728 – 8. Last Words
A thick headache passes through my mind.
The sky, which had been pouring out a snowstorm, was letting out a fierce howl. The crack in the barrier that had begun to reveal itself spread uncontrollably.
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It only lasts a moment until the rupture occurs.
The iron bars imprisoning the academy turned into particles of pure white light. The gray sky cleared, and the world of pure white snow finally enjoyed the full blessing of the sun.
It was right after that that my consciousness became a little clearer.
My eyes, which had been observing the area with a hazy mind, immediately turned somewhere. A girl was dragging her body, clutching her head and moaning.
Embers were fluttering from that small body.
“Oh, no…” ….”
The voice is trembling, and the light gradually returns to the empty yellow-brown eyes.
Just as a light that has been turned off is turned on.
“I, I…” What… ….”
Contraction, expansion.
The pupils moved uncontrollably, as if the optic nerve was broken. Then, suddenly, the focus begins to waver, and a voice comes out through the lips.
There was only a deep question in that tone.
“Why me…… ?”
I took a step. I was still shaking because the headache wasn’t going away, but it was bearable.
At some point, the girl’s voice was filled with fear and not just moisture.
“My, I…” What did you do… Le, why is Leto…… ?”
Groaning, I was about to take another step.
“No… No, no, no! I never thought of that…… !”
An unusual event occurred.
Paak, and do it.
A bloody whip flew out of nowhere and struck the back of Celine’s neck. Even without that, it was inevitable that her consciousness, which had reached its limit, would be cut off, and lines of magical power resembling her fresh blood wrapped around her body one after another.
It was only a moment until the girl disappeared before her eyes.
It was an exquisite move aimed at a time when I couldn’t come to my senses. However, I had no intention of being tolerated like this.
A seething image opens. Although it wasn’t in perfect condition yet, I was confident that I would be able to withstand one or two enemies.
If it weren’t for the strange voice that came right away.
A soft tone flowed into my eardrums.
“Don’t be like that, brother.”
Whoop, my gaze went straight to the epicenter. There was a person there, exactly as I expected.
Jet black hair that does not let in a single ray of light catches the eye. Soon, golden eyes that do not lose their shine even under the midday sun, and the alluring smile of a girl with a familiar face.
I always wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t. The fact that the same blood as mine flows through that body.
“Your body isn’t perfect yet, right? You shouldn’t overdo it… “Someday, love with me has to come to fruition.”
Her sister, whom she met after a long time, said so. While squinting,
The hesitation was short. No matter how large the continent was, there was no way there could be two women this crazy.
A girl who truly wants to have a child with her brother.
I didn’t even laugh out loud. Instead, I just strengthened the hand holding the sword handle.
“I still have enough power to kill you.”
“It happens again, again~”
Despite the ferocious threat that scratched her vocal cords, the woman’s expression did not change.
On the contrary, even his composure was evident in his slightly smiling face. As always, the girl’s golden eyes shine with a magical light.
As if he was trying to enchant me.
“You don’t have any intention of killing me anyway.”
“No, you want to kill me right now? “If you want to live, just give Celine away and leave.”
“hehehe, it’s too embarrassing…” Well, that’s it! “More than that.”
As expected, ‘Greed’ still boasted a smooth tongue. With his skillful speaking skills that naturally turned his head, I wondered for a moment whether I should draw my sword even now.
I suddenly realized that Celine’s body color was a little strange. Originally, all strength should have been used up a long time ago.
Fragments of power were still fluttering like embers. Even the ominous magical power I felt in her body was the same, so I had no choice but to be cautious.
Because it was an unexpected situation.
Of course, the girl did not pay any attention to my concerns and continued to say what she wanted to say.
“Amazing, oppa! When did you become so strong? And to deceive Omeros… How blasphemous! Awesome!”
It was a sincere compliment.
Her eyes were sparkling, and there was no malice in the way she looked at me. Should I say that she is truly pure affection?
Yes, that feeling is not only pure, but even resembles mania.
If I left it like this, he would keep courting me for a long time like a patient with a fever. Before doing so, I decided to ask directly.
“What is the purpose of taking Celine? “The contract would have already been cancelled.”
“Huh, huh? Ah… that.”
The girl’s voice, which had been cheering at the direct question, stopped. Even though it was only a moment.
The woman’s lips drew a line into a smirk.
“Because the contract hasn’t been canceled yet?”
It didn’t take long for my impression to become distorted.
Just before I asked, “What does that mean?”
“Oh my… Brother, how valuable are the feelings of a powerless girl? That might make you stronger to some extent, but… “There’s no way I could handle this much power.”
“But Celine actually…” ….”
“Thanks to the relics of the Seven Sins.”
I was at a loss for words.
Because it was just as he said. Immediately after signing a contract with her evil spirit, Celine was shown to be overpowering the ‘High Expert’, but she was never this strong.
If there is an opportunity for extraordinary growth, there is only one.
Only the ‘relics of the Seven Sins’.
The girl spoke as if she was reading my inner thoughts.
“There are not enough offerings.”
“I guess the sacrifice will be from Celine?”
