Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts Are Heard
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Victoria was trying to smash the orb containing my last will with a hammer, or even pray to the Heavenly God, attempting to discover what was inside.
The Flower Saint, considered by the world to be the most benevolent and devout of all, was showing such an obsessive side toward one man.
"Why... did you make the magic so difficult?!"
Victoria glared at me as if scolding, biting her lip. Her face was already tinged with fatigue, to the point where anyone could see she was struggling.
"I'm sorry, but that's just the nature of a mage's original magic. Except for the caster, its structure or weaknesses are hard to discern..."
I ended up feeling a bit sorry for Victoria like that.
Originally, it was also made this sturdy to prepare for the possibility of a demon or monster killing me and stealing the last will magic to disguise themselves.
"...Then that means if I hold your weakness and shake it, it will work. Take off your pants right now."
"How does that even lead to that...!"
"You're being slow. Do you perhaps have some vulgar preference, wanting a woman to undress you? Fine. I'll help you."
But it seemed such words themselves sounded like a provocation to Victoria, as she immediately grabbed my lower garment and began pulling it down with both hands.
Due to the tremendous brute strength unique to a dragon hybrid, seeing my pants gradually sliding down gave me the intuition that, if this continued, I'd lose something precious as a man.
"Hey, my pants are coming off! Wait! Just a moment...!"
"No. Do you even know how much I agonized, how much heart I poured into that confession...?! You're a coward even at times like this!"
I shouted at Victoria to please stop, but she paid no heed and kept pulling her hands downward.
"If what's contained here is truly a response to the confession, you wouldn't have needed to push me away so coldly and heartlessly...!"
Victoria had abandoned the extreme honorifics she usually used again and was directing a voice appealing to emotion at me.
The face of Victoria pulling down my pants wasn't flushed with excitement or lust, but with lips tightly pressed together, desperately holding back tears.
"In the end, this is no different from you saying you'll die...!"
Seeing my attitude different from usual, Victoria had guessed the situation was turning increasingly serious. What kind of crazy person leaves a last will saying to read it if the man she likes dies, and then...
"So, I said I'd leave this as collateral and promised to definitely come back alive. Victoria, calm down first and stop crying."
"No. Do you even remember how many times you've almost died until now? And do you know how much my heart ached each time?"
"......"
Actually, it wasn't strange for Victoria to worry like this.
Because I had always used magic while risking my life, and always, my companions or she had to shoulder the aftermath.
Even if I used potions or beginner healing magic, seeing me fight while overexerting my body, she couldn't possibly feel at ease.
"Rather than being tortured with hope like this, I'd rather... give up being a Saint right now and become an ordinary woman."
- If you were to die, then no matter what kind of answer is inside, it would be useless.
Victoria was shedding tears drop by drop, looking at me with sad eyes and crying. Even though her current posture and actions were extremely obscene.
"You can resent me. You can curse me as a cowardly woman. Even if it's called an act that defies the Heavenly God's words, I don't wish for you to die."
"......"
"All previous Hero parties besides ours were annihilated, so you prepared for unforeseen circumstances like this, right? Am I correct...?"
In the end, Victoria had also come up with her own scheme. She knew the reason I had left such last will magic.
Ultimately, we are mere pawns chosen by the Emperor or the gods, expendable pieces that can be discarded at any time, like pitiful foot soldiers.
Because every time they select a Hero party like ours and send them to infiltrate the Demon Realm to fight, the movements to invade the continent naturally slow down or decrease.
For this reason, on this journey, I thought that if someone had to die, it should definitely be me.
"Yes, I know that fact too, so I prepared my will in advance. In life, it's best to be as thorough as possible, right?"
I had created this magic so that the people left behind after my death, my companions, or my Master wouldn't be left with lingering attachments or regrets.
"That's just too... sad."
"But you know it too. The probability of us defeating the Demon King and returning alive is extremely low."
I helped Victoria up and slowly wiped her tears as I spoke. This was also the reason I hadn't properly accepted her confession.
In the end, even if we truly dated and shared love, I thought a situation where someone dies would inevitably arise.
