Sion Note:Vol 2

When he regained consciousness, Sion found himself on a bed.

"...."

He looked at the ceiling.

And judging from its color and surface, he was in a hospital room. He'd often fainted and been carried here.

He looked beside him.

And Ryner was there.

He was looking at Sion with a sleepy expression,

"You awake?"

He said.

Sion nodded,

"Yes, I am. I should get back to work..."

Ryner smacked Sion's forehead with his hand,

"No you don't. Do you even understand your current situation?"

He asked. Of course Sion understood.

The Fallen Dark Hero [Asruld Roland] was currently residing in his body, and the monster was trying to wrestle control of his body from him.

If the Hero won, then Sion's consciousness will disappear.

And if Sion won —— he'd stop being "human" completely.

It's a lose-lose situation, but his inner conflict with the monster still continued.

And he'll lose consciousness again.

When the Hero's memories fill up his consciousness and attempt to assimilate into Sion's, he'll lose consciousness.

Just like he did this time.

But when did that happen?

Ryner spoke up,

"You wouldn't wake up."

"I wouldn't wake up?"

"You were on the bed, sleeping, and wouldn't wake up no matter what I tried."

Apparently that's what happened.

He wanted to sneak in a quick nap, but it looked like he couldn't wake up from that.

And he didn't remember clearly what happened then.

He had a feeling that the Hero showed him a bad dream, but he couldn't recall the specifics.

So Sion smiled and said to Ryner,

"....Well, I had a really nice dream, so I didn't want to wake up."

Ryner stared at him blankly.

"I bet it's something perverted."

"You're right. Want to know the details?"

"No thanks. That aside..."

Sion interrupted,

"Words that thinly veil your deep interest in my nightly affairs..."

"Shut it."

He was whacked on the head.

Sion cradled his head,

"Ouch~"

He said, but Ryner replied,

"I smacked you about five times harder, but still, you didn't wake up."

Sion nodded with a straight face.

"Hmm. It must've been a really erotic dream."

"......"

But Ryner stared at him with a gloomy face.

And,

"You're hiding something, right? Are you suffering from some terrible disease?"

Sion locked gazes with Ryner.

If he looked away, Ryner might question him even more, so he looked straight at Ryner and said,

"I wonder?"

Then he looked at the doctor behind Ryner.

"What did the doctor say?"

But that question was meaningless.

The doctors were all told to keep silent about Sion's condition.

And it's not like they can pinpoint his condition with current magic technology.

He was keeping a monster within his body —— a monster outside the normal boundaries of the world.

No matter how much they investigate Sion's condition, they wouldn't know what was happening to him.

But Sion said,

"They looked over me while I was asleep, right? What did the doctors say?"

Ryner shrugged,

"Just that you're overworking yourself."

Sion immediately made a surprised face,

"Huuh? I-I'm suffering from such a terrible disease—!?"

"....."

"This is no good, Ryner. I can't do this anymore. Will you hear my last words?"

Ryner looked at him with tired eyes,

"What now?"

"Do my job..."

"No."

"What a fast reply"

Sion laughed bitterly.

He straightened himself.

As usual, he felt pain all over his body. Every inch of his skin felt burning and sore.

He felt a sense of wrongness, as if his brains, his insides, everything about him wasn't his anymore.

But he smiled.

He smiled happily,

"I don't need to worry if it's just a matter of overworking."

He got off the bed and stood up.

Ryner looked up at him from his chair,

"Overworking is serious business, you know?"

"But I've slept quite a lot."

"It's not enough."

"Really?"

Sion thought for a moment,

"How long was I out of it?"

Ryner answered,

"A whole day since I found you, I guess?"

"Hmm. A whole day?"

"Yes, a whole day."

"So I've slept enough. More than enough."

He began walking.

He thought of the amount of work that must've have piled up while he was unconscious.

Ryner spoked up behind him,

"You'll die if you keep pushing yourself so hard."

Sion turned around and smiled,

"Are you that worried about me?"

Disgust immediately filled Ryner's face,

"What?"

Sion was enjoying himself.

