Ch.274Chapter 274: Blackmail (2)

Why do you think that child is fake?

A simple question, yet the moment Desire’s words—which couldn’t be easily dismissed as small talk—struck my ears.

A storm raged through my mind.

Like sailors whose reason has been paralyzed at the sight of a storm that brings too much of the rain and wind they so desperately wanted, after being caught in the doldrums while navigating the vast ocean, with water and food running out as their physical and mental strength slowly depletes.

My mind was in chaos trying to figure out the intention behind Desire’s words.

“…Ha!”

After letting out something close to a hollow laugh.

My expression hardened and I fell silent for a moment, then facing Desire whose face bloomed with a smile.

“What kind of trick is this?”

I rebuked her, filling my voice with as much ferocity as I could muster.

It’s nonsense. Yes, complete nonsense.

The past three years I’ve spent with Shizu, correcting wrong choices through the miracle of turning back time, experiencing all the good and bad together.

And all the long time I built with Shizu before that, which remains intact within me.

Is she trying to engage me in some pathetic psychological warfare by bringing someone who merely looks similar and suggesting they might be Shizu?

Being someone who can do anything here with just the snap of a finger, she probably advised someone to take on the same appearance and do this, thinking it would shake my psyche.

Isn’t it obvious? Just as I know her well through countless repetitions of time in my mind.

Desire, having had the same experience, knows me well too.

That’s why I came to a conclusion.

“I don’t know what trick you’re playing, but I’ll give you credit for making the appearance so similar that even I was surprised, but that’s all.”

Lowering my voice tone as if to slightly ease the atmosphere.

BANG-!!

I clenched my right hand into a fist and slammed it on the table between Desire and me, heightening the tense atmosphere.

“Since I’m not in a situation where I have no choice but to become your servant after death, you’re trying to persuade me like this. It’s really a shame to see your divinity being wasted even at this moment, so unbecoming of you.”

I threw a heap of provocations that would more than grate on her nerves.

Even without resorting to vulgar curses and slang.

When you try to scratch someone’s itch but fail, you end up irritating them instead.

And if that’s repeated, it becomes a basic element of provocation that bursts the opponent’s psychology.

Although she still maintained a smiling face, Desire’s mind should be gradually filling with anger by now.

Yet for some reason, I couldn’t find any trace of anger in Desire’s smiling face directed at me.

“Before I answer, let me say one thing.”

She began in a rather calm tone.

“I quite like your excellent deduction and the bold confidence it displays.”

She praised me with a peculiar attitude that regarded me as subordinate yet not completely dismissive.

Coming from a goddess with such unpredictable tendencies that even the expression ‘giving oneself over to desire’ couldn’t fully capture, this form of praise was something I had rarely encountered despite countless experiences with her agent.

“…”

I was so dumbfounded that I could only blink silently.

“However.”

With a voice that evoked a strange excitement different from her earlier calmness, Desire began again.

“Just because your attitude is good doesn’t mean I can call a wrong answer correct, can I? Ho ho ho.”

The words that followed immediately declared my conclusion, born of certainty, to be incorrect.

…Just like her. As if she would ever give straightforward praise.

Honestly, even that praise felt like a rehearsal before suppressing my certain answer with sophistry, and I was on the verge of feeling an indescribable displeasure.

“Have you ever thought about this?”

Despite my expression, Desire began to convey something to me without wavering.

Is she trying to sweet-talk me with more sophistry?

Though I was annoyed, I was also somewhat curious about what kind of words this evil spirit would use to stir up a storm in my mind.

“What thought?”

I urged her answer with a still fierce tone.

If Adorator had been beside her, he would have charged at me with accusations of blasphemy, as my attitude was far from polite even in the loosest sense.

But Desire, regardless, simply responded to my request with a subtle smile playing at both her eyes and lips.

Even before my regression, this evil spirit had a strangely generous side toward me.

It was typical for her to laugh off even when I, as her agent, hurled abusive language at her face and committed irreverent acts.

I couldn’t help but describe her as generous since she didn’t get angry even with my current attitude.

Anyway, when I showed no intention of breaking off the conversation, Desire began lightly tapping the obsidian table in front of her with her right index finger, preparing to continue the dialogue.

