Chapter 35

35. The Jester, the Hero, and the Parrot (17)

At the same time, his complexion gradually turned pale.

"Z, Zero! Do something!"

Only then was the parrot passed to me.

But even for me, who am a seasoned player, there was no clear solution.

Just.

'To grant his wish.'

This child's wish is to rest beside his friend.

I stroked the parrot and headed toward where Luther's remains were.

"Friend..."

The parrot, now out of my arms, took its place beside Luther.

Then it looked back at us once.

Was it the regret of parting, or perhaps a final farewell?

Or maybe it was a sign of apology for involving us.

But the parrot doesn't need to have such feelings.

"Rest in peace, friend. It was an honor to be a friend to the heroes, even for a short while..."

In the game, Luther is called a hero, but I always thought differently.

There are two heroes.

One and.

One heroic bird.

"...Friend."

The parrot's eyes slowly closed.

Soon, its movements completely stopped.

At the same time, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

Can mimic voices quite accurately.

Can use skills seen by the eyes.

Can store and use up to 3 skills (3/3).

The grade of mimicked skills is fixed at A.

However, skills with special conditions can only be used if those conditions are met.

Currently mimicking skills: [Demonic Art], [Island of Solitude], [Sky Splitting]

"..."

After much hardship, I obtained the desired skill.

And it was one of the best skills.

But.

'I'm not just happy.'

The story of the parrot and Luther is one of my favorite side stories.

Not only because the skill given as a reward is excellent, but also because it's a story that stirs the emotions.

A story I've played thousands of times.

But seeing it unfold before my eyes feels strange.

The parrot throwing itself into the fray was something I had never seen before.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a feather from the parrot appeared in my hand.

A feather from a friend. I've never seen such an item before.

It looked like an ordinary feather.

It seemed impossible to use it immediately.

'Someday, there might be a use for it.'

I put it deep in my subspace and fell into thought.

'...A piece and a story hidden by the developers in the game.'

A hidden piece.

It must have been one of them. Then.

'Could there be more to the story?'

The story of Luther and the parrot ends here.

But I feel there's more to it.

There's a sense that there's more to be done.

Luther's tattered clothes.

Something was visible through the gaps.

'A photo?'

Dozens of photos of Luther and the parrot.

The locations and compositions varied, but there was one thing in common.

'Could this be it?'

As I was organizing the photos, Roderin spoke urgently.

"Zero, you shouldn't touch them. Not until the investigation team finishes their work..."

"They're just photos, aren't they?"

"Even so, it's not allowed. I can't permit it unless there's a special reason."

A special reason.

"Would it be okay if I passed them on to the family... the bereaved family?"

"Bereaved family? If that's the case, it's possible. But the student's records have been erased from the student council. It won't be easy to find the family..."

It might be a meaningless act.

It might be a waste of time.

But.

"Let's go together."

"Where to?"

"There's someone waiting."

Someone who is still desperately waiting for the hero to return.

* * *

"Keehee! What brings you here? Are you here for another part-time job?"

In front of the academy, on the square, stands the jester.

His face is as always, full of smiles.

'Many people speculated.'

That the jester and Luther were father and son.

'But no one could prove it.'

After defeating the demon's fragment, he only smiled and didn't give any other answers.

Always the same lines. But.

I wanted to tell him. No, I wanted to change it.

The ending of this story.

"What was the reason for doing this job?"

"Because the children laugh. Keehee! Embarrassing, but that's the only reason!"

The jester, smiling awkwardly.

Indeed, he resembles him. The smile, the thoughts, and the heart.

"There was someone who looked like you. No, he was the same as you."

I handed over the photos I got from Luther's clothes.

The jester's eyes widened.

The smile that seemed to never fade, always on his face, disappeared completely.

"Luther saved many lives. You might think it was an unknown sacrifice... but no."

Many people remember Luther.

We, the players of "The Hero of the Academy" from all over the world.

And you.

We all know Luther.

The child who dreamed of being a hero.

The child who didn't give in to bullying.

The child who cherished his friends.

The child who didn't spare his own life.

Luther... no, your son, was truly.

"The hero of the academy."

Luna and Raymond started to cry.

"Soldiers don't cry...!"

Despite his words, Roderin's eyes were red and swollen.

He was clearly trying to hold back his tears.

"...I see. My son finally achieved his dream."

The jester, who had been staring blankly at the photos, muttered.

"Was my son... happy?"

"...Of course."

"How do you know that?"

I know. I can know.

Not because I've played the game thousands of times.

