Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Vespa (2)
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◆
“Mr. Carlyle.”
Beneath her ragged breathing, Vespa barely managed to force out the words.
She was calling out to him, yet she stared off into empty space, as if she couldn’t even recognize Carlyle right in front of her.
It was no wonder. A noble-class demon had completely severed her upper body from her lower half.
Every organ in her body had long since ceased functioning.
The only reason she was still clinging to life was the immense mana she had amassed as an archmage.
She was burning through her entire body, using her mana to barely postpone her fated death.
Replacing the activity of every single cell with mana, defying even the absolute laws of nature.
⋯⋯Carlyle knew the reason for this miracle.
“What about the Lady?”
She simply wanted to see someone, even if just for a moment.
“Where... is she...? I want to see her... one last time—”
Carlyle bowed his head deeply.
His breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth.
“⋯⋯She’s on her way here. She’s rushing over as fast as she can.”
A lie.
Gray had coldly refused, saying that protecting “useless trash like you” wasn’t worth it when there were more important things to do, and charged off to fight.
And those “useless trash” included Vespa here, in this horrific state.
The one person who had unconditionally stood by her side her entire life.
“Are you... hurt too, Mr. Carlyle...?”
Vespa reached out and brushed Carlyle’s cheek.
She was stroking the face of Carlyle, who was covered in blood and grime.
-This woman.
Even in this state, she was worrying about someone else.
“⋯⋯There was a fight on the way here.”
No, that wasn’t it.
It was because Carlyle had grabbed Gray’s legs and begged her, insisting that without her support, Vespa and the civilians in this sector were doomed to annihilation.
Gray had kicked him away with her boot and leaped straight into the battlefield. This was the result of her actions.
Gray had said protecting people was someone else’s job—she had a demon leader to fight.
On a grand scale, it wasn’t a wrong judgment. The more demons the Hero killed, the closer they came to victory. That was the Hero’s very purpose.
-But it would mean Vespa here would definitely die.
No matter how “right” it was, there were things that simply couldn’t be done.
There were things no human should turn their back on.
Especially not her. Gray Chasefield, who was human before she was the Hero.
Vespa couldn’t be abandoned. That was basic humanity.
That’s why he had tried to stop her.
And this was the result of his failure.
“⋯⋯Is that... so⋯⋯”
“Yes. Just hold on a little longer, Vespa. A priest is coming with her.”
“I held on... because I wanted... to see the Lady... one last time⋯⋯”
Her ragged voice grew fainter.
“I think... I’ve reached... my limit—”
From the eyes of the archmage who had been one pillar of humanity’s strongest, the faint spark of life finally flickered out.
“Mr. Carlyle.”
“-Yes.”
“Was it... worth it... for me to serve the Lady...?”
“-”
“Will the Lady... remember me...?”
Carlyle gritted his teeth. He clenched so hard that blood burst from his gums, trickling down from the corners of his mouth.
He swallowed his expression. Swallowed his emotions.
Here, what needed to be said was decided.
“Yes.”
He smiled brightly as he spoke.
“To Gray Chasefield, you were an irreplaceable person.”
A white lie.
“She will definitely remember you.”
He didn’t deny her life.
He turned away from the truth.
A faint smile crossed Vespa’s face.
“Please... take good care of the Lady.”
As if that was enough.
“She gets so lonely... She’ll definitely need... a friend—”
Those were the last words she left behind.
“Please stay by her side... no matter what, Mr. Carlyle—”
They still lingered vividly in his memory.
◆
“⋯⋯Mr. Ryle? Mr. Carlyle?”
The hellish scene clinging to the back of his eyelids vanished in an instant.
Carlyle snapped back to his senses and looked ahead.
“Uh, y-you look tired?”
In front of him, Gray’s personal attendant Vespa was fidgeting nervously, gauging his reaction.
Probably because Carlyle had been staring blankly at her without saying a word.
“-No, it’s nothing.”
When he chuckled and replied, a visibly relieved expression appeared on her face.
“I call you over and you just zone out like that—what was that about! So rude!”
“Sorry.”
“⋯⋯No, but you don’t have to apologize so seriously... now I feel bad⋯⋯”
She started fidgeting again.
Even after receiving a proper apology, she acted as if she were the one at fault.
[⋯⋯.]
And watching her, the Holy Sword was unusually quiet.
It was probably crushed by guilt.
Ever since this human had begun to recognize her own humanity, her greatest regret had been what happened with Vespa.
“A-anyway! Let’s hurry! You said you had to tour the classes, right!”
“But are you really okay with this? I asked you out of the blue last night.”
It was just last night that he’d asked her to join him as a “partner” for touring classes with Elena on their first day.
She surely had her own schedule and was busy, yet she’d agreed so readily.
“⋯⋯.”
Come to think of it, didn’t she have a somewhat low opinion of Carlyle personally, saying he’d stolen Gray away from her?
And yet this reaction.
How had someone with this personality managed to survive in society? Being kind, gentle, and timid had its limits.
‘Good thing she has archmage talent. Without it, she’d have been in real trouble.’
[⋯⋯If you mess around with Vespa, I’ll kill you myself.]
‘You will?’
He chuckled inwardly and started walking.
