episode_0085

Lightning, tsunamis, storms, glaciers, and hellfire.

The winner was finally decided in a bloody battle where various mindscapes, tangled and interwoven to devour each other, fought to the death.

“Heh heh… damn it. So this is how I die. Hey, I lost. Ras Etgard? I’ve heard that name somewhere… Anyway, there really was a disgustingly strong guy like you.”

The sacred and brilliant radiance, which had seemed eternal and unyielding, burned to ashes and vanished.

The halo of light had dispersed, and in the midst of the battlefield, melted entirely away, lay the fallen woman who, until yesterday, had been called the Hero who summoned miracles across the world.

Lea Iorca, the Hero of the Sephiroth Empire, and the woman known as the Emperor’s Sword.

Even though she was a strategic weapon-grade human, called the symbol of power possessed by the damned Empire, she too melted and died equally before the hellfire I unleashed.

Seeing her cackling with a large hole pierced through her chest, yet somehow with a relieved voice and expression, made me feel strangely depressed.

This beautiful woman, fallen in such a wretched state, was merely a sacrifice to my vengeance.

Whether viewed from outside or within, she had only fought to repel external enemies like a soldier and a warrior, and now she simply faced defeat and death…

The proper morality and justice that the world spoke of resided in her.

Of course, I am a wretch who discarded justice and morality long ago, so the fact that I am a villain to the world does not torment me.

However… in a way, she also died serving Leon and the Empire’s higher-ups, so I couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in my mouth, reminded of my minion Pisces, who died because he met the wrong master.

My shabby minion, my strategist, a petty thief, a con artist, an incomplete dark mage, a smarty-pants, my cutest and most beloved raven in the world…..

Seeing the faint, resigned smile on Lea Iorca’s face, overlapped with the loyal Pisces’s smile from his final moments… that’s why my heart ached.

So this was my heart being swayed by my personal feelings and experiences.

It was absolutely not that I pitied this woman, miserably dying amidst the catastrophe caught between my vengeance and Leon’s amusement.

To pity and grieve over the death of any single person… Ras Etgard had come too far and covered himself in too much blood.

Ah… so now, as always, I must… kill again.

Enveloped in a heat haze, I slowly approached to kill the Hero.

At the end of the fierce battle, my limbs had amicably vanished without a trace, one pair each, but since I could move by floating anyway, my limbs weren’t important for movement.

Besides, Semere would fix my broken body and reattach them anyway, so this level of injury was fine.

When I reached the Hero, who was lying there, she chuckled and then asked me a question.

“Hey, let me ask you something. I’m going to die soon anyway. You know that, right? Even if a sky god descended right now, they couldn’t save me.”

“What is it?”

“Honestly, didn’t your heart pound while fighting me? There’s that saying about love blooming on the battlefield… And I’m quite the beauty, aren’t I? Even the Demon King coveted my charms, you know?”

It was a surprisingly serious question for mere banter, so I silently and earnestly considered if that had been the case.

Had my heart pounded for Lea Iorca? The battle was enjoyable, so my heart probably did beat a bit faster while fighting.

I suddenly recalled a story I read in my childhood about a lecherous warrior who, after engaging in a duel with an enemy queen, fell in love with her as he stabbed her heart.

He stabbed her heart, then removed her helmet, and fell in love watching her life ebb away? Whatever the case, I thought he was a psycho…

But if you ask if I was like that… actually, I’m sexually impotent, so it couldn’t have happened.

Of course, there was no reason to blab about my severe personal shame and tragic history to a woman I’d just met, so I merely looked at her with a pathetic gaze.

Well… honestly, the Hero was beautiful enough to boast so absurdly.

As much as our queen, Semelena, or Rosalie Berhart, who used to be the Academy’s health professor.

But it wasn’t the kind of conversation to have between people who had just fought to the death, so I was utterly dumbfounded, and seeing my expression, the Hero cackled.

“Argh. They say insulting someone with your eyes is the worst, and you’re exactly that type. Fine, I’ve lived long enough to meet someone even colder than the Demon King… Hey, whatever it was you pulled off, make sure you win. If I lost to you and then that bastard Emperor beats you, I’ll be embarrassed. I never thought someone would reach the Emperor’s presence before me. Heh heh…”

What was this woman hiding, and what did she wish for? Was she trying to rebel against Leon and stab a knife into his throat?

However, delving into, empathizing with, and agonizing over the circumstances of others, whom I barely knew, was a luxury for me, having come this far.

“If I’d known this, I should have just run away like Rosalie Unnie told me to… Anyway, this tiresome life of never even holding a man’s hand is over. I’ve said all I need to, so kill me. If you pity me, at least give me a passionate kiss.”

