Ch.106Farewell

1.

An awkward, faint smile.

“The greatest benefit I can gain right now is to face you, even if just for a moment.”

Those awkward words matching that smile tumbled out before he knew it.

Even in this moment, Bedro’s rational mind continued to spin tightly, searching for advantage.

If he changed his choice now and opted for revenge, the enemy who killed Lia would die instantly.

Simultaneously, he would gain even greater power, which would be useful in killing the remaining enemy, the leader of Ilsik.

After completing his revenge, he could reign as a powerful figure and live comfortably, perhaps even suppressing evil with his own strength and finding ordinary happiness.

But now that he had awakened to emotions thanks to Lia.

Having realized that both the choice of revenge and the choice of forgiveness were all for Lia’s sake.

Bedro held Lia tightly and whispered his true feelings to her.

“And I hope that you’ll be happy, Lia, even if just for that brief moment.”

It was an awkward feeling.

A demon who knew no emotions had clumsily learned love, and then imperfectly conveyed that love back to a demon who once again knew no emotions.

A feeling so incomplete in form that he barely recognized it, not even knowing whether it was familial love or romantic love.

A love that might have disappeared without ever being conveyed had it been exchanged between people other than Lia and Bedro.

But someone once said.

That treasures are more valuable and precious to those who have lived without and finally grasp them, rather than to those who already hold everything.

The two, having realized they were both demons and feeling emotions for each other after a long time, reached out to each other with even greater tenderness.

So Bedro embraced the motionless, silent Lia and whispered his true feelings.

“I hope you won’t be in pain. I hope you won’t disappear like this.”

Only after feeling emotions did he realize.

That if he had chosen revenge instead of forgiveness, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.

That he would have died emptily without even knowing he was regretting it.

And so this brief farewell time, which he could have only by choosing forgiveness, became more precious than anything to Bedro,

He embraced Lia and squeezed out his awkward feelings without filter.

“Lia. No matter what happens to me… I just want you to be happy.”

Tears flowed down.

Though his sadness was so immature it barely showed, Lia stroked his head and gave a faint smile.

“[I’m glad.]”

A child born with the same fate as herself.

Unlike herself, who had lost everything before understanding love, she hoped the child would understand love before losing the things he loved.

That wish had come true.

Wasn’t it evident just by looking at the strange man who intervened to save Bedro?

That there was someone who would come to save him when he was in danger.

That there was someone who would stop him when he was about to make the wrong choice.

Having realized how important these things were to living happily, Lia held Bedro’s hand and murmured.

“[…I’m really glad.]”

The predetermined fate of the original story, now twisted by someone’s intervention.

This momentary farewell, gained by giving up even the power for revenge, was the most precious time for the current Bedro, so he firmly held Lia’s hand and asked earnestly.

“I’ll do anything… really anything, so tell me. What would make you happy?”

To Bedro’s sincere question, Lia also answered sincerely.

“Can I say two things?”

“As many as you want.”

“Okay. Then just two.”

After a faint smile and a moment’s hesitation, Lia raised her index finger and spoke.

“My revenge. I want you not to carry it out.”

Bedro’s face, which had been waiting for her answer, hardened.

“…Why?”

The truth he had learned through Lia’s memories.

Those who killed Lia were Silas, the Third Elder of Ilsik, and the mysterious First Elder.

“They killed the children.”

Thinking about it now, those children were also precious to Bedro.

And above all,

“They… they killed you, Lia.”

She was Bedro’s world.

From before he understood emotions, until now when he had come to understand them.

She was precious to him, having taken in someone who had been cast out even from the gutters and taught him emotions, and all the happiness she had created,

“They took it all away first.”

Everything Bedro said was true.

At Bedro’s trembling hands, Lia nodded without denying it.

“Yes. As you say, they took everything from me, and everything from you.”

“Knowing that, why…!!”

“Because I killed before that.”

Lia had taken revenge.

She had killed all the heresy inquisitors who had descended upon the village that day, to avenge the old man who had raised her and the village that had disappeared.

“Among them was the younger brother of… well, Silas. Though he was also a heresy inquisitor, he was someone who did his best to stop the excesses of the other inquisitors.”

Revenge.

“Silas, who had retired, wandered looking for me, and the heresy inquisitors, now without a good person among them, eventually turned on the children too. And now it’s your turn, Bedro.”

An endlessly repeating vicious cycle.

