Author's Note: Thanks to readers "","Riyue Taosan Huan","Bai Yu","Qing Yun","Ru Yue Liang Mei Lai","Yuan Zhong Ren De Yi Yu Zhong Li","Gu Lu Gu Lu","Yun Shen Jian Qiu","＿Lan Wu＿","Er Jiao","Meng Li Jian","a","moonlit","Yue Xia Yin Cha.","Min","Qian Duo","Yi Tuo Da Yan","Lan Mei Xiao Yang","Bu Yi Wu Ren Er Bu Fang" for providing Irrigation Nutrient Solution.
Jormungand, who loves Papa the most, took the initiative to come over~
Chapter 40 True and False Arthur (10)
Zzzzt.. zzzzt.. creak.. hic.. hiss..
Weird and disorderly, sharp notes emanated from the speaker, carrying a bone-chilling cold that caused many present to clench their fists, their faces contorted in pain.
Only Wood—
(Why? Why is it that even though this musical note is clearly terrifying and eerie, I.. I can hear.. I can hear..)
He looked toward Master, pleading for help.
(Boss! What should I do now! I, I..)
What did you hear?
Merlin asked coldly.
At this moment, he was the Great Mage guarding England.
Arthur also abandoned his flippant and rakish attitude, looking at Wood with a solemn expression. "Your expression tells me that this melody allowed you to hear something that ordinary people cannot.."
I..
Everyone present is a specialized Molecule with a slight difference in the spectral range that cone cells can receive compared to ordinary people, most of you have long suffered from abnormal hearing. Can't you see—Wood is in great pain right now?
Master spoke forcefully, blocking all the curious gazes: "No one is allowed to press him! He needs quiet!"
“..”
Lewis and the group of people following him did not dare to argue, they all fell silent.
Master looked toward Arthur and Merlin again.
As you wish.
Arthur spoke readily, his hands behind his head, as he walked out of the Meeting Room.
Seeing this, Merlin hurried to catch up. "King—"
Master looked at Wood again: "I will take you back to the Restroom."
No! Don't go to the Restroom! I beg you!
Wood grabbed the Boss's arm in terror: "That puddle of water.. that seawater.."
“You're afraid?”
I don't know.. but when I.. when I saw that pool of Seawater, I felt a sense of dread, as if.. as if that water would take me into the depths of the ocean.. I don't know why I would have such strange thoughts, but I truly did experience a similar sense of fear..
I understand.
Master turned his head and looked at Lewis and the others, who were still standing in a daze. "I will decide the time for the next meeting regarding Jormungand. Wait for my notice!"
“..”
The crowd gave awkward smiles, watching the two leave.
..
Stepping out of the Headquarters Building, Wood couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He looked back at the tall buildings and the perpetually gloomy London sky above them, whispered, "In that audio, I heard the sound of seawater, the sound of breathing, and, the sound of a child crying out for 'Papa'.."
Does it sound much like the voices you hear in your dreams?
Yeah.
Wood pursed his lips and nodded, his expression filled with surprise and melancholy. "Boss, if.. I mean, if.. if I am not human, or even.."
Do you think I would mind if you weren't human?
Master smiled and pushed Wood into the back seat of the car.
But—
I am not human either.
—The Boss is a noble being who stands shoulder to shoulder with the gods. To the Boss, humans are extremely lowly and insignificant creatures, but I.. I..
Wood lowered his head in self-loathing. "If the voice calling 'Papa' amidst the seawater is real, if the cold, smooth thing I touched in my dream, what Gabriel said before.. I, I.. I am not only not human, but I am even the 'Papa' of an extremely ugly and filthy Monster.. Then I, I.. am I not.."
So you accept Gabriel's definition of beauty and ugliness?
Master asked unexpectedly.
Wood froze: "I.. I.."
