AWB Interlude Chapter 175: "The Fool's Epitaph"
Interlude Chapter 175: "The Fool's Epitaph"
—September 2nd, Saturday
The morning sunlight, like a light veil, falls on the earth, giving people a warm and gentle feeling.
A few days ago, after restoration, Tiangong City regained its prosperity, with crowds thronging the streets, as if it had never been damaged.
At the Itsuka residence, Shido slowly opened his eyes to the sound of his alarm clock, set to wake him at 6 a.m., and murmured his signature phrase every day.
"Haha, you woke up early today too."
Shido stretched, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the early morning.
He then got out of bed, took off his pajamas, and started looking for clothes to change out of in the closet.
"Huh? Wow, I'm missing another pair of underwear again? Oh well, it's probably Origami's doing..."
After a soft sigh, Shido changed into his clothes for the day.
After thinking it over for a while, Shido realized that it wouldn't work if he let Origami keep stealing like this, and that his allowance would eventually run out. So, he slowly pushed open the door and went downstairs.
—This is several days after the Beast's world-ending event. Despite experiencing such a great crisis, people are laughing and joking as if nothing happened. Even those who were resurrected after being killed by Ming have probably forgotten that they were killed.
Because the leaders of various countries decided to bury the issue of elves, they chose to use the manifestation device to extract the memories of everyone in the national registers about that event.
Although, according to Kotori, who was lying above the rank of commander:
"Don't worry, Shido. We in Ratatosk naturally know how to handle these matters. We can simply use a small bribe from the authorities or hack into the database to remove the list."
"Wow, Kotori, the way you said that makes me sound like a villain."
As Shido walked downstairs, he wondered why he had gone downstairs so early to prepare breakfast. Perhaps someone had given him the strange habit of preparing everything in advance.
"I'm coming down."
As Shido stepped down, he spoke unconsciously. Although the Spirits, including Kotori, were still fast asleep, Shido still blurted it out for some reason.
Even knowing that he had killed that person with his own hands...
Although he let Ming go at that time, and the report submitted by Ratatosk also allowed Ming to escape, he still remembered the last time he fought with Ming.
Shido understood better than anyone that this man's foolish actions had already led him to his doom.
From a small town next to Tiangong City, in the eyes of all the world's elites, hundreds of millions of white specks of light transformed into shooting stars and flew to all parts of the world.
Those who were harmed by Beast in Nakamoto were brought back to life, and Tohka was also rescued by Reine and the others in the end. No one lost their lives in this catastrophe.
—Apart from the inscription…
Shido went to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast.
While frying the eggs, his thoughts drifted back to the moment after his decisive battle with Ming, when they exchanged blows with a brutal, visceral exchange.
The powerful collision of forces and Ming's resolute gaze are still vivid in my mind.
“He didn’t want to destroy the world, nor did he want to kill me. In my opinion, all Ming did was want to… ‘die’.”
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew open the kitchen window, causing the curtains to flutter. Shido instinctively turned back to the present.
Shido snapped out of his daze, looked at the fried eggs in the pan, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He skillfully scooped out the eggs, only to find that he had unknowingly fried six.
"Hey?"
Shido paused for a moment, feeling inexplicably disappointed.
Originally, five portions were for the elves and Qinli, but this extra portion was originally for Ming.
Shido remained silent for a moment, his throat seemed to be choked with something, but he ultimately did not make a sound. He simply placed the extra fried egg on the plate in a calm voice.
After that, Shido slowly pushed open the bathroom door, and a breath of fresh air rushed in.
He walked heavily into the bathroom, took off his clothes, and turned on the shower, splashing refreshingly cold water onto his face.
Drops of water fell on his cheeks, perhaps trying to conceal something?
"Seriously... I really can't understand Ming. I have reasons to hate him, but his dream... even my actions of ruining my life for a dream..."
Cold water continued to splash on his body, and among the clothes the boy had placed on the mirror stand, a corner of a girl's photo that originally belonged to Ming peeked out from the pocket.
After taking a shower, Shido looked at the photo of the girl, his thoughts drifting away once more.
Early the next morning after the beast escaped.
At 5 a.m., a gentle breeze rustled through the cemetery, where the weeds whispered softly, in the place where the fool was laid to rest after fulfilling his wish.
