Read Novel Full Chapter 352
Chapter 352
TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
Chapter 352 – Decayed Heart
“”…What’s going on?!””
Myrril and I were shocked in the conference room of the parliament building in the capital of the Republic.
That was our first reaction when we saw Corlo. Even though it had only been a month since we had last seen each other in Hagwai, his gaunt cheeks, parched skin, and sunken eyes were clouded over, and he looked around restlessly.
“…I-it’s okay, it’s fine, there’s no problem.”
“I don’t think it’s a question of whether it’s okay or not.”
“That’s right, Demon King. What I want to know is how to stop it.”
Ecla-san, who is supposed to be busy as a member of the capital’s council, went out of her way to contact Sarz and call us. I knew something was going on, but I never thought it would be this bad. What’s most disturbing is the look on her face, where she desperately tries to smile with a lifeless expression.
“…It’s okay, it’s okay. …I can do this. I’ll be fine, you know.”
You are completely out of it, aren’t you?
“Eh, Ecla-dono?”
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s not because we forced him to work. He’s not sick, either. At least not physically.”
“…I see, that’s how it is.”
“What could it be?”
“Homesickness.”
That’s right. Well, I guess that’s how it is. For better or worse, I didn’t have many human relationships left in my former world, and most of my family and relatives had passed away. But Corlo is different. He’s desperate to cut off his escape route, to seal away his memories and forget, but the reason he’s doing it is because he has a premonition―or perhaps a conviction―that he’ll have to do it in the end.
“He doesn’t listen when I tell him to take a break. He takes on an unreasonable amount of work, and he’s always asking for more. He never goes home after work, and whenever he has a spare moment, he’s out running. He’s an office worker, but I wonder what he’s aiming for.
He doesn’t aim for anything. The problem is that he can’t find a goal. I can understand this somewhat from my own experience of heartbreak when I was young. Even when I’m told to take a break, when I’m alone in my room, all I can think about are the memories I want to forget. I either escape into alcohol or women to try to lose the time I spend thinking. If I can’t do both, I have no choice but to keep moving.
“Is Corlo, by any chance, unable to drink alcohol?”
“You understand him well. He can drink, but he doesn’t like it.”
I’ve never heard of such a thing in this world, but if there was an illegal drug, he might have turned to it. In my case, it was a very small, superficial wound, but in his case, he lost his beloved wife and child. I don’t know about his personal life, but he seems to be a family man. I don’t know what a family-oriented mercenary is, but that’s beside the point.
“What are we going to do?”
Even if you look at me like that, Myrril, it’s impossible, you know? It’s not a problem we can do anything about. There’s no substitute for family. For example, he could make another wife and have another family in this world. If he had been a man who could think like that, he wouldn’t have been in this situation.
“I understand. I can understand that.”
I can understand that, too. If I were separated from Myrril and sent to another world, I don’t think I could keep my sanity. But… I don’t know what to do. If I were in his position, I’m sure I would.
“…Leave me alone.”
That’s right. I’m sure that’s what he would think. It’s like you can’t do anything anyway, so don’t touch me. Something like that. It would be easier if he completely lost his mind, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Someone who cares more about others than himself will stay sane until the end.
“Corlo.”
“…I’m fine. …I told you I’d be fine, so please forget about it.”
With a face that looks like he’s crying and laughing at the same time, Corlo mutters to himself as he paces the room restlessly.
Is this it? Is he talking about the letter I received half a month ago? I don’t know what he wrote, but the contents of the letter he sent himself are stinging him now. That’s true. But it’s too painful to talk about.
“Did the package reach Corlo’s family?”
“…I think so.”
I sent it to the address given by Simon, along with gold coins, photos, and Master Lukemon’s special magic tools. I don’t know what happened after that. I also haven’t heard of any packages or letters being returned in Rinko’s case. It might be possible to send them back, but Simon’s area is not served by major courier companies like FedEx or DHL, and the rate of packages arriving is low due to loss or theft. So I heard that Simon had taken the package I had asked him to send, sent it to a country where it could be trusted, and then sent it from there. I thanked him and gave him a reward, but there was a good chance that it wouldn’t reach Simon at all.
“Listen, Corlo.”
I tried to talk to him, thinking I had to do something, but I didn’t know what to say. Comforting him would just be annoying, and I couldn’t give him any advice. If I told him to get a girlfriend, he’d hit me, no questions asked.
“…H-hey, Demon King.”
Corlo approached me with a face that suddenly seemed to have a good idea. Close, close, close… our faces are close. His eyes are frightening. And he smells of sweat. Has this guy already lost the ability to take care of himself? This is bad; this is a mental terminal symptom.
“What should I offer the Demon King to get my wife and daughter back?”
No, no, no, don’t act like I took them from you. I’m a victim of the same summoning as you. How should I answer that? Should I honestly say that I can’t give him anything? Teach me, witch!
…She looked away. Then, Myrril-san, help…
“I’m counting on you too. Yoshua, do you have any good ideas?”
There aren’t any!
I let out a small sigh while screaming in my heart. In a situation like this, making something up on the spot will only deepen the wound. So it’s probably better to be honest.
“…Phew, then let me tell you.”
When I was playing the role of a chuunibyou, an overreacting demon king, I broke out in a cold sweat as I felt the stares of the women in the room saying things like, “Are you okay, Yoshua?” and “I wonder if he’s really okay.
If you’re going to say things like that, why don’t you do it yourself?
“Ah, yes. Teach me. I’ll do anything; I’ll give you anything!”
No, I don’t want anything. I really can’t think of anything… Oh, I don’t care anymore!
“Call out the name of the one you love.
“””⁉”””
Oh no, I’ve done it. Corlo’s eyes light up. He has found hope. He clings to the smallest glimmer of hope and calls out with all his strength.
“Shirleeeeyyyy…”
It was a cry so intense it was shocking.
I had expected him to scream until he was exhausted and then say something like, “I understood your feelings, but I didn’t have the power to summon them,” or something like that, and then I thought I would get a “too bad” award, but that was impossible. I can’t repel that pressure. I can’t let him tell me that he loves them, that he misses them, that he can’t live without them, etc. (Corlo thinks of me as a receptionist for expressions of affection.) I’m in serious trouble. It’s a real problem. Ecla-san and Myrril-san are keeping their distance from me with an “Ugh…” look on their faces. This is terrible.
When I suddenly noticed that Corlo had gone quiet. I thought, “That’s good; he’s calmed down,” but then I saw him take a deep breath and realized it was bad. The second round of guttural screams from the grown man, as he spat tears and snot, shook the walls of the meeting room and echoed throughout.
“Eelliiiiie…!!”
“…..?”
Suddenly, a magical light flashed in front of my eyes. I felt as if something had drained a large amount of my magic. My blood drained away, and my vision darkened. I managed to hold on and not fall over. Myrril-san, who had sensed the abnormality, lent me her shoulder to support me.
“Hey Yoshua, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“…N-no, I want to ask you…”
As the light faded, I saw a small shadow running towards Corlo.
“Daddyyyy!”
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!