Ruler Vol 1 Chapter 32
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Author: Anit666
【Shiggurath’s POV】
“Ah yes. Do ask whatever you want to ask. I’ll answer to the best of my ability.” (Sam)
Then, let’s start with the most basic question.
“First of all, what are you? And no, don’t say that you’re just a human. I don’t need empty lies like that.” (Shiggurath)
Sam scratched his chin seemingly troubled, and then spoke.
“That’s a rather difficult question, because due to the various circumstances, ‘I’m just a human’ is the only answer I can give. Why are you even hung up on that anyway? This is the third time you’re asking that question.” (Sam)
Various circumstances? In other words, he still won’t give me a straight answer. Then.
“We asked Jack to describe you. And he said some really atrocious things about you. He said that you’d sacrifice anything for your goals, and that you might be the mastermind who’s been controlling everything from the shadows. And in the end: he advised us that no matter how much we think we understand you, we actually don’t. Now, tell me. Is all of that really true?” (Shiggurath)
He sighed heavily, and once again smiled wryly.
“My condolences that you had to listen to him talking about me. He always tends to over glorify things. Though all of it isn’t a lie. It’s true that I’d sacrifice anything for my goals if and only if the goal is worth that sacrifice. Also, I’m not the secret mastermind or whatever who’s been controlling everything. As for that understanding one, I’m afraid that it’s true. Or that’s what one of my friends used to tell me. I personally don’t believe that’s the case. Ah but if you are talking about a true understanding of me, then it’s impossible for the current you.” (Sam)
I’m slightly sceptical of what he has told me, but it certainly makes more sense than what that Jack told us. However.
“Huh? Impossible for me? What do you mean by that?” (Sam)
“To truly understand me, or any other person in general, you have to first get rid of all of your biases and preconceived notions and observe the target person objectively and carefully. You have to abandon everything else and devote yourself solely to observing that person. His habits, actions, thought processes, reactions and emotions to different kinds of situations, you have to understand and learn all of them. After doing that, the next step should be to follow a strategy of predict, observe, analyse. Predict how the target would react or behave in a certain situation. Then observe how he reacts, and then analyse whether you were right or wrong, and if you were wrong, then why. It’s largely based on trial and error. Now, how would you, who sees me as nothing more than a tool and an object of pity hope to do that?” (Sam)
What?! He knew?!
He snorted.
“Your face says that you’re shocked that I knew about that. Well, of course I would. Did you actually think that I would believe that you formed a contract with me purely out of interest? Ridiculous. Understand this, Shiggurath. Only a fool would think that his opponent is also a fool. Well, I guess that’s the issue with almost all of the people who were strong from the moment they were born. The strong always tend to underestimate the weak. And this is the biggest mistake that they make. It is because they are the weak that they can abandon all shame and pride to form the nastiest and lowliest of plans in order to manipulate you into self-destructing. While the strong wallow in pride and arrogance, the weak are able to sacrifice anything in order to win.” (Sam)
What? What is he saying now? Strong and weak? Am I the strong here and he the weak?
He’s saying that I’m underestimating him? Him of all people? Has he forgotten that I felt his emotions when we formed our contract? Anyone who can stay sane after feeling all of that is much stronger than me. I’m nothing more than a failure. I couldn’t even protect what I loved. And I was never able to get over that.
Unaware of my thoughts, Sam stood up from his chair and went around it to stand beside his bed and continued preaching.
“You underestimated me too much, Shiggurath…….” (Sam)
He stopped speaking, and put his hand on chin as if pondering something. His silence was unnerving. After some time, he spoke again in a pitying tone.
“Ah I see, perhaps that’s why you lost what was precious to you? I guess in that sense, you just got what you deserved.” (Sam)
What? What did he just say?
“I mean, see it this way. You wanted to protect the one you held dear, yet you couldn’t. Why? Because you were so incredibly proud of your power that you failed to consider every possibility, every harm that might come her way. And in the end, you lost her. I pity the one who died because of your foolishness. Perhaps she also got what she deserved? I mean, it was her fault that she befriended you. Poor soul.” (Sam)
What? Did he just say that losing Susan was what I, and what she deserved? Did he just say that he pities Susan because I failed to protect her?
The Susan who was kinder than anyone else, who loved everyone around her, and who was betrayed by those she trusted. The Susan whose wide smile was blindingly beautiful. He’s saying that he pities her due to my mistake?
Something inside me finally snapped. The emotions that I had bottled up inside my heart for so long finally erupted. And what filled me…… was rage.
Unforgivable! Who gave him the right to talk about Susan like that?! What does he know?! So what if he had glimpsed a part of my emotions?! So what if he’s my comrade who I have formed a contract with?! So what if he has faced much more in life than me?! I’ll kill anyone who disrespects Susan like that!
