Chapter 592 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

A stroll on a deer isn't too bad. I enjoyed it. After setting Shei down, I dismounted from the deer. While Shei might prefer to run off freely, there's little merit in that for me. "Alright, I've heard enough. I'm going now." Just as I was about to lightly wave my hand and leave, someone grasped my clothes firmly. Who was clinging on so desperately? "...Huh? Hughes, are you really leaving?" Turning my head, I saw Shei looking at me with wide eyes. Her trembling hand held no strength, but rather than the physical grip, it was her emotional hold on me that made me reconsider and kindly explain. "Yes. I've heard and learned all I need to. It's time to act according to everyone's wishes." "Wishes? These people came to stop Nevida." "Exactly! That's it. They came to thwart Nevida's plans. Which means, in turn, Nevida's plans have to exist for them to fulfill their goals." Sustaining life by transforming into a tree isn't recommended for druids, as it goes against the flow of nature. But that's not all. Rebellion is historically seen as taboo, burning the World Tree is one of the gravest sins a druid can commit. "Because humans sprout from fruit, they betrayed their own sovereign, brought a nation to ruin, burned the World Tree, and tormented an archwitch who helped them out of kindness. Is any of that not taboo? Who would be praised for such actions?" Who decides what's allowed or not? Humans do. Druids decided. Rebellion? Allowed. Burning the World Tree? Worth the risk. If it meant preventing humans from emerging from trees, druids decided to leap over such taboos. "These are all taboos! But the druids committed each atrocity, all to prevent just one thing: the birth of humans from fruit. Everything was sacrificed for that one goal!" I raised my voice and then spoke somberly. "...However, Nevida is too powerful, and with no one to hear the truth, despite abandoning everything they held dear, the tree of betrayal remains. So they waited, hidden beyond time, for this very day." "This day..." "Yes! The moment Nevida tries to resurrect the human king! At the very peak of Nevida's grand plan, they aim to disrupt it!" They had been waiting for me. Although our objectives might differ, these people too have been eagerly awaiting the return of the human king. They might have yearned for me more than any other creatures. "Now that I've appeared, their miserable survival has finally paid off. But if the escape succeeds, what will become of them? Should they flee successfully, they'll drift aimlessly without purpose, and failing means dying uselessly. Sorry, but that's neither your wish nor mine. Not even Nevida’s, who waits for the return of the human king." Shei seemed a bit confused. It wasn’t that she couldn't understand my words logically, but that they were difficult for her to accept emotionally. "So, Hughes, you..." "Yes! But if wishes are fulfilled too easily, where's the fun in that? And taking me and fleeing isn’t your true desire. It's just a stopgap! Don’t you think it should be achieved more dramatically, more essentially?" "What are you planning?" The answer is simple. Their wish and the wish of those opposing them. Nevida and the creatures hoping for the king's return, and the druids who seek to prevent it. There's only one way to fulfill all these wishes. "Here I declare, as the human king, with the power of your wishes! I will climb to the top of the tree of betrayal!" I raised one hand above my head and shouted so loudly that the forest echoed. "Whoever wants to stop me, stop me! Who wants to help me, help me! There's not much time. The moment I reach that end, the true human king will be resurrected!" The druids who brought me here, the archwitch who blocked the way with the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, and even Shei, who was just with me, were all rendered speechless. Especially Shei seemed the most shocked, as her fingers, which had done nothing but fidget, were now moving quite well. The first to act was Nenyaf. Approaching me with a disbelieving face, he asked. "How can you say that? Though we betrayed our sovereign, it was to uphold human duty. How could the human king compare that to mere rebellion?" "Human duty? Who decides that?" "We humans do. There are duties that humans must uphold, even if they aren't bound by words or seen by actions. The former king's act of conceiving beast children in the countless meat fruits violated the sanctity of the human species itself! It was an unforgivable act!" "Yes. That was your wish. And you acted according to those desires. Since it was righteous according to your belief, there's no problem, is there?" I beamed at Nenyaf. Don't misunderstand. I'm not criticizing you. If anything, I'm praising you. Haven’t you destroyed countless orders to protect one decision you made? If that’s not savage, then what is? I admire that. "The wish to not think of a pink elephant can't be fulfilled. Because the pink elephant has to be thought of for that wish to exist. Similarly, to prevent a taboo, the taboo must occur first!" "That's sophistry! Our wish is complete only when there's no taboo!" "Is that really so? When the tree of betrayal grew, when those rumors of the human king's return were heard. When taboo was about to recur. Weren’t you genuinely pleased? Didn’t you feel exhilarated that the time had finally come?" "That...!" Nenyaf and the druids couldn't immediately answer my question. They were forest keepers who had waited, with a singular purpose in their existence. The fulfillment they would feel in realizing their purpose was genuine too. Yet, Nenyaf could not easily concede. "Then what of our wish? The centuries we've endured, turning into trees to bear the hardship and pain to prevent the blasphemy against humanity—are you saying it can never be fulfilled?" "It’s right there, in your heart. In the bow and arrows in your hand." If you want to stop it, shoot me with an arrow. If you can kill me, Nevida's plans will be considerably delayed. Nenyaf's eyes wavered slightly at my meaning. Grinning, I tapped my chest. "As long as I'm alive, the resurrection of the human king is always possible. The most certain way is to drag me to a secluded place, kill me, and bury me so I can't be