Just Let Her Go
Who was Sepheer?
For all the foolishness she so often displayed, she was still a powerhouse strong enough to claim a commander's seat. Presence like hers was never something you could simply overlook. Unless she deliberately erased her aura or disguised herself, Athena was bound to notice her.
"Hera!"
Sensing demonic mana inside the mansion, Athena kicked the bedroom door open in a rush of panic. What met her eyes was the pink-haired succubus she had seen before—Sepheer—and Hera, fast asleep on the bed with a faint, peaceful smile on her lips.
Athena could only stare in shock. How long had it been since Hera's face had looked that at ease?
She approached carefully so as not to wake her, and only then realized Sepheer was casting magic over Hera.
"…What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Hieek?!"
At Athena's low, murderous voice, Sepheer's whole body jerked. But she forced her eyes wide open a second later and met Athena's gaze with a show of defiance.
"C-Can't you tell? I'm putting Hera to sleep!"
"Putting her to sleep?"
"Th-That's right! It's a spell that lets her have happy dreams, so d-don't glare at me like that."
Athena glanced at Hera. True enough, the magic didn't feel hostile. And if Sepheer had tried anything suspicious, Mari—who was sitting right there watching—would have stopped her already. Besides, as a familiar, she wasn't stupid enough to harm her own master.
"When did you get here?"
"Not long ago. Wrapping things up took longer than I expected."
With nothing more to say, Athena studied the succubus in silence for a moment. Then she let out a long breath.
"…Fine. Take good care of Hera."
She turned to leave the room.
"W-Wait!"
Athena looked back at the one calling after her.
"What."
"I need to talk to you for a minute."
Sepheer's face was far more serious than usual.
"So? What is it?"
Athena folded her arms and regarded the pink-haired succubus. The girl was watching her with an uncharacteristically grave expression.
"What did you do to Hera?"
She had expected the question. She didn't flinch.
"What about it."
"While I was guiding her dreams, I saw inside her."
"…Then you know everything."
"……"
Sepheer's face twisted darkly.
"Do you… even love Hera?"
Rage boiled up at the absurd question. Love Hera? What kind of question was that?
"You dragged me over here just to ask something that obvious?"
But Sepheer only looked more baffled.
"You turn the person you love into a slave on a whim… and break her? Does that make any sense?"
Athena's teeth ground together. Furious as she was, she had no rebuttal. In the end she seized Sepheer by the collar and hauled her up.
"Don't get ideas above your station. Your only job is to look after Hera."
She already felt like she was dying these days. The last thing she needed was to waste energy on some lowly succubus. Mana around her began to thrash like a threat, and Sepheer's pupils started to shake hard.
But instead of backing down the way Athena expected, Sepheer shook her head once and met her eyes head-on.
"Because of you, Hera is dying."
"You… want to die, don't you."
Athena abandoned the collar and clamped her hand around Sepheer's throat. The succubus's face contorted as she gasped for air.
"Keh… kehhk… A-Anyway, if Hera dies, I die too…! I'm her familiar…!"
"No. That will never happen."
"Ghk… kkuugh… As long as… you're here… keh… she'll die soon…!"
"…What?"
"Keh… gglrk…"
Sepheer's body began to convulse. Her eyes were rolling back.
"Tsk."
Athena clicked her tongue and released her. Sepheer crumpled to the floor, wheezing.
"Haaah!! Hahk!… I-I just felt like I saw the Demon God…"
"Stop talking nonsense and finish what you were trying to say."
"Hehhk… hek… huu… huu…"
After a stretch of ragged breathing, Sepheer finally got her air back. She cleared her throat a few times and spoke.
"Like I said, I saw the state of Hera's inner self."
Athena gave her a look that said continue. Sepheer picked up the thread without prompting.
"Inside a human, you can see all kinds of emotions. What they're thinking right now, how they feel, what they desire—things like that."
"…And?"
"There's only one reason Hera is dying right now."
