—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We headed towards the plaza, the source of the Demon Lord’s miasma.
Grimoire remnants attacked us, trying to block our path, but they weren’t a threat.
‘…They’re weaker than I expected.’
Or rather…
We’re stronger than I thought.
I casually dealt with the Grimoire devotees, observing the Hero’s party.
“Hmph! You think you can defeat me! After all the training I’ve done!”
“W-Well done, Luna…! There’s an attack coming from the left…! Block it…!”
“Got it!”
They were doing well.
Luna, wielding her real sword, vented her frustration from the hellish training, slowly pushing back the Grimoire devotees.
It was a good display of strength, but…
‘Still too naive.’
I cut down the devotee in front of me and approached Luna. I stabbed my sword into the heart of the devotee Luna had just defeated.
Stab!
“Huh? Mister! Are you done?!”
“Yes. Luna, I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Why aren’t you killing the Grimoire remnants? You just defeated them, but you didn’t kill them.”
“I-I don’t know! It was a mistake!”
Luna quickly returned to fighting.
‘Killing is still too much for her.’
Luna and Hare weren’t killing their opponents. Considering their upbringing and personalities, it was understandable.
Taking a life required a strong resolve.
Luna needed a catalyst.
“…I feel like I’m constantly justifying my actions.”
Stab-!
I finished off the Grimoire devotee Luna had defeated.
We still had a long way to go before we reached the Demon Lord. As we continued fighting, a question crossed my mind.
‘…Why are there only devotees?’
We could handle devotees. But Apostles were a different story.
They could use Grimoire’s powers and were far stronger than the Hero’s party.
‘Why aren’t there any Apostles?’
I couldn’t understand why there were only devotees, easily defeated by the Hero’s party.
‘…Maybe it’s a good thing?’
It made things easier for us. I continued forward.
Suddenly, we heard a scream.
-Help me! Please! Someone!
“A survivor…?”
“A-A survivor!!”
“W-Wait… Luna, where are you going…! Stay together…! We need to maintain formation…!”
Luna, hearing the scream, ran towards the source without hesitation.
It was reckless, but…
“…Follow her. We can’t leave Luna alone.”
“Okay.”
“Y-Yes…!”
I secretly admired Luna’s compassion.
“Estia, let’s go.”
“…”
Estia didn’t respond. I took her hand and followed Luna.
“Estia.”
“…”
“I know it’s hard right now… but think about it later.”
I wanted to tell the frightened Estia one thing.
“If you don’t move forward, you’ll regret it. So be strong.”
“…”
Estia remained silent, her lips pressed together. But I thought I saw a slight nod.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Where?
Where are they?
Luna frantically searched the streets, following the sound of the screams. She had her eyes closed because of the corpses.
“It’s still scary!”
She was just pretending to be brave.
Luna might have had a brave mouth, but her heart wasn’t as strong. She heard another scream.
-Aaaaaah!!
There!
Luna ran towards the sound, panting like a dog running in the courtyard.
She navigated the alleyways and emerged onto a wider street.
Two young boys, clearly terrified, were cornered by a group of hooded figures.
‘Brothers? The older one looks about my age!’
I have to help them!
Luna glared at the hooded figures, her anger towards Grimoire rising.
“Y-You! Scoundrels! How dare you threaten children! You’re worse than Mister!”
“…?”
The Grimoire devotees looked confused. They drew daggers and pointed them at the boys.
A classic hostage situation.
“We don’t know who ‘Mister’ is, but you’re the Hero, right?”
“N-No! I’m not the Hero!”
Luna tried to hide her identity. But the Grimoire devotees were certain.
“Yellow hair and a red ribbon… that’s her, right?”
“The Demon Lord said she’s the Hero.”
Luna, who had encountered Greed, the Demon Lord of Greed, was already known to Grimoire.
She had no choice but to admit it.
“F-Fine! I’m the Hero! So what!”
Luna shouted, trying to sound confident.
The Grimoire devotees, having confirmed her identity, grinned and pressed their daggers closer to the boys’ throats.
“Drop your sword if you want this boy to live, Hero.”
“Y-You cowards!”
“You… you threatened the Demon Lord’s life… you must die…”
Threatening the Demon Lord’s life?
That’s even better!
Luna, still holding her sword, protested,
“Why should I die?! You idiots! I’m going to kill the Demon Lord! You’re human too!”
“S-Shut up…! We cannot allow anyone to kill the Demon Lord… a being superior to humans…!”
“Hmph, what are you talking about! I’m superior! Hey, you! How about serving Hero Luna instead of the Demon Lord!”
“W-What’s wrong with her…?”
The Grimoire devotee was taken aback. Luna’s logic was flawed, but somehow… appealing.
‘But I can’t be swayed by a little brat…’
He had already pledged his loyalty to the Demon Lord. There was no merit in betraying him. He pressed his dagger closer to the boy’s throat.
“H-Help me, Hero! D-Don’t just talk! Do something…!!”
“…You talk too much for a hostage! Everyone is always giving me a hard time…”
Annoying!
But a life is on the line. I have to focus. I don’t want to be scolded by Mister!
Luna quickly assessed the situation.
