Chapter 29: The End of Obsession (4)

[29] 4. The End of Obsession (4)

“____”

John, the Holy Knight who had been standing guard at the door, heard a strange sound.

It was coming from beyond the corner of the hallway, a sound he had never heard before in his life.

The closest sound he could think of was… hail hitting a metal bucket.

His heart filled with curiosity and a strange sense of unease. The urge to check it out tickled his gut.

But Holy Knight John decided to stay put.

This was because he’d been given a direct order from the Pope.

Clara, the woman who had become the new Pope after hanging the corrupted Ivan, she had ordered John to guard this door with his life.

To let no one in, and,

To let no one out.

And while Holy Knight John might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, his faith was unwavering.

Remembering Clara’s words, he fixed his gaze on the ornate stained-glass window.

“___”

But the strange sound didn’t disappear. It was getting closer.

John looked at the corner where the sound was coming from. And suddenly, it seemed too close for comfort.

It was close enough that an enemy could charge at him the moment they appeared.

John, feeling a chill run down his spine, gripped the hilt of his sword.

“___”

And now, the sound was close enough that he could even pinpoint its location.

Counting inwardly, John drew his sword.

If the enemy, as John had assumed, was an adult male about his size, then his sword would have definitely repelled the intruder.

*Whoosh-*

But his sword simply sliced through empty air.

Because the source of the sound was a pair of legs and a hand, made of bronze.

And on top of those legs, tied with a brass necklace, was an eyeball of a strange color.

A grotesque monster that even the demons of hell wouldn’t have imagined.

John’s eyes widened in horror, and a scream escaped his throat.

“…!!”

But the hand, leaping forward like a frog, instantly stifled his scream. And then, the disembodied legs swung upwards, striking him in the temple.

*Thud-*

Eyes rolled back into his head, and poor John collapsed onto the floor.

And, stepping over his body, the metallic limbs went to find their owner, entering through the open door.

Soon, the sound of breaking glass,

Followed by a string of curses too vulgar to describe,

And, kicking open the door with my foot, I put on my voice output device to my neck.

“#@#$@$ Clara, you stupid fucking bitch…!!”

***

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I started running like hell.

There was no need to grab someone and ask them where Clara was.

The beam of light flowing from my left eye was showing me where she was.

But it was bad news in two ways.

First, it meant that her stupid ritual had already begun.

And secondly, the ray of light was pointing towards the highest tower of the Crystal Palace.

And as far as I knew, the only way to get up to the top floor was to climb up countless stairs.

Damn it, if only my current prosthetics right now were for combat, not for everyday use…!

“Halt.”

And the bad news didn’t end there.

In the hallway that connected the Crystal Palace to the tower, I was forced to a stop.

Grimacing, I looked at the five Holy Knights who were blocking the hallway.

The one wearing the most resplendent armor stepped forward and drew his sword.

“Please return to your room. We will escort you back once the ritual is over.”

Polite words that I never expected to hear from those tin can Holy Knights, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

I glared at him coldly, saying,

“Do you even realize what will happen to your saint if the ritual is completed?”

“…She is not the saint, but the Pope.”

The Holy Knight pointed his sword at me.

“…And we are simply following her will.”

So they knew what was going on.

Right, there’s no way those stubborn fools would change.

I cursed inwardly and started to rack my brains.

Retreating wasn’t an option.

But there was no way I could defeat five Holy Knights.

Is there any way I could…

“Stop racking your brains. That stone head of yours isn’t going to magically turn into a human one.”

It was a voice I never expected to hear, a voice that shouldn’t even be here.

I turned my head unconsciously, and a shiny bald head caught my eye.

He patted me on the shoulder and stepped forward, facing the Holy Knights.

“…Clevens…? What the hell are…”

“Stop!”

The Holy Knight pointed his sword at Clevens, who was approaching. Unlike me, to whom he had shown a semblance of courtesy, he emanated a menacing light.

“If you come any closer…”

“Hey, what’s your class number?”

At Clevens’ question, confusion appeared on the Holy Knight’s face.

“C-Class number…?”

“I’m asking what your fucking class number is, you little shit. You look like you’re from a class below me, so how dare a lower-class speak informally to someone from a higher class?”

In that instant, I wasn’t the only one with a bewildered expression. Everyone was stunned.

But not for long.

The Holy Knight, who had drawn his sword, frowned.

“What nonsense…!!”

