After living alone in a deserted place for three years, there was a knock on the door suddenly.
— This thing is already very rare.
What's even more strange is that the person who knocked on the door was not an innocent passer-by who lost his way, nor was he a thief trying to rob, nor was he a prisoner on an interstellar arrest warrant, but... a person I used to know.
To be precise, he and I used to be fighting side by side.
It may be that when I opened the door, the change of expression from casual to surprised was too drastic, and there was a smile on his face that was very suitable for alleviating embarrassment: "Long time no see."
His appearance is too handsome, but his facial features are not aggressive. He is the kind of appearance that is very suitable for a diplomat.
I looked at him with my hand on the door, and I couldn't remember his name for a while, so I calmly carried out the social etiquette between adults: "Long time no see."
We were silent with each other for a few seconds.
Finally, he showed me the wine bottle in his hand: "Because I haven't seen you for a long time, so I brought you some gifts. I wonder if your taste has changed?"
I remember the bottle, it was the honey wine that I used to love to drink, but because it was too expensive, I couldn't afford it, so I could only grab some when I met a rich man.
… what!
Then I kind of remembered that this person used to be called "Prince" because he was the former prince of the empire.
"Thank you," I immediately reached out to take the bottle, because I couldn't remember his name, so I called casually, "Your Highness."
"It's been a long time since I've heard someone call me that. I feel nostalgic." The prince smiled.
I blurted out: "Are you finally deposed?"
The smile on the prince's face, which was always easy to handle and unreasonably aroused, seemed to freeze for half a second.
"I've been on the throne for two and a half years." Then he explained me gently, "I offered to invite you to my coronation, but..."
He stopped awkwardly.
"But everyone disagrees, right?" I answered the second half of the sentence for him indifferently, and I was already twisting the cap of the wine bottle.
He laughed again, as if the embarrassment just now hadn't happened: "I'm looking for my friends to catch up on the old days, there is no need for any particular reason."
To be honest, I don't really believe it, because every time they are so docile and present, they usually ask for something.
After I took a sip of the wine, the prince spoke again: "So, can I go in and sit down?"
*
It must be said that I am a hero who saves the world.
It might be an understatement to say this, but I've saved StarCraft from devastating catastrophes on several occasions.
Hearing my name, most people in StarCraft will show expressions of enlightenment.
If "no longer having to save the world" is how I retire, I'm on my third anniversary as of today.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but mention it to the prince... the current emperor of the empire: "The day I was expelled from the empire and the federation happened to be three years ago today."
The young emperor, who was trying to persuade me not to just drink alcohol, but also eat some snacks to fill my stomach, looked at me gently, as if waiting for my next behavior.
I really have something to do.
"Elijah," I called to the family's half-decommissioned domestic robot, "bake me a cake for my third anniversary."
The housekeeping robot "meowed" and staggered away.
Noticing that the emperor's gaze was fixed on the back of the housekeeping robot, I kindly explained to him: "When I was looking for components, I couldn't find a suitable language processing chip."
"...I'll send someone to bring you the latest housekeeping robot." He seemed a little guilty.
"Will you meow meow too?" I asked curiously.
If this is the case, the development of domestic robots in the past three years cannot be said to be prosperous and brilliant, but it can only be said to be very different.
"No," the emperor explained to me patiently, "but it already has an emotional circuit similar to that of a human being, and in terms of housekeeping...especially cooking functions are much richer than before."
Although I don't remember much about him, he really understands my weaknesses very well. I am very moved by the phrase "cooking function".
Especially now, right now, with an unmistakable burnt smell coming from my kitchen.
"Please accept," said the Emperor in a tone that almost sounded like a plea, "that is the least I can... do for you."
"I've had a question I wanted to ask since before you entered the door," I looked at him sincerely, "I really can't bear it after enduring it for so long."
The emperor nodded slightly: "You say."
"You look very guilty," I stroked my face casually with my hand, very curious, "But in the past three years, I haven't received an interstellar express mail, and I haven't seen any visitors. "
The emperor frowned slightly, and there was a very subtle expression on his face... like a puppy who had just been beaten with a stick, making it unbearable to continue to criticize him.
"Anyone who wants to help you... or even contact you is regarded as provoking the authority of the empire and the federation." He clasped his fingers together and said slowly, "In the end, even your name is not allowed to mention."
It doesn't matter to me.
Rather, if we only look at the expressions of the two of us now, it seems that he is the one who got hurt.
"People are starting to forget about you." He sighed softly.
It doesn't matter to me.
