episode_0090

– Mom, I have something to tell you.

Walk through the forest and run forward.

The strong wind that followed blew past my face.

“Alina…a little faster..!!”

“Okay, hold on tight, miss.”

As Alina gave the reins a shove, the horse galloped forward at an even faster pace.

– Athena… I might die soon.

Kkadak-

Feeling anxious, I hugged Alina’s waist tighter.

After hearing Marie’s words, I continued to run without rest.

‘no.’

That can’t be true.

Athena is dying.

But suddenly her appearance changed.

I was so bothered by the way he let me go without any regrets.

Marie, who has returned to being a dragon and is now sitting on my shoulder.

She rubbed her tiny face against my cheek as if to calm me down.

“Heh…heh!! Can’t you just slow down a little..?”

Sephir, who was flying next to me with her wings fluttering, exhaled heavily and spoke.

She was drenched in sweat and had a look on her face like she was going to die.

It wasn’t strange at all. They had been running nonstop for hours already.

“…..Sorry Sephir. I’m almost there, so please bear with me for a little longer..!”

I looked ahead again.

In the distance, the outline of Athena’s mansion began to appear.

I never imagined I would be back so soon, but I couldn’t ignore Marie’s words.

‘I just saw your face and then I left again.’

It’s not like I wanted to come back here again.

Just need to resolve this awkward feeling.

I’m just going to make sure she’s okay and then leave again.

“You’ve arrived, miss.”

The main gate of the mansion suddenly comes into view.

I quickly got off my horse and ran over there.

But before I could even enter the main gate, I.

I met a completely unexpected person.

A large body.

A man wearing a fluttering Japanese-style kimono.

“…You…?

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

I couldn’t see his face clearly because his hat was pulled down low.

His bushy beard growing thickly downward and the mysterious aura he exuded already gave off his appearance.

“…Black..”

He looked at Marie, who was standing on my shoulder, for a moment, then opened his eyes wide and made a surprised expression.

“….I can’t believe it. To have a dragon called a natural disaster by your side. What on earth is your true identity?”

“Why are you here?”

At my words, Geomseong sighed and took out a small piece of paper from his bosom.

“I got a call.”

I took the paper from him. There was only one short letter left on the paper, which could hardly be called writing.

– Don’t look for me.

“……”

“I came here because I was worried… but Athena is no longer here.”

Geumseong said as he took off his hat

“My lady. Did something happen with her?”

And then the blacksmith asks himself.

But the look in his eyes as he said that was looking at me sadly, as if he already knew everything.

.

.

.

I told him.

What happened with Athena.

Of course I didn’t say it properly.

As for the matter with Athena, I didn’t even want to bring it up.

But she couldn’t be by her side any longer. The color of the soul that Marie had seen in her. And she explained to him to some extent what it meant.

Since he was one of the few people who was close to Athena, I felt I had to say this much.

“I see.”

Geomseong smiles bitterly with a shallow smile.

‘Now is not the time.’

It didn’t matter why Geomseong came here.

What was scaring his heart right now was that Athena was not here.

Athena’s attitude suddenly changed. The color of the soul that Mari saw. The note left for Geomsung.

All of those things were making him anxious right now.

“Athena…Do you know where Athena is?”

I asked him urgently. He thought deeply for a moment, then sighed and said,

“I guess so. But…”

His words seemed to hold a glimmer of hope.

“Where is that?!”

He hesitated for a moment without answering my question.

But after looking at my desperate expression for a moment, he finally opened his mouth.

“Athena is definitely not the type to take her own life. But. she could probably throw her life away in a reckless fight.”

“…A fight, huh..?”

“Yeah. A fight to the death.”

A fight so big that Athena would die.

She was no match for even the main character.

Who on earth could kill her like that?

“That kind of person…”

“Isn’t there one? Our enemy. A terrifying being with overwhelming power. ”

His words pierced my brain like a tangible memory.

There was.

Even Athena, who was known as invincible, was an opponent she could never defeat.

“….Ma..King.?”

“This is just a guess. If she really intended to die as the young lady said, then that would probably be the most likely.”

“…..”

“And even if that’s true, there’s no way for us. The Demon Realm isn’t an easy place to enter.”

Boom-boom-

My heart was pounding hard.

The anxiety gradually turned into reality and was squeezing me.

“Ah..I don’t think so.”

It’s the Demon World.

It was a place where only the demons could enter without permission. Even if they did enter, they wouldn’t be able to survive. You went to that harsh place alone?

To really die?

…No, Athena?

You’re not really thinking such stupid things, are you?

But there was no way to confirm whether it was true or not.

As the swordsman said, the Demon World is a place that can only be reached through magic.

If I were to walk there myself, I knew I would have to go to some underground passage known only to certain people.

“The Demon World…The Demon World…How…”

When I was biting my nails and worrying anxiously.

“Umm..over there..”

Sephir, who had been standing quietly behind me, carefully revealed her pink hair.

“Huh?”

After looking at Sephir, Geomseong frowned once and then placed his hand on the scabbard.

Then sharp auras began to swirl around him.

“I guess I’m really rusty. I didn’t even notice that there was a demon next to me.”

“Hiyaaah?! Wait a minute?!!!!!”

“It’s noisy.”

As Geomseong drew his sword from its scabbard.

A pure white sword appeared outside with a creepy, rustling sound.

“Hey hey hey hey… Stop that old man, Hera!!”

Sephir, who was terrified by the swordsman’s murderous intent, quickly ran behind me and started trembling.

“As expected of a demon, you are so mean. Hiding behind a good person. It is useless. There is nowhere my sword cannot reach.”

“Wait?!!! Wait!!!!!!!”

