“He’s afflicted with <Rose Poison>.”
“Huh?”
Joanna’s eyes widened slightly when she heard Vincent’s words.
“It’s the poison that the Rose Duke uses. It’s so toxic and corrosive that even a Warrior with a well trained body would become a puddle of blood after a short while… If the President’s body hadn’t been so powerful, he would not have lasted this long.”
“Wh-, why did this happen?”
Vincent let out a bitter chuckle at Joanna’s question.
“There’s only one case that would cause the Association President to take such risks.”
He looked down at the bedridden Neil Prand before continuing.
“For America.”
“…”
Joanna remained silent, a complicated expression on her face. In fact, Vincent’s expression was the same. He looked down at his watch.
“He remains unconscious for most of the day, but there are times when he regains his consciousness. That time is approaching… Frey Blake, there is something he has to tell you.”
Lukas nodded at those words.
Vincent then turned towards the rest of the group and continued.
“The Association President would like to meet him in private. I’m sorry, but the rest of us will need to step outside.”
At those words, the rest of the group went outside, leaving Lukas alone in the room. Before she left, Joanna looked at Neil with an incomprehensible expression.
Lukas stopped Min Ha-rin as she was about to step through the door.
“Ha-rin.”
“Yeah?”
“Where is Leo now?”
“…in another room.”
Lukas fell silent at Min Ha-rin’s words.
So he wasn’t in Canada. Lukas had been told that Leo had been captured by the Rose Duke, who had occupied that region.
In other words, Leo had escaped that monster’s clutches some way or the other.
…If so…
“How is he?”
“He’s fine physically, but he’s not very stable mentally. It seems that he’s still in shock. Nevertheless, he’s much better than he was when he first got here. At least he can walk and talk to some extent now.”
After saying that, Min Ha-rin paused for a moment.
“…Leo…”
Then her eyes turned to Neil, who lay prone on the bed.
“The Association President rescued him.”
“…”
“He went to Canada on his own. No one knows what happened there. However, when he returned to the headquarters with Leo, the Association President was already on the brink of death.”
After saying that, Min Ha-rin nodded.
“That’s all I know, Master. I’ll be in Leo’s room.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Yes.”
Leo’s condition might improve if he met with their Master face to face. With that expectation, Min Ha-rin left the room.
“Huff, huff…”
Lukas looked down at Neil.
He was breathing heavily and slowly as though he would stop at any moment.
A white glow emanated from Lukas’ eyes.
Clairvoyance.
This power wasn’t limited only to clearly seeing distant objects. Depending on the usage, it was possible to analyse an opponent’s weaknesses as well.
And being able to analyze weaknesses meant being able to tell their physical condition with a single glance.
The results didn’t surprise him.
Neil was slowly dying.
His entire body was covered in white bandages, but the skin beneath the bandages was discolored, appearing to be the same shade of red as a rose.
More than 80% of his intestines had been corroded by the poison, for which the expression ‘deadly poison’ still wouldn’t be enough. In fact, it was a miracle that he was still alive. Somehow, he was still managing to stay alive despite the fact that poison strong enough to melt steel was eroding his insides.
Taht.
Lukas put his hand on Neil’s head.
The Demigod power which had previously belonged to Norn appeared.
Woowoong-
Urd.
It was that Demigod’s ability to see the past.*
Originally, it would have been quite troublesome to view the past of someone with strong mental power like Neil. But at that moment, he was so weakened and fragile that it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly died.
The strong barriers that once protected his mind were now nothing more than feeble, crumbling fence posts.
This allowed Lukas to enter his mental world without difficulty.
Fwoosh-
Then, he gradually assimilated with Neil’s memories and his past.
* * *
Neil Prand slowly walked through the streets of a ruined city, his eyes slowly taking in everything around him.
Toronto.
He couldn’t help but remember the splendour of the city that used to be the economic capital of Canada.
He remembered the people who lived here. People who had no sense of danger, who had now become corpses that filled the streets of this city.
The shattered peace weighed on Neil’s heart.
“What are you doing here?”
Taht.
A figure fell from the sky.
It was a beautiful woman with a voluptuous body and blood red hair. A woman who seemed to be in a pleasant mood despite their gloomy surroundings.
Rose, the Rose Duke, tilted her head slightly.
“Why are you here? It doesn’t seem like you’ve brought that man with you either.”
“Rose Duke.”
Neil spoke in a calm voice.
“Why did you break the agreement?”
“What agreement?”
“Did you agree not to touch America?”
“Ahhh.”
Rose shrugged nonchalantly.
“But I didn’t touch it. Isn’t this Canada?”
“Quit your wordplay. Our non-aggression agreement applied to the entirety of North America and every territory under its jurisdiction. You couldn’t have forgotten that.”
“I did forget. Honestly. I’ll pay more attention next time.”
Rose said this with a smile, making Neil speechless for a moment.
‘…I see.’
She forgot because she never cared about it in the first place.
The deal, promise, and decision that he’d made after careful deliberation. That was how much it meant to this being.
“It wasn’t a bad deal.”
He meant it.
Neil didn’t regret making the deal with Rose. Because of their agreement, he was able to save hundreds of thousands of lives. So even if he was given the chance to return to the past, he would make the same choice.
“What’s with your tone? Do you intend to end our pact?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“You don’t understand?”
For the first time, anger mixed into Neil’s voice.
“Look around. Look at what you’ve done. Rose Duke, do you know just how many people you killed here?”
