10 – Sincerity
“Com…mander…”
“……….”
Unlike her usual confident and energetic self, Seris shed tears while looking at Venice, who lay powerless on the bed.
Though I called out to the Lord Commander as usual, there was, of course, no response.
A day had passed already since I sent the Lord Commander directly to the Leria Village clinic.
“Given how robust your physique is, recovery should be faster than others. He’ll probably wake up soon.”
That’s what the healer told Seris as she held onto Venice and wept.
It was a fatal injury, one that would have been an instant death for an ordinary person, but he survived due to his exceptional physique.
For Seris, who had been suffering, it was like a much-needed relief in the drought.
Because it meant the Lord Commander could rise again.
“….Sniff.”
Yet, she couldn’t hold back her tears. The Lord Commander had been hurt like this because of her.
Seris recalled the battle with Neptendes, the 4th-tier demonic being.
The battle had gone smoothly. Facing a disaster, a 4th-tier demonic being, she effortlessly cut through Neptendes’ stems with the blade she wielded, easily evading its attacks.
Why is it, I wonder. The longer the battle went on, the stronger I seemed to become. The four-star demon, which had initially terrified me, no longer scared me at all.
In fact, the more I sliced through its stems, as hard as steel, the more precise my sword strikes became, and my body grew tougher with each vigorous movement. I realized I was able to cut through the stems more easily.
Could this be why? Seeing my own growth.
And because I could see the four-star demon, known as a disaster, Nepenthes, crouching down. It almost seemed like this monster was surrendering.
I let my guard down. I thought I could definitely defeat it. I firmly believed that Nepenthes had no more means to attack.
“Damn it! Everyone run! We need to escape from Nepenthes…!”
Fwoosh-!
By the time I heard Commander’s shout and saw Nepenthes unfolding from its crouched position, my body was already paralyzed.
“Gah…”
My body wouldn’t respond at all. I couldn’t move a single finger, and my head was spinning.
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Slither-
“Let…me…go…!”
All I could do was watch as Nepenthes’ tendrils wrapped around and lifted me up.
aaargh…!
“Guh…ack…”
When I felt my entire body being crushed by the pressure of the tendrils, as if it was falling apart.
Seris prayed. Begged to be saved. He didn’t want to die here.
Even though he had finally found someone he wanted to open his heart to, he didn’t want to leave without expressing it.
“Comman…der…”
It was only upon facing death that he finally realized his true feelings.
I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I want to entrust my back to you…
Gwaaah-!
Even such thoughts were pushed away by vines that tightened so much that it became impossible to breathe.
‘Commander.’
The commander who saved me. The commander who became my light. And my love… my commander.
Only in the final moments of her life did Seris set her eyes on her savior. Continuously echoing sincere feelings that could never be conveyed forever.
“K…Gwaaah-!”
That was the moment. The commander, always calm, shouted.
Thunk-!
‘…Commander?’
Her blurry vision caught a glimpse of him rushing towards Nepenthes after inflicting pain on himself by stabbing a sword into his paralyzed state.
Chwaaah-!
Seok-!
The sight of him swiftly cutting through the attacking vines with a single blow, as if mirroring the hero in the fairytales her father read to her when she was young.
Seris could only stare blankly at that sight.
Taah-!
The hero, in his majestic posture, soared. As if he would split the giant monster flower from its roots.
There was no fear, not even a hint of hesitation. Such was his demeanor.
Srrr-!
At that moment, in Seris’ vision, she saw Nepenthes preparing to extend a hidden tendril from Venice’s square.
“Commander… Cough. Behind…!”
Since the force restraining her had considerably weakened, Seris shouted with all her might.
Hoping to reach her hero, with a fervent heart.
Swoosh—splatter!
“Ugh….”
“No… this can’t be…”
However, at a speed impossible to evade with human reflexes, the commander had no choice but to allow the attack.
As hard as steel and as sharp as a massive stake, the force penetrated the commander’s left abdomen.
“Cough. Cough…”
Witnessing the commander pouring out blood bit by bit from his abdomen and mouth, Seris despaired.
That monster would tear apart the defenseless commander and probably even swallow her and the mercenaries.
She resented herself for acting unilaterally, causing everyone’s death against the commander’s orders.
The situation where she had to watch her loved one being torn apart right in front of her was cursed.
‘I’m sorry, Commander… all the mercenaries….’
We were supposed to create a new legend together. But I couldn’t make it happen because of me. I’m truly sorry.
I’ll pay for this sin, even if it means going to hell after death.
Even if he was a commander she trusted, Seris, thinking that she would die if she received an attack like this, soon tried to give up on life with dead eyes.
Squelch… squelch—!
Splat…?!
Squelch—!
“…..Huh?”
The leader, who had thought that he would never be able to attack again after suffering a terrible wound, moved again until he could remove Nepenthes’ core.
