Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race Chapter 404: 403 - Sorry I Stabbed You Through the Heart

POV: Rygar Adoldia

They say time is relentless.

Before time, there is no happiness that lasts forever, no hatred that cannot be dissipated. There is no wound that never heals, and no vigor that does not atrophy.

In a way, I can understand how Badigadi felt.

Of course, only if I tried to perceive things from a completely different perspective.

How could a human being from the twenty-first century understand the mind of a creature that had lived for thousands of years? That simply was not possible.

Although there were many who questioned existence, longevity, and the meaning of life from philosophical or pragmatic points of view, the mind of a Demon with a literally immortal body, inexhaustible strength, and limitless longevity was not something made to be understood by someone like me.

At least, that was my opinion.

But I could try to imagine.

For some time, over the last few years, I seriously questioned how Badigadi, someone who had been deceived and almost tragically killed by Hitogami's conspiracies, could choose to fight for him again because of an old favor.

To me, that was unthinkable.

Not only would I not abandon that grudge, I would seek to make him pay.

Right?

I mean, after thinking more deeply about the matter, I realized that this view might have been a little too shallow. I was looking at the situation as if it were fictional fantasy, with protagonists crossing eras and thousands of years driven by revenge.

But was that truly realistic?

How much could a hatred like that endure the passage of time?

Badi survived Hitogami's schemes more than four thousand years ago. That was almost a hundred times longer than my two lives combined.

After that, he even became happier by abandoning the title of Demon of Wisdom. His beloved returned to life after a few thousand years, and even became his fiancée.

During all that time, I am certain Badi lived intensely. That was his way, anyone could see it from a distance.

It is difficult to imagine what it means to wander the entire world for thousands of years, doing whatever you want all the time, drinking, fucking, fighting, partying, and following your own rhythm with no hurry at all.

How could hatred remain so intense after all of that?

In the final result of Hitogami's conspiracies, he ended up alive.

So did Kishirika.

What kind of idiot would continue living for thousands of years with only hatred in his heart?

Instead, Badi chose to use the next few centuries to live happily and without restraint.

Obviously, there was still an innate stupidity in the decision to fight for Hitogami again. That was something I could not defend even if I tried.

But, unlike before, I simply no longer saw him as a despicable enemy the way I saw Hitogami.

Badigadi was just a stupid friend.

A friend who chose to become my opponent. And because of that, I would have to kill him temporarily.

But well, let us leave Badi aside. Upon reaching that conclusion about him, I obviously thought the same about myself.

How much could my grudge against Orsted survive in my current circumstances? In fact, I obtained a kind of answer the very moment I thought about it.

Grudge.

I am certain that, one day, it was more than just a grudge.

It was hatred.

Without realizing it, over the years, that hatred was slowly diluted into enmity.

At what point did that happen? I could not say exactly, but it had already been sixteen years since Eidar's death.

I remember that time well. Eidar was a great friend. His death was not just a casual loss along the way. He died in front of us, trying to protect Aisha, pierced through by Orsted as if it were nothing.

In the years that followed, revenge was a driving force that pushed my growth, but life did not stop to respect my hatred.

Many other things happened. I met new people, made new friendships, fought other battles, and even got married a few times.

I discovered Orsted's reasons, Hitogami's motivations, and belatedly realized that eliminating Orsted was something I definitely could not do, unless I wanted to be erased from existence.

Even so, for some time, I persisted in the idea that simply giving up on that revenge would be unfair to Eidar.

He would remain dead one way or another. And if I could not avenge him, what exactly would remain of that promise I made to myself?

But while I could not avenge him, life continued. My children were born, and my life changed again.

A calm rarely seen began to exist around me.

An incredible family, friends and companions on every side, and a strength I once could only dream of reaching.

And the once so-feared Dragon God, instead of trying to kill me, was now trying to apologize and wanted to cooperate with me.

How could I live with hatred in my heart when there were so many wonderful things around me?

Did Orsted have to pay the price for his actions? Without a doubt.

But what price was that? Death, right? It was confusing, and I did not have a correct answer.

I still do not.

Right, I forgot to mention one thing that made everything even more complicated.

Eidar came back to life.

----

The world was changing.

After the battle that shook the Begaritt Continent, the Seven World Powers underwent drastic changes.

And, to the shock of many, the new members gathered only two days later, sealing the first alliance composed of six of the Seven World Powers since the creation of the ranking.

The public announcement was very direct.

The Orsted Corporation, the organization envisioned and created by the late Magic God, would assist the Kingdom of Gaia in eliminating an unknown enemy to the common public.

This matter spread quickly everywhere.

In taverns, markets, noble halls, academies, and barracks, people began imagining and theorizing what kind of enemy could require an alliance of that level.

The most common conclusion among those with privileged information was the Demon God of Magic.

Laplace.

The demon who had been "sealed" during the Laplace War, four hundred years ago. It was a very reasonable theory.

The few who truly knew about the enemy in question were the rulers of each kingdom, carefully warned by the messengers of the Iron Legion.

Anyone who claimed to be an apostle of the Human God was to be reported immediately.

The storm on the horizon was gradually calming, but there were still many consequences to deal with.

The Beast God and his entourage returned to the Kingdom of Gaia with his two missing daughters. At the same time, teleportation circles were promptly established between Tinaver and Sharia, making it possible to cross the distance between the two cities in case of emergency.

The mystery behind Aurora and Iris's sudden teleportation still had not been deciphered, and not even Aurora could guarantee that her power would not activate again unexpectedly.

