Chapter 1416: Regret (2)

“What do you think?”

The old butler looked at Selyu. She was the mistress here, and he had no authority to overstep.

“It’s okay, I don’t think much of it.”

Selyu’s reply was quite bland. Perhaps the busyness of these days really made it hard for her to summon any emotions.

Everyone was busy, dealing with the aftermath of the storm and preparing for the next disaster.

The next… disaster.

Thinking about this, Selyu’s face showed worry, and the so-called victory banquet was overshadowed with a bleakness; this was far from being over.

Seeing this, the old butler said no more. He simply adhered to their wishes. He knew well that no matter how dispirited Oscar seemed, he was ultimately like Selyu, a person of that world, whereas he was not. He couldn’t enter, and all he could do was do his part well.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

He said and quietly departed. Not long after, the old butler’s reprimands could be heard from outside the door, followed by a clear shattering sound, as if something had been broken.

“So busy.”

Looking at the tightly closed door, Oscar said with a smile, he too had seen the old butler’s hustle these few days.

“Victory banquet… victory banquet…”

Oscar murmured, raising the wine glass, eyes slightly narrowed, as if imagining that wonderful feast.

“This might be everyone’s last gathering.”

Oscar suddenly said, this time his words carried little joy, only the coldness resembling room temperature.

He glanced at Selyu, and she too had put down her pen, her gaze falling on the paper.

“Sounds really awful, doesn’t it? We barely endured the storm, but there’s an even more severe tempest awaiting us…”

Oscar whispered, sharing the same worried expression with Selyu.

Corruption is like a giant reservoir, where over countless years, the liquid within continuously permeates the container, breaking free from its confinement and affecting the world.

This battle merely cut off two taps leading directly into the reservoir’s interior. The monsters within the reservoir still exist, and only by killing it can everything be eradicated. Everyone is well aware that this monster is completely different from any enemy they’ve faced before.

Roger and Delun might cause despair, but amidst that despair, people can still deceive themselves, muster courage, and move forward. But when facing The Inexpressible, all that remains within is frigid cold.

“What do you think Lorenzo is doing now? Enjoying a vacation, or sharpening his sword, preparing for the final hunt?”

Selyu did not answer him. In this light, Oscar seemed like he was talking to himself.

“What do you think The Inexpressible actually is?”

Selyu shook her head, she did not know. “Why do you ask such silly questions?”

“Yeah, the puzzle is written on the question itself,” Oscar awkwardly smiled and then deeply sighed. “Inexpressible…”

Invisible, unheard, untouchable, completely unknowable existence.

Chaos and disorder, the sole purpose being constant expansion and Ascension.

“This time, our enemy is different from previous ones, whether Delun or Roger, they can be somewhat understood, but not The Inexpressible. Apart from knowing it’s the enemy, we know almost nothing about it, like a mass of inscrutable darkness.”

Oscar narrated.

“For a Hunter, such prey is the most troublesome; you don’t understand its habits, nor can you set traps based on its environment… you don’t even know how many heads you need to chop off to truly kill it.”

“These days, I’ve been avoiding thinking about these things,” Selyu slowly began to speak.

“It’s normal, you really shouldn’t think too much about these matters. My predecessors and even further back, extending to the era of the Secret Keeper, so many great individuals faced this problem without coming up with an answer, let alone you.”

Oscar recalled his youth.

“When I was young, I was also conceited, thought I had the ability to change everything, and you can see the final result, facing brutal reality, not everyone keeps fighting with courage.”

“So you just let yourself fall into degradation?”

“What do you mean ‘fall into degradation’? I’m searching for a survival path that suits me!”

Oscar hurriedly defended himself, his expression relaxed as he felt the warmth of the fireplace, appearing very at ease.

“I spent the first half of my life with no fixed abode, and wanted to settle down in the second half, it’s best to stay in one place, so writing actually is quite a good job, as long as I’m in the house writing, I’ll earn money… although I didn’t make much, but the job is indeed nice.”

Selyu forced a smile, amused by Oscar’s terrible life, although she knew she shouldn’t laugh, as mocking others’ misfortune is not very nice.

“So don’t give yourself too much pressure, we’re all ordinary people and there’s only so much we can do.”

“Accept your mediocrity?”

“Certainly, the stage is only so big, not everyone can stand in the spotlight. There are so many seats in the audience, yet even so, some people only have standing tickets,” Oscar said. “Accepting mediocrity is very difficult but also unavoidable, you aren’t God, you can only reach the limits of a mortal.”

“Sounds really awful.”

“Indeed, that’s why I wanted to step down, then I can finally be a powerless mortal, rather than continuing powerlessly under the identity of Nation-Builder.”

This makes Nation-Builder seem less like a glorious title and more like a painful curse.

“Have you wronged me then?” Selyu asked.

“You asked for this, we agreed.”

Oscar turned serious, clutching his blanket, as if thinking Selyu would regret it.

Finally managing to cling onto a big opportunity, ensuring his remaining years would be supported, no way would Oscar abandon such a golden ticket.

However, apparently, he and Selyu thought differently. Selyu didn’t care about Oscar’s golden ticket; how much could he eat alone?

“But I… I still…”

Selyu wanted to say something but was interrupted by Oscar.

“I understand, I understand, I was like that when I was young too, before each long journey, I’d fiercely hug my friends,” Oscar recalled those blurred faces, “of course, they usually found it quite annoying and even suspected something was wrong with me.”

“But there’s nothing to be done, maybe I’d die outside, or perhaps upon returning, they’d all be gone, such things are unavoidable.”

Oscar added a few more logs, causing the flames to flicker and sparks to dance.

“I’ve regretted before, so I think, I shouldn’t let you go down my old path, you can’t stop him from proceeding, even he can’t stop himself.”

The flames from the fireplace reflected in Oscar’s eyes, turning his cloudy gaze into a radiant gold.

“At such a time, even if he refuses, mission and duty will drive him forward regardless.”

“So you wanted to hold that so-called victory banquet?” Selyu said, “It’s not a victory banquet, but rather a farewell party.”

As if seen through, Oscar chuckled.

“Pretty much,” he sighed, “like the end of a story, you’re bidding farewell to these characters, inevitably feeling a bit reluctant, wanting to linger a bit more, look a few more times…”

“Really?” Selyu doubted.

After a few seconds of pause, Oscar shamelessly said.

“Nope, finally I can say goodbye to these folks, no more editors nagging me, and I can take a long vacation, rejoice can’t come soon enough!”

Hearing this, Oscar’s image in Selyu’s heart continued to crumble, unsure whether this counted as Oscar’s post-retirement liberation.

“Okay, just kidding, stories and reality are always different, aren’t they?”

Oscar became serious again, making it hard to grasp what he was really thinking.

“I can review the characters in stories, even write a few sequels, but real people, once lost is truly lost. I can only say do what you ought to, and don’t regret.”

Oscar lamented.

“Regret is the emotion I loathe most, like an eternal ghost chasing you until you face death.”