Moto Sekai Ichi – 223 | Sousaku – 創作

223　A lonely child filled with regret, cries.

Arc 11: The Empire

=====

Gordo Marubell: Emperor
Clearla Marubell: The Emperor's Wife
Melson Marubell: Princess, Eldest Sister
Light Marubell: Prince, Younger Brother

Seram: A spy for Melson?
Nat Shaman: General of the Marubell Empire, Leader of the Imperial Guard
Sigaronne Elbuni: Prime Minister of the Marubell Empire

Midnight.

Light Marubell sneaked out of his room.

Currently, in addition to Light, there were three staff members on duty, two night-watchmen, two imperial guards, and one Seven. Outside the inn, five imperial guards were patrolling.

Except for Seven's presence, it was a “business as usual” situation for Light.

Therefore, he was well-versed in how to slip away.

In order not to be spotted by the imperial guards watching in front of the room, he climbed the wall of the open-air bath and slipped outside.

His destination was the open-air bath connected to Seven's room.

Light unilaterally decided that he would eat dinner in Seven's room, and during the meal, he pretended to go to the bathroom and unlocked the window of the washroom leading to the open-air bath.

That was so he could sneak into Seven's room.

And sure enough, the lock was still open.

"…………"

Holding his breath, he slowly and quietly opened the window and slipped his slender body into the gap.

The infiltration was successful. All that was left was for him to pass through the changing room and into Seven's bedroom.

"! "

There was a rustling sound as the bushes outside swayed in the wind.

Light turned around and peered intently, but it was too dark to see anything.

Normally, Anko would have already found him. However, Seven was hiding the fact that he was in reality Second. Therefore, summoning Anko was risky, so he didn't have her guard the place.

"…………"

Suppressing his pounding heart, Light quietly moved and took something sharp from his inventory.

Scissors―― something he asked the waitress to bring him directly after dinner.

Light was planning to cut Seven's hair with these scissors while he was asleep.

Half-hearted provocation might only irritate him. But if I were to mess up that beautiful white silver hair, he'll definitely get angry. That's what he thought.

This was a subtle crisis for Seven.

The condition for the Wraith's morph to be broken is to take damage. In other words, if your skin is pricked with a needle, you will receive “1 damage,” and the morph will be canceled.

Furthermore, even hair counted for damage taken.

In Mobius Online, if your hair was cut with scissors, you took “0 damage”.

However, even if your HP wasn't reduced at all, it still counted as receiving damage, even if it was zero. It was peculiar, but this was the system used by Mobius Online.

Therefore, with this 0 damage, the Wraith's morph will be canceled.

The moment the scissors touched his hair, Seven would become Second Firstest.

However, Light had no way of knowing that.

He just wanted Seven to get angry and scold him, but his feelings grew so strong that he ended up engaging in an increasingly malicious prank.

Thus, he was not aware of how wrong what he was about to do was.

"Hmm……"

Seeing Seven sleeping, Light unclasped the scissors, kneeling next to him.

What should I say tomorrow morning to provoke him and make him really angry? While thinking about such things, he gently took Seven's bangs in his hand.――

"――Your Highness! What are you doing?! "

"! ? "

Just as he was about to snip, a loud voice rang out from behind him.

The voice came from a woman. It was the waitress to whom Seven had given a tip.

She dedicatedly stayed by Seven's side non-stop, like a personal aide. Seven also accepted her just as she came off, remarking, “That's just how dedicated she must be”. Seven didn't know much about the work of an attendant at a luxury inn.

And then, by chance, Seven was asleep and she had nothing to do, so she was cleaning the open-air bath that Seven, who seemed to love bathing, would probably use the next morning, when she spotted Light climbing over the wall.

Normally, she would have called out to Light at that moment. However, she received a 1 million coin from Seven. That's why she intuitively understood that this was what Seven meant by “odd jobs”.

Hence, she hid in the bushes so that the prince wouldn't find her, and followed Light as he entered the window.

And that's how she ended up at the scene of the ongoing crime.

"Even if it's Your Highness, I can't allow you to do such a thing! Please stop! "

Stop the prince's misbehavior—― yes, this is a job worth five months' salary, she thought to herself.

At the same time, she regretted taking on such a job.

Her hands were shaking so much, it was surprising. It was only natural. Her life was at stake.

If Light said “execution” right now, she would really be killed. The prince held that much power.

"…………"

Light turned around at the waitress's voice and looked a little flustered for a moment, but his expression gradually cooled.

It did not matter if he was found out.

Rather, that was the very reason he was doing this, to get caught and make him angry.

Light made up his mind.