"I saved people because I wanted to save people, not because I wanted to be remembered or have any wealth status." I motioned him to look up at my very primitive hermitage hut.
"But I think," the emperor lowered his eyes, "many people regret that they didn't fight for you back then."
I finally drank the last sip of the mead brought by the emperor, and turned the glass upside down on the table.
The burnt smell in the kitchen is getting stronger and stronger, I have to rush to the kitchen for emergency treatment, and I can't waste it like this anymore.
The place where I live now is no man's land, and I'm not the kind of high-intelligence person who can spell a robot or even a starship from a garbage dump with my bare hands, so once the kitchen explodes, it will be very, very troublesome for me things.
So I politely thanked the emperor for the second time for the wine, and then asked him bluntly, "What exactly do you want?"
"..." The emperor seemed to be finally forced by me to the point of no retreat, he took a breath, "The fifth wave is coming."
The first memory point that was triggered in my brain was actually a mentally handicapped game: "The fifth wave of zombies is coming?"
The emperor is worthy of being an emperor, and he didn't laugh at my speech, but shook his head with a heavy and compassionate expression: "Do you still remember the 'shock' you managed to stop three years ago? Later, it was officially named 'the first Four waves'. Scientists originally thought that the fourth wave was the end, and there would never be a fifth wave, but recent observations show that the fifth wave will soon hit the entire interstellar, and our technology is not yet capable of collectively Get out of this interstellar state."
What he said puzzled me a bit.
"It is not yet possible to leave collectively", does it mean that they have been able to discover another time and space, but they cannot achieve a huge number of time and space transitions
I thought so, so I asked.
Because I asked for anything, the emperor always answered every question, and his attitude was very good: "No, this is just a possibility. The Academy of Sciences promised me that it would take at least five years to make a breakthrough, but we didn't Five years."
"Then how long have you been?" I asked again, my heart that had been like a pool of stagnant water for three years seemed to be beating again at last.
I tried my best to restrain this expectation, and I don't know if the person opposite saw it.
Probably, because he frowned again.
"Ten days." He said, "There are only ten days until the fifth wave erupts."
I finally couldn't help laughing, probably my first smile of the day.
"You came to ask me to save you." I said firmly the inference that had arisen in my heart a few hours ago.
"I'm here to ask you to save everyone." He gently affirmed my words, "After this, I promise to rehabilitate you, restore your former identity, and allow you to regain your glory..."
He just said "after this", I jumped up on the spot, grabbed him and ran to the door.
The emperor of the empire was pulled behind me without airs, a little helpless: "I know, I know, don't be in such a hurry, I will inform the guards to drive the spaceship closer to pick us up."
By the time he finished speaking, I had already run to the door.
At the same time as I slammed on the brakes, I opened the door and swung him out with my backhand.
After His Majesty the Emperor ascended the throne, his skills fell so badly that he almost fell on his face.
He was a bit embarrassed, but still stabilized his body in a handsome posture, and looked up at me in confusion.
"The day I left three years ago, what was the last question you guys asked me?" I asked him.
My heart was pounding wildly, my blood was boiling and roaring, and I could barely hear myself speaking.
The emperor was silent for a moment, then slowly got up.
"Can you prove that you are not the culprit of all crises in the interstellar world?" I repeated the first question word for word, and paused before answering, "No."
The emperor maintained a rare silence.
Just like he did three years ago today.
"Do you accept the decision to be deported?" I asked myself and answered, "Yes."
I waited for a few seconds, but the emperor still didn't speak. I couldn't help urging him: "There is a third question."
"...Can you guarantee with your life that you will never set foot on the territory of the Empire and the Federation again?" The emperor said it somewhat embarrassingly, after all, it was his own father who asked this question at the time.
I don't think the pleasure of anyone's orgasm can compare to the spiritual comfort I feel at this moment, which makes me have to take a deep breath to calm down before opening my mouth.
"Yes," I spit out exactly the same answer as three years ago, "I will never come back."
Before His Majesty the handsome emperor tried to say something else, I interrupted him: "Get lost."
Then slammed the door shut.
I took two steps back, and suddenly found that the window glass accurately reflected the malicious smile on my face.
A standard villain expression.
Yay, I'm not going to be a Madonna anymore!
There was a small explosion from the kitchen.
... Damn, is it still too late to ask him to send that housekeeping robot to me now
The author has something to say: write wherever you think of, the reading guide is in the copy, and there is no guarantee of daily updates.
I made up the background, the background doesn't matter.