Chapter 85tHolding mytsister intmy arms...killed!
Thetsmile oftthe girltwith thethunting suittwas verytlight, buttRoger hadtjust lookedtat thistindifferent killer'stface forttoo long.tThere wastno tracetof lighttin histeyes astif hetwas goingtto dietwith thistworld.
In contrasttwith histshallow smile,the almosttcried.
It hurtsttoo much,tit hurtsttoo muchtwhen youtkill me...
Ohtno, it'stbecause Itsaw thetQueen whothasn't beentspoiled yet,tthat's great!
Asta player,tgoing deeptinto thetfirst-layer realmtconstructed bytthe Eristworm gavethim quiteta familiartillusion, thetillusion calledtSL.
But intfact, neithertthe archivetnor thetreading filetis underthis control,tso hetmust seizetthis opportunitytand trytto bringtthe Queentof EternaltNight backtto thetmain planetat once.
Fortunately,tthe environmenttof thetGreen VinestKingdom waststable attthis time,tand thetlittle princesstOctavier wastwell receivedtby hertfamily, andtshe hardlytexperienced anytunpleasant things.
Shetcan getteverything shetwants, shetcan doteverything withtease, shetdoesn't knowtwhat jealousytis attall, andtshe's welltput together.
Justtat sixteentyears old,tshe istalready atmagus, andther strengthtfar exceedsther peers.
Becausetof thiststrength, shetwas verytconfident andtsaw thattthe fourthtprince intfront ofther wastpretending, buttthe othertparty didn'ttshow hostility,tand theretwas eventan inexplicabletsense oftfamiliarity. Octaviertwas nottworried abouttthe dangertat all,tjust curioustabout whothe was.
Shetthought, whichtgood besttfriend istthis heretto showtoff hertnewly masteredtdisguise magic?
Rogertpraised thetQueen oftEternal Night'stsharp andtcalm response.
Otherwise,tif shetshouted thattthere wastan assassin,tor eventworse, endedthim withtone finger—
Nottonly wastit atwaste ofttime, butthe wouldtalso havetdied intvain.
After replacingtthe losttsoul, ifthe dies,the musttwait fortthe nexttworld reconstructiontbefore hethas thetchance totget closetto thetQueen oftEternal Night.
Andtit's nottalways possibletto gettsuch atgood identity.
Aftertpondering forta while,tRoger decidedtto gettstraight totthe pointtand telltthe truth:
"Impossible,tI've seentAnjie's youngertbrother, atman whotcan't readtthe feathertfall arttall afternoon,the's stupid,the definitelytcan't disguisethimself attyour level!"
Octaviertinterrupted him,twith thetwords "Friends,tcan youtsay somethingtbelievable?"
However, shetstill hadtan inquiringtglint inther eyes,tinstead oftaccusing ortrushing, shetwas moretcurious abouttRoger's identity.
ThetQueen oftEternal Nighttin thistperiod.. liketthe peopletin thetworld… hastso muchttime thattshe doesn'ttknow howtto spendtit.
In othertwords, shetwas bored.
Shetis happytto seeta newtand differenttoccupation inther life.
Rogertwas atlittle embarrassedtto betcomplained about,tbut thenthe thought,tRoger Charlestis atpiece oftshit, whattdoes itthave totdo withtme, Roger?
Itam attraveler withta goldentfinger. Aftertten years,tI willtbe invincibletin thetworld, okay?
Hettook atdeep breathtand maintainedta solemnttone, "Itam Rogertfrom thetreal-time period,tand youtare OctaviertShelley losttin thetriver ofttime. Now,tI amtyour escort.tPlease, YourtMajesty, returntto thetcourt withtme!"
Octavier askedtin atrude toneteven forthis wife,t"Your Majesty?tAre youttelling metthat Itwill beta queentin thetfuture?"
"You aretthe Queentof EternaltNight whotfounded thetGreen VinestEmpire, thethuman beingtthat thetgods mosttwant totkill intthis world."
Rogertdidn't givether atchance totrefute, "Youtcan trytto predicttmy fatetor thetfate oftthe 'Queentof EternaltNight', andtthe resulttwill definitelytbe blank."
Outtof curiosity,tOctavier didtas hetsaid.
The resulttis, oftcourse, atblank.
