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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The stench of blood was overwhelming.
A man, seemingly unconcerned with the world, looked at his severed arm with a bored expression.
My instincts screamed “Demon Lord.”
I shielded Luna behind me and asked,
“…Which Demon Lord are you?”
“Just a Demon Lord… Sloth… the one who hates troublesome things the most…”
“…The Demon Lord of Sloth.”
Not the Demon Lord of Envy.
That was a bit disappointing.
I focused my attention on Sloth, ready to react to his every move.
Sloth chuckled.
“You’re the guardian Greed mentioned… right…? That eye… did you lose it fighting Lust…?”
“I don’t have to answer your questions.”
“Damn… I answered yours…”
Sloth sighed, picking up his severed arm and reattaching it.
It healed instantly.
‘Impressive regeneration.’
Information about my opponent was always useful.
I whispered to Luna,
“Luna, watch carefully.”
“W-Watch what?!”
“Observe his movements and characteristics. Then go join the others.”
I pointed towards the Hero’s party.
Luna hesitated, looking at the ground.
“But Mister, what about them? They’re unconscious…”
“Leave them.”
“W-Why?! They’re still breathing! Can’t we save them?!”
“No, they’re as good as dead. Their bodies might be alive, but their souls are gone.”
“H-How…”
Luna looked at the two brothers lying on the ground.
Their eyes were unfocused, drool dripped from their mouths, but their lips were curved into eerie smiles.
“…”
Luna looked speechless, but she picked up the two boys and slung them over her shoulders. Her strength was truly remarkable.
“T-They’re still breathing! We don’t know for sure! I’ll take them with me!”
“…Do as you wish, but don’t interfere in the fight. Wait a moment before you go.”
“Yes?”
“Can you tell Estia something?”
“What should I tell her?”
“Tell her I’ll give her holy water when this is over.”
“…Hmph, fine!”
Luna left with a huff, but she would definitely relay the message.
Now that the distractions were gone, I faced Sloth, his languid green eyes meeting my one good eye. He had a punchable face.
“We could have talked a little longer… I wanted to rest some more…”
“Talking to children is tiring.”
“Really…? I get tired talking to people…”
Sloth rotated his wrist, as if preparing to end this quickly.
‘If I had both my eyes, the outcome might have been different.’
But that was a pointless hypothetical. Just as I didn’t know Sloth’s powers, he didn’t know mine.
Until the final page, I still had a role to play.
So I had to choose.
The ending is predetermined.
But…
What can I do within that framework? What can I do for the Hero’s party?
‘There’s only one answer.’
As Sloth began to move, I made my choice.
“I’ll clear the path. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Follow my footsteps.
And you’ll be able to move forward.
May my death be meaningful.
And may you endure.
“Option 2.”
I chose my death.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Hero’s party could only watch from afar. They could handle ordinary opponents, but they were still no match for a Demon Lord.
“If only one of us had performed better, we could be by Mister’s side right now. Don’t you think so, Hare?”
“…”
Hare’s silence was an affirmation.
She couldn’t say it out loud, but… she wanted to blame Estia.
‘She’s just trembling in fear… completely useless to Mister… honestly, she’s a burden…’
Even now, she’s just lying there with her face buried in the ground.
She doesn’t feel like a comrade at all.
“I trained so hard to be helpful to Mister…”
If something happens to Mister…
If he gets hurt again…
‘…It’s all your fault, Estia.’
Hare blamed Estia internally. But her heart pounded with anxiety. She was afraid for Mister.
“We’ll move when Mister is truly in danger. Luna is coming.”
“L-Luna…!”
Luna ran towards them, her expression unusually grim. She was carrying the two brothers on her shoulders.
Saten asked,
“Did you bring back samples for your experiments?”
“They’re still alive…!! And Mister told us not to interfere! Estia! Look up! Mister has something to tell you!”
“…What is it.”
Estia looked up, her expression gloomy.
There were tear streaks on her face.
Luna, momentarily taken aback, relayed Mister’s message.
“H-He said… he has something to tell you…!”
“…What is it?”
“H-He said… when this is over… he’ll give you holy water! That’s all!”
Luna, remembering Mister’s last expression, relayed the message, trying to hide her anxiety.
“…Really? Brother said he’ll give me holy water…?”
“Yeah!”
“…I see.”
“…Huh?”
Normally, Estia would be ecstatic about holy water, but her reaction was strangely subdued.
Holy water wasn’t important to her right now.
‘I-I have to survive… I-I don’t want to die…’
Survival was her only priority.
Estia’s gaze fell on the two unconscious boys.
“Luna.”
“Yes?”
“Who are they? Did they drink holy water too?”
“Ah, them… I saved them… but the Demon Lord did this to them…”
They look like me when I drink holy water.
Unfocused eyes, drooling… strange…
Saten, observing the brothers, said,
“Their symptoms are similar to yours when you drink holy water, Estia.”
“…They are.”
“So why don’t you drink some holy water and lie down with them? You’re just a burden if you’re awake.”
“S-Saten! You can’t say that in front of Estia! Say it behind her back!”
“Why? I’m just stating facts.”
Saten was serious.
Estia was currently useless.
There was no malice in her words.
It was like saying, “There’s a rock in the way. Should we move it?” But the truth hurt more.
Estia buried her face in her knees again.
“Y-You made Estia sad!”
“What did I do? I just stated a fact.”
“T-That’s the problem!”
“Tsk, be quiet, Luna. Mister has started fighting.”
“Huh!?”
Luna turned her head.
