Chapter 238: Lucia (1)
Thud—the sound of falling air.
Seira frowned at the words of resentment spat out.
“Do you really… think Yura died because of me?”
“Yura, Yura could have lived if only you had been there!”
“Hey Kyrie. Speak clearly.”
“…What.”
“Yura’s death wasn’t just my fault. If you think about it, most of it was her fault.”
Lucia closed her eyes tightly and let out a hot breath. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, and as she noticed the stinging sensation, a grinding sound reverberated in her head.
But Lucia was no longer the Kyrie of the past.
She didn’t punch with her half-closed eyes, nor did she flip the table over in an attitude of ‘just say it once’.Her worn-out fangs had lost their purpose, and the grace she had built up since reincarnation disturbed the memories of the time Yura died.
-I’m sorry. I think this is as far as I go.
Anzhei, whose leg was crushed, spoke cautiously. His distorted expression showed the regret and resentment of not being able to make it to the end.
-I’m sorry, I think I’m not enough.
-Nella…
-Don’t say more, Kyrie. I know well enough. I am much weaker than you and Seira.
-Yura too. Yura is weak too…
-Haha, Miss Yura helps everyone, doesn’t she? I, I am no help. It’s not just since the last battle. I’ve known for a long time that I’ve become a burden.
-…Sorry.
-Kyrie, it’s presumptuous of me to say this, but I believe you’ll make it.
-…Yes. Goodbye.
-Thank you.
Vinel patted Kyrie on the shoulder and walked towards the transport wagon. As she left, she didn’t say things like ‘please save the world’ to Kyrie.
She knew that Kyrie was more delicate than she appeared and that she was pretending to be strong because of it.
Thus,
The five who had been together became three.
When they arrived at Tagore Hill, where the Demon God was lurking, the spearman Anzhei and the dwarf Vinel were no longer there.
Yura, Kyrie, and Seira.
There was no allied army to support the three.
Even those who had been called geniuses their entire lives couldn’t endure it. So how could those who were merely above average follow suit?
The Demon God was such an enemy. Just realizing its presence would paralyze the body, making one fall to the ground, realizing the triviality of mortal concerns.
The light, clouds, rain, and earth seemed like they would claim everything in the world… just being near them would make one forget their existence.
Even now, it was unclear how an ordinary human like Yura endured that divine aura. The important thing was that the three, who had been driven to their limits, were in a precarious state because of that incomprehensible transcendent power.
-Let’s take some time to repair.
-No.
-I’m not saying we should completely retreat. Look at us; in this state…
-We are so close. Just a little more.
-Yura, you might not understand since you don’t fight, but whipping ourselves is also at its limit. It’s hard to even swallow food, and we haven’t slept properly…
-Seira, Kyrie said she’s okay. Shouldn’t you, a great magician, be better than Kyrie? And according to my plan, we are fine now. Just you and Kyrie can kill the Demon God.
-Then, what if I fall out?
-What are you talking about?
-I’m serious. My dantian is swollen, and every time I use mana, it feels like my extremities are falling off. It’s not strange if I make a mistake at any time.
-Hey, hey!
-I’ll go ahead and wait.
With just those words, Seira’s presence disappeared. Kyrie, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation to avoid getting involved in a pointless argument, couldn’t do anything about Yura’s hollow smile.
“…Yura is not wrong.”
Lucia clenched her fist again, feeling the rising powerlessness.
“I killed the Demon God alone. If you hadn’t gone, if you had just stood there…”
She barely managed to squeeze out the words, despite gritting her teeth.
Acting recklessly out of anger was something only a beast would do.
Seira sighed in frustration.
“Did I know you’d force a subjugation there?”
Kyrie’s resentment wasn’t entirely unjustified.
“Think about it. You can’t understand it either. We had defeated all the corps commanders, leaving only the Demon God. It would have been fine even if we had slowed our steps a little.”
However, what was more incomprehensible was Yura’s forced march at that time. After entering the demonic realm and spending years there, when they reached Tagore Hill,
Yura didn’t stop whipping herself, as if being chased by something.
“I also think it’s sad and unfortunate as a colleague that Yura died. When I heard she died, I cried a lot, and even after you died…”
“Sob.”
“I went to your grave many times and prayed for your repose.”
“…Sniff.”
“Really, you still cry a lot, just like before.”
Seira handed a tissue to Lucia, who was wiping her tears with her sleeve.
She wanted to push it away, but Lucia quietly accepted Seira’s kindness. When the conversation was over, Shiron would wake up, and she didn’t want to show a weak side in front of him.
“…What I want to say is, you and I didn’t part on good terms.”
“Didn’t we get along quite well at the mansion? You even spoke to me a few times at the annex. That was kind.”
“Kyrie resents Seira, but not Lucia.”
“That’s what I said…”
“You looked pitiful, what could I do!”
The cold sea breeze tousled Lucia’s hair. Her exposed face was red around her eyes from the salty tears.
“But that doesn’t mean you need to reveal your past life. As you said, even if I wasn’t Kyrie, didn’t we get along quite well?”
“…After the Demon God died, when I heard you were shattered, the curse began.”
Seira wasn’t without things to say either.
“Your funeral was led by the expedition, and at the forefront of the procession were the limping Anzhei and the weeping Nella. I, who stayed until the very end, had no place to be.”
Seira’s mana was fluctuating. Though she usually acted rationally, she wasn’t a superhuman who always thought logically. Seira was also a mortal who could get hurt and scream when in pain.
“It wasn’t just the funeral. I couldn’t join the expedition’s celebration banquet either. Even the magic tower that praised me as great shut me out, and when I returned to the forest, there was no one to welcome me.”
Praise and hospitality.
