I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 81

The new ending for me, written in the <Future Diary>.

That ending was the kingdom's fall due to an attack by a monster army.

'Damn it...'

It would be dishonest to say I wasn't disappointed. I had changed my ending several times since coming to this world, but this time, the fundamental ending hadn't changed after all.

But.

'...I have to think. Of a way.'

Although I was mentally exhausted, I couldn't just complain. I couldn't just stand by after learning that my ending was so gruesome.

And above all, I had come too far to just give up now.

'If I do nothing, everyone in this kingdom will die. It's not just me who will die.'

The people who had silently bowed their heads to me when I left the royal capital.

The people who were hopeful that they could finally live properly, hoping for a happier today than yesterday and a better tomorrow than today.

All the people who had thanked me.

I was in a position to be responsible for those people.

So I had no time to just be annoyed.

Flip—!

I opened the <Future Diary> again. It was the last part of the diary, with my ending that I had stopped reading earlier.

'There must be a hint in the diary to avoid this ending too. I have to find it.'

Taking a deep breath, I began to carefully read my ending.

...

The Monster Mountains.

Monsters poured out from there.

They burned the entire kingdom in an instant.

And they slaughtered my people.

I am struggling on the plains in front of the royal capital, holding a sword to protect the last bastion, the royal capital.

Monsters are pouring in. There are only two sounds to be heard around me. The screams of people and the joyful cries of monsters.

I will soon be buried in those screams and die. Regret and all sorts of thoughts fill my mind.

'...Why did it come to this? I did my best.'

—U-uaaaaargh!!

—Kerrk! Human! Delicious human!!

—Re-retreat! Retreat to the royal castle!! There are too many of them... gaaah!!

—Save me...!

—Chiiiiik!!

—S-soldiers! Do not fall back... gyaaaak!

—My arm! My aaaaaarm!!

—I-if I get out of here alive, I'll definitely confess to Yoanna... gack!

Long ago, before I purged the nobles, when I was holed up in the library, I had read a book called <The Great Encyclopedia of Monsters>.

That book contained explanations and illustrations of various monsters, and the monsters I had seen in the book were now right before my eyes.

Goblins, small but cunning and agile, whose body fluids are poison.

Orcs, who grow to the size of an adult human in just three months.

Trolls, whose regenerative abilities are so great that they can easily heal from most physical blows and most magic doesn't work on them.

Besides them, there were also many monsters I did not know.

Not a single monster could be ignored.

But the being that was driving my army to despair was something else.

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That creature, which let out a roar more magnificent than any other monster.

That was the monster called the 'Minotaur' that was driving us to despair and fear.

A monster from mythology... with the body of a human and the head of a horned bull.

—Aim for the legs! We must take down the Minotaur first!!

—Rollo! My axe!!

—Yaaaaaaah!!

—Knights! Do not fall back! Overcome your fear!

The loyal knights and soldiers were struggling to take down even one more monster.

The knights and pirates were swinging their swords and axes like mad to take down the Minotaur's legs. There were also knights who recklessly charged with their spears.

But it was not enough. The Minotaur was over 10 meters tall, and every time its giant double-bladed axe struck the ground, dozens of people became minced meat.

—Kwaaaaaang!

When it struck the ground again, the earth trembled. It was enough to make my legs shake.

And at its attack, the knights and soldiers disappeared without even leaving a proper last scream.

It was hopeless.

'...Why? Why is a monster from mythology? Why did the one that is said to be unsealed once every 1,000 years have to be...?'

I was confused.

At some point, the mages' magic had also stopped. What were the mages doing? Had they run away?

'Ah... they didn't run away. A certain mage said it earlier. That the mages' mana had all run out, and the elders had died vomiting blood after using magic forcibly.'

Yes, that was it.

Everyone had done their best.

—Caw! Caw! Caw!

It seemed Seria could still use magic, as her crows were flying in the sky. Seria's crows' performance was also remarkable, as they aimed for the monsters' eyes and necks and killed a huge number of them.

But Seria's magic alone was not enough to turn the tide of the battle.

It was then.

—Caaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!

—Caw! Caw! Caaaaaaaaaaak!!

—Caaaaaaaaaak!!

Something blocked the sun in the unnecessarily blue and clear sky. I slowly looked up to see what was blocking the sky, and dozens of large crows, the size of a human body, were flying towards the Minotaur all at once.

But the crows' appearance was a little different. Instead of feathers, black flames were bursting out from their wings and bodies. Every time the crows flapped their wings, black fire dripped down.

Seeing that, the knights and soldiers, who had been in despair, cheered.

—It’s Lady Seria’s, the ‘Black Hell Crows’!!

—Yes! With that!! Even the Minotaur!!

—Wooooooooo!!

Seeing them cheer like that, it must be a great magic.

I also held onto hope.

The 'Black Hell Crows' that had instantly approached the Minotaur hit their target. The head, chest, lower body, and various other places.

—Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!

A huge explosion was heard. It was a roar that silenced the battlefield in an instant.

Both humans and monsters had their eyes stolen by the Minotaur.

—A-a direct hit!

—Waaaaaaaaa!!

—We won! We won!!

Seeing that the attack had succeeded, the knights and soldiers cheered again. Smoke and dust rose up enough to cover the Minotaur's entire body.

But... that hope was only for a moment.

—Kuuuuwooooooo!!

From within the smoke and dust, the Minotaur's roar could be heard. At its roar, the cheers of the knights and soldiers disappeared in an instant. It was to the extent that it felt as if only the cheers of the knights and soldiers had been muted.

Soon, the Minotaur roughly tore through the dust and reappeared.

It was a sight of not having taken even a little, no, any damage at all.

'...It took that kind of magic and it's completely fine?'

Did that attack rather provoke the Minotaur's anger?

Its attacks became even more merciless than before. Its attacks did not distinguish between monsters and humans.

—...

—...

—...

—...

—...

A silence of disbelief hung over the battlefield.

A certainty that this was the end also hung in the silence.

'Where... is Jereuth?'

In a situation like this, the one I could trust the most was, of course, Jereuth. I looked around like a madman, searching for Jereuth. But it was not an easy task to find Jereuth in this chaos.

Then, someone grabbed my shoulder and shook me hard, shouting.

Thud—!!

“Your Highness! Get a grip!!”

“...Vice Commander Hagen? Where is Commander Jereuth?”

“The Commander died while facing the Minotaur alone!”

“Ah...?”

“His last words were, 「”This is all my mistake, my responsibility, and my fault. I should have led the army and advanced to the Monster Mountains first. No, if I had made a firm decision when I was young, I could have prevented this situation. I fought for His Highness, but it is a regret that I cannot smile as I die. More than anything, I regret disappointing His Highness.”」— they were!”

"...Ah?"

Jereuth is dead?

The Jereuth who was so strong?

But what did he mean by this is all his mistake?

What did he mean by he could have prevented this situation if he had made a firm decision when he was young?

Wait, why is the sky dark?

When did the sun set?

The sun was still up when Seria's crows were flying at the Minotaur, wasn't it?

'...How much time has passed? Has a day passed? Or two? Or more?'

My first time on a battlefield.

I was in such a mess that I had even lost my sense of time here.

The battlefield... was difficult to endure with my mental strength.

"Your Highness!! We must retreat!! We can no longer hold them back!"

Hagen shouted in my ear again.

'Retreat? What is that?'

Ah, he means to run away.

I nodded my head.

"Let's... do that. Retreat, retreat."

"Yes! Then I and the remaining knights will gather the soldiers and break through! Your Highness, please take that opportunity to ride your horse back to the castle and plan for the future...!"

It was at that moment when Hagen was speaking, handing me his horse's reins.

Swoosh—!

I felt a stinging sensation in my ear and the sound of wind cutting through.

I also felt a hot, thin liquid flowing from my ear.

'...What is this? Why does my ear hurt?'

As I was blankly touching my ear, Hagen, who was in front of me, collapsed, clutching his chest where an arrow had hit him.

"Gack..."

Thud.

'Ah... the arrow that grazed my ear hit Hagen's heart.'

I came to realize that obvious fact.

'So what do I do now...? Should I ride a horse and run away?'

There were no knights or soldiers to protect me.

Jereuth was dead. Hagen was also dead, and most of the elders and mages of the Mage Tower were also dead or neutralized.

Seeing that the crows flying in the sky had also disappeared at some point, it seemed that Seria was also gone.

So what was left for me was...

'Nothing.'

I had two choices left.

One was to ride a horse and run away somewhere.

Then I might be able to live. But...

'What's the point of living like that?'

There is no point. Since everything I had tried to protect had been destroyed.

Then the second choice left for me was...

—Hup!

I got on the horse that Hagen had given me before he died.

And I charged towards the monsters. I don't know why I made such a reckless decision. I was just charging towards the monster army.

—Heeeeeigh!!

As if it understood my emotions, the horse ran fiercely.

It was a ferocity as if it had nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

Swoosh—!

I swung my sword indiscriminately. I put my heart into every single sword strike.

I swung and swung again. I had never learned swordsmanship, but strangely, my sword was strong.

"Gasp... ha... gasp..."

I was out of breath. My vision was yellow and blurry.

In that yellow and blurry vision, I saw a familiar knight. It was Yoanna.

Yoanna's helmet was off, and her face was messily smeared with blood, sweat, and dust.

Although her face still had a hint of youthfulness, she was fighting more bravely than any other knight.

Her armor and clothes were half destroyed, so she was practically naked, and her bare skin, covered in dust and blood, was visible.

It seemed she was injured, as one of her arms was dangling as if it wouldn't listen. But she was thrusting her rapier, not caring about such an injury. Every time Yoanna thrust her rapier, it pierced the heart or the brow of a monster.

