Ep 92. What Is It That You Truly Desire? (6)
Off in the outskirts of Hilia, the deity of life stood cross-armed and defiant, glaring down at her stammering son. The benevolent smile she wore when checking on the villagers was nowhere to be found.
Rozerre avoided his mother’s gaze as best as he could, but he couldn’t avoid the confrontation altogether.
“…I’m…um…”
“Go on.”
“…I’m sorry, mother. I did not mean to put you in harm’s way.”
Rozerre quickly lifted his gaze, hope sparking in his eyes as he continued his defense.
“But now that’ve learned of the dragonlord’s innate danger, we need but come up with a solution to address it! Is that not so?”
“…”
A pained, groaning sigh escaped the deity of life. She shook her aching head, her anger slowly transforming into a mix of stress and disappointment.
“Rozerre. I believe I’ve told you to not misuse your abilities hundreds of years ago.”
“This was not a ‘misuse’! You’ve seen it yourself, mother – that dragon is dangerous. They’re a threat to mankind!”
“…When will you ever mature?”
Despite his reluctance, the little deity swallowed his words. His mother’s disappointed eyes were filling with sorrow, and he couldn’t even hear the slightest anger in her voice.
After all, Aldrid knew that this wasn’t something she could hope to address by being angry at her son. Deep inside, she knew that Rozerre’s growth – or lack thereof – was largely due to the absence of a parental figure. A role that she’d been unable to fulfill until now.
“…Rozerre. If everyone were to live as they truly pleased, our star would have long perished in war and bloodshed. As one grows into an adult, a parent…a ruler, responsible for so much more than themselves…there comes a time when we must repress our desires and abandon our dreams. For the sake of those we’re responsible for.”
“…But those are lies. Falsehoods that mask who they truly are.”
“Do you think one’s desires define the individual? That’s not true at all. Those who live as they truly please are few and far between. At times, one’s duty and responsibility are able to define the individual far better than their wants. Rozerre, you still haven’t come to this realization.”
“…Even if what you say is true, mother, it does not change the fact that this dragon is an impending crisis. Should they finish their quest of destroying divinities, what guarantee is there that they wouldn’t follow through with destroying the world afterwards?”
“If she were planning to destroy this world as you claim, why would she bother finding us one by one? She may as well have destroyed this star, and us along with it.”
“That’s…”
As her son trailed off their words, Aldrid’s gaze drifted over to the distant skies.
“She’s subduing her own desires, Rozerre. For she places others far above her own self.”
“…”
There was nothing Rozerre could say back – especially because he knew, at least somewhat, that the dragonlord wasn’t exactly the typical ‘demonlord’ he had in mind.
Having a hidden desire involving violence was hardly a surprise for the deity of emotions. Although the sheer strength behind Serenis’ response was beyond his imagination, he’d seen plenty of violent responses in response to the same question before. Assault, murder, slavery, rape…the depravity Rozerre had seen in mankind through his divinity was nothing short of wicked.
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Indeed, the truly extraordinary part was that Serenis had withdrawn her magic through her own free will. When Raizel had leapt into the deluge of light, the dragonlord had unmistakably withdrawn her mana to save the steel dragon.
If Serenis truly desired to destroy this world, then it was nonsensical to withdraw her magic in any way. Indeed, as far as Rozerre concerned, the dragonlord should’ve been out to make her wish come true by any means necessary – regardless of how many died, regardless of the destruction she’d cause in the process. Her rampage should never have stopped until Rozerre’s divinity wore off, or her eventual death.
But Serenis had reined herself back, much less achieve her desires. Even if Raizel’s recklessness had somehow factored in, it wasn’t a stretch to say that the dragonlord had stopped her rampage on her own.
‘…In a state of ever-expanding greed, no less.’
It was a part of the questioning that had gone unmentioned. In an attempt to bring out the deepest facets of the individual, Rozerre had not only erased their inhibitions and amplified their honesty, but intensified their greed hundredfold. No one should’ve been able to rein in their desires under such circumstances.
Rozerre had used his divinity to test the dragonlord’s intentions and emphasize the threat that she was. Alas, all he’d done was prove that even excessive levels of greed could not drown out Serenis’ sense of duty as a ruler.
