◈ Chapter 400. The Butterfly Effect in the Flower Garden (2)
Even a life at the very bottom has its pride.
“Isn’t it laughable? To receive from a target I’d been chasing down until just moments before, intent on cutting off his breath, a kindness I never even received from my parents. It was truly an indescribable feeling.”
The king of the lowest depths spoke, panting for breath.
Of course, there were no Scavengers listening closely to his words.
Because they simply could not believe it.
“That’s bullshit, right?”
“Gramps, your face isn’t exactly likable enough for someone to spare you.”
“You’d be lucky if they didn’t frown at you. Heh heh.”
There is a reason you were abandoned.
It was one of the things the Scavengers heard until they were sick of it.
From those born with disabilities large and small, to those whose burns and injuries had left them looking more like monsters than humans. The gutter, the bottom, the shadows—each had its own story.
The king laughed.
“Well. I thought so too. But I was wrong. Because when I saw him, I realized there was a bottom even lower than ours.”
“Come on, lower than the Scavengers?”
“Are you going senile now that you’re about to die?”
“Wasn’t he some noble aristocrat to begin with?”
“Heh heh, I understand.”
“All he ever says is that he understands.”
When had it begun?
I understand.
When had those words become so constant on his lips?
‘……
It must have been from then.’
The target, the silver-haired man, had said so in the Citadel.
-“I will understand you.”
That was the first kindness the King of the Abandoned had ever received.
It was truly laughable.
It was something he only learned later.
Everyone on the Arcana Continent had been aiming for that man’s life.
For the life of that family.
‘Even I wasn’t hated by an entire continent.’
After all, there were Scavengers in the same circumstances.
Even if it was a gutter where not a single ray of sunlight reached.
There had been comrades with whom he could laugh and chat.
But at the time, that man had nothing.
-“They said it was called a great family.”
-“……
And yet not a single bastard is helping him?”
-“Even in the Citadel, he just limped away alone in the end.”
-“Those bastards who have everything are always worse.”
Though he had lost everything from the highest place.
Instead.
He had shown mercy to them, who lived at the bottom.
-“What the hell is he……?”
That man’s lonely back was still vivid in his memory.
The King of the Abandoned looked at those gathered before him. Well, he did not think these pitiful fellows could understand a man they had never faced themselves.
‘Each of them bears deep wounds.’
But remember.
No, you must remember.
The King of the Abandoned left his final will.
“Bear this in mind. Even at the bottom, there is pride.”
“……
Pride?”
“Because no one shows us anything. Those who have shown us grace—we must never betray them.”
He spoke the man’s name.
“Remember that man, that pride, and Claudi.”
...
Demons appeared, and the continent was turned upside down.
“How does it feel?”
“……
Ugh.”
“Ptui. Get used to the filthy, damp gutter.”
The bottom overflowed with new Scavengers. It was only natural. The continent had been devastated. The abandoned had nowhere to go but the bottom.
And a new king was born in an age of chaos. The new King of the Abandoned, Emilio, quickly gathered the increased number of Scavengers under him.
“You bastard, if you’re going to die, crawl into a corner and di—……”
“Stop this unnecessary fighting.”
“But Emilio! These bastards are the ones who used to laugh at us. Don’t you have any feelings? Doesn’t it piss you off? Am I the only piece of trash here?”
Emilio did not refute him.
Because he understood the feelings of the man pouring out his resentment.
But Emilio said, like a habit,
“I understand how you feel.”
Yet it was only a habit.
From his childhood, so far away now.
The King of the Scavengers who had taken him in when he had been abandoned.
He was merely repeating the words that man had left behind.
“But show mercy.”
However, it did not take long for Emilio to learn what true mercy was.
Yes, because he heard of it from an unexpected place.
“A great family……”
The rumor he heard drew out a word from his memories.
“They say Claudi has returned?”
“Claudi? Never heard of them. Who decided they were great?”
“……
Wait, did you say Claudi?”
At first, he was half in doubt.