Po…thud…..
A living legend. Known by many nicknames such as the Paradise of Flowers and the Roaring Calamity, Nepenthes, the 4-star demon known as the calamity, breathed his last in such a pathetic manner.
“Cough…cough…Vice Commander Ceris…”
“Le…Leader!!”
Ceris, who was momentarily stunned by the incomprehensible situation, rushed towards the leader, who was coughing up blood and turning the surroundings into a pool of blood.
Ceris was not unscathed either, but the pain was not enough to stop Ceris’ determination.
“Cough…didn’t I tell you…we can do it…”
“Don’t say that! It’ll only make your wounds worse…!”
Like someone leaving after leaving their final words. The leader quietly continued his difficult words.
“….Don’t cry. No one is dying…”
No. Please don’t say that… Please don’t leave me.
I haven’t even been able to convey my sincerity to you, the light that saved me and my hero…
“I’ll…rest a bit…”
“No…please snap out of it, Leader!!”
No no no no no
Please…don’t leave. Please…
Despite Ceris’s desperate plea, Venice closed his eyes as if he couldn’t hear.
As if about to leave. Silently, she fell asleep.
“aaahhh!!”
Seris screamed and shed tears.
Because of herself. Because the hero, her light, her savior… seemed like he would take his last breath.
She only held Venice’s body and wept, letting her tears flow.
Thump… Thump…
“….?! Captain!!”
However, the captain, whom she thought was dead, was still alive. He barely let out a breath, but he was clearly alive.
“I… is it true, Captain is alive?!”
Standing behind her, Hans, one of the mercenaries who shed tears like her, rushed out and shouted.
“Yes! The captain is still alive…! There is still a possibility…!”
She could save the captain. She could witness his glory up close again. There was still a chance to convey her feelings. There was still a chance for redemption.
“What… what should I do? How can I do it quickly… Ah!”
In her spinning mind, Seris remembered the recall scrolls she had kept in her pocket.
“… Just in case, I brought two. I hope I don’t have to use them…”
Before embarking on this mission, it was the recall scrolls that the captain entrusted to her. Each one was a valuable item worth several gold coins.
“Ha… Hans!”
“Yes, Vice Captain!”
“From now on, you are the acting captain. Quickly assess the situation, gather the loot, and return to the village of Leria!”
“What?! Then, Vice Captain… what about you?”
“I and the Chief will quickly return with this scroll.”
“Understood! Please go quickly!”
In response to Hans’ question, Ceris took out the scroll from his pocket and showed it to him, and Hans quickly agreed.
After a brief bow of gratitude, Ceris immediately began to use the scroll.
“One for me. And one for the Chief… Done!”
Wooong-!
As Ceris attached the scroll containing the coordinates of Leria Village, the mana resonated, and the surrounding space began to vibrate.
“Chief… I will definitely save you…!”
Ku-gwaa-gwaa-gwang-!
At the same time, their view turned around. When they regained their senses, they found themselves in the middle of Leria Village.
-What’s this? Isn’t that the leader and deputy leader of the Scar Mercenary Corps?
-Did they come after fighting a war…?
-What’s with those wounds… Aren’t they already dead?
“I will carry the Chief and run to the infirmary!”
The murmuring around them was no longer audible to Ceris. Right now, Ceris only had one goal in mind: to save the Chief.
“…Ugh.”
As Ceris lifted the Chief and stood up, his whole body twitched and creaked.
Thud-!
He couldn’t just let the Chief die because of such a trivial pain.
Even in a situation where the Chief was in much more pain than him, the Chief willingly saved him.
The transcendent physique and determination of Seris surpassed that of humans, instantly bringing them to the infirmary.
“Ah… please… there’s a patient… please save them…!”
“….Come this way!”
And so, fortunately, they were able to save the director. From the moment they started treating the director until now, a day has passed.
Seris never left the director’s side for even a single moment. They endured fatigue and pain, simply waiting.
“Thank you, Director…”
They cried all night, expressing their gratitude. Thank you for not leaving their side. Thank you for allowing them to stay by your side.
Director, I think I may… be mourning for you.
To the one who guides and leads my life and goals. How can I not have feelings of mourning?
If I can stay by your side, I will overcome any hardship and adversity that may come my way.
Just as you have done for me.
Snnngh-!
While gazing at the director’s peacefully sleeping face, Seris slowly approached their lips.
“I will… convey my feelings.”
If you were to open your eyes and look at me, I would be too embarrassed to do it.
Three inches. Two inches. One inch.
The distance closed, becoming so close that they could even feel each other’s breath-
Flash-
“Vice-Director Seris…?”
“Hu..huh! D-Director…!”
When Venice opened his eyes, Seris’s mission to convey her feelings ended in failure.
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