GUIDE FROM THE PAST TO A NEW ERA (ENGLISH)

CHAPTER 38: TAKING CONTROL

Silently watching the dark red sky, Nekruis suddenly frowned. He was looking at the city when he felt a sensation of something breaking.

"Zeliker has eradicated the lock."

Zapter behind him immediately looked stunned. He knew what Nekruis meant. Sweat covered his face while he stared at Nekruis.

Nekruis let out a sigh and changed his gaze to his left arm. An old long gash was there, hidden behind his long sleeve. 

He can let it disappear if he wants to but he rather has it to remind him of his hopelessness. There were also other scars all over his body. 

No one other than Zapter, Alinda and his close friends know this fearless and powerful demon king would allow such things to smear his body. 

And the scars were a physical and mental punishment that Nekruis wanted to keep remembering forever.

"Do you want me to stop him, Your Majesty?" Zapter asked.

"... No. Maybe this is an opportunity for him."

Reminiscing on the past, an unpleasant and anguish expression was displayed on Nekruis' face.

"Tell me, Zapter. Are we a good father?"

Zapter went silent. He was unable to answer such a question. It makes Nekruis let out a small chuckle.

"We are the worst parents ever. Our wife and children have taken our bad luck. If Alinda had never married us, maybe she and our children wouldn't have to suffer…"

"No, Your Majesty! You did everything you could to make sure they were alive! It isn't your fault either! It was the enemy!" Zapter countered immediately.

"It doesn't hide the flaw and the problem we carry."

"Your Majesty…"

Zapter didn't know how to make Nekruis feel better. He can only watch and do everything Nekruis wanted him to. 

Like Nekruis had said, the fault comes from himself. He had endangered everyone he loved dearly. The enemy was wicked and smart.

They had used Nekruis' beloved wife and children to get to him. All because of the secret that Nekruis had hidden.

Zapter has been beside Nekruis since Nekruis' first war and became his loyal right-hand man. He had seen everything transpire since then.

The only thing that made him feel so terrible was he was still unable to carry all of his king's burdens or find their enemy's location.

"Zeliker…"

Zapter focussed back on Nekruis.

"Do you know how many times he died in the illusion?"

Zapter answered with silence again.

"Four thousand nine hundred and nine."

Zapter was startled after he heard the shocking number. His eyes couldn't help but widen.

"Even though you and we have never reached death, my son repeated them again and again in that illusion. For a four-year-old child, the last thing they'll become after coming out of it is only one…"

Crazy.

Zapter swallowed while answering it in his mind. He had seen it too and it made him still shudder in fear every time he remembered.

It was a big massacre created by the wild Zeliker. Two third of their servants, some guards, and even some soldiers, were killed at that time. 

He had a big shock finding death everywhere. Meeting the calm Zeliker when he was killing someone pressured him more than he could imagine.