It seemed there was some hidden story about Rosalie Berhart for her too, but she was dead anyway, and my vengeance had only one last step remaining.

There was no need to expend mental energy listening about a person of the past who had gone to a place of no return…

It was more proper now to respectfully grant Lea Iorca, whose body was beyond repair, peace, rather than pry into Rosalie’s affairs.

“…It was an exciting battle after a long time. Thank you for granting me new insights.”

With that, I conjured flames, extinguished Lea Iorca’s breath as she closed her eyes with a peaceful expression, and cremated her on the spot.

The beautiful Hero of the Empire burned completely, leaving not a single speck of ash, and vanished.

“Have you arrived?”

“Yes.”

Beside me, Semere stood, looking quite exhausted.

Having just fought a life-or-death battle with the ‘Sage,’ known as the Empire’s strongest mage, she looked relatively clean, but it was clear she had suffered greatly.

We had both engaged in battle within the realm of mindscapes, so why did she look relatively clean? It was a moment that made me, who had fought to the death with the Hero, feel a bit embarrassed.

But why was her expression so sulky again? What had she gotten upset about now?

Whenever Semere made that face, she usually said something to me.

And that was…

“Idiot.”

Semere snapped at me with a voice full of pique.

Since the battle was over and my entire body ached terribly, I responded to her peevishness with an exhausted tone.

“What now…?”

“Hmph. How truly magnificent. Some strange woman you just met, fighting with her life on the line… and then shamelessly trying to seduce you. It’s all because of the succubus’s tears. And… a k-kiss?! What a scandalous hussy. I really should have torn that Hero to shreds myself… And meanwhile, you’re saying your heart pounded… Tch…”

She was spouting off terrifying words, but I wondered if Semere herself knew how incredibly cute she was when she acted like this, something akin to jealousy, regarding my issues.

Anyway, at times like these, there was an invincible remark that worked like a magic cure.

“It’s fine, because you’re prettier. Anyway, please fix my body. I feel like I’m dying.”

My arms and legs were amicably severed one by one, one eye was gone, and my insides were all mashed up, leaving me in a mangled state.

Even if my fatal injuries and wounds were repaired and restored by Semere’s magic, it was obvious that my body wouldn’t return to perfect new condition; it was gradually wearing down.

When I saw my reflection in the mirror, worn and tattered from battles, transformed into something hideous and demonic, I hated myself to the point of disgust. Could Semere truly like me like this?

Whether the feelings Semere held for me were love, obsession, or possessiveness… the boundaries of those emotions were ambiguous, so I couldn’t be sure, but at least I loved her.

Of all the reasons for my fighting, only Semere was truly vibrant and related to ‘life.’

As for revenge… it was all burned away, with only embers remaining… related to death, and likewise, reasons and justifications that had died and lost their life.

Still, I knew that the vengeful, ghost-like voices that whispered revenge to me when I was alone were, in fact, illusions I had created.

I knew that, but the reason I couldn’t stop was that the moment I gave up and denied it, the life I had lived so far would lose all meaning.

So far, I had run, burning myself out, for the sake of death, planning to die immediately once my revenge was complete, but…

Living with Semere, lately I often found myself wondering if I should consider a life after revenge.

So, after this fight… should I really try confessing to her?

If I get rejected, then I can just die.

“Heh heh~ So I’m prettier, huh? Yes. How could a mere girl, only a little younger, compare to me? If that hadn’t been the right answer, I would have left you, but since you answered cleverly this time, I’ll fix you.”

Hearing my backhanded compliment, Semere smiled, quite puffed up.

Semere’s rosy smile was as radiant as a flower blooming in the abyss.

*

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Strong, staccato claps echoed through the lemon tree-filled garden, and I returned from my past memories to reality.

“Hahaha. Enough! As expected of a clash between the Empire’s divinities, it was magnificent. But if you fight any longer, you’ll both get seriously hurt, so let’s stop here for today.”

Along with the clapping, a voice filled with spirit like a lion’s roar mediated the battlefield between me and the Hero.

The Emperor, now with a more hearty expression than his previous solemn one, appeared before us.

‘He sets up a fight, watches, then comes late with a smug grin. Look at that personality… He must be Leon’s dad.’

Although fighting Lea was actually fun, thinking that I had fought according to someone else’s intentions made me slightly displeased, so I cursed the Emperor inwardly.

Seeing my sullen expression, the Emperor chuckled and tried to appease me.

“Haha. You were suddenly attacked, so you must have some complaints. But don’t be too upset. I’ve prepared quite a good elixir.”

Revoking my statement. This man is kind-hearted and full of humanity.

A noble father’s worthless son [a saying about a child who tarnishes their parent’s reputation]. Leon being a bastard is his own fault, not his father’s.

