139. Cecilia Saten's Revenge (3)
The past of Saten that I saw was dark and cramped.
If she lit a fire to see her surroundings, a whip would fly at her.
If she pushed against the walls to breathe, the pressure would return.
In those days, Saten had never acted as she wished.
"At the center of that past was you. A piece of trash unworthy of the name 'father.'"
"Did you hear it from that wench? How I educated that lowborn thing."
Clang—
Lennon crossed swords with me and spoke with a cold, expressionless face.
"A murderer with blood on her hands from birth. The method of education is important to wash away the blood on one's hands."
"You're insane. What you did was nothing but venting your anger."
Head of Family Lennon had simply made Saten the target of his resentment when his wife died.
To escape from cruel reality.
I put more weight into my sword.
Just as Lennon seemed to be pushed back, he quickly turned his body to the side and escaped from the pressing position.
"If you had stayed still, I could have sent you off easily. What a shame."
"I have no intention of going easily. I just need to take that demon with me."
Swoosh—
Lennon raised his arm and pointed his finger at Saten.
The sight of him hating Saten so much yet being obsessed with her looked pathetic.
And.
*...What a shitty feeling.*
That there was something similar between me and that disgusting appearance.
That was what I disliked the most.
I grasped Saten's hand, which was trembling with uncontrollable fear.
"Saten, can you speak?"
"...I... can..."
Tremble—
Saten shook her entire body like a broken doll.
It seemed difficult for her to participate in combat.
"...Saten, you rest in the back for a bit. This isn't your fight, so just watch quietly. Hare, please help Saten."
"Yes, mister...!"
I asked Hare and let go of Saten's hand to face Lennon.
However, after letting go.
Saten immediately grasped my hand tightly again.
She looked at the floor and opened her trembling lips.
"I, I'll rest for a bit... But mister... if it's dangerous, it's okay to come back..."
"...Saten?"
"Revenge... can be done later... so it's okay to run away..."
The Saten I knew.
Was a girl who put revenge as her first priority and magic as her second.
That was why she researched highly lethal magic using her own blood.
Yet that same Saten was saying it was okay to postpone revenge and run away.
That fact came as a shock to me.
*Has she been consumed by fear...? Or if not...*
Had her thinking changed?
At first, when entering the mansion, Saten had shown hesitation.
She would try to say something but couldn't spit it out because her thoughts weren't organized.
Now that revenge was right before her eyes, her gaze seemed to lose direction and couldn't find its bearings.
*But just now she asked me to kill Lennon...*
My head hurts.
The girl called Saten is like a complex puzzle.
Like a puzzle with over 100 different pieces.
"Mister—!! When are you coming—!! The Hero's dying—!!"
"Wait a moment, Luna. I need to think."
"No! While you're thinking, I'm going to die—!! Th-this person is skin and bones but super strong—!! Hurry up—!!"
...Right.
I should go help Luna, who's blocking Lennon alone.
Minerva must have thought so too, as she gifted me a problem.
[Jun-woo, at this rate the Hero really will die. If you don't want to turn back the Hero's time, choose quickly.]
[1. Withdraw the Hero Party from the mansion.]
[2. Defeat Lennon together with the Hero Party.]
Option 1 was Saten's current opinion.
Option 2 was past Saten's opinion.
Which was the correct answer?
*...When I'm not around, which choice would be more helpful to Saten?*
When I changed my thinking that way.
My head cleared and the direction became obvious.
The result was clear even without looking at the answer key.
"Number 2."
I carefully let go of Saten's trembling hand.
"...M-mister?"
"Saten."
I grasped Saten's shoulders and met her eyes.
Saten's eyes trembled left and right as if confused.
"If you run away now, nothing will be resolved. It might be comfortable for a moment. But later, this moment will become a nightmare that troubles you."
So.
Saten had to make a choice.
"...When you're mentally ready. Come holding that staff."
Aina's keepsake.
I set down the staff that would become my keepsake on the floor.
"I'll go ahead and wait."
The choice was Saten's.
I decided to respect whatever choice she made.
Even if she ran away, I decided to understand her.
In the first place, for Saten who had suffered severe mental abuse.
For Saten who was born with a sensitive personality.
The fact that she had survived until now was close to a miracle.
Commander of the Black Crow Knights.
Head of the Cecilia Family.
Was it because those dog-like honors were important?
Lennon possessed unnecessarily excellent skills.
"Is that all, Hero? Pride said I would die today. But it seems he was wrong."
"Shut up—!! I can beat you in an instant—!!"
Thrust—
Luna exploded in anger and stabbed her sword toward Lennon's shoulder.
Lennon easily dodged by twisting his waist.
However, Luna immediately swung a horizontal slash with determination.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't work.
"...Your destructive power is certainly strong. Excellent except for that mouth that doesn't match the honor of being a Hero. You don't even show an opening for counterattack."
"Hmph, your praise doesn't make me happy at all!"
Glance—
Luna shot me a sidelong look.
"What is it, Luna?"
"...It's nothing! Just hurry up! How long are you planning to watch?!"
As Luna said.
I should stop spectating now.
I had roughly figured out Lennon's style.
