026 The King of Scorn and the Laughing Fool
――――,――.
I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.
I try to pick up the pieces of what remains within me, one by one.
My family… I think I had a father and a mother.
I didn’t have any siblings. My father’s name was—Babi Niflheim. I don’t know my mother’s name.
I feel like I had some friends. But I can’t remember who they were.
A lover, acquaintances, colleagues, a boss.
It feels like there was someone, or maybe even many people, but I can’t recall.
Was I always such a lonely person?
I don’t know, I can’t remember. My heart is desolate and cold.
So cold, so cold, so cold. It’s as if all the ‘heat’ has been drained from every part of my body.
The tips of my fingers and toes are so frozen they won’t move.
“Just a little more, just a little more, I’d say. Unnecessary, unnecessary, unnecessary! Ah, why is there so much useless information?! Were there really that many things to memorize?! Even though everything about you is mine, why are you arbitrarily remembering extra things?!”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
In this cold place, there is no one but me. Only Father gives me ‘warmth’ through his eyes.
Without it, I would only freeze. The next moment, I would surely be unable to move.
I must be grateful, I must serve.
If I don’t, it will no longer grant me ‘heat’.
“That’s right, that’s perfect. Anticipate my intentions and serve me before I even put them into words, complete all preparations before I act, and never do anything on your own that I haven’t instructed. You can do that. You must do that! Because you are my daughter! Because you are my closest ‘family (daughter)’!! Do you understand!?”
A fierce, almost painful ‘heat’ was being thrust into my body. Enduring the searing sensation, I somehow managed to get my limbs moving.
As I regained mobility, a fear of loss welled up within me.
A coldness that started from my fingertips, slowly freezing me, crept towards my heart. The terror of the chill, which was mercilessly stealing away something I had cherished within me, rose up to my throat.
I hate it, I hate the cold. I hate being cold. I hate freezing.
“I-I under…stand.”
“Hey, why did you hesitate? What was that pause? Answer me. Answer me, Iris! Do you have a complaint!? Against me!? Answer me, Iris!! Iris!!”
“That’s not it.”
“Then why can you deny it so fluently!? You must not keep secrets from me! Do you understand! You lack the awareness of who you owe your life to!! Do you not have ‘gratitude’ for me, your Father, Iris!!”
I continued to apologize to Father, who was roaring and striking me.
I kept apologizing, evading Father’s questions. I didn’t even understand why I was doing it.
But, there was something. I can’t remember it, but I desperately want it. It’s something that will warm me to my very core, something different from Father’s ‘heat’.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Did you think of something that you need to apologize for, Iris! Was that denial from earlier a lie!? Did you lie to me!? Did you lie to your ‘family (father)’, Iris!!”
A girl rushed towards me through the chaos.
“Ms. Iris! Are you alright!?”
“W-who?”
“Damn it! I’ll save you now, so please stay still!”
She swung the sword in her hand, cutting through the chains on both my hands. Then, after stuffing a cloth in my mouth, she yanked the spear from my abdomen in one swift motion.
As I groaned in agony, she sprinkled a green elixir on me, and the wound began to close up rapidly.
“You bastarddd! What do you think you’re doing to my, my Irisss!!”
“Sakurai!”
“Got it!”
With a roar, Father broke through the flames and swung his battle axe.
Just as it was about to fall on the girl holding me, a boy this time cut in from the side.
“Fire Sword, ‘Fire Drop’!”
The sword in my hand was swung as if scooping up the surrounding flames. The flames I was clad in burst, and the swung sword rapidly accelerated.
The boy, with his flame-clad sword, struck the side of the approaching battle axe, diverting its course. He then used the impact of the battle axe slamming into the ground as a springboard, launching himself into the air and kicking Father’s profile.
“How are the wounds?”
“It looks like it’ll take another few dozen seconds.”
“Understood. As soon as it’s healed, get out of here ASAP. I can’t fight for long while protecting you.”
The boy, with his flame-covered sword resting on his shoulder, glared at Father, whom he had kicked away.
The girl, holding me protectively, was tending to my wounds, trying to speed up the healing process.
The ‘fervor’ emanating from the two of them was strong and warm.
A wall of flames, possessing a ferocity akin to Father’s, yet enveloping me as if to protect me from Father’s ‘zeal.’
