Chapter 184 : Campaign - 1
Chapter 184: Campaign - 1
I continued explaining.
“The Fifth Territory... in other words, the humans' territory, probably doesn't have an MVP yet. Since not all Cohorts have ended.”
“That would make sense.”
“In other words, the humans in the Fifth Territory aren't monsters being controlled by an MVP. And yet, not a single one of them is voting.”
There was someone who wasn't an MVP, yet was making the monsters postpone their votes.
That person wouldn't possess Drod Kuhalim's authority.
Nor would they have Odline's Omnipotence of Soul Subjugation.
And yet they were undeniably controlling the monsters.
What made that possible?
“Drod Kuhalim said it before. The monsters of the Second Territory have lost the characteristics of dragons, but they've retained their nature.”
“Right. It's thanks to their love of shiny things that we managed to catch up with Edgar.”
“The same should apply to humans. There must be a monster who possessed exceptional leadership back when they were human in their previous life.”
There had to be someone with enough charisma that the high-ranking monsters naturally followed them despite not being an MVP.
Crossing my arms, I continued,
“Think back on the history of our era. Who ruled over others for a long time and naturally possessed leadership or charisma?”
“Well, all of the Empire's past Emperors fit that description. They would've died and become monsters in Hell too.”
“Please name any Emperor.”
Just then—
Sienne interrupted firmly.
“There's no need.”
“Hm?”
“Jehar de Partikal. Try using the Teleportation Bead with that name.”
There was no need to ask who that was.
I could already tell from Sienne's determined expression.
Aina spoke.
“Are you really okay with this? He might've become an ordinary monster that lost its reason, just like the old man's son.”
“Wait. There's still no guarantee that my son ended up like that.”
“Then should we try using Might's name?”
“……No. There's no need to go that far.”
At that moment, Sienne took a deep breath before speaking.
“It's alright. The man who was both my lover and the King of Partikal definitely satisfies the conditions Mr. Mason mentioned.”
“…….”
“He was a ruler with far greater leadership than all of the Empire's trash Emperors.”
Armelia grumbled,
“Trash? You've never even met the Empire's previous Emperors.”
“They're Edgar's bloodline, aren't they?”
“Uh... well.”
Armelia closed her mouth as though she couldn't possibly argue against that.
Holding the Teleportation Bead, I asked,
“You're certain?”
“Yes. Hoo...”
“I want to go beside Jehar de Partikal...”
“W-Wait!”
“…….”
“Hoo. Hoo. Alright. Please do it again.”
“I want to go beside Jehar de Partikal...”
“Wait! Just one minute!”
In the end, Sienne repeated, “Just a minute!” for a full twenty minutes.
Only after that endless repetition was I finally able to finish the activation phrase.
“I want to go beside Jehar de Partikal.”
Just like that, we arrived in the Fifth Territory.
When I opened my eyes, magnificent vegetation stretched before me.
A beautiful world overflowing with greenery.
After blinking several times, I muttered,
“This isn't Hell.”
“It is Hell.”
A voice came from behind us.
I hurriedly turned around.
A handsome nobleman with crimson hair stood there with a gentle smile.
Sienne's body trembled.
“N-No way.”
“Sienne. We meet again.”
“Your Majesty... No, Jehar. Is it really you?”
“It is.”
Sienne ran toward the source of the voice.
Jehar spread his arms and embraced her...
“Urgh!”
Then immediately fell backward with a loud thud.
“M-My... You've become incredibly strong since the last time we met.”
“Jehar.”
“I'm happy to see you again. Though I'm sorry that only I get to see you.”
Watching them, I felt my eyes beginning to grow moist.
The others were the same.
We all knew just how much Sienne had longed for her beloved.
So I decided to leave the two of them alone for a while.
After some time had passed,
Sienne stood back up.
I was about to congratulate her.
Then I paused.
“Sienne?”
For some reason, her expression had darkened.
It wasn't the face of someone who had just reunited with the person they had longed to see.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Sienne spoke.
“I-I'm sorry. I got so emotional that I ended up taking everyone's time.”
“Not at all. We'll give you some privacy, so feel free to spend more time together. There's still plenty of time before the voting ends.”
“No... It's alright.”
“……?”
Pat. Pat.
At that moment, Jehar dusted off his clothes and stood up.
Then he muttered to himself,
“My strength really has become too great.”
Sorry.
That's actually my fault.
Instead of saying that, I introduced myself.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty Jehar.”
“You don't have to call me that. Just calling me Mr. Jehar is more than enough.”
“Hm? How could I possibly?”
“I was merely the king of a fallen kingdom. And now, I'm no longer even human. So it's perfectly fine.”
Chuckling warmly, he continued,
“This isn't something that applies only to me, either. Since arriving in Hell, I've met countless high-ranking monsters who were once human. Among them were Emperors of the Empire and beggars who lived on alms.”
“…….”
“But now that we've all fallen into Hell and become monsters together, our former identities don't matter anymore. This is a place that's equal in the truest sense.”
At that, Berseum unconsciously interjected.
“Is it really equal in the truest sense? The ordinary monsters have lost their reason and simply wander around like beasts.”
“Hm? Now that you mention it, I suppose you're right. I never thought of them as the same species as us.”
That answer shocked all of us.
Sienne spoke in a trembling voice.
“Jehar. Those ordinary monsters were once humans just like us. How can you say something like that?”
“……It seems we've been apart for too long. Our ways of thinking have become somewhat different.”
“What do you mean?”
“For the past two weeks since the Popularity Poll Quest began, I've been carefully watching the actions of your group, including yours. I imagine Mr. Mason intends to take revenge on Magireta and kill her.”
Of course he did.
Not just me.
Every one of my companions felt the same way.
