# 97. The Demon King's Attack! The Hero Party is in Danger (5)
It's all my fault.
Because I was weak.
My brother died, and my friends died too.
*It's just like back then...*
Even when my friends lost their lives in the underground of the Order.
I just sat there.
I couldn't do anything.
*What kind of Saint am I... Hare was right... It, it all happened because I was weak...*
Feeling the warmth of Luna's hand.
Estia prayed while blaming herself.
*So please, it's my fault... just save the others...*
I was wrong.
So please, give me a way, whether it's Divine Power or anything...
I don't want to just sit still anymore...
*Please, Goddess...*
Estia was sincerely repenting her mistakes.
Being passive in training.
Using the excuse that her Divine Power wouldn't come out to stop her dawn prayers.
She hated herself for just sleeping during that time instead.
*If you give me just one more chance... I'll do anything... I was wrong... I'll do better this time...*
Estia continued praying while holding Luna's hand.
Every time she closed her eyes, the last moments of Lee Jun-woo and her friends came to mind.
Even so, Estia didn't run away.
*Without my brother... without my friends... I have nowhere to go back to alone... My home... my family is only here...*
She couldn't return to the Order.
She wanted to go back to a home that warmed her heart.
Estia, awakened from her fear by the shock of reality.
She closed both eyes and prayed to the Goddess with a sincere heart.
*Sob... please let me go home... I want to see my brother again...*
As her prayer continued, golden mana began to swirl around Estia's body.
Her prayer continued, and when she opened her eyes again.
"Sob... sniff..."
Estia was busy wiping away the tears from her eyes.
"We're back! We came back!"
Luna looked around.
Hare and Saten were alive, and Estia was praying with her hands clasped together.
"Ugh, it hurts..."
Sloth was making a pained voice.
It was certain they had returned to the past.
Luna looked down to check below.
"As expected, Mister is injured... I expected it, but... my heart aches..."
Still.
Even though Mister ended up in this state.
I can't let the others die too.
"N-now's not the time to be sad!"
I'll cry a little later!
Now's the time to move!
Luna wiped away her tears with her fist and stood up bravely, shouting.
"Hare! Come here and move Mister! Ah, Mister is still alive!"
He's *still* alive.
Luna hid the painful truth to resolve the situation.
She couldn't let Hare take her own life like last time.
Did Luna's intention get through?
Hare ran over with eyes less clouded than those she'd shown in the future.
"M-Mister...! Are, are you okay...?"
"Hare! Mister can't talk right now! So hurry and move him to a safe place!"
"Mister... open your eyes... I, I'm here, Hare is here, so open your..."
"Shut up and move him quickly!!"
I feel like crying too, so stop it!
Luna shouted at Hare while hiding her true feelings.
At that, Hare made a gloomy expression and moved Mister.
If she learned the truth, it seemed like she would immediately commit suicide.
She looked like she was in a precarious state, standing on the edge of a cliff.
*Still, even if I hide the truth, I have to do it!*
Until we defeat the Demon King with our own power.
Let's hide it from Hare until then.
That Mister is breathing but can't move.
Luna steeled her resolve and checked on Saten, the next risk factor.
*Wh-what...*
I can't make eye contact with Saten...?
Saten was bristling with hostility and bloodlust swirling around her.
Gulp—
Luna swallowed and mustered the courage to speak to Saten.
"S-Saten! Let's join forces...!! And defeat that Demon King...!"
"Why should I join forces?"
"Huh?"
"You're in my way. Unlike that pink-haired idiot, I'm not stupid, Luna."
"...You know, don't you, Saten."
"I could tell from the flow of mana."
The fact that Mister couldn't come back.
Knowing that fact, Saten tried to walk the same path as before.
Saten drew blood from her wrist again, preparing for battle.
"I'm going to get revenge. And if I fail, I'll end up in the same form as Mister."
"Th-that's not what Mister wanted, Saten! Mister wanted us to join forces and defeat the Demon King!"
"How can you be sure of that?"
"Th-that's... Mister can't speak right now, but... looking at his actions so far..."
It seemed like he entrusted the Demon King to us.
He didn't attack properly.
He only defended while showing us the Demon King's patterns.
"I think he entrusted us with it! Dealing with the Demon King!"
"That makes sense. But it's already too late."
"Huh...?"
"The Demon King's body is healing. So you all do what you want."
I've already made my choice.
Leaving only those words, Saten headed toward the Demon King alone.
The result was the same as the memory from that time.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get revenge, Mister."
"Ah, ahhh..."
The memory repeating again.
Saten used all her blood to turn the Demon King into a mercilessly trampled rose.
Even so, it wasn't enough to eliminate the Demon King.
"Th-this time I failed too..."
Luna, who failed to persuade Saten, lost her friend again.
If there was one thing that changed from the past...
"Luna, I moved Mister to a safe place..."
"...Hare."
She had somehow managed to deceive Hare.
"Our faithful Goddess, today too, bless us... what came next... And...! For those in hardship, give us strength to save...? No, thank you for giving us strength..."
