Chapter 75
Chapter 75 - What a Big Fish
While grinding my teeth inside, I asked Jena.
The atmosphere was flowing almost like Zenon's hearing.
"What time does Zenon usually come home?"
"... He'd be home by midnight at the latest. He should have been home by now."
"But today?"
"Today... he said he has something important to do at dawn, so he'll be late. He told me to go to sleep first since he'll be back tomorrow morning..."
"Don't you know where he went or what he's doing?"
"No... I'm sorry."
Of all days, today. Important business at dawn.
At this point, it's almost certain. It would be stranger if there wasn't a connection.
I immediately took out a pen, paper, and the dead person's box and started scribbling.
[The pursuer's name is Zenon. Lives in the 8th shack of Slum District 3, Alley 3.]
[He is related to your death. Find him without fail.]
Done. Finally, the threads are starting to unravel.
I showed a satisfied smile.
'But... this is as far as I go for now.'
I took out the Saint's Crest from my pocket.
The Saint’s Crest emits a dazzling light. However, it was notably dimmer than at midnight.
If I can notice this with my own eyes... It means quite some time has passed since midnight.
"I should get going now. Thanks, Jena."
"Ah, yes. Me too...!"
"Take your time finishing the food before heading back. Be careful."
I stood up and hurriedly prepared to leave.
Jena quickly looked up and tried to stand with me, but I stopped her. It was my own way of being considerate.
Instead, I found myself asking her unconsciously.
"What if..."
"Yes?"
"If your brother suddenly disappeared today... what would you do?"
"W-why would you say something like that..."
At first, Jena stared at me intently.
Realizing I was asking quite seriously, she started to think seriously.
Then she shuddered as if she didn't even want to imagine it.
"I... if that happened... I wouldn't... have the will to live in this world anymore..."
This time I stared at her intently.
Realizing those words were nothing but the truth, I turned around and walked away without saying anything.
With an "Ah," Jena raised her voice.
"Th-thank you for the food, brother."
"Thank you for calling me brother too."
"... Ahaha."
I threw in a joke and left the place.
My mouth feels unusually bitter. I frowned while twirling the flickering emblem with my finger.
'... Shouldn't have asked that.'
If Zenon is related to my death, I will most likely fight him.
Depending on the situation, I might kill him. The memory of stabbing the Kern Performance assassin suddenly comes to mind.
It was a question that brought nothing but loss in many ways.
Deeply regretting it to my bones, I practically ran back to the inn.
* * *
"Keep your eyes wide open. Not sleepy yet?"
"How many times are you going to ask that... I told you I'm not sleepy."
Lucy and I were sitting on my bed, waiting.
"Looks like your eyes are closing?"
"I told you they're not."
If you're wondering what we're waiting for, we're waiting for my death.
More precisely, we were waiting for the cause of my death to approach.
"Hey. Are you sleeping?"
"Who's... sleeping..."
But the Immortal Demon King Lucy, this punk has been nodding off beside me since earlier.
Seems like she still hasn't come to her senses even after experiencing the 33rd today.
So I keep talking to her whenever I think the cooldown is finished.
"Immortal Demon King, you need to report for duty."
"Agyak!"
When I whispered in her ear, Lucy suddenly straightened her back. As she was having a fit and rubbing her ears,
Puk, Peok. Her face slightly reddening, she started hitting my face repeatedly.
"D-don't do creepy things! Somehow the way you said it was really unpleasant too!!"
"If you don't want to hear it, then don't doze off."
To both relieve my irritation and wake her up, I pulled her cheek once.
Hmm. As I always think, these cheeks are really addictive. How can they be so elastic and squishy? Are all Demon Kings like this?
"Ah, aaah! S-sorry! I won't sleep! Stop pulling!"
"Good. Don't doze off anymore."
"Ugh... it hurts...."
I watched Lucy who was shedding slight tears, then sighed and lay down on the bed.
As I lay there staring at the ceiling, various thoughts came rushing in.
Among them, the first thought that hits me is....
'... I'm powerless.'
An overwhelming sense of helplessness.
I've certainly become stronger. I've become so strong that not only ordinary heroes but even Demon Kings can't touch me.
But look at my current state. Unable to do anything, quietly sucking my thumb while waiting for my death.
I can't do anything. That's what's frustrating. It's draining.
And, it makes me incredibly angry.
"I'll destroy them all."
I muttered to myself like a second-year middle school student.
This mysterious death that puts me in this state. The mysterious group that creates it. Or the fate of my death itself. Doesn't matter what it is.