Luther definitely had a happy academy life.

Dozens of photos of Luther and the parrot.

Time, composition, location.

All different, but one thing was the same.

"They're all smiling, aren't they?"

A smile finally bloomed on the jester's face, which had been gloomy.

More than ever.

A smile full of happiness.

* * *

Parrot's Diary #7

I have no strength left. I can feel death approaching.

I'm definitely in pain, but I'm not suffering.

It's a strange feeling.

Did I sense that the end was near?

The children each say a few words to see me off.

"Rest in peace, friend. It was an honor to be a friend to the heroes, even for a short while..."

A hero. Is that so. Did I become a hero too?

I met good friends, took revenge, became a hero, and even had a child cry for me when I died.

This isn't a bad life.

'Friend.'

Luther's remains.

I closed my eyes, lying down there.

"Luther, you know what? I made other friends besides you."

The mysterious child Zero, the small but strong Raymond, Roderin who has been protecting me since last year, and...

I opened my eyes slightly.

I see a girl who looks ready to pounce.

Luna, right?

Um, yeah. Pink hair. You're a friend too.

After all, friendship isn't that complicated.

Right, friend?

"Of course it is."

A voice I've been imagining for over 20 years.

I opened my eyes in surprise.

There he was. Luther was standing right in front of me.

Ah, Luther. I see.

You were waiting for me too.

"Of course, we're friends. Come on, there are so many worlds the heroes need to protect."

Right, we're friends. We're heroes.

I spread my wings and flew.

And so, we.

Embarked on a new adventure.

* * *

"...So, I request that the family's investigation team be dispatched."

Roderin added a bit more about the "demon's fragment."

A magic crystal ball that allows conversation from a distance.

A man with hair similar to Roderin's was seated there.

Black hair tinged with blue, eyes full of integrity.

The current head of the Lucid family, Duke Luke de Lucid.

"A willful erosion?"

"Yes, my lord."

Luke de Lucid is Roderin's father.

But Roderin always uses the title "my lord."

A traditional martial family that has guarded the empire's borders for hundreds of years.

For Roderin, who grew up in such an environment, the terms "dad" and "father" were psychologically distant.

'Not from the beginning, though...'

The memory is vague, but at some point, the term "my lord" became fixed.

It also meant that there was a distance between father and daughter.

Among the Lucid family's siblings, some use the term "my lord," but they have the qualifications to stand beside Duke Luke.

It means they are recognized as children by him.

'The word is the same "my lord," but the meaning is different.'

Currently, Roderin is the only one who cannot enter the land of erosion.

When will she be recognized by her father?

'Snap out of it. Now is not the time to think about such things.'

Shaking her head, Roderin regained her composure.

Zero and his party returned to the dormitory to rest, but Roderin had no time for that.

Preserving the crime scene, writing reports, organizing and interviewing related parties, writing plans for follow-up actions, etc.

In the midst of all this, she requested a meeting with her family.

Always busy, Duke Luke could only spare time now, in the early morning.

If it weren't for the matter involving demons, such a meeting would have been impossible.

She immediately began her report.

There was no need for a greeting asking if she was okay.

As long as her neck and limbs were intact, she was fine.

That was the Lucid family's way of checking on someone's well-being.

"The prototype of the erosion... So, it was initially created as a being with will?"

"That's how it seems. It was quite talkative."

"The current erosion is deliberately stripped of will. It might have a higher survival rate moving by instinct rather than emotion."

"There's also the advantage of not revealing information."

The information obtained through Zero's acting.

Something is being planned in the "White Plains."

The demon's fragment fell asleep 20 years ago.

Though it's 20-year-old information, it is invaluable to the Lucid family.

"The probability that the erosion started in the White Plains is high."

"That's correct. The snowy plain in the northeast. There must be something there that causes the erosion."

The erosion eats away at the land and continues to expand.

There seemed to be no limit to its expansion.

But Duke Luke knew.

'There is no existence in this world without a weakness.'

Duke Luke, a 9th-rank knight and Sword Master.

After reaching this level, he had a realization.

Everything in the world has a principle and lives in harmony.

One of the biggest reasons for harmony.

'Survival.'

To hide or block one's weakness, one harmonizes with others.

But the erosion does not.

It devours and destroys everything on its own.

An existence that defies the principles of the world.

Duke Luke always believed that such an erosion must have a weakness.

'Sacred power is a weakness, but there must be something more fundamental.'

The priests, who struggle to contain the erosion's expansion.

After organizing his thoughts, he spoke.