TFHITS Chapter 248

Three years after that gathering, Neril passed away.

It was a far earlier death than I had expected.

“At the very least, she should have lived until the youngest ones became adults. It weighs on my heart that I made them lose their mother so early.”

“She said her vitality suddenly declined at some point. It’s not your fault, so don’t make that face.”

“Yeah. Please take good care of the children.”

“I will.”

“There were so many things I wanted to say to you at the end, but I’m so sleepy right now. I’m sorry…….”

“We can continue in the underworld. Sleep well, Neril.”

She smiled softly.

Then she closed her eyes and never opened them again.

To keep Neril’s last wishes, I did everything I could for the children as a father.

Of course, I couldn’t use the name Mide Mohan, so I couldn’t make use of the fame I had built up.

Still, thanks to the investment I made in Serein returning thousands of times over, I was a well known wealthy man in the region.

The eldest was evaluated as an outstanding talent, to the point of being named Xenia’s successor in the Order of Guardian Knights.

The second, perhaps having strongly inherited Neril’s blood, achieved great success as a mage.

The third learned the business from Serein and ended up choosing that path.

The fourth and fifth, two years apart in age, drove me mad by leaving to explore the world.

When I put them to bed, I often told them stories about roaming the world during my days as a wandering mercenary.

It seems that came back to bite me.

‘I will probably get an earful from Neril about this later.’

Even so, with the help of my party members and the power of money, I quietly watched over them from behind, so there shouldn’t be any major danger.

In any case, about a month after the two youngest left home,

Offense passed away.

He left Serein the words, “You were my happiness, my fortune, and my life.”

I never thought that guy would be able to say something that nice at the very end.

I should have said something better to Neril too.

The Serein I saw at the funeral looked calmer than I had expected.

Regarding Offense’s last words, she said this.

“He should have said things like that more often while he was alive.”

I felt relieved, thinking Serein was holding herself together well.

But later, I heard from the butler of the estate that she had cried uncontrollably until she fainted.

As if following after him, Serein met her end half a year later.

Since we had been continuously checking on her condition, we were fortunately able to be there for her final moments.

Seeing our grave expressions, Serein spoke playfully.

“There are gold coins in the underworld too, right?”

“Go ask Offense when you get there.”

“Yes. I will go ahead and earn a whole lot first, so you all come slowly.”

With that, Serein closed her eyes.

And on the day her funeral was fully concluded,

Lisel and Bion spoke to us.

“We will be heading out now too.”

“What? You’re not going to wait until the very end?”

“Yes. We decided that once about half of the hero party had died, we would leave for the underworld.”

“…….”

“Don’t make those faces. It will only be a difference of a few years at most.”

Isn’t that kind of a jinx?

In the end, Lisel departed for the underworld first.

Bion left after converting her physical body back into negative energy.

The ones left were me, Xenia, and Adwin. Three of us.

I remember Adwin saying this with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

“Statistically speaking, I will probably be the last one, right? Since I’m the youngest.”

“There may be an order to coming into the world, but there’s no order to leaving it.”

“I got caught in my wife’s scheming and joined the Order of Guardian Knights, and met all sorts of connections.”

He swallowed back his tears as he continued.

“But nothing compares to my bond with the hero party members. If you and my wife leave first, I think I will be really sad.”

“……You can just summon our souls. You have been summoning the friends who went ahead before too.”

“I know it’s not something I should say in front of you, but maybe it’s because I have gotten older. It’s starting to feel like a burden. And your souls are so massive…… if I try to summon all of you together now, I think I would only manage a few minutes at best.”

I quietly closed my mouth.

I had noticed that it was becoming harder and harder for Adwin to summon the souls of those who had gone ahead.

At the time, Xenia gently embraced Adwin and patted him reassuringly.

But unexpectedly, Adwin passed away before either Xenia or me.

They say he left these words to Xenia.

“I’m going on ahead, so you’re feeling anxious, right? That I might get distracted over there.”

“Not really. From now on, you won’t even be able to glance at any woman other than me.”

“Confident, aren’t you. But…… yeah. That’s true. So don’t worry, and come slowly, dear.”

They say Xenia somehow managed to show him a smile at the very end.

At the funeral, she quietly closed her eyes and said this.

“I’m not Mide, but I had a feeling my husband would go first.”

“Why?”

“He was never particularly strong to begin with, was he?”

“Still, he was better than Neril.”

“You can’t compare him to her.”

We smiled gently at each other.

“Since Adwin went first, I guess we can’t summon him in the underworld anymore.”

“I’m only saying this just in case, but don’t have any strange ideas.”

“Honestly, what do you take me for.”

“Sorry. I guess I have gotten more prone to pointless worries as I have aged.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Take good care of your health. You really did retire from the position of commander of the Order of Guardian Knights, right?”

“Yes. My son has been doing such a good job.”

Xenia was a good companion in my old age.

As we grew older, we spent countless hours talking about our days in the hero party.

All of those stories were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

Xenia once said that her wish was to be the very last among us to die.

She wanted to watch everyone else live happily until the end, then close her eyes.

But that wish was not granted.

“How strange. I thought for sure Mide would go first.”

Xenia was facing her final moments.

I stayed by her side, shedding tears.

I had cried at the funerals of the friends who went ahead before, but there was one thing different now.

‘So it was me. I never thought I would be the one left at the end.’

Xenia slowly closed her eyes.

“Mide. I will be waiting…….”