Ignoring the waitress, he turned back to Seven and opened the scissors again.

"Your Highness, please stop! Your Highness! "

Despite the loud noise, Seven showed no signs of waking up.

"Your Highness! "

"U-wah! ? "

Realizing that she couldn't stop him just by calling out to him, the waitress grabbed Light's shoulder and pulled him toward her.

Light tumbled off his back onto the tatami mat.

"……! "

Seeing Light looking like an upside-down turtle, the waitress suddenly turned pale.

"Wha…… You mere servant! Tossing a prince on the floor! You better be prepared for this! "

Light was enraged by the humiliation.

"B-But, this was the only way! "
"Never dare try to stop me, the prince! "
"It is an issue to cut someone's hair without their permission! "
"This is my personal guard! It's my right to do what I want with my personal guards! "
"T-That's abusing authority! "

The waitress ended up arguing with him.

Light just said, “Huh,” and glared at the waitress.

"Are you talking back to the prince?"
"B-But....."
"You still don't seem to understand your position."

Moving to stand right in front of the motionless waitress, Light showed her the scissors and spoke.

"Do you think you can defy me? "
"……No."
"First, I'm gonna cut your hair. Seven will be next."
"…………Yes. However."
"However? However what? You're still going to insult me? "
"……I'm sorry. It's nothing."
"That's good."

It is better to have your hair cut than to be punished for insulting someone.

In the first place, there were only a handful of people in this empire who had the power to stop the prince's actions. It was unreasonable to entrust such a task to an ordinary inn hostess.

The waitress gave up everything and calmly observed the prince in front of her.

Oh, he's being stubborn. She realized that was clearly the case.

When his misdeeds were exposed, he became distraught, his pride not allowed him to accept defeat, so he tried to gain the upper hand by wielding his power and forcing those who stood in his way to submit.

――Once you're looked down upon, it's game over. If the prince was belittled, if he were to lose his status, there will be nothing left for Light. It was precisely because of this, and because Light was aware such, that he put a bigger front than anyone.

Light's feelings of inferiority and loneliness since childhood made him act that way. This could be seen as an illness at this point. An illness that made Light continue to act up.

The waitress thought to herself. I couldn't save you from His Highness. I couldn't do my job.

I'll just return the 1 million coin to Seven-sama. Making up her mind, she stared blankly at the scissors approaching her.

"――It's amazing what you hear when you stay silently listening."

……Without them noticing.

Behind Light, a figure about a head taller than him stood――it was Seven.

"Wa……! ? "

Then, he grabbed Light's head with both hands, twisted it counterclockwise, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You didn't come here to cut my hair, did you?"

His voice was very quiet.

However, the intensity was overwhelming.

"Th……That's right."
"Then, how come you're now trying to cut the waitress' hair?"
"That's because this person insulted――"
"Insulted? Who was insulted, when, and how? Let's talk about it, I'll listen."

Seven put all his strength into his hand, and Light grimaced at the pain that gradually spread through his face, opening his mouth to speak.

"An insult is an insult! For a commoner to defy a prince and talk back to him is nothing short of an insult! "

"Alright, then half to death it is."

"! ? "

He wasn't sure what "alright" or "then" meant, spoken in Seven's usual style.

This left Light puzzled. He didn't understand. However, Seven was already raising his fist. If nothing was done, he'll be beaten half to death without understanding why.

Watching from the sidelines, the waitress thought to herself. What incredible speed……

"W-Wait! Wait! Stop! "
"What is it?"
"Why? ? "
"Why? Because you talked back to me and pissed me off, so I'll beat you half to death."

"! ! "

Light looked stunned.

He got served with the same nonsense he tried to use.

"……I'll say it again. You didn't come here to cut the waitress's hair, did you? Tell me. You came to cut my hair, didn't you!? "
"～! "

Light shrunk back when he got yelled at from up close.

"You don't understand why I'll beat you half to death, do you? That's why you're desperately telling me to wait and asking why. But the waitress didn't ask you that. Even if she didn't understand why, she just accepted it silently. Do you know why? "
"B-Because I'm a prince."
"That's right.. However, that's not all."

Seven took his hands off Light's head and faced him directly.

"It's because she has no ill will towards you. Because she doesn't have the slightest intention of harming you. It's because she's a very kind person. So, she just accepted it silently. And you were trying to mess up that person's hair."
"…………"

Hearing this, Light noticed it for the first time.

The waitress didn't resist because she wasn't an enemy.

The more he thought about it, the more he understood. And as it gradually dawned on him, blood drained from his face. Maybe I was really trying to do something terrible, he mused.

