Lucy's Fading Spirit
The host, finally snapping out of his daze, whipped the crowd back into a frenzy, bringing the contest to a close.
Yet, the faces of the people heading back to their lodgings still bore the lingering traces of confusion and shock.
Lucy was no exception.
The festival partner of the beauty pageant winner?
She had never heard of such a thing.
Had she known, she would have done everything in her power to stop it.
Instead, in her own cluelessness, she had meekly handed Rin over.
Only after the damage was done did Lucy realize why Rin had repeatedly asked if she was truly alright.
Believing he had simply been worrying for her sake, Lucy fell once more into a spiral of self-loathing.
"My lady, with all due respect, choosing me as your festival partner is not a practical decision."
"Oh, I'm sure it must have come as quite a shock."
"For the most influential family in the Zramun Archipelago to choose an outsider working a part-time job as a partner will leave a bad impression on the other local leaders and residents."
"See? He's no mere porter. He's a deep thinker."
The young lady nudged her maid's side, boasting of her own keen eye, but Ganal, already brimming with discontent, finally snapped.
"Sister! I did as you asked, but what are you going to tell Mother and Father? And what about Gendry?"
Sister?
Rin doubted his own ears.
"What? Ganal, do you really want an ambitious woman like me to be sold off in a mere arranged marriage?"
"Well, no, but...!"
"Besides, I absolutely refuse to tolerate that bastard strutting around our estate acting like he owns the place just because he's my husband."
"He is the eldest son of the Guard Captain! His family commands the entire military force of the archipelago!"
"But he's not a noble, is he?"
"On this island, they might as well be."
"And military force? It's not as if Gendry himself is a strong man. You should call it manpower, not military force."
Ibis covered her mouth with her fan, letting out a deliberate chuckle.
"Dear sister, if I were to marry a man like that, I would eventually decapitate him and hang his head on the parlor wall, or tear him limb from limb to decorate the estate entrance."
"Sister!"
"You, too, will marry under the Protec name one day. Since you're far more obedient than I am, you might even welcome an arranged marriage. But keep this one thing in mind: whether it's military might, political power, authority, or honor—never tolerate anyone who tries to climb over their master just because they hold a little strength."
As it turned out, this was no simple relationship between a lady and her maid.
For reasons unknown, the maid Ganal was undoubtedly a daughter of the Protec family as well.
No such setting existed in the memories of Lee, the reincarnator.
In his playthrough back then, the Demon Hero had been a mature but gloomy woman clad in black, so the detailed circumstances of the Protec family had never been revealed.
It was the inevitable limitation of only clearing the DLC once.
Though she feigned the demeanor of a lively young girl, Ibis was a noble through and through.
Her condescension toward Gendry and her emphasis on her family's authority led to only one conclusion: her previous behavior had all been a calculated act to manipulate others.
"Am I right?"
She asked with a bright smile directed at Rin and Lucy, but there was a strange, pressuring weight behind her words that demanded agreement.
Lucy, in particular, had noticed Ibis deliberately glancing in her direction when she spoke of severing Gendry's neck and limbs.
This bitch is definitely up to something.
"...You are correct. However, I hope you understand that for commoners like us, our lifelong wish is simply to live a peaceful life free of incidents."
"Hehe, it is the same for us nobles. Though, for a noble to live in peace, a bit of bloodshed is sometimes necessary."
Rin shut his mouth.
Any further retort would only make him look insolent.
Whether Ibis was a Demon Hero or not, she was currently the eldest daughter of the most powerful family on the island.
Offending her now could result in retaliation throughout the remainder of the festival.
"You really are quick to understand, aren't you?"
Satisfied, the young lady extended the back of her hand.
"Do not refuse me this time."
He had no choice.
Lucy gave his sleeve a gentle tug, but Rin let out a silent sigh, sank to one knee, and bowed.
Raising his mask slightly to expose his lips, he leaned toward the back of her hand. Lucy could do nothing but watch, clenching her fists so hard they nearly bled.
But just as his lips were about to touch her skin, an intruder interrupted.
"My lady!"
"Oh, Gendry?"
"This isn't what we agreed upon!"
Her expression instantly souring, Ibis pulled her hand back.
Rin stood up quickly, feeling a wave of relief.