Mister had indeed started fighting, and it was intense.
“That’s attributeless magic.”
Lee Jun-woo used attributeless magic to defend against the Demon Lord of Sloth’s attacks.
True to his name, Sloth didn’t move from his spot, simply firing blasts of miasma. He didn’t use any other attacks.
“It’s a probing phase. They’re assessing each other’s strength.”
“S-Saten… Mister will be okay… right…? He’ll be fine… right…?”
“He’ll probably be fine.”
For now.
He’ll be fine for now.
Mister was strong, the strongest person she had ever seen.
“It would have been better if his opponent wasn’t a Demon Lord. Too bad.”
But as Saten predicted, after the probing phase, Lee Jun-woo started to lose ground.
Sloth’s attacks, exploiting Lee Jun-woo’s blind spot, left small cuts, while Lee Jun-woo failed to land any significant blows.
Or rather…
He wasn’t even trying to.
“Mister is only defending! T-That means he’s losing!”
“No, he’s not.”
“Huh?”
“Mister is defending on purpose.”
Not to gather information…
But to give us information.
Mister is planning something big.
Saten’s mind raced.
Understanding the situation, she realized Lee Jun-woo’s intention.
“…We have to help Mister.”
“H-Help Mister…? But Mister told us not to interfere…”
“No, we have to. Mister is planning to die here.”
“…”
Hare’s heart sank.
Her body moved instinctively, running towards Mister.
“N-No… I-I can’t lose Mister… p-please don’t do this, Mister…”
You said you would help us…
You said you would always be with us…
If Mister is gone, I have no reason to live…
Hare ran and ran, believing she could stop him if she reached him in time.
Luna, running beside her, felt the same.
‘D-Damn it…! I knew something was wrong…!’
He kept saying strange things, unlike usual!
I was so uneasy…!
Why did Mister make this choice…!
Luna couldn’t understand.
‘Why would he sacrifice himself to save us?’
And why did he tell us to watch carefully?
Did he want us to watch him die and then take care of the rest!?
“That’s selfish… so selfish…! You’re supposed to make me stronger, Mister…!!”
We’re supposed to train together!
And eat together!
And go on picnics!
There’s so much we haven’t done yet…!
‘Why did you make this choice…’
Luna ran, her teeth clenched, but it was too late. The fight was nearing its end. And Lee Jun-woo knew it too.
‘I’ve given them enough information.’
He had reached the final page he had seen in the future.
He would follow the script.
“You defeated Greed and Lust…? You’re not that impressive…? Is it because of your missing eye…? Why aren’t you attacking…?”
“My turn is over. I’ve done my part.”
“Really…? Then I’ll make sure you don’t have to work anymore… I’ll send you to a happy place…”
Sloth gathered his power.
The power of Sloth, which corroded not the body, but the soul.
A bubbling green miasma, like a dangerous poison, swirled in his hand. He unleashed it upon Lee Jun-woo without a word.
“You can’t dodge this… no, you’re not even trying to…”
“…”
The attack hurtled towards Lee Jun-woo’s heart. He stood there, defenseless, making his final move for the Hero’s party.
“That wasn’t an ordinary defensive spell.”
“What…?”
He couldn’t send them back unharmed.
He would give up his life to give them a chance. Lee Jun-woo activated the spell he had been preparing, redirecting it towards Sloth.
A hundred sharp weapons – swords, spears, axes – erupted from the ground and flew towards Sloth.
‘…All the weapons in my subspace. This should injure him significantly.’
Defeating him before he could regenerate was up to the Hero’s party.
‘Well, it has nothing to do with me anymore.’
Now it was up to the Hero’s party. Especially Luna and Estia.
Lee Jun-woo watched the miasma approaching him.
‘I’ll be back soon.’
Remembering the ending, he closed his eyes.
At that moment, the Hero appeared.
“M-Mister!! D-Danger!!”
Crash!
Luna threw herself in front of Lee Jun-woo, pushing him out of the way.
She looked at him, lying on the ground.
“A-Are you okay!? Mister…!!? O-Open your eyes! Mister…!!”
“…”
“S-Say something! Mister! You idiot! Answer me!”
“…”
But Lee Jun-woo didn’t respond.
‘I-It didn’t hit him… w-why…?’
Luna checked his body.
His heart was unharmed. But if he wasn’t waking up… he must be injured somewhere…
“Ah… his shoulder…”
His shoulder…
It hit his shoulder…
So Mister is… like those brothers…
Just… lifeless…
Despair washed over Luna, crushing her heart.
-Hero. You will not lose. If you fall, I will raise you.
“T-That’s right…! I-I have the Holy Sword…! I-I have the power to save Mister…!!”
H-Hope!
Luna looked at the Holy Sword with hopeful eyes.
“Rewind time!! Holy Sword! I… I have to save Mister…!”
-…
“H-Holy Sword…? A-Answer me…”
-Why should I?
“W-What…?”
-You can defeat the Demon Lord, Hero. You have not fallen yet. Rise.
“H-How can you say that… you’re supposed to do what I want, Holy Sword…”
-My purpose is to defeat the Demon Lord. The price of sin is the Demon Lord’s death. So rise, Hero.
You have not fallen yet.
Carry your burden.
Carry your weight.
That is who you are, Hero.
The Holy Sword was not a convenient tool. It was not there to serve the Hero.
Luna, holding Lee Jun-woo’s lifeless body, finally realized this.
“N-No…!! M-Mister… p-please… wake up…!!”
But it was too late.
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