Volume 2 - CH 20.7

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Chapter 20: Let’s Step into the Dungeon of Instant Death, Part 7

「Now then, shall we get going?」

「Wha … wait!」

Rames tried to stop Aur, who tried to leave without saying anything more.

「What are you going to do now?」

「Whatever I see fit.」

Aur responds emotionlessly.

「I believe that my actions are no longer any of your concerns.」

There was nothing malicious or sarcastic in his voice. He has literally lost all interest in Rames.

As a result, he is going to slowly shrivel away here in his confinement and die.

「If that is true then why have you bothered accepting me into this retarded group of yours in the first place?!」

「… That’s right. Let me at least thank you for your cooperation so far.」

He couldn’t see him but judging by the sound of it Aur must’ve bowed his head to him. But all that did was dropping Rames further into despair.

「Thanks to your enormous magic power, oh noble Rames, we were able advance nicely so far. So much in fact, that we will be able to challenge the Sun God without any problems.」

He was truly thankful to Rames for his contribution. But other than that, he was not going to extend a helping hand to him this time.

「Wait! If you don’t press the correct button, the door will not open!」

「You even have such a ridiculous mechanism here? Is this another trap for intruders? Seriously now, is every king as paranoid as you? Tell me, when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, id the path there riddled with traps as well? Or perhaps this is another one of your desperate lies?」

Aur easily saw through his deception.

「But… but you don’t know which way you’re supposed to go!」

「Mari, where is the switch that opened the wall? Ah, here it is, this is the button that opens the path forward.」

Aur easily found the answer they needed and so the sound of his footsteps was getting further and further away.

「Wait … wait …!」

Rames thinks desperately while raising her voice. Negotiation, something that can be used as a bargaining chip that will let him get back his freedom…

Aur said that his abilities are no longer necessary to him. His knowledge also would not do him any good. And he doesn’t have his country, status nor wealth anymore.

Not as a sand king. Not as ruler. Isn’t there anything he can offer up to him as simple Rames?

Thinking about it, he really had nothing. And now that he has lost the blessing of his God, he can’t even use the nuclear flame that was able to melt down even the solid earth like it was butter. He really has no choice but to dry up and die here.

In the dark, he fell on his knees and focus his attention on the tiny flame flickering in his hand. Its subtle light was the only thing he could see in the blackness that surrounded him. This tiny flame was the only thing left to him.

He continued to gaze upon it, entranced. It won’t help his get out of this situation, but right now it continued to shine in the darkness, saving him from being devoured by it. If he didn’t have it with him, he probably wouldn’t have been able to remain sane.

「help……」

Words leak from Rames’ mouth as if they were being guided by the warm light.

「Help me … I beg you … I’m sorry … please …」

But Aur is no longer at the other side of the wall. Even though he knows it, Rames continues to plead.

「Help me … I will do anything …」

「Is that true?」

「Nuehh?!」

He heard Aur’s voice from the other side of the wall and it made him jump up with a scream.

「A, Aur …? Why are you here?」

There was no sound of the door being opened. He should have realized it sooner that Aur was here the entire time.

「You really are an idiot.」

Aur said with a gentle voice.

「I have the blessing of the Goddess of Fortune who governs all the boundaries of this world. Whether a door is locked or not is of no consequence to me.」

He made such a statement. So Rames was in the palm of Aur’s hand from the very beginning.

「But… why? Why did you come back?」

If so, then he should have just left Rames to die and move forward without looking back. For Aur, Rames was no longer of any use and it was a perfect chance to get rid of him once and for all.

「I had no reason to come back for you, but she was pretty insistent.」

「Yahoo, Ra-chan.」

He heard Mari’s voice behind Aur’s back.

「Mari-chan …? Why …」

Just like Aur, Mari should have no reason to care about him at all.

「Because we’re friends?」

Mari brought Rames’ thought processes to a screeching halt.

「Friends……?」

He understood the meaning of the words but had no idea what in the hell was she saying.

「I don’t understand. What benefits are you going to have from helping me?」

He would get it if he was still an influential ruler with wealth and connections, but now he has nothing.

「Benefits? No, that’s not it.」

「What …! So what then?! What other reason is there?」

Rames asked, needing to know what drove her to think something so outrageous.

