CHAPTER 24 - The Eye of Desmolfer. Part 1
(Pov - Daniel.)
(World 20.)
Ever since I can remember, I tend to wake up two or three times during my sleep because I like dreaming about nice things and falling back asleep. I don't know why, but I feel more comfortable waking up in the middle of the night and continuing to sleep—it makes my sleep feel richer.
Waking up, imagining something pleasant, and going back to sleep. One of life's greatest pleasures. But today, I can't afford that luxury. I'm awake, and even though I'm still sleepy, I can't keep sleeping.
Ugh, I'll get up in a minute. I need a little peace before the chaos.
Grandma, I hope you're okay.
I stare at the ceiling. Well, well. A lizard. How cute.
Heh. It brings back fond memories. My grandma is really grossed out by lizards, but she knows perfectly well how important they are for controlling pests, so she doesn't do anything to get them out of the house.
Judging by appearances is wrong—another one of my grandma's great lessons… She doesn't deserve to suffer.
Mother, please, don't harm her. Don't hurt my grandma. Don't hurt my friends. Don't hurt Cris. Don't hurt Daniela… Don't hurt anyone. I'm scared of what I'd do if something bad happened to them because of me.
"Oh, you're awake."
Bravo shakes my shoulders. How long did I sleep? I'm sleepy, but I can handle it. I think I'll have to fight with just my sword and save spells for emergencies. I can't waste energy.
"Come on, it's time."
"Yeah, thanks."
"Want some coffee?"
"With an apple, please, if possible."
"Heh. So polite," he said, ruffling my hair.
He left to get those things. I heard eating an apple is better than drinking coffee in the morning—it wakes you up more. So, if I eat an apple and drink a cup of coffee, it'll wake me up twice as much! I hope my logic's right.
I get up from the couch and stretch. Mmm. Ahhh. Hmmh. Yum, yum. I cover my mouth and yawn. Yum, yum… I can't keep avoiding the issue.
I'll have to kill. I'll have to kill humans in this fight.
A small price to pay to free a country, I know, but I'll have to fight using my sword. I'll cut off their heads or slice them in half. I'll kill humans in that horrible way.
My hands tremble just imagining it. I can't afford to fight while keeping my power at a minimum to avoid killing them, especially not against humans with powers I don't know.
Besides, they've probably already killed innocent people. They don't deserve to stay alive.
… I don't know why I don't feel guilty anymore. Now I feel… like I really want to kill them.
I shake my head quickly. No, no, no! Don't think like your mother, you idiot!
"You okay?" Bravo said, offering me a cup of coffee and an apple.
"Just having some moral dilemmas. Thanks for asking."
I took the cup. Let's see. No, it's not too hot.
I drank it in one gulp. Ow, ow, it was a bit hot! My throat's burning!
N-now the apple. Sorry for this, Grandma, but I don't have time!
I started eating the apple as fast as possible, without time to enjoy its flavor. One of the world's worst sins—eating without savoring! I'm sorry, Grandma, but I really don't want to waste more time!
I swallow the last piece and sigh. Alright, I've got something in my stomach.
"I think…"
I yawn and scratch my head. Yeah… Ah… Okay. Now I'm awake!
"I think I've got enough energy."
"Salmes and Diepo are preparing the weapons. Milfa and Tilfa are getting the cars ready to go."
Ah, weird names. Well, better not say anything about it—every world's different. Maybe we share some things, but they're all unique.
"Alright… And Nismei?"
"She's cooking."
Sniff, sniff. Smells delicious.
I turn and see Nismei cooking. Do we have time to eat before we leave? Ugh, I should've enjoyed the apple and coffee.
My stomach growls. I'm hungry, and it smells amazing. I wonder if the food in this world is different.
"Well, well… Anyway, back to what matters—where's the dictator?"
Mission first, food later.
"Come, I'll explain the plan."
Bravo heads to a table, and I follow. On the table are two huge blueprints showing a massive structure. One shows the area from above, and the other depicts a huge, ten-story house. The area is square, with the massive house in the center.
… Ugh, no point trying—I don't understand these blueprints much. They've got a lot of words written in this country's language (which I don't know), tons of numbers, complicated lines, blah, blah, blah.
I wonder if I need to know the structure. Wouldn't it be easier to go straight for him? Is he hiding somewhere in the building?
"Look closely. The dictator's base is, as you can tell, enormous. Inside, there are hundreds, possibly over 2,000 Froulen members, waiting for orders."
Over 2,000 people with powers?! Ow, ow, my heart hurts! D-don't panic yet—maybe they're not that powerful, or at least not too strong! A-as long as I get info on the dangerous powers, I think I'll be okay.
Plus, I can attack from a distance or turn invisible…! Oh, no, I already used the invisibility spell—I can't use it again for 24 hours. Ugh.
"2,000? Are they always there?"
"Yes."
"Why? Do they just stay there, waiting for orders? Sounds boring. Do they have another role? Protect the dictator?"
"He doesn't need anyone's protection—that's how dangerous he is. Froulen has thousands of members, around 5,000, spread across every sector of the country. Even in the smallest villages, there's one or two members controlling things."
"Hmm…"
I stroke my chin.
"Heh. Thinking pose, huh?"
Controlling every city, zone, village. Keeping absolutely everyone under his control. A true villain.
"Have you tried defeating him? Has the rest of the world done anything?"
"Professional heroes, rookies, retired heroes, students with promising futures. At first, everyone tried to stop him, but it was pointless. He killed instantly with a single touch—close combat was practically suicide. Long-range attacks didn't harm him, and while he took the hits, his allies took advantage of the heroes' distraction to kill them."
