“It’s Vester, why haven’t I seen you come to play with Kallen recently?”
Hearing the commotion, Francis looked towards the direction of the door and smiled, waving at the blond girl pushing her way in.
However, the blond girl did not greet him as she usually did.
“Uncle, may I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“Suppose there is a speeding carriage on the street, and now, there is a fork in front of it.”
“Several people are standing on the left fork. If no one stops the carriage, the latter will rush over and kill them all, but you happen to have the ability to make the carriage turn.”
“However, the price is that once you make the carriage turn, it will run over and kill another passerby standing on the right fork.”
“Uncle, how would you choose?”
What Vester asked was precisely the medieval version of the “Trolley Problem”.
“Me? I suppose I would just stop the carriage directly and not let anyone get hurt.”
“Uncle, please answer seriously.”
“Answer seriously…”
To this, Francis quietly put away his smile.
“… I really don’t understand these roundabout words, so you might as well just tell me what you actually want to say to me.”
When he first saw Vester, he felt a temperament that shouldn’t exist in a little girl.
“…”
The blond girl was silent for a moment, and finally, let out a deep sigh.
Let’s cut to the chase.
“Uncle, soon you will face a similar choice, but I hope you won’t choose to sacrifice yourself to save others.”
“Heh, I didn’t expect that I would soon encounter an enemy that I must risk my life to defeat.”
Francis sighed like this, with not a hint of doubt in his tone about the truth of Vester’s words.
“I greatly admire your determination to sacrifice yourself to protect others, but if you could live—”
“Stop right there.”
Having already guessed what the blond girl wanted to say next, Francis interrupted her.
“I’ve actually heard similar words many times before, but I really didn’t expect that you would say such things too.”
“Does it disappoint you?”
“No, I just can’t understand.”
It was neither the recklessness of a newborn calf not fearing tigers, nor the arrogance of not believing one would fail.
That was the temperament possessed only by someone who, after being thoroughly defeated, still picked up their weapon again to continue fighting.
Francis had always been accurate in judging people, and that was the feeling Vester gave him.
“I can’t understand why someone like you, who looks entirely capable of fighting to the death for what you recognize, would say words like this.”
“This isn’t a question of whether one is willing to sacrifice or fears death, Uncle. The reason I feel this way is simply because doing so can save more people.”
“Indeed.” Hearing this, Francis smiled, “But what about afterwards?”
“When you compromise when facing a choice, afterwards, you will likewise encounter similar situations a second time, a third time, and even more times.”
“Then, you will constantly deviate from your original direction amidst compromises, and finally run counter to your original intention.”
“…”
Vester fell silent; this time, she offered no further defense.
Seeing this, Francis simply rubbed her head like an elder:
“I’m very glad you care about my safety.”
“However, Vester, no matter what, do not make choices that will make you regret.”
…
What Vester had worried about during the gathering ultimately happened after all.
“Let us mourn here with heavy hearts for the great warrior, Francis Kaslana.”
On the first weekend of spring, tender buds had just sprouted on the branches.
Topped with specks of green, the cold, heavy coffin passed through the main road.
The snow symbolizing winter had not yet completely melted, and mottled footprints replaced the silent procession to tell of their arrival.
Pleasant and cozy times did not last long before bad news knocked on the church bell tower’s bell a step early.
“We thank him. Although his body has burned out, his soul is at rest.”
“He is forever a warrior that Kaslana is proud of.”
In this warm spring day, Kallen forever lost her father.
“Wuwu aa—”
Kallen buried her head atop the coffin, weeping heartbreakingly.
Otto could not imagine that Kallen could also display such a sorrowful expression.
He likewise could not imagine that the ‘god’ in the hearts of both him and Kallen would actually die—until he smelled the…
Only then did he realize that the scene before his eyes was not a dream, but something genuinely happening.
Beep beep beep beep sounds rang out, and the illusory flames burned violently with fear as firewood.
Amidst the flashing firelight, the sky was dyed red, as if the entire world had been ignited.
“Eh?”
By the time Otto reacted, he was already in an unfamiliar space, reduced to being entirely alone.
“Vester?!”
He saw a coffin, and the person lying inside was precisely his beloved sweetheart whom he constantly dreamed of.
Flames attached themselves to the wooden coffin.
Before Otto could cry out in shock, the flames engulfed the person inside the coffin, followed by the church, the streets, the sky—everything within his line of sight was burned to ashes.
The merciless fire took away everything, yet left only him behind.
This was pity, yet also mockery.
“…”
“I will protect you and Kallen well, so…”
Vester placed her hand on his shoulder, and only then did Otto abruptly break free from the fantasy.
“… Don’t make such frightened expressions anymore.”
The blond girl let out an imperceptible sigh, stepping past the somewhat flustered Otto.
She reached out and stroked the nameplate on the coffin.
To be honest, regarding this mob character in the game, Vester hadn’t had much impression of him at first.
However, just as the priest said, he was a reliable head of the family, a brave warrior, and a kind father.
He said, no matter what, do not make choices that will make oneself regret.
‘For him, as long as he could practice his belief of protecting others, he probably had no regrets left.’
‘However, for me, what on earth should I do so that I won’t regret?’
Precisely because she had left behind regrets in the past, she had made changes, transforming into her current self.
Saying the words she wanted to say and doing the things she wanted to do was the creed she practiced after coming to this world.
Yet, someone like her was actually no different from those nouveau riche who engaged in retaliatory consumption after striking it rich overnight.
When the suppressed anger in her heart was also exhausted and there was nothing left to do, she would fall into a confusion identical to her past life.