If the cause of my death is a person, I'll dismember them. If it's some organization, I'll make them disintegrate.
If the entire world wishes for my death, I'll destroy this world.
―Are you on the side of the Ashin? Or on the side of the Demon Kings?
Suddenly I remember the question old man Hick asked me earlier. I unconsciously looked at the Demon King who was dozing off again.
Am I on the side of the Shithair, or on Lucy's side? Obviously, I'm on neither side.
I prefer the winning side. So I'm not on anyone's side, I'm on my own side.
Because I won't die. Because I'm definitely on the winning side.
I'll win this time too. No matter who the opponent is.
'That's enough self-pity.'
I suddenly raised my upper body and reached out to Lucy.
Stretch. I pulled Lucy's cheeks with all my might while speaking with a sigh.
"It's only been 5 minutes since you said you wouldn't sleep. Have some conscience, you fool."
"... Uung...."
But no matter how much I pulled, the Demon King had no intention of getting up.
I raised my eyebrow and pulled the other side too. I stretched it out and spun it around. I mashed up her face. I turned it up, down, left and right like driving.
"Mmnya... heh, stupid hero... hehe."
However.
Lucy slept soundly while cursing at me even in her dreams.
Suddenly, I felt a chill run through my whole body.
"No way."
My whole body froze. My hands lost strength and I let go of her cheeks.
Plop. Lucy fell face-first onto the bed like a puppet with cut strings.
She's sleeping. Lucy had been put to sleep by someone in the meantime.
'... How?'
But how could that be possible? It shouldn't be possible.
I kept her by my side partly for surveillance. Naturally, I thought there would need to be some kind of contact with her to forcibly put her to sleep.
'If not that... right. A curse. Magic.'
Is there magic that can forcibly put someone to sleep from a distance? It wouldn't be strange if there was.
But using it on Lucy right now is impossible. The authority on magic, Margrave Halcenberg, once told me.
―The so-called debuff. In other words, curse-type magic's greatest advantage is its versatility. But it has a fatal flaw.
The flaw he mentioned was that the target must be within the caster's sight.
If not that, they must have at least made contact once to know the target's bio-magical information.
'Contact... contact?'
And then I finally realized.
I muttered without thinking.
"Right. Contact."
The only person besides us who had contact with Lucy today.
The meaning of that seemingly meaningless shoulder bump.
I finally understood its significance.
"That bastard...!"
Just wait until I meet him again.
I'll tear his limbs apart like Lego... in my next life!
As I was grinding my teeth and seething with curses.
Flash, I felt the outside suddenly brighten.
I unconsciously looked out the window. And my eyes widened.
"What... is that...."
At that moment. I don't know why I did it.
Perhaps the experiences repeated 33 times were engraved in my body, not my brain.
I picked up the Demon King and ran straight to Seolbaek's room.
"Seolbaeeeek!!!"
This time it was truly a buzzer beater.
Right after Seolbaek attached Aran to the Demon King, a white explosion engulfed us.
* * *
[The immortal return point has been updated.]
[Time - Continental Calendar 1108, January 12th, 11:30 AM]
[Location - Marktress. Upper region of the Plain of Promise, residential district of small city Kern]
"Wait! Stop right there!!"
Only after the panel appeared belatedly did I chase after the red-haired vagrant with wide eyes.
The vagrant briefly glanced in my direction before entering a dark alley.
I clicked my tongue and was about to follow right after him. However.
[Name: Box of the Dead]
[Notice: Item Update - Items stored in the Box of the Dead from previous life have been updated.]
That panel blocked my view so I couldn't follow.
I swallowed for a moment. As if possessed, I reached for the Box of the Dead.
Pop. I opened the Box of the Dead and stared at its contents.
[The person who just bumped into you is Cessna.]
"What the hell is this?!!"
Such a note was inside.
A shock like being struck by lightning ran through me. Though I clearly saw the red hair color, I didn't even have time to think deeply about it.
I acted immediately.
'Eye of Mimir!!'
Just before the vagrant in rags disappeared at the end of the alley. I activated the skill while glaring at him.
Swoosh. The panel occupied my field of vision. I hurriedly turned my attention there.
[Name: Zenon]
[Title: 163400157th Official Hero. Sixth Son of Galan Forest. Supreme One]
[LV. 137]
[HP: 1010/1010 MP: 770/770 Physical Status: Normal]
[Strength: 129 Agility: 144 Intelligence: 101 Hero Sense: 11]
"... Even I'm being fooled now, damn..."
Thoroughly disappointed, I hurled a barrage of curses at my past self.