"Um."
The Heretic Questioner held his chin.
"Why I became a psycho…?"
-That's right. Rime.
"Mmm. That's a tough question."
Mm, umm, within he groaned. The Heretic Questioner pondered seriously. However, the Heretic Questioner's serious expression was the same whether he faced a math problem that was difficult to solve or not.
This was both an advantage and a disadvantage of being the Heretic Questioner.
At the very least, it wasn't the face of the parent the children wanted.
-Why are you so obsessed with success?
For that reason, Seimslam did not stop her offensive.
-Why did you devote your mind to distinguishing between things like [useful] and [useless]? It would be fine if you just distinguished them, but why did you have to distinguish everything so [quickly]?
In the presence of the entire snail race.
No, in the presence of all the other races, Seimslam questioned their god— the god who ruled over the continent with the unconditional devotion of an ancient empire.
-People are not omnipotent. I don't know much. But I do know it's impossible to see the potential hidden in a child in front of you with a single glance. That is why we should be humble, and give the child a grace period where they can live relaxedly until their abilities blossom. That would be called education. Rimu. So, why does Kurka have to quickly sort out the [useful] and [useless] things?
Questioned their parent.
-Father. Why are you like that?
"…"
-Can you not live differently? At all?
Night began to fall in the forest.
The last rays of sunset slipped from the damp leaves and disappeared. Fwoosh! Moving around busily, the elves began to place torches here and there. Fwoosh! Then, the panorama of snail race members, who had been hidden in the shadows of the forest until then, was revealed through the dim light.
-…
-…
Hundreds of thousands of snails.
They could go anywhere by crawling on the ground or climbing on walls— the homes they actually lived in for their entire lives were on their backs in their spiral shaped shells. A race that was supposed to be free was now bound listening to the conversation between Seimslam and the Heretic Questioner with bated breaths.
-Rime….
-Rimu.
This was not because they were overwhelmed by Seimslam's influence.
Neither was it because they were overwhelmed .
It was simply because Seimslam, at that moment, represented their entire race— on behalf of every member of their race, to their parent, she said what they wanted to say, asked what they wanted to ask, released the resentment they wanted to release, gave the blame they wanted to give, all of this strung together in the form of questions, a discussion that they were having there.
That is to say, Seimslam had become the representative of their race, or to be more precise, the eldest sister of their race. While their eldest sister pointed out their parent's faults, the other members of the snail race sat quietly like little brothers and sisters.
The scale was enormous.
It was literally a discussion with their parent.
"Mm."
Tuk.
The Heretic Questioner slowly descended from the air to sit opposite Seimslam. He stopped using the [Sacred Technique— God's Send off(送神)]. Now, standing between the eyes of the parent and child was no longer the distance between the sky and the ground, nor was it their difference in height.
A torch that had been lit by someone flickered slightly.
"Seimslam. I owe you all apologies for many things. The empire fell because I wasn't thorough enough. All of the privileges you had disappeared, and from then on, the life of the snail race was reduced to that of a baron level race, mining salt on the outskirts and supplying it to the goblins. That is my failure. When it comes to that, there's nothing I could say even if I had 10 mouths, sorry…"
-No. It's not like that.
Raising her tentacle, Seimslam rubbed it across her face.
It seemed like she was massaging the area between her eyebrows tiredly.
-The first empire, the glory of the younger years, the failed past, and the subsequent turn around to the laborers of the present… I'm not blaming you for this changing history. No, on the contrary, Father worked really hard and did well.
"Huh?"
-Which races in this world were able to become the hegemons of this continent? The snail race. And the goblin race. There were only two. Father was able to reach a level that only two people in this world were able to. Even if you did crash later, rime. We respect Father's ability.
"…"
-What we are asking about is not Father's success or failure. Look at us.
Seimslam got closer.
-Look at us. Kukla.
The sole remaining tentacle, covered in scars from countless battles, tightly covered the back of the Heretic Questioner's hand.
