Chapter 576

Resurrecting a dead friend. If it was completely impossible, they wouldn't even try. But if it was possible, but not perfectly successful, it would only lead to despair. Death was an unchangeable truth in this absurd world. If they couldn't save Ashur, they wouldn't even attempt to find Delphin's body. This was just a restoration that looked like resurrection. They could have the abilities, strength, and appearance from when they were alive, but they wouldn't have their soul. They were just moving dolls. They could be used in battle, but not in relationships. It was useless for those who truly hoped for resurrection, and it shouldn't be used for such purposes. The topic of Ashur made them all silent. Everyone thinks about the possibility of the dead returning. Berthus has something to apologize for. They follow him to see some preserved bodies being restored. Berthus stops in front of a certain body and apologizes for failing to restore it. The body belonged to Larcken Saimontate, one of the Four Lords of the Darkland and Sabioline Tana's teacher. Sabioline Tana slowly raised her head as if something had come to mind. "Come to think of it, he had lost all memory of being a prince of the Darkland...."

"Ah...."

Berthus also nodded as if he had just remembered. He had apologized for failing to restore the body of Larcken Saimontate, one of the Four Lords of the Darkland and Sabioline Tana's teacher. The characters thought about the possibility of the dead returning. Larcken Saimontate's body adds an intriguing new element to the story and raises questions about the characters' motivations and goals. "Reinhardt, if this army is deployed, the Allied forces may end the war faster than planned. It could happen in an instant."

"That's right."

If countless heroes from history were to come back to life, humanity's power would rise to unprecedented levels in history. It would surpass even the glory days of the Great War in the Demon Realm. No matter how many monsters there were in the Gate, it might not be a problem. Even the dragons of this world might be easily hunted. The end of the Gate incident was really just around the corner. The sight I saw was terrible yet overwhelming. Their army may be a threat to Edina and me, but the last warp gate is the top priority. The army of the dead could ultimately be the key to not using Allesbringa in the final moment. What happens after that is what happens after that. "Someday, someone will have to pay the price for all of this." "...." "Reinhardt, I have something to say." Berthus said as if he had made a decision. * * * I talked with Berthus. It wasn't a very long conversation. The price for all of this. Someone has to pay that price. There were other stories, but in the end, that was the story. So I decided not to touch the Empire and this project. I couldn't even touch it. I came to the conclusion that I had to accept it, regardless of my trust in the Black Order. Ultimately, something had to be chosen. Whether it was a regrettable choice or a better one, it was unknown at this stage. After the conversation, I went out to the lobby. Sabioline Tana looked at me. She felt strong suspicion and anger towards Larcken Saimontate's decision, but now Sabioline Tana wouldn't know what that betrayal was. "Tana, I don't know who Larcken Saimontate is." "...." "But the former Demon King Bali tried to create a new world through Akasha, which he took from Kantus Magna, and tried to migrate all demons to that world." I had definitely seen the letter written by the former Demon King. "Larcken Saimontate probably sympathized with the Demon King's intentions." Only those who knew the true purpose of the former Bali were the Demon King himself, me during the Bali era, and the Four Heavenly Kings at most. Larcken Saimontate would have tried to help complete Akasha. "Everyone probably hated fighting." If the demons disappeared, the magical power and fighting between the demons and humans would disappear. But because Akasha was such a powerful weapon, there could be no conversation or persuasion between them. They fought because they didn't understand each other, and one side was annihilated. "That's right...." Sabioline Tana shook her head and said nothing. In the end, they wanted peace. The desires and wishes of all beings are so simple as to be trivial. They want to be happy. They don't want to be hurt. They want the world to be peaceful. Those simple and intuitive desires make different actions. Someone dreams of a new world for peace.

Someone draws a sword for peace.

"What happened to Akasha?"

"I don't know. We probably can't use it again."

The origin of Akasha is now unknown, and only the consequences of its misuse remain. We must resolve those issues and gather what remains in the world to achieve even a small peace.

The task is done.

I was doing something even more dangerous than I thought, but I decided to leave the empire alone.

There is no turning back.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I am. What else would I do here?"

Berthus looked disappointed for some reason.

"Wait, how do I find you?"

He asked as I turned around.

No, I phrased that strangely.

You know where I'm going now, right?

"To the dormitory."

"....What?"

"I'll be in the dormitory. Probably in Ellen's room."

"....?"

"I'll be here during the winter. Come if you have something to say."