To have such skill even with such an injury, Yoanna's skill was truly amazing. It was to the extent that even Jereuth and the other senior knights were impressed.

However, even Yoanna seemed to have reached her limit. Her movements had become so sluggish that I could see it.

'Even Yoanna... everyone is dying.'

Just as I was momentarily distracted by Yoanna's dance-like battle.

Kuuuuwooooor—.

A Minotaur was drooling in front of me. I had somehow, whether I should say I was lucky or not, reached the center of the monster army.

'Is this... a monster from mythology?'

Thud—!

Suddenly, my vision went dark and my thoughts were cut off.

I was dead.

The last thing I saw was a 'despair' that could never be overcome by human strength.

Never, the Minotaur was a being that humans could not defeat.

“...”

After reading for a long time.

I closed the <Future D>iary without even being able to let out a sigh.

Thud—.

'...This really seems hopeless.'

According to the <Future D>iary, it seemed that not only me but everyone would die in the attack of the monster army. Jereuth, Seria, Yoanna, Hagen, the elders of the Mage Tower, Ronak, and everyone else.

Even though all the forces that followed me had fought with all their might, they were no match for them. Against the monster army led by the mythological monster called the 'Minotaur.'

'The biggest problem is... there aren't any plausible hints this time.'

Until now, whenever a problem appeared in the <Future Diary>, it always gave me a hint. By having my future self say 'I should have done this' or 'I should have done that' in regret.

But this time, I couldn't see any hints. It didn't even say when the war with the monster army would be.

Hooo-.

I took a deep breath and thought calmly.

'First... let's calmly think about when the monster army's attack will be. Before the monster army's attack, that is, my original ending was to be killed by bandits. That was 4-5 years later. Considering that... the monster army's attack will be after that.'

In other words, I had at least 4-5 years to prepare for the monster army and the Minotaur.

After thinking for a long time, I eventually decided to check the answer sheet again.

'Let's read the diary again. I need to find more hints. Surely... there must be something.'

Just as I was about to open the diary again, half out of my mind, I heard Jereuth's voice from outside the carriage.

—Your Highness, it is Jereuth. I have something to tell you for a moment, may I open the door?

“...”

To be honest, I didn't want to see Jereuth right now. Because I was out of my mind.

But since Jereuth had come in person, there must be a good reason for it, so I decided to meet him.

'If my expression is bad, Jereuth will ask what's wrong, so I should also control my expression.'

"Ah, yes!"

I tried my best, with all my might, to answer in a bright voice befitting a twelve-year-old boy.

Since becoming the Crown Prince, my acting skills had improved a lot.

—Then I will come in.

Jereuth opened the carriage door. Then, he stood respectfully outside the carriage and spoke.

"Your Highness, the preparations to return to Misty Port are complete. We are about to depart now."

“Ah… yes, I understand. You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you. And I intend to give appropriate positions to Ronak and his pirate crew who have newly joined us today.”

“Positions… yes, go ahead.”

I was curious about what 'positions' Jereuth would give to Ronak and the pirates. But right now, I didn't have the energy to ask.

Right now, it was hard enough for me to maintain a calm expression.

"I have one more thing to say."

“...”

“Your Highness?”

“Ah, yes. Please speak.”

I couldn't answer right away because I was absent-minded. Jereuth continued to speak.

“Yes. Since we have new forces that have joined us today, we are planning to have a dinner party with all the knights and soldiers gathered together. May I have your permission?”

“Yes, go ahead. You need a dinner party.”

“...?”

When I answered in a way that said 'do as you please' without any particular questions, Jereuth hesitated for a moment. It seemed he thought I would add something more.

However, after looking at me for a moment, Jereuth nodded his head without any further words.

“Thank you for your permission, Your Highness. Then we will depart for Misty Port immediately.”

Clack!

Jereuth stepped aside. Then, I saw Elly, who had been hidden behind him. I hadn't seen her because she was hidden by Jereuth's large frame.

Elly was wearing a clean maid's uniform that was a good mix of black and white, but there was some dust on it, perhaps from helping to tidy up the tent.

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

I answered Elly's greeting as she got into the carriage with a slight nod, and I looked out the window.

'For now, let's not worry about the future. I don't think I can control my expression if I think about that now.'

Thinking so, I was managing my expression perfectly in my own way.

But.

"Um... Your Highness, is something bothering you?"

Elly asked me cautiously.

“Bothering me?”

"Yes. Your expression is not good... I apologize if it's an overstep, but it seems you have some worries."

Jereuth didn't even notice, but Elly did?

More importantly, what should I say? The problem I have now is not something I can ask for Elly's advice on.

After thinking for a moment, I said with a faint smile.

“I have worries, but it's alright. I will find a way.”

“...”

“As I have always done.”

Yes, I will find the answer.

The way my future self could not find.