A Word of Apology and a Heavy Punch
I carried the force of my charge and swung my wooden sword at Maga Renil.
—Thwack!
As expected, my crude wooden sword easily parried Maga Renil’s strike.
Immediately after, a fierce thrust came flying at me.
It was indeed fast. But compared to Shion, it was embarrassingly weak for something called an attack.
While staring at that clumsily executed thrust without blinking, I barely recovered my sword and swung it again, activating Light Counter.
—Paaak!
“Ouch!”
A crisp sound rang out.
After blocking her neck and sliding away, the sword infused with her power shot forward powerfully.
—Puk!
My wooden sword slammed into her side with force.
As expected, Maga Renil did not fall from my Light Counter. My counterattack had simply reversed her light attack by 0.5 times.
But the rule was that being hit by an unexpected attack dealt even more damage. The one hit by my unconventional strike—a Maga Renil who shrank back for a moment.
And I did not miss that opening.
“Haaa!”
I threw the wooden sword gripped in my hand with strength toward the shrunken figure.
—Thwack!
“Eah?”
My wooden sword was bounced far away by Maga Renil’s neck.
“Yo, you weren’t seriously underestimating Maga Renil, were you? Even if the kid was a bit stunned, how could she not react to such a pathetic wooden sword?”
While scratching the back of my head, Pascal, watching from the side, chuckled and said.
“Even now, if you kneel and beg pathetically, Maga Renil will spare you from getting hit—.”
“I’m sorry, but I really have zero intention of surrendering to you. Kimchi soup… ah, I can’t understand that. What kind of apt analogy exists? I’ll have to think about it a bit more.”
While pretending not to hear Pascal’s words at all, his face quickly cooled.
“Maga Renil. Just smash him to death.”
“Understood.”
Following the cold command from Pascal, Maga Renil nodded and swung her sword.
Compared to the initial thrust, it carried a clearly stronger power and surged forward. Anyone hit by it would fall immediately.
I let out a meaningful smile at such a powerful attack.
The moment Maga Renil saw my reaction and realized it wasn’t what she expected, her expression hardened sharply.
“Haha, surprised?”
The sudden appearance of a gleaming wooden sword in my empty hand.
Staring at the rapidly charging wooden sword, I swung mine with all my might as well.
Perfect timing. Using Heavy Counter.
“Be careful with your head~!”
—Paaak!!!
My wooden sword collided with Maga Renil’s in a clear sound.
At the same time, the Somber Sword Qi bursting from my sword spread violently and swallowed Maga Renil’s body whole. The figure staggered greatly.
Completely defenseless. The wooden sword infused with massive power smashed into the head of the person with plenty of openings.
“Kk…!”
That was it. Maga Renil didn’t even attempt to resist and fell unconscious.
“Wow~ I almost got hit right then. That was really dangerous.”
Staring at the fallen Maga Renil for a moment, I turned to Pascal and asked.
Her mouth slightly open, it seemed my performance was unbelievable to her.
“…How did you knock down Maga Renil? You’re clearly 1-Star. Maga Renil is 3-Star and far stronger than you….”
“Hmm, Pascal, you curious? Just a moment ago you were looking down on me like a bug, and now you’re so curious you can’t stand it after getting an unexpected result?”
Pascal’s pride seemed hurt; he tightened his fingers, but soon forced a twisted smile and asked.
“Yeah, a bit curious.”
“That’s….”
I gave her the brightest smile possible.
“Secret.”
Pascal’s face turned dark. She was definitely angry.
Opening her teeth wide and glaring, she soon let out a long sigh and left without a word.
Exactly, she was the one I had caught as I tried to leave.
“Eh, Pascal. This person, um… what’s her name… ah! Are you taking Margaret without her? Even if I adjusted my strength as much as possible, isn’t it better to take her to the hospital just in case?”
“I have no reason to worry about some idiot like that.”
Saying it coldly, Pascal turned her steps again.
“If this person dies, the one who gets the most hassle is you, Pascal, right? Yet you’re just leaving like that… what a thoughtless person… oh, I see your inner thoughts.”
I grabbed her again and set her down.
“…Heh, interesting.”
“Looking at me with such burning eyes makes me uncomfortable. Go take a proper look.”
“Yeah, I should go. But before that, I have one thing I want to tell you.”
“What?”
Pascal gripped the sleeve of the fallen Maga Renil and stared at me with cold eyes.
“If you wanted to die, why didn’t you say so earlier? Congratulations, you’re already dead now.”
With that said, Pascal walked away from me.
Only when I could no longer see her figure through the gap between buildings did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“She marked me, but what can I do?”
Since it was impossible to stop the troll’s influence from affecting me even after death, I had no choice. It was the best to cut it off before her crimes grew worse.
Still, it wasn’t all bad. I had earned points and gained real battle experience.
I had deliberately teased her into provoking a strong attack, and judging with points to buy the wooden sword for the counter was something I could praise myself for.
“When I used Heavy Counter, the Sword Qi that came out was quite useful.”
Although Sword Qi released during Heavy Counter didn’t directly damage anything, I felt it would be of little help. But when I actually used it, it proved extremely handy.
