Chapter 60: Don’t show up in front of me again

“I may die like this… but someday, again…”

“Man, you’re talkative for a loser.”

Ignoring his broken arm, he used his remaining hand to hurl Gungnir, impaling the Demon King through the mouth.

Perhaps because he was exhausted, the Demon King’s head was easily pierced, and he collapsed to the ground.

Thud

The Demon King’s breath ceased.

He’d already been mortally wounded by Ludric’s holy spear, but he had delivered the final blow.

Even with the entire party fighting at full strength, the Demon King had refused to fall.

He’d used the Blood Sky Asura Transformation to briefly access power beyond his limits, creating an opening in the Demon King’s guard.

At that moment, Ludric, empowered by everyone’s strength, used a desperate thrust to exploit the opening, finally bringing the Demon King down.

[You have saved the world by defeating the Demon King.]

[Trait: Savior of the World (S) acquired.]

Seeing the message, he was finally relieved. The system didn’t lie.

And it had no reason to deceive him.

“You cockroach bastard… so damn persistent. Ptooey.”

He spat on the slowly dissipating corpse of the Demon King as a gesture of… respect.

Considering how the Demon King had refused to die even after taking so much damage, he must have been a masochist.

He probably liked being spat on too.

“You did well, Yu-won.”

Ludric, leaning on his holy spear like a staff, extended his fist. He bumped fists with him.

“Yeah, you too, kid. You worked hard.”

Ludric had skillfully managed the strong personalities within the party, preventing conflicts.

He was the true MVP. Without him, they might have fallen apart.

“Are you two just going to ignore me? Praise me too.”

Luina, their elf companion.

Thanks to the Spirit King she summoned, he’d been able to buy time to use the Blood Sky Asura Transformation.

He released Ludric’s fist and patted Luina’s head.

“You did great. We would have been in trouble without you.”

Normally, she would have responded with a cocky “I know,” but today, she was blushing.

Just then, someone pinched his back.

“Ouch!”

“Touching another woman while I’m right here?”

It was Estelle, whom he’d promised to marry after they returned.

“Hey… Luina isn’t really a woman.”

“What! You wanna die?!”

Finally back to her usual self, Luina aimed a kick at his face.

He easily dodged it, and his eyes fell upon something white with a teddy bear on it.

“Seriously, how old are you, still wearing teddy bear panties?”

“You!”

Blushing furiously, she pulled down her skirt and chased after him, intent on murder.

He used his movement technique to escape.

“A pathetic elf who can’t even catch me without spirits.”

“You’re dead when I catch you!”

Estelle and Violeta sighed, watching him tease Luina.

“Really… those two never change.”

“Well, that’s part of their charm. Isn’t it?”

Violeta nudged Estelle, who nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. That’s why I like him.”

Their adventure had come to an end.

Now it was time for them, the saviors of the world, to write a new story.

“Congrats on the wedding, Ludric!”

“Best wishes!”

The grand wedding of Hero Ludric and Imperial Princess Violeta.

He, Estelle, and Luina sat in the front row, offering their sincere congratulations.

The two, who seemed to have been fond of each other, had finally tied the knot, exchanging happy smiles and receiving blessings from everyone.

Estelle caught the bouquet Violeta tossed and whispered in his ear.

“We’re next, right?”

“Of course.”

They’d already planned to get married a month after Ludric’s wedding.

Since it was a large-scale wedding, they decided to give it some time.

The newlyweds needed to go on their honeymoon, and if he and Estelle got married immediately after, Ludric and Violeta wouldn’t be able to attend.

That’s why they’d decided on a month later.

Luina nudged him and slipped a note into his pocket.

She pointed at Estelle and made a shushing gesture, indicating he should read it in secret.

After leaving the venue, he read the note when Estelle wasn’t around.

She wanted to meet him alone tomorrow at 3 pm. He wondered what was going on, but he decided to go and see.

***

The next day, at 3 pm.

When he arrived at the designated meeting place, he saw Luina, not in her usual combat attire, but dressed up.

It was… different, but it suited her.

“Hey, why did you call me?”

Of course, he wasn’t kind enough to offer a straightforward compliment.

“Is that the first thing you say?”