Now I just needed to finish him off with a combined attack with the Hero Party.
"Tsk, you have no dignity. To think of attacking me together when I'm alone."
Estia showed Lennon her middle finger.
"What! I know there's a Demon King inside you! You idiot!"
"Estia! You can't use that finger—!"
"Huh? My teacher told me to do this to someone when I'm annoyed."
"...Who?"
"My teacher."
...I told her to teach the use of Divine Power, but she was teaching bad things.
I folded Estia's middle finger and stepped forward.
"You talk a lot for someone who sold their body to a Demon King."
"M-mister! Your words are too strong! You look weak!"
"...Stay quiet, Luna. You're noisy."
"Yep!"
"Draw your Holy Sword."
Luna closed her mouth and quietly drew the Holy Sword from her heart.
If we attacked as a group, he would use the Demon King's power.
From now on, we had to approach seriously without any levity.
The difference between an ordinary person's power and a Demon King's power was not to be taken lightly.
"You take the right side, Luna. Estia, provide support. Hare, you open up the opponent's gaps."
"Yes!"
"Okay."
"A-alright...!"
I gave orders and kicked off the floor to approach Lennon.
His attack method that I had quietly observed was peculiar.
He made opponents open gaps through their actions.
And he wouldn't strike first unless a perfect opportunity appeared.
As if his purpose lay elsewhere.
In other words.
"You're saying it's defensive swordsmanship."
"...For a commoner, you have good insight."
I gripped my sword and swung it toward Lennon's heart.
Lennon deflected my sword with one hand and raised his other hand high.
In that hand, a black whip filled with demonic energy glowed ominously.
A distance where it would definitely hit if swung.
However, Lennon's gaze wasn't directed at me.
"I'll educate you with this whip after such a long time."
He wouldn't let her go alone.
The whip filled with such intense will cut through the air with a crack.
"Luna."
"Yep!"
However, that whip had to stop midway.
Strong Divine Power against strong demonic energy.
Due to the power of the Holy Sword filled with even more Divine Power.
Lennon's attack was easily blocked.
"Did you think I wouldn't know your purpose? Even the Saint over there knows your gaze was directed at Saten."
"...I see, it's a bit humiliating to be caught by such a stupid and undignified fellow. But this isn't the end of my attack."
"If it's not the end!"
The Holy Sword filled with Estia's Divine Power.
Luna, gripping it tightly, ran toward Lennon.
There seemed to be no fear in her eyes.
"If it's not the end! I'll attack before you can attack again!"
Don't give the opponent a choice.
Fight selfishly.
Luna, who had properly inherited my teachings.
Boom—!
She braced her legs on the floor, twisted her waist, and laid her sword flat.
A horizontal slash with all her strength.
*It's amazing that such power comes from that small frame.*
Luna, displaying truly monstrous strength, intended to blow away the defending Lennon entirely.
"Uaaaah—!!"
Luna thrust the Holy Sword at Lennon with a loud battle cry.
Lennon stared directly at Luna's Holy Sword and quietly murmured.
"...I can neither block nor dodge this."
Crash—!!
With a tremendous sound, Lennon flew away.
Though it was only a moment.
The destructive power Luna displayed was beyond imagination, and Lennon appeared to have lost consciousness, embedded in his wife's portrait.
And the power Luna showed was beyond what I had seen in training.
*...That chick was holding back against me in training.*
Had she already grown that much?
How admirable.
Thinking that, I approached Lennon, who was embedded in the wall along with the torn portrait.
Getting closer, I could tell his heart wasn't beating.
"Of course you didn't die. Stop acting and get up, Lennon."
"...The last remaining portrait. I'll never see it again."
"Stop being sentimental. How long will you keep going on about your wife?"
"You're not much different. Adventurer Jun. We're both the same in our obsessive inability to forget, aren't we?"
"...You know unnecessary information."
"I heard some things."
Cough—
Though his heart had already stopped, Lennon dusted himself off and stood up.
I pierced his neck with my sword as he tried to rise.
However, Lennon stood up without any problem.
It felt like watching a zombie.
"...Disgusting. Do you really think that appearance has dignity?"
"You'll know when you see the end."
Lennon smirked.
Then he shifted his gaze toward the floor.
"The lower class exists for the upper class. However, when the upper class collapses, the lower class is crushed along with it."
"What kind of bullshit—"
"I'm saying the Empire's collapse is beginning. Adventurer Jun. Unlike me, I hope you can save the lover you loved. I mean that sincerely."
Lennon moved his gaze to look at Saten, who still hadn't made her choice.
With a hate-filled gaze as if he would never let her go.
He raised the whip in his hand high into the air.
The result of that action had to be stopped no matter what.
"You crazy—"
Slash—
I beheaded Lennon with the sword that was at his neck.
Yet Lennon's body didn't stop at all and moved without hesitation.
When the black whip he swung next touched the floor—
"U-uaaah—!! Mister—!!"
"M-mister...!"
"Kyaaah...! J-Jun-woo oppa!!"
The floor supporting us collapsed, and we fell downward.
As I fell downward, in my vision
I could only see Saten holding the staff to her chest, curled up, with her eyes quietly closed.