Every civilization uses its own race as the aesthetic standard for defining beauty and ugliness. The current appearance of the Christian Angels, led by Gabriel, was shaped by Christian believers combining real-world human standards of beauty and ugliness with religious scriptures. Therefore, their forms conform to human aesthetics, but conforming to human aesthetics does not mean their forms are truly beautiful—in my view, all life forms that adapt to their natural environments are beautiful, whereas the unnatural appearances of beings like Angels are exceptionally deformed and ugly!
Boss, are—are you comforting me?
Wood looked uneasily into Master's eyes, which were as deep and blue as seawater.
I am stating facts to you.
Master lowered his head and lightly bit his lip: "Do not let the definitions of beauty and ugliness in human society limit your thinking.. The ugly monsters in human perception are not truly ugly; they simply happen not to conform to human aesthetics.. But in the eyes of natural will, they possess a beauty and purity far surpassing that of humans."
“Beauty.. purity..”
Yes.
Master's kiss deepened gradually, the searing contact driving away the deep-seated trepidation in Wood's heart. Like a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood, he leaned heavily into the warm, solid embrace, slowly sinking into the overwhelming sense of fulfillment provided by the other.
And then—
..
Wood had a dream.
In the dream, he walked through a shimmering corridor. Intense light flashed from the walls on both sides, making it impossible to see anything clearly; he could only vaguely sense that the walls were covered in decorations, these decorations were intimately connected to his lost memories.
(Memories.. the memories I lost..)
—Stop dazing off! Hurry to the Hall! Don't keep the Gods waiting!
A voice, so intense it was deeply insulting, exploded in his ears like rolling thunder, interrupting Wood's thoughts within his dream.
Immediately following that, a clattering metallic sound rang out. Wood lowered his head and discovered that his hands and feet were wrapped in shimmering chains—four chains binding his limbs were intertwined, while the other ends were held by four towering, mechanically indifferent armored warriors standing in front, behind, to his left, to his right.
They dragged him into the radiant Great Hall, which was filled with brilliant golden light, where humanoid figures resembling living beings could only be seen swaying vaguely within the intense glare.
(Where am I?)
(Why can I not see my surroundings, yet I instinctively feel that the area is filled with hatred toward me?)
(No! It is not just hatred, but intense jealousy and loathing, coming from the very marrow of my bones..)
(Where is this place? Why am I..)
Why aren't you kneeling!
Traitor!
Dirty Thing!
Ugly Monster!
Fierce shouts and questions rushed in from all directions, making it difficult for Wood to breathe.
He struggled to lift his head, staring at the "Gods" hidden within the radiance who were shouting at him, but he could only see vast expanses of intense light and non-human faces nearly swallowed by the glare.
(Who are they? Gods? Or..)
(Why am I being judged? Why am I..)
(Who am I?)
Painful questions surged into his mind, Wood scanned his surroundings with a searching gaze, but he was destined to find nothing.
Because—
Everything in this place was rejecting him, hating him, declaring it with the most intense rhythm:
You do not belong to this world! You are not one of us! You are an outlier! A shameful, filthy outlier!
(But I.. I.. I..)
(I am also a living being nurtured by this land! I am also.. I am.. I am..)
“—Ah!”
Amidst a piercing scream of pain, Wood woke up to find himself sleeping in a comfortable large bed, with a bell placed beside his pillow.
(British etiquette?)
Wood picked up the bell in confusion and gave it two gentle shakes.
The Bedroom door opened silently, a middle-aged man dressed as a Butler walked into the room: "Mister, you are awake?"
I.. I..
Gu Lu Gu Lu—
His stomach made an unseemly sound.
Wood looked embarrassed.
The Butler smiled and said, "Please wait a moment."
Wait?
The food will be served shortly.
But..
Don't worry, we are preparing French Cuisine; even the ingredients and water used are flown in from France.
Hearing this, Wood breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, two servants carried in a small table laden with fragrant and delicious food and placed it on Wood's bed.
Please enjoy your meal.