She didn’t expect something grand. Still, she wanted to hear a word of thanks for her efforts, but not hearing it was the greatest pain.
Nothing could be achieved without sacrifice.
Even something as simple as breathing or drinking water required a small sacrifice.
And the great task of subjugating the Demon God required many sacrifices.
“Yura wasn’t the only one who died. I didn’t live well enough to receive such harsh treatment from you.”
“…”
“At least I hoped for a reunion with a smile. So when I realized you were Kyrie, I didn’t say anything…”
“You bastard.”
The words, like a soliloquy, distorted Lucia’s face.
Seira’s rough experiences over the past 500 years were already known. Lucia could empathize with how lonely she must have felt. However,
Lucia didn’t like Seira’s attitude of not wanting to back down at all.
“Are you saying I’m completely the bad guy here?”
“So… are we measuring who is worse now?”
“You started it first! You started it! Why did you tell Yuma and not me? You said that!”
“Then, should I just shut up and endure being the bad guy alone without expressing my hurt feelings?!”
“Who told you to shut up? Just admit what you did wrong!”
“Admit what! Are you going to keep pushing it?!”
Bang! Rarely, Seira slammed the table. She also had a menacing atmosphere, not unlike Lucia.
“Honestly, I admit it was my fault for unilaterally breaking Yura’s plan!”
“Then…!”
“But the direct cause was Yura!”
“What?”
“Yura committed suicide!”
The words poured out, leaving Lucia’s mind blank. But Seira, undeterred, continued her fervent speech.
“Don’t you understand? She committed suicide! Suicide! It was strange from the beginning. She didn’t fight, saying she wasn’t helpful in battle, but she walked into that dangerous place on her own! Yura was weaker than the limping Anzhei, weaker than Nella who gave up following us!”
“Hey, you really…”
“Why, am I wrong?”
“Yura… gave me courage! Even in her last moments, she held my hand tightly and said I could do it!”
“Who said anything about that? If we had just rested a little in the rear, recharged our strength, and then challenged the Demon God again, we could all have lived!”
Lucia gritted her teeth and glared at Seira.
She wanted to retort, but damn it, everything Seira said was true.
Looking back, Yura did seem more impatient than before at that time.
“Damn. You cowardly bitch.”
Having nothing more to say after being completely refuted, tears welled up in Lucia’s eyes again.
“Why are you crying and acting up?”
“Be-because you’re so damn annoying, damn it.”
“…”
“You say nothing but the truth that leaves me with nothing to say, damn it.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Seira, seeing Lucia crying, touched her forehead. Then, for a moment, Seira let out a deep sigh.
‘Is this right?’
She had expected an emotional reunion with hugs and tears, but instead, they were fighting and crying ugly tears.
‘Is this really… the grand reunion of heroes that fills one’s heart with awe?’
After wiping her face several times, Seira opened her mouth quietly.
“Hey, Kyrie.”
“Why, why you damn bitch.” Sniff.
“Are you going to keep calling me a damn bitch? If you don’t use my name, I’ll wake up the kid.”
Hic - Lucia’s eyes widened.
“Wh-why suddenly bring up Shiron?”
“Why suddenly?”
Seira, who snorted, folded her arms.
“What about the kid?”
Her consciousness shifted from the immature Kyrie to Shiron beyond the wall.
“Shouldn’t you reveal that you’re the reincarnation of Kyrie?”
“That’s a bit…”
“He’s your comrade. How long do you think you can keep such a big secret? And I heard Prient is your descendant’s family…”
“Nooo!!!”
Lucia jumped up and slammed the table. She hit it so hard that the table burst into pieces.
“When did I ever get pregnant! It’s already frustrating enough to have died a virgin, and now you’re saying that too?”
“Really not?”
“Not at all! You! When did you first meet me! Huh! I’ve been sticking with Yura since I was ten, when would I have had time to have sex, get pregnant, and give birth!”
“…A disciple you taught?”
“Aaah!! Why would I have a disciple! In that chaos, who would I have had time to teach?!”
“Be quiet, what if you wake up the kid?”
“Anyway!”
Lucia blew her nose loudly and lowered her body.
“It’s a secret to Shiron that I’m Kyrie.”
“Why are you trying to end the conversation on your own?”
“Ah… damn it, you’re really curious about everything!”
“What’s so wrong about being curious?”
Seira crossed her legs and sat down, asking to hear Lucia’s reason.
“…Then I’ll tell you, but don’t laugh.”
“Why would I laugh, I won’t laugh, so tell me.”
Under Seira’s sharp gaze, Lucia fiddled with her fingers and avoided her eyes.
At the same time, her face turned increasingly red. Seira, seeing this reaction, could easily guess the reason.
Having lived with her at the annex, Seira knew how far Lucia was from the image of a hero.
An immature younger sister who whined to her brother.
A fool who giggled at her achievements.
An idiot who, despite being over 40 in total, talked about finding herself.
Whatever it was, she had too much karma. So it was somewhat understandable that she didn’t want to reveal her identity.
“Shiron…”
“What about the kid?”
“I, I li…”
“…Like? Speak clearly!”
But Lucia’s excuse was far beyond Seira’s expectations.
With a face as red as it could burst, Lucia lowered her head.
“I like him.”
Thud.
Lucia collapsed powerlessly onto the chair. She let out a sigh of relief, finally having said it, and her vision spun.
However, unlike Lucia, Seira just blinked her eyes.
‘Did that… that idiot really say something just now? No, what does liking the kid have to do with revealing her identity…’
While she was racking her brain to fill in the gaps of the conversation,
“Aha?”
A light dawned in the dark corner of her mind.
“You damn pedophile.”
Seira’s gaze at Lucia twisted in disgust.