Chapter 175: Revenge
Chapter 175: Revenge
“Um… if you’re okay with it, would you like to stay at our clan house?”
“What? D-Does that mean I can join your party, Guwon…?”
As if that was exactly what she’d been hoping for, Kate’s face instantly brightened.
But that wasn’t what Guwon had meant.
“No. I’m sorry. There’s no room for another mage in our party.”
“…I see. No, it’s fine. I understand. Of course. Don’t worry about it. I won’t be a burden to you.”
Though she said that, the disappointment on her face was obvious.
“No, it’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. You’re a mage, so you must know the name, right? The Supreme Archmage.”
“What? W-Wait a minute. Why are you suddenly bringing up Lady Telluna?”
“You know that tiny girl who was always with me, the one wearing the big mage’s hat? That’s Diana Telluna, the Supreme Archmage.”
“Wh-What?! W-Huh?! You’re joking, right?!”
At Guwon’s revelation, the bitter expression Kate wore over Pots’s death vanished, replaced by one of pure shock.
“No, it’s not a joke. You must have heard me call her Diana at least once, right? Diana is her nickname.”
“Really?! The Lady Telluna?! You’re not kidding?! That little kid with the weird way of talking who was always clinging to you… that person who seemed so uniquely noble?! Wait. Then what’s your relationship with Lady Telluna?!”
Clinging to me, huh? So that’s how it looked to other people.
And just as he’d expected, Kate had no idea who Diana was.
Guwon’s assumption that the news of Diana ending her long absence hadn’t reached mages out on adventures, perhaps only circulating within the Mage Association, turned out to be correct.
It had always seemed strange. No matter how low she pulled her hat, it was odd that not a single one of the many mage adventurers paid any attention to Diana.
Should I assume the Mage Association is controlling the flow of information?
Well, Diana seemed more comfortable that way, so it wasn’t a problem. In fact, she might have even ordered it herself.
“Our relationship… Hmm. Let’s just say we’ve promised to kiss in the future?”
“D-Don’t lie! There’s no way… Lady Telluna, who is said to have never given her heart to any man for all these years…!”
“A lie? I don’t lie about things like that. Should I bring her here so you can see for yourself?”
“W-Wait! Don’t do that! I believe you! I’ll believe you, okay?! Then you’re really Lady Telluna’s man?! I knew something was strange! There was no way a man this great wouldn’t belong to a major clan!”
Her man, huh? I’d rather she thought of herself as my woman.
Kate shouted in a state of panic.
Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she stared at Guwon with a pale face.
“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. H-Hold on. Then… does that mean… when I sent you signals at night, were there times you were sleeping with Lady Telluna?!”
“Yes.”
“What have I done! Ah, ahh… this sin… how can I ever atone for this…”
So Diana’s status among mages really is incredible.
Kate’s reaction was like that of a devout believer who had unintentionally blasphemed the god they worshipped.
“Kate, first, calm down.”
“How can I possibly be calm right now?! Guwon… Sir Guwon, how could you be with a woman like me when you have Lady Telluna…!”
“Sir? Just call me what you usually do. Anyway, that’s why there’s no room for a mage in our party. It’s not much of a substitute, but why don’t you come to our clan house? It’s not like you have anywhere else to go, right?”
“But Lady Telluna will be there! How could I possibly face her…!”
“But you were originally at the Mage’s Tower, weren’t you? It’s a dream environment, with the heads and aces of every school of magic gathered there. As a mage, aren’t you tempted?”
While sleeping with Kate, Guwon had learned a few things about her personal history.
Kate hadn’t originally been an adventurer, but a mage at the Mage’s Tower.
Pots, who had visited the tower on business, fell for her at first sight and pursued her relentlessly until they eventually started adventuring together.
If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better for Kate to stay at their clan house rather than continue as an adventurer?
It was a place where the heads of every school of magic were gathered, along with their most talented disciples, who were there under the pretext of serving them.
And Guwon had the ability to place her among them.
That way, he could continue to watch over her, and Kate could spend her days happily in a dream location that any mage would want to visit.
When Guwon made the offer, Kate seemed overwhelmed by the sheer amount of new information.
“Huh? All the heads of the schools of magic? And their top disciples are there too? And me? No, wait. You’re saying the clan house is Lady Telluna’s mansion…?!”
“That’s right. What do you think?”
“W-Wait. There’s so much happening all at once, I can’t process it… S-So, you’re saying…”
The offer was so incredible that Kate seemed to have fallen into a state of panic.
No, it seemed the fear of having dared to touch the Supreme Archmage’s man was even greater.
From the moment Diana’s name came up, she had been subtly shifting her body away from Guwon.
“I understand you’re confused. But for mages, it’s a dream location, right? Anyway, think it over. When you’ve made up your mind, come to Diana’s mansion. It seems to be a holy land for mages, so you should know where it is, right? Just give my name at the front gate, and they’ll let you in.”
With that, Guwon left Kate, who was unable to make a decision on the spot, and returned to his own room.
In the room, Sara was standing blankly, her eyes looking somewhere distant and empty.
“…It’s over.”
“Yeah. It ended in a slightly unexpected way, but… how are you feeling?”
“…Right. It’s a strange feeling. To be honest, it still doesn’t feel real.”
“It’s true it ended in a bit of an anticlimactic way, but the pain he felt must have been immense. You might feel it wasn’t enough to repay all the pain you suffered, but it was definite revenge.”