Because the only thing that multiplied at the bottom was suspicion toward others.
However.
“What the hell, a village appeared overnight?!”
“A-and what is that machine? It’s trampling demons?!”
“So you’re saying this and that are both Claudi’s doing?”
Claudi was proving it.
Their greatness.
And the mercy they had shown.
“His face is different from that silver-haired man’s back then, Emilio……!”
That was why he could no longer overlook it.
“The Scavengers will repay Claudi’s mercy.”
*
Nash was still on edge.
“You will repay Claudi’s mercy?”
It was an understandable reaction.
Emilio’s name seemed to be fairly famous in the Empire.
Nash bit down hard on his lip, then continued.
“Scavenger, king of the bottom, Emilio. I am well aware of your existence. I heard you were gathering forces in the sewers. But the Empire did not intervene. Because we thought you were not worth paying attention to.”
From the sound of it, he was a big shot of the bottom.
“But if you run that mouth carelessly, I can no longer overlook you or the Scavengers. I am sick and tired of being played by filthy deception.”
Did he think he had been deceived by Pride and caused harm to the Emperor and the Empire?
Nash was angry.
Rather than taking his anger out on Emilio,
It felt like he was speaking because he could not forgive himself.
‘He’s pretty scary in his own way.’
Why, they say no younger brother can match his older brother.
Would Bensh feel like that too when he got angry?
But Emilio lived up to his reputation as well.
His spirit did not falter in the slightest.
“Do you know this? Because we lie flat at the very bottom of the gutter. We see expressions that lofty imperial mages like you cannot.”
“……
What?”
“I’m saying I saw that bastard’s face, the one you couldn’t see.”
That bastard—he must mean Pride.
“Unlike you, lofty imperial mage, I did not mistake him. When I heard that a man with brilliant silver hair had entered Antonium, I ran there immediately……”
Emilio’s gaze turned toward me.
“But I realized he was not you. More precisely, I realized he was not the same Claudi as you. Because the Claudi I had heard of would never have been like that.”
Then back to Nash.
“So if I had been an imperial mage, I would never have brought that fellow before the Emperor.”
“……
What?”
“Why? Does that prick your conscience? Did you not say the words of someone from the bottom were not even worth hearing? Then dismiss it as nonsense and ignore it.”
Maybe because he had lived in a harsh environment, his mouth was certainly rough.
Just as Bensh of the William family had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse.
Nash must also have lived while being treated with great care.
Trembling, Nash’s fist shook.
“…….”
It seemed he was not used to hearing such direct words from anyone. However, perhaps because his guilt was great, Nash could not easily answer.
‘There’s no need to blame yourself that much.’
He’s not a demon hunter, so how could he immediately see through a demon as a demon? That was why I became interested. How had Emilio recognized the signs of Pride?
I opened my mouth.
“Are the people of Antonium safe?”
First, I asked what I was most curious about.
The sealed-off Antonium.
From the moment Pride began controlling the Emperor as a puppet, there would be no one to interfere.
It would be an environment perfectly suited for offering humans as sacrifices.
Moreover, it was the imperial capital.
Considering that most cities and villages in the imperial territory had been destroyed, and an even greater population had gathered in the capital Antonium…… If human sacrifice took place, the damage would inevitably spiral out of control.
‘With those sacrifices, Pride will gain uncontrollable power.’
At my words, Emilio’s expression turned serious.
“As expected, you are exactly as I was told.”
……
By the way, what exactly did he hear? Have I not experienced more than once how some trivial anecdote frothed up, swelled beyond measure, and turned into legend?
‘……
I’ll ask properly later and correct it.’
But now was not the time for that.
As I said, this felt unbearably unsettling.
Emilio continued.
“For now, the people of Antonium are still safe. Aside from being flustered by the sudden sealing order, the atmosphere in Antonium is no different from usual.”
So they were all right.
For now.
But Pride might be steadily preparing sacrifices.
I searched my memory.
