Chapter 35
At the same time, his complexion gradually turned pale.
"Ze, Zero! Do something!"
It was then that the parrot was passed to me.
But even for an expert like me, there was no clear solution.
Just.
'The only thing I can do is grant his wish.'
What this child wished for was to find rest beside his friend.
I stroked the parrot and headed towards where Luterus' remains were.
"Friend..."
The parrot left my embrace and settled next to Luterus.
Then it turned to look at us.
Was it a feeling of regret for parting, or perhaps a final farewell?
Or maybe it was a sign of apology for drawing us into this.
But the parrot didn't need to have such feelings.
"Rest in peace, friend. It was an honor to be the friend of heroes, even for a short while."
In the game, Luterus is referred to as a hero, but I always thought differently.
There are two heroes.
One person and...
One heroic animal.
"...Friend."
The parrot's eyes slowly closed.
And soon, it stopped moving altogether.
At that moment, a blue window popped up before me.
[You have satisfied a special condition.]
[You have acquired the 'Copycat' skill.]
[Copycat: F]
You can imitate voices quite accurately.
[You have satisfied a special condition.]
['Mimic' and 'Copycat' will be combined.]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the 'Divine Imitation' skill.]
[Divine Imitation: S]
You can imitate and use skills you have seen with your eyes.
You can store and use up to 3 skills (3/3).
The grade of the imitated skills is fixed at A.
However, skills that require special conditions can only be used when those conditions are met.
Current imitated skills: [Demon Magic], [One Flash], [Sky Splitter]
"..."
After a hard struggle, I finally got the skill I wanted.
One of the overpowered skills at that.
But.
'I can't say I'm happy.'
The story of the parrot and Luterus was one of my favorite side stories.
Not just because the reward skill was extremely good, but also because it was an emotionally stirring story.
A story played thousands of times.
But seeing it unfold before my eyes felt strange.
The parrot throwing itself was also a first.
[You have satisfied a special condition.]
[You have acquired 'Feather of a Friend.']
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a feather of the parrot appeared in my hand.
Feather of a Friend. I've never seen such an item before.
It looked like an ordinary feather at first glance.
It seemed impossible to use it right away.
'Someday, there might be a use for it.'
After storing it deep in my pocket dimension, I was lost in thought.
'...A hidden piece of the story, placed by the game developers.'
A hidden piece.
Cleaning the eroded land with the [Clean] skill, the sacrifice of the parrot, and the Feather of a Friend I just received.
One of them must have been it. Then.
'Maybe there's more to the story?'
That was the end of Luterus and the parrot's story.
But I felt like there was more I could do.
I had that feeling.
Luterus' tattered clothes.
Something could be seen through the gaps.
'A photo?'
Dozens of photos of Luterus with the parrot.
The locations and compositions varied, but there was one commonality.
'Maybe this could work?'
I was organizing the photos when Rodelin urgently spoke to me.
"Zero, you shouldn't touch it recklessly. Until the investigation team has finished..."
"It's just a photo, isn't it?"
"Still, it's not allowed. Not unless there's a special reason."
A special reason.
"What if it's to be delivered to his family... his next of kin?"
"Next of kin? If that's the case, it might be possible. But he's a student whose records have been erased from the student body. It won't be easy to find his family..."
[You have satisfied a special condition.]
[You can carry Luterus' belongings.]
It might be a meaningless action.
It might be a waste of time.
But.
"Let's go together."
"Where to?"
"To someone who's waiting."
Someone still desperately waiting for the hero's return.
One person.
* * *
"Kihihi! What brings you folks here? Came for another part-time job?"
The clown in the square in front of the Academy.
His face was filled with smiles today as well.
'Many people speculated.'
That the clown and Luterus were father and son.
Not just because he gives the [Mimic] skill that evolves into [Divine Imitation], but mainly because the story starts with the clown.
'But no one ever found out.'
Even when I came to him after defeating the Demon's Shard, he only laughed, never giving a straight answer.
Always the same repeated dialogue. But.
I wanted to let him know. No, I wanted to change it.
The ending of this story.
"What did you say was the reason you do this?"
"For the children's laughter. Kihihi! Embarrassing to say, but that's all there is to it!"
The clown laughed awkwardly, as if feeling bashful.
Indeed, he resembled him. The laughter, the thoughts, and the heart.
"There was someone who resembled you. No, perhaps I should say someone exactly like you."
I handed him the photos I got from Luterus' belongings.
The clown's eyes widened.
The smile that seemed like it would never fade, that was always on his face, disappeared completely.
"Luterus saved numerous lives. You might think it was a sacrifice unknown to anyone... but it's not."
Many people remember Luterus.
We here, the gamers around the world who played 'Hero of the Academy.'
And you.
All of us know Luterus.
A child who dreamed of being a hero.
A child who never succumbed to bullying.
A child who cherished his friend.
A child who did not hesitate to sacrifice his own life.
Luterus is... no, your son is truly the.
"Hero of the Academy."