And just like that, I lost all of my party members, to something even more powerful than Idria or Velosian, the Primordial Demon King.

To a thing called ‘time.’

The next ‘attack’ of time would be aimed at me.

I decided to wait for that attack at my leisure.

Three years passed like that.

Another five years passed.

Then another ten years.

Another ten after that.

And yet another ten years passed.

“…….”

Only then did I finally realize it.

Unlike the other party members, I had declared that I would truly give up retirement without deceiving the laws with a Branch of Corruption, and so immense power was still swirling within me.

That was why I hadn’t felt anything strange about my body not growing weak even as I lived on alone.

But now I had to face reality.

‘Something is wrong.’

I was not dying.

I could not die.

I asked Trail to summon me back into the bosom of the world.

When I came to my senses, Trail, Idria, and the Demon King’s children were looking at me.

Trail spoke with a serious expression.

“What is this sudden talk? That you can’t die.”

“I mean it literally. I’m 120 years old now.”

“Hmm…… just so you know, the fact that you gave up retirement to turn fame into power has nothing to do with this. Like Bion said, that’s a bluffing law. A law without sanctions.”

“I know. That’s not why I can’t die.”

“Then what is it?”

I let out a sigh.

“The law.”

In an instant, the air froze.

Idria, who had been listening silently the whole time, spoke for the first time.

“You mean that existence you call the law of the universe.”

“Yes.”

“Why would it want to keep you alive?”

“I have a guess.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“The law is looking for someone it can talk with on equal footing. I’m the only one who qualifies.”

“There must have been a civilization that created the Primordial Demon King.”

“There’s no guarantee that such a civilization discovered ‘everything’ about the law. This is just my speculation, but it’s possible that I, as a single individual, have uncovered more laws than that entire civilization.”

“…….”

“That might be why the law values me so highly. Maybe it’s keeping me alive because it wants to keep talking with me.”

Even as I said it, a chill ran down my spine.

Trail spoke with a grave expression.

“Then what do we do now?”

“You can’t fight something like the laws of the universe. We have to resolve it through talk.”

I brought up the screen window.

“During the fight with the Primordial Demon King, the law spoke to me through the Eye of Omniscience. This is probably the only channel through which I can communicate with that being.”

“…….”

“The problem is whether it will answer just because I call out. It’s such a lofty existence that it probably doesn’t have to respond if it doesn’t feel like it.”

“Then?”

“So I’m going to threaten it.”

I bared my teeth at the screen window as I spoke.

“Hey. Mr. Law. Let me die peacefully.”

“…….”

“If you don’t, I will create the hero system again.”

Trail and Idria were horrified in an instant.

“What did you just say?”

“…….”

“You destroyed the hero system with your own hands. Ah, are you bluffing? Your specialty.”

“Calm down and just watch.”

I stared hard at the screen window.

“You think I can’t do it, Law?”

“…….”

“It’s not as hard as you would think. Thanks to Idria’s hard work, the research lab has accumulated an enormous amount negative energy. I will pour that energy into an appropriate core of the world. Trail, as an excellent administrator of this world, will help with that.”

“…….”

“I only prohibited the Demon King from descending naturally. Do you really think I can’t create a Demon King ‘artificially’?”

I could feel it myself.

My voice was chillingly cold, even to my own ears.

“The hero system didn’t disappear. It just stopped. Whether natural or artificial, once a Demon King descends, a hero is destined to be born.”

“M-Mide.”

“A world where a Demon King and a hero are born artificially. Humanity will once again live under the hero system. You will never be able to encounter humanity. Even in death, they won’t be able to find you.”

That was when it happened.

A single line appeared on the screen window.

<There is no way you would do such a thing.>

It’s the law.

I steadied my pounding heart and spoke.

“No. I will.”

<That can’t be. We have already confirmed, time and again, your heart that acts for the sake of humanity.>

“…….”

<Between the future of humanity and your own sacrifice, you are someone who would always choose the latter.>

Looks like this won’t be settled easily.

I spoke slowly.

“Let’s not talk through sentences like this. Call me. To the same place you summoned me to when I fought the Primordial Demon King.”

<……Understood.>

“Ah. Before that, just a moment. I need to say goodbye.”

I hurriedly spoke to everyone.

“Whether this negotiation goes well or not, I probably won’t be able to see you again.”

“Mide.”

“Live well. Idria, Sobius, Pirensha, Sabach. And…… Trail.”

Trail made an expression that defied description.

“You live well too, my friend.”

“I’m trying to die.”

“Just take it as it is. I hope you succeed and make it to the underworld. When you get there, pass along my regards to the party members who went ahead.”

I nodded.

Then Idria spoke up.

“Pass along my regards too.”

“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you would care about things like that.”

“You’re the ones who made it so I wouldn’t die endlessly. So I could live with Trail, and with the children.”

“…….”

“So I will wish for your reunion as well. Truly.”

She held out her hand to me.

A little flustered, I took it without complaint and shook it.

When the handshake ended, I extended my hand to the Demon King’s children as well.

“While we are at it?”

“No sense of atmosphere at all.”

They quietly took my hand and shook it once each.

Last of all, I offered a handshake to Trail.

He pressed his lips together and grasped my hand.

I said,

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Mide…….”

“Please take good care of the world.”

In the end, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Even at my age, I was amazed to find my own tear ducts still working.

I quietly closed my eyes and said,

“You can call me now.”

The next moment, my vision turned pure white.