Especially the ‘zeal’ of the boy wielding the sword is released widely and strongly, as if dividing this room with Father.
“You, you, you lot! What?! Who are you?! You’re not Anubis, just mere humans! Why are you here?! Why are you interfering?! Who gave you permission to touch my Iris?!”
“Whoa, is that a shriek? Your lines are clipping, you know. I knew what kind of guy you were from the original story, but seeing you in person is beyond disgusting.”
“Aaaaaaaahhhhh! Don’t make a sound! Don’t chirp! My head is throbbing! It’s all your fault! For a human, a mere insect, to appear in my sight and act against my will! I did not order such a thing, did I!? Why do you act so selfishly, causing me trouble! Don’t get in my way!”
“Damn, with full voice acting, this guy is even more disgusting than I imagined. But it’s kinda fun to listen to—whoa!!”
Father closes the distance of what must have been 10 meters in an instant.
His speed creates afterimages, and behind Father, who is swinging his battle axe, an afterimage of him holding the battle axe horizontally follows. For some reason, it moves independently, attacking the boy as if to sandwich him.
In contrast, the boy skillfully manipulated the roundness of the shield attached to his left hand, deflecting the trajectory of the descending battle axe diagonally, and slamming the battle axe’s downward swing directly into the approaching horizontal sweep.
As if threading through the slight opening created by the collision of his own attacks, he now slashed at Father with the one-handed sword in his right hand.
“Can’t you come up with insults with a bit more vocabulary? Any kid can just repeat ‘idiot’,”
The boy, with his glib remarks, drew Father’s attention while parrying the furious onslaught.
Each time their weapons and armor clashed, circular sparks flew, and I, as if outside a mosquito net, thought, “How pretty.”
“Alright, I can move with this. Ms. Iris, let’s go.”
“You are… why, where…?”
“Ms. Iris’s place isn’t under some frivolous man. You may not understand now, but first, we need to get you somewhere that man can’t reach—!”
“Where are you going, Iriiiiiiissss!!!”
“To the infinite beyond for you, Fatherrrrr!!”
Just as Father was about to stop us from escaping, the boy attacked him this time.
The girl wrapped her arms around my neck and started walking, supporting my unsteady steps with her shoulder.
Behind us, two ‘passions’ were colliding.
I could feel the ‘passion’ of the girl standing next to me.
Two ‘passions’ trying to protect me from Father’s ‘passion’.
It was a strange sensation, like a fresh, unknown feeling, even though I should have known it. It was as if I was rejoicing in some kind of growth, and a sense of elation welled up within me.
Surely these two know me, and came here for my sake. That’s why not being able to remember anything is frustrating, and I feel apologetic.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, the girl speaks gently, encouraging me.
“It’s alright, Ms. Iris. We will definitely do something about your memories, and the curse placed on your perception.”
“Why… why go so far?”
“You saved us when we were about to go astray. That’s why we’ve come to help Ms. Iris too. Come on, the exit is just a little further!”
Just before stepping into the shining Teleportation Gate, I glanced back slightly.
There, I saw Father, slamming obstacles into the ground while reaching out towards us, and a bloodied boy, falling but still sweeping his leg, climbing onto Father’s back and striking him with the edge of his shield.
Despite being shaken off due to the difference in physical ability, he stood blocking Father from the Teleportation Gate. He seemed to notice my gaze, and without looking at me, he gave a thumbs up, as if to encourage me.
Enveloped in light, the girl and I headed towards the other side of the Teleportation Gate.
During that time, I sensed the ‘fervor’ emanating from the boy change in quality.
It was a ‘fervor’ I had only recently become aware of, yet it felt so nostalgic. I somehow felt that he was probably wearing a crescent moon-like smile, looking very happy.
“Honestly… what an idiot,”
Even though I shouldn’t remember anything, those words naturally slipped out of my mouth.
The next moment, my vision shifted to the other side of the gate, where there were several people besides the girl.
I couldn’t even focus on who was who, and my body gave out, tilting me precariously.
The one who caught me was a black giant with a physique nearly twice my height, ‘ ’.
I was gently, yet firmly, embraced by his steel-like chest.
Feeling the heat of ‘ ’, I quietly let go of my consciousness.