Shido slowly stepped forward, clutching the flower he had prepared to offer to Ming.
Shido didn't know why he thought of this, but after confirming that Tohka was alright, and that Tengu City would begin reconstruction by AST the next day, and that the students on Oromi Island were settled back into the shelters where their families lived.
The crowd revelled in Fraxinus.
They ate instant noodles and various self-heating foods that the crew members had scavenged on the ship, their laughter and chatter filling the air.
The spirits surrounded Shido, cheering and celebrating this victory that felt like a savior's triumph.
"Ah...not bad, Shido, you have such a cool side! As expected of my brother!"
Kotori patted Shido on the back, uttering a series of proud and encouraging words, some of which seemed rather inhuman.
"Who dares to steal the alcoholic chocolates I specially prepared for Shido! Come out here, noble son of the hurricane, Lord Kaguya!"
"Denied. This was clearly bought by Yuzuru from a small shop in the neighboring city to celebrate her victory!"
"Hmph, don't worry about it, you idiot Xixian!"
"That's outrageous. I clearly bought that..."
"Please... everyone, don't fight."
Hearing the arguing coming from the next lounge, Shido suddenly understood what was going on with Kotori.
"I see, so you accidentally ate alcoholic chocolate, haha..."
Shido smiled, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. He knew that this victory belonged not only to him, but also to everyone who fought for the world.
Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, Tohka's sleeping beauty-like body gradually awoke. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if attracted by something, and she slowly opened her eyes.
As her vision gradually cleared, Tohka's gaze fell on the steaming bowl of instant noodles on the table.
The rich aroma was like an irresistible magic, causing her nose to twitch involuntarily.
However, when she looked away from the instant noodles, she saw Shido's eyes light up and he excitedly shouted:
"Shido!"
"Tohka, you're finally awake!" Shido excitedly walked towards Tohka, his eyes full of concern.
Tohka suddenly threw herself into Shido's arms, hugging his waist tightly, and Kotori, who was standing to the side, could only acquiesce.
However, for some reason, a hint of jealousy seemed to flash in her eyes, even though she was the younger sister.
After that, everyone returned to their respective rest rooms to sleep in a joyful atmosphere, except for Shido, who recalled Ming's relieved smile.
"As expected... it can't be ignored..."
At 4:50 a.m., Shido, who had been unable to fall asleep, was moved out of Fraxinus.
He decided to personally search for traces of the place the man had last reached, hoping that this might resolve his current doubts and inner conflicts.
—Hurricane Knight!
The moment the voice was uttered, the angel transformed into wings, and the air currents, like surging waves, tightly enveloped Shido, then suddenly dragged him upwards.
"Ah ah ah..."
Shido's exclamation echoed in the air, his eyes wide open, probably because he was used to being able to use Angel smoothly when fighting against Ming, but now he felt a sense of loss.
"How strange, why is my control over Yuzuru and the Angel Kaguya weakening now?"
Shido tried his best to concentrate, wanting to better control the power of the angel.
Although unsuccessful, it was still possible to barely mobilize spiritual power to achieve simple flight. The only drawback was that the flight was always shaky, as if it would fall at any moment.
Shido flew shakily toward the cemetery. The cemetery was exceptionally quiet in the early morning, with only the rustling of the wind through the grass.
Finally, he landed at the entrance to the cemetery.
Shido took a deep breath, gripped the flower tightly, and walked step by step toward the place recorded as the closest to the point of death, arriving at a cenotaph for Yamada Sawa.
When he saw the letter that read "Gang Fengming was here," he felt a pang of pain in his heart.
He crouched down, gently picked up the letter, simply opened the cover, and ran his fingers over the words on it.
Shido's expression gradually changed from silence.
"Nice to meet you, reader... I don't care who you are, I don't care what you think after reading this letter, but since you're here, the only thing that's certain is that I'm already dead."
"Now that you've seen this letter, come and listen!"
—A fool wrote his epitaph on the very night the plan was about to begin.
"For me, my so-called life is nothing more than a walking shadow, an ugly clown seeking redemption on a stage, appearing for a long time but unable to leave any impression on others, and finally stepping down—this is Gangfeng Ming."