Tanawa and Berthus' expressions became interesting as I transformed into a cat.

-Meow

"...."

"...."

I no longer feel embarrassed in this form.

Even if they stare at me like that, I'm not shocked at all!

-Meow meow

"This crazy... bastard..."

They both looked even more interesting when I pretended to be cute and jumped around.

Honestly, it's kind of cute.

I thought I was cute when I looked in the mirror in this form.

* * *

Ludwig was assigned a special mission.

To purify the epidemic that was rampant in the refugee area, a priest.

Protecting that priest.

Ludwig and Rowen talked about various things as they headed towards the epidemic area.

"Aren't you receiving the protection of the Holy Knights...?"

It's too dangerous for one priest to wander around alone. Wouldn't it be safer to receive the protection of Holy Knights equipped with armor? Ludwig asked, and Rowen shook his head.

"If we have the resources, it would be better to send more priests to more places."

"...I see."

In a situation where resources are absolutely scarce, they can only wander around like this.

And most of the priests and Holy Knights were dispatched to the battlefield, so there was even less manpower.

"If it's not too much trouble... What happened to your arm...?"

"I was bitten by a snake."

"A snake...?"

"It was a snake with petrification poison. It wasn't a big snake, but... just because it's small doesn't mean it's less dangerous as a monster."

"I see..."

Rowen couldn't hide his sadness as he looked at Ludwig's empty arm.

"It's okay. It's better than losing my life."

It's better to lose an arm and survive than to die and not come back.

Ludwig didn't know if that was really true, but he thought he had to say it that way.

Losing an arm is not important.

It's painful to think about what else he lost.

"By the way, how serious is the epidemic problem?" "So Ludwig forced the topic. 'The problem with each individual epidemic isn't that big. Not all epidemics lead to death. For example, most of them are like a small cold.' 'Is that so?' 'Yes, but it's important to note that a healthy person getting a cold and a weakened person getting a cold are completely different.' 'Ah... I see.' If a healthy person catches a cold, they'll suffer for a few days and then recover, but for a weakened person, a cold can be a life-threatening illness. 'The basic conditions are too poor. Even if you recover from the disease, you can't stop the weakened body from dying because of the disease.' Death from weakness is not a disease, so it cannot be cured. Even if they are rescued from the disease, weakened people who have been rescued from the disease die because their strength has already been exhausted. That cannot be stopped. 'And if those bodies are left to rot, another epidemic will occur. It's a chain reaction.' At Rowen's words, Ludwig's complexion darkened even more. 'Now, because it's winter, decay is slower. So the epidemic is less severe than last summer. Of course, we can't call this fortunate.' Bodies left in the cold don't rot. But because the cold itself kills people, it cannot be called fortunate. The epidemic itself is a problem, but what's more important is the poor environment itself. People are dying from diseases that they don't have to die from. So even if we purify and move on from this epidemic, another epidemic will inevitably occur, so this work is always a temporary solution,' Rowen added. Rowen is a person who knows that he has to pour water into a leaking pot. 'Above all, there are too few priests. Most of the Holy Knights and priests are deployed on the front lines, and the number of priests in Tu'an has decreased dramatically. They died, but there are also many who converted or... abandoned their faith.' 'Ah... I see.' 'Yes, because of the Demon King...' There are countless gods who have betrayed their faith and abandoned their faith, even if they were priests. The faith of Tu'an and Al's is a problem not only for believers but also for priests, whose numbers have decreased dramatically compared to before. The remaining priests and Holy Knights are deployed on the front lines. So it's natural that there's always a shortage of Tu'an sect priests who need to deal with epidemics. Even Tu'an's priests see the refugee area, let alone the entire Huangdo, as a place more dangerous than the battlefield. Ludwig began to think that Rowen's staying in Huangdo to purify the epidemic was a more dangerous and noble task than going to war. Rowen was wandering around, looking for something to do in a place where no one praised him, and where everyone hated him. And he hadn't given up on his faith in Tu'an." "To most people, the Demon King is a symbol of hatred and despair. There are only rumors about what kind of existence the Demon King is. However, Ludwig is not someone who has only heard rumors. That's why he hates the Demon King even more. He lived with the Demon King without even knowing that he was the Demon King, as they were classmates. Rowen looked at Ludwig with his mouth wide open. Whether it was in a good or bad way, Ludwig realized that just by being with a special existence, he could not help but be treated as a special existence himself."