Sepheer's expression turned quietly sorrowful.
"She herself doesn't want to live. Out of responsibility toward Mari, she won't try to kill herself—but she has no will to keep living, either."
"……"
"When the master feels that way, of course her body and mana follow suit. If this keeps up, she really might die soon."
The words flew like thorns and drove straight into Athena's heart. Because of what she had done, Hera had lost the will to live. That single fact was enough to drive her out of her mind.
"You think I don't know that?! How do I fix her—tell me that!!"
Her patience finally snapped. She advanced on Sepheer and shouted. Sepheer flinched back, clearly not expecting the scream—but Athena, half out of her senses, closed the distance at once, forced her to her knees, and demanded an answer.
"What the hell do you mean she'll die if I'm here."
Sepheer's body shook like a leaf in a gale, but her voice came out clear.
"Every single moment she spends in this place is agony for her."
She pointed a finger at Athena.
"And that's entirely because of you. Because you're nearby."
"Athena. It's time you let Hera go."
"Kyaaaak!!"
One. A beast shaped like a wolf was torn apart limb from limb and died on the spot.
"Gyaaaagh!!"
Another. This time a bear-like magical beast collapsed in a spray of black blood.
And not only them. Looking around, corpses littered the gaps between the trees in unbroken lines. Counted up, there had to be well over a hundred bodies strewn across the forest floor.
Kieek—
Grrrk!
With every spell she unleashed, more beasts died and the terrain itself was ripped apart.
"Damn it…"
But no matter how many she shredded, her mood didn't improve in the slightest. In the end she dropped her magic and sank to the ground. Her clothes soaked up the blood pooling beneath her, but she couldn't have cared less.
"Let Hera go…?"
She muttered the words hollowly.
According to Sepheer, as long as Athena stayed at her side, Hera's condition would never improve. From what she had seen of Hera's inner world, the only thing Hera wanted now was rest—and that was something she would never find anywhere Athena was.
Athena's teeth clenched.
"I can't let her go. Never."
How hard had she worked to open Hera's heart? They had only just become lovers who shared their love with each other. And now she was supposed to send her out of her arms?
Don't make her laugh.
There had to be another way. If it was a psychological problem, she could take the time and heal it herself.
If I visit her every day and care for her the way I used to…
It didn't seem possible. Hera went into convulsions the moment Athena so much as came near. How was she supposed to look after her like that?
Then maybe she could ask Alina and Mari to watch over her a little more carefully. She hated the thought of them staying by Hera's side—but if it meant Hera came back safely, she could grit her teeth and endure it.
"……"
No. That was meaningless too. She already knew perfectly well that those two were doing everything they could for Hera.
The Saintess was no help either. Divine power, she had been told, could mend external and internal wounds—but it could do nothing for problems of the mind.
Athena clutched her head in both hands and tried desperately to think of something. No matter how hard she wrestled with it, there was nothing she could do for Hera.
"…What if I just erased her memories."
As reason drained from her mind, a single thought drove itself home like a nail. Magic that erased memories existed. If she wiped Hera's memories and returned her to the time before she learned everything, she would surely see that smile again.
Yes. I'll erase her memories.
Decision made, she stood and started walking back toward the mansion. But with every step, a deep guilt and self-loathing pressed down on her body until her pace slowed. At last she stopped completely and stared at the ground, laughing emptily.
"You've finally lost it, Athena."
She had already deceived Hera and carved deep wounds into her. And now she meant to put her through the same thing all over again? Only a madwoman would do something like that.
Sepheer was right. That couldn't be called love.
The truth was, she already knew the answer. No—she had known it from the beginning. She was an archmage who had reached the 8-Circle. Her mind was sharp, never lacking. She knew perfectly well what path was best for Hera.
She just didn't want to admit it. Didn't want to accept it.
She lifted her head and looked up at the beautiful night sky rising overhead.
"…I'm no different from them."
Even now, at this very moment, she was nothing more than a selfish human who thought only of herself.