“Then what did you expect?”

“Nothing… in particular…”

He stopped teasing her and offered a compliment.

“You look good today. I like it.”

He’d expected a “You knew, and you still teased me?” type of response, but she said something different.

“Really?”

Seeing her happy expression, he wondered if she’d really eaten something strange yesterday.

“Ahem… anyway, why did you call me?”

She blinked a few times, then patted her chest, shook her head back and forth, and finally, with a resolute expression, spoke.

“I like you.”

‘…?’

His mind went blank. What had she just said?

“Yu-won, I like you.”

At first, he thought she was joking, but she wasn’t. Her expression was serious. Matching her seriousness, he responded,

“Why…? I’ve been mean to you. Shouldn’t you like Ludric instead..?”

He was serious. Throughout their journey, he and Luina had constantly bickered, and Ludric was the one who mediated and acted kindly towards everyone.

Why would she like him instead of Ludric?

“Ludric? He’s a good guy, definitely. There’s no one like him in the world. He has great abilities and a matching personality. He’s a hero straight out of a storybook.”

And with his handsome face, he was a walking heartthrob.

“But he’s kind to everyone. You’re different. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Who has truly been protecting us all along.”

She continued,

“You’re always the one taking on the most dangerous roles, killing people for our sake. When those we spared came back to haunt us, you dealt with them secretly and acted like nothing happened.”

It was all true.

“You took on all that burden alone because you didn’t want us to feel conflicted or hurt by having to kill. Am I wrong?”

“…You’re right.”

“Even when we were exhausted, you kept watch alone, and when we woke up, you pretended to have slept with us by turning off the lights and lying down. I knew everything you did for us.”

He’d underestimated an elf’s senses.

He’d thought no one would notice, but someone had been watching him all along.

“And… when you stopped me from leaving the Great Forest, I know it was you who went to the elders and persuaded them. You asked them what you could do to let me go, and you fulfilled all their requests.”

That was also true.

He’d lost a considerable amount of his accumulated resources to the elders of the Great Forest.

He’d considered it a worthwhile trade for gaining a valuable companion.

“Is it so strange that I like you, knowing all that?”

He understood. Honestly, if he were Luina and a man had done all that for him, he would have fallen for him long ago. But the problem was, he was that man.

“No. But I’m sorry. I can’t accept your feelings.”

“You accepted Estelle’s, didn’t you? Is it because I’ve been mean to you? I’m sorry… This is my first time liking someone, so I didn’t know how to express it…”

She knelt before him.

“I’ll do anything you ask. Anything… so please… don’t say no…”

He’d wanted a life far removed from women, yet they kept flocking to him. Was it because they misinterpreted his actions, which weren’t aligned with his intentions?

Or perhaps he was the one acting in a way that invited misunderstandings.

He might have been more relaxed around her, thinking she wouldn’t possibly fall for him when someone like Ludric was around.

But he couldn’t do this anymore.

He’d already committed an unforgivable sin by accepting Estelle.

He had to end this, even if it meant making Luina hate him forever.

Trying to hide the telltale signs of lying that Estelle had told him about, he began to speak harsh words he didn’t mean.

“Are you crazy? Do you think I’d like you just because you do this?”

Her face fell.

“I put up with your foul temper because you’re useful, and now you’re confessing your love? This is ridiculous.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood speechless.

But he couldn’t waver. If he didn’t end this here, she would only be hurt more.

“I don’t care if you offer me a mountain of treasures, it’s useless. Don’t disgust me, know your place, and stop trying to cling to me. You’re annoying.”

Luina collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, her cries echoing as if the world had ended.

He could only stare at her, speechless.

“Fine, I’ll give you this. Take it and never appear before me again, you crazy.”

He removed the now unnecessary Gungnir and tossed it before her, then slowly walked away.

Her cries intensified, and she begged him not to leave, but he continued walking.

‘Yes, this is it. This is the right thing to do.’

This was his fault, because he was a terrible person.

Luina had done nothing wrong. He’d failed to properly reject Estelle, but this time, he’d succeeded.

Looking in the mirror, he saw a disgusting piece of trash who had hurt a precious companion, and he retched repeatedly.

Luina never appeared before him again.