Volume 7 Chapter 30: Choosing to Be Walson
(Walson)
Time passed, and a few days slipped by. During this period, we stayed in the Red Mushroom Village to rest and recover.
The aftermath of our battle with the Hero King proved far more profound and troublesome than any previous encounter. While we recuperated, we also kept an eye on relevant information.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of surrealism—waking up to the dawn's light after all this upheaval felt like a lifetime ago.
The Imperial Capital had suffered devastating damage from the disaster. Many economic facilities were destroyed, and the capital city, Carmel, with a modest population of just over 100,000, reported nearly 10,000 dead or missing. The number of injured was staggering. A significant portion of businesses and economic infrastructure were in ruins. The Braatio Empire's critical lifelines were shattered, leaving recovery a daunting task for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, news of three uninvited heroes stepping in during the crisis spread like wildfire. Naturally, this referred to Melon, Grace, and Barella. Fighting in such a public arena had made them highly visible to onlookers. We could only wait and see what complications this might cause and address them as they arose.
The Red Mushroom Village, once bustling with adventurers, was now noticeably quieter. With the capital in ruins and in desperate need of manpower for reconstruction, the adventurers who had previously been expelled were now welcomed back with open arms and generous rewards as invaluable resources.
Then, there was my situation.
If the Walson fighting alongside my wives in the Heavenly Ladder had been "a Walson assimilated by Herobrine," then the current me was "a Herobrine assimilated by Walson." Or rather, a memory-loss Herobrine who had chosen to be Walson.
It was an odd realization. During the battle against my wives, I hadn't gone all out. It seemed that even then, there was still a part of me that was Walson. Now, as Walson, I felt deeply ashamed for having raised my blade against my wives.
Ordinarily, I would have been consumed by guilt, but reality didn't give me the luxury of wallowing in it.
As I woke from a midday nap, I was immediately tackled by Derisha, her face full of worry.
"Walson, Walson... You mustn't turn into 'Hello-bye.' You absolutely must not!" She knelt on the floor, clutching my neck with both hands, nearly yanking me off the bed.
"Hey, hey, it's not 'Hello-bye.' It's called—"
Hearing her declaration, I felt the part of me that was Herobrine distinctly displeased.
"It's Walson! You're Walson!" Derisha pouted stubbornly, pushing me back onto the bed. Her soft, warm... ahem, assets pressed against me—oh, WHOA!!
Since it's my dear wife, it's fine if she calls my other self 'Hello-bye' or whatever!!
"Alright, alright. I'm Walson, not 'Hello-bye,'" I said, patting Derisha's head to calm her. She really did seem like an innocent, carefree girl at times.
—I'd made my wives worry far too much. I had to reassure them properly—morning, noon, or night— Wait, where did that indecent thought come from?! Herobrine! This must be your doing!
Ahem. Setting the inappropriate thoughts aside, I needed to do what I could to ease their worries. I also had to do something about my glowing left eye.
"Derisha, wait a moment. I want to show you something." I had Derisha sit up and turned away from her.
For the past few days, I hadn't gone out. When Zakarina and the others came to visit, I used recovery as an excuse to avoid them. The main reason? My white, glowing eye was unnerving. If Krista or Zakarina, who had fought my other self, saw it, it would undoubtedly create unnecessary complications.
However, hiding away wasn't a viable long-term solution. So yesterday, I took some time to fashion a white eye patch using bandages and other materials.
I'd explain it as an injury causing light sensitivity. Until I could acquire proper materials for a better eye patch, this would have to do.
"Derisha, look! We're matching now," I said, donning the eye patch and striking a silly pose.
"Explode, reality! Shatter, spirit! Banishment this world!"
Wearing the eye patch, I probably looked like a classic chūnibyō character.
Though Derisha didn't come from Earth and didn't understand the Rikka Takanashi reference, she still burst out laughing.
As long as my dear wife was happy, what did it matter?
...
...
...
From Derisha, I learned that after her fight with my other self, she was gravely injured and unable to move. It was only thanks to the equally injured Zakarina and Belle, who found her and helped her back, that she made it.
As for Krista, the Vassal of The Flame, her condition was the worst of all. She couldn't even return on her own. It took Grace, who had only suffered minor injuries, three to four days of searching the battlefield to find and bring Krista back—or rather, bring back a part of her.
Honestly, I hadn't expected the first thing I'd have to do after leaving my room would be healing someone, but I understood why. Krista's unique constitution was a challenge.
After politely knocking on Krista's door, I stepped inside.
"Come in," came Zakarina's voice. She was there too.
The moment I entered, the pungent smell of sulfur and burnt flesh hit me. Zakarina sat by the bed, but my attention was immediately drawn elsewhere.
To be honest, I didn't want to describe what I saw. Let's just say if she hadn't spoken to me, I would have assumed the charred figure lying on the bed was a corpse.
"Good afternoon, Vassal of The Forest. It's such a fine day for singing, don't you think?" Krista greeted me. Her cracked face twisted as she spoke, black ash falling with every movement. Her right hand, gripping a bottle of green liquid, looked like it might crumble at any moment.
"Holy—are you even alive?!" I blurted out.
"Undead don't die so easily. But..." she said sheepishly, "I'm sorry you have to see me in such a disgraceful state. I... I couldn't find my left hand or my legs."
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please join my Patreon, for $5, you can read all of the available chapter.
Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/c/u93287265/posts[1]
Latest Chapter In Patreon: Volume 8 Chapter 3: Preparatory Measures[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128440712?collection=1416594[3]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/c/u93287265/posts
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128440712?collection=1416594
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128440712?collection=1416594