As Expected, We Are the Best Companions
The illusions relentlessly showed Rin his past.
Regardless, Rin paid them no mind and pressed forward.
"I'll definitely come back here. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll return. Dammit, I... I want you to wait for me."
Annoyingly, the illusions were reenacting the pivotal moments of his life.
They were days gone by, barely worth mentioning.
Those times—which had once left him despondent and wandering in a maze of loss—offered absolutely no help in the present.
After all, who would let themselves be swayed by the past when they were barely dragging their battered body forward?
Lucy, who was in relatively better shape, stared wide-eyed, completely captivated by the illusions. Perhaps because of that, she remained quiet.
"How bleak," Rin muttered.
His thoughts were brief.
Though his gaze remained fixed on the path ahead, the backdrops of the illusions flashing past were uniformly gray, burning, or drenched in rain.
Looking back at it all in one place, it really hadn't been an easy life.
Moreover, the array of illusions felt uncomfortably like a dying man's panorama, which Rin did not appreciate.
"Hah."
Finally, he reached the end of the path.
His tedious march was over.
At the very end of the road floated a glass bottle, radiating a brilliant, multi-colored glow that practically screamed luxury.
"Found it."
The panacea known as the Elixir was not a simple red potion like the ones commonly seen in other games.
It was a swirling, multi-colored liquid with a texture resembling paint.
Finding it was surprisingly easy, Rin thought.
He dragged his feet as he approached.
At some point, one of his legs had gone numb, making it impossible to walk properly.
Wondering if this would leave permanent damage, he reached out and took the Elixir from the air.
Its radiance did not fade, but it did not harm him either.
"...Damn it."
He sensed a presence.
It was a heavy, rapid footstep.
With every passing second, the presence drew closer at an unbelievable speed.
The details of the game's plot had shifted yet again.
Without wasting a moment, Rin unfastened the carrier and set Lucy down on the ground.
Pop!
As he pulled the stopper, a fresh, invigorating fragrance wafted from the bottle.
It was truly a panacea blessed by the Goddess.
But there was no time to admire it.
He quickly pried Lucy's mouth open and poured the Elixir inside.
"Mmph! Mgh...!"
Though she resisted slightly, Lucy instinctively swallowed the liquid without much trouble.
Since the quantity was small, he managed to make her drink every drop without spilling any around her mouth.
However, the moment she drank it, Lucy screamed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH—!!!"
"Ugh, Lucy...!"
He tried to hold her tight as she thrashed wildly, but—
"What was that just now?"
The presence—no, the Succubus—had already arrived right behind his back.
Isn't this a scam? Rin thought. This is the Goddess's Sanctuary. How can a mere demon enter without any restrictions?
"Answer me, human!"
Fortunately or unfortunately, Lucy was paralyzed, her eyes rolled back and her back arched sharply.
Steam rose from her trembling body. Because of her previous thrashing, her clothes had come undone, exposing her voluptuous breasts, but Rin had no time to appreciate the sight.
This is weird. In the game, after drinking the Elixir, the screen briefly fades to black, and Lucy's limbs are automatically restored.
Then, you take the recovered Lucy out of the Sanctuary, fight the waiting Succubus, and easily crush her to end Chapter 1.
Nothing was going as planned or expected.
Why did things have to be so strangely realistic at times like this?
A hollow laugh escaped Rin's lips.
"You're laughing?" the Succubus hissed.
"Wouldn't you? Nothing in life ever goes the way you want it to."
"I won't fall for a cheap attempt to buy time. I'll slice that bitch's throat first."
"I'm the one with intact limbs, you know?"
"A weakling like you can be dealt with at any time. The problem is that one, who managed to land a blow on me..."
"Well, that's just harsh."
"How dare you interrupt me?!"
The Succubus's eyes flared with rage.
She looked down on Rin so much that even as he reached into his Luggage Carrier's Bag, she kept her eyes fixed solely on Lucy.
"No matter how weak I am..."
He pulled out a scroll.
"I can still drag a demon of your caliber down to hell with me!"
Rin tore the scroll, swinging his arm in a wide arc like a sword, as if slicing the ground itself.
Severance: Spatial Isolation
True to the skill's name, a rift tore open between Lucy and Rin, isolating the space containing the Hero from the luggage carrier and the Succubus.
