Chapter 172 : Chapter 172
Chapter 172: Wires and Chains (3)
When I came to my senses, we had already come out.
To the place where we were last before entering the 'circle'.
But unlike back then, Rine was standing together with us in front of us now.
Instead of floating in the sky, she had lightly landed on the ground.
"......."
However, Rine, who had come down like that, somehow seemed to be walking on eggshells, not approaching rashly and showing a cautious appearance while keeping a slight distance.
The 'Rine' we had known until now was merely taciturn, not a personality that was hesitant in expression itself.
In other words, that hesitating appearance was an appearance that only 'Shurine' showed.
She must be feeling sorry for dragging us into this.
So, I approached first and held her hand.
"Welcome back, Rine."
"...!"
Rine, who looked up at me as I showed a smile, soon slowly nodded.
"...Yes."
As if she never wanted to let go again, she held my hand tighter.
"It is an honor to be with you again, Elder Sister Rine."
"I am glad you came back to us, Sister."
The two who were easily moved to tears were tearing up again in that short time.
Toric, who was showing a gratified smile looking at their appearance, also soon strode over and said.
"Welcome."
As the atmosphere became one where all the companions chimed in with a word, even Ibi, who was scratching her head alone in the back, eventually approached and tapped Rine's head lightly once as if gently placing her hand on it.
"You're back."
"...Thank you, everyone."
And she wasn't the only one who returned to the outside.
Far away, I could see Pariah had also returned.
Just like when I last left him, still kneeling.
"......."
He was blankly looking this way.
At Shurine, whom he had thought would absolutely never stop her 'salvation' on her own unless she met death because she couldn't understand the human heart.
At Rine, who had proven that he was completely wrong.
Then before long, he finally straightened his two knees that were kneeling and slowly stood up from the spot.
Ibi, who saw that appearance together, suddenly flinched and secretly lowered her hand to the dagger at her waist.
The companions who noticed this also hurriedly turned their heads toward Pariah.
"Does he want to go another round──"
However, contrary to their wariness, no hostility was felt from Pariah anymore.
Pariah, who stood up like that, quietly turned his back to us just like that.
And chose the path to leave suddenly and disappear.
Just like he did in this city before.
Meanwhile, just like us and Pariah, the citizens who all returned to the spot where they first stopped were still showing a reaction of not knowing what was going on.
Because from their perspective, it must have felt like everything ended in the blink of an eye.
Of course, they wouldn't understand at all.
They looked like they couldn't even guess what had happened in that instant at all.
"...! Hey, that, that person is...?!"
But even they seemed to be able to recognize the appearance of one man.
Because it was an appearance they could always see if they went to the square.
Of course, it must be the first time in a very long while to see him not in the form of an ice statue, but walking alive and moving like this.
"Lord Pariah...!?"
"T-There! Lord Pariah has returned!"
They belatedly recognized the appearance of the most famous hero in this city, who chose the path to leave alone quietly again and passed them by, and gathered around.
Because unlike Rine, whom we were standing around as if surrounding her so they couldn't easily recognize her, he was alone.
"Lord Pariah!"
However, Pariah did not answer their calls at all and just silently left.
At this, the citizens who had gathered for a moment also saw his firm gait and couldn't bear to block him, starting to open the way on their own.
"Perhaps, was that just now also done by Lord Pariah...?"
From their perspective, they couldn't know what on earth happened, but at least they couldn't possibly not know the fact itself that something huge had happened.
But when they came to their senses, the hero of this city who suddenly disappeared 30 years ago was striding in front of them.
"Did Lord Pariah save this city again...?!"
That he saved them again; it was enough for them to misunderstand.
Therefore, the commotion that happened for 'an instant' in this city would end with a conclusion quite far from the truth──that in a desperate crisis where even Governor Kurt was swept away by the commotion and met his death, Hero Pariah saved the city from the crisis again and suddenly disappeared.
Well, I have no complaints about that.
Because it wasn't something done to receive recognition from the people here in the first place.
As long as Rine is by our side again like now, I really didn't care at all what they thought about this incident.
And even to protect that Rine, it was much better for them not to know the detailed truth right now.
"...First off, am I the only one who thinks we should get out of here whatever happens?"
"I agree."
Therefore, just like when we first entered this city, we put the 「Pitch-Black Shadow Cloak」 on Rine.
***
The King is dead.
Well, strictly speaking, he isn't a King but a Governor, but he was practically an existence no different from a King.
So it wasn't a situation where this idiom didn't fit.