"Well, if you're willing to become a villain with the sufficient resolve, then go ahead and be my guest. But the problem is your goal."

Goal. Could he have figured me out? Such concerns from Light were immediately proven right.

"You wanted to make me angry, didn't you?"
"T-That's not it! "
"Of course it is. After watching you all day, it's easy to figure it out."
"……～～uuh! ! "

Light hastily denied it, but his face was bright red, betraying his words.

Unable to bear it any longer, he tried to escape, but Seven grabbed his hand so he couldn't get away.

His face grew hotter and hotter. Seven's words echoed in Light's mind.

He had been watching all along—―more than being scolded, this was what he truly wanted.

There was no need to make him angry. Seven had been watching Light the whole time.

Light's wish to be watched by someone had already come true.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

However, Seven's actions did not stop there.

Saying that, he brushed aside Light's uncooperative bangs, exposing his forehead.

The next moment――

" "

Puck! ――There was a dull sound.

A finger flick to the forehead.

Light pressed his forehead and grimaced in terrible pain.

"……Ehh! ? "

The waitress couldn't believe her eyes. The damage she caught a glimpse of was “203.”

203 damage…… In other words, a single flick of the finger could kill even some of the weakest monsters.

There may be some discrepancy relative to Light's VIT, but even so, a score of 203 with just a flick of the finger and no skill whatsoever was clearly abnormal.

"Uh, uh, uhhh, ugh, uh, uuuuhhhh."

A few seconds passed, and tears slowly began to well up in Light's eyes.

――This is way too painful, he thought.

It’s definitely the most painful experience of my life.

It hurts more than when I bumped my nose on the door, more than when I bumped my foot on the bedpost, more than when I slipped and fell down the stairs.

It hurts. But just that alone, strangely enough, makes me unable to stop crying.

I thought crying in front of Seven and a commoner would be nothing but humiliating.

But for some reason…… I feel refreshed.

Having him next to me gives me inner peace, allowing me to show my weak side.

I cried so much that I couldn't stop it.

Then there's no need to put on a brave front anymore.

"Uuuuuh! Uuuuuuuuuuhhh! "

The waitress looked worriedly at Light, who was crouching on Seven's futon and crying, while Seven looked at him with an exasperated expression.

And so, the night deepened.

＊ ＊ ＊

Light must have cried himself to sleep, because a few minutes later he began to breathe regularly on my futon. I couldn't sleep very well.

I asked the waitress to lay out another futon, and I was lying down next to Light, but I couldn't seem to fall asleep.

There's a lot in my head.

This brat reminds me a little of myself when I was young.

That piercing feeling that seems to say, “If you're looked down upon, it's over.” It's the same.

Is that why, I wonder? I can't help but worry about Light's future.

Maybe if I push him a little in the right direction…… is what I can't help but to think.

"…………Did you look down on me? "

Before I knew it, I couldn't hear his sleeping sounds anymore.

Instead, I heard Light's faint voice.

"Rather, is that what you think? "

When I asked him again, Light derisively snorted and responded.

"You're not that kind of person. You're rude, foul-mouthed, have a bad attitude, are full of yourself, insensitive, and yet you can be considerate but also infuriating. You wouldn't look down on me just because I cried."
"If you understand that, why did you ask?"
"……I was confused and anxious. However, I did think that you might."

Maybe it was because he had just woken up, or maybe it was because he had cried a lot, but Light was very obedient.

"It's always been like this. I feel inferior to my older sister. My father has given up on me, deeming me as incompetent, and I am not allowed to see my mother. I've always been lonely. I've been feeling anxious all along."
"You can't see your mother? "
"Because my father is very jealous. It seems that my father cannot stand the fact that my mother showers me, her son, with love. Thanks to that, my mother is practically under house arrest."
"That's…… Simply disgusting."

I feel like I wasted my time thinking of the emperor as a devoted husband.

Then, Light chuckled softly in the back of his throat.

"Did you say my father is disgusting? I'm the prince, you know. The son of the emperor."
"You gonna have me executed? "
"......There's no way."

With a sigh, there was a moment of silence.

There was only the sound of two people breathing, the smell of tatami mats, the rough feeling of the futon, and the wood grain of the ceiling faintly visible through eyes accustomed to the darkness of night. Somehow nostalgic.

I suddenly remembered my school trip. At that time, when night came, we would all talk about who we liked. And the next morning, everyone in class found out. I was mainly the culprit for spreading that information…… but now that I think about it, I'm a little sorry for what I did. I'm sincerely sorry, it was all because I was just a stupid elementary school kid.

"Can I ask you for some advice? "

As I was dozing off while thinking about that, Light spoke.