The Guard Captain's son pointed at Rin, spitting as he spoke.
"Lower your voice. Do not behave so unseemly."
"If it were any other man, I might understand! But an outsider? And a commoner who does nothing but carry luggage?!"
"Well, in my eyes, this man was the best."
"Even more so than me?"
"Several times more than the likes of you."
"Why, you...!"
Unable to watch any longer, Ganal stepped in.
"Gendry, stop this."
"Ganal..."
In that moment, Rin saw it.
The moment Gendry looked at the maid, his eyes softened with desperate longing.
A love triangle?
A man desiring both sisters was certainly fitting for a spoiled brat from a good family.
However, Ganal coldly brought him back to reality.
"What is the meaning of this unsightly display in front of the very 'commoners' you speak of?"
The sheer rudeness of speaking as if the commoners listening didn't matter—she was indeed a noble.
"Ganal is right. Let us speak. Just the two of us."
Ibis quickly gestured to Ganal.
"Since I have chosen him as my partner, escort those siblings to our estate and prepare a room for them."
"My lady!"
"They are my guests. It is only proper to show them our family's hospitality, is it not?"
"...Yes, I understand."
Suppressing her rising anger, Ganal gestured with her chin toward Rin and Lucy.
"Follow me."
Rude to the very end.
Rin now fully understood why Lucy had so frequently expressed a desire to grind nobles to dust during their journey to subjugate the Demon King.
Once the others had withdrawn, Gendry straightened his posture.
"Is this really necessary? I am doing as you command, but I do not understand why you must drag in people who only came here to earn a living."
The spoiled brat from moments ago was gone, replaced by a dignified young man.
Ibis sneered at the heir of the Guard Captain.
"And? What can you possibly do about it?"
"You...!"
"This island is mine. Ever since you Zramun bastards imprisoned me. The Protec family serves me, and your guard force is nothing but my toy."
Rin's prediction had been completely off.
The Demon Sword Abyss was none other than Ibis Protec.
"You slept by Gerero's side for hundreds of years. Why act like this now?"
"Because the time has come."
"That is exactly what I want to know. What kind of 'time' has come?"
"A commoner like you has no need to know. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
The Demon Sword stroked the nape of Gendry's neck.
Where her finger touched, the skin split slightly as if sliced by a blade, and a bead of blood welled up.
"Just do as you are told. If you do, I will leave quietly. Then, the Ganal you so desperately adore will return to her rightful place."
"You must keep that promise."
"I will, so begone. People are cleaning up after the contest, and too many eyes are watching."
"..."
Dismissed, Gendry left the area with a displeased expression.
Though she had called him a commoner, the Demon Sword secretly held a decent opinion of him, considering him a fairly capable human.
"Ha!"
But she couldn't help letting out a dry laugh.
A promise...
"I wonder if you humans even realize how many promises you have broken."
The Demon Sword's gaze drifted toward the distance.
"Isn't that right?"
Standing there was a girl clad in black, glaring back at her.
Realizing her presence had been detected, the girl snorted and vanished in an instant.
Dinner was an uncomfortable affair, the food tasting like ash in their mouths.
The head of the Protec family and his wife looked visibly uneasy, while Ibis dined with absolute composure.
All the while, Ibis pried into everything, forcing Rin to exhaust himself spinning plausible lies.
Once the agonizing ordeal was over, Rin and Lucy were assigned to the same room under the pretext of being siblings.
Despite their precarious position, Rin couldn't help but feel refreshed after washing away the sweat of the day.
"Lucy?"
Returning to the room, Rin found Lucy sitting in the middle of the bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest and her head buried in them.
Realizing she was disheartened by the mistakes she had made throughout the day, Rin sat on the edge of the bed.
"A lot happened today, didn't it?"
"..."
While the incident during the day had been the result of Lucy's stubbornness, the beauty pageant had simply been a stroke of terrible luck.
At the time, Rin had wished Lucy would show the same possessiveness she had displayed earlier. But after organizing his thoughts on the way to the Protec estate, he had to admit that even if she had, it would have only bought them time. There was no real way out.
Even for Rin, who was quick on his feet, the sequence of events leading to him being chosen as Ibis's festival partner was a checkmate.
It was clear.
This was not Lucy's fault.
"Lucy, do you not want to look at me?"