While great changes spread through power, politics, and society, there was also a new disciple in the Combat Temple absorbing changes even greater than everyone else's.

Eidar was returning home at the end of the day.

His younger brother's house. Or perhaps his older brother's, now.

Their positions had been inverted. Technically, Eidar was the younger one in age, at least if the time he had spent dead was disregarded.

Over the last few days, besides meeting several people who had not seen him in a long time, he had been trained exhaustively by the Water God, Reida.

The main focus was mastering Counterflow, one of the Five Secret Techniques of the Water God Style, and also the technique that would allow him to claim the title of Water King.

But it was harder than it seemed.

Normally, an excellent and talented swordsman would take several years to master just one of those techniques. Only the best would master more than one.

Monsters like Rygar and Jino were exceptions to the rule. Eidar did not believe he would reach that level of mastery with only a few months of training.

Even so, Reida praised him many times, saying he was especially compatible with the Water God Style.

So he would be patient.

Eidar took the same path as always, and when he drew near the house, he was surprised to see someone standing outside the gate.

For an instant, he did not recognize who it was.

Rygar had told him that very same day that he would receive an important visitor, and that he should remain calm when it happened.

Eidar had completely forgotten about that amid training.

He continued walking, and then, little by little, began to recognize the silhouette. The figure turned in his direction upon noticing him.

Eidar froze.

There was not much to say. That was the Dragon God, Orsted. This time, he wore a metal helm to cover his face, but he was unmistakable.

Whether it was the familiar white mantle, the posture, or even his aura, it was all very unique.

Even without feeling the murderous terror he had felt in the past due to the Dragon God's Curse, Eidar still froze immediately when facing his killer.

The only thing that allowed him to remain calm was remembering Rygar's warning and the fact that the Dragon God had formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Gaia.

Even so, his first instinct was to assume a defensive stance.

Orsted simply observed him for a moment, and then spoke:

"Eidar Linstrade."

A confused expression appeared on Eidar's face upon hearing that strange surname.

Orsted continued:

"Descendant of the first Water God, Reidar. Eventually, you were supposed to take the surname of your ancestor on your mother's side, who was a princess of the Linstrade royal family."

Eidar remained motionless.

"Later, you would abandon that name, just like your ancestor, becoming the Water God of the current generation. The Reidar."

Orsted paused briefly before concluding:

"Additionally, in that scenario, you would become a troublesome apostle of Hitogami."

Eidar grew a little calmer upon realizing that Orsted did not seem to have any hostile intent. Not that he could resist if he was wrong.

"All of this would happen if I did not interfere beforehand and change your destiny, or kill you preemptively."

Eidar's expression hardened.

Orsted continued in the same tone:

"That is what I did. Due to my interference, you and your grandmother should have been killed after being executed by a noble house of Milis, where your brother was trapped as a slave."

Eidar's expression worsened with every sentence.

Even so, the last thing he wanted was to make the Dragon God become an enemy of the Kingdom again after an alliance had finally been formed.

In truth, that was one of his greatest regrets after being resurrected. He wished he had never died at the hands of such a being.

Because, besides dying, he had left his companions behind, anxious to seek revenge in his name.

And all Eidar wanted for them was for them to be safe. But regardless of his thoughts, the Dragon God continued:

"As soon as I saw you in the Red Dragon Mountain Range, I decided to eliminate you. And that is what I did. There was no reason beyond the pragmatism of taking your life while you were still weak. But now I recognize that, at that time, my methods were more harmful than anything else."

Eidar was now a little more curious, but still listened in silence.

"A simple, deeper conversation could have resolved things to a certain extent. I do not expect you to understand my point of view, but before beings like Rygar or Rudeus existed, conversation was never a solution."

"Either way, for killing you back then, I would like to convey my regret. I would also like to offer you my sincere apologies, both because I recognize my mistake and because I wish to build a more stable and lasting alliance with the Kingdom of Gaia and, above all, with Rygar Adoldia, your friend."

With that, the Dragon God finished speaking.

Eidar remained still, in shock. Countless thoughts passed through his mind. Was he in some kind of illusion?

Thirty seconds passed without either of them speaking.

Orsted furrowed his brows behind the helm.

"I see that you must still be hesitant in your decision. As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to present you with this blade."

He took a scabbard that had already been fastened to his waist and showed it. It was a longsword, finely crafted, with cloud-like carvings on the hilt.

"This is one of the forty-eight swords forged by Yulian Jalisco. It is called Nebula Stream."

Eidar looked at the weapon, still not knowing what to say.

"Aisha Greyrat advised me that you would like to receive a blade as a gift, whether to sell it or use it in combat. I believe it is suitable, as it was wielded by the Water God from three generations ago."

Orsted approached and handed him the blade.

"Do you accept?"

He had a rather frightening face behind the helm, but he was not trying to intimidate him. He simply needed this to work.

After all, the request had been very clear and reasonable. Apologize to Eidar for killing him.

It seemed simple, until Orsted realized that he rarely apologized for anything, much less for killing someone.

Faced with the Dragon God's intensity, Eidar, in his confusion, finally spoke distractedly while taking the sword:

"Ah, right... I will accept..."

He did not make it clear whether he was referring to the apology or the sword.

But the Dragon God seemed satisfied.

"I understand. I will take my leave now."

Having said that, Orsted turned and walked away.

Eidar entered his brother's house with his new sword in hand, still somewhat dazed.

"What the hell...?"

----

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