52. The Hero Party's First Demon King Subjugation (2)
Of all the emotions she could have awakened to, Saten had realized 'loneliness.'
She gently stroked my hand as she spoke.
"Mister, is this what stability feels like? My chest doesn't hurt. When I was alone in the cabin it hurt, but since you came here, it doesn't hurt anymore."
*Stroke—*
As if savoring each wrinkle on my hand, Saten stared intently at me with curious eyes.
It was a gaze that seemed to want to see through me.
"...Don't look at me like that, Saten. It's uncomfortable."
"I didn't know you'd be uncomfortable, Mister. Next time I won't look so openly."
...That sounds like she's saying she won't get caught next time.
Does she plan to secretly analyze me from behind?
That's a bit creepy.
*'I feel like the first button was fastened wrong. Of all things, she had to realize loneliness first. It would have been better if she'd realized joy first.'*
Saten was one of the sharper minds in the party, but she had no emotions.
Only reason existed within her, and she analyzed any situation coldly and accurately, excluding emotion.
But that wasn't entirely a good thing.
The lack of emotions that are essential to humans could lead to faulty judgments.
And if only the emotion of 'loneliness' functioned normally among those emotions?
*'It definitely won't be a good influence.'*
I looked down at Saten.
Sitting in the chair, she stared at me expressionlessly while firmly—holding my hand.
She tilted her head and asked.
"Do you have something to say?"
"I have much to say... but let's talk later. Poison is spreading through your body, so we need to leave this place quickly. Take my hand. Let's go."
"Yes, Mister."
Saten took my hand without any resistance.
Though Saten had always been individualistic, for some reason now she seemed to rely on me.
*'...It's good that she follows instructions well, but something feels off.'*
And so I took Saten's hand, helped her up from the chair, and headed outside the cabin.
There, Hare and Estia sat exhausted, having run from far away.
"Huff— huff— H-how could you leave us behind, Oppa—!!"
"Mister tried to abandon me... I, I was almost abandoned by Mister..."
"...Something urgent came up with Saten, so I had no choice. I wasn't trying to abandon you."
*Huff— huff—*
The two exhausted girls gasped for breath.
They seemed unable to even respond to my words.
*'Still, I can't stop just because they're tired.'*
Poison was gradually spreading through Saten's body, and Luna must be trapped in a nightmare.
I approached the two sitting exhausted and spoke.
Pointing to the door that had appeared in the distant air.
"Girls, get up. We need to hurry."
"I, I'm too tired, Mister... I, I can't walk..."
"Me too... I'm tired too, Oppa..."
The two children whined weakly.
I wanted to give them a knock on the head since I didn't want to raise them soft,
but considering they'd had a hard day, I decided to let it slide.
"Hare. You hold my hand, and Estia. You get on my back."
Since Estia was small, she weighed less.
This method would be best.
"Oppa's back is so wide! Hehe!"
"I want Mister's back too..."
Hare muttered with slight dissatisfaction.
*Gnaw—*
But her complaint stopped at the level of biting her nails.
In the past, she would have definitely tried to push Estia away.
Hare, who had improved somewhat, puffed out her cheeks and took my hand.
"Well then, let's go."
Once I rescue the last companion, Luna, we'll surely wake from this dream.
I walked toward the final door where Luna would be waiting.
For some reason today, the weight on both my hands and back felt heavier than usual.
*'...Is this what it feels like to raise children?'*
If we appeared on a TV program back in Korea,
the entire Hero Party would definitely be nicknamed Golden Children.
With such trivial thoughts, I opened the door to the dream leading to Luna.
*Creeeeak—*
*'What in the world is that...'*
There, Luna was engaged in a desperate battle.
How many times had she repeated this battle?
*'I can't remember.'*
After the regressions exceeded 50 times,
Luna stopped counting her deaths.
The reason was that she realized it was meaningless.
"Whether it's 60 or 70 times, there's no need to count..."
She'd die either way.
Fight and lose, lose and die.
She wanted to collapse and lie down.
But the being that called itself the Holy Sword forcibly raised her up each time she fell.
"You have no talent, Luna. I'm abandoning you."
"That line again, Mister...?"
After being defeated by the red-haired girl,
Mister always left those words and disappeared.
Just how lacking was her talent that he would abandon her?
Tears flowed endlessly from Luna's eyes as she lay on the ground.
"*Hic*... You said you'd protect me... *hic*... You said you'd make me strong..."
I hate you, Mister...
Even after being abandoned and defeated dozens of times, she couldn't get used to the miserable feeling.
How could she defeat that woman?
Luna tried to think, but no method of winning came to mind at all.
