“Chief Elder, I don’t feel like I’m hitting a person right now. It feels more like I’m hunting a monster.”
With sharp, clicking footsteps, Sion drew closer.
Her surging fury took shape and radiated outward. Crackle! Crackle! The electricity snapping around her was dangerously wild.
“S-Sir Messenger!”
“What.”
Rohan looked down at the fallen Chief Elder. His expression was one of pure displeasure.
All around them, elders groaned in pain, having been beaten down with a sword sheath.
More than half had already lost consciousness. The ones still awake had glassy, unfocused eyes.
“Please, protect me at once…! The vessel’s intent to kill me is real!”
“You think I wouldn’t notice something even a fool like you can feel?”
“Th-Then why…?”
Rohan showed no intention of getting up from his seat.
For the first time, terror colored the Chief Elder’s face.
“It wouldn’t be any fun if I stepped in, would it?”
“…What?”
“You’ve had your taste of bitterness. Now it’s time to rinse it down with something sharp. Shut your mouth and die.”
To Levin Maxwell, those words still made no sense.
Thud!
Before he could even voice his confusion, a tough leather boot filled his vision.
The Chief Elder who was still collapsed on the ground lifted his head.
Sion stood right in front of him and started gathering electricity in the palm of her hand.
Crackle!!!
He could hear a brutal, sizzling noise. If that hit, he’d be fried on the spot.
For Levin Maxwell, who had lived a life untouched by pain, it was the very essence of terror.
His voice, directed at Rohan, carried a desperation barely distinguishable from a scream.
“S-Sir Messenger! Did you not swear an oath in the name of Hex and me?!”
“Oh, that? I did. If punishment comes, I’ll take it. So don’t worry about that.”
If they were truly Hex’s subordinates, then once they swore upon their master’s name, they were bound to uphold it. Even at the cost of their lives.
It wasn’t just about loyalty or trust. They were shackled by something indistinguishable from servitude.
Because of that, even the Chief Elder hadn’t doubted them.
Rohan shifted his gaze to Sion.
He listened to the girl’s voice.
“Chief Elder, I cannot understand you. My father must have felt the same.”
“……!”
“But at least he would have tried to.”
Sion’s lightning-attribute magic—
A compressed sphere of it dropped onto the Chief Elder’s body.
“Krrrghhh—!!!”
Maxwell’s entire body convulsed as the electricity seeped into him. His voice was too pitiful to be called a scream.
His robe barely kept him alive, but it couldn’t fully shield him.
Its once-vibrant colors faded, proof that he had no strength left to endure another attack.
Rohan who was seated comfortably idly toyed with his sword while watching the scene unfold.
“If he takes another hit, he’ll really die.”
“Y-Yes! This is my limit!”
A flicker of hope crossed the wrinkles around the Chief Elder’s eyes.
A desperate expectation. That Hex’s messenger might step in and save him at the last moment.
That was exactly the look on his face.
But Rohan suddenly turned away—
And casually struck up a conversation with Clara, who sat beside him in silence.
“You think they haven’t caught on yet?”
“M-Maybe because you’re just too good at acting…!”
“I was on edge, wondering when they’d figure it out. Maybe I’ve got a knack for this?”
Their lighthearted banter landed directly in the Chief Elder’s ears.
There wasn’t a trace of pressure in Rohan’s demeanor as he casually chatted with the girl beside him.
Meanwhile, Maxwell latched onto a single, belated clue. It was the word acting.
“You… you bastard…!”
The Chief Elder’s choice of words suddenly dropped in formality.
Rohan smirked as if asking, “You just figured it out?”
“That’s how it is. You’ve spent your life deceiving others, so don’t act so wronged just because you’ve been deceived yourself.”
Throwing away the stiff solemnity that felt almost allergic to him, Rohan answered as he always did.
The Chief Elder froze in shock. Meanwhile, Rohan’s grin deepened.
Of course, this would be hard to accept.
His real name, which even Sion didn’t know. The identities of the people he had encountered in Tigrova.
The hidden ties to the Reverse Reverence Society, the silver coins and their purpose, and even Hex’s grand plan.
With no way to contact the other party and verify the truth, it was only natural to fall for such deception.
Even if he did have the means to reach out, he had likely refrained out of courtesy.
“You… you insane bastards! How dare you speak the name of the Reverse Reverence Society without fear…!”
“Old man. You know what happens when there are no witnesses, right? If I draw my sword, do you think an elf will step in to protect you?”
“……..!”
Among the Elven Elders, there were a few skilled in combat.
Had Rohan attempted to force his way in from the entrance, he would have been significantly delayed by a coordinated defense of barrier magic and physical force from those elders.
That was precisely why he had struck before they could react, seizing the upper hand.
Anticipating this moment, he had ensured that every capable fighter was thoroughly broken.
He had selectively subjected them to a special course of bludgeoning discipline, leaving them in such a state that they wouldn’t even be able to resist, even if he were to behead them now.
