Chapter 599 – The Tale of the King (Complete)

An empty plastic bottle skated and rolled across the floor, painted with blood.

-Rolling and tumbling.

A one-room dwelling in the countryside, far too cramped for the trio to inhabit.
Every corner of the room bore the grim remnants of weapons and signs of struggle.

“……”

The blanket that had covered Shiba was now torn to tatters.
The sun’s scarf, which would flutter whenever it was idle, was now soaked with blood and discarded.

The electric rice cooker they always used was overturned.
The cooked rice that should have been inside was scattered across the floor.

A shattered TV.

The fragments of the monitor reflected a man’s face.

The photo album, harboring the memories of the three, was thankfully still intact.
But the decapitated body bore no resemblance to its former charming appearance.

Tae-yang had been preparing a meal for the late returnee until his death.
Lee Si-heon’s gaze trembled at the sight of the rice spatula, not far from her hand.

-Thud.

A bouquet of flowers slipped from his grasp.

Tae-yang, who lived solely for Si-heon.
The loyal servant waited for the king even in death.

Tae-yang, her body propped against the closet, held her head high enough to see Lee Si-heon.
Her vacant eyes began to close as soon as she saw Lee Si-heon, as if she had released all the residues of life.

When Lee Si-heon came to this realization,
The severed head instantly slipped away from the body.

-Clank.

Si-heon, who had only seen the fallen Tae-yang with his eyes, entered the house and checked the bed.
The part of the bed out of sight from the entrance. Shiba was not there.

-Thump, Thump.

A sound emanated from right behind him.
Lee Si-heon’s head slowly turned.

Perhaps,
Their target would have been King Mokryeong himself, not Tae-yang.
Tae-yang was dead, but could it end there?

-Swish!

In an instant, the exchange of blows resulted in a piece of someone’s flesh being severed.
One of Lee Si-heon’s ears plummeted down the stairs.

He glared at his adversary who had sought him out, his eyes bloodshot.
His gaze was chillingly cold.
As if he had no concern for the already deceased Tae-yang, he wielded the mana drawn from his arms like a blade, bisecting the man.

“Uh?!”

Without considering the aftermath, he concentrated all his mana into one hand and unleashed it.

To such an extent that it wouldn’t be surprising if all the nerves in his forearm were burned and his veins and muscles melted.

-Slush!

At that very moment he resorted to such a desperate measure,
The root of a tree that had pierced Lee Si-heon’s flesh twisted around his arm, forming a giant awl.

Si-heon hurled the awl, which entirely covered his right hand, at the second man.
An assassin in a robe raised a broadsword to block it.

-Bang!

The ignorantly thick and hard broadsword was cleaved like soft tofu by the awl fired in a straight line.
Si-heon’s eyes darkened.

-Bang!

“Ugh?!”

Thrusting his arm through his upper body, Si-heon murmured as he slammed the man into the earth.

“…Where is my daughter?”

Above his head, a throbbing crown began to float. He had finally summoned the inherent might of a true king.

It was only after losing it, that he managed to harness this regrettable power.

* * * * * * * * * * *

– A human unworthy of wielding the power of the crown does not deserve to wear it. Your Majesty.

Had he possessed that power then, wouldn’t Tae-yang have avoided such a bitter struggle to convince him?

‘No, from the outset, they never intended to acknowledge me as king.’

The ministers were more insistent on King Mokryeong’s prophecy than on the king standing before them.

The one they pledged their blind loyalty to was the king of the previous dynasty. Despite shattering towers and traversing trials, they remained singularly fixated on the crown. Thus, the moment they deemed their power sufficiently consolidated, they struck from behind.

[…Heave, heave, huff.]
“Why are you crying? I should be the one crying.”
[Why are you doing this to me… Why only me?]
“Why to you, you ask?”

In-ja, a woman just of age, cowered. Lee Si-heon, in a realm of consciousness, sat hunched over, glaring intently at her face as if transfixed by something.

Fear-stricken ‘In-ja’ wept profusely, her tears streaming down her cheeks like a waterfall.

[…Mom, sniffle, mom…sob…]

The girl began to wail. As if he could not bear to listen, Si-heon’s expression hardened into a grimace.

-Thud.

The realm of consciousness could create anything out of mere imagination. A slight flick of his hand, and an unassuming dagger was handed to Si-heon.

[Huh?!]

In-ja, seeing the sharp blade, instantly clamped her crying mouth shut.

The fear that the blade would pierce her mouth was a cruel reality she had learned from her experiences with Si-heon.

“You did well.”

The praise, that didn’t sound like praise, drove In-ja even further into despair.

Immediately afterwards, horror swept over her entire body. When the man’s hand touched her shoulder, the breathless In-ja began to tremble.

Ever since reality had collapsed, there had been no harmony between Lee Si-heon and In-ja.

In-ja didn’t understand why he had changed so abruptly, this man who used to listen to everything she said even during their bickering.

“All you need to do is supply magic. It’s not difficult.”

A girl born of a king and the daughter of the former king’s subject. Does this brute realize that the act of supplying magic is eating away at her very life?

One thing was certain: even if he knew the truth, Si-heon’s actions would not have changed.

[Alright, sniffle, I will.]
“You did well.”

Warm and caring on the surface, his steep fall from grace was rather unsettling.

Overwhelmed by a throbbing headache, it felt as though madness was imminent.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If I had seized control from the start, I wondered if anything might have been different.

“Papa…?”

I had deemed her sufficiently strong. But Shiba was deteriorating much more rapidly.

“Dad, have you come?”
“Yes.”

Recently, Shiba lost her sight. The disease that began its assault at her toes had now begun to ravage her sensory organs.