“It *is* nonsense.”

Clevens shrugged.

“Our Barbarian Captain asked me to buy her some time.”

“What…!?”

And then, someone crashed through the stained-glass window, landing in the middle of the Holy Knights.

Amidst the colorful shards of glass, sky-blue eyes shone fiercely.

“Get…!”

*BAM-*

The Holy Knight couldn’t finish the second word. This was because his face was slammed into the floor by a strong hand.

The other two Holy Knights, regaining their senses, quickly swung their swords at her.

But one was blocked by a massive ax, and the other, by the most primal human weapon.

“___!”

*Clang-*

The sword that was being bitten between her molars shattered with a clear sound. The faces of the holy knights who witnessed this turned pale.

But not for long, though.

The long handle of the axe smashed into the temple of one Holy Knight,

And her long leg smashed into the thigh of another.

The targets and tools might be different, but the results were the same.

The two Holy Knights collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“…!!”

A bright light suddenly pressed down on the woman’s head, The floor beneath her cracked, caving in.

It was as if an enormous weight was bearing down on her.

I unconsciously took a step forward to help her. But Clevens stopped me.

And then he smiled, watching the woman raise her head again.

*Thump! Thump!*

It was as if a giant were walking. With each step she took, the beautiful floor was cracked and crushed.

The light pressing down on her head grew stronger, but she didn’t falter.

The Holy Knight, who had been unleashing light from his hands, started to tremble. He looked at the woman, who was now standing before him, with terrified eyes.

“M-Mons…!”

*Wham-*

And with a single punch, and he was sent flying, crashing into the wall of the Crystal Palace.

“Aaargh!!”

The last one remaining still had some guts.

Raising his sword above his head, he charged at the woman.

But before his sword could land, the woman caught his wrist in her hand.

“_____!”

And then the sound of metal crunching.

The gauntlet compressed like a sheet of paper in the woman’s grip. Blood seeped through the cracks like fruit juice, staining the woman’s face.

The holy knight screamed while shooting healing light at his arm. But the pain of his arm being crushed alive wasn’t something he could endure.

His eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

The woman tossed the unconscious Holy Knight aside and wiped the blood off her face with the back of her hand. She looked at the carnage she’d created with emotionless eyes.

She looked less like a human, more like a seasoned beast.

It was a sight I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

Cruel, merciless, thorough,

And terrifyingly beautiful.

A phantom pain surged through my missing thighs.

“…!”

But the moment she looked at me, she became the Feya I knew.

The coldness melted away, turning into a tearful face,

And the ruthlessness softened into a pitiful voice.

“Biiiig brooo…!!”

“Oof-!”

I barely managed to withstand Feya’s tackle. She ran her hands all over my body, looking at me with tearful eyes.

“Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Are you injured? Did that white fox bitch do anything…”

“I-I’m okay, so get off me…”

I managed to push Feya away.

But she still looked at me, pacing back and forth anxiously like a puppy.

Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair.

“Just why the hell are you guys here?”

“That woman, Irene, said that you’d been kidnapped. So we brought everyone here to rescue you.”

I looked at Clevens, speechless.

Just then, I could hear the faint clang of swords clashing from a distance.

I ran my hand through my hair again and frowned.

“Are you crazy? Attacking the Vatican just to save me? What kind of crazy shit were you thinking…!”

“I know right, crazy shit.”

Clevens, cutting me off, shrugged.

“But if we hadn’t, an even crazier bitch next to you would have ripped off all our heads. Sorry.”

I looked at Feya, who had been glaring at Clevens murderously. As soon as our eyes met, she lowered her gaze.

“W-Well… You were in danger, and as your right-hand, I couldn’t just sit still…”

I let out another long sigh.

Why was I surrounded by either idiots or lunatics?

“Stop making a scene and let’s move. By now, Big nose and the others should have secured the escape route.”

“Do we even have anywhere to go? The holy knights will be coming after us with light coming out of their eyes from now on.”

“I knew you’d say that, so I already got a boat heading for the eastern continent. And I sent a message to the Captain, too.”

I couldn’t speak. I understood what he meant.

The entire mercenary group was planning to leave this continent, for me.

Clevens burst out laughing, his voice as clear as ever.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to try the alcohol on the eastern continent.”

I suddenly realized that he was sober. When I turned to look, Feya was staring at me with a firm gaze.

It was a look that seemed to be telling me it was okay.