I’ll kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him!
I used magic to partially transform my hands and legs into my dragon claws, and grew small wings on my back. And I leapt at him.
The distance between him and me is a measly 2 metres. It’ll take me a very small amount of time to fucking rip apart his throat!
However, instead of taking any precautionary measures, he just smiled viciously.
“Kukukuku… Splendid, First Dragon Shiggurath.” (Sam)
What?! He knows that too?!
At that moment my transformation was undone, and the mana I had constructed around my body was blown away. A vicious pain assaulted my body: the Contract had interfered. Moreover, I was stopped in my tracks by an invisible force. No, it wasn’t through an invisible force. Sam had actually stopped me with his bare hand! And this all happened when my claw was already ripping the side of his throat! But it wasn’t enough to cause a fatal injury! One more moment and I would have separated his head from his torso!
I tried to construct mana again, but failed due to the interference from the Contract. Sam made his move. His right hand which till now was on my head, moved. And it moved to…. my face.
He gently caressed my cheeks, and spoke in a very soft, yet clear voice.
“These tears that are flowing out of your eyes, and this rage that made you almost kill me. This is enough of a proof that Susan is still the most precious person for you. I apologise for disrespecting her like that. I know better than anyone else just how angry that must have made you. But I had no choice. I wanted to confirm your feelings. And I must say that your feelings are more intense than what I’d thought.” (Sam)
Wh-what? What the heck is saying now? He was lying because he wanted to confirm my feelings? Isn’t that a lie because he wants to save himself now?
!!
Suddenly, Sam hugged me tightly. I tried to free myself of him, but was unable to do that because of the pain I was still feeling.
Fucking contract!
I continued struggling, flailing my arms around and kicking him by my powerless legs, but he didn’t relinquish his hold on me. Fresh blood was still flowing from the wound on his neck and had already stained a part of my hair.
When my I finally stopped my meaningless struggling, he whispered in my ear.
“You’ve done well, Shiggurath. Even after losing the one and only one you ever loved due to your own mistakes, you’ve been holding yourself together for the past 5000 years. It’s really commendable.” (Sam)
“What do you know, you bastard? You would never understand me!” (Shiggurath)
“Oh I do. I do it better than anyone else.” (Sam)
He knows? How can he-
No, he does. As he said, he knows it better than anyone else. I felt his emotions too, didn’t I. Although their intensity was much higher than my emotions, they were still basically the same as mine. But unlike me, he can easily handle them.
“Strip us down to the core, the flesh and skin, and you’ll see that we’re essentially the same, Shiggurath. We both have lost what we held dear.”
Yes, he’s right. But, so what? What’s the point of saying all this?
“Ah, but there is one difference.”
A difference?
“Unlike me, you wallowed in despair.”
He declared coldly.
His words echoed loudly inside my conscience. And as much as I wanted to refute his claims, I could not, because deep inside I’ve always known that I gave up on everything the moment I lost her.
As he said just said, I started slowly rotting inside the never-ending dark hell. My life spun out of control.
But what else was I supposed to do huh? What could I do? Just what-
“Yes, you fell into despair. You felt remorse over her death, and guilt over your failure to protect her. And you’re still tangled in those emotions. You still want to bring her back to life, right? That’s your heartfelt desire, right?” (Sam)
Yes, that’s what I desire the most. That’s the reason I live for. I want to bring her ba-
“Wrong.” (Sam)
Eh?
“Feeling that grief and guilt, spending those sleepless nights over those countless years while living in complete solitude has distorted your wish. You still want to revive her, if possible. There’s no denying that. But deep down, you just want to get rid of all those feelings. You………. just want to be freed of the emptiness that plagues your life.” (Sam)
My love for Susan, and my wish to resurrect her no matter how difficult it was, were the two things that had been sustaining me till now. My entire identity was built upon those two things. They were not so fragile to be shaken by Sam’s words.
“N-No…….” (Shiggurath)
And yet-
I could not withstand his assault.
My world fell apart, like a house of cards, never to be restored.
The thing that I’d been running away from all this time was thrust in my face so forcefully that I couldn’t even save myself.
But didn’t my world shatter too quickly? Ah, I see. I must have known it all along. About how my wish had been distorted to the point of no return.
Then, isn’t my life meaningless now? What do I live for? Absolutely nothing.
Strength left my body and all of my weight fell upon Sam. But he kept cuddling me gently. He whispered again.
“But don’t give up yet, Shiggurath. Not everything is lost. You can still redeem yourself.” (Sam)
“Redeem……… myself? How…….?” (Shiggurath)
I managed to ask in a powerless voice.
