Chapter 194: Beautiful Woman(2)
A world of pure white, stretching endlessly with nothing else in sight.
Kerry was in that world. A sudden question arose, and he touched his stomach where the shadow creature’s light had pierced him.
As expected, there was no wound.
Before him stood a stunningly beautiful woman.
Her voluminous brown hair fell in waves. Just looking at her flowing dress was enough to inspire awe.
“Is this heaven?”
She was, in a word, a goddess.
He had bad memories of goddesses, but her gentle grace and atmosphere told him she was on a completely different level from Elena.
The goddess approached, one step at a time.
With each step, a tantalizing thigh was revealed through the slit in her dress.
Yep, definitely heaven.
“Heaven, you say?… Hehe. You’re cuter than I expected.”
The goddess took Kerry’s hand and helped him up.
The moment her soft hand touched his, he thought he’d felt a jolt of static electricity.
“To get straight to the point, this is not heaven.”
“Then this is…”
“First, let me introduce myself. You may remember my name. I am Elpis, Astria’s Goddess of Hope.”
Even in his dazed state, Kerry had a feeling that might be the case.
So she really was the Goddess Elpis.
He’d heard she and Elena didn’t get along.
If she was on bad terms with that psycho goddess, there was a high probability she was a normal one.
“…It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kerry.”
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Kerry. Actually, you don’t have to tell me about yourself. I already know you quite well.”
“…I see. Have we met before?”
Maybe before Lina regressed? Right?
“No, we have not met in person… but I have always been with the heroes. So of course, I know you well.”
“You’ve always been with us?”
Was “always with us” meant to be symbolic?
If not, if she really meant she was with them 24/7… that was embarrassing.
Should I ask? Or not?
As Kerry debated, Elpis answered in a fluster.
“Of course, I-I didn’t watch your private life! It’s a symbolic expression, meaning I’ve always fought alongside you!”
If she didn’t watch, why was her face turning red? And why did her gaze keep drifting toward his crotch?
This voyeuristic goddess!
Spying on my private life… But she’s pretty, so I guess it’s forgivable. In fact, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she kept watching…
“…”
An awkward silence fell.
The silence seemed to confirm that Kerry’s suspicions were correct.
Just then, Elpis spoke with a start.
“More importantly, this is no time for this! I called you here for a very urgent matter.”
“What is it?”
Elpis looked at Kerry with pleading eyes.
“The Hero! The Hero is in danger! Right now, you’re the only one who can save her.”
“…”
Lina was strong.
Besides, she should be with her companions right now. For someone like her to be in danger… wasn’t I the one in more danger?
“I know! It’s hard to believe that the strong Hero is in danger. But she has fallen into a cruel and terrible trap… one that has been planned for a very long time. She can never escape on her own… At this rate, the Hero might go completely insane!”
“…What kind of trap is it?”
Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. This is frustrating.
“It’s difficult to explain with words. I will show you the Hero’s past directly. You’ll need to know her past to understand.”
“Fine.”
“But before that, I need your permission for something.”
“?”
“In order to show you the Hero’s past… I must, unintentionally, make contact with your soul…”
“No.”
No. Absolutely not. I hate all this soul talk more than anything in the world!
My ill-fated relationship with Elena started with her messing with my damn soul.
When I met the spirit Undine, all I heard was, “Your soul is too lewd!”
Even Titania moaned and climaxed the moment she saw my soul.
I could guarantee it. It would be the same this time.
“Lady Elpis. If you’ve truly been with us all this time, you should know. You should know how much trauma I have about this damn soul of mine.”
“Yes. Of course, I know. But… but… this is something we must do to save the Hero!”
“Just explain it with words. I’ll understand well enough.”
Elpis shook her head.
“I beg of you!”
The Goddess Elpis suddenly bowed deeply, pleading with him.
For a goddess, it couldn’t have been easy to bow that low to a human.
It was no use even when Kerry told her to straighten up.
Her resolve was firm.
Lina was truly blessed to have met a goddess like this. In the end, Kerry had no choice but to surrender.
It was definitely not because his heart was softened by the sight of Elpis’s ample chest as she bowed.
One glance was enough to tell her breasts were at least an F-cup. For a goddess, she had a very provocative figure.
“Hah. Fine. But you can’t say things like ‘Your soul is too lewd!’ or start moaning… I don’t want to be hurt anymore.”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
He agreed because he trusted Elpis.
Unlike Elena, who had peered into his soul and read his mind without a shred of permission, Elpis had asked first.
