Chapter 124 - The Fool Has Made Many Mistakes

I continued sobbing. It was either the fact I was betrayed by the girl I called 'Zero-five' or the fact I was locked in a cage.

...Well, it was probably both.

Before there was any time to truly ruminate over the situation, the curtains were pulled back, illuminating the stage.

It was as though the rays of a new day had shone on me, but my current state was definitely not one that was the nicest to see.

The sky was a soft light blue, while a few puffy white clouds littered the sky. Someone about it seemed innocent.

...No, it would be more accurate to say fresh.

It seemed like I was in some sort of colosseum, but it wasn't particularly big.

There was a man in a regal black suit and an overly pretentious top hat. Though, the man in question seemed to take pride in his hat, thinking it made him look more regal rather than a clown.

He had one finger under his mouth, while a strange mana diagram rested on top. It appeared to be some sort of spell that amplified his voice. As for his other hand, it was raised high in the air, as though he was doing all he could to attract attention towards himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes peeled, as the main show is going to begin!"

The man was an announcer. He wasn't looking at me, but a crowd beneath him. The crowd consisted mostly of commoners that stood on the ground.

However, there were also a few nobles and what appeared to be like slaves. The nobles sat on the colosseum's seats, or the cavea, while the slaves sat on the floor next to them.

The commoners gazed disdainfully at me, despite wearing ragged clothes themselves. It was as though they hardly had anyone to look down on, thus when they saw the opportunity, they cherished it.

Perhaps only then, could the commoners forget how pitiful their own lives were in a moment of schadenfreude.

Even though the only thing that set them apart from slaves was their title.

As for the nobles, they looked on with amusement. Casual smiles rested on their faces, as though they were in a casual setting, like watching their child play with the flowers in the backyard. Except, it didn't exactly seem to be something like that.

One thing I noticed was that their focus wasn't really on me, but on the slaves next to them. They kept glancing at them to see their expression.

As for why...

The slaves seemed to be afraid. From what I could tell, I myself was also a slave. It seemed that the nobles came to this show with their slaves in order to intimidate them further.

To show what could've happened to them.

Almost like they were trying to say the slaves should be thankful for the nobles taking them in.

And it seemed to be working. Although nothing happened to me yet, the slaves already cowered closer to their respective masters.

The announcer made various exaggerated hand movements before slowly turning towards me.

"And today we have a very special guest. As you can see here we have-"

The announcer froze when he saw me. He blinked a few times as though he was trying to ascertain that this was actually reality. It seemed like the announcer had rehearsed his lines several times over.

But once things deviated from the script, he didn't know how to handle it.

As for me, the sobbing had stopped by now. What replaced it was an eerie stillness.

It was as though I turned into a statue.

An awkward silence fell down. The crowd was getting a little annoyed, as both the announcer and so-called guest just froze as though they were a photo.

Then... I decided to speak up.

"A fool."

Although there was no magic that amplified my voice, it was still audible to every person in the colosseum.

A bitter chuckle escaped me.

"As you can see here, your special guest is a fool."

The announcer repeatedly opened and closed his mouth before deciding to remain quiet and see where things went.

I slowly stood up from within the cage. Although the cage itself was not spacious by any means, I was also quite short as of now.

"Let me introduce myself. The name I was bestowed upon birth among the slaves was Ten. It was because I just so happened to be the tenth, and last slave from that batch."

A strange smile formed on my lips as I moved my arms around exaggeratedly, kind of like the announcer.

"The ten of us slaves tried to stick together for as long as we could. But as you may expect, most of us died. Some starved to death, others fell sick, some were beaten to death, and the rest decided it wasn't worth it to continue anymore."

The crowd seemed to be a little confused, but were a little interested in this strange segment.

I tilted my head to the side.

"And your special guest here decided that it was best to support each other because he felt a little companionship. Guess where that led him?"

An unsettling laugh escaped me.

"Do you know why your announcer here is so confused? It's because the special guest was supposed to be someone else! A member of my group!"

I grit my teeth.

"Although I went through several life-threatening situations to save this group member, the first thing she did was stab me and toss my body right back into this cage."

There was a strong pain coming from my arm. I raised my arm casually and gestured towards it, as though the knife within it was just a stage prop.

Like the knife didn't cut through my muscles as I moved my arm around.

My body twitched erratically.

"Frankly, I can hardly even believe how stupid I was before."

I twisted my neck, stretching the skin on top to its limits.

"To think I somehow believed that the people around me had some sort of inherent value. That anybody had any value at all!"

My arms continued to move around strangely, making it really painful for me. Yet, that didn't seem to stop me.

"The truest answer to life... is if everything dies."

The smile left my face, while my head tilted to the side.

"And I intend to stick to that truth by killing all of you."

The crowd seemed unsettled, but soon calmed down. I was locked in a cage, after all. At most, it would look like a dog barking.

I took a deep breath.

"In a certain sense, my name can represent the end. The night that falls upon a long day."

My eyes narrowed.

"...But the end to a good story is hardly ever satisfying. What would've been better... is a sequel."

I deliberately pulled the knife out of my arm, letting the blood spray out like a fountain. It was definitely really painful, but it seemed like I didn't feel it.

A faint giggle escaped me.

"You see, the member called 'Zero-one' in our group lost it nearly immediately. He attempted to kill anyone, including us. We tried to convince him, but we couldn't get through to him."

Suddenly, my face became expressionless.

"So... we killed him."

My eyes widened ever so slightly.

"But now I realize..."

Without warning, a sinister smile appeared on my face.

"He was right all along. I've decided to reverse my fate, to take on the identity of 'Zero-one' and start everything over again."

My entire body began to feel strangely numb, as though something was enveloping it. Suddenly, the stage, the announcer, the crowd, and even the sky disappeared.

What took its place... was a field of flowers.

I was having a hallucination.

This wasn't the first time I saw the field of flowers, but there was something different in this vision. Normally, there would be tall black walls far off in the horizon, just barely visible.

But now... there was a wooden fence around me.

While it barely reached the height of my waist, it hardly gave me any room. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact I was standing, I wouldn't be able to fit within these confines. 

The fence itself looked terribly worn, with several cracks lined across them. On top of that, nearly half the wood that it was composed of had decayed.

I looked around curiously, as though my surroundings were very new to me. After a few moments, I reached out with my hand, gently touching the wooden fence.

It broke with just a touch, letting me walk through it.

Then, my vision suddenly warped, and I found myself back at the stage.

I was still holding onto the knife, and pointed it forwards.

Except this time, I seemed to have come to some sort of understanding.

A wild look appeared on my face.

"But after the end, things will be different."

My eyes slowly widened.

"For the fool, has made many mistakes."

My pupils constricted.

"But because of that, he has become wise."

Then, a familiar tight feeling wrapped around me.