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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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They tried to subdue him.
And they were struck.
They rose, enduring the pain.
They were struck again.
Luna and Hare repeated this agonizing sequence countless times. Leaning against the crumbling cave wall, they moved their parched lips.
“Hare…”
“Mmm…”
“We can’t save Mister, can we…?”
“…”
Hare answered with silence. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, “We can’t.” Her swollen eyes, barely open, stared at Mister, who stood motionless in the distance.
“…Mister is too strong. And our bodies are too weak.”
“I know that! I know our skills are far below Mister’s!”
“Yes, our skills are lacking.”
Even though they knew this.
Why were they still fighting?
Hare dropped the wooden dagger she held.
“At this rate, we can’t win against Mister… We’re not helping him at all…”
Luna nodded at Hare’s words. It was an agreement, but she also wanted to add to Hare’s statement.
“Why should we help Mister? He only sees us as tools.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Mister only sees us as tools to kill the Demon Lords. Growth, growth, that’s all he ever talks about. To him, we’re just the Hero and the Rogue…”
He doesn’t see us as Luna and Hare.
We’re just Luna and Hare, the ones who have to defeat the Demon Lords.
Hare closed her eyes for a moment, considering Luna’s words.
‘Does… does Mister really think of us that way…?’
Really?
Does Mister think of us as tools for revenge?
Hare’s answer didn’t take long. She pushed herself up from the floor, her battered body protesting with every movement.
“…That’s impossible. Mister sees us properly.”
“Then what about today?! Why is he making us suffer like this?! How do you explain this?!”
“He must be doing this because he cares about us. Because if we don’t become stronger, things will be even harder for us in the future. And Mister must be suffering even more than us. He’s hitting us even though he doesn’t want to…”
“Ah…”
Luna finally understood her own foolishness. She had been whining because she was in pain, but she hadn’t considered Mister’s feelings, the agony he must be enduring.
She hadn’t realized how painful it must be for him.
Hare, standing unsteadily, spoke to the remorseful Luna.
“Honestly, I don’t mind if Mister thinks of me as a tool…”
“Huh…?”
“Because I love Mister. It’s okay.”
So…
She couldn’t just stand here and do nothing.
“Mister trusts us… and he entrusted the Demon Lord to us…”
Hare pulled two daggers from her pocket. Light and sharp, they were her weapons of choice.
She decided, without hesitation, to change, to fight for Mister.
“It’s okay to be used if it means not being abandoned… I’m alive because of Mister… I always stutter in front of him… but someday, he’ll acknowledge me…”
“H-Hare.”
“Get up. I have to go home with Mister…”
Is that… love?
Luna saw a flicker of madness in Hare’s eyes. She finally understood what Mister meant to Hare.
‘Hare thinks of Mister that much… and Mister…’
Hare said Mister didn’t think of them as tools.
She would ask him directly later.
After she returned Mister to normal.
‘I’ll tell him what I think and how I feel.’
Seeing Hare rise with unwavering determination, despite her injuries, Luna threw her wooden sword to the ground.
She found the courage to stand, pushing through the pain.
“Holy Sword, lend me your strength…! I’ll save Mister…!”
Even if it meant using the real sword, the one that could inflict real wounds.
Luna and Hare resolved to fight without hesitation.
Just as a broken bone heals stronger than before.
They would ignite their faltering spirits and charge towards Greed. Their bodies were battered and bruised, but their resolve was firm.
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In the dark room, he sat quietly, watching the screen.
“It’s hard to tell how much time has passed in the cave.”
How long had it been?
He estimated at least a day.
He couldn’t be sure.
Minerva, who had been lying down, answered his musing.
“Two days.”
“Two days already?”
“Yeah, roughly.”
“…Quite a while.”
He had watched their struggle every moment of those two days. He couldn’t sleep in this space.
All he could do was sit and watch them.
‘Hitting Luna and Hare with my own body was unpleasant, but…’
It couldn’t be helped.
This was part of their growth.
If Luna and Hare were to overcome future dangers easily, they needed to endure these difficult trials.
“Minerva.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think of this fight?”
“Not bad, I think? I can see them growing stronger with every blow. It’s their talent, I guess.”
Her thoughts mirrored his own.
As Minerva said, Luna and Hare were showing remarkable growth in this real battle, far more than in their training sessions.
Every attack was deliberate, and after each impact against the cave wall, they discussed their next move.
There was no hesitation in their eyes.
“It’s not just talent.”
“…Really? To me, it looks like pure talent? The Hero’s party is incredibly gifted!”
“Talent needs to be nurtured with effort. And the Hero’s party is working far harder than ordinary people.”
As a result, they were experiencing explosive growth, becoming stronger with each failure.
