Regret is Always Too Late (1)

It wasn’t an ordinary cargo carriage that common people ride, nor was it a luxurious carriage that nobles ride.

A carriage with an emblem shaped like a book stamped on it, the kind of carriage that a scholar might ride.

It seemed like a carriage that shouldn’t need to be paid attention to.

At least, it shouldn’t have any connection to Scarlet, just the kind of carriage that should pass by without either party being interested in the other.

However, Scarlet stopped her horse right after passing the carriage.

“Why are you stopping?”

Scarlet didn’t even hear Serad’s question.

The face of the man she happened to see inside the carriage window as they passed by.

Even if he didn’t see Scarlet, she clearly saw him.

Because they were running through fields without villages, the curtains on the carriage windows weren’t drawn.

There were hardly any people who would carefully look at those riding inside, and especially since those coming from the opposite direction were on horseback.

In such a coincidence, Scarlet had seen it.

The face she couldn’t forget even in her dreams — it was Johannes Spielvan.

“W-Wait…!?”

Due to the sudden turn of the horse’s head, Serad almost fell off.

Scarlet, who didn’t even care about her, quickly turned her horse’s head and headed towards the carriage.

“First, breathe. Yona, let’s breathe. Take a deep breath. I’m here! I’m right here! Hey! Stay still, stay still!”

Alec was hugging Yona’s waist with all his might.

That was the best he could do.

Of course, Alec was also flustered, but it was fortunate that Alec grabbed Yona first even in that confusion.

“How dare he show his face here—————!!!!”

Yona’s roar echoed across the desolate field.

Yona, whose anger had risen again, was raging with her eyes gleaming, as if ready to kill Scarlet right away.

‘Ugh…!’

Alec was trying to calm Yona down while holding her waist with all his might, but even that was becoming difficult.

That’s how enraged Yona was.

“…Apostate, I have no business with you.”

“What—?!”

“Sekti!”

Yona’s shout and Alec’s cry overlapped at the same time.

But Scarlet, standing at the place where those voices were directed, just stood still as if it didn’t matter.

“Senior—!”

“Shut up!”

Alec was breaking out in a cold sweat.

He had no idea how to handle this situation.

“Kaiyak, help me, help me!”

Kaiyak, who had been watching from behind, let out a long sigh.

It was partly because it didn’t seem like a situation he could intervene in, but more than that, the situation itself was incomprehensible.

Kaiyak also knew well the cathedral knight in silver armor.

He couldn’t help but know her because they had traveled together for quite a long time, and above all, she was the one who had tried to harm Yona.

So Kaiyak didn’t have good feelings either, but it didn’t seem like something Yona should be raging about to this extent.

When Yona rescued Alec, Kaiyak was hiding in her demonic energy.

Therefore, Kaiyak didn’t know that it was Scarlet who had tortured Alec so cruelly.

So he understood this situation even less.

But thinking that response was more important than understanding for now, Kaiyak approached Yona and grabbed her shoulders.

“Yona, calm down. It seems Alec has some business. Alec, you too, quickly sort this out—”

And that’s when it happened.

Through the demonic energy that Yona was suppressing to just rising due to Alec, Scarlet strode forward.

And then, as Alec was about to take a breather after handing Yona over to Kaiyak, Scarlet knelt before him.

“Senior…! Finally, finally I’ve met you, Senior…!”

And then she took off her helmet.

As soon as the helmet came off, a young girl’s face was revealed.

The bright red hair that was exposed seemed to explain why her name was Scarlet.

Her eyes, brimming with tears, were full of affection.

The man reflected in her pupils.

The image of Johannes, who had become even more manly than in her memories.

“Senior…!”

“What Senior, just get lost—! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you! Let go, Kaiyak! I said let go!”

Yona, held by Kaiyak’s strong hands, couldn’t break free.

It was natural since, although she was called a saint, her physical abilities hadn’t increased, just her holy power.

Kaiyak held onto the struggling Yona even more tightly.

“It’s a meeting between teacher and student, isn’t it? A senior-junior relationship? Anyway. Why don’t you just watch for a bit, Yona.”

“What senior-junior, how can I just watch when this junior tried to kill Senior—!”

Scarlet flinched at Yona’s shout.

Like a broken doll, as if making a creaking sound, Scarlet raised her head towards Yona.

“Y-You, apostate. Do you think I don’t know… that you seduced Senior… with that filthy body…?”

“What…?!”

Yona froze stiff at Scarlet’s words.