Tap tap-

Perhaps she tapped with her nail raised, as a rather cheerful sound came from the obsidian table that would normally absorb sound.

Simultaneously, Desire’s completely empty teacup was filled with steaming tea.

“Our kids aren’t very good at brewing tea, you know.”

After one unnecessary interjection from her lips.

Slurp-

She elegantly took a sip of tea from the cup.

Unlike her frivolity that didn’t match her birth and status, when drinking tea, the nobility derived from that birth was evident in her movements, which was quite amusing.

“Hehe…”

Laughing lightly as she placed the teacup on the table, Desire inserted an interjection to resume the conversation, so I simply remained quiet.

I looked at her with a gaze half expectant, half fearful of what nonsense she would use to shake me next.

“Given that a miracle has occurred where you, still an ordinary human, remember living this same life countless times.”

As she continued the topic she had presented to me earlier, I was beginning to wonder why this woman was dragging out her words again.

“Have you ever deeply thought about what happens to the world and the people left behind after your life ends?”

Since I needed to interject at least once to break her intention of drawing me in as a speaker rather than an observer of the story.

“They’ll live happily.”

I expressed my conclusion, albeit with indifference.

I believe without doubt. Although the destination of my life, lived through countless repeated timelines, has always ended in an unfavorable conclusion despite so many repetitions.

I believe that the world and those left behind, stepping on me—the impurity that faded away with such an unfavorable ending—as a foothold, lived happily.

How could I think that clouds would darken their lives when nothing exists anymore to threaten their happy daily lives?

But.

“Hehehe…”

Desire, who laughed in a way that clearly felt dismissive of my certainty, suddenly raised her right hand and repeatedly pointed her index finger at me.

Thinking she was trying to forcibly draw me closer to her, I tensed my body to resist.

But I realized her gesture was meant to draw something most precious hanging around my neck, not me.

Snap-

It broke. The string connecting my mother’s keepsake to me, which I had worn around my neck and kept safely in my bosom through any fierce battle, broke with a short, heavy sound.

“…You!!”

Shouting a single angry syllable, I hurriedly tried to grab the keepsake flying toward Desire.

“Hooh…”

Despite my efforts, my mother’s keepsake not only ended up in Desire’s hand but also became the object of her dirty gaze.

Crack-

It broke. This time, it was my patience that broke.

Despite my efforts to continuously provoke Desire by being disrespectful, hoping to break her patience and make her raise a hand against me.

Just having the pendant’s string break and allowing her gaze to fall upon it was enough to break my patience first.

It couldn’t be helped. I might tolerate insults or condemnation about my wretched life that I’ve repeated countless times.

But how could I endure seeing the only memento containing memories of my mother being defiled in the hands of an evil spirit?

“Hey!”

I placed my hand on the dragon sword’s hilt and glared at Desire, shouting fiercely.

Fighting spirit… no, an even more primal energy related to human struggle—killing intent—emanated from my body without my awareness.

“As expected…”

Desire’s demeanor, still smiling with narrowed eyes, overflowed with composure.

Not just composure.

“Hehe, did you think I wouldn’t know that this, along with that woman, acts as your sore spot?”

Desire, revealing that she had touched my necklace with this purpose from the beginning, also emanated a dark red energy visible to the naked eye.

Distorted, so distorted that even though it was just energy emanating, her still imperfect divine body appeared warped in my vision.

The dark red energy was emanating with the force to distort everything in this separate room.

There was no reason to hesitate.

Click-

Though my connection with Fafnir seemed severed, the dragon sword’s lock responded to my will and was released with a clamorous sound.

In response, my hand drew the sword and swung it to strike at Desire’s neck.

I didn’t think her head would fly off, but even if it didn’t work, wouldn’t it be fine if at least a drop of cold sweat ran down that smug face?

…Even as I swung, the severed thread of reason seemed to instantly reattach itself, reproaching me for my reckless act, but the die was already cast.

“Take your filthy hands off my treasure!!”

I shouted what I wanted to say to Desire as I swung the dragon sword.

I could see it—the trajectory of the crescent drawn by the snow-white blade heading toward Desire’s neck with a poignant arc.

I could see it—Desire’s distorted smile showing composure despite the fearsome onslaught of the blade.

CLANG-!!