Helius (9) - Helius's Nightmare
Helius (9) - Helius's Nightmare
[ CRASH-!! ]
Ailan's monster-transformed fist struck the pillar.
[ CRACK- CRUMBLE- ]
The solid marble cracked like paper, sending fragments flying in all directions.
"Hiiieek...! Ugh, Uwaaaah...!"
In the corner of the reception room, the Lord, whose leg had been cut, unable to flee, collapsed and screamed, his face pale with fright.
But the blood-red eyes of the Monster were not targeting him, but—
[ WHOOSH- ]
It was Rose, who, with one arm, held Sherin close and was evading the attacks right in front of her.
[ TAP-TAP- ]
Even while holding Sherin, Rose calmly dodged the Monster's relentless punches.
'Slow...!'
It's not as strong as it looks.
No, perhaps it's because she had become stronger than before.
Either way, avoiding it isn't difficult.
And finding an opening to attack is just as easy.
'If I set my mind to it, I could kill it in one go...'
Rose gripped her longsword tightly.
However.
"...Ailan..."
Sherin, distraught, stared at her brother who had turned into a monster.
For her sake, cradled in her arms, and for her own, she couldn't kill the boy.
[ WHIRRRR- ]
"Tsk...!!"
But she couldn't keep avoiding it forever.
What would happen to that monster-transformed body as time passed?
How long could Rose's body, already pushed to its limits, endure?
Would more soldiers from the Lord's castle rush in?
'There's no other way...'
She might be hated by Sherin for the rest of her life, but.
For now, doing what she thought was best.
"GROOOOAR-!!"
The Monster roared and charged once more.
Rose pushed off the ground and threw herself backward,
lightly landing outside the Monster's attack range.
"...I'm sorry, Sherin."
She carefully set Sherin, whom she had been holding, down on the floor.
"But... I think this is the only way."
"...??? Rose-nim, surely... No...!"
Sherin, her face pale, reached out to grab Rose, but.
"...He won't die."
Rose left Sherin behind,
and charged directly towards the roaring Monster.
"Rose-nim!!!!"
A desperate scream echoed from behind her.
Rose tried to shake off that voice, quickly organizing her thoughts in her head.
'Will this... work?'
The Mark of Obedience that Malus had carved onto Sherin.
Balthazar had erased it very easily, in a single moment, with his overwhelming Mana.
'I don't have that much immense Mana.'
She didn't have the power of a Lord.
She also didn't know how to erase a Carving etched onto another's body.
"RAAAWR-!!"
As the prey that had only been evading now charged directly at it, the enraged Monster swung its massive arms.
[ SWOOSH-! WHIP-! ]
As Rose ducked, narrowly dodging the attack, her gaze fell upon.
the black Carving etched on the back of the Monster's hand.
'If I can't erase the Carving separately....'
Rose gritted her teeth and concentrated Mana into her longsword.
[ HUMMMMM- ]
Towards the Monster's left arm, whose posture was disrupted after its attack missed,
she swung her sword with all her might.
[ SLASH-!! ]
"GROOOOAN-!!!"
"Ailan-!!!!"
If she couldn't erase it...
What if she just cut the Carving off the body entirely?
It was a simple idea.
If she cut off the source of Mana from the body.
A gamble that it might have the same effect as erasing the Carving.
[ THUD, ROLL... ]
"SCREEEEEAM...!!!"
The Monster's left hand, with the jet-black Carving etched upon it, flew through the air and rolled on the floor.
"Kuh... Oh... Ohh...."
Gradually diminishing,
the terrible screams of agony it had been writhing and letting out.
[ HISSSSS- ]
At the same time, the Monster's body, which had swelled to a massive size, shriveled like a deflated balloon, and the madness in its blood-red eyes slowly faded.
[ THUD- ]
Finally, the grotesque skin peeled away, and the boy, returned to his original form, collapsed onto the marble floor.
'Please...!'
She quickly rushed over and placed her hand on his neck, feeling a pulse.
Faint, but a flickering sign of life.
"Ailan-!!"
Sherin rushed over like a madwoman and tightly embraced her fallen brother.
