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CHAPTER 209: THE CHOICE OF DEATH

CHAPTER 209: THE CHOICE OF DEATH

Several days have passed since we captured Fernando and the coup was thwarted.

Kinu, Drake, and I tied up the unconscious Fernando and rode on top of Drake, who had transformed into his Dragon form, back to the Phantom Castle of Forenoir.

Just to be extra safe, we had him fly pretty high up, so no one would be able to see us land in the Phantom Castle.

Now then, what should we do from here on out? First of all, we needed to wake up Fernando, and then we could proceed from there.

Fernando, who had pressed the detonation switch at the climax of the coup, was put to sleep by Mare’s magic right after that. Mare has evolved into an SS Rank monster called “Dreamweaver” and was also good at Mental Attack Magic. And since Fernando had no resistance to such forms of attacks, he must have fallen into a deep coma without even actually understanding what had happened to him. And honestly speaking, watching Fernando not move even a muscle for several days straight made me feel a little bit uneasy.

「Mare,it’s time for you to wake Fernando up.」

「Roger that……」

Mare said, tapping her index finger right onto the middle of Fernando’s forehead.

Fernando’s eyes, which had been perfectly still up until just now, finally began to move again, and he slowly opened his eyes.

「U-Ugh…… W-Where am I……? W-What is going on……?」

Fernando slowly checked his surroundings, but his expression showed strong confusion as to what was going on.

「Hey there, how do you feel right after your awakening, sleepy-head?」

「…… NGH?! T-Thunder Emperor?! Flame Princess, Destruction Emperor, and even a woman named Mare……!? W-What is the meaning of this!? Where am I!?」

「Careful there, I can see that you are still confused as to what is going on. Oh well, I will try to explain it to you step by step. This is the deepest part of the dungeon called the Phantom Castle, our base of operations, basically. We have already crushed the coup that you have orchestrated and captured almost all of the rebel soldiers under your command.」

「W-What are you talking about……?」

「Well, I understand, really. It is hard to accept your crushing defeat as reality right away. Anyways, the coup you planned has been utterly crushed and you have been branded as a traitor to the state. If you know that much, you can imagine what will happen to you in the near future, right?」

「Damn it…… But that doesn’t mean everything you say is true! And who’s going to believe nonsense like this being the Phantom Castle!?」

「Well, I suppose you have a point.」

First of all, we can’t possibly move forward from here unless Fernando properly recognizes the situation he’s currently in. However, if I just wanted to make him understand that this was the genuine Phantom Castle, I would only need to summon Yaou here as proof.

When it comes to Yaou, its overwhelming presence would instinctively hit the opponent like a truck, letting them instinctively know just how strong and dangerous it is. If he were an ally, he would be a great help, but if he were an enemy, he would be a real pain to deal with.

So I called Yaou in here telepathically, and within a few seconds it had teleported to the inside of the labyrinth, appearing right next to me.

「Did you call me, my Lord?」

「Yeah, that’s right. Now, about three and a half thousand rebel soldiers attacked Plainnevert the other day, right? I wanted to show you the face of the guy who led them all.」

「Oho? So, you are the Boss of all of those maggots, huh……?」

As it said that, Yaou’s mood changed instantly. The look it was directing at Fernando was more than just that of anger; it was a pure murderous intent.

「You utter fool who dared to defy my Master, I’m sure it would be okay for me to just kill you right here and right now, right?」

「Wait, wait, wait! That’s something we shall all decide a little bit later. By the way, Fernando, do you understand now?」

「In an instant…… Teleporting a high-ranking Demon like it’s nothing…… That’s just ridiculous……」

The pressure and words Yaou used were all but a bluff. Yaou was not seriously planning on killing Fernando, and it was adjusting its murderous intent so that he wouldn’t faint on the spot.

「I am the one who rules over this Phantom Castle, the so-called ‘Dungeon Master’. Naturally, this dungeon is home to many monsters. And they are all under my command.」

「So in other words, there is no way in which I can escape from here…… Then why did you bring me here alive?」

「Because I wanted to talk to you. This coup has caused us a lot of trouble, you know? And Ruzarc has entrusted me with your disposal.」

「There’s nothing left for us to talk about now! And I’m not afraid of dying! If you’re going to kill me, then kill me!」

He was being so stubborn…… Fernando had a lot of pride inside of him, so he was probably going to die without telling me his true feelings.

But that was the future Ruzarc wanted to avoid the most.

「Hmm, what should I do……?」

Then Kinu, who had been listening in silence up until now, spoke up.

「Aun, can I take your place and give this a try?」

「Yeah, sure thing. He’s all yours now.」

After I agreed to her request, Kinu walked up to Ferdinand. Then she spoke to him in a calm tone.

「Prince Ferdinand, it would be really easy to die in a situation like this. But are you sure that’s okay with you?」

「…… Say what now?」

「What exactly did you really want to do, what did you really want to accomplish by this coup? There are a lot of things about this coup that I don’t personally understand.」

「That is, if I become King, I would make this country stronger and……」

「That’s just a fallacy. It’s not what you really think at all.」

「And what do you know about me?」

「You know, I kind of get it. I have been hiding my abilities and playing the role of the fool for over ten years now, and then everything was turned upside down right before I was able to achieve my goal. There’s no way I could possibly accept that.」

「Damn it……」

「That’s why you wanted to try it out, right? The abilities you have honed for so long…… You had someone to use them against, and a reason to do so. And besides…… You couldn’t possibly bear to live like this, right? As if you were dead?」

「W-Why do you know so much about just how I tend to think……」

「Some of the Seiha members here have rather painful pasts. But in that, they are living their lives to the best of their ability, doing what they are good at. Saying they will just die easily is no different from running away from life itself.」

「B-But…… I am already a sinner and criminal. I have done some truly unforgivable things. The only way for me to atone for those sins is to die and……」

「That way of thinking is what most people would brand as “running away”. Of course, you have the responsibility to atone for the things that you have done because of your own selfishness. But we won’t allow the easy idea of ​​dying and being forgiven just because a stupid reason like that.」

「But what else can I possibly do……?」

As expected of Kinu, her words really hit home with Fernando.

Kinu was skilled at reading people’s minds. Having her thoughts read and her thoughts rejected after being sympathized with to a certain extent, Fernando, who was a proud person, could no longer choose to simply “die”. However, he had not thought of any other option until just now, which is why he was so flustered and panicked.

Now, how will Fernando act from here on out?…… Because that would change the options we would have to take with him.