It's called a Republic in name, but it was practically no different from a monarchy ruled by one person, Kurt, who seized power through a coup.
If one denies it, it's burying one's head in the sand.
So, this city needed a new King to shout 'Long Live' for, following that phrase.
Because 'long live the king' must always follow 'The king is dead'.
Kurt, who already actually possessed 'eternal youth and immortality' which many absolute rulers desired, having not only no worry about dying of old age but no worry about death itself at all unless Shurine returned, could literally have enjoyed that absolute power for his whole life.
As long as he expelled all the forces that hindered his power or nipped them in the bud beforehand.
So, he did.
Just like he betrayed the 'nobles' who were effectively his backers that allowed him to stage the coup and locked them all in the underground prison.
Of course, that was also an act of holding them accountable for suddenly 'stealing away' Shurine contrary to the plan and making it so he couldn't control her, but the biggest reason was actually because they hindered his power.
Above all, they supported the coup to drive out Shurine and seize power themselves.
Although they ended up getting their hand bitten by the hunting dog they tried to use for that purpose.
In other words, Kurt didn't think about a 'successor' at all in the first place.
Why would he do that?
When he could live forever.
Why would he voluntarily let go of power and pass it down?
To him, a 'successor' was merely an existence that shouldn't exist, who had the possibility of stealing his power.
So, to prevent such an existence from arising, he nipped it in the bud from the start as I said earlier.
But, such a man died suddenly.
Without a successor to inherit his position decided at all.
Because of that, Shurina will fall into chaos from now on.
To sit on the empty throne because Kurt, whom they thought could absolutely never be dragged down, suddenly disappeared, those who guarded that throne will point swords at each other.
If I were to pick those closest to the throne among them, it would be Kurt's 'Right Arm' and 'Left Arm', of course.
'Right Arm' Arthur, who wielded the sword on behalf of Kurt, and 'Left Arm' Morgana, who made money, will start engaging in a dark struggle to sit on the throne that became vacant.
But, well... it's not our business anymore.
To be exact, I could intervene, but I don't really have the intention to.
That intervention was something to do only when I wanted to see the sight of Rine reclaiming the city more easily in the commonly called '(Becoming) Shurine (Again) Ending', in the case Rine makes the choice to return to Shurina after our journey ends in the future.
But Rine probably has no intention of returning anymore.
She will never choose the path of living bound by the chain called 'God' in this place again.
Of course, I could force her choice to change by saying 'You must return to Shurina and become Shurine again' while going as far as using [Persuasion]... but why would I do that sh*t.
Since Rine's Companion Quest is finished, now Shurina was a place just right for hearing news from afar as a sort of 'epilogue' later.
──So to spoil it briefly, eventually the winner of the power struggle will be neither Arthur nor Morgana, but Pariah.
For a while, the two will fight each other to sit on the throne, but later, Pariah, who found the answer after wandering, will return to this city again and destroy that throne altogether.
Under the single-mindedness to take responsibility for the 'mistakes' he committed countless times.
He will return to Shurina and bring true freedom to this city he neglected while chasing Shurine after the 'coup', which was one of those mistakes.
He, who was praised as a 'Liberator' in a false truth during that time, becomes a Liberator in the true sense.
That was the ending this city faces in the world line where Pariah survives.
Therefore, I couldn't kill Pariah.
If I killed Pariah, unless Rine returns to Shurina and becomes a god again to rule, the power struggle between those two will eventually drive this city to ruin.
Even if it is a city that only left her with scars, in the end, it is her 'hometown' and weren't they people she once had to take responsibility for?
Rine, upon learning that Shurina met such an ending, will surely regret it.
I absolutely didn't want to see such a sight, and for that, Pariah had to be alive.
...Well, actually, regardless of whether such an 'Ending' exists or not, the feeling of simply not wanting to kill Pariah was the biggest.
I don't really like taking away the opportunity of someone who has a chance to change.
Anyway.
That's how it is.
Now Shurina will face its own happy ending.
Actually, I don't know well if it is a city that deserves it, but I know well that at least Rine has the qualification to enjoy her life as a 'person', not a 'God', without any worries now.
Of course, to see such an 'epilogue' eventually.
"──Everyone, did you pack everything without missing anything?"
We would have to see the 'Ending' first.
And the essential condition to see that ending was, ultimately, only defeating the final boss.
Defeating the Demon King beyond the wall, preventing the huge war that has really come right under our noses now.
And Shurina was the city closest to the wall among the cities we have visited so far.
In other words.
"Shall we go?"
It was now time to go cross that wall.