Chapter 14: A perfect plan(4)

The being, once called a disaster, slumbered beneath this land.

Having lived for eons, it was no longer a mere monster but possessed knowledge akin to that of a sage.

Thus, it realized what needed to be done to feed on human despair.

However, it wasn’t a method it could use freely.

After all, it was extremely rare for a disaster like it to ever be sealed.

Sixty years ago, the man who had defeated it wielded a rather peculiar authority, though at great personal cost.

However, for the disaster, the seal was more of an opportunity than a punishment.

It first offered a plethora of resources to elevate its value.

Simultaneously, it ensured that the seal would be maintained.

If it disappeared, so would all the resources.

And that method worked remarkably well.

Blinded by greed, humans sought to maintain the seal by sacrificing a few.

Of course, there were a few who opposed this, but their opinions were thoroughly ignored.

Because it didn’t generate profit.

Over time, the seal of the disaster became something that had to be maintained for other reasons.

Thus, Sallen had endured to this day.

What the being demanded was a sacrifice—a very precious one.

As expected, immense despair and sorrow poured into its mouth.

How tragic and pitiful it was for someone to offer up the life of a loved one to a monster with their own hands.

The being smirked in derision.

But the smirk didn’t last long.

“Come out.”

The sharp-witted being immediately understood.

“If you don’t, you die.”

It knew that if it didn’t emerge, death was certain.

Isaac slid his sword back into its sheath.

Behemoth’s body, cleaved in two, turned to dust and vanished into the void.

Watching the sight, Isaac turned his head.

None of those present could utter a word.

The nameless hero had truly slain Behemoth.

Even weakened, it was still one of the three great disasters.

This wasn’t something an ordinary hero could face.

To slay such a calamity with a single strike?

Even the greatest of heroes couldn’t dream of it, yet Isaac had done it.

Reality seemed to slip away.

Could this truly be real?

Had Behemoth really been vanquished?

No one could bring themselves to speak.

It all felt like a dream.

Isaac, too, said nothing.

He simply moved forward, one slow step at a time.

Eventually, he arrived before Cain and Yulina.

At last, his tightly sealed lips opened.

“The commission is complete.”

“Hah! You crazy bastard!!”

“Uh… … Is it really over? For real?”

“Yeah! You don’t have to die anymore!!”

Cain’s blunt voice rang like a victory cry.

The holy knights, finally relieved, lowered their weapons.

Zeke, whose body had just begun to move again, immediately ran toward Isaac.

“Master!!!”

‘Urgh?!’

“What is it?”

“I was so worried! I really thought you were going to die………..!!”

‘I feel like I might die right now……………’

It was truly strange.

A body that hadn’t budged even under the attacks of the holy knights, yet somehow, when Zeke charged at him, an enormous shock was transmitted.

How was this even possible?

‘But before that.’

Isaac slowly detached Zeke, who was clinging to him.

After all, he had no interest in hugging another man. Instead, he placed a hand on Zeke’s head. This much should be fine.

“Do you think I would die from just this?”

……

“But!!”

“Don’t worry. I have no plans to die until you grow stronger.”

“Just don’t die!!”

“Alright, alright.”

Thanks to Zeke’s loud shout, Isaac could only nod as he covered his ears.

Meanwhile, the holy knights had also lowered their weapons. They had been carrying a heavy burden until now.

They could finally put down the weight they had been carrying.

Yulis quietly watched the scene. He couldn’t say a word. What right did he have to speak? The fact that he had tried to offer his wife, and even his daughter, to the monster wouldn’t disappear.

Even if it had been to save the world, now, it could only be seen as an excuse.

“Are you not happy that your daughter was saved?”

Did Isaac understand Yulis’s feelings? At some point, Isaac had approached him and asked.

After staring at Isaac for a moment, Yulis shook his head. Saved? By whom? By me?

“I didn’t save my daughter. You did.”

“So, I don’t deserve to stand by her side.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t irresponsibly throw my life away.”

Yulis had no reason to take his own life anymore. After all, there was now hope for him to keep living.

