy as he brought up Elias.
[Then, it’ll be better to do this. If you win in the gamble with me, I’ll set that kid free.]
“Set him free? That makes it sound like he’s not free right now.”
At my question that I had asked to probe him, his eyes curved.
[Didn’t you already know? That kid is my contractor. If he’s lucky, he can live a peaceful life with you and end it in this life. However, in exchange for that, he will be bound to me for all of his other lives.]
“……!”
I suddenly recalled Ermitar’s words.
‘Actually, our world failed once. It was because of someone who had sided with the Gluttonous Monarch and tried to destroy this world.’
And the question the saintess had asked Elias in the carriage as well.
‘You’ve read them all, haven’t you? The dozens of fragments of this world, the will that the god left behind.’
The qualification to receive the will would naturally go to the one who had witnessed its end.
That meant that the last person standing at the end of the failed dozens of worlds was none other than Elias.
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