A look that said it didn’t matter what happened at the end of this, or what we might lose.

I felt a warmth spread through my chest. It was a warmth that might turn into tears if I were to let it loose.

“Sorry, you guys go ahead.”

And because of that, I couldn’t help but say it with a distorted expression on my face.

“Why…”

“I have something I need to do.”

[Trust me, Rem, everything will be fine.]

Someone who had looked at me with the same eyes a long time ago, was now trying to do the stupidest thing in the world.

“…!”

Suddenly, a terrible pain shot through my left eye.

“B-Big bro…!”

I shook off Feya’s hand and quickly pulled out the prosthetic eye.

Half of my vision was plunged into darkness.

But then, slowly, it returned, blurry.

Looking up, I saw Feya’s shocked face, overlapped in two.

“B-Big bro… your left e-eye, it’s growing back…”

At the same time, the ray of light that had emanated from my eye moved to my right hand.

It was telling me what she was planning to cut off next.

Grimacing, I straightened back, gripping Feya’s shoulder as I spoke,

“I’m sorry, but go on ahead without me for now. Alright?”

“B-But…!”

“I’ll explain everything later, I’m sorry.”

And with that, I started running again. I could hear Feya’s voice calling out to me from behind, but I ignored it.

My eyes were fixed on the tall tower where the girl was trapped.

***

And so, the boy began to climb towards the tall tower where the girl was trapped.

And this was also a journey for the boy to reminisce about his past with the girl.

With each step he took up the stairs, the boy carefully recalled his memories.

How the girl had smiled,

How the girl had cried,

And how she would sometimes get angry,

He read through the story that he and the girl had written together.

And then, before long, he realized that the story was unfinished.

Not because the ending was tragic.

Some stories are bound to have sad endings, after all.

The reason he thought this was because the most important line in the story was missing.

A single line, but a crucial one.

It was hinted at in other lines, but it was never said aloud.

Sometimes because of embarrassment,

Sometimes because of low self-esteem,

And sometimes, distrust blocked its path.

And then, it was lost in the sudden ending, buried in the boy’s heart.

So the incomplete story waited 13 years for its ending.

And 13 years was more than enough time for something to rot.

The boy, thinking that the story was over, had buried it deep within the shelves,

And the girl, misunderstanding the story, was desperately trying to put a *period* in the wrong place.

That was how they arrived at this moment.

A girl trying to kill herself in the most horrific way,

And a boy who, realizing her pain too late, struggling to stop her.

The story’s plot had already become so distorted, and the theme had become muddled.

If it were to end like this, this story will remain a poorly written work.

At the very least, it wouldn’t be as beautiful as it once was.

But the boy didn’t stop.

Instead, clenching his jaw, he dashed up the stairs.

To finish the story,

And to say the words he should have said.

The boy threw open the door.

The boy and the girl finally faced each other once more.

And for the girl, a ‘pause’ came.

It was a pause named ‘maybe’.

Even though it wasn’t necessary, the boy had come to find her. He had defeated the Holy Knights and climbed this tall tower.

Then maybe…

Just maybe…

Had the boy forgiven her?

But the blooming hope was short-lived.

The memory of the day when the boy’s eyes were gouged out was embedded in the girl’s soul like a rusty nail.

No, it had taken root.

Nightmares that tormented her every night,

Hallucinations that would appear before her even when she was awake,

And the reality that she had to smile at the person who had taken the boy’s eyes.

For 13 years.

The young girl’s mind had been warped in the end.

She averted her gaze from hope.

Smiling, she grasped the dagger in a reverse grip and raised it.

The boy screamed and lunged toward her.

But that brief pause wasn’t enough time for the boy to stop her.

The boy’s eyes clearly saw the dagger falling towards the girl’s chest.

*Thwip-*

However, for someone, that brief pause was enough time to draw their bow.

The girl’s hand, which had been holding the dagger, froze. She looked down at the arrow that had pierced her arm.

The girl grimaced and tried to move her arm.

But the anesthetic that had been applied to the arrowhead instantly drained the strength from her body.

The girl staggered and then collapsed.

The boy barely managed to catch her and looked in the direction the arrow had come from.

A tiny ventilation hole in the wall.

500 meters away, on the roof of a bell tower.

The elf named Sha-something lowered his bow. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered,

“I’m definitely cool now.”

It was the space

.

.

Between the period,

.

.

right before the final dot.