Years have passed since Tae-yang’s death. I operated under the tutelage of the Sage. Her death was something we managed to move past without major difficulties. More accurately, it was conveniently brushed under the rug, thanks largely to our daughter who never uttered a word about Tae-yang.

Perhaps she realized at some point that she would never see Tae-yang again in her lifetime. Shiba had always been more perceptive than most adults. And then…

“Dad, hold Shiba, please.”

From that day onwards, the princess no longer threw tantrums.

She would express a desire to see me, or declare that she was hungry. The only requests she had were for me to hold her, and to give her kisses.

Unconditionally, I showered her with love. Even if I were in the wrong, the Sage was there. If only the medicine could be completed, Shiba could be saved and the Sage could look after her. I hoped that one day, I, as a person, would leave a mark in this small life’s heart. I gave her everything I could.

“Beep…”

Every time I saw the gray pupils of Shiba cradled in my arms, I was reminded of the proximity of my child’s death.

“Daddy good. Heehee.”

It’s been long since I gave up on being a proud father. I didn’t mind my hands getting dirty, as long as Shiba could live.

“Shiba wishes Daddy wasn’t in pain.”

The Sage told me there was surely a way to save her, and desired me to bring about the downfall of various magical herbs, magic stones, and some forces.

All I could do was follow through. I had realized at some point that I was being exploited. But with my daughter’s life at stake, I couldn’t just walk away.

* * * * * * * * * *

Young lifeforms are more intelligent than one may assume. They understand their own impending death and know how to look back at the ones they hold dear.

“Beep.”

Shiba’s breath was becoming more feeble.

The arid breath of a maiden, unable to stir even a droplet of dew on someone’s cheek, dizzily coalesces on the philtrum, then dissipates.

‘Just need to survive today.’

There was a salve.
I did everything conceivable for this day.

I was an individual who could shatter sufficiently for anyone.
I spawned more victims than any perpetrator in the throes of war.

“Daddy…?”
“Yes, Shiva. Today, we must sleep nose-to-nose.”
“I want to stay with you today, Daddy.”
“Not today.”

Despite numerous refusals, her eyes refuse to shut.
Why does she strain to open her sightless eyes?
I don’t know, but it seems Shiva believed she mustn’t succumb to sleep any longer.

One might wonder how long you can stay awake all night.
What does a toddler, who’s bound to collapse at one o’clock in the morning, find appealing about such a father?

“…Daddy.”
“What is it?”
“Shiva… wants Daddy to be happy.”

Words that hint of a looming departure.
They induce urgency in a person trying their utmost to hold onto reason.

“My daughter. What are you talking about? Daddy is happy. Tremendously so.”

I lied, caressing Shiva’s forehead which was hot enough to emit steam.

If only you were here,
No. I need you to live.

I did everything. It was beyond the point of reversal.

I ruined tens of thousands of lives with my own hands. I replicated the same or worse atrocities than all the refuse I had previously brushed off, abandoning the aspiration to be a father of whom one could be proud.

“Even without Shiva…?”
“Don’t say such things.”

Since that day, there hasn’t been a single moment in my life when I haven’t thought of you.

I can accept that I arrived in this world through an absurd aberration, all to meet you.

It was destiny. That which allowed me to be born, to grow, and to mature.

I am a man completed by you, and I will die because of you.

My entire life has been you.

“…beep.”

The crimes and the act of taking lives, which I once loathed, are still repugnant to me. But compared to your importance, I could repeat it countless times.

My little sprout, emerging from the flowerpot.

When I’m irate, she rolls up a leaf, pats it adorably on the back of my hand, then drops a water bottle to draw my attention.
Regardless of my fury, she would always smile and cling to me. My daughter.

“Shiva, shall we sleep?”
“Shiva loves you too.”
“It’s not about love. You need to sleep to stay healthy.”

I fervently stroked Shiva’s hair.

I’m sorry I couldn’t pay more attention.
Always locking you in a cold room and running outside.
Sometimes forgetting to water you, leaving you to starve for days.

“…Daddy.”

Shiva’s gentle voice knocks through my entire being.
When asked if it was alright to enter, I silently opened the door and welcomed her in.

Our mother-daughter bond is tethered by a golden thread.

As long as we were not far apart, we could sense each other’s emotions.

Even without words, a simple expression of intent was entirely possible. The connection of souls, perhaps this is what it signifies.

Even in moments of utmost weakness, feeling the child’s emotions through this tether invigorated my body.

If there was a drawback, it would be this. The ceaseless perception of emotions.

It seems that these feelings were transmitted.

“Shiba is fine.”

With those words,

Shiba surrendered to a prolonged slumber.

The morning arrived. The potion was completed, but it did nothing to heal Shiba’s body. A gaping void existed within me. No longer did I receive the emotions of the child through our connection.

Yet, I could still feel it. Until the last moment, even as she lay suffering, her eyes closed.

Shiba’s love was more profound and endearing than anyone else’s.

* * * * * * * * * * *

A buzzing noise filled my ears.

【 …… 】

When the essence of the planet is harvested, the ancient trees devoid of consciousness impart their words.

【 There is a new opportunity. 】

An impersonal sensation, as if one’s will is objectified and transmitted to match the creature’s speech.

A strange occurrence indeed.

To think the tallest tree, the one I had sought so desperately, was merely such an entity.

From the very beginning, there were too many oddities. If that deity had control over everything and possessed a self, all beings dreaming of the polar extremes, including Flower, should have been dead. But they weren’t.

‘……’

Now, that is of no consequence.

“Can it be saved? Is that what you’re saying?”

【 Affirmative. 】

Hearing the resolution of the tree, I nodded in agreement. My goal had always been singular.

“…Proceed as you wish.”