The Demon King Ergosum we must face, according to various texts and records, is an aberrant being with multiple tentacle-like arms that can manipulate reality at will.
Against such a Demon King, no one until now had ever managed to wound him or come close to killing him.
It was difficult to make hopeful assumptions that everything would work out as it has now.
"...The fact that we ultimately succeeded in defeating Bellamora was also just luck, right?"
I continued, looking down at the various flower buds still remaining on my body. If not for the Heavenly God's whim, one of us two might already be dead.
"Even if I die, I want to send all of you back to your hometowns safely. I think if I try my best, that much of a miracle might be possible."
I recalled a story shared during a previous drinking session.
Kyle had once said that after defeating the Demon King, he would return to his hometown and marry his girlfriend Stella.
Anima and Taryon had the goal of establishing a small school under their own names and becoming teachers who educate children marginalized by society.
Finally, Victoria had said she wanted to see the sea once.
"...At the very least, I want you all to live."
I showed my resolve by giving Victoria a small kiss on her forehead.
Even though we weren't really dating and this was merely playing at being fake lovers like this.
"......!"
"Now, will you believe me?"
Right now, I wished Victoria wouldn't cry. Rather, I hoped she would smile bravely and tell me to definitely win and come back.
"...Maybe if you do it once more, no, twice more, my anger might subside a little."
- Coward. If you're going to give a kiss, do it on the cheek or the lips? Where's the harm? Seeing you act like this, maybe I can hope a little.
In the end, unable to overcome Victoria's stubbornness, I ended up giving her embarrassing kisses at least five more times. Only then did she show a slight smile toward me and release the arms that had been holding me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Only after causing quite a commotion with Victoria like that could I finally move my steps to the center of Poseiquen Hollow, where the arena was located.
A place filled with the roar of a crowd and drumbeats loud enough to deafen the ears. There, a fierce battle was unfolding, so intense it was hard to watch with both eyes open.
The sight of an Orc Barbarian swinging an axe even with one arm severed and bones exposed, and the form of a monster trying to tear him apart by ripping open a huge maw to bite down.
"We are warriors! Warriors who know no death! Fight and kill! The weak have no right to survive! Prove your worth!"
The various demons and monsters watching the match were shouting in unison, words similar to what I had heard earlier.
Revere the strong, despise the weak.
It was a slogan that directly reflected the beliefs of this territory's lord, the Dullahan. He had even gone so far as to spare lives, defying the Demon King's orders, just because I was stronger than others.
Kwaaang—!
The sight of the monster before him being chopped into finely minced pieces of meat by the gesture of the Orc Barbarian swinging a war axe as tall as himself was etched into my eyes.
'Movement without an inch of hesitation, thoroughly calculated.'
First, he severed the arms, legs, and muscles inside the ankles to immobilize the opponent, then split the skull to eliminate variables.
It happened in an instant, so fast that unless one had special eyes like me or had experienced countless battlefields, noticing it would be impossible.
'...Could I defeat an opponent like that?'
I thought, watching the Orc Barbarian raising his arms toward the audience watching him after claiming victory according to the arena's rules and shouting.
Originally, mages had the chronic weakness of being vulnerable in close combat, and to compensate, I had learned martial arts or used weapons like the Coresword to reduce the gap with opponents.
In battle, what separates life and death is sharpened intuition honed like a blade and split-second judgment.
'I can hope for a miracle once or twice, but after that, I could really die.'
Ultimately, this thought settled in my mind. To prevent the contents of the will I gave Victoria from being revealed, it was time to change my way of fighting.
I watched a few other warriors' matches just in case, but what particularly stood out was the combat style of the Orc Barbarian I had just seen.
"Hey, could you perhaps be my sparring partner?"
"...Are you, a mere human, asking that? What can you do with that scrawny body?"
After much thought, I followed that orc, bought the most expensive-looking bottle of alcohol from a shop, and spoke to him.
Of course, I had considered the possibility of being rejected like this. Even though I have a fairly muscular body, by orc standards, I would look pathetically weak.
"If you're not convinced, why not fight me first and then talk?"
So I chose a method of provoking the opponent by touching the pride that no man could refuse—the so-called "chicken?" taunt.