“A few hundred. It wasn’t that many. After all, this is only one out of hundreds of cities. I killed most of the humans in this city, but that shouldn’t be that much of a deal breaker.”
Rose looked at Neil with an incomprehensible expression.
“You’re going to break ties with me because of a few hundred people? That doesn’t seem like a logical decision at all.”
She meant that he couldn’t control his anger at the moment and was using his emotions to decide.
If they were to end their relationship now, America would no longer be a safe haven from the Demon’s invasion. If that were to happen, an even larger number of people would end up dying.
Even Rose could not estimate just how high it would be. But one thing was certain. The bloodshed of the people in this city would be but a drop in the ocean by comparison.
Rose narrowed her eyes as she observed the human standing in front of her.
Neil Prand was a useful human with whom they could communicate. Because of her deal with him, many things had become many times more convenient.
Information on the locations of hunter hideouts, the distribution of human slaves, and even advanced warnings on planned attacks on Demon Nobles. All things that were difficult for the Demons to learn.
It was for this reason that she didn’t want to break ties with him just yet. For the Demon King’s sake, her relationship with this man had to continue.
After making her decision, Rose nodded her head.
“Fine. I’ll admit it. It was my mistake.”
She steeled her resolve and admitted to her mistake.
In retrospect, her attack on the Canada Branch was an impulsive decision that had been made in the heat of the moment.
“Think about it carefully, Neil Prand. I heard that the humans called America ‘The Utopia’. If you break ties with me, that would come to an end. You shouldn’t take such a risk because of one small mistake.”
“You don’t understand. The weight of that mistake.”
For her, it was just one mistake. But the cracks it had created could not be reversed. Even if they left them alone, the cracks would eventually become bigger.
It would be foolish to try to touch them. Just as it would be to continue this relationship.
Neil looked around.
Corpses of all genders, ages, and sizes littered the street.
Beings who thought they were absolutely safe.
Was it their fault that their city was in ruins? Was it their fault that they had become so intoxicated by peace that their complacency and inattentiveness had reached such a level?
No. Neil denied it.
They were innocent.
He was the one who was guilty. It was Neil who had given them an excessive sense of security.
Neil had wanted to protect the lives of everyone living in America. He’d wanted to recreate the peaceful nation from the 21st century where the public was never exposed to such dangers.
He’d wanted to make it so that everyone living on this land could take peace and security for granted. He’d hoped that they would be indifferent even when hearing about war in a distant country, watching the Demons and Demon Beasts causing havoc on the TV from the safety of their homes.
He’d wanted to protect their lives, their homes, and their jobs.
But above everything else, Neil had wanted to protect their smiles.
Now, that duty has been shattered.
By the being in front of him.
And it was all because Neil had foolishly believed her.
“You.”
A spark of emotion briefly flashed in his eyes.
“Insulted my duty.”
Then, a bloody battle ensued.
Neil’s fighting prowess was amazing. He showed combat power that did not shame his position as President of the Hunter Association. From the strength he displayed, it was clear that he hadn’t neglected his training for a single day. (TL: I thought Neil was a Wizard…)
His effort was proven by the fact that he was able to fight against one of the Five Dukes on his own.
The bitter struggle continued.
However, it was Neil who became more and more disadvantaged as time passed. They were ill matched.
Neil’s entire body was gradually stained red with poison. He felt terrible pain from every part of his body, and his vision was gradually becoming blurry. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before he fell unconscious.
On the other hand, Rose, who had only suffered a few minor injuries, appeared fine.
“Foolish.”
Just as Rose snorted and prepared to swing a vine forward.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky.
* * *
Lukas silently looked down at Neil for a while.
Only to protect America.
It was only then when he got a glimpse into why Neil received such support in North America.
‘I see.’
Lukas was able to realise something.
The reason why there was no sense of crisis in the faces of the people living in North America. The reason why they didn’t seem to have any awareness of the Demon threat.
It was all thanks to this man named Neil Prand. This man had managed to successfully create peace, at least in the limited area of North America.
‘Humans are weak beings. You can’t protect all of them.’
He heard Neil’s voice from when he was just a boy.
‘So I’ll just protect what I can grasp. Master, I’ll only protect America.’
In the end, he took responsibility for the choices he made.
Lukas still didn’t think that it was the right thing to do. But now, he no longer felt ashamed of Neil.
“…”
Neil was looking up at Lukas with hazy eyes. With a shaky hand, he took off his oxygen mask.
Then, he opened his mouth.
“…Rose… is still alive.”
He only said a few words, but he panted as though he would collapse at any moment.
However, his next words were clear.
“Don’t kill her.”
Neil’s hazy eyes focused as he grabbed Lukas’ wrist.
“It is a challenge that we must face.”
“Many people will die.”
“…it is a necessary wound. There will be more bloodshed in the future.”
It was then when Lukas realised that Neil had made some sort of decision.
His resolution hadn’t changed, and he would still put America first, but it seemed that he had finally realised it was impossible to coexist with the Demons.
The man with the greatest transformation power out of anyone Lukas had met in this world had finally recognised the Demons as enemies.
From now on, he would no longer take the safe road and would instead fight the Demons with his full power.
Of course, all of this was dependent on whether he could survive this ordeal or not.
“…”
Neil fell unconscious again.
Lukas looked down at him for a moment before placing the oxygen mask over his mouth once again.
(TL: * – For those who might have forgotten, Norn was the Demigod who split into three different Demigods. They had the power to see the past, present, and future, respectively.)