"…"
The Heretic Questioner looked.
-Look at us. Father.
And.
On Seimslam's face was the exact same smile the Heretic Questioner had.
Faced with this smile, the Heretic Questioner seemed to freeze for a while, as if he'd been paralyzed.
-We smile as we throw useless children into the bluestone cave, saying, 'It can't be helped'. Perhaps that is our dirtiness. Perhaps it is a smile that comes from viciousness. However, it's different. Father.
-…
-It is an innocent smile we got from you.
『Mm! It's unfortunate but this one is useless!』
『Let's throw them away!』
『Ahaha.』
-We look a little different, and we have a few more arms than you do… or a few less.
Seimslam playfully flicked her one remaining tentacle.
-Nevertheless, we inherited almost your entire legacy. What you intended. And even what you didn't intend. Your laughter, gestures, the very weight you chose to sink into this world… everything.
"…"
-That's why, Father does not need to thank us for achieving the first empire, nor should you apologize for the empire's downfall. Those are all secondary issues. What I, what we want to know is…
-Why our Father is a psycho.
For what reason.
-Only then can we understand why we are psychos.
The antennae of every snail turned in the direction the Heretic Questioner was sitting.
-Tell us. Father.
"…"
-We, we want to know.
Silence fell.
In this miry silence, the Heretic Questioner opened his mouth.
"I."
-…
"I…"
[The 40th Floor Quest is currently underway.]
Then.
2.
-No, why are you so obsessed with making money?
The elves surrounded the Count.
The atmosphere in the forest was noisy, as if a court hearing was being held, and unlike their beautiful appearances, the elves' faces carried sharp grimaces as they bombarded their [god] with waves of attacks.
-What you do is for money. What you don't do is for money. Money no matter what. The world is all about money, money, money.
"So that makes you upset?"
Huu, holding a hookah, the Count let out a puff of smoke. It was a hookah developed by the elves, and this person had just purchased it at a high premium. The parent had purchased the product developed by their children, and as one could see from the atmosphere, they were not particularly pleased about it.
"It feels good to make money. Doesn't it?"
-No just touching money feels good… seriously, couldn't you teach us something other than making money?
"Like what? Music? Singing? Art? How to exaggerate and say things like 'this world is so beautiful I could just die'? Or how to make others lose themselves and say 'you are so beautiful the world could just die'?"
-…
"I don't know anything like that. I can't teach you anything other than how to make money."
-Ah, why is that?
"I was born as a child who had nothing."
Behind the smoke from the hookah, the Count grinned.
"I had a house that was empty. No, actually, I didn't have a house. Do you know what a garbage city is? You don't. The world I was born in is much larger than your continent and has a lot more people, and the garbage that people threw away was enough to create an entire mountain range."
-Eh…
"Nevertheless, sometimes, there is garbage that can be recycled. I'm talking about garbage that could make money. Then merchants were bound to get screwed. Garbage that others threw away after eating, garbage that others threw away after pooping, garbage that others threw away after playing, garbage that others threw away after having sex… I sifted through all kinds of garbage to find the garbage that could at least make [money]."
-Uh.
The business acumen of every elf was sharp. They briefly pounded the calculators in their heads.
-Was such a business profitable? The profitability seems pretty bad.
"Huhu."
The Count smiled cheerfully.
"It can't make money, right? It's bad, right?"
-Yes.
"That's right. You're correct. That's why my daily wages were even less than little boogers."
-…
"Even so, if I was taken advantage of by adults, I was left with almost nothing. What else could I do? All I could do was wake up while the adults were sleeping and secretly work overtime rummaging through the piles of garbage. Whether I got caught or not was a small risk. I had to split my sleep up four to five times a day in order to pretend everything was okay. That way, I could collect as much valuable garbage as possible."
-…
"Listen carefully, my children. At least, you are like children."
The Count slowly put down the hookah.
Then, she leaned over and whispered— to the tens of thousands of elves looking at her.