“When hit by Heavy Counter Sword Qi, it definitely causes stun, so I can force a hit with Heavy Counter.”
However, using Heavy Counter prevented me from using Retaliation for a full 50 seconds, so I had to use it at the right time.
Having tested my own abilities thoroughly, I felt I had clearly understood my strengths and weaknesses.
With that, as I was recalling the previous battle, a gaze came from behind.
So now there was another problem.
“What should I do now…?”
Not hot, but something icy cold.
Turning my head, there was Elice sitting on the ground in the exact same pose as before.
As I slowly approached, her body started trembling.
How wicked must the past Shion have been for Elice to react this way?
Letting out a deep sigh, I walked to Elice at a slow pace, lowered my posture, and made our eyes meet.
“Please listen to me.”
I tossed my wooden sword to the side.
“As I said earlier, I have amnesia. I find it difficult to recall what kind of human I was in the past and what actions I took. But that doesn’t mean my past is cleared, of course.”
Even Elice, covered in anxiety and fear, tried to understand my words while speaking bluntly.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems I caused you an unforgettable wound. First, I want to apologize for that. I’m truly sorry.”
Bowing my head in apology.
Right after, what could I do to comfort Elice, who barely knew anything about Shion? There was only one obvious way that came to mind.
Use my body.
“Of course, words alone won’t forgive my mistake. So.”
Raising my head after that, I spread my arms wide.
“Hit me. Until your anger is gone, I’ll take every blow without complaint.”
Someone might ask why I’m apologizing to a demon race. Why do I feel guilt toward such a villainous existence?
The answer is simple. Whether the target is human or demon, one must take responsibility for their own wrongs. I have no criteria to separate humans and demons.
Just that in this world, there are only good and evil people. It’s impossible to judge someone’s personality with a single scale called ‘servant.’ At least that’s how I think.
“…”
I looked into her eyes.
The eyes filled with anxiety and fear shook violently for a moment.
Tears welled up, shoulders trembled, lips tightly bitten.
I couldn’t even imagine how deep an emotional whirlpool Elice must have been caught in.
Hidden Character – Elice Midrian
📍 Location: [Field]
🎁 Reward:500 Points
📜 Description: Deep hatred and resentment from Elice Midrian
—Puk!!
A fierce impact hit my face. I guess I really was half-human half-demon. The pain spread through my entire head as if it was about to spin.
Thud!
After falling backward from the shock, the violence continued relentlessly.
—Puk!
The horrific sound of fist meeting flesh echoed.
Puk!
It hurts. The metallic taste spread in my mouth.
—Puk puk!!
But I couldn’t scream.
“……”
If I couldn’t endure even this much pain, it would be the same as mocking Elice’s apology. That was an shameless act.
She lived alone in a country that hated demon races, without telling anyone she was half-human half-demon, and was tormented by the past Shion as a plaything.
She must have felt even more terrifying pain than that from the past Shion.
So I would endure it. I earnestly wished even a little of her pain would be relieved.
The violence without any joy continued endlessly.
I wasn’t a good person. I wasn’t a fool either. I wasn’t a saint from myths either.
Isn’t that just what anyone would do?
├─ Tier 1:Mild Enlightenment ✓
└─ Tier 2:Defying Fate – Unlocked ★
Something seemed to appear in a message, but I couldn’t read it.
My apology toward Elice continued for another two minutes.
At the moment when my mind was growing hazy, the one who had been trampling me stopped her fist.
“…Haha, your punches are surprisingly spicy—.”
“Shut up.”
Interrupted, she grabbed my collar.
Our faces came close, and Elice’s eyes, brimming with poison, pierced straight through me.
“I don’t know what kind of wind blew you here to suddenly give such a meaningless apology.”
“Of course I know. It’s just my selfish desire to ease my heavy heart. You don’t have to accept it. It’s all my karma anyway.”
I nodded while forcing my trembling voice to move.
While staring at me for a moment, Elice let out a deep sigh and asked.
“You said you lost your memory, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then none of the things I did to you are remembered at all.”
“It’s embarrassing, but that’s true.”
“…It doesn’t bother you?”
“Eh?”
I tilted my head while fidgeting.
“It’s something I don’t remember. For me, it could feel like someone else’s business, but since I’m apologizing and taking every hit without complaint, it’s interesting.”
“Oh, are you pitying me?”
Elice furrowed her brow and looked at me with cold eyes.
“Don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of pitying trash like you. It’s purely curiosity. The past you wasn’t at least a human who would judge others like that.”
“That’s… isn’t it only natural? If I don’t remember and act as if I don’t know, who would relieve Elice’s injustice? If you act, you must take responsibility. I wasn’t apologizing to Elice with special sincerity; I was just taking responsibility for my past actions.”
I answered honestly.
“…Really?”
Elice, who had been gripping my collar, relaxed her hand and stood up.
“Then keep living like that. Well, I don’t know how long such moral thinking will last for someone like you, but at least it’s better than before.”
Shaking off her hands, she walked away leaving me on the ground.
“Don’t come near me again. You trash.”