And finally, the deity of emotions raised both his hands in a surrendering manner.
“I’ll admit defeat, mother. I was wrong. Not all demons were the same after all…I suppose.”
“…I told you so.”
“You didn’t think I’d actually take those words to heart, did you? After all the blood we shed to the griffins and behemoths?”
“When Lord Serenis was alive, the other tribes never managed to hurt those within the dragonkin’s nest. They couldn’t.”
“…Not even once?”
“Not even once.”
“…Hard to believe, that.”
“But it’s the truth, Rozerre. That’s how Lord Serenis has always been. That’s how the dragonkin always has been.”
Her unwavering trust would never have formed otherwise.
Unlike her younger self, Aldrid now knew what sort of king their lord had been. Now, she knew that Serenis would prioritize her brethren over anything – even if it meant killing herself within.
And because her lord was such an individual, she wanted to gift them a reason to live on. Even if it meant pressing them into hollow promises, Aldrid wished for Serenis to remain alive.
Had they been here, the rest of the kin would doubtless have done the same.
“Now, I’d advise you to go apologize to Lord Serenis before it’s too late. I’m sure she’ll-“
Boom!
As a loud explosion cut off Aldrid’s words, the two deities looked towards the sound’s source. The trunk of a massive tree slowly angled downwards before crashing onto the ground.
The deity of life shot another glare at her son, to which he defensively raised his hands against.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything this time!”
“…”
Then who did?
✧ ✧ ✧
Meanwhile, at the capital city of Zeria…
“Your majesty, a word from the Grand General. Preparations for the upcoming campaign are proceeding apace. The army will be ready to march westward before the next moon.”
“…Hm.”
The Akeian emperor slowly opened his eyes. His low, piercing gaze seemed to stare into his subject’s very soul as he spoke.
“With this, the continent itself becomes our nation.”
“…Forgive my brashness, your majesty, but if she were to interfere…”
“That is no longer a concern.”
“…Has the Grand General succeeded in finding a countermeasure?”
“…”
When the emperor’s dreary eyes sharply thinned, the subject hurriedly lowered his head.
“F, forgive me. I’ve misspoken.”
“Do not doubt the empire. You need but follow.”
“…Yes, your majesty.”
“Go. I’ve matters to tend to.”
The kneeling subject hurriedly raised himself, swiftly exiting the throne room before evoking his emperor’s wrath. A light breeze brushed into the chamber as the door creaked to a close, and following suit, a cloaked figure suddenly stood before the emperor’s throne.
The emperor raised himself from his seat, meeting the figure eye to eye. But he soon closed his eyes in reluctance and lowered himself unto the floor, prostrating before the cloaked figure staring down at him without any care for his pride as the empire’s ruler.
“My lord.”
“…’Do not doubt,’ is it? You’d use my words to your subjects?”
“My deepest apologies. I will gladly accept any punishment.”
The cloaked figure scoffed at the emperor’s immediate submission.
“One does not punish a tool. They are merely discarded.”
“…”
“Play your part, Lavnore.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
The emperor continued to prostrate in silence, but his lowered stance no longer gnawed at his towering pride. His mind was instead filled with thoughts of his impending success.
‘With this…Astellion itself falls under the empire’s rule. We’ll finally have the power to raze the south’s wretches to cinders. For the great emperor…’
“…”
The cloaked figure soon turned his back against the prostrating emperor, facing the scenery outside.
An endless expanse of cityscape and water comprised the superb view outside. War had once broken the empire, but war had salvaged its remains to even greater glory.
The effort they’d made to use archaic remains into weaponry had paid off greatly. After all, what did it matter whose remains they were? Lifeless bodies were nothing but soulless objects, items that ought to be used. Even if it once belonged to a lord of the demon tribe.
Such histories were meaningless before a greater purpose.
In truth, the figure cared little for the empire itself. Wealth, land, power, authority – they didn’t need any of it. Even this prostrating emperor’s revolting presence was only being condoned for the sake of achieving their goal.
‘…With this, the last demonlord shall meet their end.’
And mankind’s oldest desire will finally be realized.