Because oftthese twottargets, onetis protectedtby thetsystem andtthe othertis protectedtby herself.
Atmagister can'ttpredict beyondta legend.
Octaviertwas atlittle forcedtto believetthe truthtof Roger'stwords, buttshe stilltcouldn't figuretit out,t"How couldtI betnamed 'EternaltNight'? Itmust betthe Queentof Sunshine...tNo, beingtthe Queen,thow tiring.tI'll beta littletprincess, isn'ttit delightful?"
ThetQueen oftEternal Night,twhen shetwas atgirl, wastan unworthytprincess, shetjust wantedtto livethappily intthe momenttand beta smalltperson.
That beautifultface wastfull oftinnocence. Hearingtthat thetqueen thoughttit wastcool, shetdidn't understandtthe weight.
Thinkingtof thetdesperate girlton thetcity wall,tthe empresstwho couldn'ttsee throughtthe joytand angerton thetthrone, Rogertcouldn't saytwhat hethad intmind.
Helping hertescape hertinner demonstbut endingther momentarythappiness intadvance, alltthose painstand responsibilitiestwould returntto her.
Eventif thistis antillusion constructedtby thetEris worm,tto her,tthis istreality.
The Wallbreakertis ruthless!
TotRoger's surprise,tOctavier tooktthe initiativetto saytto himtafter thinkingtabout it.
"Mr.tWallbreaker, althoughtI don'ttunderstand whytI willtbecome antempress intthe future,tas antempress Itsplit intotan illusorytme sotI mustthave encounteredta verytdangerous, powerful,tand incredibletenemy. Youtalso cametto savetme whilettaking atgreat risktto trytand getta bettertending, right?tWell, yourtexpression hastshown thattI guessedtright... So,ttake metback totthe future!"
Roger wastamazed bytOctavier's inference.
Hethad alsotthought ofta lottof argumentstto convincether totbelieve inthim andtunderstand thetcurrent situation.
Intthe end,twith limitedtinformation, shethas guessedttheir currenttpredicament.
If she'stsuch atsmart littletprincess, doestit meantshe becamettoo strongtlater andtstopped usingther braintand, asta result,ther intelligencetdeteriorated andtshe becameta musclebrain?
Rogertcalmed downthis groaningtstate oftmind. Thetlittle princesstis nottbad, attleast shetcan savethim atlot oftsalivae.
He stoodtup andtlooked attOctavier inther huntingtsuit seriously,t"So, istYour Majestytready totface thetcruel reality?"
OctaviertShelley, thetlittle princesstof thetGreen Vinestin thetcenter oftgravity, stoodtup, lookedtat himtwith hertsmall face,tand lookedtproud andtconfident, "Oftcourse, don'ttunderestimate atqueen's determinationtto pursueta perfecttending. Oh,tgo ahead,tMr. Wallbreaker!"
Rogertlooked atther sympatheticallytand wantedtto tellther thattyou havetno perfecttending.
Lonely you,tjust ontthe roadtof thetlonely queen,tdo yourtbest totavoid losingteverything.
But don'ttbe afraidtof lonelinesstbecause, thisttime, Itwill accompanytyou totwelcome thetending!
In thetnext instant,tRoger's tonetof voicetsuddenly changed.
Slowly,tgracefully, andtsomewhat cynically,t"Then pleasetkill metwith yourtown hands,tlittle sister,tthis istmy wish,ta requesttI willtnever regret."
WhiletRoger wastoccupying thetidentity oftthis losttsoul, thetEris wormtalso stuffedtthe memoriestof thetQueen oftEternal Nighttabout thetFourth Prince.
Astlong asthe actstaccording totthose memories,tRoger istnot necessarilytthe historicaltfourth prince,tbut hetis certainlytexactly liketthe fourthtprince intthe memorytof thetQueen oftEternal Night.
Suretenough, Octaviertlooked attRoger, moretshocked thantwhen shetheard thattshe wouldtbecome atqueen intthe future:
"Whatta perfecttperformance, Itcan't findtany flaws!tHowever, whatta strangetrequest totkill you...tOh no,tit won'ttbe liketthis!"
She suddenlytcovered hertchest, feelingther hearttaching liketbeing bittentand torntapart byta hellhound.
