Don't Deny the Past, and Never Do It Again
To reach the Zramun Archipelago, one had to take the only available boat from a small port town.
The fare was also exorbitant.
This was because the currents around the archipelago were never calm, plagued by a bizarre, swirling flow of magical energy.
Without a highly skilled captain and navigator, entry was absolutely impossible.
Furthermore, due to the aforementioned magical currents, mages could not cast teleportation spells between the mainland and the archipelago.
This meant there was a limit to how far Tigria could pursue Rin and Lucy using her magical mobility.
Conversely, because it was so inaccessible, it was the perfect place for the Second Hero to seal the Demon Sword.
"I'll be back, Lucy."
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
"Yeah. You don't need to worry about this place."
"Still..."
"You'll behave for me, right?"
"Only if you promise to come back quickly."
"I'll finish up as fast as I can."
Left with no choice, Lucy saw Rin off.
In her heart, she wanted to force her way along, but given the weight of her past sins, defying Rin's wishes was out of the question.
At the very least, she still had the red thread tied to her pinky. Lucy focused on that sensation, ready to rush to his side the instant anything went wrong.
The port town was little more than a humble fishing village.
It was so tiny that comparing it to Epaltelga felt like an insult, and the village itself was simply named 'Way to the Archipelago.'
Though she doubted any threats lurked in a place like this, Lucy did not let her guard down.
It was only the other day that her complacency had nearly cost Rin his life—and nearly allowed him to be taken from her.
"Lee saved you, so you have to protect him no matter what. Understand? From now on, Lee is the center of your entire life. Do whatever he tells you, and always put him first."
Ever since they left Waltercroix, Labin's words had not left her head for a single moment.
Yet, putting those words into practice was surprisingly difficult.
Sometimes, like now, Rin wanted to go alone, claiming he had errands to run.
But if Lucy was to protect him, she had to stay by his side at all times.
The duty to protect Rin and the command to obey Rin's wishes above all else were in direct conflict.
Even now, Rin had gone out alone to send a letter through the World Courier.
He had insisted so earnestly that Lucy had no choice but to back down.
Sitting on the edge of the bed in their single-room lodging, Lucy focused on the red thread and sank into her thoughts.
Descending deeper and deeper into the abyss of her mind, Lucy began to strip away the layers of excuses and rationalizations.
The first excuse was this:
"I only said it was hard to find him because there were too many enemies. I never said I gave up on looking for him."
This was the excuse she had used when Labin scolded her for failing to find Rin when he was surrounded by demonic beasts in Waltercroix.
She had believed her words were simply misunderstood.
She shook her head.
"If I said it, then that's what it was!"
What if, instead of wasting time on such words, she had charged forward to find Rin?
No, wait. Couldn't she have just used the red thread to find him, like she was doing now?
She stripped that layer away.
Second: Just as Rin had healed her, Lucy had sacrificed the Holy Sword to resurrect Rin.
This one required no deep analysis.
"Rin was being eroded by demonic energy from the very beginning."
And that injury had occurred because the Hero's party had neglected him, forcing him to retrieve the Demon King's horn with his bare hands.
It wasn't a fair exchange of healing for healing; it was a sick cycle of inflicting a disease and then offering a cure—a blatant act of attempted murder disguised as harassment.
Furthermore, the reason Rin had died to the succubus in the first place was to protect Lucy while she was recovering after drinking the elixir.
She stripped it away immediately.
Third: Why did she let Rin touch the Demon King's horn with his bare hands?
She had assumed that since the Demon King was dead, his authority—demonic energy—would also dissipate, meaning Rin would only experience temporary pain.
She had believed that if things truly went south, Arciel or Tigria would step in to help.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth.
Even the incident with the Demon King's horn, and every other misdeed committed during the subjugation journey, had stemmed from nothing but petty malice and thoughtless harassment.
Excuses, rationalizations, lies, sophistry, and a cheap sense of pride.
Once everything was stripped away, the only thing left was her stubborn obsession and possessiveness over Rin.
"Huff... huff...!"
It was sickening.
Looking at her own actions and inner thoughts from a third-person perspective, she found herself utterly repulsive.
Stripped bare, Lucy plunged instantly into a swamp of self-loathing and depression.
"Ugh... ah... ahhh...!"
Lucy and Rin, tangled and twisted from their very first meeting.
Whose fault was it?
It was Lucy's fault.
Within the Hero's party, neglect piled upon neglect, escalating into outright abuse.
Whose fault was it?
Lucy had led it.
From the moment of betrayal until recently, had Lucy ever been of any help to Rin?
No, not at all.
If anything, she had only made his life harder.
Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting.
And despite all that, she had the audacity to go around claiming Rin belonged to her?
"Cough...! Gasp...!"
Her hyperventilation worsened.
As her breathing grew shallower and faster, her brain relentlessly replayed memories of every wrong she had ever committed.
You don't have the right.
She was on the verge of losing whatever right she might have once possessed.
You are nothing but a source of pain to Rin!
Labin had been entirely correct.
She was a completely useless woman.
"Just because that shield knight didn't touch you, only your body is a virgin. Your heart is the filthiest whore of them all...!"
"Aaaaargh!"
Her sins, which she could not deny no matter how hard she tried, drove her to self-harm.
She struck her temples repeatedly, pressing down on them with all her might.
"You don't deserve him. I'll take care of Lee. I'll heal his broken body and let him rest by my side for the rest of his life."
"No!"
Even so, the only thing Lucy had left was one single thing.
Rin.
"Please, don't take Rin away."
Her comrades had severed her limbs.
"Please..."
The disgusting shield knight, who had masqueraded as her fiancé, had personally branded her a traitor.