A golden light was emanating from Estia's praying body.
That golden light was becoming increasingly vivid, and Estia's atmosphere looked somehow sacred.
Luna looked at that sight and muttered.
"...Does she need time?"
"T-time? Are you saying we need time until Mister wakes up...?"
"No. Hare, you don't need to know...! I'll explain it to you later...!"
Luna assessed her companions' conditions and gained a lot of information.
She turned her gaze to check the Demon King's state.
*He's pretty injured from Saten's attack, but...*
Probably.
The three of us can't handle it...
Fortunately, since Sloth didn't have an aggressive personality.
Luna had plenty of time to organize her thoughts.
And as time passed and Sloth's body began to regenerate.
The Holy Sword's noise reached Luna's ears.
—The death of Mage Saten. This time the Thief survived. Will you take the Thief to the past?
"No, I won't take Hare...!"
—Yes, that's a reasonable decision.
Even now, the Demon King isn't paying attention to us.
He's focused on Mister lying over there.
Having figured out how to persuade Hare.
Let's be satisfied with this for now.
*...I'm sorry, Saten. I'll definitely save you next time.*
Luna bit her lip hard and turned around, heading toward Estia.
"L-Luna...? Where are you going...? Why is your body glowing...?"
"It's nothing. I'll just go to Estia for a moment..."
Thud thud thud—
Luna felt uncomfortable about leaving them behind.
She couldn't breathe properly, and deep guilt lodged in one corner of her heart.
Even so, Luna steeled her resolve and didn't look back.
"Haah... Estia..."
"Thank you for saving our lives, Goddess... So please give me the power so Mister can get up again—"
"Estia! Snap out of it and look at me!"
Flinch—!
Estia was startled by Luna's loud voice and looked to the side.
There was Luna, who looked exhausted at first glance.
"Luna...? What's wrong...! I prayed and the Goddess is performing a miracle...!"
"That's my power! You dummy Estia! Listen carefully! We're going to keep repeating time! And we'll find a way there!"
"What do you—"
"Anyway! Listen! Even when time rewinds! First, you just keep praying! And when I persuade everyone and we're ready to fight properly!"
Then.
Do something with that prayerful heart somehow.
Estia questioned Luna's words.
"...Do something, what do you mean?"
"I don't know! Mister believed in you! Figure it out yourself! I'll do what I have to do! You can do it now, can't you!"
Do it!
Please do at least one thing!
Hoping that Estia would do at least one thing this time.
Luna and Estia went back in time.
"Hare! Put Mister down and come right away! Got it?!"
"O-okay..."
Successfully preventing Hare from dying.
Luna then.
Reached the wall called Saten, who was trying to end her own life alone, again.
Luna grabbed the arm of Saten, who was heading toward the Demon King alone, and shouted.
"S-Saten, don't go, wait! Hare will come after putting Mister down!"
"Why should I listen to you? There's no time, so let go."
"N-no! If we join forces, we might be able to win!"
"How are the three of us supposed to defeat a Demon King? That's nonsense. Move aside."
"It's way better than dying alone!!"
As expected, it wasn't easy.
Saten was trying to rush out to kill the Demon King no matter what.
The emotion called anger.
Because all her attention was absorbed in that one thing.
She couldn't assess the surrounding situation coolly.
Looking at such a Saten, Luna's heart was burning up more and more.
*How do I persuade Saten...?*
I can't watch Saten die like that again.
Even if we injure him, we can't finish it.
*I have to save Saten somehow...*
Glance—
Luna turned her gaze to check Demon King Sloth.
He still hadn't recovered from the deep wounds inflicted by Mister.
In that situation, Saten kept trying to ram her head at the Demon King.
*The best method! What could it be! There must be at least one! What could it be...!!*
If Mister were here, he would have told her.
But Mister isn't here now.
So what I can do is...
*No matter how much I think about it, this is all there is.*
Luna let go of the arm holding Saten.
Then Saten walked forward with large steps like a tiger whose leash had been released.
"It seems I have to get revenge, Mister."
Click— Click—
Saten taking angry steps forward.
And beside her, small footsteps followed along.
Thud— Thud—
Saten took a deep breath and asked toward the source of the footsteps.
"...Why are you following me, Luna? I said I was going to get revenge."
"I-I'm going to get revenge too! I-I didn't follow you! I'm going to avenge Mister too!"
I definitely didn't follow you!
I just want revenge too!
Luna shouted confidently.
*No matter how much I think about it, this was all I could come up with...*
If she couldn't stop Saten.
She'd squeeze in between and act together.
Saten, who gathered her thoughts in one place and wouldn't even attempt compromise.
Luna had made her choice.
*If we fight together...! Hare will come too...! And if Estia can pull her weight...! We can defeat the Demon King and avenge Mister too...!*
She decided to use Saten, who had no intention of backing down.
Luna drew her real sword and shouted at the wounded Demon King.
"I don't know how many times it'll take...!! C-come at me...!! I-I'll take you on...!!"
It was the moment the Hero Party's desperate revenge drama began.