Physical death of Gilbert Loto Amelia confirmed. Executing activation of Soul Revenger.
—Emergency Notice— Presence of Singularity confirmed. Singularity's Gift will affect activation.
——Conditional Success!
The soul of Gilbert Loto Amelia and the soul of the Singularity will regress to a random point within a designated period in the past from the present moment.
—Notice from Subjugation Compendium— Due to an increased soul connection between Gilbert Loto Amelia and his master, Kai Heinemann, sealed memories will undergo significant Release. Soul Connection: 98%
——Memory Release: 99%
A massive influx of information in the form of memories flooded my mind. It was the past of that utterly wretched man. The fragments that had once been scattered pieced themselves together, charting the single path that foolish man had walked from past to present.
And then, the memories advanced toward the final piece.
It was an opulent, lavish chamber. Lying in that nostalgic room was a beautiful blonde woman. Her complexion was sickly and pale, making it abundantly clear she did not have long to live.
"..."
A bald man, seemingly the doctor who had been checking her pulse, rose to his feet, turned toward us, and shook his head.
"Mother!"
I desperately lunged forward and seized her right hand, shouting at the top of my lungs. I think I was simply terrified of losing the gentle, comforting warmth of my mother.
Mother opened her eyes, her gaze softening with affection the moment she looked at me.
"I'm sorry, Gil. I won't be able to stay with you. But you'll be all right. You have dependable sisters and a kind friend."
Mother turned her gaze toward the freckled boy standing behind me.
"Tetor, please look after Gil."
She pleaded with her fading breath.
"O-Of course!"
The freckled boy nodded vigorously.
"Mother, no! Please!"
Clutching her right hand at her bedside, I screamed in sheer desperation. Mother gave me a wistful smile, gently stroked my head, and spoke.
"Become a kind king."
With those words, she closed her eyes for good.
That was right. To me, those words had surely become a curse. They were the spark that ignited my ambition to be king, the reason I had fixated so obsessively on the throne.
A kind king. I had misunderstood Mother's words all this time. What she had truly wanted was never for me to become a king, but to become a kind human being.