“Still, it’s the same. Unlike the favoritists in heaven, evil spirits prefer fair dealings. Even if the reward is collected mercilessly, at least give an appropriate reward.”
So does that mean it was meaningless?
As her expression turned grim, the girl giggled and burst into laughter. She offered her own consolation.
“Don’t be so depressed, brother. Because it definitely worked… The strength of the contract has become very weak. “It’s hard to turn back at this level.”
“If that’s the case, I can’t even pass it up.”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand~”
Her young smile was bright on the lips of the girl who held her hands together with her partner.
“No matter how weak the contract is, the restraint is valid. It may be less than before, but… Does he come back to his senses once in a while? hehehe, it’s a time bomb so to speak. “But you really want to take her back?”
Okay, I said.
I let out a soft moan and looked away. Even though I didn’t listen, I knew roughly what they wanted to say.
“Can you handle it? So far, I can force it, but… “What if there’s another accident?”
That’s right.
What if Celine, who was brought in saying she had regained her sanity, acts according to Delphirem’s will again?
It was obvious that even if the contract was truly broken later, no one would trust it. The girl came to me after completing all these calculations.
Or, maybe I created a new logic after coming here.
Either way, it was clear that I didn’t have much in the way of rebuttal.
“What do you think, brother? “It would be better if I took you with me, right?”
But, there is only one thing.
“No.”
There was one factor that ‘greed’ failed to calculate. At my answer, the girl widened her eyes and gave me an unexpected look.
For me, it was an extremely absurd treatment.
“If you take me anyway, the unwanted slaughter will just repeat itself. Also, did I look stupid enough to miss the enemy’s power like this?”
“The world doesn’t really matter, right? “I don’t mind if humanity perishes as long as I have you.”
“I’m not.”
There were no loopholes in my assertion. Because it was such a strong decision.
The answer I found after falling apart countless times.
“I promised.”
Hmm, the girl closed her eyes and began to tilt her head.
Tip to the left, twitch to the right.
A faint sigh escaped the woman’s mouth as she crossed her arms and pondered for a while.
“I can’t help it… I’m glad that my brother has become so strong, but this is a bit difficult. “Because I can’t deal with you alone.”
“I know well. “Leave Celine and go away quietly.”
It was an ultimatum.
In fact, it was also her mercy not to take the girl’s life on this occasion. Because she was an opponent worth risking her life for, no matter how messed up my body was.
Is it because ‘greed’ also knows this well?
She obediently raised her hands and expressed her surrender.
“Yes, yes…” Then.”
Right after that.
The space behind the girl’s back began to tear. As it happened to me several times, I didn’t let my guard down either.
Just before swinging the sword, ‘Greed’ dragged Celine’s body in front of me. Like a shield.
That one moment of hesitation was decisive.
The girl quickly escaped into the gap in the torn space, and my sword split the empty air. It’s truly a narrow difference.
It was around this time that I was swearing and trying to hit the ground.
Suddenly, I felt the space next to me open. What on earth was I going to do, just as my sword was about to emit light again?
Let’s do it.
The lips of a girl who appeared through space touched my cheek. As my eyes, frozen in embarrassment, turned towards that direction, ‘Greed’, who only showed her upper body from beyond the space, smiled and waved her hand.
“This is my gift, see you next time!”
And then ran away again.
After making a dumbfounded expression for a while, a hollow laugh came out of my mouth. The problem was that she looked exactly like my younger sister.
There is hesitation mixed in when you actually have to cut down.
As I realized my lack of mental discipline, I ran my hands over my face. Still, there was hope.
The girl said. Sometimes Celine will come to her senses.
In that case, there may be a way to increase the frequency of coming to sanity while maintaining the ‘contract’.
Once the purpose was clear, there was no need to hesitate. Rather than ‘breaking’ the contract, this would be much less restrictive.
I couldn’t give up. Because.
“Leto… ….”
Because it was my best friend’s last gamble.
Okay, I gritted my teeth and made a decision.
“Wait just a moment.”
He will be proven right.
I will do whatever it takes.
But I didn’t have time to feel the lingering effects of the long story. As soon as he saw me come home after completing the remaining business, a knight hurriedly came back and spoke.
“Sir Ian! Well, the swordsman…… !”
He had a pale complexion. I looked like I was going to run out of breath at any moment, and when I slightly frowned, the driver looked like he was going to cry and whispered something to me.
It was right after that that I hit the ground.
The scene that appeared before me as I ran without a break was that of an old man barely able to raise his upper body from his hospital bed.
He was a ‘sword gong (劍公)’.
Master of the Empire and the strongest swordsman on the continent.
“Are you here?”
He spoke in a calm tone, with white bandages wrapped all over his body.
“It is ‘Delphirem.'”
The name of the person who left a wound that would take my life.
“Ian Perkus.”
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I thought in a daze, listening to that voice in a daze.
“Go to Heavenly Sword Mountain.”
Is this a will?
Or is it fate?
The road leads straight to the mountain path. To the hideout of swordsmen who have turned their backs on the world, to the place where my junior left.