“Don’t worry, young lady. It’ll be over in an instant.”

“…Geumseong-nim, wait a minute-”

Just when I was about to explain to him.

Sephir, who was shaking his head vigorously while sweating profusely, shut his eyes tightly and screamed.

“If it’s the Demon World, I can take you there!!!!”

“….Hmm?”

“What..?”

A sound came out of Geomseong’s mouth and mine at the same time.

As I opened my eyes wide and looked at Sephir, she immediately continued speaking urgently.

“I..even though I was a commander, I can easily open a passage to the Demon World..!!”

“…Now that I think about it, I think I’ve seen it somewhere.”

The blacksmith stared at Sephir for a moment as if he was piercing through him.

He immediately turned his gaze to me and asked.

“My lady. Do you happen to know me?”

It wasn’t my intention, but I was so distracted by Sephir’s remarks that I ended up ignoring what he said.

I immediately grabbed Sephir’s shoulder and spoke to her.

“Sephire..! Can you take me to the Demon World right now?”

Sephir’s words seemed to offer a ray of hope.

“Let’s put down the sword,” she replied with a sigh of relief.

“I can take you. But it’s too dangerous. ”

As soon as Sephir finished speaking, Mari got down from my shoulder and transformed back into a girl.

“I can protect you.”

She looked up at me with sharp eyes and said:

“I have to go, Mom. Right?”

“Marie…”

It’s just like Marie said.

If I could go, there was no reason to hesitate.

Even if Athena isn’t there, we still have to check.

And. this ominous feeling that kept making me anxious was telling me that I couldn’t delay any longer.

I spoke to Sephir in a serious voice.

“Sephire. Take me now.”

“Ugh..”

While Sephir was thinking for a moment.

Geomseong put his sword back in its scabbard and took a step closer to us.

“Let’s go together. If I’m here, you’ll be able to survive.”

“..Mr. Geomseong.”

He was looking down at me with a somewhat curious expression.

“You seem to have a strange charm that captivates life.”

“….Huh?”

“No, hurry up. I don’t feel so good.”

Sephir grabbed my hand tightly with a determined expression on his face.

“Whew. Okay. Just Hera. Promise me.”

Sephir, who was speaking like that, gave me a request with a very serious expression on his face, different from before.

“If you get into any trouble, I’ll open the door again and you run away right away. Okay? ”

There was no time to delay any longer.

I gave her the answer right away.

“Okay. Okay. ”

“And. If by any chance you happen to run into the Demon King, then you really must come out without looking back.”

“Yeah.”

Adversary.

It was a name that gave a strong shock enough to make my heart pound, but it was soon forgotten as it was buried in my anxiety towards Athena.

After finishing his request, Sephir let out a short sigh and immediately released his magical power into the air.

The mana scattered in the atmosphere soon began to resonate and changed into a door-like shape.

Across the door, a vast red sky stretches out.

I don’t hesitate.

I ran straight to the door.

I sincerely hope that the swordsman’s prediction is wrong.

But there’s always this ominous feeling of foreboding.

Damn it, it always happens.

* * *

“Huh…? Why is the Demon King’s Castle…”

Sephir looks ahead with trembling eyes.

In front of us, there was a building that was so destroyed that it could not even be called a castle, leaving only the remains.

“There is.”

Was it because I once held her mana in my body?

I feel it.

Her clear mana.

It was telling me that she was in front of me.

Ran.

Without even looking back.

I ran on both feet to where I could feel the energy of mana.

And finally, where my steps stopped.

“Ah…Tena…”

A red-haired woman spreading her huge wings.

And beneath her. Lying there, covered in blood.

There was Athena, breathing shallowly with her eyes closed.

“Athena!!!!!”

From then on, instinct took over.

Ran.

Then Sephir and Alina called out to him in a loud voice, but he did not stop and continued running.

I know.

Going straight to where the Demon King is with your bare body.

If I had any prudence left in me, I wouldn’t have made this choice.

But Athena’s condition made it so that it wouldn’t be strange if she died at any moment that her vision narrowed and she couldn’t think of anything.

The Demon King turned his head and looked at himself.

Her eyes were a similar red color to mine, but they were a darker shade of red than mine, and they widened when they met mine.

But that was only for a moment.

“Please ask Athena.”

Leaving behind only a short message, the Black Sword ran forward at a speed that was impossible to follow with the eyes.

It immediately collided with the Demon King. Like a single bullet, it flew behind him and the Demon King in an instant.

I ran to Athena, who was lying in the spot where the Demon King had disappeared. I quickly checked her condition.

A body with no place to rest.

A pool of her blood formed on the floor.

Her two eyes were tightly shut and not moving at all.

“No…no…Athena…Athena!!!”

No answer comes back.

Even if you shake her body.

No matter how many times I call.

It only lets out a faint breath that wouldn’t be strange if it were to break at any time.

Her eyes were still comfortably closed.

“Please…Athena!!!”

I was so scared that tears almost poured out.

I held back and called her again.

“Hill.”

Marie came up to me without me noticing.

He placed his hands on Athena’s body with a dark expression and began to treat her.

“Mom. First, you have to wake up.”

At Marie’s words, I called her again without hesitation.

But no matter how many times I called, no matter how much I shook her body.

Her eyes were comfortably closed.

Ugh-

I was filled with anger at the sight of her.

As anyone would like.

You’re dropping a fire pit on someone’s heart and trying to kill them like this without permission.

So in the end I.

“Hey you bad boy!!!!!!”

Crash-!!

With enough impact to leave a cold handprint.

He slapped her cheek.

Okay then.

“……Hera…?”

Her golden eyes revealed themselves to the world once again.