"So, if I died, would you become this country's king?"

"No way."

"Keep telling yourself that..."

"Go die."

"Hahaha. So, let's get back to work."

Sion said, and Ryner nodded. He jumped into the bed that Sion occupied just moments ago, drew up the blankets and looked at Sion,

"Work hard!"

"Hey!"

Sion said, but Ryner immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep.

He wanted to wake Ryner up, but,

"....."

Sion stopped himself.

Maybe Ryner didn't sleep and kept watch over him the entire time.

"Well, fine by me."

He turned on his heels and began walking again.

He exited the hospital room.

One man awaited him at the end of the corridor.

Lieutenant General Miran Froaude.

Long, pitch black hair and a slim body.

Cold eyes that looked down on everything.

Those eyes turned towards him.

"...I heard you lost consciousness."

Sion answered without stopping.

"A usual occurrence."

"Is it due to the power within Your Majesty's body?"

"Yes."

"Any problem?"

Sion smiled thinly at his question.

Of course there are problems.

Even at this moment, he was wandering within pains intense enough to drive him to insanity.

But he can't just stop.

The world had already awakened.

Awakened within darkness.

Gastark had already begun gathering Heroes' Relics and weaponizing them.

Various monstrous forces had already begun to act, as if in response to Sion absorbing the Hero.

He didn't have time.

Didn't have time to stop at his leisure.

But still, he said,

"....None. Proceed as always."

He passed by Froaude.

Froaude smiled at that and followed him while keeping his head slightly bowed.

"The experiments are proceeding smoothly."

He spoke from behind.

The experiments were held to strengthen their army.

Experiments to make reinforced soldiers by breaking humans' minds, bodies, hearts.

In other words, they were experimenting on humans.

Froaude continued,

"Everyone gladly offered themselves for the experiment. All for the sake of Your Majesty."

"....."

"Of course, there were numerous sacrifices. But in exchange, we're getting quick results."

"....."

"So your choice saved this country's futur...."

But Sion spoke over his words,

"Spare me the worthless consolation. Give me the facts."

Froaude bowed again.

"Forgive me for my imprudence."

"When will we get results?"

"Within three months."

"We'll wait until then before marching to Imperial Nelpha."

"Acknowledged."

"Begin preparations. Roland will announce its dominance to the world."

"Yes."

"Alright, go."

Froaude spoke in a happy voice,

"...I'm relieved."

He said.

"I thought that man...Ryner Lute would shackle Your Majesty, but..."

Sion turned around and said,

"I said, 'go'."

Froaude widened his lips, red like that of a demon's, and smiled thinly. He bowed deeply and whispered,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After throwing a glance at him, Sion began walking again.

He emerged from the facility designed for medical magic research and headed towards the palace.

The sky was clear.

Sunlight poured from a cloudless sky.

He walked on beneath it.

People who passed him by all looked like they've met a saint and bowed their heads.

Sion smiled at them.

He nodded slightly, as if to reassure them that they made the right choice in following him.

"...."

But this is what always happens.

Those who followed him stepped further into the depths of darkness.

Even though the sky is so clear.

Even though the sun is shining so bright, this country, Roland —— cannot surface from the depths of darkness.

Perhaps it's impossible to find a darker place than Roland on the Menoris continent.

He looked up at the sunlight.

He looked straight at the light that threatened to burn his eyes.

Wouldn't it be nice if that light could chase away all the darkness in me, he thought. But the darkness within him was much, much stronger than the light, and squirmed in his head, as if in defiance of the sunlight.

The darkness wriggled.

And memories began coming back to him, little by little.

It was probably the dream he had just now.

A dream he'd forgotten.

A despicable dream.

A mysterious dream, the product of his own memories mixing with the Hero's memories.

But the dream suddenly came back in his head.

In an instant, he knew what the dream was about.

And in response to that dream,

To that dream,

".....Ah, I see."

Sion whispered.

He smiled sadly and clutched his chest. Clutched the chest of someone who was screaming that he just wanted to abandon everything and escape.

"....So I really have to kill Ryner...."

He whispered.

The sky was clear.