His voice broke for a moment as he spoke. All the heroes of a country, fighting a being so powerful he doesn't hesitate to kill. I don't even want to imagine how many innocents died in that war.
All the heroes of a single country, including students, against one being, and they couldn't harm him at all.
My hands tremble. I'm scared and, at the same time, I feel… excited? I'm about to face someone who's probably killed thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of innocents, and filled an entire country with fear, terror, and pain. A being who deserves to suffer for eternity in the worst of hells.
Imagining myself sending him to hell makes me feel… happy?
I cover my mouth. I feel like I'm smiling. Why do I feel so happy? Yes, I should be happy—his death will bring peace to this country, but…
"It's something else…"
"Something?"
"No, nothing, just thinking."
It's not the peace it'll bring that makes me happy… No, yes, that makes me happy too, but I feel like my happiness is coming from something else.
I feel confused. Why do I feel so strange? Why am I so happy? This feeling is new to me. I don't think it's happiness—it's something similar to happiness. My body trembles with excitement and… W-what?!
D-do I have… an erection? W-well, I just woke up—it's normal for guys. It's got nothing to do with what I'm feeling… Right?
W-well, well. I-I hope no one notices.
… Why do I feel like this? What am I feeling?
"And the rest of the world? Did they do anything?"
"All the foreign heroes ended up dead, and when they saw it was impossible to harm him, they gave up and focused on strengthening their own defenses in case he decided to invade other countries."
"Well, well. At least they didn't spiral into despair."
"What do you mean?"
"Something like dropping a nuclear bomb and wiping out the country entirely."
"You know about nuclear bombs?! Listen, he offered to let them drop any bombs they wanted, far from here because he didn't want his new toy—his new country—to get damaged! They threw all kinds of bombs at him, even nuclear ones, and nothing hurt him! It's impossible to harm him! That's why we have hope in you. If technology can't hurt him, all we have left is magic! Your real magic!"
"N-no weaknesses at all?"
"No weaknesses, for now."
…
…
…
Ugh. Well, well… I need a breather.
The dictator is a monster in every possible sense! He can't be harmed?!
I'll admit it—I can't hide it—I'm scared!
Scared of failing. Scared of letting them down. Scared of not being able to save them. I'm not even sure how powerful I am anymore after losing some of my power.
Plus, it's not just the dictator I have to worry about—I also have my fight with my mother and the Demon King. If I go into that fight weak, I won't be able to save my grandma. I need enough energy to rescue her and the others—that's all that matters to me. I have that spell under my control; I just need to get them out of the impact zone.
"Stressed?"
"A bit, honestly," I said, rubbing my forehead.
Will I be able to harm someone who's seemingly indestructible? If a nuclear bomb couldn't even scratch him, will my magic be able to make even a tiny dent?
Plus, I'm not fighting alone—they are too. What if I'm giving them false hope? What if I'm leading them straight to their deaths? I'll escape if I realize it's impossible to win—I won't waste a life pointlessly. This country will stay under a dictator's rule, but at least I'll have a chance to save all the existing worlds. It hurts to sacrifice a country, but… there's nothing I can do if I fail.
I can't stay here longer.
I can't abandon my grandma and the others.
I can't waste the chance I have to defeat the Demon King with that spell.
I can't abandon all that and throw away my lives for one country. One country isn't worth the same as all the alternate worlds.
It's… too cruel. My thinking is cruel but realistic. I mean… ugh… It really makes me feel awful.
Everyone around me is ready to give their lives for this final mission—I can tell. They're placing their hopes in me, while I'm planning to escape if things go wrong.
It hurts, but… Ugh, I don't know! I want to help them, I don't want to let them down, but I can't let God down either! It pains me to plan my escape, but I can't risk my mission just to satisfy my moral principles.
My mission is the priority… My mission is the priority! Daniel, stop feeling bad!
They'll die if I escape—I doubt I can escape if I try to save them all. It's the most realistic thing, Daniel, understand!
I know, I know, I know…! I know… But I can't help feeling like complete garbage.
Damn it. If only this world had powerful heroes instead of useless idiots who had to wait for a complete stranger from another world to come solve their problem… Huh?
D-did I… did I just think that?
Why did I think something so awful?!
… Huh? Why is my body moving? Bravo? Are you talking? I can't hear you. Why do you look so upset? What's going on?
"Da… What…? Rea…!"
I'm starting to hear him little by little. Am I going deaf?
"Daniel…! Hey, hey, you're scaring me!"
Huh? What? Since when has Bravo been shaking my shoulders? I didn't notice. And blood? Blood splattered on his face. Everyone's staring at me. Am I the one bleeding?
"I'm fine, so please, stop shaking me!"
I pushed him and… Pfft. He fell to the ground. How funny. If you were an anime girl, your panties would be showing. Close your legs, pervert. Hahaha… Ha…
…
…
…
Why did I do that? What's wrong with me? W-why did I enjoy his fall? Did I react violently? Was I angry when I pushed him?! What's wrong with me?!
"S-sorry, Bravo, I…!"
Huh?
He jumped up and hugged me.
Why is he hugging me? What's happening now? I don't understand anything anymore.
"It's better to stay relaxed to think clearly. Stressing out isn't worth it. A clear mind shines brighter than a chaotic one—there's more room to think, so it's more effective."
"Relax?"
"Sit down for a bit. I'll get you something to eat."
His expression is so friendly and warm. A kind, sweet person. Thank you for forgiving me—I really don't know what's wrong with me.
Why do I feel so strange?
And why does my right eye burn so much? Did sweat get in it?