Luna and Raymon began to cry profusely.
"A soldier doesn't cry...!"
Contrary to her words, Rodelin's eyes were red and swollen.
She was obviously trying hard to hold back her tears.
"...I see. My son... he finally achieved his dream."
The clown, staring blankly at the photo, murmured.
"Was my son... happy?"
"...Of course."
"How do you know that?"
I know. I can know.
Not because I played the game thousands of times.
Luterus certainly had a happy life at the academy.
Dozens of photos of Luterus with the parrot.
Time, composition, location.
All different, but one thing always the same.
"Isn't he smiling brightly?"
Finally, a smile bloomed on the clown's gloomy face.
More than ever before.
A smile full of happiness.
* * *
Parrot's Diary #8
My body feels utterly weak. I sense that death is near.
It hurts, but it's not unbearable.
A strange thing, really.
Did I realize the end was approaching?
The kids each say something as they see me off.
"Rest in peace, friend. It was an honor to be friends with heroes, even for a short while."
A hero. Is that so? Have I also become a hero?
I made a good friend, got revenge, became a hero, and have kids crying for me when I die.
Not a bad life, I guess.
'Friend.'
Luterus' remains.
I lay down next to them and closed my eyes.
'Luterus, you know? I made other friends besides you.'
The mysterious kid Zero, the small but strong Raymon, Rodelin who has been protecting me since last year, and...
I slowly opened my eyes.
There she was, as if about to rush towards me.
Was her name Luna?
Ah... um, right. Pink hair. You're a friend too, let's say.
After all, friendship isn't such a difficult relationship.
Right, friend?
"Of course."
A voice I've been imagining for over twenty years.
Startled, I opened my eyes.
There he was. Luterus stood before me.
Ah, Luterus. I see.
You were waiting for me too.
"Of course, we're friends. Hurry up. There are so many worlds that heroes need to protect."
Yes, we are friends. We are heroes.
Spreading my wings, I flew.
Thus, we embarked on a new adventure.
* * *
"...and so, I request that the family's investigation team be dispatched."
Rodelin added a bit more explanation about the 'Demon's Shard.'
A magical crystal that allows communication over long distances.
There, resembling Rodelin's hair, sat a man.
With blue-tinged black hair and eyes full of resolve.
The current head of the Lucid family, 'Luke de Lucid,' the Duke.
"An erosion with its own will?"
"Yes, Lord."
Luke de Lucid is Rodelin's father.
But Rodelin always used the formal title 'Lord' for him.
A traditional military family that has protected the empire's frontiers for hundreds of years.
For Rodelin, raised in such an environment, the titles 'dad' and 'father' felt emotionally distant.
'It wasn't always like this...'
She didn't remember well, but at some point, the title 'Lord' had become fixed.
It also meant that there was a distance between father and daughter.
Among the Lucid siblings, several use the title 'Lord,' but they are those who have earned the right to stand beside Duke Luke.
It means they are recognized as his children.
'The word is the same, 'Lord,' but the meaning is different.'
Currently, Rodelin is the only one who cannot enter the land of erosion.
When will she be recognized by her father?
'Focus. Now is not the time to think about this.'
Rodelin shook her head and regained her focus.
While Zero and his group returned to the dormitory for a break, Rodelin couldn't afford such luxury.
Preserving the crime scene, writing reports, organizing stakeholders, interviews, and drafting plans for post-incident processing.
Even amidst the hectic activity, she had requested a meeting with her family.
Duke Luke was always busy, so it was only now, at dawn, that she could secure some time.
If it hadn't been related to the demon, even this meeting would have been impossible.
She began her report immediately.
No need for pleasantries like asking if he's okay.
As long as the neck and limbs are intact, it means nothing happened.
That was the Lucid family's way of inquiring after someone's well-being.
"A prototype of erosion... so it's confirmed. Erosion was initially created as a being with a will?"
"It seems so. It was quite a talkative creature."
Information gleaned through Zero's acting.
Something is being plotted in the 'White Plains.'
The Demon's Shard went dormant 20 years ago.
An old piece of information, but invaluable for the Lucid family.
"The probability that the erosion started from the White Plains is high."
"Yes. The snowy plains in the northeast. Something there is causing the erosion."
Erosion devours the land, continuously expanding its reach.
There seemed to be no limit to its expansion.
But Duke Luke knew something.
'There is nothing in this world without a weakness.'
A Nine-Star Knight, a Sword Master, Duke Luke.
The first thing he realized upon reaching this realm.
Everything in the world has its logic and lives in harmony.
And one of the biggest reasons for this harmony.
'Survival.'
To hide or block one's weaknesses, they harmonize with other things.
But erosion is different.
It devours and destroys everything by itself.
A being that defies the logic of the world.
Duke Luke had always believed that erosion must have a weakness.
'Sacred power is a weakness, but there must be something fundamental.'
The priests are already overwhelmed just by preventing the spread of erosion.
Having organized his thoughts, he spoke.
--TL Notes--
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