In a somber voice. With a bitter tone.
"Asking me why I didn't teach you anything else, don't be pathetic. The moment you did something so pathetic, you already proved that you were nothing but babies."
-…
"Making money is hard. But you are lucky to be able to make money."
The Count's gaze seemed to be shrouded in a ghastly aura.
"Those who don't have money. For example, let's say there was a little kid living in garbage city who, all of a sudden, desperately [wanted to learn piano]. That's just a delusion. Don't you think so? Something so beautiful could only happen in a dream. If that kid really wants to learn piano, first they have to be fortunate enough to find a used piano in the garbage mountain, then, they have to be fortunate enough to find an old person around who knows how to tune a piano, then, they have to be fortunate enough to be able to read and collect sheet music that had been thrown away, and lastly, they have to be fortunate enough to have musical talent."
-…
"For those who don't have money, just the desire to want to learn something, or want to do something is the gamble of a lifetime. What I mean is that it is a gamble they would have to risk their time, luck, life, everything they have, just to touch it."
-…
"What about you?"
The Count looked around at her audience.
Upon making eye contact with the Count, some elves couldn't help but shudder. Among them, there were certainly elves who had lived longer than the Count, but it was difficult for them to withstand the pressure of the 5th ranked in the Tower.
"What about you?"
Sometimes it was easy to overlook because she often turned into a cat and pawed at foxtails.
Born into the lowest class in a garbage city, the Count had become a magnate who controlled all of the commercial districts in the Tower.
There were very few people on this Continent, in the Tower, or in the world outside who could withstand the malice in the Count's breath.
"Do you want to learn music? Pay for it. Use money to find a teacher. Buy sheet music. Buy a musical instrument. Right, you might have to think carefully when you buy a musical instrument. They're quite expensive. Choose an instrument based on your level of enthusiasm for music and the capacity of your household. Carefully… right, you have to be careful."
The Count laughed.
It was an old laugh that was filled with poison.
"You're able to think carefully because of money."
-…
"Money gives you many possibilities. Music? If you don't think it's worth it, you can stop. It costs money, but you're not lacking that little money. Many people are mistaken, money is not a goal or result. It is the [starting point] As your parent, I simply gave you the starting point."
The Count pulled a fan out of her pocket.
"Right, you're worrying about [why our parent only taught us to make money], aren't you? Fine. That's fine. Take your time to think about it. Even if you waste your time thinking about it, you're not in a situation where you'll starve if you can't meet your daily wages, are you? Then you can enjoy wasting."
-…
"Worries. Thoughts. Contemplation. They are all [enjoyable waste]. This is because whenever you lose yourself in your worries, or get absorbed in your contemplation, you will secretly realize that you have enough to spend the rest of your lives in leisure. Do you understand? It is the subtle luxuries that make you amazing. Or, at least, gives you the illusion of being amazing."
The Count beamed.
Then, she opened her fan and covered the lower half of her face.
"Think whenever you want to think, live whenever you want to live, and do whatever you want to do. That's called freedom. Money gives you freedom. Only, money."
-…
"So I'll ask you again, my children. Or people who are like children."
The Count's cat like eyes were locked onto the tens of thousands of elves.
"Was it really unfortunate to be born as my children?"
"Or do you [think] it was unfortunate?"
"If that is the case, then how did you feel when you thought [it was unfortunate to be born as that person's child]? Did it feel bad? Or… perhaps."
The Count grinned.
"When you thought about it, you felt a little proud, a little boastful, or even felt a little better?"
-…
"As I said, thoughts, worries and contemplation are enjoyable luxuries."
It was a smile that curved like a dark crescent moon.
'Aha', this crescent moon let out a laugh.
"From my perspective, your lives seem pretty enjoyable, don't you think?"
Then.
[The 41st Floor Quest is currently underway.]
3.
-Why did you choose us?
The mermaid race asked the Crusader.
-We are creatures who live in water. On the other hand, the Great Dolphin… you, seem to be a being who lives on land. The worlds we live in are different.