"If you don't mind me, go ahead."
"Unfortunately, I can only count on weird people like you."

That's a terrible thing to say. However, it also makes me happy. So, I just kept quiet and asked Light to speak.

"I want to do something about my feelings of inferiority and isolation."
"Why?"
"Because if things stay the way they are, the same thing will happen again. I'll have to put on a front again and protect my petty pride."
"Do you dislike that?"
"Yeah. You wouldn't understand this suffering, would you?"

I understand, though.

Don't underestimate adults, kid.

Adults, you see, were all kids once.

"There are only two ways to solve this."
"Two? Can it be resolved? "
"Yeah."

It's simple.

"Run away or fight back."

I ran away.

What about you?

Right now, it's easy to say you're going to fight back. However, after that, it will inevitably become difficult, and you will want to run away over and over again.

I won't let that happen. There's no way I would.

"But if you choose to fight…… it'll be easier at this point."

Once your mind gets warped, it can never go back to what it was.

Just as I am obsessed with being number one in the world and Champani is obsessed with her being a noble lady, if you go crazy, that's the end of it.

But you're still okay. Before that feeling of inferiority and loneliness clings to you and won't let go, you must do something about it.

"……If I had an older brother like you, maybe I wouldn't have turned out so twisted."

Maybe.

However, it is not too late yet.

"Seven, lend me your strength."

"That's easy."

In the dimly lit room, when I smiled as I answered, Light showed me a clear smile for the first time.

It starts now.

Light will confront his father and sister in order to overcome his feelings of inferiority and isolation.

All I'll have to do is stand next to him.

Only four weeks left until the end of the empire―—or rather, until the end of the emperor.

"……Hey, Seven."
"What is it?"
"Can I....."
"Yeah."
"A……ni, u……ani, u, e……to." (C-C, all……y, ou……br, bro……br, bro, th……er?)
"What? A, i, u, e, o? "
"……Nothing! Go to sleep, you rude person! "
"Ahh..."

=====
Thank you for reading.

Cheat sheet

Status Details

HP　Hit Points
MP　Magic Points
SP　Stamina Points
STR　Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
DEX　Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
AGI　Quickness, avoidance rate.
INT　Attack Magic skill power.
LUK　Good luck, critical rate.
VIT　Simple defense.
MGR　Magic defense.

Skill Ranking

From lower (16th) to higher (1st) class, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade

16th class
15th class
14th class
13th class
12h class
11th class
10th class
9th class
8th class
7th class
6th class
5th class
4th class
3rd class
2nd class
1st class
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 (Can challenge Title when all related skills are at this level)

Types of combat skills

Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.

Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
Lance(Kyousha)
Knight (Keima)
Silver General (Ginshou)
Gold General (Kinshou)
Bishop (Kakugyou)
Rook (Hisha)
Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).

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List of Swordsmanship skills

【Swordsmanship】　Damage： STR Dependent.

《Dragon King Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack forward + stun.
《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack in all directions.
《Rook Swordsmanship》　Very strong single-target attack.
《Bishop Swordsmanship》　Quick and powerful penetrating attack.
《Gold Swordsmanship》　Ranged attack in all directions.
《Silver Swordsmanship》　Strong, single-target attack.
《Knight Swordsmanship》　Precision attack＋added damage against vital points.
《Lance Swordsmanship》　Penetrating attack.
《Soldier Swordsmanship》　Normal attack.

(Rook＋Knight, Silver＋Knight, Lance＋Knight, Soldier＋Knight are possible for Combine)

List of Jojutsu (cane) skills

【Jojutsu】Thrust・Strike・Sweep

《Dragon King Jojutsu》　Extremely powerful wide-area attack
《Dragon Horse Jojutsu》　Wide range defense + knockback
《Rook Jojutsu》　Very powerful ranged attack
《Bishop Jojutsu》　Rush piercing attack
《Gold Jojutsu》　Very strong defense
《Silver Jojutsu》　Powerful ranged attack
《Knight Jojutsu》　Rush attack
《Lance Jojutsu》　Piercing attack
《Soldier Jojutsu》　Conventional attack

List of Spearmanship skills

【Spearmanship】

《Dragon King Spearmanship》　Extremely powerful single-target attack
《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》　Powerful long-range attack (shockwave)
《Rook Spearmanship》　Rush attack (charge thrust)
《Bishop Spearmanship》　Powerful ranged attack (Cleave)
《Gold Spearmanship》　Counterattack (Counter)
《Silver Spearmanship》　Powerful single-target attack (charge thrust)
《Knight Spearmanship》　Forward leaping attack (leaping thrust)
《Lance Spearmanship》　Ranged attack (Cleave)
《Soldier Spearmanship》　Normal Attack (Thrust)

List of Archery skills

【Archery】

《Dragon King Archery》　Powerful on-impact ranged attack.
《Dragon Horse Archery》　Powerful piercing ranged attack.
《Rook Archery》　Very strong single-target range attack.
《Bishop Archery》　Strong piercing range attack.
《Gold Archery》　Range attack with added knockback.
《Silver Archery》　Strong single-target range attack.
《Knight Archery》　Precise sniping range attack.
《Lance Archery》　Piercing range attack.
《Soldier Archery》　Normal range attack.