"...In this world, the most pathetic and most hated fool is the one who, despite his 25 years of brilliance, only became a source of endless sins in the eyes of others..."
"Lies...deception...and brutal fighting are the vices I have shown to people throughout my life. Apart from my parents, only one person in this world has ever entered this man's dark world. Therefore, all his actions have always had only one goal."
"And all of this originated from the 'Origin' that he and she saw at that moment. She was as holy as a god descending to earth. The 'god' took away his lover, and at the moment he gained the power to defeat the god, he was burdened with the curse of immortality."
"This made him live like a walking corpse, constantly searching for a way to kill himself or the power to kill the 'Origin'."
"But he understands better than anyone that even if he tries his best, he may not be able to stand at the same level as 'God,' and perhaps his second pursuit will ultimately just be a pipe dream..."
"From the moment he understood this, this epitaph of mine became serious, and so did my impending death. For the past 25 years, I have overcome every obstacle I could, finally finding a temporary refuge and a possibility of liberation in front of a blue-haired boy..."
"But during his time with this boy, he even had the illusion that living like this wouldn't be so bad, but he understood that the boy couldn't compare to his most sincere 'her,' or even measure his worth."
“The boy’s casual conversations with ‘her’ were priceless treasures to him, but only the latter could make him give up everything.”
As Shido read this, his hands began to tremble, his eyes stung, and for some reason, he even felt like crying.
"So... what exactly did you find..."
"I found a period of relaxation, and I found a sacred soul that I envied, was jealous of, and could not ignore. The boy was like my former self... But he was able to protect his loved ones even under duress, while I could only humbly seek death..."
"He was unwilling to accept it... Even if he tried his best, he couldn't ignore this jealousy. He knew that the boy's past was not good and that he had been in despair... But he got out of it and had a better life. This made him jealous and also gratified. This feeling was like poison that eroded his reason."
"The fool's jealousy of the boy is real, all his envy is real, all his expectations are real... the plot is real... the sin is real... but his most sincere wish for him to live a happy life... is also real."
"Youth is the hero of fools, the nemesis of fools, the tool that fools use to achieve their desires, but also their devoted friend."
As he read everything described in the letter, Shido bit his lip tightly. He understood Ming's sins, but he could see genuine emotion in the letter.
"Did the Fool ever regret it?"
"Hahaha, no! The fool never regretted it. As I said, everything he said was true. Precisely because it was true, he permanently buried his 'conscience' towards the boy the day before the matter was settled..."
"In many human myths, death is often the pause that brings a character to a standstill, and this was no exception for him, the Fool... Death was not frightening; for him, it was one of the few things that allowed him to stop and find a moment of peace."
"He can't sleep; when he does, he sees the girl dying right in front of him. That's an absolute curse..."
"Many people die too late, while others die too early... The dead envy the living, and I, as a living person, envy the dead... Everyone has regrets, but I can die willingly and without regrets. This doesn't mean I'm great; it only means how crazy I am..."
"That's all for my long rambling. Thank you for reading. Enjoy the final fall of this monster; it's the only gift he could give to everyone in the world."
"A person's life is too long, while an epitaph deserves only a few lines. Yes, just a few lines... A monster like me doesn't even deserve a tombstone. If possible, please just find me any random pebble and put it on a gravestone..."
"This is not a request, but a wishful thinking on my part. A monster like me has no right to ask anything of others. Consider this my last rambling before I finish speaking."
"If I have a tombstone, please bring me two more bottles of wine, haha. I don't like drinking, but I just want to be offered a drink."
"What? You're asking me what the second glass is for? It's simple... If I ever crawl out of my tombstone one day, yelling about destroying the world, just smash this second bottle back at me!"
"Don't be so polite! If you're too kind, then we'll have to switch places now, okay? Isn't it funny? I think it's hilarious! Haha ...
—Written by Gangfeng Ming
As the letter contained jokes, the corners of the boy's mouth temporarily turned up as he read it.
"Yes, Ming, you don't need an understanding person. What you need now is just someone who can remember your sins, right?"
He casually found a stone nearby and placed it next to the cenotaph. Flames rose and burned the epitaph that belonged only to Ming. Shido then looked at Ming's tombstone.
He spoke as if relieved:
"Sweet dreams, Gangfeng Ming... a fool who seems insane."