"I can't win... When she knows all my moves... How can I possibly win..."
A world designed so Luna could never win from the start.
However, because the Holy Sword wouldn't allow her to fall, Luna was infinitely repeating this world.
At best, the duration of the sparring increased slightly.
The time she could endure increased slightly.
"Mister... *hic*... Why am I repeating this time... I miss you, Mister..."
I want to see the usual Mister...
But.
As if telling Luna not to even think such thoughts,
a sword of brilliant light burst from her heart.
—Hero. You do not fall. Stand up.
"That again...? *Hic*... How long will you make me fight like this...? You terrible sword..."
—Until you defeat that woman. Or until that man comes. Time is important.
"What does that even mea—"
"...Please, stop rewinding time... You terrible thing..."
The Holy Sword ignored Luna's words and pointed its blade toward her.
*'Ah, I'm going to die again...'*
The pain was temporary, but the fact that she was repeating the same time and couldn't escape was too despairing.
But since she couldn't even resist, Luna accepted this fate.
—Hero. You do not fall. As long as I exist. You cannot die.
The Holy Sword's voice rang out along with screams.
And so, Luna met her death over 100 times.
Bearing the weight of being a Hero that wouldn't let her lose consciousness even if she wanted to.
"*Hic*... Mister..."
You terrible Mister...
Still, there were times when you were kind to me...
Why do you keep making me fight such hard battles...
"If you're going to rewind time... take me back to that time..."
Luna prepared for battle while recalling the nostalgic daily life of training with Mister in the yard.
"...That's."
When I opened the door and entered,
Luna was fighting in a desperate state.
A battle where she couldn't even attempt to attack and was being one-sidedly beaten.
She avoided vital points as much as possible, but the accumulated damage had left her battered.
Seeing this, Hare shouted.
"There are two Misters...? That's an illusion and... Ah! M-Mister...! The kid fighting Luna...! Sh-she looks like...! That person who kissed you...!"
"That's also an illusion. Don't bare your teeth, Hare."
*Grrr— grrr—*
Hare was wary seeing the younger Aina.
Still, she must have instinctively understood she couldn't win, as she didn't charge forward.
*'Luna can't win against that illusion either.'*
Aina's illusion was using the swordsmanship I employed.
Naturally she couldn't win.
More than that, Luna, that girl...
"Her swordsmanship has improved a lot...?"
"Hmm, has it? I've always watched her train with you, Mister, but it looks the same to me."
"It's changed subtly, Saten."
It felt like she'd gone from apprentice to skilled practitioner.
If there had been awkward, creaky parts to her movements before, the current Luna felt like she'd been thoroughly oiled.
Nevertheless, the desperate situation where she could only defend remained unchanged.
Luna desperately defended against the illusion's attacks.
At this rate, she'd leave an opening in her vital points and collapse.
*'...Losing is natural but... she definitely has talent.'*
After telling the other children to "wait here,"
I quietly approached Luna, who was fighting with all her might.
"Y-you terrible woman...!! G-get away...!!"
"You have no talent. Mister will abandon you. My talent is superior, so Mister will abandon you."
"St-stop saying that...! I've heard it until my ears have calluses...!"
Not even noticing I'd come nearby,
Luna was resisting the illusion's attacks.
Then, gradually pushed into a corner, an opening appeared in her vital points.
*'Defeat.'*
*Whoosh—*
The illusion's sword, having found the opening, rushed toward Luna's solar plexus.
And at that moment.
*Thwack—*
"The sparring ends here."
"...? M-Mister...?"
I caught the wooden sword aimed at Luna with my hand.
Luna looked at me with surprised eyes.
"This has never happened before...? Wh-what...? You terrible Mister. Why are you suddenly doing this to me...?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, Luna? Explain so I can understand."
*Dazed—*
Luna stared at me holding the wooden sword with a blank expression.
After a long while,
as if something occurred to her, she frowned and began shouting at me.
"Mister, you're terrible! Go into your grave yourself! You Boomer!"
"...Luna?"
"Idiot! Mister, you're a bad person! Totally bad! If you're going to rewind time anyway, I'll curse you to my heart's content! You terrible Mister!"
"..."
*Hiss— hiss—*
I don't know why,
but what did that arrogant illusion of me standing there do to Luna?
I'm being cursed for things I didn't even do.
I felt a bit wronged.
"You idiot! Jellyfish! Go shave your beard! You terrible Mister!"
"...Luna. Look carefully behind that red girl."
"Why should I listen to you! Because I have no talent?! Is it okay to just abandon people if they have no talent?!"
"...Sigh."
First, I should get rid of this illusion.
An illusion modeled after Aina's childhood.