“I know. He must have been in agony to take his own life. But still… I feel like a part of my heart is empty. …If I knew it would be like this, maybe I shouldn’t have sought revenge at all.”
“What are you talking about? This is why you came all this way, isn’t it?”
“I did. When I first came here, revenge was the only thing on my mind. But after meeting you and spending time with you, I started thinking about you more than revenge. As that happened, my desire for vengeance just kept getting smaller. When I saw that man, I think what I felt was more guilt toward my grandfather than a thirst for revenge. The man who killed him was alive and well, while I was forgetting my purpose and having a good time with you. Maybe that’s why I forced myself to be so ruthless and go through with it. Even dragging you, who had nothing to do with it, into this…”
“What are you saying? I did it because I wanted to…”
“No. That’s not true. You say you did it because you wanted to, but from my perspective, you’re no different from that woman, Kate. The only difference is whether you were used knowingly or unknowingly. I used your kindness for the sake of my revenge.”
“I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“But it bothers me. I really… I shouldn’t have done something like that…”
As she spoke, Sara looked unstable.
Feeling like she might just disappear if he left her alone, Guwon pulled her into a tight embrace.
“It’s okay. It’s okay…”
That was all Guwon could say.
“That man, too… he seemed like a completely different person from when he killed my grandfather. Is this… is this really okay?”
It seemed Pots dying the way he did had been a considerable shock to Sara as well.
From the outside, it looked as if they were the villains and he was the victim. But Guwon didn’t see it that way at all. The man had simply paid the price.
He might have been a different person from when he committed his crime, but that didn’t make his sin disappear. The moment he tried to forget everything and live happily without ever atoning for the crime he himself committed, he became an undeniable piece of trash.
“Of course it is. You carried out a justified revenge. You did nothing wrong.”
Guwon held Sara tightly, as if to keep her from going anywhere.
Gradually, the trembling in her body subsided.
“He just paid the price he deserved. Your actions were justified, so there’s no reason for you to feel sorry for him.”
Sara buried her face in Guwon’s chest and nodded.
Some time passed.
Sara, who now seemed to have calmed down, spoke again.
“…I’m so despicable.”
“Why?”
“Even in a situation like this, there’s a part of me that’s happy because you’re holding and comforting me. It’s selfish, isn’t it?”
I guess she hasn’t completely calmed down yet.
Perhaps because she was still in an unstable state, Sara was expressing her feelings far more honestly than usual.
“Selfish? On the contrary, I’m happy. Just the fact that you think of me that way. And no matter how selfish you are, I can accept all of it.”
“…Why do you do so much for me?”
“That’s obviously because…”
Guwon looked at Sara.
Her expression was unstable, a whirlwind of emotions, but her eyes held a certain expectation.
Guwon met her gaze and opened his mouth.
“Because I like you.”
Hearing Guwon’s words, Sara’s eyes wavered.
She looked like she was about to cry, but she hugged Guwon tighter and buried her face in his chest, not letting him see her tears.
“See, I’m selfish and cowardly. I asked you that question in a situation where you had no choice but to give that answer. But… but if you’re willing to accept a cowardly woman like me, then please, accept more of me. I want to have a deeper relationship with you. Not just as fellow adventurers, but something deeper.”
Guwon wanted that kind of relationship with Sara, too.
But because of Diana and Leia, he had avoided saying anything directly, even though he knew how Sara felt.
But he couldn’t keep avoiding the decision forever.
Sara had confessed to him like this. Had the time finally come to decide?
At a moment like this, he couldn’t help but see the faces of Diana and Leia in his mind.
He had even promised to kiss Diana later. Was it really right to choose only Sara?
“Sara, I’m the cowardly one, too. I knew how you felt, but I’ve deliberately said nothing until now. But I still…”
“I know! I know you have those feelings for the other two as well. But for now, just tell me what you think of me, what kind of relationship you want to have. Just that.”
“…Of course I like you, too. I want a deeper relationship with you just as much as you do.”
“Guwon!”
Sara threw her arms around Guwon’s neck and kissed him with a sorrowful expression.
After a deep kiss, their tongues entwined as they held each other tightly, Sara looked at Guwon’s face from inches away and spoke.
“…You made a promise before, didn’t you? That you’d grant me any one thing I asked for.”
“I did.”
He never imagined she would bring up that promise at a time like this. Had she been saving it since then, preparing for a situation like this?
In any case, it seemed he really had to make up his mind now.
“Then please, make me your woman. I don’t care if you have the same feelings for other people. Just promise me this: that your feelings for me will never fade. That you’ll always stay by my side.”
Sara’s request was similar to what Guwon had expected, yet at the same time, completely unexpected.
Her words sounded as if she didn’t mind if Guwon had other women, as long as he continued to love her.
“What? But…”
“It’s okay. I’m the one who cut in line, knowing full well how Diana and Leia feel. And… after making you sleep with another woman for the sake of my own revenge, I have no right to monopolize you.”
“Sara, that’s…!”
“It’s really okay. Or… are you able to give up on Diana and Leia?”
It was a low blow, but Guwon couldn’t answer.
“Instead of talking about that, just give me your answer.”
“…Alright. From now on, and forever. You’re my woman. You can’t take it back later, even if you regret it, you hear?”
“…Okay. Same to you, Guwon.”