186. For you (9)
Then, the signal getting weaker all this time must have been part of the process of becoming a warrior.
First, you have to meet Deon. Ben quickly ran into the open gate. The magic stone necklace had long since run out of effect, but it was not difficult to get direction because all you had to do was run while looking at the huge pillar of light.
A pillar of light was radiating its presence inside a mansion.
However, unlike the momentum that made him look like he was going to jump in at any moment, Ben stopped for a moment and rubbed his eyes. An unbelievable scene was unfolding in front of the main gate.
‘What is that?’
I wonder if my liver is swollen.
Humans wearing bombs attack the demon soldiers waiting in front of the main gate. The demons showed reluctance in the attack, which did not spare their bodies, and were each swinging their weapons.
Ah, I don’t know how it is, but I know that life is not a waste. Otherwise, there’s no way you would do such a crazy thing. I
was mesmerized by the completely unexpected sight for a moment and thought,
‘Deon comes first.’
Ben came to his senses again and jumped into the midst of the chaos, holding his visit bag tightly.
“Everyone get out of the way!!”
If you block me, I’ll hit you!
Every time his bag was swung, there was a dull sound and the demons and humans flew into the distance.
….
‘…I thought it would be okay once I came into the mansion.’
I sighed and swung my visiting bag. A human fell against the wall with an eerie sound of his neck being broken.
A presence can be felt throughout the mansion. With seemingly impure intentions, they were flocking towards a place where they seemed to have made an appointment.
Not only that, but the sound of something exploding and the vibrations transmitted through the air are so ominous. I ran up the stairs like I was flying. Ben, who saw the crowd gathered in front of one door, rushed in without even thinking about it, swinging his bag.
“Show off fireworks outside, you rude and common-sense people!”
“…Ben?”
It was natural that Dan, who was barely swinging his sword while maintaining a distance away from the explosion, was dumbfounded.
The situation was resolved in an instant.
Even though they are demons, there was only one person added, and it was all sorted out so quickly. Dan, who was standing with a stunned expression, slowly sheathed his sword and turned his head to look at Ben.
As if he had gone crazy, he approached the pillar of light and was examining Deon’s condition.
“You’ve already been caught in an explosion once. You are very tattered. “He’s almost fully recovered, but you can’t deceive my eyes.”
“….”
Your reaction is calmer than expected?
If it’s the Ben I’ve seen so far, it’s a little more…
“What did you do when you weren’t protecting Deon?!”
I knew it.
Dan looked like he was like that and shook Ben’s collar as he shook it. Because it wasn’t my fault at all.
He too was deeply regretting it.
‘You came in trusting only me, so I should have kept it clear.’
This is a matter of trust.
It’s a matter that not only depends on Deonhardt’s trust, but also the devil’s army’s gaze towards me.
‘I’m glad I’m alive.’
If he had died here, he would have died too. From the demons’ point of view, there is no need to keep a human who cannot protect even one person who is their guarantor and owner.
Deon Hardt didn’t trust me for nothing.
“sorry.”
“Why did you do something so sorry…!”
Dan, who was inadvertently looking over Ben’s shoulder, paused for a moment.
The brilliant pillar of light was gradually fading away. Soon, Deon appears in the midst of it all. The moment his face came into view, my mind went blank. Ben was still angry and shouting something, but I couldn’t hear him.
‘It’s strange, the pillar of light has clearly disappeared…’
Why is it still bright around Deonhardt?
Ben is not unaware that the other person’s mind is somewhere else. After seeing Dan’s dumbfounded expression, he growled loudly and turned his head to follow his gaze.
“You don’t listen to me… Deon!”
The demon in front of me disappeared, leaving only an afterimage.
The movement was so fast that it was difficult to follow it with the eyes, but Dan leisurely looked away. Because it was obvious where the destination was anyway.
Sure enough, Ben was sitting where Deonhardt was. As he reached out to Deon, who was crouching with the box in his arms, he paused for a moment.
“What is this box…?”
“Oh, that’s…”
I don’t think I should say it.
If you say Cruel Hart’s head, this doctor will immediately notice the situation. Everything from the fact that Deon Hardt was swayed by personal matters and diverted his troops to the fact that he ended up falling into a trap.
Things will never be good for Deon.
Ben shrugged his shoulders in response to no response.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m just taking it out for a while for treatment…”
Ugh.
Ben didn’t finish his sentence. The wrist stretched out toward the box was caught. I flinched from a grip strong enough to crush my bones, and for a moment I heard a soft voice.
“This can’t be done.”
The voice was low, as if it was a little quiet, but the life contained in it was clear.
This moment feels so dream-like that I wonder if it’s an illusion, but Deon’s eyelids slowly go up. As if reminding us that this was reality, the red eyes revealed between them turned toward Ben with a colorful light.
Not only Ben, who made eye contact, but even Dan, who was watching the situation from a distance, froze.
‘…I open my eyes and it’s really no joke.’
I felt it when I closed my eyes, but when I opened my eyes, I felt it for sure.
‘I was considered good-looking before, but this is just…’
It’s beauty that transcends taste.
Although the face of the original version remains, the appearance is of a different level. When you become a warrior, doesn’t it make you naturally look good? I thought carefully about the information about the hero.
As far as I know, a warrior’s power is a bundle of talent. The range of talent is very wide and varies depending on what you think…
‘…talent, yes.’
