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

Chapter 105 : Chapter 105

Chapter 105“This way!”

Grondar led the way down the mountain with a bright and cheerful voice.

Looking at Grondar’s back, Jereuth thought.

‘Barut’s son…… He really takes after his father.’

When Grondar first appeared, Jereuth drew his sword in caution. He did not know what kind of Giant he was.

However, Jereuth was actually somewhat confident that a ‘Giant’ would not attack their party.

Because, contrary to what was known, Giants were not a warlike race at all.

‘Unless one trespasses on their territory or harms a friend.’

What would happen if someone trespassed on a Giant’s territory without permission, or attacked someone a Giant considered a ‘friend’?

To put it bluntly, a massacre would ensue.

One could imagine a Giant, with strength rivaling or exceeding an ogre, the agility of a goblin, and combat skills surpassing a human, swinging its fists and feet wildly without a care in the world.

Jereuth then turned his gaze to Leonardo, who was walking beside Grondar.

‘That aside…… His Highness was truly magnificent earlier.’

Leonardo was listening to Grondar’s stories the entire way down the mountain. He did not say much in response, but from the way he nodded his head from time to time, it seemed Leonardo quite liked Grondar.

‘When Anakros appeared earlier. To be honest, even I froze up. If that creature had tried to harm His Highness, I would have immediately drawn my sword and charged, but…… it is a fact that my body froze.’

Just like Grondar, Jereuth also felt it. Unlike the other Anakros he had seen before, the Anakros he encountered this time was a monster on a different 'level.'

It was not simply because of its size. That Anakros had something beyond that, something that could not be described with words.

‘If a creature like that were to attack a city…… it would be a catastrophe.’

To put it very simply, imagine an Anakros over 10 meters long striking with its tail.

Knights and soldiers alike would die instantly. No matter how strong they were, humans had their limits.

What if it struck the castle gate with that tail? It would not be breached in a single blow, but it would not last long. The same went for the castle walls.

Anyway.

‘But His Highness faced that creature with courage. Without a hint of fear.’

Earlier, Leonardo had met the giant Anakros’s gaze without backing down in the slightest.

There was a moment he looked away, but in the end, he made Anakros retreat with just his gaze.

‘His Highness Leonardo was that strong of a person…… just as Grondar said. As expected, royalty is different from me. They are not ordinary humans.’

While Jereuth was lost in various thoughts on his way down the mountain.

Before long, Grondar led Leonardo’s party to a clearing on the mountainside.

“The sun is starting to set, so let’s rest here for today! I can keep going, but I heard humans go to bed early at night!”

Saying that, Grondar skillfully and familiarly began to prepare a place to sleep. Looking closely at the clearing, there were traces of someone having stayed here.

Jereuth asked Grondar.

“There are traces of someone having stayed here. It seems the ground has been artificially packed down.”

“Ah, this is a clearing I made yesterday when I was hungry and wanted to rest for a bit.”

“A clearing you ‘made’?”

“Yes. I made it by pulling out the trees that were here. There were some rocks too, so I moved them to the side.”

Pulling out trees and moving rocks by himself.

It was the strength of a Giant, incomprehensible by human common sense. It was the same for Jereuth and the King, who had adventured with a Giant for a long time.

“I was going to replant the trees after I finished eating, but the roots were all ruined. So I threw them off that cliff over there. The rocks rolled off somewhere.”

“……I see.”

As Jereuth nodded his head while looking at the cliff Grondar was pointing at nonchalantly, Grondar then spoke to Leonardo.

“Brother, brother! The deer here is really delicious, should I go hunt one?”

***

Grondar, who called me ‘Brother.’

It was a bit burdensome for me to be called that by a Giant whose frame was four or five times larger than mine.

Grondar had started calling me ‘Brother’ a little while ago. When he asked me how old I was, I told him I turned thirteen this year, and he said he turned ten this year and promptly started calling me brother.

―I had been so busy I had not noticed, but thinking back, the new year had passed while we were traveling to the Wasteland of Ruin.―

‘Except for his large build, his words and actions are like a child’s, so it suits him in a way.’

“Yes, please do.”

“Okay! I’ll be right back!”

After answering brightly, Grondar dashed into the mountains like an arrow. His massive body disappeared from sight in an instant.

“It seems you get along well with that Giant.”

“Ah, Father.”

As I answered with a slight bow of my head, the King continued.

“It is not an easy thing to be acknowledged as a friend by a Giant. Both I and Jereuth had to spend quite a long time with the Giant we traveled with in the past before we were called ‘friend’.”

“Yes.”

“But you were called ‘friend’ by a Giant in less than a day after meeting him. Of course, it could be because of the courage you showed against Anakros earlier, or perhaps that Giant is just unique…… but in any case, it can be called fate. Cherish it.”

The courage I showed against Anakros earlier?

‘……So that’s how it looked.’

I had simply had a conversation with Anakros.

However, to the others who did not know, it might have looked like I was having a battle of wills with Anakros.

‘It’s not entirely wrong, though.’

