TLTS~20

 Chapter 20

Davis was competent. He was loyal and good at his job.

The Emperor of the Heon Empire entrusted him with everything, and Davis generally lived up to those expectations.

So much so that there were even whispers that the Emperor’s greatest achievement was appointing Davis.

But if there was a problem, it was that Davis was *too* exceptional.

—

‘Shouldn’t we start looking towards conquest soon?’

The domestic situation was stable, and so were foreign relations. There was no particular reason left *not* to conquer.
Davis thought.
‘If His Majesty desires it.’
He was a tool. He believed that himself.

‘If His Majesty commands it…’

The Emperor gave the command, and the Strategist, Davis, executed it.
The Kaion Principality was a minor nation. It was no match for the Heon Empire.
The outcome seemed inevitable.

—

‘Uhahaha! Davis! I’ll entrust you with the military authority!’
‘Ah, right. Be sure to capture the Princess of Kaion alive and bring her back. I hear she’s incredibly beautiful?’

Davis, following the Emperor’s command, invaded the Kaion Principality.
The Kaion Principality was no match for the Heon Empire.

‘Soon the Kaion Principality will become Imperial territory! Davis! I’m counting on you!’
‘I will devote my loyalty, Your Majesty.’

—

However, it’s in turbulent times that heroes are born.
The hero of the Kaion Principality was the alchemist, Pyraion.
The alchemist Pyraion of the Kaion Principality (later the Kaion Empire) used alchemy to create a poison.

‘M-My eyes… I can’t see.’
‘M-My body won’t move!’

Pyraion’s “Well Poison” induced all kinds of illnesses.
The terrifying thing was that it was contagious even through corpses.

‘Transport the bodies of the fallen back to their homeland.’

Heon placed great importance on the remains of the dead.
It was a move that precisely targeted that emotional vulnerability.

‘T-The corpses are moving!’
‘Kyaaaaah!’

Zombies. It was a phenomenon everyone was seeing for the first time, except for perhaps Voodoo practitioners.
As a result, Heon collapsed, and Kaion became an Empire.
Davis said quietly.

“I know. It’s my fault.”
“……”
“At the time, I believed being loyal to the Emperor was the right thing to do. I don’t think that now.”
“I didn’t want to do it either! I’m not bad! You’re the bad one!”
“Sir Pyraion. I won’t suggest we become friendly. However, we must…”
He looked towards Chaeri.
“…act for Chaeri’s sake. You agree with that, don’t you?”
“Of course. I will unconditionally obey the Card’s owner.”

*For me, the Emperor was that.*
But Davis did not make excuses.
“There’s something we need to do now.”
“What is it?”
Pyraion narrowed his eyes, wary of Davis.
The other man was the supreme commander who had nearly destroyed his homeland.
There was no reason to be wary without cause, but the well-founded distrust remained.
“Speak.”
“It’s……”

—

* * *

—

Pyraion’s first task was Chirok.
A ‘moving’ green dinosaur plush toy.
The condition was that it didn’t need to be sophisticated; it just had to lurch forward.

“Why am I making this crap!”
But Chaeri’s gaze was fierce.
“I’m sure you’re happy to make it!”

And about 20 minutes later.
“Here it is. This is the power button. It’s set up for self-sustaining energy supply, so it can operate semi-permanently!”
“Hehe.”

Instead of answering, Chaeri laughed.
Perhaps because it was night, she felt more instinctive.
She wasn’t thinking.
She was just… happy.
“It’s amazing, Pyraion.”
“……”

Pyraion rubbed his nose slightly.
He thought Chaeri, giving him a thumbs-up, was a little cute.
He claimed to dislike children, but her laughter was more bearable than he thought.
“This is nothing special.”
“It’s cool, Pyraion.”
“……Really?”
“True-true!”

Pyraion rubbed his nose again—*Slooowly*.
The pure praise of a child has a way of making an alchemist dance.
“It’s awesome, Pyraion.”
“I can even make it make sounds?”
“Really?”
“Give me more time and I can make it move more naturally too!”
“Whoa. So cool.”