‘A sacrifice requires an altar.’
Without anyone knowing, an altar for a rite might be being built in Antonium. I warned Emilio of that danger, but Emilio answered confidently.
“There have been no strange signs in Antonium or in Antonium’s underground sewers. Most of all, the rats have not yet left Antonium.”
“Rats……?”
At Nash’s reaction, Emilio gave a faint laugh.
“When the imperial palace foresees danger with magic and magical tools, Scavengers foresee the future with the rats we have taken as friends. Could the fact that I am still alive and well not prove its effectiveness?”
Nash seemed half in doubt, but I was not.
‘That’s scientific enough in its own way.’
Why, I remembered seeing news reports about crows crying and rats evacuating before major earthquakes. When I nodded, Emilio put on a somewhat surprised expression.
“Well now, I didn’t think you would understand right away.”
Why wouldn’t I?
Even if you are at the bottom, you do everything you can.
You have to survive by doing your best, don’t you?
‘If you think about it, I started from the bottom too.’
When I awakened as a player, my level had only been around 50.
The Scavengers had rats, at least.
There was a time when I truly had absolutely nothing……!
‘Of course, thanks to that.’
Things I had, things I did not have.
It meant I was used to situations where I had to pour in everything.
So I had no reason to doubt Emilio or the Scavengers’ abilities.
‘Because I’m too busy moving to waste time doubting.’
In that sense, I will ask you one thing, Emilio.
According to Emilio, Pride was merely keeping Antonium’s gates sealed. It made no sense that he would cause such an incident as if announcing it in every direction, then show no action at all.
‘He must be plotting something.’
Then there is one thing that bothers me.
Antonium’s imperial palace.
Is the Emperor truly safe there?
Moreover, I know what lies beneath Antonium’s imperial palace.
Yes, the Emperor seems to call it the 『War Situation Archive』.
But I know it is a time bomb.
[War Situation Archive]
[Appropriate Level: Unmeasurable]
[Collapse Progress: 92.7%]
In any case, the War Situation Archive is a rift, isn’t it?
Therefore.
I asked Nash and Emilio.
“Are the imperial palace and Antonium’s sewers connected?”
“……
I believe they are.”
“The guards are posted there, so even the Scavengers do not go near the imperial palace side, but as you said, they are connected for now. It is not as if highborn people do not shit.”
If they are connected……
Is there any need to build an altar from Antonium itself?
From the imperial palace.
More precisely, from beneath the imperial palace.
[War Situation Archive]
If he were to collapse the rift starting there?
‘Perhaps he could swallow all of Antonium whole.’
I had seen the rift, the War Situation Archive, with my own eyes.
The reason I had not worried even after seeing a collapse rate nearing 90 percent.
Was because the collapse rate only rose in special cases.
That was right.
Only when the Emperor paid with his own lifespan.
And sought an answer from the War Situation Archive.
Suddenly, my conversation with the Emperor flashed through my mind.
-“It feels as if you, sir, carry a burden like mine…… No, a burden far heavier than mine. Thanks to that, those words truly touch my heart.”
Compared to the early days of the Great Cataclysm, the situation now was incomparably better. So perhaps the Emperor would not set foot in the War Situation Archive of his own accord.
But I could not be certain.
Why, you may know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but not the depths of a person’s heart.
However, this damn pride of mine was so lofty.
That even doubt had to be expressed elegantly.
But if, by any chance, he had set foot in the War Situation Archive……
I would have no choice but to deal with him strictly, as I always had.
My mouth opened.
“I pray there is a fitting reason, Emperor.”
*
──────Claudi shall lead the Arcana Continent to ruin.──────
The Emperor recalled the memory.
Resolute will shone in his eyes.
He murmured.
“To stand proud.”
“For the Emperor’s Qualification (Pride).”
“I have no choice but to ask.”
The Claudi within the revelation left by his predecessors.
Whether that truly meant.
As that man had said.
“Do you still not believe it, you fledgling Sericrose?”
Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.