Karma of Obsession (5)
When Ian left her behind, Yuria suddenly felt an overwhelming emptiness.
In truth, it didn't bother her that much. She just wanted to throw a little tantrum at him.
I've worked so hard—reward me. Love me even a tiny bit more than the other heroes. Never glance at them again, depend only on me, Ian.
Everyone else abandoned you, but I stayed. So rely on me more. Someday, make yourself unable to live without me. A person who can't endure without me.
She harbored such desires.
Having personally experienced Ian growing distant, surrounded by other outstanding heroes, spending time with them instead of her—it had left a massive scar on Yuria's heart.
That's why she craved his reliance, his worry for her. She just wanted a little more attention.
But the words from his mouth were the complete opposite of what she desired.
"...You can rest now."
Farewell. The period at the end of their story together.
Realizing that it was time to put it there, her legs gave out without warning, and she collapsed to the floor with a thud.
That's not it. If you leave again... no. I have to say it...
She couldn't get the words out.
Maybe she feared even this was just her being spoiled, a nuisance to him.
"...Hic, sob..."
A sob burst out before words could form.
Her chest felt like it was ripping apart. An immense pain assaulted her mind, as if a gaping hole had torn through her heart.
It was the sensation of her entire body shredding into a thousand, ten thousand pieces.
"No, please. I... I want to work more. I'll do anything. I can stay here for decades longer, so please..."
Now she was clutching at his pant leg like a desperate beggar.
Her pounding heart thrummed in her ears, drowning out everything.
I have to hold on...
One second, two, three, ten, thirty seconds—the slowest time she'd ever felt, even compared to the decades she'd waited.
As the silence stretched, the anxiety buried deep in her heart swelled larger and larger.
Hot tears fell endlessly to the floor.
Emotions she'd thought dried up after slaughtering hundreds of humans now proved alive, churning wildly in her mind.
Her trembling, limp hands clenched her clothes tightly.
She knew exactly why Ian was abandoning her.
It was all because she'd worn him out. Because other heroes were better.
That's why it terrified her even more—the fear that he'd leave to find someone superior.
That she'd be discarded like this, forgotten by him. She was terrified.
She wanted to beg, to stay with him no matter what.
And if he started calling out another hero's name? The thought made fresh tears surge unbidden.
"..."
But no answer came. Her heart ached like a dagger's stab.
It hurt. Like her heart had stopped.
Her breath caught in hitches at the end, her vision blurring.
In the end, she hated it.
Hated him going off to save someone new—not her.
All because of her own shortcomings.
Just imagining him embracing another woman made her heart scream in agony, alarms blaring in her head.
Absolutely not.
To survive going forward, she needed him. Indispensably.
For a moment, Yuria longed to throw herself into his arms and sob, but she held back.
She wanted to say it clearly: that she wanted to be with him, that she wanted him to ignore the other heroes and look only at her.
But what if those words made him hate her? What if he was disappointed in her?
Even imagining it sent chills racing across her skin in terror.
Then, as his lips parted—
??? Intruders have invaded your territory.
Scale: 500 (Elite)
Danger Level: A
"...I'll be back."
Ian left those words and headed toward the warehouse.
He clearly planned to go alone.
Those fools couldn't possibly match him, but... what if.
In this world, you always had to consider the what-ifs.
Precisely because—
"...I can still do it."
Yuria reread the message, then immediately drew her dagger.
This was God's final gift: a chance to prove her worth.
She sprang to her feet, checking her gear.
Her reddened eyes still glistened with moisture, but she wiped it away with a handkerchief.
Yuria—the maid who had lived for him.
The servant who dared harbor romantic feelings for her master.
"..."
She had no intention of letting him go. Not even a flicker.
To avoid that, she had to seize this last chance, prove it no matter the means.
Her worth.
That she wouldn't be discarded by him.
That she was still useful.
More useful than any other hero.
That she had the right and value to bear his child.
All of it.
With eyes sunken deep in resolve, the killer gripped her dagger tight.
///
The first sight that greeted her was a spine-chilling village scene.
Refugees squatting in Master's territory without permission? Utterly repulsive.
These lowly humans, living amid the traces created by the exalted ones, without even asking leave.
Of course, she planned to drive them out.
But she wouldn't have chosen outright massacre.
No—even if she did, it would be decided by the exalted guild members or herself.
Uncouth knights had no right to kill at will.
It was a challenge to the sacred sanctuary, an insult to him, and a direct affront to her.
They deserved fitting punishment.
With that thought, she drew her dagger to bisect the knight wielding his mace—
-"That girl's human. Do we really need to kill her?"
-"...Who the hell are you?"
The masked Ian grabbed the knight's shoulder.
His appearance was exactly as she'd longed for.
-"I said the little girl is human. Got a problem?"
-"...What kind of lunatic are you?"
Yuria watched silently, still clinging to her reason.
Until the moment that worm of a knight spat phlegm on Ian's shoulder.
"...!"
She barely suppressed the surging killing intent.
She couldn't show an unseemly sight in front of him.
Proving her usefulness wasn't about slaughtering everything in sight.
Yet the knight, oblivious to the colossal presence flickering briefly behind Ian, grew even more arrogant, threatening him.
-"You with these rats too? Empire law says sheltering vermin gets you killed. You know that, right?"
-"I just stated a fact."
-"That thing human? I see a horn sprouting from her head. You blind or what?"
Crack. Without thinking, she punched a massive hole in the hut wall.
The terrified girl cowering in the wardrobe had been staring at Yuria, tears streaming, for who knows how long.
But she wasn't worth a glance.
All that filled her vision now was Ian.
-"...Is that the law here?"
-"What're you on about?"
-"I'm asking if the law lets you massacre a whole family and walk away proud."
-"Kuh, kuhahaha! Hilarious bastard. These things only bring harm to humans. We're doing the survivors a favor by killing 'em ourselves. But no, they bitch and moan, pissing everyone off. Try spouting that crap in front of families who've lost people to monsters—ripped apart or raped to death. See if they nod along."
-"..."
"Retract that statement now, and I'll spare your life. You look human, after all. But as payback for those words, you kill the girl yourself."
The knight smugly thrust his pathetic mace forward, kicking the woman's corpse for emphasis—a scene that nearly shattered Yuria's reason.
Her fist clenched so hard that blood dripped plip, plip onto the wooden floor.
In her camouflaged stealth, it must look like blood falling from thin air.
Oblivious that he'd nearly been sliced into 1,080 pieces moments ago, the knight continued threatening Ian.
"Alright, smash that monster bitch's skull with the shards from this wench's hand in 10 seconds. 10, 9—"
The countdown ticked down toward zero, pushing Yuria's patience to the brink.
Unable to endure, she nearly split his skull—then regained control midway, merely cleaving his helmet in two.
The startled knight naturally assumed it was Ian's doing and swung his mace wildly.
The moment Ian caught it barehanded, Yuria's shock turned to gritted fury.
No harm would come to Ian's body.
But it had dirtied his hand.
Instead...
She couldn't block it.
Yuria dropped her stealth.