Rohan raised his head in a gesture that made it clear he no longer wanted to listen to the Chief Elder’s words and met Sion’s gaze.
Sion was staring at him. Her lips trembled as she spoke.
“Rohan, I…”
“Do whatever you want, Sion. If you can’t finish this, I don’t mind doing it myself.”
At Rohan’s gentle words, Sion weakly shook her head.
Punishing the Chief Elder, the mastermind behind it all, was something she had to do herself.
“…I’ll do it.”
Sion brought her sniper rifle into view.
Click! The sound of a round being loaded echoed in the air.
She then looked down at the Chief Elder and calmly aimed the muzzle of her gun.
“Chief Elder. You once said you feared death.”
“P-Princess! You’re about to do something irreversible! If you just hear me out until the end, I’m sure you’ll change your mi—!”
Sion mercilessly cut off his meaningless words.
“In your next life, I hope you’re not reborn as a beast.”
The moment she pulled the trigger—Thunk! A heavy sound echoed through the conference room.
The spent shell casing clattered against the floor with a metallic ring.
The Chief Elder who had been frantically running his mouth fell into eternal silence.
“Haa…”
Sion’s breath came out shaky, and her hands trembled. It felt as if she could drop the gun at any moment.
Killing a traitor at this point didn’t weigh on her conscience.
The real problem was the flood of emotions and past memories that came rushing in alongside her newfound freedom.
“Clara. Can you take Sion outside for a bit? I’ll wrap things up here and join you.”
“O-Okay…”
“Take care of her for me.”
At Rohan’s request, Clara nodded her head with a determined expression and quickly moved.
He watched until Sion and Clara had left the room.
Time to finish this.
Rohan rose from his seat and drew his sword from its sheath.
Schling!
It was time to clean up the trash littering the floor.
···
···
By the time Rohan had neatly severed the remaining elders’ lives and stepped out of the conference room, he saw Sion clinging to Clara and sobbing like a child.
“Hic… Ugh… Hhhuu…”
She was trying to hold it in, but she couldn’t. Her emotions poured out uncontrollably.
Clara, despite being shorter, had buried herself in Sion’s chest and was doing her best to console her.
Rohan slid his sword back into its sheath.
Then he stepped forward.
“Sion.”
“……..”
What he saw was a face ruined by uncontrollable sobs.
The calm, composed expression she had maintained while trying to assess the situation, pinpoint problems, and search for solutions was nowhere to be found.
Now, she looked as fragile as if she might break at any moment.
Perhaps this was the true face of the girl named Sion.
Rohan gently wiped away Sion’s tears as she clung to Clara like a cherished doll.
Then, he softly spoke the words he had been wanting to say.
“The road ahead will feel overwhelming. Anyone would feel that way after going through something like this.”
“Rohan…”
“Just remember this. Every single second from now on belongs entirely to you. Focus on doing what you want, on finding joy. That’s how you save yourself first.”
For a brief moment, Sion’s sobs came to a halt.
She seemed to be concentrating and listening intently.
“If you don’t know which path to take, you can push me to find it for you.”
“…..…”
“It’s only natural that finding the right path on your own is difficult.”
“B-But…!”
Out of habit, Sion started to protest, but Rohan gently pressed a finger against her lips and stopped her words in their tracks.
She looked a little ridiculous, but to Rohan, she was nothing but cute.
With a light chuckle, he continued.
“A sniper needs a spotter to aim in the right direction, right?”
“…..…”
“Until now, you didn’t have one. So even if you were aiming the wrong way, it wasn’t your fault. Got it?”
Hearing his words, Sion froze.
“Got it?”
“…..…”
With a smile, Rohan urged her for an answer once more, albeit a bit forcefully.
Sion gave a small nod.
“When you want to clear your mind and let go of your worries… when you need someone to take responsibility or someone to blame, I’ll be that spotter for you.”
If only Rohan would let go of her lips, Sion wanted to ask why he was doing all this for her.
But as if he already knew, he didn’t let go.
“Sion, just live happily from now on. That’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
With those words, Rohan finally released her lips.
Sion could feel it. Over and over again.
There wasn’t a hint of selfish intent behind anything Rohan had said.
He wasn’t her parent, nor her family, yet he wished for her happiness with unconditional affection.
Rohan…
The more she replayed his actions in her mind…
The more she became aware of a soft, unfamiliar feeling filling the empty space in her heart.
The pain that had been tearing her apart just moments ago melted away into something warm.
You… You were the only one who never deceived me from the start…
As she met Rohan’s gaze, an inexplicable ticklish sensation and a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
“And stop wasting your mana. Why have you been using your skills this whole time?”
Rohan let out a small chuckle as he noticed Sion’s eyes had turned into heart shapes, tilting his head in confusion.
At the same time…
Clara who had been holding Sion in a comforting embrace sensed something was off.
Sion’s heartbeat began pounding wildly unlike before. It was now thumping harshly against her chest.
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