Chapter 173: The Scales of the Past
"Let me tell you... back when that stiff-necked Omnimon was younger, he was truly something else. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Since Belle had inadvertently piqued Gallantmon's interest, the usually stoic Royal Knight seemed to have completely opened up, spilling secrets like a gossiping elder.
"Not only would he frequently hold grand speeches behind Lord Yggdrasil's back, but he even organized literal concerts to sing Her praises!" Gallantmon chuckled, the sound rumbling deep within his chest armor. "Though, ever since he lost a singing battle to a Mushroomon, he hasn't sung a single note."
"If you ask me, though, neither he nor that Mushroomon could carry a tune to save their lives."
Seeing the mighty knight talk so incessantly, it seemed he wouldn't tire of the subject even if he spoke for an entire day.
Mizuki sat across the fire, resting his chin on his hand, more than happy to play the listener. After all, compared to the aloof, untouchable warrior they had first met, the current Gallantmon acting like a talkative elder reminiscing about the good old days felt much more relaxed and grounded.
To Mizuki's regret, however, the storytelling did not last long. Gallantmon suddenly paused, snapping back to his senses.
"Uh... I... how did I let myself get so carried away?" Gallantmon covered his face with a massive gauntlet, shaking his head helplessly at Mizuki's highly amused expression. "This is truly unseemly. Let us leave our past at that. Now, let us get back to the main topic and talk about you."
"Alright." Mizuki smiled.
Although it was a pity they couldn't keep listening to the gossip, hearing so much about Omnimon's embarrassing past made the trip entirely worthwhile for Mizuki and Belle.
Especially Belle. Her eyes gleamed with mischief in the firelight. She was already secretly plotting to expose Omnimon's embarrassing history the very next time they faced off. Would bringing up the Mushroomon concert shatter his fighting spirit?
After all, Belle remembered hearing a rumor that back in the original Digital World, Kari had kept her brother Tai perfectly in line just by threatening to expose his childhood embarrassments to force him to behave.
'Hopefully, it works just as well on a Royal Knight,' she thought.
Gallantmon cleared his throat, his armor clinking as he straightened his posture. "About yourselves..."
Following Gallantmon's lead, Mizuki rubbed his chin, his gaze softening as he looked into the flickering flames.
"If I really think about it, my past before all this was nothing but a blur of sterile white hospital beds and the suffocating smell of disinfectant in the air. From that perspective, my life only truly gained color the moment I met Belle."
"It is the same for me too!" Belle beamed, her face lighting up with absolute joy. She practically launched herself into his arms, nuzzling against his chest like a spoiled child. "Meeting Mizu is the happiest thing that has ever happened in my entire life!"
From there, Mizuki and Belle began to recount the events of their journey, weaving their tale one sentence after another. Gallantmon acted as an excellent listener, sitting quietly by the side and absorbing their story.
Amidst their pleasant narration, the crackling campfire seemed to stretch the moments out, making time feel as endless as the winding path beneath their feet, a road that had been extending forward since the day they met, with no end in sight.
Interestingly, however, Belle and Mizuki had very different views when discussing certain key choices from their shared past.
For instance, regarding Belle's choice to recklessly attack a Kuwagamon during their very first meeting, Mizuki expressed his wish that she could have been far more cautious.
But Belle quickly countered him, puffing out her cheeks. "Oh, really? And what about you, Mizu? Didn't you impulsively charge straight at Devimon just to protect me?"
This revelation actually surprised Gallantmon a little. He shifted his weight, the heavy metal of his boots grinding against the dirt.
After all, in his view, Mizuki did not seem like the type to act on raw impulse. For a human with such a frail, mortal body to directly confront a Champion-level Digimon like Devimon was nothing short of a death wish.
And yet, he had done exactly that.
While Gallantmon pondered this, Mizuki and Belle's voices drifted over from the other side of the fire.
"I still do not get it, Mizu," Belle said, poking Mizuki's cheek with a slender finger. "You are usually such a calm and calculating person. Why were you so impulsive back then? Didn't you teach me yourself? 'When facing a desperate situation, every choice must be made after carefully weighing the pros and cons.'"
Mizuki caught her hand, his thumb gently brushing her knuckles. "That may be true for most things. But some things cannot be judged by weighing pros and cons."
Under Belle's questioning gaze, Mizuki smiled at her, a gentle, unguarded expression completely devoid of his usual mischievous edge. "To me, you are far more important than any logical calculation. Ultimately, those kinds of things were never meant to be weighed on a scale."
"Mmu..." Belle furrowed her brow, her lips forming a small pout. "I do not understand. Sometimes you say things that are just too hard to follow, Mizu."
"Hehe. No rush, Belle. You will understand once you grow up."
"Grow up? I can grow up! Just watch me evolve!"
"I did not exactly mean growing up physically..."
Watching Mizuki and Belle interact, their easy banter filled with deep, unspoken trust, Gallantmon felt a sudden ache in his chest. He could not help but fall back into the memories of his own past.
In a daze, the campfire blurred. Gallantmon no longer saw the young man and his partner; instead, the dancing flames painted the figures of a cute blonde girl and a fierce-looking little red dinosaur.
Even though thousands of years had passed, Gallantmon still clearly remembered the deep gentleness on Lord Yggdrasil's face back then, and the soft cadence of her voice.
"Your Eminence, I do not understand." The young Guilmon's voice echoed in his mind. "You clearly told me to weigh the pros and cons before making a choice. But why is it that when it comes to certain things, you completely ignore the scales?"
Facing his earnest question, the cute blonde girl just winked playfully. "Why... yes, why indeed? I do not know either!"
"Your Eminence!"
"Hehe. Sorry, sorry, Guilmon. It is just that you are so cute when you are frustrated." Her laughter was like chiming bells before her expression softened into something much more serious. "Actually, the answer to this is very simple. While the direction chosen after weighing pros and cons is generally the optimal solution... it isn't necessarily the right one."
She knelt down, meeting the little dinosaur's eyes. "After all, in this world, not everything can be measured on a scale. For example... life."
At that point, the bright expression on the blonde girl's face seemed to dim for a fleeting moment, overshadowed by a heavy, unseen burden.
However, she recovered instantly, waving a hand dismissively. "Listen to me. As the administrator of this world, as Lord Yggdrasil, saying something so irrational is truly quite disqualifying."
"Disqualifying? There is no such thing!" the little dinosaur had protested fiercely.
"Alright, alright. Do not be so tense." After giving Guilmon a fond, reproachful look, Lord Yggdrasil returned to her initial, aching gentleness. "Little Guilmon, can you promise me one thing?"
He had looked up at her, waiting.
"If one day, I do something that does not fit my character... then the 'me' at that time might very well no longer be me. So, when that day truly comes, I hope that for the sake of the current me, you will pass judgment on the version of me that is no longer myself."
Back then, the young Guilmon had not understood why Lord Yggdrasil would say such cryptic, ominous things, and he had resisted the very idea strongly.
But the current Gallantmon finally understood.
He understood why Lord Yggdrasil had looked so deeply lonely in that fleeting moment, and why she had forced him to hear those final words.
"So... Your Eminence," Gallantmon whispered to the night air, the crackle of the campfire masking his words. "Did you foresee this day long ago?"
His crimson eyes narrowed beneath his visor, a heavy sorrow settling over his armored shoulders. "But... why..."
Beneath his white cape, his massive gauntlets slowly clenched into tight, trembling fists.
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