She, too, felt the life that had not yet extinguished,
and began to tear her clothes to staunch the bleeding from Ailan's wrist, where blood was gushing.
"Sob... Sob-sob... Ailan... "
Sherin, rubbing her face against her brother's pale cheek, sobbed uncontrollably.
Rose reached out with her blood-stained hand to embrace her, but then quickly withdrew it.
Neither comfort nor apology would be of any use now.
Whatever she said, it wouldn't reach Sherin's ears anyway.
"Ugh... No... How... This is absurd...."
The Lord's trembling voice came from behind.
Come to think of it, there was still one more thing to take care of—
[ SCREEECH- ]
Rose dragged her longsword along the floor, slowly approaching him.
"D-don't come near me! You monster! You witch-bitch!"
The Lord, terrified, tried to scramble backward, but.
because of the leg Rose had cut, he couldn't stand properly and crawled on the floor.
Before he knew it, the red-haired witch stood before him.
Holding a blood-soaked longsword.
"S-save me!! Please! I didn't do anything wrong! It was all that crazy Malus who told me to do it! I'm innocent!"
The noble who ruled the great city of Helius.
Taleman, with a servile expression, clasped his hands together and begged.
Rose hesitated, looking down at his pathetic figure.
'If I kill this bastard...'
It wasn't that she was wavering out of pity now.
It was simply that killing a Lord was an entirely different matter from killing a few knights or soldiers.
Because it would be a major incident that would cause significant repercussions not only for herself but also for Deluna and Lord Balthazar.
The Lord, interpreting her hesitation as a positive sign, hastily continued.
"Th-that's right...! I'll give you anything you want! Part of the territory, jewels, gold coins! Ah, or... do you want a man? If that's the case... how about... you stay with me? Even though I look like this, I'm quite confident in my night skills...."
[ CRUNCH-! ]
"SCREEEEEAM-!!"
Rose crushed the Lord's injured leg.
"It seems you still haven't grasped the situation, Lord-nim. Do you still want to say such rubbish even in this state?"
"G-get this off me! You bitch! Do you think you'll get away with this?! I am the Lord of Helius! An ally of the Prince-nim! If you lay a hand on me, a bitch like you will... SCREEEEEAM-!!"
The Lord babbled on, oblivious.
Rose ignored him and put more weight on her foot.
A scream erupted along with the sound of bones shattering.
'What should I do...?'
Rose's gaze, lost in thought, turned towards Ailan, who lay on the floor, and Sherin, who was embracing him.
Sherin raised her head and looked this way.
In her eyes, deep resentment and hatred.
'...Sherin.'
But that anger wasn't directed at Rose.
The Lord, writhing in pain and howling beneath her foot.
The disgust revealed in her burning eyes as she looked at him.
Sherin met Rose's gaze and slowly nodded.
With that gesture, all of Rose's dilemmas ended.
"Now I know for sure."
"Th-that's right! You thought well! If you lay a hand on me, you won't get away with it either! If you quietly withdraw now, I'll consider this incident..."
"That trash like you simply disappearing from this world would be beneficial to everyone."
"What...?"
[ SWISH-! ]
The trajectory of the sword deeply slicing diagonally across the Lord's chest.
"COUGH-!!"
[ SPLASH- ]
From its tip, fresh blood gushed out like a fountain.
The Lord stared at the stream of blood with bewildered eyes.
And soon, his pathetic body, losing strength, collapsed to the floor.
Honestly, for a moment, she did worry about what would happen if she killed the Lord,
it was true that she felt a momentary concern.
'...It's spilled milk anyway.'
After creating this mess, what would change if she left him alive and returned?
Moreover, she didn't think that forgiving such a despicable fellow would make him change his ways.
Her only greater concern was how many more evil deeds he would commit and how many innocent people he would torment.
'This... must be the right judgment, right?'
She didn't even know who the question was directed at.
Anyway, she had decided, acted, and the job was done.
Rose approached Sherin.
Fortunately, the blood flowing from Ailan's severed wrist had stopped, and the boy was breathing evenly, asleep.
Sherin, too, seemed to have calmed down a little.