Though expressionless and colorless, it looked exactly like her appearance I'd seen in photos.
Not wanting to be immersed in the past, I channeled mana into the wooden sword I was holding.
"...!!"
"Disappear quickly, Aina."
It's painful just to look at.
Even if you're an illusion, disappear quickly from before me.
As I dominated the illusion's body with my mana, the illusion made of Lust's mana soon scattered into the air.
Seeing this, Luna made a dumbfounded sound.
"Huh...? Wh-what...? Why is Mister suddenly doing this...?"
"Stop the nonsense and look over there, Luna."
"Huh?"
Luna turned her head to see another me existing behind me.
"Wh-what...! There are t-two Misters...?!"
"No, there's one. That guy is an illusion."
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
"That guy must have said things to you. Mostly negative things."
Negative things.
At those words, Luna began pouring out words to me as if unpacking a bundle she'd been holding.
"No talent... no skill... He did say those things... A-and...! Every time I lost, he abandoned me...!! H-he kept cursing me saying I had no talent... Geez... I'm getting angry talking about it...! A-anyway...! And...! Th-the Holy Sword kept r-rewinding time...! Th-that's what happened, Mister... *Sob*..."
Luna shed tears after saying everything she had to say.
*'She kept repeating the sparring with the Holy Sword's power and was hurt by my illusion.'*
It should be fine since the illusion wasn't me,
but what worried me most was Luna's mental state.
If she'd kept repeating those times, her mind must have become devastated.
I asked Luna, who was crying miserably.
"...Luna, are you okay?"
"N-no... I'm n-not okay... *Sob*, Mister was totally terrible... Always telling me I have no talent... *sob*... That illusion Mister also said things to me... *sob*... I couldn't win the sparring... It's because... because I have no talent... *sob*..."
No talent.
The words I'd planted in Luna to keep her from becoming arrogant
seemed to have constantly bothered her from her perspective.
Luna hung her head looking utterly dejected.
"Always... always calling me talentless... *sob*, I totally hate you, Mister..."
"...I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't know you'd be hurt."
I patted Luna's shoulder to comfort her.
Still, as if her hurt feelings wouldn't disappear, Luna continued to shed tears.
"How... how hard a time I had... *sob*... You wouldn't know even in your dreams, Mister...! How much it hurts when your heart gets stabbed by a sword..."
"...I'll overlook you cursing me just now, Luna. Now stop crying."
"Why did you only come now... *sob*... I was waiting..."
Luna's tears showed no sign of stopping, like a midsummer monsoon.
Crying miserably as if she'd stop breathing, Luna shed tears like heavy rain—*drip drip*.
*'I didn't want to do this because it's embarrassing but...'*
I had no choice but to pull the quietly crying Luna toward me.
This method might stop her tears.
Embracing Luna, whose body temperature was high, I held her warmly.
Then, contrary to what I'd thought, Luna began pouring out even more tears.
"*Sob*... M-Mister...! I, I worked really hard... *sob*..."
"I could see that. Your swordsmanship improved a lot."
"I, I really... w-worked hard... *sob*... But you kept saying I had no talent... that you'd abandon me... *sob*... To me..."
Luna gripped—my clothes tightly and cried like a newborn baby, expressing her grief.
As if vomiting out everything she'd accumulated while repeating many times,
she cried with hiccups.
I just held Luna like that and stroked her head.
Without saying anything, I received her grief and sad emotions.
*'...I'm sorry, Luna.'*
For Luna who went through such a difficult process,
because the fated time still remains,
I could only wait for her to calm down.
*'You still have something to do, Luna. Calm down a little, and you must run forward again.'*
A door appeared where my illusion had been standing in the distance.
Looking at that door,
I checked Minerva's question that entered my view.
[Final chapter. You remember what was written, don't you? Jun-woo, don't let your heart weaken. This is fate. The fate of having become a Hero.]
...Fate.
A very convenient word for the one giving it, but a very cruel thing from the perspective of the person who must choose the correct answer to the question.
Though I knew the content, I checked the options.
[1. Have Luna stab the Holy Sword into the Demon King's heart to annihilate it.]
[2. Jun-woo kills the Demon King directly. However, it won't be annihilated. The Demon King of Lust will revive again.]
...My heart aches.
But if this is Luna's fate, I cannot go against it.
"*Sob*... *sob*... Mister..."
"..."
While holding the crying Luna in my arms, gently stroking her golden hair,
and feeling the sharp gazes of the other children watching us.
*'...The correct answer is always uncomfortable.'*
Number 1.
I pressed the option that would make Luna kill the Demon King.
Because that is the Hero's fate.