But he still had to take responsibility. And Yulis was not a man to avoid responsibility.

The first person to notice Yulis’s disappearance, aside from Isaac, was Yulina.

She looked around for him, but Yulis was already nowhere to be found.

“Are you looking for your father?”

“H-how did you know?!”

“You can tell just by looking.”

“Now that you mention it, Father is gone.”

At Isaac’s words, Cain finally began looking around for Yulis, just like Yulina.

After a brief moment of thought, Isaac nodded as if something had occurred to him.

“I have a guess where he might be.”

“Really?!”

“Seriously?!”

“Yes, but let me warn you. It’s not going to be a pleasant sight.”

“I think I can guess.”

Cain, having experienced much as a wanderer, and Yulina, being a bright girl, both immediately understood what Yulis was probably up to from Isaac’s words.

“That’s right. Father is trying to take responsibility now.”

“Someone has to tell the people the truth about all of this.

He’s likely planning to inform everyone about the truth of this land.”

“He’s a man of unwavering principles, after all.”

‘Huh? Is that it? I thought he was going to turn himself in to the Holy Nation for punishment.’

Isaac was thinking something entirely different.

After all, Sallen was a significant financial asset for the Holy Nation.

To maintain Behemoth’s seal, they had ignored the sacrifices of a few for the greater good.

Of course, the leaders of the Holy Nation couldn’t have been unaware of the situation.

The original story even described it like that. The disaster that came to Sallen was a man-made catastrophe caused by human greed.

And since they hadn’t managed to maintain the seal on Behemoth, Isaac thought they would be punished for it.

But that wasn’t the case. Yulis was planning to receive judgment from the people.

“Lord! What on earth is going on?!”

“The territory…………!! All of our homes……………!!”

“Where am I? This isn’t my homeland.”

“Calm down. I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”

As expected, Yulis was in the sanctuary. Just the brief appearance of Behemoth had left the territory in ruins.

It was as if a massive earthquake had struck, toppling walls and homes.

Thanks to the sanctuary Yulis had prepared just in case, the people were safe, but that was the extent of it.

Fear and anxiety were spreading like wildfire among the people.

But Yulis didn’t avoid that fear or anxiety. Instead, he chose to confront it head-on.

In his typically straightforward manner, Yulis explained everything.

“So, we were living on top of a monster?”

“One of the three great disasters……………!! I thought something felt off, but!!”

“I have nothing to say. I am truly sorry.”

In fact, the people of the territory had probably sensed something was off from the start.

Every year, there was an abundant harvest. A paradise overflowing with resources like medicinal herbs? Such a place couldn’t exist.

But they had chosen to ignore it, convincing themselves that this land was their paradise and overlooking any doubts.

And this was the price they had to pay. Of course, it wasn’t entirely their fault.

“You’ve been hiding this from us all this time? You bastard!!”

“Yeah, it’s all the lord’s fault!!”

“If I’d known sooner, I would’ve left this cursed land long ago!!”

Their anger was justified. They had never been told that this land was where a monster was sealed.

If things continued like this, Yulis would face judgment, and he wouldn’t avoid it.

So, Isaac decided to intervene a little forcefully.

“Everyone, quiet!!!”

Isaac’s thunderous roar, which completely overwhelmed even the voices of the people filled with anger and betrayal, shook the land.

Thanks to that, a temporary silence fell.

“By what right do you think you can judge your lord?”

“That’s………!!”

“Of course, it’s for the crime of hiding Behemoth…!!”

“So? Was anyone forced to come to this land? Or did the lord prevent anyone from leaving?”

No one could answer Isaac’s mocking questions.

Yulis had never forced the people to stay.

In fact, he had often encouraged them to leave.

Of course, the serfs’ freedom to move was restricted.

But this land was filled with immigrants.

In other words, they were not serfs bound to the land.

They were free people who could leave whenever they wished.

And yet, they didn’t leave.

Why? The reason was simple.

Because they could make money here.

They could cultivate this ownerless land as they pleased.