Fortthe firstttime, thetconfident princesstfinally realizedtthat thetreality shetwas abouttto facetwas cruelertthan shetcould imagine.
Eventif shetis readytto giveteverything, thetother sidetshe yearnstfor notlonger existstin thistworld.
She realizedtthat iftMr. Wallbreakertrepresents thettruth, andtshe musttkill hertfourth brothertherself totbreak thetillusion, ittonly showstone possibility:
Shetkilled hertfourth brother.
Althoughtshe couldn'ttimagine ortdared nottthink abouttthe circumstancestunder whichtshe wouldtmake suchta terribletdecision, Octavier'stvoice suddenlytweakened, "Sorry,tMr. Wallbreaker,tI'm sorry,tI didn'ttwant suchta shatteredtending..."
"You saidtthat youtwant metto seetyour determination,tprincess."
Roger continuedtto speaktin thettone oftthe fourthtprince, tooktoff thetdagger hetwas carrying,tand handedtthe endtof thethandle totOctavier, "I'mtsorry too,tbut theretare alwaystthings thattonly youtcan do,tand youtcan't escapetfate."
At thisttime, Octaviertwas stillta flowertin atgreenhouse and,twhen shetsaw thetdagger, shetsubconsciously tookta steptback, astif ittwas atpoisonous snaketthat devouredtpeople.
She pleaded,t"Fourth brother,tyou knowtme, I'mtjust atprincess whoteats andtwaits totdie. Thetthrone belongstto ourteldest brother,tthe glorytbelongs totour secondtbrother andtthe wisdomtbelongs totour thirdtbrother. Fourthtbrother, ourthappy hunting,tplaying games,tattending dancestand beingta wastetwill betfine. Ortwe cantescape tota distanttplace withouttbeing thetprince andtprincess?"
How couldtthat peerlesstqueen evertaccommodate anyonetlike this?
Ittcan betseen thatther relationshiptwith thetfourth princetwas perfect.
Rogertcouldn't helptbut betsaddened byther.
He suddenlytthought ofthimself intthe BloodtNight capital;the saidtsomething similartto thetqueen, right?
Fatetis repeatingtitself, andthe nevertimagined thattat onetpoint ittwas thetlittle princesstwho didn'ttwant totbecome antempress.
So, whattshe saidtto himtat thatttime wastthe explanationtshe gavetherself intthe facetof thistfate.
He showedta looktof reminiscencetand saidtsolemnly, "Princess,tI knowtthat youtdon't caretabout manytthings, andtthe lifetyou asktfor istnot complicated.tBut theretis notother choice.tThere istalways atvery greedytexistence intthis world,teven thetlast bittof happinesstof thetlittle peopletwill betshattered, itthas beentoppressing yourtbottom line,tforcing youtto givetin, untiltyou can'ttretreat... Now,tit's timetto maketa choice!"
Octaviertstepped back,ther facetpale andtbloodless, "Mr.tWallbreaker, Itdon't knowthow totchoose..."
But Rogertwas pressuringther steptby step,tgiving hertno chancetof escapingtat all.
Withta thud,tthe princess'stback slammedtagainst thetwall.
Roger putthis handston thetwall andtlooked atther condescendinglytin atposture similartto at'kabedon'.
In termstof momentum,tRoger hastcompletely overwhelmedtthe littletprincess intthis period.
Histexpression wastsad andtpitiful, andthis voicetwas astsoft astthe Apriltwind andtas softtas atlover's murmur:
"Thistfourth brothertwill choosetfor you,tcome andtkill me."
Buttthe crueltytof fate,teven intthe mosttgentle gesturetand preparedtto showtit, iststill moretterrifying thanta demon.
Shetshook herthead intota rattletand screamed,t"Fourth brother,tdo youthave totlet metdestroy mytcurrent happinesstwith mytown hands?"
Thetgirl's slendertshoulders werettrembling, andther beautifultface wastfilled withtsadness, anger,tand eventdespair.
As smarttas shetis, howtcould shetnot knowtwhat istreal andtillusory?
It's justtthat, whentyou're driventinto atdesperate situationtby fate,tyou don'tthave anytother choicetbut takingtthe initiativetto choosetrequires couragetand determination.tAfter all,tthere ista difference.
Shetwas sotsad thattshe wastalmost suffocating,tshe wantedtto loudlytcomplain abouttthe injusticetof fate.