List of Shield Arts skills

【Shield Arts】

《Dragon King Shield Arts》　Very powerful ranged attack to the front.
《Dragon Horse Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense + all-range attack.
《Rook Shield Arts》　Powerful forward Rush attack (VIT converted to STR and added to net STR)
《Bishop Shield Arts》　Great Reinforced Defense (16th class: 250% ~ Grade 9th: 600% Defense)
《Gold Shield Arts》　Range homing defense ＋ Knockback（While active, attacks within a certain range would redirect themselves towards the shield）
《Silver Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense (parry grace time reduced by 0.01 second, successful parry triggers counterattack effect)
《Knight Shield Arts》　Defense + Knockback.
《Lance Shield Arts》　Piercing Reflective Defense
《Soldier Shield Arts》　Normal defense.
Success condition for parry: Activate the skill 0.287 to 0.250 seconds before the attack reaches the target.

List of Magic skills

【Magic】 (Four attributes: fire, water, wind, and earth)
Advantages and disadvantages: Fire>Earth>Wind>Water>Fire
・First Form　Normal Attack （Preparation time： Super short. Cooldown： Super short）
・Second Form　Extended range attack （Slow. Long）
・Third Form　Strong single-target attack （Short. Short）
・Fourth Form　Powerful extended-range attack （Super slow. Super long）
・Fifth Form　Very powerful extended-range attack （Slowest. Longest）

【Magical Magic】
《Combine》　Combines two magic skills into a single attack.
《Synergy》　Overlays two magic spells on top of another magic spell.
《Charge》　Magic attack that increases in magnitude the more it is charged up.

List of Martial Arts skills

【Martial Arts】　Attack：(STR+DEX+AGI)/2.56

《Dragon King Martial Arts》　A very powerful wide-area attack in the front (shockwave)
《Dragon Horse Martial Arts》　Accelerated forward strike (Dash Punch)
《Rook Martial Arts》　Very powerful single-target attack + charge (Punch)
《Bishop Martial Arts》　Omni-directional attack (Roundhouse kick)
《Gold Martial Arts》　Short-range attack plus defense (Tackle)
《Silver Martial Arts》　Strong single-target attack （Punch）
《Knight Martial Arts》　Forward jumping attack （Jumping kick）
《Lance Martial Arts》　Short-range attack (Kick)
《Soldier Martial Arts》　Normal attack （Punch）

List of Sword-drawing skills

【Sword-drawing】 (STR+DEX+AGI+VIT)/5.12+remaining SP/10^4（fire power when using a sword at the belt 128％）

《Dragon King Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Extremely powerful area of effect attack.
《Dragon Horse》 Range attack in all directions.
《Rook Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Extremely powerful Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Bishop Sword-drawing》 Quick and powerful thrust.
《Gold Sword-drawing》 Counter (Single attack + defense)
《Silver Sword-drawing》 (The more you charge, the more power) Powerful Sword-drawing attack.
《Knight Sword-drawing》 Large movement + Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Lance Sword-drawing》 Movement + Sword drawing attack (Single attack)
《Soldier Sword-drawing》 Sword drawing attack (Single attack)

List of Thread Manipulation skills

【Thread Manipulation】
《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》　The most powerful single attack, limited to the restrained target.
《Dragon Horse Thread Manipulation》　Simultaneously emits multiple threads, forcibly restraining the touched object.
《Rook Thread Manipulation》　Very powerful single attack using a bundle of threads
《Bishop Thread Manipulation》　Powerful penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Gold Thread Manipulation》　Thread restraints on objects within a 4-meter radius.
《Silver Thread Manipulation》　Powerful single-target attack with a bundle of threads
《Knight Thread Manipulation》　Manipulate monsters, humans, and puppets using strings for a certain period of time.
《Lance Thread Manipulation》　Penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Soldier Thread Manipulation》　Single target attack with a bundle of threads
(Gold + Lance or Bishop can be Combined)

ToC