Yet Jehar said something astonishing.
“That's the wrong way of thinking.”
“……! Jehar. What are you talking about?”
“No matter how cruel the things Magireta does in the world may be, everything that happens there is nothing more than a fleeting daydream.”
It wasn't easy to understand what he meant all at once.
Benjamin sharply interrupted.
“Explain yourself more clearly.”
“There's nothing more to explain. Humans live for less than a hundred years in the world before they die.”
“…….”
“But among the humans who became monsters in Hell, the oldest has already lived for slightly over one hundred thousand years.”
“That means they've been enjoying eternal life here.”
I'd never looked at it from that perspective before.
Then again, it wasn't just humans.
Whether dragons, Celestials, or elves—
All of them had undoubtedly spent far longer living in Hell than they ever had in the world.
“Exactly. Hell is where we truly live. The world is merely a playground where we briefly descend to enjoy ourselves.”
“Jehar...”
“And this isn't just my opinion, Sienne. Every monster in Hell thinks the same way.”
At those words, I looked toward Kaid and Louis.
Both of them merely tilted their heads as though wondering what was wrong.
“Of course. I honestly don't even understand why all of you are so surprised.”
“To be honest, I never liked the world's air. It was far too polluted. Hell is much more comfortable to live in.”
Only then did I truly realize it.
The absolute standard separating humans from monsters.
Grotesquely altered bodies.
Losing one's reason...
Those weren't the important criteria.
Whether one accepted Magireta or rejected her.
Whether one regarded Hell as home or the world as home.
That was the true dividing line.
'Somehow... that's rather bitter.'
With a sigh, I spoke.
“So you believe your current state is what should be considered normal.”
“There's no need to even call it normal. This is simply how we exist.”
“…….”
“From what I've heard, the first race of the First Territory ruled the world roughly three million years ago. In other words, this system has existed for at least three million years.”
A system maintained for that long naturally became the norm.
Three million years carried that kind of weight.
Berseum asked,
“Then what about those who were once human but have now become ordinary monsters? They should make up the overwhelming majority.”
“What are they...?”
“I honestly don't know how to answer that.”
“From our perspective, they were beasts from the very beginning.”
“They merely happened to wear human skin for a little while.”
None of us could find the words to respond.
Sienne spoke sternly.
“If I die one day and become an ordinary monster, will you say the same thing?”
“It would make me deeply sad.”
“But it would simply be the natural order, and I would have to accept it.”
“……! I don't think that way.”
“Neither did I.”
“Not until I fell into Hell.”
“I... I intended to use the Final Wish Ticket to revive you.”
“Please don't.”
“That wish is impossible from the start.”
“This Cohort is the last of the Human Era.”
Sienne lowered her head.
She had realized the fundamental difference between their values.
I slowly shook my head.
Right now, the monsters' way of thinking wasn't what mattered.
We needed to get to the real purpose of coming here.
“As you know, we're participants in the game.”
“And we're currently taking part in the Tenth Quest.”
“Yes.”
“I want to win this game.”
“To do that...”
“You need our help.”
“The votes from the 30 percent that haven't voted yet.”
I silently nodded.
Aina asked,
“Why are you postponing the vote in the first place?”
“And how did so many monsters—enough to make up 30 percent—manage to delay their votes so uniformly?”
“To answer your second question first...”
“I asked the monsters to do so.”
“You have that much influence?”
“Yes.”
“I was the one who gathered the high-ranking monsters that were once human into the Fifth Territory.”
Our mouths fell open.
Jehar continued,
“The moment this Cohort began, Hell underwent a major change.”
“The Fifth Territory was created.”
“Magireta prepared it because our Cohort is the final one for the human world.”
“That's right.”
“The moment I confirmed that, I acted immediately.”
“I traveled through the Second, Third, and Fourth Territories, gathering the high-ranking monsters who had once been human.”
“I didn't dare enter the First Territory, however.”
“Why?”
“Because until now, we had merely been living as guests in other territories.”
“Once a new home was built, wasn't it only natural to gather its residents?”
He shrugged before continuing.
“And now, to answer your first question...”
“Why we're delaying the vote.”
“…….”
“To be honest, opinions were sharply divided over whether we should vote for Mr. Mason or Mr. Edgar.”
“So we decided to postpone our decision until the very last moment.”
Sienne gasped in disbelief.
“How could you possibly hesitate between Mr. Mason and Edgar?”
“Isn't the answer obvious?”
“Why do you think it's obvious?”
“Well, because anyone can see that Mr. Mason—”
“Mr. Mason's character only matters in the 'world.'”
“In 'Hell,' the concepts of good and evil between the two of you hold no meaning.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“To be honest, Mr. Mason is actually slightly less likable.”
“Because Mr. Mason intends to kill Lady Magireta.”
“Of course, his abilities surpass Mr. Edgar's, which is precisely why the monsters are conflicted.”
“Jehar!”
“Have you forgotten what Edgar did to you in your previous life?”
“Edgar betrayed you and...”
“Yes.”
“He killed me.”
“In other words, he sent me to my 'true home'—Hell.”
“As I've said many times, the world is merely a temporary playground to us.”
Killing someone there wasn't considered a particularly great sin.
It was no more than forcing someone to leave a playground.
Or perhaps simply waking someone from a pleasant dream.
Jehar—
And the monsters of the Fifth Territory—
Had already moved beyond concepts of right and wrong.
The only thing they were weighing was whose ability was superior.
A slight dizziness came over me.
But I quickly steadied myself and spoke.
“Why are abilities so important?”
“Hm?”
“You're debating which of us is superior—Edgar or me.”
“So why are abilities the deciding factor?”
“…….”
“Could it be...”
I swallowed hard before asking,
“Is it because one of us will become the MVP?”