Even if all things in the world are blended into the color of the sea, I can still hear your voice. I will never forget you and will continue to search for you.
— —Leon Cabdeon
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Lan Kingdom, Hu City.
In the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when frost and snow are falling, it should be a scene of year-end chill and utter silence. But in Hucheng, the opposite is true.
The place was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, bustling with people, and its vibrant red color shone through the glistening white snow.
The Dragon Lantern Festival is the most important festival in Lan Kingdom, a rare time for family reunions. The streets and alleys are filled with colorful lanterns, laughter, and cheers.
Even on days like these, I feel so out of place.
Leon Cabreen, perhaps, doesn't even deserve that name now.
Yes, I am Ye Mu, and I always have been.
There should be no gods in this world.
No one can save me.
Recalling everything that happened on the other world continent.
It turned out to be just wishful thinking.
On the road to defeating the "White Whale," yes, the dream ended.
...
I don't know exactly what emotions I'm feeling, but they all just came rushing out. I feel so bad, so disgusted, and I want to lean on something, but then I realize that my father's huge figure, "Segrede," has already disappeared from behind me.
I thought those days would never end...
Am I just deceiving myself?
When I came to my senses...
creak—
The basement door opened.
The iron gate, rusted to the point of being worn out, looked as if it would crumble at the slightest touch, emitting an unpleasant and grating sound. The dim light, like an old man suddenly pulled from his seat, slumped weakly onto the steps.
I wasn't surprised, but my gaze quickly returned to the ground, because behind the door was not the god of light who brought hope.
But it is not a demon's gate from which some terrible creature will crawl out; however, it brings hatred and pain.
My body is trembling uncontrollably. Is it fear? But it's my own body...
The result was that they were left on the street like trash.
Whoosh~~~ Bang~~~
The strange yet familiar voice gradually faded into the distance, finally culminating in a violent explosion.
As the sound spread, the entire city of Hucheng erupted in cheers and jubilation, which made me very uncomfortable. Since when did I start to dislike these things?
Although half of his body wasn't sunk into the snow, he managed to lift his eyes with difficulty and roughly see what was causing the disturbance.
Was that... fireworks?
But why is it completely different from what I saw before? The vibrant colors reflected in the water intertwine with the starlight in the night sky...
What a nice view……
I had no idea I had ended up like this.
I don't think I did anything wrong.
At that moment, my heart finally shattered.
What did I do? Why are they treating me like this? Before...
That's not how it works...
I was immersed in the colorful spectacle; indeed, I had never seen such beautiful fireworks before, until the last ray of light faded away.
Just like the former "Leon," beautiful yet fleeting.
Has this meant I've been completely abandoned?
That's how it looks.
At least, just now, we weren't homeless.
"What should we do next?"
I don't know, or rather, I don't have the ability to keep me alive.
Having always been well-off since childhood, being kicked out of the house like this is undoubtedly a dead end for me.
Well then, I might as well just die like this.
People freeze to death and starve to death every day in Hucheng. Even if I go to the crowded underworld, I won't be one more.
Is that so?
I never thought about death, but now it's so close.
"I'm so unwilling to accept this."
There were quite a few people loitering on the street. If I humbled myself and asked them for help, I was sure that some kind person would be willing to rescue me.
"Help...help...me..."
However, due to not speaking for several months and half of his face being buried in the snow causing his vocal cords to shrink even more, he could only produce weak sobs, which were completely unable to be transmitted.
"Someone, please save me..."
They tried to grab onto something, but their limbs were already frozen stiff.
"Ugh... Ah..."
The word "death" gradually flooded my mind.
Resentment, fear, sadness...
In this situation, who can tell what it is?
"Get out of the way!"
The once bustling street was suddenly filled with these three words.
Although I was lying on the ground, I could clearly see a carriage speeding towards me.
Wait, a carriage?
There was no coachman on board, and the shout just now was most likely made by a passerby, which means that this was an out-of-control carriage!
He thought he would be run over and killed by that vehicle, and perhaps even have his heart crushed by a horse's stomp, leaving a deep hoofprint on his chest. Such a death would be far too tragic.
"Um……?"
As I was thinking this, I realized that my body was being dragged along, and soon I arrived at a safe area. Because I was still lying down, I couldn't see who it was.
"Are we saved? Hmm...? Then... what is that?"
Just as I was secretly rejoicing that someone would come to my rescue, a child suddenly appeared in front of the carriage. He hadn't been there before. When I saw the doll in the child's hand, I understood everything.
"Danger...danger...danger..."
In desperation, his vocal cords finally produced a sound after a long absence, but at this distance, it was too late to escape.
At the same time, I don't know where I got the courage, but I broke free from that person's salvation and rushed towards the child.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts arose in my mind.
I know very well that I don't actually need to save that child, especially since I'm already safe and there's no need for me to do anything unnecessary.
However, I did it anyway.
The person who saved me clearly had a better choice, but they wasted it on someone like me.
If I had just watched a child get run over by a carriage and become a bloody, mangled corpse, the person who saved me would probably have regretted it.
Therefore, I must go and save that child.
Compared to their own bleak future, the child's future is much brighter.
Although I will die a very gruesome death, but...
At least in this moment, I have no regrets. I don't want to regret my short life when I die.
My feet were frozen stiff and wouldn't obey my commands at all; at this speed, there was no way I could keep up!
"Ugh... Ah... Damn it..."
Take a step, take a step, take a step!
However, just as I was struggling to get close to the child and was about to push her away with all my might, the carriage quietly approached.
The child in front of me was trampled into the snow by the horse's hooves, while I was thrown away by the carriage and crashed into the wall next to me.
"Gah...!"
I don't know what position I was in, but blood kept gushing from my lungs to my throat, and I couldn't breathe. It was probably because a broken rib had pierced my lung.
It's so hot!
Yes, a strange heat spread through my body.
"..."
He tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth, a large amount of blood gushed out.
"In the end, no one could be saved... How useless..."
His pupils rolled upwards due to the impact, making it impossible for him to see anything clearly, but he could hear indistinct footsteps and crying.
They're probably the child's family.
I'm really sorry, I don't have any ability, but I insisted on being a hero for a moment. Even if I go to hell, that child and his family will never forgive me.
Finally, even the faint sounds gradually faded away, just like fireworks, fleeting and ephemeral.
The End.
...
"There's a cliff in front of you. Whether you take a step forward and crash to the ground, or stay put and continue to endure the insults, is your choice."
I believe everyone is familiar with this sentence, but unfortunately, I don't know its origin or who wrote it. Here, I'll assume it comes from the novel "Mushoku Tensei: Arriving in Another World, You Must Show Your True Skills".
"Lion Cabinet".
It's still "Ye Mu".
Has their story truly come to an end?
Is it really like fireworks, fleeting and ephemeral...?
Perhaps only the "human god" knows.
There is no end, no conclusion, just like their story...
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