Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 48: The Herald of the Unnameable [4]

"Do it—say it again, say you want to be killed," Ellegaard said. "Or did you finally realize how useless you are? We’re going to Nemoria. Do you even know what kind of place that is? Stupid and weak people die there. Do you even know what death is?"

Confused, Mitsuki tried to stand. Just as he was about to succeed, Ellegaard kicked him in the face, sending him flying into the tables. Lulú covered her mouth, frightened and confused.

"Tell me—if you want to come with us so badly, why don’t you try to defend yourself? Why don’t you answer my questions?"

’What is this? Why is she hitting me?’ Mitsuki thought, pushing himself up again. ’I just wanted to go with them to Nemoria. Even if my life is in danger, that’s fine with me, because I’m strong; I’m the best. In a short time, I could become the best again and survive anything. They just need to give me a chance.’

That was exactly the problem—believing he could do something he clearly couldn’t. Even the system showed him the reason behind his actions, behind the shadows attacking him within his mind, behind those horrible voices that tore his heart apart.

[ It’s because you don’t want to be alone. Not again. ]

It was also what Ellegaard had seen in him the day she met him—the representation of Mitsuki’s mind, not his memories as a whole. That was why she said: "What little I could see."

She grabbed him by the hair and dragged him toward the center of the room. Mitsuki groaned in pain, trying to hold onto Ellegaard’s hand, but she let go abruptly, making his face slam against the floor.

"Can’t you even endure this? If you can’t withstand the blow of a mage—someone who didn’t train their body to fight—how do you expect to face the horrors that dwell in the Land of Cinder? Do you plan to be useless forever? Do you think this is a game, Mitsuki?"

With both hands against the wooden floor, Mitsuki spat out blood. ’She... she said my name.’ He got on his knees. The voices echoed louder in his head. ’She never says my name.’

Stubborn like an old bull, he stood up, swaying weakly. He held his head with both hands as all those shadows danced mockingly before his eyes, with disgusting laughter that sought to make him fall once more.

’But I don’t understand.’

He breathed heavily. The nausea began.

’I can’t understand it. Everything was fine before... why is she treating me like this now? Why is she hitting me?’

Ellegaard raised her staff and struck him. Mitsuki’s body was sent flying again, crashing into another table, which shattered into pieces and made Lulú even more worried. Then the elf approached the broken remains, lifted her foot, and stepped on Mitsuki’s chest.

"Do you understand now what I’m trying to tell you? Let me put it in words you can understand, because it seems the blows weren’t enough. You’re a loser, and unless you train and become strong, you’ll never be able to come with us to Nemoria. Is that clear, Mitsuki?"

He didn’t respond. His messy hair covered his eyes, his breathing was soft and trembling, and his body, sprawled over the broken wood, offered no resistance at all.

Ellegaard removed her foot from Mitsuki’s chest and headed for the door.

"Stop wasting time, the two of you," she said, looking at the old man and the princess. "Aslan, prepare the carriage. Jeanne, you handle the provisions. Store them in the bag I gave you. We’re leaving for Nemoria right now."

Aslan left first without even looking at Mitsuki, but it was harder for Jeanne. She looked at him with sorrow and guilt, as she hadn’t been able to do anything to help him. Even so, Ellegaard was right, after all. He was too weak, and he wouldn’t survive a single day in the depths of the Land of Cinder.

In the end, she swallowed her own pity and went upstairs. Ellegaard followed her, disappearing onto the second floor—leaving Lulú as the only one there besides Mitsuki. She looked around at the mess the inn had become.

"Miss Ellegaard... my business..."

However, she soon noticed a bag of coins on one of the tables that had survived the beating Mitsuki received. She approached the cloth bag, checking its contents carefully.

"It’s all here..."

Suddenly, she heard someone land outside the inn. She looked toward the door, realizing that Jeanne and Ellegaard had gone out through the window, likely to avoid having to face Mitsuki after what had just happened. The girls moved through the frightened crowd until they disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, Mitsuki’s trembling breathing caught Lulú’s attention, and she approached with the intention of helping him. He stared at the ceiling, thinking deeply about everything as the shadows around him grew larger and larger.

’I don’t understand.’

And there was no way he could understand it—not right now.

’I thought we were friends...’

They are, but the confusion clouded his judgment.

’I don’t understand...’

His breath shaky, his eyes moist.

’I don’t understand... I can’t understand... Everything was going so well. I was learning magic. I was learning how to use the sword. I could already look Jeanne in the eyes—sometimes, but I could.’

In truth, in the short time he had been with those people, many things about his personality had changed a little—though he was still strange and asocial. Even so, the change had been good—something his life had needed after the past decade.

’I thought I could do this with you...’

His words spilled out along with the memories of the past.

’I don’t understand...’

They spilled out as crystalline tears that slid gently down his battered, blood-stained porcelain face.

’I wanted to go with you...’

Soft purple sparks flickered from Mitsuki’s left arm, startling Lulú and making her step back a few paces. At that moment, the system displayed a direct message for him—a message he could see before his eyes as if it were part of a video game interface.

[ You wanted to go with them because you feel alone, and you don’t want to be alone. You don’t want anyone to trample you and keep you in the shadows. You don’t want anyone to hurt you until you cry. You don’t want to be a loser. You don’t want to be hated. ]

The atmosphere around him turned cold.

[ However, rumors spread like ash in the wind, and the world already knows your story. ]

[ You have obtained the title... "Herald of the Unnameable" ]