Chapter 1445 Epilogue: The Sun Is Rising Part 2

「And then…… Rest assured, my heart is much bigger than it might seem. If you find yourself in a situation where you will be unable to walk forward anymore, I will simply carry you forward on my back.]

There is no answer to that declaration of mine. It’s not like it can’t speak because it’s a snake…… But just like the white snake at that time, this snake also brought its face closer towards my own, as if to show me that it understood everything. And then it presented me with something.

A strange looking bird-mask that I thought that was lost on me that one time.

「………Well then,]

At the current moment I can’t use any other equipment due to the effects of the R.I.P., so this time I store it in the inventory so as not to drop it and turn to the sheets ghost Wimp.

「Hey, Wimp? Let’s have a little talk.]

「…… I don’t wanna.]

「I’m sorry, but your sorry ass does not get the right to veto here.]

Didn’t you know, Wimp? This is ShangriLa Frontier. And in this game there is no such thing as an “Event Skip” function.

「What happened at that time was…… Well, you probably already know. We have lost, Sammy-chan-san died, and the others had both their hearts and spirits broken.]

「……………]

「And just who do you think it’s at fault for things ending up the way they did?]

To that question, there was only silence. Is it so frustrating to be asked such a simple question? Is that how much you don’t want to think about anything at the current moment, Wimp?

「…… Are you trying to say, that it was all my fault?]

「……………]

「It’s because, I’m so weak! If only I was strong! Strong enough so that I could protect Sammy-chan! If I was strong enough, then Sammy-chan wouldn’t have done that! Isn’t that right!? I that what you are trying to say!?]

「……………]

「I know! I know that! I know it painfully well! That’s why……!! That’s why I’m scared! I’m scared! I don’t want to fight because I’m scared! It’s easy for you to spout bullshit like that! Because you are so strong! But I’m not!]

「……………]

「I don’t want this anymore, I’m sick and tire of it…… I … I’m always… Always…… I can only envy the glittering things……]

Tears start to fall from the tattered Wimp’s eyes one by one. I’m honestly a little confused about what to say about it in a situation like that. Should I just comfort her or…… Hmm, oh well. I’ll tell her the truth. It’s the least I can do right now.

「Wimp.]

「Higu…… Higu……]

「It’s a largely, largely, largely…… Largely incorrect answer!!]

「Huh!?]

「You truly are awesome, you know!? It took you so long to realize a simple fact like that!?]

Sammy-chan-san died, I was humiliated and defeated in the worst way possible that there could be, and everyone else got heavily traumatized, maybe even to the point of no recovery. But all of those things, all, all of them, can be traced back to one simple point of origin!

「It’s all because of that Fucking Goldunine! It’s all her fault! Hers and hers alone!]

「Huh……]

「Listen here, Wimp, and listen well. You are WAY too demeaning of yourself. Let’s shift responsibility to the world more! Hell, I know that this is what I am going to do!!]

Why is it that Sammy-chan-san is dead!? That’s because that fucking oversized snake ambushed us like that!!

「Besides, this fucking event battle was WAY too unbalanced! At least visualize some flags so that we know what we are going to get ourselves into!]

Why is it that I lost my precious equipment!? I could deal with that fucking Player Killer if they were all alone, but because there was a fucking giant snake there there was nothing I could do! Literally!]

「As I am right about now, I can see things clearly…… And I absolutely cannot forgive you!]

Why did we lose there? Because we were severely outnumbered and we weren’t ready for a battle like that!!

「In the end, Sammy-chan-san took all the highlights of the defeat in this stupid event. Why did you do it!? What’s the point!? Now I only feel miserable about myself, kind of like the guys who post messages on SNS services with depressing meaning and looking for attention that way!]

「Huh? Huh…? Ahh……]

「You can be angry about this, Wimp! We…… No! You have the right to slam your fist into that fucking Goldunine’s face more than any other person out there!]

No matter if the perpetrator here is a human or a snake, there is only one way of retaliating for the defeat that we have suffered here…… We need to defeat them in order to avenge our loss and lost comrades! It is the kind of right that all intelligent lifeforms can exercise equally!

The slightly opened window is blown fully open by the strong gust of wind. The wind that blew from the east blows away the cloudy sky that burned in the deadly battle with the “Scarlet” without a trace, and the sun slowly begins to rise in the clear sky.

「Let us take revenge, Wimp.]

「A reve…… nge……?]

「If you feel powerless, you can always train to become stronger. And even if you still think that you are not strong enough, you can always increase the number of people in your party.]

With the rising dawn behind my back, I declare this to Wimp.

「We are going to war.]

「A war……?]

「We are going to throw everything we have at her, and we are going to score a crushing victory against her! And when everything is finally over, we are going to build the finest grave for Sammy-chan-san that you can possibly imagine!]

The enemies that stand in our way, we’ll destroy them! The Dragon-Snakes Naga, we will rip them to shreds! Nothing is going to stand in our path! We will pave the way for ourselves and keep on pushing forward! That is the mission and the motivation of us Pioneer Players!

The hand that I stretch towards Wimp. The crybaby snake. She just keep on staring at me. And it looks like she’s still scared deep down inside……

「…… Is that really alright? For me to trust you once again?]

「Sure thing. I am going to train you really well, so you can count on it!]

「Ugh…… Gusu, I was kind of expecting that, but it still terrifies me.]

The hand that reached out to me certainly was weak, but it reached out nonetheless. In response to that, I took a step forward, grasped it firmly and shook it with renewed vigor. I’m looking forward to our work together, you know?

I have a lot of things to do that are currently on my mind, but I can’t stop anymore while on my way to making them a reality. What is level one hundred fifty? What is the Maximum Speed title? Not enough! It’s most certainly not enough! Not for me! I want everything! And unless it’s not everything, I will never be truly satisfied!

Besides, Wimp isn’t the only one that I need to train into shape here…… I still need to work on myself, first and foremost. It seems that the time has come to sort out all of those previously undigested sub quests that just kept on piling up for a while now.

So from now on, I will go from the shortest route possible to the fastest route possible, and I am no longer going to be picky about the means I employ to reach my goals.

No matter if it’s a lolicon, a heretical Demon Lord, or a pervert that creeps me the fuck out, I will do whatever means necessary!