I spent time with Rene, enjoying the scenery of the waterfall until the sunset.
As the two crimson moons began to reveal themselves,
“……What are you doing here?”
Kyle, drenched in sweat, arrived, panting heavily.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed to have searched the entire forest before finding us.
I forced an awkward smile and replied,
“We were looking around and found this scenic spot, so I was resting here with the young lady.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“…….”
Well, what can he do if he doesn’t believe me?
With Rene right next to me, would he dare curse?
I stared at Kyle, implying as much.
Kyle seemed to have a lot to say but had no choice but to shut his mouth.
‘Tsk, what a pain.’
“Argh!”
As I let out a victorious smile, Kyle grabbed his head in frustration, making a face that screamed his annoyance.
Ignoring him completely, I turned to Rene and spoke,
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes.”
Rene nodded slightly, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.
‘Thank goodness.’
I was relieved to see Rene like this.
Lately, she had been feeling down and even cried.
I was incredibly worried about her.
I hoped that today would be an opportunity for her to recharge.
Scooting back, I rose from the rock.
Blink, blink.
Rene looked up at me, her eyes wide.
Then, she reached out her hand towards me.
‘…Is she asking me to help her up?’
“Please get up.”
Swoosh—.
I took Rene’s hand and helped her up.
Her hand felt rough against mine.
It was clear that these were the hands of someone who had trained relentlessly.
It was a testament to the immense effort she had poured in from a young age.
However, rather than feeling impressed, I felt a pang of…
‘…Pity.’
Like other children her age, she could have lived an ordinary life.
But Rene, whose mother was killed by a human, was destined to dream only of revenge.
…And ultimately, that would lead to her demise.
It was such a tragic fate that it made me feel sick to my stomach.
As I stared at Rene with a complicated expression, she spoke,
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Rene turned her head slightly, pointing to her flushed ears.
Then, as if noticing my grim complexion from the corner of her eye, she reached out and placed her hand on my forehead.
“Are you alright? Do you feel sick?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
I gently took Rene’s hand and lowered it.
I should be the one comforting her, yet here I was, being comforted by her.
Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly felt a jolt run through my body.
‘What was that?’
It felt like something had echoed through my mind.
And that echo, it originated from…
Rene’s words: ‘mother’.
Yes, Rene’s mother…
‘…Something’s coming to mind.’
At that moment—
‘Could it be?’
A series of actions displayed by Crete and Rene began to fall into place.
Like pieces of a puzzle.
Click, click.
I took off running, leaving Rene and Kyle behind.
“Where are you going?”
Kyle shouted after me, puzzled by my sudden departure.
But I—
I didn’t have the time to answer him.
My jaw clenched, I broke into a run.
‘Crete…’
Don’t tell me…
What you’re planning to do is…
***
Thud, thud.
I ran towards the Bares mansion, organizing the information flooding my mind.
From the unsettling aura surrounding the Bares family…
In the last sentence, I had written in the letter when I sent Kyle to their family.
It was:
‘He is well-versed in the affairs of the Human Realm.’
That single sentence.
I had written it because I suspected Crete might try to use Kyle for his revenge against humans.
And Crete’s reaction when I handed him the letter, a reaction that suggested Kyle had seen it…
‘It seems the time has come sooner than expected.’
That’s what Crete had said.
And when I first met him, what Crete was reading was undoubtedly a ‘map of the Human Realm’ and a ‘book of military strategy’, wasn’t it?
The deciding factors were ‘Rene’ and ‘Anna’.
Crete had suddenly ordered Anna to train, demanding he improve his skills.
Furthermore, Rene had burst into tears, convinced that Crete would leave her.
Why?
For what reason?
Why hadn’t I realized it sooner?
*Ugh—*
Nausea welled up inside me, bile rising in my throat.
An ominous premonition gripped my body, threatening to crush me.
Anxiety gnawed at me, threatening to shatter my composure.
*Thud, thud.*
I quickened my pace, bursting through the doors of the Bares mansion.
*Thump—*
So focused on my destination, I crashed into a servant, sending us both tumbling to the floor.
The servant started to berate me,
“You should apologize after bumping into—”
“Out of my way.”
My voice, cold as ice, made him flinch and retreat.
*Swoosh—*
I brushed past him, heading straight for Crete’s study.
*Click—*
I stood before the door.
“You cannot enter.”
“Didn’t I just tell you to get out of my way?”
“…Without the Master’s permission, you cannot enter.”