“Join me. And I promise you in the name of the Overlord that you’ll freed of your distorted wish. You won’t feel empty ever again, and you’ll be able to get rid of all those emotions that gnaw at your heart. You will find happiness.” (Sam)
His words were like the Devil’s whisper: too tempting. He was offering me an escape from the chains that have been binding me for the past 5000 years……….
No……… no. He won’t be able to do it. No one can do it. No one can rebuild my broken world.
“I know you’re thinking that this is impossible Shiggurath. But it isn’t. I, and only I, can do it. And for that to happen, you have to let me help you.” (Sam)
But…… I’m afraid. What if getting rid of this despair also makes me forget her? What if the love and gratitude I have for her also vanishes? I don’t want to lose that. That’s the only thing I’ve left now.
Sam, as if having read my mind, spoke again in his alluring voice.
“Don’t worry, Shiggurath. You’ll never forget her. You’ll still have all your memories and the emotions related to them. I’ll just free you of all the negative emotions.” (Sam)
I almost wanted to reach out and accept the hand he had held towards me in this dark hell, but my weak heart still tried to make a final resistance.
“Please…. Please don’t do this…… please don’t give me hope……” (Shiggurath)
I finally managed to say this in a very weak voice with tears streaming down my eyes. But he just hugged me more tightly in return, and spoke.
“I’m not giving you hope, Shiggurath. I just said it, didn’t I? I’m promising you in the name of the Overlord. And the Overlord does not go back on his words.” (Sam)
Overlord……? He’s the Overlord?
Ah… I see. If he’s the Overlord, then he can surely do it. He can surely free me. Then………
Strength returned to my arms, and I managed to embrace him, and all the hope he had given to me.
And so, I fell to the Devil.
【Sam’s POV】
“She sure is sleeping very peacefully, isn’t she…” (Sam)
I muttered while considering my current situation. It was the middle of the night. I was sitting on the corner of the sofa in my room. Shiggurath was sleeping on the same sofa, with her head on my lap and my hand clasped between her hands. What a weird situation.
Ideally speaking, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Looks like I went too far. She probably sees me as someone special to her now.
But Shiggurath, it saddens me to say this, but not once have I considered you my comrade. Not you. Not Cornellia. Nor anyone else. For me, winning is everything. The process, the sacrifices, none of that matters. All of you are just tools to achieve the said victory.
Anyway, my goal of making her my pawn was achieved, so there’s no reason to complain. Though I must admit that this plan worked too well, considering that it was improvised on the spot.
I had initially intended to conduct a trade with her in which both of us would have helped each other as equals. However, I had to scrap that idea after listening to the answers that Shiggurath gave me. My goals changed, and I had to change my methods as well.
I formulated a rough plan to achieve my goals. But I needed the cooperation of three people to execute that plan. One of them, was Shiggurath.
I had two choices: either talk it out with Shiggurath and convince her to cooperate with me, or make her my pawn and have her dance to my tunes. Unfortunately, I had very little information, time and evidence to convince Shiggurath. That’s why I had to settle on making her my pawn.
That’s why I purposefully disrespected Susan, in order to stir the emotions of Shiggurath and make her psychologically weaker. As expected, she got angry, really angry. She even attacked me god damnit. Thankfully, the repercussions from trying to breach the Contract kicked at the right time, and I had also casted body strengthening magic to stop her. I somehow managed to pull it off, but still got an injury at my neck. I was lucky that she missed the artery.
This made her physically weaker. And before she could attack me again, I executed the next part of the strategy. I attacked her psychologically. Due to personally experiencing her emotions when we had formed the contract, I had a vague idea of the weight that she carried in her heart, and hence knew how to free her of that weight. I gave her just what she wanted, thus destroying her and creating her anew in such a way that I became a crucial part of her mental support system.
She now has no choice but to cling to the faint hope that I have given her, because now that’s the only way she would know how to live. One can never forgo the hope that they find after living for a long time in despair.
But I had to promise her as the Overlord. Good grief…… Hargreave is going to chew me alive for this. No, before that, just what the hell is he telling people about me? I need to have a talk with him.
Though interestingly, I didn’t lie while manipulating her. My goals are synonymous with what Shiggurath wants. That means if I can achieve victory in this game, then that will give her what she desires. When that happens, she would have no more need for me, and hence will stop being my pawn.
How ironic. She, who till now thought of me as a tool, became the tool herself. Well, doesn’t matter.
But who would have thought that the thing I was looking for would come forth me in such a way? Finally! After 5000 years, I can finally execute Rododactylus. Just you wait for me, Lockheart. I’ll be coming for your head soon enough.
Just thinking about everything I was about to do, and everything that I would gain from it was filling me with rapture.
But for now, let’s focus on the next part of my plan.
Now then, let the game begin.
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