She shook her head slightly.
As she gave a small shake of her head, Rin moved to stand directly in front of her.
"We just had terrible luck. It's not your fault at all."
"..."
Lucy was already drowning in bitter regret over her past.
That pain had only intensified in Waltercroix because of Labin and Adora, making Lucy so cautious that even the usually dense Rin could sense it.
Normally, he might have worried about overstepping, but Rin decided to alter his approach with her slightly.
As he gently stroked her brown hair, she gave a small start.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you today."
When he apologized once more, Lucy shook her head again.
"Do you not want to talk to me?"
She shook her head.
"Or do you dislike me stroking your hair?"
She shook her head side to side.
"Lucy, we're companions. Since we live so closely together, it's only natural that we sometimes get annoyed, angry, or hurt."
"..."
"But because we're companions, we talk through those things and make up. Right?"
"..."
"We're the best of companions, aren't we?"
Rin gently pried Lucy's arms away from her knees.
He then cupped her cheeks and lifted her face, revealing her features as she desperately tried to hold back her tears.
"I ruined everything."
"You didn't."
Rin denied it.
"Being the best of companions doesn't mean everything will always go perfectly."
"But..."
"Even if we went back to that moment, I don't think I could have changed the outcome. What about you?"
"If I had bought us more time, you could have..."
"Lucy."
Rin smiled.
"Do you remember the first day we encountered a demon?"
She remembered.
The demon's overwhelming strength had nearly wiped out their party.
Though they had evacuated the villagers beforehand, the entire village had been blown to pieces by dark magic.
"We barely managed to defeat it. Though I didn't really do anything."
His last words sent a sharp pang through Lucy's chest.
She could never get used to this pain.
"Even if we went back to that time, it's hard to imagine we could have won without any sacrifice, right?"
"...Yes."
"But we trained like hell after that. We got our exclusive items, grew stronger, and the next time we faced demons, we handled them much more easily, even if it was still tough."
"Yeah."
"It's the same this time. We couldn't help it. But let's make sure we don't get caught off guard so easily next time."
Rin pressed his forehead against hers.
"Since we're the best of companions, we'll figure out how to handle things together. And if all else fails, we can just raise some hell."
"No, you can't. You might get hurt, Rin..."
"It's fine. You'll protect me, won't you?"
His smile was right before her eyes.
Slowly, Lucy began to calm down.
"I will. I'll protect you, no matter what. I'll save you, Rin."
"Yeah. I believe in you."
"Hehe..."
She laughed through her tears.
Her sobbing had stopped.
But the tip of her nose had turned bright red.
"Rin, can I listen to your heartbeat?"
"Of course."
He pulled the barely recovered Lucy into his arms.
She nuzzled against him, pressing her ear to the spot where his heartbeat sounded the clearest.
"My only ally, my best companion, my Rin."
The words she chanted like a mantra didn't sound so bad to him today.
"Rin, what will we do if something like today's contest happens again?"
"Oh, discussing strategy already? Well, we were surprisingly out of sync today."
"Yeah..."
Seeing her about to lose heart again, Rin quickly continued.
"So, why don't we practice understanding each other with just a glance?"
"Really? Let's do it! Let's try it right now! I'll go first."
"Sure."
Lucy sprang up and stared at Rin.
But her gaze was incredibly sorrowful.
Her eyes were still red from her recent tears.
I love you.
A bitter smile played at the corners of her lips.
I'm always so sorry.
She bit her trembling lip, barely holding herself together.
I want to be loved by you.
Rin, studying Lucy's gaze intently, clapped his hands.
"Ah! 'I want to listen to your heartbeat.' Is that it?"
"...Yes, you got it."
If Rin said so, then it was so.
Lucy was gradually growing accustomed to placing Rin at the center of all her judgments and priorities.
This body, this heart—they all belonged to him.
They were things she only possessed because he had saved her.
Lucy was simply grateful.
She envisioned a life lived solely for Rin.
Thus, the two spent the night looking into each other's eyes, occasionally talking about what they would do next.
And the following day,
"Now then! Mr. Chunsik and Ms. Sooni! From this moment on, we are going to find the grave of Gerero Protec!"
In the face of Ibis's demand, all the plans and practice the two had prepared the night before vanished like smoke.