“If you kill people for revenge, the tragedy will repeat itself again.”

A conclusion that could only be reached by someone who had originally thought rationally without emotions.

“It needs to stop here. For your sake too.”

“But…!!”

Bedro, who had objected without realizing it, held Lia’s hand tightly and added.

“That’s… that’s too unfair…”

Lost.

Therefore, revenge.

Because otherwise,

“I can’t be the only one who suffers unfairly.”

Revenge repeats.

If no one breaks the cycle, it might continue forever.

So someone had to break it, but the person who did would have to bear the burden alone.

They would have to live their entire life carrying the unfairness and sorrow without resolution.

Lia knew this too, so she embraced Bedro and whispered.

“You said it first. That you’d do anything.”

“That’s…!”

“I don’t care about the leader of Ilsik. That person harms the world. But forgive Uncle Silas. Just as he forgave me.”

And,

“Just as I forgave him.”

Bedro knew.

That what Lia was worried about was not the ‘repeating revenge’ but the safety of Bedro himself, who might someday become a ‘target of revenge’.

“I still have one more thing. If you don’t like it, I won’t say it.”

Seeing her smile as if sulking, Bedro finally opened his mouth reluctantly.

“If they attack first, I’ll kill them.”

Which meant that as long as they didn’t attack first, he wouldn’t touch them.

“It’s conditional, but… yes. I think that’s okay.”

“So, what’s the second thing?”

“This one’s simpler.”

Nodding, Lia took both of Bedro’s hands and said.

“The essence of evil. Let’s seal it.”

A proposal he had already rejected.

“You’ll get weaker if it’s sealed, but you’ll blend in better with people. After realizing emotions, I felt that being called a demon or having the essence of evil is kind of uncomfortable, you know?”

When Lia realized she was a demon, she had already come to know the emotion of love, and she despaired deeply.

Evil demon (惡鬼).

A monster understood by no one, who had to live alone for life.

Even though she had awakened to emotions, her essence was still that of a demon, so Lia had to live wearing a mask, understood by no one.

Therefore, meeting Bedro was salvation.

She thought that if this child, born a demon, ever awakened to emotions, he would surely be able to understand her completely.

She believed that if she was understood, she would no longer feel alone.

But,

【Farewell: 00:01:42】

‘Since I’ll be gone soon anyway.’

Because her love for Bedro was greater than her desire to be understood as the same kind of being.

‘It would be better to return to being a complete human than to remain alone in the world.’

So Lia forced a smile and added.

“You’re different from me. It’ll be easier to live as a human than as an ambiguous demon.”

“…Lia.”

“Don’t refuse. You’ll definitely be lonely. The moment everyone realizes what you are, they’ll immediately deny and avoid you. That’s what happened to me.”

“Lia.”

“So you should live as a complete person. If I sacrifice all of my remaining time, an eternal seal would be nothing—”

“Lia!!”

Bedro, who had finally stopped her words, looked at her and said.

“I have you.”

A demon who had awakened to emotions.

Therefore, he could be more cold-hearted than any human, and devote himself wholeheartedly to those he came to love.

“I have you.”

That was exactly who Lia was.

“You’re not an ambiguous being. You were the most precious person to me, and if that’s what you were, then I can be the same kind of precious person.”

“……”

“These few seconds with you are far more precious than being a complete human or whatever.”

“…Bedro.”

…Trembling.

Finally, behind the crumbling faint smile, an expression mixing tears and smiles appeared.

“Was I… not strange?”

“Not for a single moment.”

【Farewell: 00:00:18】

“Everyone died because of the revenge I took… Don’t you hate or dislike me?”

“Not at all.”

【Farewell: 00:00:14】

“Really… am I that precious to you?”

“More than my own life.”

【Farewell: 00:00:10】

Though his answer was a bit cold because he was still inexperienced in handling emotions, that very quality made it all the more sincere.

That’s why Lia, just before all time ended, asked Bedro.

“Do you… still love me?”

“I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

“Ah…!”

Lia burrowed into Bedro’s arms.

When she raised her head again after instinctively kissing him, there bloomed a smile he had never seen before.

“I’m happy. I’m not afraid of death.”

“I’m happy. I’ll never forget this.”

One more kiss.

“Goodbye, Bedro.”

“Goodbye, Lia.”

After the farewell was over,

Bedro cried for a long time.