[But why bother touring classes together?]
‘To gauge her talent level first.’
Thanks to the regression point being moved way ahead, it was unknown how much aptitude Vespa had at this point in time.
Cradle’s basic classes should handle that kind of assessment well enough.
‘Normally, she’d just awakened her talent around when they met⋯⋯’
After the Hell invasion, she’d realized her aptitude as a mage and devoted herself to training for about three years.
⋯⋯And in that time, she’d become an “arch”mage. A title bestowed only on the continent’s top mages.
There was no explaining it except as genius.
‘Given her potential, she’s probably not average now either, but we still need to test it.’
Once her talent level was assessed, he planned to guide her path immediately.
Conveniently, among the four Hero skills he could copy now, they were all magic-related, so he could teach her through those.
As he was thinking that.
“⋯⋯Hm?”
He ran into Gray coming down the opposite hallway.
Spotting Carlyle and Vespa, she strode over and planted herself in front of them.
“Classes?”
“Yes, Lady.”
“Yes, Lady!”
Carlyle and Vespa answered simultaneously.
⋯⋯Gray’s gaze was fixed solely on Carlyle.
“Pick up my gear after class. It broke after barely using it a few times.”
“Sh-should I do it, Lady?”
“⋯⋯.”
Gray’s gaze flicked to Vespa, who had spoken, then back to Carlyle.
“And get some new bath salts. The ones you got last time sucked.”
“Th-that, I can prepare new ones—”
“⋯⋯.”
Her gaze flicked to Vespa again, then to Carlyle.
“Oh, and tomorrow’s meals—”
Back to Carlyle.
“Contact my father—”
⋯⋯Carlyle again.
Vespa, her fellow attendant standing right there, was treated like she was invisible.
The longer this went on, the more Vespa’s shoulders slumped.
You could practically see her burning up inside. She wanted to help the Lady too, but got zero attention.
“-Anyway, I’m off. Report back when it’s all done.”
That burning frustration must have been why she did it.
“L-Lady! Is there anything I can help with—?”
There was no other explanation for placing a hand on Gray’s shoulder as she turned to walk away.
The next instant.
The Holy Sword flashed out like lightning, its blade pressing against Vespa’s nape.
It stopped just short of severing her neck, purely thanks to Gray’s superhuman reflexes.
“⋯⋯.”
Bright red blood trickled from where the sword tip had pierced Vespa’s skin.
Vespa, who hadn’t even realized what happened, went pale and collapsed in place. Her legs had given out.
“⋯⋯.”
For a moment, Gray’s eyes wavered too. It hadn’t been intentional—just instinct.
Words hovered at her lips for a bit.
She probably knew what to say in a situation like this.
But.
“⋯⋯Don’t touch my body. Know your place.”
As always, the worst possible words came out.
Carlyle gave a wry smile as he watched.
‘People don’t change overnight.’
If it had been Carlyle in her position right now, she probably would have apologized.
But her way of treating anyone else was still a long way from changing.
[⋯⋯.]
While the Holy Sword stayed silent, Gray whipped around and walked off.
Carlyle, who had been watching wordlessly, finally turned to Vespa.
“Are you okay? That was too much from the Lady just now.”
“The Lady probably didn’t mean to.”
That was Vespa’s immediate response.
⋯⋯Even though she was the one who’d been brutalized.
She was making excuses to Carlyle, asking him not to think badly of Gray.
“It was my fault. I know how much the Lady hates being touched—”
Moisture mixed into her voice.
Soon, she buried her face in her knees and sobbed.
“-I just need to do better... to be of help to the Lady—”
“⋯⋯.”
A scene he’d witnessed countless times before regression.
“If I try harder... she’ll definitely notice—”
No.
Carlyle knew the outcome.
It wouldn’t reach her.
No matter how hard Vespa tried.
No matter how much unconditional love she gave Gray.
The Hero’s gaze would never turn to her.
Her razor-sharp arrogance trampled even the most basic human virtues.
That future was set.
[⋯⋯-!]
He could feel Gray gritting her teeth inside the Holy Sword.
Reliving the mistakes of her past self must be pure torment.
But.
‘It’s okay.’
He soothed her.
[⋯⋯You.]
‘I told you. I won’t let it happen again.’
Not this time.
No way he’d let himself witness that hellish scene again. Let her die.
⋯⋯Let people suffer.
Not until dirt was shoveled into his eyes.
He’d said it before. This time was different.
That was why he hadn’t stopped Gray’s reckless behavior just now.
He knew exactly how to change it.
“⋯⋯Ms. Vespa.”
Carlyle approached the sniffling Vespa and knelt in front of her.
“Don’t cry.”
“⋯⋯Sniff, sob⋯⋯ Y-yes⋯⋯ I must look pathetic⋯⋯”
“No. From now on, I’m going to make you incredibly happy.”
“⋯⋯?”
Vespa’s teary eyes widened round.
“Let’s make it so the Lady can’t live without you.”
“⋯⋯.”
“How about we spice things up with the Lady a bit?”
⋯⋯Vespa stopped crying.
The line was just too absurd.
[Care to explain what nonsense that was?]
‘⋯⋯Does that sound that weird?’
[⋯⋯.]