13 Admittance (4)

The more he looked at Ariadne, the more her actions seemed like an enigma to someone like him. He was unable to believe that such pure and selfless actions could be taken by others.

"Kindness is a virtue~"

"You made that up." There's no way 'Kindness' could be a virtue. All it does is take the things that should be your own and gives them to someone else. Whether it's charity or forgiveness, both are things that he would only do if they were beneficial.

"It still works perfectly, right?" Though it didn't seem like the hanged nymph understood his perspective, or maybe she did but didn't want to acknowledge something sounding so selfish.

However, Alex still denied it: "Wrong!"

"What's wrong...?"

"You make it sound like being 'kind' to strangers is a good thing, even though that's entirely wrong."

"It helped you out." She snorted a bit grumpily. It wasn't as if everyone were ungrateful to those who had been kind to them in the past. If so, then there was no way 'Heroes' of the past would've existed.

People who laid down their lives for a nation, those who fought for the equality of a minority, etc. Even if being kind doesn't help out oneself, there are times when people benefitted from being given it.

"And my point is..." He pointed at the 'Utterly Pure' maiden: "...i-it doesn't help the person giving it."

"Won't you show appreciation?"

"Any decent human being would." She smiled at his words, but squinted when he continued: "Only a 'decent man' would. I'm no compassionate saint nor am I someone grateful for unwanted kindness."

"I'm sure you're decent enough."

"What gave you that idea?" She frowned at this seemingly 'innocent' inquiry coming from nowhere.

It took a few seconds before she smiled again.

"That's fine. I only helped you for my own sake. If you accept it, then that's enough for me." These heartfelt words were followed by a dazzling expression filled with only pure compassion.

It disgusted the old man...

"People like you don't survive for long."

"Why not?"

"You're like an angel." His praise made her giggle softly as she covered her mouth elegantly.

"Thank you~"

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Then what was it? An insult I don't understand because I'm an ignorant 'Little Angel' to you...?"

He hesitated before replying with pauses in-between each sentence, emphasising his point:

"Angels are fantastical and favoured by all.

They are well-liked because they only give and bless others, rather than seek to harm them.

However, becoming someone who only 'gives' will one day make it so you have nothing for yourself.

In reality, an 'Angel' would eventually die in real-life just as Heroes would when sacrificing their safety.

They aren't fit for 'The Game Of Life'..." He finished with the realistic mindset of someone experienced in this 'game' he talked about. Life was a series of twists and turns much less satisfying than a game.

"...It's a good thing I'm imaginary then, isn't it?" Her words brought him back to the fact this was a dream, not reality. Perhaps it was fine someone who wasn't real could act like such an entity.

"You can be a 'good' the world doesn't deserve or an 'evil' that will satisfy no one other than yourself."

"...Why is it so extreme?" He spoke in deep thought while glancing at the Minotaur's humongous figure.

Why was there always a wall between good and evil like this? It didn't make sense to him.

"Because you aren't an animal like my brother."

"Even animals have compassion."

"Really...?" Her expression changed as her gaze became much more stern and full of prejudice.

"Animals... Do they know morals?"

"...No." Alex hesitated but still replied to her.

"Then finally do what must be done."

"You want me to fight 'that thing' sober?"

"Yes." Ariadne didn't hide anything.

"As a Goddess of Wine, why can't you be more understanding? I can't do that. I just can't do it...!"

"You have to try. You've done it many times before as well. Just think... Remember your past valour." It was these words and the circumstances he was in that started to trigger his traumatic past in the Other World when he first fought 'Monsters'.

He remembered how no amount of rationalisation could help him after his 'first kill'. He was way too smart for that, as someone who could see the truth of the world's absurdity much easier than others.

There were rarely ever any vicious animals in the Other World, and most Beasts and Monsters had enough intelligence to be considered 'Humans'. As a pacifist who had no prejudice, his mind had always been unable to adapt to killing others.

That's why... he severed his own emotions!

He wanted to fulfil his role responsibility even if it was thrusted upon him. That's why he became a killing machine for the duration of the journey to defeat the Beast Lord. However, introspection after coming back to Earth drove him to despair...!

"H-haha... Hehe, hahahaha! 'Valour'?!" He made a mocking smile after hearing that narcissistic and foolish comment that could only be accepted by idiots who were quickly swayed by other's beliefs.

Alex's eyes sharpened as he continued: "I was crazy to turn into a killing machine just to save a world that had nothing to do with me. My hands have become so bloody...!" Tears started falling from his eyes: "Just give me some wine already!!"

He slammed his fist into the table, breaking the peaceful atmosphere as he looked maliciously.

"I can't give you that."

"Why not?"

"Because wine is bad for your mental health."

"Then let me out of this place...!"

"You're tethered to this dreamworld now. The only way to escape is by slaying the demon that's keeping you from leaving." Ariadne's words made him look at the statue and realised the man bull was smiling slyly when she gave it's actions away.

The old geezer grabbed his head in frustration as the 'poison' that he had locked in his heart started spilling out. All the hatred and resentment he had bottled up over the years started to manifest.

"...Am I not allowed salvation?" His eyes were empty while speaking with a voice clear of warmth.

"I won't condemn it." She immediately answered him, trying to become someone to support him.