She couldn’t not understand the meaning of being seduced by that body, but more than that, it was because it was so absurd.

“You, what are you saying now.”

Alec stood in front of Scarlet.

He was trying to block Scarlet’s view so she couldn’t see Yona, but at this sight of Alec, Scarlet slowly rose from her kneeling position.

“That filthy whore who has blinded Senior’s eyes, I must kill her even now…”

Scarlet, whose light had already disappeared, drew out a mace from behind her back.

A bit of holy power flowed in, and soon sharp spikes sprouted from the iron head of the mace, turning it into a morning star.

“Scarlet, calm down! Cal—!”

Alec couldn’t finish his words.

The demonic energy surging from behind him was so explosive that even he couldn’t handle it, and with that expansive force, Alec barely stood his ground and turned to look at Yona.

Demonic energy was rising like a dragon’s ascent.

In that demonic energy burning with a dark red light, only Yona’s figure was clear, and her orange eyes gleaming was enough to feel ominous just by looking at them.

“Alec, move aside. If you’re going to tell me to be patient after hearing such abusive language, I’ll forcibly move you out of the way.”

Yona’s voice had cooled down.

Her mind had become cool as if hit by cold water from the sudden abusive language directed at her.

Indeed, it would be right to kill Scarlet here and go.

She should have killed her from the beginning.

Although she had shown a bit of mercy because of that physique reminiscent of Bigrind, indeed, indeed, all the Celestine Church people are completely rotten.

“It would be better to kill her. No matter how I look at it, she will only be a hindrance in the future. So, I’ll kill her cleanly.”

Yona muttered as she raised her demonic energy.

The demonic energy that couldn’t be fully released was also rising from the corners of her mouth, and her saint’s robe was dyed in a dark red light instead of its usual black color.

“If that whore disappears, Senior will return to me. He’ll return to the Celestine Church…”

Pure white holy power was continuously rising from Scarlet’s morning star as well.

Holy power was also rising from the armor she was wearing, and Yona and Scarlet glared at each other, raising demonic energy and holy power as if ready to kill each other at any moment.

Just as they were raising their auras as if about to rush at each other—

• • Bam!

 

• • Clang!

A fierce impact sound rang out.

Dusty sand rose up, and when the dust finally settled, Scarlet was sprawled on the ground with a dumbfounded expression.

“…That’s enough, Scarlet. I won’t stand by if you insult Yona any further.”

Alec was holding his shield.

With just one strike of the shield, it was a strong enough impact to make Scarlet roll over.

This situation occurred with just a shield, without holding any weapon in his hand.

“S-Senior…?”

“Yona, you calm down too. I’ll make sure to get an apology, so calm down.”

Alec approached Yona.

As soon as he touched the fiercely burning demonic energy, the holy power he was emitting became a whitish smoke from his skin with a crackling sound of sparks flying.

“Calm down, Yona.”

The closer Alec got to Yona, the more violently the holy power rising from his skin reacted.

This must be causing tremendous pain, but Alec didn’t hesitate at all.

With cold sweat streaming down his face, Alec approached within arm’s reach of Yona.

“…Stop coming closer, you baldy. You’ll get hurt.”

The demonic energy gradually subsided.

Her rage, which had been burning madly, also lost its momentum and subsided as she looked at Alec.

“I’m sorry, Yona.”

Alec reached out his hand.

Although the demonic energy had calmed down at some point, its remnants still remained, so every time Alec’s hand touched Yona’s cheek, there was a tingling sensation.

Nevertheless, Alec caressed Yona’s cheek, and then stretched out his arm to gently embrace her.

It wasn’t a fierce hug, but Yona didn’t resist and let herself be held at Alec’s gesture.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to hear such things, Yona.”

While holding her, Alec stroked Yona’s hair.

Pain or whatever, that wasn’t important now.

Right now, Yona was the most important.

“So, let me sort this out. I’ll definitely sort it out.”

Yona, who was about to say, “You, what are you—She tried to kill you—”, stopped speaking at Alec’s voice whispering in her ear.

“Don’t worry. You’re the most important to me. You’re my first priority, my second priority, my third priority. You’re my everything. Don’t worry, and trust me.”

At those words, the strength left Yona’s body.

Yona, who had been moving her lips several times as if to say something, let out a deep sigh.

“…That’s unfair, how can I say anything when you talk like that.”

Only after hearing Yona’s response did Alec release her.

Alec, leaving a meaningful glance at Kaiyak, turned around to look at Scarlet.

In that gaze, there was not a trace of the warmth that had been directed towards Yona.