Chapter 6 The Price of Betrayal 2
Chapter 6: {The Price of Betrayal} 2
{The Price of Betrayal}
"Scarlet. Mine. Yenia."
He looked at the other women with a pained expression.
But Iris wasn't the only one watching—wasn't the only one drowning in betrayal.
"Shut up."
The mage Scarlet glared at Yu Ji-hu with venomous eyes, magic crackling at her fingertips.
"I trusted you... I really did..."
Saintess Mine stared at him with bitter resentment.
"I thought I'd spend my whole life with you!"
The elf Yenia nocked an arrow, her spirits swirling around her in attack formation as she looked at him with utter contempt.
Iris bit her lip.
Their words echoed her own heart.
I really trusted you... I thought I could spend my whole life with you.
And perhaps because of those thoughts—
She barely registered Ji-hu hurriedly pulling the sword she had impaled him with, suppressing his pain.
"What the hell are you all—"
Scarlet's magic struck him mid-sentence.
Even as he raised a desperate defense, the blast seared his body, leaving him scorched and gasping.
Then Mine's holy energy—meant for healing, not harm—slammed into him like a hammer, forcing blood from his lips.
Yenia's arrows and spirits rained down, tearing fresh wounds into his already battered body.
Iris watched as Ji-hu—already wounded by her blade—collapsed to the ground, broken.
"Haah... haah..."
Seeing him like this still made her chest ache.
But she pushed the feeling aside and glared at him with hatred.
She wanted to drown him in her resentment, her betrayal—but the sight of his ruined form only made the pain worse.
She knew, even if she killed him now, she'd never forget him.
Why did you make that choice?
Was reuniting with your sister back home that important?
Important enough to abandon us all—to doom this world?
Couldn't you have just... stayed with us?
She wanted to ask, but the words died in her throat. Voicing them would only make the regret worse.
"...Hk."
Tears spilled from her eyes as she stared at him, betrayal burning in her chest.
She couldn't speak, but the grief and fury inside her were unbearable.
"I'll end this now. Ji-hu... I really loved you. That's why I can't forgive you."
Iris raised her sword—ready to take his life with her own hands.
Because she had loved him, she couldn't forgive him.
But just as her blade descended—
An invisible barrier stopped it cold.
"Wha—?!"
[Ding~! That's far enough.]
A translucent figure materialized—a stunning platinum-haired beauty.
The Demon King, Reisir.
Iris froze.
The Demon King was supposed to be dead.
The shock wasn't hers alone—Scarlet, Mine, and Yenia all stared in stunned silence.
[Pathetic. How does it feel, Hero? To be betrayed by the women you trusted... to die by their hands?]
"...What did you do?" Ji-hu rasped.
Mine whispered, voice trembling.
"What... What does that mean? That sounds like—like we betrayed him...?"
Iris' heart plummeted.
No...
A terrible suspicion rose in her mind—one she had desperately hoped wasn't true.
That the oracle had been false.
But she had buried that thought, convinced herself the prophecy couldn't be wrong. The battle had unfolded exactly as foretold—so she had believed it.
But what if it was a lie?
What if only the last part had been fabricated?
Reisir, hearing Mine's words, burst into laughter.
[Ahahaha! You're all so stupid. The Empire too. You actually believed that vision? That after I was defeated, the Hero would sacrifice this world to return to his own? That he'd use my heart to do it?]
Iris felt like she'd been struck.
No—that wasn't enough to describe the shock.
He didn't betray us?
Then he hadn't betrayed them.
Relief came first—of course the man she loved wouldn't do such a thing.
But then came the despair.
What... have I done?
She hadn't trusted him. She had stabbed him. She had raised her sword to finish him off.
If Reisir hadn't stopped her, her blade would have killed him.
No... No, no, no—
This couldn't be real.
This shouldn't be real.
But there was no one to blame but herself.
Ah...
Her hands shook.
She had stabbed him.
She had tried to kill him.
She had hated him—misjudged him—betrayed him—
Without ever letting him explain.
"W-What are you saying? Then... you mean...?"
Scarlet's voice trembled.
She, too, was realizing the magnitude of what they'd done.
[Exactly! The 'oracle' was my doing! Ahahaha! I orchestrated this whole thing!]
Yenia's voice shook.
"T-Then...?"
[Bingo! You—no, the entire Empire—fell for my trick! You betrayed your own Hero and left him to die!]
Mine screamed.
"N-NOOOOOOO!"
She desperately summoned her holy power, trying to heal Ji-hu—but it couldn't reach him.
Reisir's barrier blocked even healing.
[Tsk tsk. Trying to kill him, then save him? Make up your minds. So, Hero—how does it feel? Don't you hate them? I'll give you my power. Wipe out the Empire. Slaughter every last one of them. If you agree, I'll restore you right now—and send you back to Earth with the Demon King's power intact.]
Iris wanted to scream at him—Don't listen!
But her mind was blank.
And what right did she have to say that?
[Aren't you angry? Sure, I faked the oracle—but the Empire and these bitches chose to believe it over you. Don't you want revenge? I'll help you. Oh, and don't worry—I'm already dead. Once I give you my power, I'll vanish. So? What do you say?]
Finally, Ji-hu spoke.
"I'm going back to Earth. The location is—"
[Huh?]
Then—he vanished.
[NOOOOOOOOOO!]
Reisir's scream of frustration echoed.
She hadn't anticipated this.
Her plan to make him the next Demon King had been flawless—but unfortunately for her, Yu Ji-hu was far kinder than she had imagined.
Instead of revenge, he chose only to go home.
Without punishing those who had betrayed him.
[DAMN YOUUUUUUUU!!!]
With a final howl, Reisir disappeared.
Her scheme—even at the cost of her own life—had failed.
In the silence left behind, Iris dropped her sword and collapsed to her knees.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
She clutched her head and screamed.
Her mind was blank.
No—she refused to think.
She couldn't accept it.
That she had doubted him.
That she had stabbed him.
Why didn't I trust him?
Why didn't I question the oracle?
"W-What have we done...? Hah... No... This can't be real..."
Mine's dazed muttering spoke for them all.
This couldn't be real.
This shouldn't be real.
But it was.
And they had done it to themselves.
Ah... Ji-hu...
Had returning to Earth always been that simple?
Had he never needed the Demon King's heart at all?
[How do I go back to Earth? Just defeat the Demon King. After that, I can return whenever I want.]
No—his words had been true.
All he had to do was defeat the Demon King.
Nothing else.
I should have trusted him.
Regret crashed over her—but it was too late.
As the crushing weight of guilt settled in, Iris felt the phantom sensation of her blade piercing his flesh all over again.