Chapter 306: Apology
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 306: Apology
—I think… I love him.
No denial, nor any affirmation, came from Ha Yuri’s lips. But a brilliant light began to erupt from within the prison cell.
It seemed that last statement was the final nail in the coffin. It didn't matter whether Lee Wanyong had spoken her true feelings or not. Ha Yuri had reacted to the voice of her own double.
What burst forth from the empty air, scattering light, was unmistakably her cherished weapon, the Holy Sword.
—Wh-What… Why all of a sudden…
She couldn't possibly comprehend what was happening or why her treasured sword had suddenly appeared. It was only natural, as even I didn't know the conditions for Levatain or Dainsleif to recognize their wielder. The Holy Sword had appeared unsummoned, and no sooner had Ha Yuri’s eyes widened in shock than her sword fell and embedded itself in the floor. The blade, which had been radiating a brilliant light, grew terrifyingly dim the moment it struck the ground, and darkness once again descended upon the cell.
“It… It worked!”
The most overjoyed, of course, was Choi Seulgi. I, too, felt as if all our hard work had finally paid off, and a faint smile crept onto my lips. I figured it was time for the real star to make his entrance, so it was only natural that I immediately started walking with Choi Seulgi.
The time had come to tell her the truth. And of course, Jeong Ji-young, who was about to put on a great show, was with us. It didn't matter that he was currently unconscious. He had no role to play in this act anyway. I casually slung him over my shoulder and headed toward where Ha Yuri and her Holy Sword were.
“Puhahaha. I never thought it would actually work. That old man really is competent.”
“See? I told you so.”
Choi Seulgi’s face was a picture of pure joy as she nodded repeatedly. The closer we got to her cell, the louder the sounds from within became.
“Unsummon! Unsummon!!”
She screamed frantically, but there was no way the Holy Sword would listen to her.
“Unsummon!!!”
Actions like summoning or unsummoning didn't even require one to speak the words aloud. It could be done with a mere thought. This meant only one thing: Ha Yuri had been completely abandoned by her Holy Sword.
As I opened the iron door with a cheerful heart, the first thing I saw was Ha Yuri and Lee Wanyong, who had transformed into her likeness. The moment she saw us, her face contorted. She had realized she’d been tricked.
“You… You goddamn bastards!!”
“Puhahaha. You’re pretty naive, aren’t you? Did you really think you had another self? I know this place is different from Earth, but aren’t you a little too immersed in this world?”
“You… You! I’ll kill you, you sons of bitches! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll fucking kill you!”
Lee Wanyong, who had been in her form until now, reverted to his original appearance, bowed his head to me, and spoke.
“Hehe. She seems to be more of a romantic than I thought. I felt so bad I thought I was going to die. Puhehe. It felt like I was deceiving an innocent young lady—not that I’m saying that woman is innocent, of course.”
“You’ve done well.”
As expected, when the face of Lee Wanyong, whom she despised so much, was revealed, she began to scream again as if possessed by pure malice. She probably hated him more than me right now.
“You bastard! I will kill you without fail! You… you son of a bitch! I’ll make sure you die. And I’ll kill every last person connected to you!”
“It seems Lady Ha Yuri is quite agitated, Lord Blood Dagger. Is it that deceiving others is fine, but being deceived herself is not to her liking? Humans truly are two-faced. I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to have evolved into a Doppelganger. You fucking bitch! Compared to all the citizens you’ve deceived until now, this is nothing! On behalf of all the citizens who suffered, I have brought the hammer of justice down upon you, you bitch!”
“You son of a bitch!”
“I could chew you up and spit you out and still not be satisfied… Uweeegh!”
She even started vomiting blood mid-sentence. As the divine power of the Holy Sword that had been protecting her vanished, the Mistilteinn embedded in her began to inflict continuous damage. There was likely some residual divine power left in her body, but she was now no different from the low-level summoners she so despised.
We had struck her deepest shame. Her most hidden secret and emotions had been exposed to the very people she wanted to hide them from the most. It was no wonder she was so agitated.
I reached my hand toward Mistilteinn, and the spear naturally flew into my grasp. Ha Yuri collapsed to the ground.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
She dragged her aching body and charged at us recklessly. I was surprised by her speed, but in her current state, she was far from a threat. The relatively weak Lee Wanyong, momentarily tensing up, absurdly hid behind me as Choi Seulgi casually stuck out her foot and tripped Ha Yuri. She tumbled pathetically across the floor.
“You bastards! You goddamn bastards!”
“It’s fine to be worked up, darling. But are you sure you should be acting like this? The man you love is lying right over there. Hmm?”
“Ptui! So what? Kill him if you want. It has nothing to do with me, you fucking bastards.”
“Your composure is surprising. But I don’t think that little toy that used to be your cherished sword agrees…”
After being spat on, Choi Seulgi kicked the Holy Sword once before immediately walking over to the unconscious Jeong Ji-young.
“It doesn’t matter, you sons of bitches. Did you really think I liked that stupid bastard? Is that the condition? I don’t give a damn about a piece of trash like him. Unsummon! Unsummon!”