"...I'm sorry, Sherin. For cutting off Ailan's hand so arbitrarily.... But I thought it was the best way...."
"No, Rose-nim."
Sherin shook her head, her face drenched in tears.
"I know. If he had been left like that, Ailan would have remained a monster forever. Truly... I... thank you. For saving my brother, and me..."
Rose quietly approached and embraced the sobbing Sherin.
Sherin, as if her suppressed emotions had burst forth, cried like a child in her arms.
"Thank you, Rose-nim. Truly...."
"Sherin..."
She could tell that those words weren't mere lip service, forced out through suppressed emotions.
Because she felt the sensation of abundant Mana warmly rising within her, just as it did every time she received genuine gratitude from people.
***
In a deep, secluded forest on the outskirts of Helius.
The sight of three people camping around a bonfire was visible.
Two days after leaving the city.
Ailan gradually regained his strength.
Fortunately, he had no terrible memories of when he had transformed into a monster.
Due to the horrific events he had experienced, he still had a timid and gloomy personality.
Nevertheless, with his older sister protecting him by his side, the boy was slowly opening his heart.
"Rose noona... Here, have this."
A small hand reached out, offering a roasted potato to Rose, who was leaning against a tree, lost in thought.
"Oh, thank you. Our Ailan isn't just handsome; he has a truly kind heart too."
As she smiled and took the potato, the boy's pale cheeks flushed red.
NOM-
Rose, exaggeratingly opening her mouth wide and taking a bite of the potato,
to Sherin and Ailan, who were smiling as they watched her,
decided to bring up the topic she had been thinking about ever since they left the castle.
"...I don't intend to return to Deluna with the two of you."
"Eh...?? Why... Do you have other business?"
"It's not that... I'm not sure, but... I don't think I should return to Deluna after killing Taleman and turning Helius into a wasteland. The Prince-nim and other nobles won't stand idly by... and it would cause many complicated problems for Lord-nim..."
Numerous soldiers of Helius had seen it.
The sight of the Red Witch who had slaughtered knights and murdered a noble.
Even if he heard the full story of the incident, Balthazar would probably just laugh heartily and say she did well—
But she couldn't cause trouble for Balthazar or Risolde, who had so generously shown her kindness.
"If you just hide inside the Lord's castle for a while, without anyone knowing...."
It wasn't that she hadn't considered that thought.
"Hiding away so stiflingly doesn't suit my personality... And more importantly, can this beauty really be hidden?"
Rose playfully swept back her red hair and smiled, but Sherin's face, watching her, remained serious.
"But Rose-nim... you ended up like this trying to save us siblings... such a sacrifice because of us..."
"It's not a sacrifice. My original plan was to travel the continent, help good people, and grow stronger by defeating Magical Beasts and Monsters."
"But..."
Ailan, who had been silently listening beside them,
realized the seriousness of the situation upon seeing his sister with teary eyes and bowed head, and looked up at Rose.
"Rose noona...."
"Ailan. Go to Deluna and get along well with your noona. I'll come soon once things quiet down a bit."
She stroked Ailan's head as he nodded maturely,
and approached Sherin, who still had her head bowed and couldn't speak.
"I told you, there's no need to take it so seriously. I'm not leaving right this instant. Besides, if things quiet down more than expected, I might even visit sooner."
"Yes..."
"Oh, and—"
"??"
Rose took a step closer and brought her face to Sherin's ear.
"Don't... 'have too much fun' with just Risolde and without me."
"...?? Y-yes, yeees...?!"
What exactly did 'have fun' mean—
Before she could even ask.
[ LICK- ]
Rose stuck out her tongue and subtly licked Sherin's earlobe.
"Haaah..."
"...??"
In a small voice, inaudible to Ailan who was watching them with a bewildered expression, wondering what the two were doing,
"Later, when Ailan falls asleep... you know, right?"
"Ah... I... uh... Yes..."
Nightmare of Helius, Noble Slayer, Red Witch,
Guardian of the Commoners, Rose.
Burning with lust before parting ways.
< Illustration - Are you going to play by yourselves? >