「No reason, really. I am not like Aur, I don’t need everything to be backed by logic. I’m just happy to have another girl friend to talk and play with.」

「Kill me! Just kill me now!」

When Mari revealed her line of reasoning, Rames just shouted that.

「But you said that we could be friends?」

Mari said, laughing at him.

「The magician does not break his promises.」

「Mari-chan …」

In the darkness where almost nothing can be seen, Rames’ face was adorned with a cheerful smile.

「So.」

A nasty voice broke in between them.

「You really meant that you’re going to do anything, right? RIGHT?」

「Uhm, Lord…Aur?」

Even Mari seemed to be terrified.

「That is his current situation, Mari. If he won’t stick to his words, there won’t be any reason for me to trust him at all.」

「Uh, I guess you’re right.」

Aur always had a soft spot for Mari, so she thought he was going to listen to her. Guess that’s not gonna fly this time, because he seemed to have something really dastardly on his mind.

「So, what’s it gonna be? Will you really do anything?」

「W-Well of course, b-but let’s try to stay within reason, okay?」

When he was saying that just a minute ago he seemed to really mean it, but now he has hit bargaining phase.

「Is that so? Then we’ll be on our way. Farewell, oh noble Rames. I hope life will bless you with good health.」

「Waitwaitwait! We cannot part ways in such a place!」

Rames desperately stopped Aur from going through the wall.

「I am the ruler of all things, a king of kings!」

「See, this right here is the problem.」

Aur said with a serious voice.

「You’re simply not cut out for it. You should stop it.」

「……What did you say……!?」

For a moment Rames forgot the situation he was in and stood up.

「So you’re telling me to stop being a king?」

「That’s right.」

The flame arose from his hand and enveloped Aur, burning him. Or at least that was how it was supposed to be.

「Did you forget? You have a curse on you that prevent you from attacking me or any of my people. If you keep doing that, the curse will soon kill you.」

「Stop it, Ra-chan. I don’t want you to die and I know you don’t want to die either」

Rames couldn’t do anything to hurt Mari, be it physically or emotionally.

「I… I…」

Looking at the palm of his hand when the flame disappeared, Rames nodded.

「It’s the first time I’ve ever called a friend…」

「That was to be expected since you were treated as a king ever since you were born.」

But now Rames is not like that anymore.

「But Sahara did not dominate everything because it was vast. Why did you decided to become its leader?」

「That’s… that is…」

Because that was the only right thing to do. Trying to answer so, Rames clogs up.

「What makes you think that it was right?」

Aur asks, but Rames just couldn’t answer.

「Who indoctrinated you like that?」

The most noble thing in the world. The ruler of all things. King of kings.

That is how he was raised.

「My father and mother」

「Is that so?」

Yes, and he never once doubted it.

「A king who cannot act according to his own will is no king at all! He is nothing but a puppet!」

Rames shakes his body in spite of Aur’s reprimand.

「AAAaaAAAaAAAAaAaAAAAhhhhhh!」

A darkness without even a spec of light. All his life he endured it, trapped inside of a sarcophagus so narrow that even a small child couldn’t do it.

「Please forgive me … Please forgive me … FATHER!!!!!」

Rames crawled on all fours and begged.

「I am not your father.」

He kneels next to him and whispers in a quiet voice.

「Now Rames. You don’t have to be a king anymore.」

「But … that is the only thing I know how to do. Other than that, I have nothing.」

Aur gently wrapped his arm around Rames’ shoulder and stroked it to calm him down.

「All you have to do is to become mine, just like Mari did.」

「Just like… Mari did…」

It should be possible for him to do so now because the conditions for removing the curse placed upon him have been met. Because he sincerely admitted that Mari is his friend.

「How can I become yours, Aur?」

「It’s easy.」

Oulu answers Rames, who looks like he is lost, not knowing what he should do.

「I love you. You just have to accept it.」

That’s it?

Love. That was something that Rames always wanted to obtain but was never able to get it. It always slipped right between his fingers.

「Ah……」

So now that it was finally within his reach, all he could do was to cry with joy.

Looking at it from the sidelines, Mari smiled approvingly. It was in a very roundabout manner, but now he was finally on his way to becoming true friends with everyone.