The praise was sincere.
A child’s instinct doesn’t hold back admiration.
Chaeri raised both thumbs.
“King-thumbs-up!” / “The best!”
It was the first time he’d heard the word, but it felt good.
“Pyraion. Fantastic technician.”
“……!”
“Pyraion. Super-cool.” / “The real deal.”
“……!!!”

Super-cool? / The real deal?
This too was a phrase he was hearing for the first time, but it sounded quite good.
It had a ring to it, like some incredible title. The pronunciation was very cool.
He even thought about making ‘Super-cool’ / ‘The Real Deal’ his official epithet from now on.

“Lee Chaeri. Your flattery skills are on point today. Be prepared.”
“Hmph.”

Chaeri’s eyes sparkled.
She had felt it since a while ago, but the ‘moving Chirok’ was amazing.
“Make it make sounds too! No, next time make it sing too!”
“It can even fly.”
“Wooow! That’s incredible!”

While enthusiastically pouring out her admiration, Chaeri glanced furtively at Pyraion.
She had something she wanted to say to him, something she’d been holding in her heart, and was pondering the right moment to bring it up.
Once, twice, she looked at Chirok, then nodded as if making a decision.

*’Now’s the time.’*

There was something she really wanted to say to Pyraion.
It felt a bit awkward, but she opened her mouth.
“Pyraion’s skill is not monstrous.”
“……Huh?”

The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Just moments ago, they were talking about a noisy, singing, flying green dinosaur.
Now the child suddenly brought out a weighty topic.
Just a moment ago, she was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe.
Now, it felt like her breath had caught for a moment.

“Lee Chaeri is not scared of Pyraion.”
“Hey. What are you talking about?”
“Pyraion did Pyraion’s job.”

Pyraion is a character that doesn’t appear in the novel.
However, to the L-grade ‘Child Who Collects Cards’, the information of the Card Heroes is vividly transmitted.
Pyraion was the savior hero who saved the Kaion Empire, but later took his own life.
Because he was a mass murderer who slaughtered ten million people.
He feared his own abilities and skills.

Chaeri lifted the wriggling Chirok to show him.
“Pyraion’s skill is this fantastic.”

He had his soul held as collateral by a card and made a contract with the System on the condition of conquering the Tower.
His wish was just one.

“Now, you don’t have to kill anymore.”
He wanted to use that power for peaceful purposes now.
In a way that benefits civilization. For the lives of humanity.

“It’s okay now, Pyraion.”
“……”

Back then, there was no choice.
If it wasn’t this method, he couldn’t have protected himself, his family, or his country.
He did his best to survive.
The process just happened to be massacre.

“Everyone makes mistakes.”
Chaeri knows.
That she has no right to forgive.
*’In the face of ten million lives, who am I to…?’*
Even for someone like Kim Myeong-ja, that would be impossible.
But if she didn’t say it, no one would.
“Lee Chaeri forgives you.”

It was fortunate. That she was four years old.
This is something an adult couldn’t say.
The ‘being a child’ pardon became Pyraion’s pardon.

Pyraion hung his head.
That one sentence—that was what he wanted to hear.

*’It wasn’t your fault.’*

The most comforting lie he had wanted since 230 years ago.
Tormented by the guilt of slaughtering countless people, he had struggled in agony for 230 years.
Was there really no other way besides killing?
Was that truly the best option?
Wasn’t there a more peaceful solution?
For 230 years, he had lived repeating that question.

“Pyraion doesn’t have to kill anyone anymore.”
“……”
“Lee Chaeri promises.”

She would never order something like a massacre.
Just like that amazing Chirok.
It would only be used for cool and peaceful things.

“Here. Promise.”
Chaeri held out her pinky finger.
The tip of Pyraion’s finger trembled slightly.
*Is it okay for me to hold this hand?*

“Pyraion. Don’t you know this?”
“……”
“Are you, perhaps, stupid?”
“I am absolutely not stupid!”

Her arm was getting tired from holding her pinky out.
“Lee Chaeri’s arm hurts.”

A small hand. A tiny pinky finger. But strangely, it was difficult to hold.
His heart felt too big.