But it was still dark.

Everything was dark.

And memories danced within such darkness.

They weren't his own memories.

They were the memories of the monster residing within him.

Memories of ones who shaped the world.

He traced them.

He traced that memory.

And the beginning of that memory——

Was in darkness, after all.

Chapter 1 : The Story of the Awakening Hero

I am a consciousness.

A small consciousness.

On a certain day, I was born in the head of a certain boy.

I was born as a pitch black consciousness within a boy who was living happily.

To make him fall.

To lead him to his downfall.

And at that moment, the boy's consciousness was completely devoured by me.

Even though he was enjoying life with such a happy face, I took over his consciousness and became him.

For what.

Why.

Why did it happen that way.

I knew all of that.

The moment I took over the boy's consciousness and had my first look of the world through his eyes, I knew the reason for my existence.

I am destruction.

I am destruction.

"....."

I opened my eyes.

I opened the boy's eyes, and I looked at my surroundings with the boy's eyes.

It was the first scene I saw.

The first scene I saw in my life.

At first, I didn't quite understand what I was seeing.

But I devoured the boy's mind and assimilated his knowledge.

Then I knew why I was here.

Why I was standing here.

And for what.

But in the end, I am only here for one thing.

I am destruction.

Destruction, destruction, destruction.

I stand here, having been born for solely for that.

To correct the structure of this mad world, my consciousness is——

"...."

At that moment, my name was called.

"Hey, Asruld."

That's my —— no, the name of the boy I took over.

I devoured the boy's mind again, and remembered my own name.

Asruld.

Asruld Roland.

That's my name.

That's my name.

I looked towards the person who called my name.

A beautiful girl stood there.

She looked to be about fourteen, fifteen. A young face framed by curly, light brown hair.

But her bewitching smile were unfitting for her features.

Moist eyes and lustrous, pink lips.

Words spilled from those lips.

Words that were ingrained with magic to enchant and confound the hearts of others.

"Hey, Asruld. What's wrong?"

She said.

"If you don't eat now, the food will be gone soon."

She said.

I looked at her feet. Her slender, beautiful legs were deeply entrenched within the ground, and seem to be absorbing something within the earth.

They slurped and gulped, sucking something from the ground, and each time, she would wear an expression of ecstasy.

And I looked at the ground as well.

But it wasn't the ground.

It was the back of a giant god.

The back of a god once called Menoris.

But he was devoured and killed by the Goddesses that rapidly reproduced, and became a corpse.

The Goddesses were devouring its corpse.

While wearing rapturous expressions, the Goddesses devoured gods.

Countless Goddesses were around me.

Beautiful ones.

Ugly ones.

Strong ones.

Weak ones.

Many Goddesses swarmed around and were devouring god.

And it seems like that I also belonged to the Goddess species.

But not now.

Not anymore.

One of the Goddesses spoke up again.

It was the brown-haired girl just now.

She looked at me and said,

"Why aren't you eating?"

I looked at her and replied,

"I'm not hungry."

She widened her eyes in surprise and smiled.

"Geez, stop it with the jokes. Our hunger can never be sated. We were made that way, after all."

But I repeated my words,

"I'm not hungry."

".....Huh. If that's true, then you're quite...fascinating."

She pulled out her legs from the earth. She stopped eating Menoris.

She looked at me as if enchanted and intoxicated. Her eyes almost made me think that she loved me.

"....A Goddess who isn't hungry? How fascinating..."

"Really?"

"Yes. But actually, you're not Asruld anymore, right?"

"...."

"I wonder who you are. I wonder what happened to you."

"..."

"But that doesn't really matter. Because you're so interesting. Because you look so delicious. So you're mine. I'll eat you before the other Goddesses notice you."

She smiled.

She smiled happily.

And I smiled back.

"You won't be able to."

"Ha, who do you think I am?"

Hearing her words, I called out her name.

I'm confronting a monster who would come out victorious even if all the other Goddesses nearby went against her.

"...You weren't chosen. So you can't win against me, Milk. Goddess of Reincarnation [Milk Ephillet]."

But I still smiled.

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