They could process and sell the resources from this place freely.

The lord didn’t even impose any restrictions on them.

As long as they paid a small tax and provided some labor for the assigned quota, everything else became their property.

“A lord who encourages people to leave. A paradise like this could not exist. Surely, you all knew something was off.”

“But no one questioned it. No one tried to leave. They just blindly enjoyed the sweet fruits.”

“T-That’s…!!”

‘While someone was shedding tears of blood all this time.’

It was sophistry, but it was also true.

This mixture of fact and fallacy briefly silenced the people.

But something had to be done.

A convincing solution needed to be presented.

“The only person who can judge him here and now is but one.”

With those words, Isaac naturally lifted his finger and pointed at someone.

The person Isaac was pointing at was none other than Yulina.

Yulina understood Isaac’s intent.

“I see, I am the only one who has the right to judge Father, as the one who almost sacrificed her life for the land.”

“Yulina, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“It’s fine, Cain. This is something I must do.”

Cain tried to stop her.

But Yulina shook her head.

She never avoided her duties.

Instead, she faced them head-on and moved forward.

That was who Yulina was.

Yulina slowly walked forward.

Isaac said nothing and handed her his sword.

After giving Isaac a slight nod in thanks, she turned her head.

“I see, this is the best conclusion.”

“I won’t make excuses. For selling your mother to the monster, I, too, am a monster.”

“It was shocking, indeed. I couldn’t believe it. I thought there was no way Father would do such a thing.”

“Yes, so now, put an end to it.”

The daughter he had tried so hard to save had finally survived.

In contrast, his sins could now be judged.

In this perfect ending, Yulis was ready to willingly offer his neck.

However, Yulina didn’t draw the sword.

Instead, the sound of metal hitting the ground rang out.

Yulis felt a warm sensation enveloping him.

Had he died?

But no, it wasn’t the warmth of heaven.

It was the warmth of his daughter’s embrace.

In that unexpected situation, Yulis wore a dumbfounded expression.

“How much pain must you have endured? How many tears of blood have you shed?”

“…!!”

“I’m sorry, Father. I was so happy myself that I couldn’t see the pain around me.”

“This isn’t right. I must… I must be judged for my sins.”

“The one who holds the sole right to judge you is me.”

He still couldn’t forgive himself.

What a rigid man he was.

But the girl who wished for her father to find some peace.

She told him clearly.

“I forgive you.”

Watching from a distance, Isaac nodded with satisfaction.

Yes, it was absurd.

But it was also true that Yulis had suffered and sacrificed until now.

So.

Surely, this kind of absurdity could be tolerated.

As things reached this conclusion, no one voiced further complaints.

Except for one person.

Turning his head at the tug on his pants, Isaac found a scowling Zeke.

“What is it?”

“Why didn’t you use your weapon earlier?”

“Are you still angry?”

“Of course! I really thought I was going to die!”

Zeke had every right to be angry.

To the boy who had lost his parents to goblins, Isaac was more than just a hero.

He was his idol.

And yet, Isaac had rushed in without a weapon like a madman?

“I’m sorry.”

“Enough of that! Give me a proper explanation!”

“…Even though our goals differ, they are still like me, protectors of humanity. And…”

“And?”

Isaac lifted his head.

Following his gaze, Zeke looked up as well.

There, he saw the father and daughter hugging and crying.

Isaac spoke as he watched them.

“How could I slay a father in front of his daughter?”

Just as my family is precious to me.

So too are others’ families precious.

That fact must be respected.

Zeke turned his head again.

At some point, Isaac had a faint smile on his face.

‘Oh…

That sight…’

For a moment, Zeke recalled the scene from earlier.

The sight of Yulina and Cain sharing a kiss.

Why was that moment coming to his mind now?

He didn’t know.

His face felt hot, and his heart raced.

He couldn’t bear to look his master in the eye.

In the end, Zeke bowed his head.

‘Ugh! I spoke but… I wet myself.’

Meanwhile, Isaac was still basking in his own words