They took turns napping to conserve their energy.
They strategized on how to win.
There was no longer any hesitation in their actions.
“I wish they would just cut off my arm and take me home…”
“Do you want to die? Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, it’s almost over. Why don’t you answer him? He’s being so noisy.”
True.
He had been quite persistent.
He decided to answer Greed, if only to appease the irritated Minerva.
“Greed, your fate will be decided soon. Any last words?”
-Shut up, human-!! How can you still control your body after being possessed-!!
“It’s easy to counter when you know the future. A library is far more vast than a single Grimoire.”
-What…? What does that-
“You’ll see.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the scene on the screen changed abruptly.
Luna and Hare were slowly walking towards him.
They looked haggard from lack of sleep, their bodies covered in wounds.
But their expressions radiated unwavering confidence.
It was the scene from the book.
“As expected, the future doesn’t change, no matter what.”
“That’s my power. I show you the best course of action, even in the worst situations. Pretty amazing, right?”
Minerva preened, fishing for compliments. He knew that if he didn’t oblige, she would throw a tantrum. He offered a perfunctory praise.
“It’s a good ability.”
“…That’s it? Where’s the enthusiasm?”
“Wait, be quiet. The Hero’s party is attacking.”
He deftly changed the subject. His gaze was fixed on the screen, watching their fight unfold.
‘They’re running from a distance… and splitting left and right.’
A good choice.
He only had one eye, so if they divided, he would have to focus on one at a time.
He saw Hare moving swiftly in his peripheral vision.
She extended the daggers in both hands.
“She certainly doesn’t hesitate to attack vital points. Good job.”
“…Is that a good thing? It’s your body.”
“It’s not me right now. It doesn’t matter.”
“Right, you’re always right. Sigh…”
Minerva let out a resigned sigh.
Meanwhile, the Hero’s party’s relentless assault continued.
Hare thrust her daggers, and whenever his body tried to shift its gaze, Luna would run.
They were cleverly exploiting his blind spots.
Greed, trapped in his body, desperately dodged their attacks.
-You vermin-!! Don’t injure the body I’m using-!! Do you not care if your guardian is hurt-!!?
“I don’t care. This is what Mister wanted. He told us not to hesitate…”
-Y-You’re… crazy… completely insane.
The Hero’s party was indeed insane.
But in a good way.
‘Clever and cunning. They never fight a losing battle.’
A Hero shouldn’t lose.
They continued to exploit his weaknesses, ensuring victory with every move. His body was now covered in cuts from their daggers.
Luna and Hare looked pale, but he wanted to praise them.
“They’re doing much better than in the book. They could be a little more aggressive with their stabs, though.”
“…You’re crazy. Just plain crazy!”
“Wait a moment, be quiet. It’s time for the next stage.”
The next stage.
Luna, who had been moving in his blind spot, was now radiating a powerful aura.
Greed, sensing the surge of energy behind him, quickly turned.
But Luna’s sword was already poised to strike.
“A Holy Sword infused with magic power.”
The sharp blade, gleaming with a mixture of blue and gold light.
As Greed turned, Luna raised the sword high above her head.
His body had no means of defense except its fists. It couldn’t block the attack. And since the attack came from his blind spot, he couldn’t dodge.
Greed sensed his impending doom and cried out.
-I-If you strike me with that sword, your guardian will be injured…
“It’s okay…! This is what Mister wanted from the beginning. Not hesitating…!! Defeating you quickly is what Mister wanted!! And…”
Luna swung the sword downwards, her voice filled with conviction.
“It’s okay if Mister gets hurt! Even if he’s injured and can’t open his eyes! I’ll take care of him for the rest of his life! It’s okay!”
He didn’t like that idea at all.
But Luna, disregarding his intentions, brought the magic-infused Holy Sword down towards his chest.
-D-Damn…
Blood spurted from his chest. Luna looked down at his body, her expression a mixture of guilt and regret. He was satisfied that she hadn’t hesitated to strike him.
“Never let emotions cloud your judgment when your life is on the line.”
Even if the best course of action leads to an undesirable outcome.
If it’s the right answer, you must follow it.
He didn’t want them to make the same mistakes he had, to lose loved ones because of emotional decisions.
“Luna, I hope… no, I hope the Hero’s party never regrets a wrong choice.”
“…”
The screen before him began to fade to black.
In the final moments, he saw Luna and Hare tying the rope around his body.
They looked disheveled, their faces grimy from two days without washing.
But if he could move, he would praise them immediately.
‘…However.’
They didn’t look particularly happy about capturing the Demon Lord.
With the Demon Lord subdued, only one task remained for the Hero’s party: to destroy him.
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