Chapter 152

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I ran through the exhibition hall, now torn apart by the spatial rift.

Bloodstains smeared the walls. The ground was torn up. Broken lights flickered ominously.

In just a few dozen minutes, the exhibition hall had become a completely different place.

Monsters blocked my path, but fortunately, it was still the early stages of the invasion.

The monsters that appeared were relatively weak.

If they’re low rank monsters, Lucia can handle them alone.

Unlike during the cherry blossom festival, the spatial rift wasn’t rapidly expanding due to an overload phenomenon.

Thanks to that, even though I was unarmed, taking down the monsters wasn’t a big problem.

Ahem, Lucia, who can wield all kinds of weapons, is also decent at hand-to-hand combat.

She’s not exceptionally good at any one thing, but she’s above average at everything.

The clothes that were already bloodstained from cutting off my limbs became even dirtier with the monsters’ fluids.

It was a favorite outfit of mine. It’s a shame, but I probably won’t be able to wear it again.

Let’s not worry about it. Clothes can be bought later, and there are more important things to focus on now.

The heat on my skin grew stronger.

The clashing of metal against metal grated on my ears.

Following the sound seemed to be the right choice.

Eugene and Alice were nearby.

That certainty made me quicken my pace.

‘The closer I get, the fewer monsters I see.’

The monsters that had been constantly getting in my way earlier became noticeably fewer as I approached my destination.

Are the monsters instinctively sensing danger and avoiding it?

Or were they ordered to do so by a higher being?

I hope it’s the former, but if it’s the latter…

Who, and for what reason, would give such an order?

A sense of unease crept up my legs.

Where is Murmur? Did she open the spatial rift and just leave?

What are Eugene and Alice fighting against?

There were too many questions.

Chased by my anxious thoughts, I ran.

The sound of cold weapons clashing grew clearer.

Explosions. Shattering. Burning.

At the end of all those sounds were the people I was looking for.

“Ah…”

I let out an involuntary sigh.

The once neat interior was now a mess.

The lights were broken. Only the burning flames illuminated the area.

Dust fell from the ceiling. The scorching heat warmed the air.

There, Eugene and Alice were.

Alice was vomiting blood.

Her chest area was stained red.

Like paint spreading, other parts of her body were turning dark red.

Having self-harmed many times, I knew.

At a glance, it was a fatal injury.

Eugene’s condition was even worse.

His entire body was covered in wounds, and his right arm was missing.

His pupils trembled. His breathing was ragged.

He tried to get up, but he only collapsed weakly.

“You’ve saved me the trouble of looking for you.”

Her gaze turned to me.

Her crimson eyes narrowed.

White hair. But the inside was black.

Holding the obsidian-like longsword down, the woman looked at me.

Her appearance suddenly reminded me of a certain name.

‘Belial?’

A devil like Astaroth and Murmur.

In the novel, Belial was the first devil to be slain by human hands.

It wasn’t because Belial was weak, but because he had been weakened for some reason.

Even in that weakened state, it took a captain, two vice-captains, and Eugene, a key member of the Golden Generation, to barely defeat him.

Before dying.

Belial attempted to reincarnate into a prepared vessel.

The attempt, though unstable, succeeded, and Belial was reborn in a new body.

The appearance of the reborn Belial resembled the woman in front of me.

‘No, Belial hasn’t been slain yet. So there’s no reason for him to reincarnate into a new body.’

Besides, Belial doesn’t use a sword.

If it’s not Belial… just someone who looks like him?

No, she’s not human.

This presence. It’s the unique aura of a monster.

A monster that looks like Belial…

I don’t know about this.

It wasn’t in the novel.

“Lu, Lucia, why, why are you here…?”

Eugene called out to me urgently.

His voice shook as if it would break at any moment.

Despite his desperate cry, I couldn’t answer.

A sense of crisis. My heart froze as if gripped by intense fear.

I know what this feeling is.

An emotion distant from Lucia.

Fear.

“Run, you idiot…”

Alice, or rather, judging by her tone, it’s Frey.

She’s telling me to run.

Run? Leave you two behind?

‘It’s dangerous.’

Really, truly.

It’s dangerous.

It’s not that Lucia is in danger.

If the danger were directed at me, I wouldn’t be this scared.

Eugene and Alice are in danger.

Their injuries are severe.

Eugene’s arm is severed.

Frey’s chest is pierced.

The bleeding is too much.

The blood pooling on the floor must all be theirs, right?

If left like this, they’ll definitely die.

The protagonist and the main heroine.

They might die here.

No. That can’t happen.

Eugene is the protagonist who will become this world’s savior.

Alice is the heroine who will support him in that salvation.

They absolutely cannot die here.

‘Snap out of it. This isn’t the time to freeze.’

I have to protect them somehow.

The protagonist usually grows through crises.

A life-threatening crisis can turn into an opportunity depending on how it’s handled.

They might grow stronger through this ordeal.

But what if not? The original story has already been disrupted.

When Astaroth appeared, and when Murmur appeared.