Drawn all over the bodies of the mermaids were tattoos that looked like waves, so that when the mermaids swam together, it looked like beautiful waves washing ashore. They were a race of the water.
-Kekerkker chose the goblins. Rime chose the snails. Although they look different, they are all races who were born on land and live on land. They probably have more similarities than differences. But, what about you?
Even now, the mermaids were gathered in the river.
-Why us?
The Crusader sat on a huge rock that rose up out of the river, and this rock was surrounded by tens of thousands of mermaids swimming in the water.
"…"
The Crusader looked down at the river.
The blue moonlight reflected gently off of the forest river.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize that it was not moonlight, but the tail of a mermaid. With their arms resting on the rock and their body submerged in the river, the mermaid splashed water with their tail. Every time they splashed in the water, the droplets smeared with moonlight shattered brilliantly.
"On the land,"
As she looked at the moon shattering on the water's edge, the Crusader spoke.
"I didn't want to make you live on land."
-Huh?
"If you lived on land… you would come to hate it. Gradually, little by little, you would begin to hate everything that walked on land too. You would come to despise them. Every living thing on land would look terrible."
Clink.
The Crusader slowly removed her helmet.
The blonde hair, which had been asleep in the iron bucket, relaxed as it trickled down.
"I didn't want to raise you like that."
-…
"I didn't want you to smell the contempt of the world with every breath, but to simply feel the refreshing scent of the sea. I didn't want the heavy gravity to pull you down, so I made you swim. I hoped the light waves and merciful water surface would accept your swimming."
Murmuring, the Crusader looked down at the moon reflected in the water.
Her blonde hair hung down, hiding her face and covering the corner of her mouth.
So her voice seemed to flow from the moon reflected in the water, rather than her.
"The air is too light. The ground is too hard… For someone like me, despite clearly being alive, it is so easy to stand, so easy to walk, that it's difficult to feel my own existence at times. I grew accustomed to it."
-…
"However, you are different."
Splash.
Someone flapped their tail, causing ripples to spread across the river. Other ripples could be seen overlapping with that one. Stopping their actions, the tens of thousands of mermaids looked at their mother.
"The surface is light. The depths are heavy. The sea floor, should be terrifying. Unlike when we walk… you can feel the world around you every time you swim. You can feel your own body, your own outline, and your own existence as you swim through the world. When you skillfully pierce the waves crashing down on you, you can look up at the bright sun shining brilliantly on the sea, and the moment you see it, you… will feel happy. I thought you would be pleased."
-…
"You could drown yourself in your swimming skills, admiring the colors of the sea that changed every day, and finding amusement in the flavor of the water that changed every time as it seeped through your gills. And if you ever got tired of the sea and the waves, you could go to the surface and look at the ground… Look at the land. At the greens, browns, and grays, at red maple leaves, the yellow wheat fields, and the many other things that you could see on the land."
The Crusader said.
"I wanted you to feel the beauty."
-…
"I wanted you to find the land, and everything that walked on the land, beautiful, and love them."
She could hear the sound of running water.
The forest river was dark, and the sound of the running water was indistinguishable from the sounds of the mermaids.
Tiny sounds flowed from all over the world.
"That's why I chose."
The Crusader raised her head.
"That's why I chose you guys, the mermaid race."
-…
"Was it my own selfishness?"
-Yes.
Splash.
-It was selfish.
The Queen of the mermaids created waves with her tail.
-However… compared to other parents, compared to the gods of the other races, it is really pretty selfishness.
The mermaid stretched out a webbed hand. She stroked her mother's blonde hair, which had been suffocating in the armor. Hesitantly. The Crusader took a breath. It was wet. Breaths near the water carried the moisture of the river. In this place, the breaths of humans and mermaids were not much different.
Cool droplets of water, resembling the moon, dripped down her hair.
-I am very happy that you are our mother.
Then.
[The 42nd Floor Quest is currently underway.]
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