Compared to Elena, she was a trustworthy goddess.
Elpis met Kerry’s eyes.
He had once asked Titania why one had to make eye contact to see a soul.
She had said it was because the eyes were the closest gateway to the soul.
In any case, staring into the eyes of a beautiful goddess was a little embarrassing.
It wasn’t long after that.
Elpis’s face, locked with his, began to flush red. No way. It can’t be.
Elpis started to panic, like a virgin watching hardcore porn for the first time.
But it was clear she was trying desperately to hold it in. You can do it, Elpis! Hang in there!
His was a fleeting and futile cheer.
Elpis finally broke eye contact with Kerry and let out an unidentifiable scream.
“Heugh… uuuugh… nnnggghhhhiii!”
“…”
A strange silence descended. Amidst it all, Elpis panted, her large chest heaving as if to show it off.
“See? I knew this would happen!”
Were all the goddesses in this world completely useless? A sense of doubt began to creep in.
Though she was completely flushed, Elpis wore an apologetic expression.
She was so flustered that even her pronunciation was slurred.
“I-I’m sowwy, Kerry!”
“…”
She’s cute. Maybe I’ll let it slide just this once…
“H-How… can a soul like this… Huu… heuu… haa… Now… now I think I understand. Why you were summoned to this world.”
“!”
She knows I’m from Earth?
“Hehe… I may not look it… Hnngh… but I’m a goddess, too… I know that much… Haha…”
He wished she would calm her excitement before lording her goddess status over him.
More importantly, was he finally going to find out? The reason he was brought here!
Elpis calmed herself and continued.
“You look curious about why you were summoned. But no. I can’t tell you right now. There’s a limit to what I can say. If I interfere with fate any more than this… I won’t be able to show you what you must see.”
“…”
Her resolute expression told him it was truly impossible.
Fine, then. It had been a long time since he’d given up on that anyway.
“Then let’s just get on with what we were doing.”
“…Yes!”
Elpis met his eyes again, her face still red as she let out little groans.
“If you start moaning again… I’m really going to be hurt.”
“I-I’ll try my best!”
Don’t try your best, just don’t moan. We’re in the middle of something important.
How much time passed as he stared into Elpis’s blushing face?
The world began to blur like ink dropped in water. The distorted scene reformed itself into a new world.
The Goddess Elpis was nowhere to be seen. Then, a scene began to play out like a first-person movie.
No. To be precise, it wasn’t a first-person movie. This hand, this voice… it was undoubtedly the Ruler of Mana.
Kerry was moving as the Ruler of Mana. Not that he could move of his own will.
The Ruler of Mana walked toward a lake. Kerry walked along with him.
It was a lake he remembered.
It was the same one he had seen inside Lina’s mind. He familiarly rounded the back of a tree, and sure enough, there was Lina.
Kerry’s mouth moved on its own.
“Hero. Are you here moping around again?”
“Moping! I just… like looking at the lake, that’s all.”
The Ruler of Mana sat down next to Lina.
Lina turned her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“Don’t tell me the great Hero was actually crying? How impressive!”
“Wh-Who said I was crying!”
“Who? The little crybaby right in front of me, that’s who.”
“Hmph…”
Lina sulked, burying her face in her knees.
It was clear she and the Ruler of Mana had a special relationship.
She had never shown this side of herself to Kerry.
I feel kind of jealous, but since the Ruler of Mana is me… it feels weird to be jealous…
What a complicated feeling.
For a while, the Ruler of Mana and Lina continued their lighthearted banter, just like lovers.
After some time had passed, the Ruler of Mana, who had only been teasing Lina, spoke in a serious voice.
“Now, why don’t you tell me why you were crying? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before…”
“…”
For the first time, Lina’s lips were sealed shut.
This only made the Ruler of Mana more curious, and he pestered her to tell him, ignoring the grave look on her face.
It was quite a feat to ignore Lina’s serious expression and keep being a smartass. Ah, right. That was me.
Finally, unable to bear the Ruler of Mana’s prodding, Lina shouted.
“How can I tell you that I heard a prophecy that I have to kill you!”
“…”
Lina, having shouted in a fit of anger, clamped her hand over her mouth as if in regret.
Her beautiful eyes trembled uncontrollably, showing how startled she was.
The Ruler of Mana was surprised at first, but then he went back to his smartass tone.
“You said you couldn’t tell me, but you just did. You really are an idiot.”
“Th-That’s not… what I meant was…!”