found. Oh, better yet, turn me into a tree." "I have no intention of doing that." "No intention at all? Sure, because if you did, there would’ve been no need to bring me all the way here. But when backed into a corner, will that not cross your mind? Don’t say no. You’ve already destroyed a nation and burned the World Tree." Well, the idea of not intending to kill me might have been true. It would waste more of Nevida's time trying to escape with me than killing me. Morality might not be completely ignored by these druids. "This is for your consideration too, Nenyaf. Though I fall among ordinary folk, I'm not going to be killed by you." Nenyaf took a powerful grip over his heart area and spoke. "...That's a matter of perspective." Oh? Confidence, is it? But the odds aren't in the druids' favor. During the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, a black jaguar sprang from the shadows, attacking one of the druids. Simultaneously, Shei kicked a druid quietly readying an arrow with her foot. A succession of sharp impact sounds echoed, followed by the parrot and Shei's voices. [I will not stop you from leaving, Nenyaf. But know this is the last mercy you’ll receive from me.] "Touch Hughes, even a fingertip, and I'll kill you." Tension surged from the darkness. While Nenyaf still held some 'certainty' within him, against the archwitch’s Night Parade of a Hundred Demons and Shei simultaneously, they had no chance of killing me before Nevida arrived. Nor did they want to. Upon finishing his calculations, Nenyaf signaled to halt. The druids, preparing to attack, stopped upon seeing his gesture. "Cease. The human king has decided not to join us." "Nenyaf! What do you mean? If we leave now, we cannot prevent the high druid’s atrocities!" "As you say. Our battle should be against the high druid’s sins, not the human king. Fighting both would result in our annihilation." "I'm not afraid of death!" "Nor am I. Death holds no fear. But failing to stop the high druid’s sins terrifies me. We would not rest beneath the World Tree's roots, even in death." The druids couldn’t comprehend, but regardless, stopping me in this atmosphere was not possible. The Night Parade was poised to shred them at a moment's notice. Left with no conclusion, the druids reluctantly began to retreat. Meanwhile, Shei unwittingly guided a deer closer to me with such naturalness that I almost mounted it unknowingly. "No, Miss Shei, you should follow them." "Why?" Why? There’s nothing for you to do by the source tree. I'm going to resurrect the human king, and you’re not going to stand by and watch that happen. You’ll probably get involved and end up maimed or killed. "So you can come back to stop me." "...Can't you just not resurrect him? You can do that, right?" ...Is she questioning if it's really necessary to resurrect the human king? True, if my wish aligned with Shei’s, I might have resisted as well. However, Nevida will resurrect the human king no matter the cost. She might threaten or forcibly control me. If it’s such a formidable wish, I have no choice but to act. "I doubt that’s possible. There’s no restarting for me. To survive, I must follow Nevida's words." Willingly or unwillingly, I move by wishes. Especially when there’s an overwhelming amount of them gathered. And crucially... this is the only way to resolve the current situation. "Go on now." I gently pushed Shei’s back. Though she frequently glanced back at me, she didn’t have much choice either. The option of killing me in an emergency was disappearing from her mind. "...I'll come back." "Don’t return with half-hearted resolve." I waved my hand and turned around spiritedly. I didn’t look back. Instead, I walked purposefully, making my steps echo loudly through the jungle. The archwitch’s Night Parade encircled me, not pursued after the druids, but gathered around me like escorts, matching my steps. Amidst the beasts, a peculiar presence caught my attention. With my mind-reading skill, I identified the observer and called out their name clearly. "Did you hear, Nevida?" The forest shifted slightly. From the densely growing trees, some stepped aside, and it seemed as if Nevida had been there all along, emerging seamlessly. The parrot hovering nearby muttered grudgingly. […I didn't bring her. Nevida noticed on her own.] "I know. Since I didn’t betray or flee, there’s nothing for me to worry about." And in doing this, Nevida won’t be able to pursue them. To Nevida, they're nothing more than irritating insects. Her only wish is the resurrection of the human king, and everything else is ancillary. Rather than swatting away the insects and missing the long-awaited return of the king, Nevida had no choice but to follow me. Because of this, Nevida sensed my intentions more than anyone else. "My liege, did you truly wish to protect that woman so much?" "Pardon? Why do you ask?" "If you had not declared so, I would have killed them all. Did you do this to stop me?" "Oh, come on. If I truly wanted to protect Shei, I would have pleaded with you, Nevida, to at least spare her life." Nevida looked at me with an expression too straightforward to read, and then slowly spoke. "...I could still kill them all now." "Really? Well, do as you wish." "Are you truly fine with that?" "Why wouldn't I be? If, after deep contemplation and expanding your thoughts, you've concluded this is my intent, I have neither the reason nor the strength to stop you. I just let things flow as they will." Do as you please. Can I really stop someone as powerful as a deity or the strongest in the world? It's no use trying to persuade them as if their mind could be changed by appealing. It's already out of my hands. As I hastened my steps towards the source tree, Nevida, seemingly resigned, looked away to the outside. YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0WDREODc3Y0luL0MvRWUvalFsamFUKzV6bmhuZXB5RlpxWDkxUlY1MFdZNQ "However, if such is your wish. Then I too shall refrain." "Oh, thank you for showing mercy. To repay that kindness, I'll work even harder!" It seems I'm not very trustworthy. But, Nevida... "Do I seem unreliable? Are you curious about my intentions? Alas, you can't read my mind. So, what will you do? Control or accept—it's up to you." In the end, things will go the way you want, if that wish is genuine.