Salvation (2)

“Are you really not hurt?! Or did that bastard do something to you, Lillith…?”

“Ah, no… I’m perfectly fine, really…”

If I had to point something out, my arm that Ethan had grabbed earlier was slightly throbbing, but I couldn’t possibly complain about something like that to the person who saved me. It’d be like demanding compensation from someone who pulled you out of drowning.

If Ethan had been even a moment later, I might have been dragged into that mental world with no way to return. Right now, I didn’t even have enough time to properly express my endless gratitude to Ethan.

“That aside, how did you even know? The gap was so small you probably couldn’t even see my face when I was almost being pulled in.”

“…Just had a feeling. Like I sensed Lillith was there.”

“Huh?”

“I saw a space slowly closing with just a hand visible, and somehow I knew it had to be Lillith’s. I’m glad I wasn’t too late, Lillith.”

“……”

He figured out I was being dragged away by Machart just by seeing a hand? It somehow felt both deeply moving and eerily terrifying at the same time.

No, no. I decided to just be grateful for now. The intensity of Ethan’s obsession with me was a problem to think about later. After all, there was a more pressing issue at hand.

“…What a shame. I thought I almost had it.”

Since Ethan pulled me out, Machart apparently saw no reason to remain in that space either, as he opened his mental world again and reappeared.

From the outside, it looked like he was stepping out through a tear in the air. Once outside, he stood at a slight distance from Ethan and me, muttering as he observed us.

“I was surprised you found her so quickly amidst all that commotion, but you don’t seem to be that hero guy.”

“…So it was your doing after all. I wondered why Lady Blaze’s disguise magic suddenly disappeared, only for Prince Antonio to pop out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, fun wasn’t it? Thanks to that, the hero and his party seem to be stuck in the banquet hall. I worried for nothing.”

Thanks to Ethan, I managed to escape from Machart’s mental world, but the battle between me and Machart wasn’t over yet.

In fact, you could say it’s only just begun. Until now, fighting Machart alone was practically hopeless, but with Ethan – a Sword Expert – now on my side, we stood a decent chance.

‘His sword… no, his entire body is radiating blue energy. Has he fully bloomed?’

Before this, he’d only occasionally dipped his toes into the Expert realm, but the energy flowing from Ethan now suggested he’d nearly reached full bloom.

I’d seen something similar during the Kraken subjugation battle too. Though back then, it faded after the fight ended, so I thought it was temporary.

Given how he sometimes reached Expert level during spars with Harold too, I guessed Ethan might be the type who grows stronger in life-or-death battles.

Considering how disproportionately strong Ethan was for an early-game villain in the original game during mid-boss fights, he definitely seemed like someone who becomes stronger when lives are at stake. Whether this was Ethan’s unique trait or just coincidentally similar to the game’s mechanics, I couldn’t say.

-Thud.

After getting out of Ethan’s arms, I gripped my daggers in both hands, readying myself for the real fight. In any case, it would still take time for Gyeotmwa Josyegigot and Celista to arrive, so until then, Ethan and I had to handle Machart alone.

“Be careful, Ethan. Above all, we must avoid getting sucked into his world.”

“…Got it, Lillith.”

“Planning to hold out until the other heroes arrive? Sorry, but you’re already too late!”

“Damn…!”

With Machart’s words, the surroundings darkened again. The scenery losing color made me panic momentarily, but once I took in the changed environment, I quietly smiled to myself.

Unlike the deep darkness of Machart’s true mental world that I’d experienced before, I could instantly tell this space was just a bluff – something he’d created to intimidate us.

“Recapturing someone who once entered my domain is easier than stepping on a crawling ant. How unfortunate. You came to rescue your beloved fiancée only to get captured together.”

It was a bluff. If he’d really had such an ability, he could have attacked me within the academy grounds, and there would have been no need for that chase through the palace gardens earlier.

Machart’s mental world, created through physical contact, was dangerous enough to make moving even an arm or leg difficult, but this non-contact version wasn’t much of a threat.

Here, Machart couldn’t completely overwhelm both me and Ethan. This was essentially just an arena for our second all-out battle, which was probably why he’d saved it until now.

Of course, since it was his created space, Machart could use his unique abilities more efficiently, but the same applied to me and Ethan. Especially for me – now that we were outside the palace grounds, the restrictions on my magic use were gone.

Even in his created space, in a magic vs. magic battle, I could hold my own. With Ethan as an ally, the chances of both of us being defeated were slim.

“‘Captured together’? Don’t make me laugh.”

“…Hmm.”

“To me, any world without Lillith is the fake one. As long as she’s by my side, this place might as well be the real world.”

“……”

…God, how embarrassing, seriously.

Whether he said it intentionally or not, Ethan’s words made my face burn. At least the monochrome surroundings hid my flushed face.

Even Machart seemed momentarily flustered by Ethan’s response, though he quickly regained his composure and continued.

“No need to show off in front of a girl. Facing death, men and women all become the same.”

“……”

“And honestly, I never had any interest in you anyway. No grudge between us. I’d rather not fight if possible.”

“Your tongue wags meaninglessly. Even with your demon-enhanced power, you lack confidence to face both me and Lillith at once?”

“Within this space, I can crush you both as I please. If you think I’m bluffing, ask the girl beside you – she knows best.”

“……”

Having entered his space twice now, Machart apparently thought I’d be terrified of it.

Well, if I were truly ignorant of his patterns, I might have despaired at being pulled back in. But I’d cleared 『Luminor Academy』 24.9 times – I was practically an ancient veteran of the game.

After cutting down Machart’s arrogant face twenty-five times in-game, how could I not recognize this pattern? If Ethan asked, I could immediately explain this space’s weaknesses and how Machart was bluffing…

“Unnecessary.”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

“I believe I made myself clear. Whatever this space may be, to me, only the world where Lillith exists is real.”

“……”

“……”

“The greatest reason I wield my sword is for Lillith’s sake. No matter how much you try to intimidate me or threaten me to abandon her, it’s pointless. Such a thing won’t happen even if my bones turn to dust. Rather than live a coward’s life leaving Lillith behind, I’ll stand as her shield. Harming even a hair on Lillith would require tearing me apart first.

And even if you’re an enemy I cannot defeat, I’d rather fight beside Lillith to the end in this unknown world than flee alone. That’s both the reason I began learning the sword and what it has led me to.”

What kind of thoughts does he normally have to spout such cringeworthy lines so smoothly without stumbling?

Meanwhile, listening beside him, I could barely lift my head from sheer secondhand embarrassment at Ethan’s knightly declaration.

…Somehow, I had a feeling that when today ended, I’d find it hard to look Ethan in the face again – though for entirely different reasons than before.