"Haah... haah...!"
The one who had held her tight and leapt off the cliff was not the comrades praised as heroes, but Rin—a mere porter.
The one who had nursed her, risked his life fighting demons, and restored her to health was Rin—a civilian.
And yet,
Labin had appeared.
A woman far more deserving than herself had scolded her, then handed Rin a pouch containing her severed ponytail.
Seeing how deeply Rin treasured it, Lucy could not shake the feeling that she, who was right beside him, had already lost to Labin, who was far away.
Then, Adora, the illusionist of the Demon Hero party, had appeared.
With a quiet, simmering rage at Lucy's incompetence, Adora had revealed that Rin was being eroded by demonic energy.
Yet she herself had remained completely oblivious until that very moment.
"Haah, haah...!"
She hadn't known a thing.
"Gasp...!"
You pathetic excuse for a woman.
"Lucy!"
Don't you dare cry.
"Breathe! Breathe!"
How dare someone like you dream of being with Rin...!
"Why are you hitting your own head, Lucy?!"
Even so,
She wanted to be with Rin.
She loathed her own shamelessness to death.
Sizzle.
The red thread flared, jolting her senses back to reality.
"Cough! Gasp!"
Only then could Lucy finally release the breath she had been holding.
Her blurred vision cleared.
Before her stood Rin, drenched in sweat, frantically checking over her.
"Rin...?"
"Lucy, are you with me?"
"What... what did I..."
"You were hyperventilating. When I walked in, you were hitting your own head, and then you suddenly stopped breathing. You scared the life out of me."
"I'm..."
She froze.
She was so incredibly sorry that she was terrified to even say the words.
It felt as though the more she apologized, the cheaper her apologies became.
She felt a crushing sense of shame at the thought of apologizing only to repeat her mistakes.
She feared how long she would continue to rely on his kindness, repeating the same toxic cycle.
"Ugh...!"
Don't cry.
Don't shed a single tear.
Don't burden him any further.
You useless fool.
But,
"Lucy, are you really okay?"
Faced with Rin, who worried for her until the very end, she could not help but crumble.
She fought with everything she had to hold back her tears.
"Rin..."
Don't cry.
"Are you okay?"
"Why... why do you keep traveling with a horrible woman like me?"
I told you not to cry.
"I've done... so many terrible things to you... So why... why do you keep me around?"
Who do you think you are to cry?
"If it's for the sake of the world... I'll do whatever you tell me to. If you're only staying with me out of obligation, even though I make you suffer and hurt... I'll be fine. Just tell me what you want me to do. I'll handle it myself."
"Why are you saying things like that? I told you, it's not like that."
"But you're... you're suffering by my side. Because of me... your arm... your heart..."
"Lucy."
"I don't know anymore... You are so precious to me, but it feels like it's too late. After everything? After inflicting so much pain on you, how can I now...? I don't know. I don't know how to apologize, how to make amends, or how I should even behave..."
She had done it.
Though her voice trembled, she had managed to say everything clearly without crying.
Now, all she had to do was wait for his choice.
Lucy braced herself.
She would accept whatever outcome awaited her.
"Lucy."
"Yes...!"
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Ah. This was different from his usual response.
Normally, he would have told her it was fine.
She felt a sudden jolt of apprehension.
Even so, she had to answer honestly.
If she had even a shred of humanity left, she had to answer him properly.
"Yes... I was wrong..."
"Really?"
"I was... so, so wrong."
"I see."
Rin pulled Lucy into an embrace.
"Never do it again."
"...!"
Don't... cry...
"Ugh...! Sob...!"
Lucy reminded herself.
Don't get ahead of yourself. He didn't say he forgives you.
There is a clear difference.
Keep that engraved in your mind, Lucy.
However,
"Waaaaah!!!!"
Rin, who had always insisted he was fine, had finally shown a tiny glimpse of his true feelings.
Even if it was merely a fragment of resentment,
that alone felt like salvation.
A mixture of disappointment in herself for relying on his mercy once again, coupled with overwhelming relief, tore through her chest.
Her tear ducts burst like a broken faucet, and Lucy wept with deep, sorrowful wails.
Naturally, she did not harbor the naive hope that he had let go of his grudges after this single moment.
From now on, Lucy would have to prove herself through her actions.
Yet, she could not contain the rush of emotion.
"Uwahhhhh...!!"
Her face contorted with tears, she clung to him desperately.
"This is the last time."
"Yes...! Yes...!"
Abandoning all dignity, she dissolved into a sobbing, wailing mess.
Weeping so intensely she felt she might die of dehydration, Lucy trembled violently but refused to let go of Rin.
"Rin."
"Yes, Lucy."
"You're my only ally, right?"
"Of course."
"My greatest companion."
"Naturally."
And next, naturally, you are my...
"I will serve only you for the rest of my life."
"...?!"
Startled, Rin looked down to find the Hero gazing up at him with eyes entirely different from before.
Though she bore the full weight of her past sins, her gaze was unwavering and direct. Following her desperate plea for forgiveness, this new look struck a deep chord within Rin.
"I have committed so many wrongs, but... may I continue to walk forward with you?"
As Lucy asked, suppressing the tremble in her anxious heart, Rin felt a profound warmth wash over him—the greatest he had felt since the day he first rescued her.
Clang!
"No matter how painful or shameful the past is, the present is what we must write now."
With sincere affection, he gently caressed her cheek.
"And we must acknowledge that because of that past, we can reflect, grow, and become better people today."
"I will keep that in my heart forever, my Rin."
Rattle!
A second chain unlocked and clattered down into the abyss.
But unfortunately, only two chains had been broken so far.
The door remained heavily bound and sealed by countless others.