Even beauty like that is a talent.
Dan nodded.
Deon, who was shocked and then came to his senses, slowly stood up. Ben tried to help him from next to him, but he flatly refused and sat down, slowly clenching and unclenching his fists.
***
I am full of strength.
Is this what health is like? Vision is clear and breathing is easy. The body, which always had to be moved with more than a certain amount of force, moved softly and lightly just by thinking about it.
I can even feel the presence of my nemesis, the Demon King.
‘You have truly become a hero.’
I can’t deny this.
So, does that mean that the conversation in that space at that time was not a meaningless dream?
The hand holding the box gained strength. I had to quickly relax because I heard a cracking sound, but it made me feel even more like I had become a hero.
[The black-haired, green-eyed man asked me to say hello.]
…Cruel.
I bowed my head. Ben made a fuss, asking if there was anything uncomfortable, but no one heard him.
I just looked down at the box in my arms and closed my eyes.
I only realized it after hearing that.
[There was someone here who wanted you to live even after death. And there are people who want you to be happy even after death.]
The hero’s words included not only himself but also Cruel Hart.
[Free, not tied down by something, not oppressed. There are people who want you to live the life you want.]
I said ‘people’. Why didn’t I know this?
And… and…
‘I hope you live the life I want.’
I can’t breathe as if I’m submerged deep in the water.
I feel like he’s thinking of me even after death, so I want to follow his words faithfully and show him my hope, but…
‘I can’t.’
Before discussing what kind of life I want, I cannot dare to assure you that I can follow your words. I can clearly feel that a great fate is driving me to one place, so how can a mere human being resist?
‘But… like Dan said, you can eat taffy.’
Is this really a coincidence that he awakens as a hero as soon as he makes that ‘decision’?
No way. Deon laughed as if he collapsed.
This made it clear what the world wanted from me. If I move according to my ‘decision’, I will be moving according to his will. This is my will and at the same time it is not my will.
‘I said it was too much or too little.’
If you have no choice but to move as the world wants, then yes.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to show a larger scale than that.
‘Revenge comes first, though.’
The feel of the box in my arms is cool. Deon stood up.
There is a commotion outside the mansion, as if the poor people have attacked the waiting soldiers. Although they do not have any decent military power, it will not be easy as it is a life-threatening attack. I walked away leisurely, nodding to Ben and Dan who were looking at me blankly, telling me to leave.
I walked down the hallway with neat steps that completely concealed my true feelings.
***
The raids by the poor had almost all been put to rest. This contained the demons’ survival instinct to clean up the place neatly before Deon came out.
Deon, who became the general commander, had a thorough atmosphere that made it impossible to make a single mistake. Unless it was a big mistake, no significant punishment was given, but the cold gaze and noble, trampling tone made the demons notice.
…But now it seems like the atmosphere has changed again. Is it because I became a hero?
The demons looked blankly at Deon with his feet on the corpse’s back.
I know that the pillar of light is related to the birth of a warrior. Since I knew that the place where the pillar of light was located was the mansion where Deon and Dan entered, I also assumed that Deon could become a warrior.
However, I did not expect this situation.
“This guy is attacking me, but no one can react.”
The foot that stepped on the corpse takes strength. The sound of the spine breaking as it was unable to withstand the warrior’s strength was heard.
Bright red eyes look persistently at those who flinch and avoid their gaze. A voice filled with indifference and irritation came out slowly.
“What should I do with these incompetent things?”
It was unfair for the demons.
It’s not that no one reacted. Everyone reacted, but before they could even move, Deonhardt killed his opponent first.
It’s almost all sorted out, but it’s not completely sorted out. In that situation, there was no way the remaining poor would just leave a famous person named Deon Hardt outside the mansion. Naturally, the poor person closest to him rushed towards him when he showed up.
When Dan, Ben, and other demons tried to react to the surprisingly transparent movement, Deon moved first.
[Did I look so easy that a sloppy guy like that would attack me?]
If I say that all of this happened in an instant, from grabbing the face of the person running towards me and slamming him to the floor and then turning his body over so that the bomb mounted on his stomach falls underneath him. Would you really believe it?
Meanwhile, Deon glanced at his left hand curiously.
I clearly put my left hand under the stomach when I knocked over the guy with the bomb. The explosion caused his body to shake and his left hand to be covered in blood up to the elbow. Nevertheless, now…
‘I’m all better.’
The thick blood didn’t disappear and it didn’t look very good, but the wound didn’t even leave a trace.
The hero’s recovery power was this high. After a moment of admiration, Deon consciously lowered the corners of his mouth that had risen slightly.
“What should I do now? “I didn’t organize what was left quickly.”
“Yes… Yes!”
Now there is no need to pay close attention to your actions. Deon stopped speaking as if he had been waiting for this moment.
When Stigma teaches something, there is always something added at the end. As a fairly conscientious junior, I had even that engraved in a corner of my head.
[All of this is irrelevant if you are overwhelmingly strong.] The
only enemy of a hero is the Demon King. The Demon King is also like that.
It is difficult to kill a hero with demons alone, and even if you are ambushed, with this level of resilience, you will be able to fight back and survive. There is no need to set yourself up and be tough.
Besides….
[Not tied down, not oppressed, free.]
…I don’t want to live like that anymore.