Because it was an ultimate skill, the Succubus stared blankly across the divided space.
"Just a little more and Chapter 1 is cleared."
With success right before his eyes, Rin's blood boiled. It was the first time he, usually so calm, had ever felt this excited.
"I'll face you with everything I've got!"
Pulling out another prepared scroll, Rin charged at the Succubus.
"Secret Art: Full Focus Unlea—"
"Too slow."
Slash!
His abdomen was cleanly sliced open by the demon's claws.
Outmatched.
The idiom flashed through Rin's mind.
What was the point of having multiple ultimate skills if he didn't even have the chance to use them?
"How boring~"
Slash!
"Cough!"
Claws raked across his body once more.
Blood sprayed, drenching the Succubus. The demon licked the blood splattered on her face and sneered at Rin.
"I'll praise your courage. You've got more backbone than most men."
Slash!
"Argh...!"
"If you weren't so stubborn, I would have given you the ultimate pleasure while draining you dry. What a waste."
The Succubus grabbed Rin by the throat and slashed him repeatedly.
In an instant, Rin was drenched in blood, reduced to a tattered mess.
In the end, Lucy was right.
No matter how hard a talentless person tried, their limits were clear.
"At this rate, you won't even have the strength to get it up, so I won't even be able to enjoy myself."
He didn't want to end like this.
He had thought his end would at least be cool—dying while acting as a shield.
"Now, answer my questions obediently, and I'll end this painlessly."
He had simply hoped for that much.
He thought that if he died like that, someone—even the Hero's party—might remember him.
"What on earth is that bitch?"
But reality was harsh; he couldn't even handle a low-ranking demon like a Succubus.
Slash!
"Not going to answer?!"
Even so...
"Since coming to this world... there's one thing I found most fascinating..."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Here, when you drink a potion... the effects manifest immediately... It passes through the stomach in an instant... and circulates through the blood..."
"Have you gone mad from blood loss?"
"No... this is important, so listen closely..."
"Ha! I told you, don't try to buy time—"
"I... drank holy water earlier."
"What?!"
I told you I could drag you down with me.
Sssssssss!
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The holy water in Rin's blood unleashed its power.
Drenched in his blood from her sadistic torture, the Succubus's body began to burn and melt.
"You filthy rat!"
Move.
Let's land one more blow.
The holy water slowed the Succubus down.
Grabbing the arm of the demon trying to fling him away, he smashed his last remaining bottle of holy water directly into her face.
Crash!
Whoosh!
"ARRRRGGGGHHH—!!!"
She burst into flames.
The divine flames did not harm Rin, a human, but the Succubus, engulfed in fire, rolled on the ground, screaming in agony.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
It's cold.
Leaving the burning Succubus behind, Rin leaned his back against the wall and gathered his tattered clothes.
Hummmm.
As the effect of the spatial isolation wore off, the space containing Lucy began to reconnect.
Skills cast from scrolls had a set duration—both a blessing and a curse.
"You bastard—!!!"
The Succubus shrieked, her voice filled with pure malice.
"This can't be...! I was supposed to gather more essence... to resurrect... the Demon King...!"
Her shrieks soon faded into silence.
Where the Succubus had stood, only a charred, female-shaped corpse remained.
At the same time—
"My hands... my legs..."
Waking from her nightmare, Lucy stood up on her own two feet and began to examine her body.
Still unable to fully perceive her surroundings, she ran her hands over her newly regrown limbs with an ecstatic expression.
"Thank goodness."
His vision was failing.
The blood in his eyes dyed the entire world red.
"I told you, didn't I? That I'd definitely fix you."
He was glad he could keep his promise. Rin decided to take comfort in that.
Only then did Lucy notice Rin and lean down toward him.
"Unfortunately... I think this is as far as I go."
Lucy, you're still naked.
He barely managed to drape the clothes he was holding over her shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold..."
See? I did it. I'm useful. I'm someone who can get things done.
Filled with a belated sense of satisfaction, Rin smiled.
"..."
And that was the end.
His vision plunged into darkness.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
The Hero wailed, cradling the luggage carrier in her arms.
She rubbed her cheek against his and brushed the hair from his forehead, but Rin did not move.
"RIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!"
