513 Blame Me! Not You!
“He knows about all of our plans… In his own way,” I looked around to make sure no one got the wrong idea here, “and our job is to keep moving forward and to achieve the goal we set for ourselves no matter what!”
“…”
Silence was what I got. And the first sound that came was the sound of me lifting a big rock over a half smashed device. “Come, take this away and start working on it,” I said to the startled youths around.
“Hye… Since when… did you become such… Strong?!!” Hilary from the side was taken aback by what I did. And when she said it, I realised how big the rock I just lifted was.
It was in the weight of tons, even tens of tons actually. Yet I lifted it without even feeling any pressure or stress.
I used my arm, my right arm, to lift it. “It’s a long story, for another time,” I said to her before turning to others, “you are my Heaven kingdom’s future scientists. You will work on what you know best, and leave such low work for me.”
“L… Lord!” A few exclaimed in shock while others exchanged weird looks between themselves, and even few looked at Hilary.
And Hilary could only stare at me without blinking for a few seconds before sighing. “You heard your lord, go to work and don’t disappoint him,” she shouted, while giving me such a weird look full of questions.
Few youths came and grabbed that half smashed device away. I let the rock fall again before turning to another.
“Are you planning to do this alone?” Hilary stood on the side, “let me at least help you.”
“No,” I firmly declined, “I’m their lord, the one who gave them such dreams of happiness, peace, and prosperity. Such damage isn’t supposed to be what they should experience.”
“We are in the apocalypse,” Hilary retorted back in defending me against my thoughts.
“If so then I shouldn’t have talked too much about building my Heaven kingdom,” I said while letting another rock rest slowly on the ground, “it’s me who gave such a dream to them. And it’s me who should shoulder the responsibilities of such a dream.”
“You…”
“Don’t try, I already accepted my own punishment,” I said while going towards another rock to lift.
“Working as a worker is your punishment?!!”
“No, enduring the weight of this loss is my punishment,” I said, “I’m not lifting rocks, I’m carrying all their worries and pains, shouldering them and helping them all overcome these…”
I let the youths take away another device before jumping to another rock, “This is my way of reflecting over what I did wrong here.”
“You… Did nothing wrong! Hye, speaking like this makes my heart ache!” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Let it be then,” I shrugged, “after all we all are sharing the same fault here. It’s us who should defend these kids and secure their future. It’s us who should make sure what we dream of happens. Not to let our enemies overrun us and destroy what we held dear to us like this.”
“…”
She knew speaking to me in such a state of mind was bad. So she decided to stand by in silence and watch without saying a single word.
In return I kept working hard over my own way of punishing myself. With each rock I lifted, with each device smashed and damaged, I engraved all these into my soul and mind.
I would never forget this moment, not ever forget how carelessness and arrogance would lead to such disaster.
Even if I crushed all the races in my world, the universe was so damn big to let me feel invincible or mighty. I had to know my real place in such a vast universe, and accept the presence of more formidable enemies lurking in the shadows.
Thanks to that bastard, I got to rethink my life’s philosophy. I would deal with things differently from now on. Wouldn’t just accept winning without thinking about my real place in the world.
I had to grow up and mature, not be that kid who came here with nothing and anything he achieved would make him excited and overjoyed.
I had to mature… To become the real pillar those weak and poor humans in this world and others needed.
“It’s done,” I said after a few hours of working. Once I finished lifting the last rock, I turned to see the faces around.
During the past hours, I kept working while lost in my thoughts. I didn’t notice the gathering of my forces here. They stood in silence, watching their mightiest figure, their lord working like a poor little man, watching me lifting rocks and serving the youths of MIT campus.
“I’ll leave this place to you,” I didn’t feel ashamed when everyone stood and watched. I was dealing with such loss in my own way, and it would be better for all of them to watch.
No matter who, no matter what anyone contributed to my kingdom or humanity, none was above punishment, not even their mighty lord, not even me!
“Gather everyone up,” I went towards my chariot in the distance while saying this to Hilary, “also leave a word here, I want to know how big our losses are.”
“Ok,” Hilary seemed to be shaken from what I did, and seemed to stop arguing with me.
Anyway, I went to my chariot and rested on the roof of it. I waited for my team to arrive in groups, while Hilary came at last.
“Boss… Why did you… you know?” The spearhead was the first to openly talk about this matter.
“It’s my way to punish myself.”
“But… You did nothing wrong!” Isabella looked at others and they all nodded. “We… It’s our fault! We failed to defend the city.”
“And I was the one to blame here,” Hilary sighed, standing in front of me as she added in firm tone, “I was the one who led our forces to fall into that enemy’s trap.”