‘The space is wide… there’s a bench and a fountain over there… there’s nothing near the boy…’
I can’t use the environment to my advantage. The best option I have here is…
“Mister’s teachings…!”
Is that really…
The only thing I can do?!
Luna muttered to herself. The Grimoire remnants whispered,
“…What is she muttering about? Should we leave her alone?”
“…She’s just a kid, it’s fine.”
“Yeah, what can a little brat do?”
They scoffed.
Children had their limits. They didn’t realize their complacency would be their downfall.
“Huu…”
Luna took a deep breath.
Her sword was on the ground, far from her reach. The Grimoire devotees were holding the brothers hostage.
In this situation, Luna chose to rely on Mister’s teachings.
‘Mister! Why are we doing this hellish training! It’s so hard!’
‘This hellish training will reward you for your efforts.’
‘Mister! You know what!? You sound like a grandpa!’
‘…’
Standing on thorns with her toes.
Striking the thorns with her palms.
Dodging the thorns.
The power of magic she had mastered during hellish training.
“Mister said… to focus magic power on my toes… and then… burst forward…”
Like this.
Whoosh!
Luna focused her magic power on her toes and kicked off the ground. Her body shot forward like a bullet.
The Grimoire devotees, startled, tried to use the boys as shields, but…
“W-What’s with this brat’s speed-“
“Too late!”
Wham!
Thud
A fist to the jaw, followed by a kick to the chest. The Grimoire devotees went flying towards the fountain, silenced.
A perfect victory for Luna.
“Victory! Luna’s victory! The Hero’s victory! Hostage rescue successful! Hehe!”
Until now, she had only seen dead people in the streets. This was the first time she had saved someone.
Luna’s heart swelled with joy.
A sense of fulfillment washed over her.
“I! I saved someone without Mister’s help! Hahaha! Thank me! Thank Luna-sama!”
“Th-Thank you!”
“T-Thank you!”
The brothers, still dazed, thanked Luna.
They looked at her with admiration.
‘She’s the same age as me, but so strong…? I-Is she really the Hero…? She sounds like an idiot, though…?’
‘She would be so cool if she didn’t talk so much! I-I want to be like her…!’
Luna basked in the moment.
“More! Give me more of those admiring gazes!”
If Lee Jun-woo had seen her, he would have flicked her on the forehead and told her not to get cocky.
The brothers said,
“Are you really the Hero!?”
“H-Hero…! I-I want to be like you…! What should I do…?”
“A-Ahem! Well!”
Luna, her voice filled with excitement, began her Hero lecture.
“First! You have to be kidnapped by a stupid Mister! And then you train! Training is the best!”
“I-Is that so?”
“I-I guess so, brother…”
The brothers didn’t understand, but Luna, wanting to share her joy, continued her lecture.
The only thing she regretted…
‘I wish Mister had seen that! He would have praised me so much!’
…was that Mister wasn’t there to witness her victory. But she was satisfied.
However, caught up in her excitement, Luna forgot one thing.
“Hero-noona!”
“Yes! Ask Hero Luna anything!”
“Is… is the man behind you the stupid Mister you were talking about…?”
The man behind you.
Luna froze and turned around.
A man with languid green eyes was staring at her.
‘I didn’t sense him at all…?’
Who is this man?
And…
Why is he looking at me like he wants to kill me?
Luna, despite her recent growth, was still no match for a Demon Lord. She trembled, unable to move.
Sloth, the Demon Lord of Sloth, growled,
“…You, Hero.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“…Why are you being so noisy? You threw those guys into the fountain… right…?”
“N-No?!”
“…Really?”
It didn’t matter if she denied it.
Grab-
Sloth reached out and grabbed the brothers’ heads.
“Ugh…”
“Ah… ugh…”
The brothers groaned and collapsed, their eyes rolling back in their heads, drool dripping from their mouths.
“W-What happened… w-what…!”
Luna was shocked.
The boys she had just been talking to were now… like this.
“No more distractions… now it’s your turn, Hero… let’s make this quick…”
Sloth, eager to go home, reached out towards Luna.
‘I-I can’t move…! Move, body! Move!’
I can’t die like this!
But her body wouldn’t obey. Luna could only stare at the approaching hand, unable to do anything.
“…I told you not to act alone.”
Just before Sloth’s hand reached her…
Slice-!
Sloth’s arm fell to the ground. Luna blinked in surprise.
A broad back shielded her from view.
“…Even a Hero can’t do this alone.”
Lee Jun-woo had appeared out of nowhere, protecting Luna.
Normally, Luna would have protested, “Mister, stop showing off!” But having just faced death, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Sob… M-Mister… th-thank you… b-but… the boys I was talking to… sob… they’re… d-dead… I couldn’t protect them… sob…”
“No, not yet.”
“Sniffle… W-What…?”
“…Crying already? Stop crying, Luna.”
You still have a chance.
A chance to grow.
And a chance to redeem yourself.
So…
“Even if you fall, get back up. This is something only you can do.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
He kept saying things she didn’t understand… but…
‘Why do I feel so uneasy…?’
Luna still couldn’t understand what Mister was saying. Or rather, she understood, but she refused to accept it.
‘…Mister keeps saying unsettling things…! He can easily defeat the Demon Lord…!’
She refused to believe it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