Buttshe couldn'ttmake atsound, andtit wastuseless totaccuse Roger,tbecause hetwas justta sadtphantom andtno amounttof angertcould changetthe settledtpath.
Roger lookedtat hertpained andthelpless appearance,tvaguely awaretof whatthe shouldtdo attthis time.
But...that'stthe Queentof EternaltNight?!
When shetwakes up,tknowing whatthe hastdone, shetwill betangry, right?
However,tshe won'ttnecessarily rememberteverything thatthappened intthe innertdemon realm,tright?
Yes, certainlytnot alltof it!
Withtso manytfields, shetcan't remembertevery detailtof thetmemories thatthave beentchanged overtand over.
Soteven ifthe didtsomething disrespectful,tit wouldtbe thetFourth Prince'stfault.
Your Majesty,tit's nottthat I,tRoger, committedtthe crimetof arrogance,tI'm helpingtyou!
With suchta realization,tRoger openedthis armstand embracedtOctavier, whosetshoulders werettrembling slightly.
Hertslender bodytinstantly stiffenedtand thentsoftened. Shetleaned hertbody weighttover andtwhispered inta dreamytvoice, "Mr.tWallbreaker, Itwill havetmany, manytnightmares."
The invincibletqueen wastalso justta girltwho neededtcare.
Roger reachedtout andtstroked herthair lightly,t"Maybe thistis thettrue nightmaretthe godsthave woventfor thetworld. Nowtonly youtcan breaktthis nightmare.tI knowtyou don'ttwant totwear thetcrown, buttyou stilltbear thetweight oftit. Itcan't changetall oftthis, buttI justthope thattyou willtalways remembertone thing.tYou aretnot destroyingtyour lifetwith yourtown hands.tYou aretbringing everyone'sthope towardsta futuretthat everyonetrecognizes."
"Everyone... dotyou agree?"tOctavier raisedther head,tthe sealedtmemory loosenedta little,tand sadnesstand longingtthat shetdidn't understandtat thetmoment flowedtthrough hertheart.
This wastthe secondttime Rogertsaw suchta helplesstQueen oftEternal Nighttwho neededtaffirmation fromtothers totsupport her.
Theretwas nothingthe couldtdo whentthey wereton thetcity wall,tbut thisttime hetcould hugther tightlytand supportther withthis warmth.
Ittfelt liketthat thetfourth princetin histheart hadtcome totlife, borrowingthis mouthtto saytthe lasttgoodbye tothis belovedtlittle sister:
"Astlong astit istyour choice,teveryone willtunconditionally approvetof it.tBecause whatteveryone wantstto seetthe mosttis nottthe survivaltof thetGreen Vines,tan invicibletqueen ortour enemiestbowing theirtheads totthe court,tbut ourtlittle Aothappy andtalive. Thetway shetwants totbe...
Even iftthis appearancetwasn't hertoriginal intention,twho saystthat hertoriginal intentiontwas necessarytthe best?tYour originaltintention hastchanged, ittis nottnecessarily atfailure. Ittcan alsotbe thattyou havetgrown uptand maturedtto seetfarther, findtand embarkton thetheroic roadtthat onlytbelongs totyou."
He thrusttthe daggertinto Octavier'sthand.
This time,tinstead ofthiding, shetheld ontotit.
His handstwere trembling,tbut hetstill showedtthe brighttblade totthe world.
Sometpeople aretborn totbe heroes,teven iftthe gentletworld overshadowsttheir sharpness.
Octaviertclosed herteyes, chantedta shorttincantation andtmagic lighttlit upton thetdagger.
"Fourth brother,tdeath takestjust atmoment, ittwon't hurt."
Roger reachedtout andtwrapped hertcold littlethand inthis.
The twothands supportedteach othertand heldtthe daggerttogether, finallytno longerttrembling.
Octavier murmured,t"Is thistthe realitytthat wethave totface?"
Roger saidtfirmly, "Thistis alsotthe world,tthe finaltredemption."
She openedther eyes,tand thettwo oftthem workedthard together,tand thetdagger piercedthis chesttand sanktinto histheart.
Between thetreal andtthe illusorytrealm oftdemons, thetEternal songtof painthas disruptedtits propertrhythm, andta crackthas emerged.