Besides, it was quite enjoyable to spar with Lea during her weaker days, so there was nothing for me to be angry about.

“Well, truthfully, that friend fought quite well, so it was enjoyable. She attacked with a sword that wasn’t even properly sharpened, so her intention wasn’t to seriously injure or kill me from the start…”

“You… knew all that and still gritted your teeth and hit me with full power? You bad guy. What manners, treating a beautiful woman like that…”

I could just largely ignore Lea, who was grinding her teeth and grumbling at me from in front.

In any case, it was somewhat obvious that she hadn’t attacked with the intention of killing or crippling me from the start.

If the Emperor had intended to do something to me, he wouldn’t have needed to send a weak Lea, whose head wasn’t even fully developed; he could have just stepped forward himself.

At my current level, no matter how strong I became, if the Emperor directly tried to kill me, I would have no choice but to die.

“First… this isn’t the place to stand awkwardly and talk, so let’s go inside and have our discussion.”

“Understood. I will escort you.”

As we were about to enter the mansion in a slightly relaxed atmosphere, the Emperor spoke to Lea, who was following along.

“Lea, you go to the backyard and continue swinging your sword. You’re still far from good enough to make excuses after being ‘miserably’ defeated.”

“Argh…! Why are you isolating me?! And what do you mean ‘miserably’ defeated? I didn’t even use my divine power, I didn’t use my pretty face for a honey trap, and that mask was terribly uncomfortable, you know? He went all out, but I was the only one at a disadvantage!”

Although I hadn’t used the Nine Heavens Destruction Art, meaning I hadn’t used even half my full power, I found the Hero, who was even talking back to the Emperor, somehow cute, so I didn’t really refute her.

They say a beauty of that caliber gets bonus points for her looks no matter what, and it seems that saying is true.

However, His Majesty the Emperor, our cool-headed and experienced warrior, mercilessly criticized the young fool.

“No. First, Ras held back considerably. His understanding of offense and defense was also much higher than yours. Your draconic power is brutishly strong, and your speed is fast, but those advantages were thoroughly sealed off.”

“Ugh… Old man, but I still practiced hard just like you told me to, right? If you deny that and criticize me again, I won’t be able to live with the unfairness. Should I just follow that man and leave?”

Why would you follow me…?

Anyway, their bickering looked like a scene between a close father and daughter, or perhaps a grandfather and granddaughter.

Lea, despite her casual demeanor, actually followed the Emperor well, and although her words were rough, her actions weren’t outrageous.

I was curious what kind of relationship tied the two together, but it wasn’t my place to press the Emperor.

“Heh heh. You’ll have to become independent at the appropriate time anyway, you rascal. Well… in any case, you did well. Review today’s match thoroughly before coming in. If anyone approaches, you may cut them down first.”

“Yes.”

Hearing she did well, she made a slightly satisfied expression, then looked at me with a sharp glare.

Oh, really?

“What are you staring at?”

When I tossed that out, she grinned as if she was absolutely delighted.

“Because I like it. You’re not some dead, bowing old man like the Emperor, but a man in his prime talking to me like that? It’s really fresh and good. It’s like, ‘No one has ever done this to me before.’ Anyway, see you later.”

I’ve felt it since my previous life, but Lea Iorca was also far from normal.

*

After leaving Lea loose in the backyard, we entered a room inside the mansion.

Although it was a villa sometimes used by the Emperor, it was simply furnished with little more than a table and a few chairs, without much household items or furniture.

Still, there were a few bottles of wine in the display case, so the Emperor took out two of them, handed one to me, and kept the other for himself.

As I opened the sloshing bottle of unknown transparent amber liquid, a refined fragrance wafted out.

The Emperor nodded at me, as if telling me to drink comfortably, and I took a mouthful of the alcohol.

Gulp, after having a showdown with a crazy person, the alcohol tasted sweet and good.

“Ideally, I should treat you to a meal, but neither Lea nor I are good at cooking… so please bear with just a bottle of alcohol.”

“Yes. Well… I do have some questions, but I can’t just blurt them out first while Your Majesty is here. Shall we get straight to the point?”

The Emperor didn’t seem like the type to particularly adhere to etiquette or formality, and it didn’t seem like he’d brandish a sword and shout “Insolent wretch! Die!!” just because I spoke like this, so I spoke casually.

Hearing my words, the Emperor wore a slightly pensive expression, then let out a deep sigh and made a request to me.

“Ras Etgard… could you show me your mindscape?”

I had somewhat expected it, but it seemed the Emperor had largely witnessed my battle in the middle of Delphi.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all to have my true capabilities exposed to someone stronger than myself…

In this bitter situation, the previously fragrant alcohol suddenly began to taste bitter.

Ding- dong- ding- dong-…

The clock struck ten.