“So I have to die… It’s fine. Things like that can happen. No matter what anyone says, I’m the boyfriend of the great villain, the Black Witch, right? More importantly, since you’ve brought it up, could you tell me more about this prophecy?”
“…”
Lina’s expression was detached.
She must have cried a lot on her own; tears still welled in the corners of her eyes where she had wiped them with her sleeve.
The story was long, but the core of the prophecy was simple.
“They say I have to kill you to stop the continent from being destroyed. Does that make any sense? Why… why do you have to die! You’re the one preventing the continent’s destruction…”
Lina shouted, her voice filled with agitation.
It was a stark contrast to the Ruler of Mana, who should have been the one to be angry, but was instead listening calmly.
“So that’s the prophecy…”
“…Yes.”
“So, were you crying because of me? I’m a little touched.”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now!”
Lina was dead serious, but the Ruler of Mana only offered empty words.
But Kerry, who had become the Ruler of Mana, could feel it.
The Ruler of Mana wasn’t just pretending to be unfazed.
This man had simply already given up. He was exhausted. What had exhausted him to this extent was unknown.
But he was so tired that even hearing he had to die, he genuinely felt nothing.
He literally had no attachment to life.
“Prophecies are absolute, aren’t they? Right?”
“There’s no such thing as absolute in this world. I’ll figure something out! You just…”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan, too.”
Lina finally smiled, as if relieved. Whenever the Ruler of Mana said he had a plan, he had never failed.
This time, too, he would surely find a brilliant way to overcome this.
That’s what Lina believed.
It was a grave miscalculation.
Time began to flow rapidly, like a fast-forwarding videotape.
It was likely the goddess’s doing.
At a certain point, the fast-moving world came to a halt.
In the frozen world, Kerry was being held in Lina’s arms, still as the Ruler of Mana.
Lina bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.
It was understandable.
Deep streams of crimson blood were flowing from the Ruler of Mana’s body.
Lina pressed her hands against his wound.
It was a wound she had inflicted with her sword.
“Don’t cry. I’ve done a lot of bad things, too. I’m trying to do one good thing at the end, so why are you crying?”
It hurt. There was no need to transmit the pain so vividly.
But through the pain, the Ruler of Mana smiled.
“You didn’t have to do this… you didn’t…”
“This was what I wanted. And… I’m sorry. For leaving you with such a heavy burden…”
The Ruler of Mana had wanted to die at Lina’s hand, just as the prophecy foretold.
He played the part of a villain she would hate, creating a situation where she had no choice but to stab him.
It wasn’t a difficult task.
That was how well the Ruler of Mana knew Lina’s personality.
The Ruler of Mana suddenly pulled Lina’s neck towards him.
He kissed her.
Kerry could feel Lina’s lips clearly. So this is what her lips felt like.
“…Finally got to steal a kiss.”
With those last words, the Ruler of Mana’s breathing stopped.
Honestly, Kerry found it difficult to understand the Ruler of Mana’s choice.
Even though they were the same person.
To throw away his own life. It’s a choice I would never make… but I don’t know what this guy went through in his past life.
Since he knew nothing, he decided not to pass judgment on the Ruler of Mana’s choice.
Lina held the Ruler of Mana and wept.
She cried endlessly. She felt the warmth of the breathless man’s body slowly turn cold.
She cried even as a downpour fell from the sky.
It was as if the rain was shedding the tears that Lina’s own eyes, cried dry, no longer could.
‘Another woman’ who heard of the Ruler of Mana’s death also wept.
It was the Black Witch.
The Black Witch became a demon of rage and regret. She became an evil spirit, cursing the earth from the heavens.
A massive, ominous, crimson-black hole appeared, so large it felt like it was covering the sky.
From that giant hole, the Black Witch’s monsters poured out.
This was the beginning of the Holy War.
*
Kerry awoke from the vision.
When he opened his eyes, Elpis was looking at him with a pitiful expression.
“This is… your and the Hero’s past. A terrible tragedy, difficult to explain with words…”
“…”
Kerry touched the corner of his eye.
It seemed he had been crying at some point.
He had thought it wouldn’t affect him much since it was a past life. It seemed that wasn’t the case.
“And this is why I have appeared.”
“…”
“There is someone who wants to make the Hero repeat that terrible tragedy in this life as well. If she goes through that one more time, her mind will break! Only you can stop it, Kerry. Please! Save that child!”
“…Fuck.”
Sacrificing for the continent?
Once was enough. I won’t let any of those bastards who touch Lina get away with it.