“Hmm…”
“Hurry up and kill him! Just kill him!”
She screamed like a madwoman, but it was clear the man had already taken root in her heart. The greatest proof was the Holy Sword, which remained unresponsive to her calls. Her screams to kill him were nothing but a bluff. Either that, or she genuinely wished we would kill Jeong Ji-young for her.
Lee Wanyong may have delivered the final blow, but it would have been useless if she hadn't been genuinely shaken. She might even believe that his death would make her whole again. Choi Seulgi, who had been watching Ha Yuri with a strange expression, finally threw a dagger at her.
The dagger clattered loudly on the floor, and Ha Yuri turned her head as if to ask what she meant.
“What…”
“You kill him.”
“You think I can’t do it if you tell me to?”
The way she grabbed the dagger and crawled toward Jeong Ji-young was like a fiend from hell. I worried that Choi Seulgi might be pushing her luck, but she blocked my path as if to say it was fine. I decided to watch Ha Yuri for a little longer.
“Kill him. You know best how to do it. You can stab his neck or his heart. Personally, I think the neck would be best. Or you can kill him as painfully as possible. It doesn’t matter, right?”
“You crazy bitch.”
“I’ll return those words right back to you.”
Standing before Jeong Ji-young with the dagger in hand, Ha Yuri began to take slow, deep breaths. If she actually tried to stab him, we would stop her. I thought there was a chance the Holy Sword might recognize her as its master again if he died.
Her bloodshot eyes and trembling hand were certainly not what they used to be. She didn't look like someone accustomed to killing.
“You’ll regret this.”
“I don’t care. Stab him.”
“I said you’ll regret it.”
“You talk too much. Just stab him. If there’s any regretting to be done, we’ll do it, so you don’t need to worry.”
She raised the dagger high into the air, but the raised blade did not come down.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to stab him?”
“…”
“It’ll all be over if you just bring it down.”
“…”
She didn't answer. But next to me, I could hear Lee Wanyong’s sneering voice.
“It seems the Holy Whore is much more of a romantic than we thought. Hehe.”
He was right. Ha Yuri still couldn't bring herself to extend the dagger. Finally, looking annoyed, Choi Seulgi shoved Ha Yuri aside with her foot.
“Your bluffing is something else. Move it, you bitch. I’ll stab him myself. This is what you want, right? Isn’t it?”
The dagger Ha Yuri dropped as she was powerlessly knocked to the ground clattered once more. Choi Seulgi immediately picked it up and thrust it toward Jeong Ji-young’s vitals. The movements of a skilled assassin were quite beautiful. As I let out a small gasp of admiration at her fluid form, Ha Yuri suddenly screamed.
“W-Wait!”
“Why?”
“…”
“Why is that?”
Staring at Choi Seulgi, who was grinning with wide eyes, Ha Yuri was speechless.
“So you do want me to save him, don’t you? Right?”
“…”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to kill him. Do you know you’re crying right now?”
It was just as Choi Seulgi said. Ha Yuri was crying. She touched her own face as if in disbelief, but tears were unmistakably streaming from her eyes.
“Fuck… Fuck…”
“You don’t want him to die, do you? Right? Then there’s something you have to do, isn’t there? Hmm? I’d like to receive a sincere apology. Something like, ‘I was wrong. I’m sorry.’”
“Just kill me instead, you goddamn bastards.”
“I won’t kill you. Never… But if you refuse, this man dies right here. What a shame. Just when you two finally confirmed your feelings for each other. As someone who’s been in a similar position, I find it truly heartbreaking… It’s a very sad thing to watch someone you love die. In your case, it hasn’t gone that far yet… No, your situation is actually better. If you just listen, you two might be able to live a little longer…”
Choi Seulgi was talking about that day. I remembered it vividly, too.
“I want your apology. It’s simple. Just bow your head and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ Then you might at least be able to keep him alive…”
“…”
I couldn't imagine Ha Yuri bowing her head.
“I’ll say it one more time. As you know, I’m not a very patient person. Understand?”
After a few moments passed, Ha Yuri slowly knelt.
The sight was utterly surreal. She even slowly pressed her forehead to the ground and carefully opened her mouth. The result was so unimaginable that even Choi Seulgi’s jaw dropped.
Human emotions are inherently complex, but I never thought she would flip so completely. I couldn't help but realize what that man meant to her. It could be that her desire to confirm her own feelings was stronger, or she might have already realized she was in love.
I had considered that she might be equating Jeong Ji-young with her mother, but whatever the answer was, it didn't matter to us. What was important was that she had knelt before us.
Without her divine power, she looked quite ordinary. And yet, for some reason, she looked sublime. An unknown pleasure kept stimulating my nerves.
“I’m… sor…”
“I’m… sorry…”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“I’m sorry… I… I was wrong. Please… forgive me. Sob… I was wrong.”
At that moment, a flood of information poured into my mind. A quest that had been dormant for a long time had finally been completed.