Chapter 182
“You must go there and give a speech.”
Upon hearing the answer, Daphne stood there blankly, utterly dazed.
No, that is, she understood what he meant, at least. The Emperor was going to conscript people because he intended to fight the temple, and she understood that people who opposed the conscription of children who had not yet reached adulthood had gathered, and that she was supposed to lend them her support. She understood everything.
“But why do I have to give the speech……?”
Heros answered casually, as though it were only natural.
“Because you’re the hero.”
“…….”
The father was the hero, and the daughter was the hero.
Many people already knew them that way. Therefore, there could hardly be anyone better suited than Daphne to give a speech opposing conscription.
“Is that all?”
But Daphne did not completely trust that answer.
“You’re not trying to use me or anything?”
“What?”
“No. You can use me. But I’m asking because I want to be used while knowing about it myself, so answer me honestly.”
Daphne spoke with her large eyes wide open, because she truly was fine with being used. If there was something she possessed that was useful for exploitation—in other words, if using it could save many people—then she was willing to be used as much as necessary.
That was what she meant.
“Daphne.”
Heros’s expression was unusual.
“Being self-sacrificing is certainly a good quality for a knight.”
He continued in a somewhat subdued voice.
“But.”
With a sigh, he approached Daphne and knelt on one knee before her.
“You are my daughter.”
“……What?”
“Who could possibly hear their daughter say that she intends to sacrifice herself and call that admirable?”
“No, no. Wait a moment.”
“This time, I’m asking because it cannot be called a great sacrifice, but for other matters, in other words, anything that might cause you to get hurt, please do not act like that.”
At Heros’s continued words, Daphne could not bring herself to answer and simply stood there with her mouth wide open.
What did I just hear?
Daughter, daughter.
Daphne felt as though the world had gone distant for a moment, because these were words she had never imagined hearing.
No, didn’t I find out only a few days ago that I was actually the calamity, Selus, and that I had taken over this body?
But, but…….
“I’m your daughter.”
“That’s right.”
“Even though you know.”
“That’s right.”
“Even knowing everything, really, your daughter.”
In truth, Daphne had thought that Heros would abandon her. That was why she had mentioned her usefulness all the more. Don’t abandon me now. I still have something you can use. So please, just don’t say that I’m not family. That was what she meant.
But…… daughter?
At Daphne’s bewildered and disbelieving expression, Heros let out a troubled sigh. He understood a hundred times over why Daphne was asking and speaking like this.
So Heros decided to be much kinder than usual, and resolved that he should speak gently.
He slowly opened his mouth.
“The original Daphne was a mass of curses, they say. A curse that could not even be called alive.”
“That is true, but.”
“Therefore, the one I came to love was you.”
Daphne’s eyes widened.
“I loved you. I did not love the mass of curses.”
Her eyes, which did not even blink, slowly began to fill with tears.
“Daphne.”
Heros held Daphne’s hand tightly. His warm body heat was transmitted directly to her.
“You are my daughter, and you are our family.”
Daphne found it difficult to believe this situation. She could not believe it…….
If Heros had known about Daphne’s soul, like Elise did, then it would have made sense. But he not only knew nothing about souls or anything of the sort, he merely knew that the current Daphne had been Selus.
He only knew that Heros had sealed Selus, and that the sealed Selus had somehow entered Daphne’s body.
In other words, even if he had spent all this time suspecting that Selus had driven Daphne away in order to take revenge on him, that would not have been enough.
And yet…….
“So please, take good care of yourself.”
He was giving her such excessive affection.
He was saying the very words she had wanted to hear so badly.
“Ah, uh. Ugh…….”
Daphne groaned and buried her face in both hands.
She had longed for it.
She had truly longed for it for such a long time.
To create something called a family.
To have someone who cared for her and stood on her side.
To have someone beside her whom she could love without fear…….
That was what family meant to Daphne. Being by each other’s side, loving one another, and even if they hated each other, loving each other again—a close-knit bond overflowing with that kind of love.
That was why she had sincerely longed for a family.
“Because you are our daughter.”
Now that dream had actually come true, yet she could not believe it. It did not feel real, and it frightened her. But at the same time, she was happy. She felt as though she could fly away from happiness.
“……Hero.”
Heros slightly frowned. No, I just called you my daughter until a moment ago. So why are you calling me a hero again? Just as he was about to say that,
“You’re not sick, are you?!”
“…….”
“You’re not saying nonsense to me because you’re sick, are you?!”
After hearing Daphne’s words, Heros thought.
Let’s start by giving her some trust.
***
Whoooosh!
On top of a cliff where desolate winds were blowing relentlessly.
Shio stood upright on the cliff and looked up at the sky. A very high place, and therefore a place even closer to the sky.
However, he could not reach the sky. His sky had already disappeared while creating the world.
Shio, who had been staring blankly at the sky, slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s been a long time.”
Flash! Rumble— There was nothing but lightning and thunder in response. No, there was not a single living creature here that could answer him.
This was the edge of the world.
A certain space existing by forcing its way through the gaps of a rift.
Therefore, there was nothing ‘alive’ here besides Shio. Yet he opened his mouth as though he were speaking to someone.
“I should have visited more often, but I’m sorry that I couldn’t. But I’ve been rather busy myself, as you know.”
He continued speaking while staring at a certain point in the flashing sky.
“The hero who received your arrangements has finally broken out of the egg.”
The sky referred to as ‘you’ shook once again.
“This is thanks to a being who did not receive your arrangements.”
Shio traced his fallen hair and gave a small chuckle. Black and white. He had thought these two colors could never mix, but he had been wrong. They could mix. They could coexist.
Therefore, Shio concluded that both could coexist.
“You will call the hero admirable, but I am more concerned about the existence opposite to that. I feel sorry for them. It upsets me.”
As he continued speaking calmly, he suddenly remembered Daphne’s words.
-The cruelty of you who summoned an innocent soul and forcibly turned it into a trash can for causality.
-The disgusting contradiction of pretending not to know about him, only to regret it belatedly.
“I must protect her.”
I was a mass of contradictions. A mass of contradictions and an unforgivable deceiver. And yet, I wanted to remain by Daphne’s side. While claiming that I was an innocent, harmless being.
From Daphne’s perspective, how exasperating must that have been? A bystander was no different from a perpetrator, yet a bystander had come to her saying, I am good.
But Daphne had even forgiven such a deceiver. She had accepted me.
Therefore…….
‘I have to protect her.’
Now that he could somewhat anticipate what was going to happen in the future.
He could no longer remain in a state of relying on Daphne’s power.
So,
“I suppose I must break my promise to you now.”
Shio said with a bright smile a
s he looked toward the sky.
“Because now there is someone I must protect.”
Flash! Rumble—
Lightning raged.
Shio calmly closed his eyes as he watched the streaks of light strike down.
It was time to reclaim his power.