She called out to him desperately, but there was no reply.
She couldn't breathe.
She was finally healed. She was no longer a cripple without limbs, and she could finally hold him in her own arms.
"Goddess, please! Please! I was wrong. I'll never be arrogant again! Please save Rin, please...!"
She, who had arrogantly believed there was nothing she couldn't do after overcoming death, was now weeping like a child, begging the Goddess over and over.
"Without Rin, I might as well be dead too!!!!!"
She tried venting her anger at the silent Goddess.
"No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for getting angry just now. Please, just save Rin..."
Quickly repenting, she clung to the metaphorical hem of the non-existent Goddess's robes.
"Goddess... Goddess... please... I'll even give up on revenge... Just give Rin back to me... please? If you just save Rin, we'll go somewhere where there's no one else and live quietly, just the two of us..."
After praying and wishing desperately for a long time, Lucy opened her tightly shut eyes, but nothing had changed.
Rin was still there, smiling at her, motionless.
"Ugh...!"
Tears, dried up by shock, began to flow again.
What was she supposed to do?
The cruel Goddess had left only her enemies under this sky and taken away the only thing that belonged to her.
"Rin...!"
Lucy began to give up, one thing at a time.
She gave up the dream of living together, just the two of them.
She gave up the journey they would take together.
She gave up her revenge against the Hero's party.
She gave up on becoming his lover right now.
She gave up on daring to confess that she loved him, that she liked him.
But the last thing, Rin...
"Ahhhhh—!"
She could not give him up.
Tears blinded her, and grief choked her throat.
Letting go of everything, Lucy pressed her lips against his.
His rough, chapped lips filled her with sorrow.
"I pray..."
Without him, the power and title of the Hero were utterly useless.
"For a peaceful day with this man... Please... Goddess...! Save him."
"He is... the only person I truly love..."
She would sacrifice it all for him.
Flash!
Light flooded the world.
A reddish-gold glow illuminated the cave.
With a deafening roar, a massive hole was blasted through the ceiling, and appearing before her was—
The Holy Sword, Hnoni.
As if possessed, she reached out and grabbed it, and a warm energy flowed into her.
It was a familiar power, the power she rightfully deserved as the Hero.
With this sword and her restored body, she could go back out into the world, tear down the Empire, and execute the traitors.
But Lucy did not do that.
She cut off the energy flowing from Hnoni and brought the Holy Sword close to Rin.
"Will you not regret this?"
"You may never be able to become the Hero again."
"I am not the Hero. I am just... Luciena Estelle."
Rejecting her status as the Hero, Lucy placed the Holy Sword in Rin's embrace.
"And this man is not a luggage carrier. He is just... Rin. My Rin."
Lucy wiped away her tears.
"That is enough."
"I am sorry for putting you through this trial, my child."
"Goddess."
Lucy smiled brightly.
"Thank you for letting me meet Rin..."
A tear hanging on the edge of her smile fell onto Rin's cheek, and the light of the Holy Sword enveloped him.
A warm, cozy energy seeped into Rin.
His body, which had grown cold and rigid, began to relax.
His frozen smile softened into a gentle curve.
As his life returned, the Holy Sword gradually lost its luster.
By the time Rin blinked his eyes open, the Holy Sword crumbled into a shower of light and vanished.
"Lucy?"
"Rin!"
At the sound of his voice calling her name, the Hero threw her arms around him.
"What happened?"
"It's a miracle! The Goddess saved you!"
The once cynical woman was now more grateful than she had ever been in her life.
"You saved me."
"No, it wasn't me. It was the Goddess..."
"It's because you prayed for me."
At his warm gaze, the girl gently bit her lower lip.
She wanted to convey her feelings before they melted away into sweetness.
She couldn't let him slip away like this.
"Rin, I... I love—!"
"You really are my best companion."
Ah.
The girl froze instantly.
She suddenly remembered what she had promised to give up in order to bring him back to life.
And she remembered what she had done to him in the past.
The label that had always tormented her attached itself to her once again.
"...Yeah, of course!"
The girl smiled, hiding the cold ache in her heart.
She had to thank the Goddess. The Goddess who had returned him to her.
"My only ally, my best companion..."
But—
"My... Rin..."
She couldn't stop the tears that lamented her continued unworthiness.