I reassured myself that it would be okay.

Eugene is the protagonist, so he’ll be fine.

He’ll overcome any hardship.

I convinced myself and felt at ease.

In fact, Eugene survived two encounters with devils.

So I must’ve been thinking optimistically without realizing it.

But seeing this scene, I can’t think optimistically.

Before I knew it, my body was moving.

My heavy legs moved urgently.

I stood in front of the woman.

I spread my arms to block her path, expressing my intent to not let her pass.

“…Eugene, Frey. Can you still move?”

I swallowed dryly and spoke.

“I’ll buy us some time… use that to escape.”

Even as I said that, I knew the two of them didn’t have the strength left to escape.

Supernaturals are still human.

They’re just more durable.

But they’re still human.

With injuries like that, moving would be difficult no matter what.

And with the spatial rift open in the exhibition hall…

Is it even possible to break through the monsters and escape with injuries like that?

More importantly, can I even buy a single second of time?

“Wh, what…”

“Hey, you, you’re spouting nonsense again…”

The two protested, but I couldn’t turn my head.

This is someone who incapacitated both Eugene and Frey at the same time.

If I even glance away for a moment, someone like Lucia could be torn to pieces.

No, actually, even if I keep watching, the result would be the same.

“Lucia.”

The woman called my name.

How does she know my name?

Did she hear Eugene call me?

Did she figure it out from that?

“The one I serve desires you.”

But her next words made me realize that wasn’t it.

She knew me from the beginning.

Yeah, come to think of it, she said I saved her the trouble of looking for me.

The scene in front of me was so shocking that I overlooked it.

But why? Why is she looking for Lucia?

Who desires me? For what reason?

“There’s no need to waste time. Come quietly.”

As if declaring there was no room for refusal, she spoke. And it was true. If she wanted to, forcibly taking me would be trivial. 

Even if I resisted, she could just cut off my legs and drag me away. What could I do then? But who would just say, “Yes, I’ll follow you”?

My mind raced. How can I resolve this situation? How can I save Eugene and Frey and defeat this woman…?

There’s no way. I can’t see an answer. 

No matter how much I think, there’s no solution. The only thing I can do is buy time and wait for reinforcements, but can I hold out until they arrive? Can Eugene and Frey hold out? The bleeding is severe. For me, it’s nothing, but for them, it’s serious. If left like this, they’ll definitely…

“Are you worried about them?”

Her words struck a nerve.

The woman fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

“Then let’s do this. I don’t want unnecessary resistance either.”

“What… are you saying…?”

“My orders are to bring you back. Follow me quietly. In return…”

Her gaze turned to Eugene.

Eugene, leaning against the wall, barely standing, still held his sword.

But he couldn’t swing it. The sword was now a crutch to support his body.

A pool of blood formed beneath Eugene’s feet.

Covering the severed stump of his right arm with his clothes, Eugene’s eyes were bloodshot.

“I’ll spare them.”

“What…?”

Really?

I couldn’t help but ask again, it was such an unexpected offer.

From her perspective, it’s an offer with no benefit.

The balance of power is overwhelmingly in her favor.

Even if I refuse, she could just crush my resistance.

There’s no need for her to make concessions.

“How can I trust your words?”

“On my sword and my pride.”

“…”

Can I trust her? Can I trust the offer of a mysterious monster?

Doubts and negative thoughts sprouted like weeds, but I soon realized it was a pointless worry.

I never had a choice to begin with.

If the other side is offering a concession, I have no choice but to accept.

In this desperate situation, the only way to save the two of them…

Is to follow the woman’s offer.

Even if it threatens my safety.

“No, don’t. Lucia, don’t listen to her.”

Eugene gasped for breath as he spoke.

He still hadn’t given up the fight, pouring heat into his sword.

But even he must know.

He doesn’t have the strength to continue fighting.

“Hey, you, bitch, how can you, cough, trust her words? Keugh…”

Frey kept spitting out bloody foam.

She clutched her chest, stained with blackened blood.

She seemed to be trying to stop me, but paradoxically, her appearance only strengthened my resolve.

As Frey said, the woman’s words can’t be trusted.

But… if this is the only way to save the two of them…

Shouldn’t I desperately grasp even the slimmest possibility?

Originally, the reason I worked so hard to bring the two of them together was to save the world.

Because the miracle of saving the world happened when the protagonist and the main heroine’s hearts became one.

So if Lucia has to be sacrificed to save the two of them… well, yeah, there’s no reason to hesitate, right?

I slowly lowered my arms, which had been spread out to the sides.

I turned slightly. Looking at the two of them, I smiled bitterly.

“…I’m sorry.”

Don’t make such a face.

It’s unavoidable.

You’ll understand, right?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
There’s two things that make Lucia feel fear.

First, is when the happy ending is ruined.

Second, is well… I think you don’t need me to say it to understand.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Will Lucia finally get her reality check and finally realize the grim circumstances that she is in!!

Or… plot convenience, someone comes and stops the deal from happening… boo!

Heh.