The servant stood firm, his tone resolute.
*Wooosh—*
I unleashed my killing intent, a wave of dark aura washing over the servant.
“…”
He froze, drenched in a cold sweat, overwhelmed by my sheer presence.
Yet, he fought against my pressure with sheer willpower, his hand trembling as he continued to block my path.
It had come to this, then.
I would force my way in.
*Thump—*
I was about to unleash Blackflame, my killing intent surging, when a voice stopped me.
“That’s enough.”
Crete’s voice echoed from within the study.
“Let him in.”
Crete had granted me entry.
*Swoosh—*
The servant bowed his head and opened the door.
With measured steps, I entered Crete’s study.
“….”
Crete continued to ignore me, his gaze fixed on the numerous documents scattered across his desk.
My eyes scanned the papers.
They contained records of various ‘information’.
…What Crete was doing here wasn’t managing the territory.
It was then that I knew with absolute certainty.
What Crete was planning was far too dangerous, a catastrophe waiting to be unleashed.
I spoke, my voice directed at Crete, who still refused to acknowledge my presence.
“Master.”
“….”
He continued to scrutinize the documents, offering no response.
I pressed on, putting force behind my words.
“Answer me.”
*Swoosh—*
My forceful tone finally elicited a reaction. Crete raised his head, his brow furrowed.
“Are you ordering me?”
“…Does that matter right now?”
“Hmm, then tell me, what is so important?”
“Master…!”
His attempts to evade the issue fueled my frustration.
Although I couldn’t see my own reflection, I imagined my face contorted in a grimace.
…Or perhaps, it was pale, reflecting the horrifying premonition that clung to me.
But I had to speak.
What Crete was planning was something that should never come to pass, something beyond even his power to achieve.
I had to stop him.
“What you’re planning, Master… it’s simply not feasible. It’s not too late. You have to reconsider.”
“So you’ve noticed.”
“…It was inevitable, wasn’t it?”
Even now, Crete seemed more intrigued than concerned that I had uncovered his plans.
But his nonchalance did nothing to quell the fire raging within me.
Having spent years as Rene’s bodyguard in the Bares mansion, I was more sensitive than anyone else to the recent shifts within the family.
And the winds of change, the harbingers of the approaching storm, they cut at me like sharp blades.
‘…It hurts.’
An agonizing pain, a premonition so potent it threatened to make me cough up blood.
I clung to my sanity, desperate to dispel the dread that threatened to consume me.
I spoke again, my words a torrent of desperation.
“Master, please reconsider. With your power alone, you cannot possibly defeat—”
“’Him’, you say?”
“….!”
He reacted to my attempt to dissuade him.
To my use of that one word.
‘Goooo—’
An oppressive aura erupted from Crete, instantly dominating the room.
The air grew heavy, each breath a struggle.
Crete let out a dry chuckle.
“Well, I suppose it’s not surprising that you, someone from the Human Realm, would know. If you were trying to provoke me, you’ve done a decent job.”
“I, I had no such intention, ugh…”
Despite the relaxed expression on his face, the pressure around my throat tightened, stealing the air from my lungs.
It was only natural.
Crete’s anger was justified.
‘Him’— the human who killed Crete’s beloved.
The one who had trampled upon the Bares family, the strongest man in the Human Realm.
I had essentially told Crete that he was no match for ‘him’.
That was why Crete was enraged.
But it was the harsh truth.
Crete could not win.
…Because in the original story, Crete dies by ‘his’ hand.
It was around this time, wasn’t it?
There was an episode in the original story where a certain demon waged war and faced off against the strongest human.
Why had I not realized it sooner?
Why had it taken me this long?
There were plenty of self-deprecating excuses I could make.
From the forgotten plot points and discarded settings to the fact that the exact timing of this event wasn’t explicitly stated in the original.
…But those were mere excuses.
I had failed to change a future that I might have been able to alter.
And the result was—
The worst possible outcome.
“You will witness it firsthand.”
Crete’s voice was glacial, laced with a chilling frost as he fixed me with a piercing stare.
“….There is no one who can stop me,”
His aura intensified, pressing down on me with suffocating force.
I could barely breathe, let alone speak.
All I could do was cling to consciousness, desperately fighting against the darkness encroaching at the edges of my vision.
Crete continued, his gaze fixed on me, devoid of any emotion.
“I will kill the Sword Saint.”
‘Sword Saint’.
The human who had killed Crete’s beloved and the one destined to kill Crete himself.
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