“That monster was just glaring at me, so I just glared back.”

“You just glared back because Anakros was glaring at you…… You say it so simply, but not backing down in front of an Anakros is great courage. Above all, that Anakros was a truly dangerous creature.”

Being praised to that extent made me feel a bit awkward.

“More importantly, an Anakros roaming the land is not an event to be taken lightly. There must be…… some reason for it.”

I knew it. The ‘reason.’he north of the border was a desert, while grass grew to the south.

Whoooooosh-!

The moment they set foot in the Wasteland of Ruin, a sandstorm so strong it was hard to open one’s eyes obscured the view. When breathing, one could feel a mixture of air and dust.

Especially on a windy day like today, the Wasteland of Ruin was a truly difficult environment for a human to endure.

“Your Highness, pardon the intrusion for a moment.”

Jereuth put a scarf on Leonardo’s head to block the sand from entering his nose and mouth.

He covered his eyes as much as possible, leaving just enough of an opening to see.

“Oh, what’s that? Can’t I try it too?”

“A Giant doesn’t need it, does he?”

“Ah! Still, do it for me! Me too! Me too!”

“……Fine.”

Unlike with Leonardo, Jereuth was still not used to Grondar’s personality.

“Bend down a bit.”

“Yep.”

As Jereuth made a scarf for Grondar’s head with a spare cloth he had brought, he thought.

‘Barut also asked me to make him one after seeing me wear a scarf. I went through the trouble of making it, but he took it off in less than 10 seconds, saying it was suffocating.’

Just as Jereuth was thinking.

“Ah, it’s suffocating. I’m just going to take it off.”

“…….”

This kid was 100% Barut’s son.

Grondar, who untied the scarf and shook his head.

Jereuth asked him.

“Grondar. There is something I want to ask.”

“Yes?”

“As you have also heard, the reason we are going to meet the Giants is to conquer the Minotaur’s dungeon with their help. To be precise, we are trying to get your father’s help.”

“Ah, yes. I heard. ……I heard it a lot when that ‘King’ human was beating Brother Leo.”

At Grondar glaring at the King, Jereuth spoke in a way to get his attention.

“I want to ask for your help regarding that as well. Will you not enter the Minotaur’s dungeon with us?”

“Me? Sure, why not.”

“……You will? Do you know how dangerous that dungeon is?”

“It’s to help Brother Leo, isn’t it? Then I have to do it, whether it’s dangerous or not. That’s the right thing to do. And the Minotaur’s dungeon? I don’t know what that is, but if it’s a dangerous dungeon, that’s even better. I’m going to become a brave Giant like Brother Leo too.”

Helping a friend is the right thing to do. No matter how dangerous.

Jereuth let out a hollow laugh at the simple and straightforward way of thinking of a Giant.

‘Yes, this is a Giant. And that is why Barut will also help me. Even though we fought badly in that dungeon.’

While Jereuth was briefly recalling the past, Grondar spoke.

“I am Brother Leo’s friend. And since Brother Leo is royalty of the Plank Kingdom, the Plank Kingdom is also my friend. Even if Brother Leo says he never wants to see me again, I will work hard for Brother Leo.”

Grondar probably said it without much thought, just expressing his thoughts as a Giant.

But those words made Jereuth think a lot again.

‘Never want to see again…… That is what I said. To Barut.’

While Jereuth was lost in various heavy thoughts.

He heard the King coughing quietly beside him.

It was not a cough from the sand and dust. It was a cough trying to spit out something bad boiling up from inside his body.

Leonardo did not hear the King’s cough.

“Are you alright, Philip?”

Jereuth, who knew about the King’s physical condition, asked with concern.

The King shook his head and said.

“No, I feel like I am dying. I do not know if it is because I gave Leonardo the necklace, or if my life is truly running out…… but I can feel my body dying from the inside.”

Though he said this, the King’s voice was bright.

“But Jereuth. I feel more alive than ever before. I have shown Leonardo all of my swordsmanship, and though he will need a lot of training in the future, Leonardo will be able to master it. The boy definitely has talent. And Leonardo has made a Giant friend…… so if any problems arise, he will be able to receive great help. I am truly happy about that.”

A bright voice.

However, the King, who had been speaking with difficulty, looked Jereuth straight in the eye and smiled.

“Now, it seems the only thing left for me to do is to become the Minotaur’s sacrifice. No, that is the last thing left for me to do.”

“…….”

“Do not look at me with that expression and just follow that Giant named ‘Grondar.’ And make sure Leonardo does not fall behind.”

“……I understand.”

The King, who said he would become a sacrifice for the sealing of the Minotaur.

At those words, Jereuth sighed with a heavy heart and followed behind Grondar.

Lastly, as the King followed behind Jereuth.

Toss―.

The King took a book out from his bosom and threw it into the desert.

It was the King’s , with not a single page left.

‘I do not need it anymore…… and there is no new future for me to know.’

The empty diary flew lightly in the sandstorm.

Carried by a wind that comes from nowhere and goes nowhere-

the diary of the king who did not give up until the end disappears.