However, he wasn't to be fooled by her. There was a redness in his eyes as he pointed at the statue.

"Then kill it for me." Alex spoke while dark eyes.

"Pardon?"

"I know you're strong enough to kill it."

"But I can't do that."

"What is stopping you...?!"

"Absolute Good can't hurt others."

"And yet you can force me to...!"

"This is YOUR trial, not mine." Ariadne seemed unconcerned with his well-being, purely impartial.

"...I won't kill it." He spoke to her firmly, which made the beautiful girl shake her head in response.

"Do you still want to silently die? Commit the biggest sin: Suicide? If so, then you must complete this task." Her words only started to become more irritating to hear as she started to pressure him.

"Not anymore... I've missed the best opportunity for it and not my instincts are getting in the way."

"Is that the truth?"

"Believe whatever you want."

"But you'll still fight him..."

"I don't want to." The man rolled his eyes. There was a softness in his eyes as he spoke sincerely:

"I hate... fighting people." He wasn't budging whatsoever out of his fear of being hurt badly.

Now, the only thing he wanted was to escape this dream and return to his rightful place on Earth.

And since the hanged nymph wasn't helping him get drunk, he got up and tried to force himself into an intoxicated state using Ginga Scream again. His body started to sway, but nothing was happening.

"What...?!" He exclaimed after stopping, since this was the first time anything stopped him from getting drunk. The old drunkard was already on edge after being outside his comfort zone for so long, but this incident was the nail in the coffin.

His face twisted as he found that there was wine on the table again, which he immediately drowned down his throat without a second thought. The problem started to happen when the same effects as before started to influence his sobered mind.

"..." Ariadne also started to feel strange after finding that he seemed to be experiencing withdrawal symptoms, almost as if he was started to become more temperamental as time went on.

"Give me some wine."

"...I can't."

"J-j-just do it already! No excuses! I know you're a Goddess of Wine, I remember! So give me it?!"

"I can only manifest wine that heals injuries. It can't get you drunk. If you want to leave, then go kill him." She pointed at the Minotaur, which was when Alex started to seriously consider changing his mind. He just wanted a sip of wine that had...

His breathing turned heavy before unconsciously walking towards it with resentment in his eyes, as if the person who was taking away 'everything' from Alex was the Minotaur rather than Ariadne.

The eyes of this broken man didn't seem normal as he got close enough to warrant the bull attacking him. He punched out to try killing it, but was immediately pulled back after it returned a punch and almost destroyed his most the bones in him.

His mentality started to deteriorate, but Ariadne didn't seem bothered by his current state as that was what Hero's did. They overcame their predicament and their flaws to defeat monsters.

Finally, he took her white sword with him while trying to stab the Minotaur... but it was useless.

The old man started to go senile as he started to become unable to remember a lot of things after staying sober for too long. Distant memories he never thought he'd remember started popping up.

There was a time in his youth when he was unable to stand those jealous of his intelligence and lashed out, beating up his bullies. Remembering that time back then, he became more unsettled.

Alex forgot all about the times he was summoned to the Other World along with his purpose for being here. The only thing he could remember was that his 'grandson' was outside, and that someone was stopping him from getting out of here.

The hanged nymph stared to realise that the Kill Switch within him was starting to consciously awaken while giving him all the bloodthirsty intentions it had been saving until this day. There was a smile curving on Alex's face the more he desperately fought the Minotaur for only one sip of real wine. His eyes started to darken psychotically.

It got to the point that Ariadne had to sit the old hippie down again to check if he was feeling okay.

"I-I don't want to fight." He started crying with full seriousness. There was no way it was physically possible to beat the Minotaur, and the injuries he had gotten still hurt even after getting healed.

"You must. You're still a Hero."

"I'm not a Hero anymore!" He roared with crazed eyes. He had left the Other World for a reason.

"You're still-"

"I left everything behind. I erased my own memories so I wouldn't have to go back there!"

"That doesn't change anything." Her cold words silenced him as she the spoke words he never wanted to hear. She continued with frigidness: "By abandoning that world, you just became a coward who couldn't even withstand your own role."

He started to lift his head slowly, then stayed silent as she finally revealed her disgust towards him.

Ariadne's words were like hammers: "You are just a coward, similar to the Hero I once fell for."

After she spoke this, he was unable to stop himself from slowly losing it in anger upon hearing her words. It was unfair to him...! He knew it wasn't his fault! That's how he came to the conclusion:

"You... are... bullying... me. You are, aren't you?" A redness appeared in his eyes as he wasn't able to remember what happened next. All he remembered that everything was dyed red in that moment.

When he woke up, he looked around to see that the nymph's life was no more. The body of someone he had recently gotten familiar with hung from the tree she always leaned on. On the other side was the Minotaur, who was dead but without injuries.

"H-hehe~" He started to smile as all the annoying obstacles were gone and started to dance joyfully.

He was feeling ecstatic, as his insanity felt like the drunkenness he had been looking for all this time.

The bodies of the two 'foreigners' in his dreamworld started to vanish as the world started to turn as he did. It was like he was on the inside of a spinning football as the corpses of Ariadne and the Minotaur started to blend together into one.

The only thing that seemed exempt from this was his Kill Switch, that watched him turn from afar.

It sighed and closed its eyes of this event...

avataravatar
Next chapter