Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Pure Love Saintess Adele
“Uegh… urk…”
Luvel suddenly gagged… and vomited.
His shoulders trembled as he kept coughing, staring down at the ground while emptying his stomach.
“Sir Luvel…?”
To the soldiers, it might have looked like Luvel was simply overwhelmed by fear in front of a monster.
But because I am connected to him through the thorn, I can vaguely feel it.
It’s guilt again.
Luvel, who is kinder than anyone, hates it when others suffer because of him.
He probably thinks that soldier who just died to the shadow creature… died because of him.
But I saw it clearly.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t save him.
It was that he chose not to.
Luvel noticed the attack before it happened. I could feel his body reacting.
But he didn’t move… because he was afraid that if he got hurt, I would feel pain too.
He’s always been like that.
Ever since the Fourth Frontline Outpost expedition, there have been almost no instances where I felt pain through the contract.
He always thinks about me first.
So even now, he chose my comfort over that unknown soldier’s life.
And yet… he’s the one suffering the most for it.
That’s just who Luvel is.
“It’s okay, Luvel.”
I gently pat his back.
His body is trembling.
A bitter pain runs through my throat through the thorn connection.
This pain I’m feeling now… it’s his guilt.
I used to think this kind of pain isn’t entirely bad.
It means he’s thinking about me.
Honestly… it feels a little thrilling.
Every time the pain comes through, it feels like proof that you care about me.
I wipe away the “guilt” he threw up from his sleeve.
I wish… you would only look at me.
“Sir Luvel!!! Th-the monster is coming!!”
“It’s a black mass…! Is that a shadow creature?!”
The soldiers panic and shout at him.
“Quiet down.”
“W-what?!”
“I’ll handle it… just stay quiet…”
Luvel slowly lifts his head, still in pain, and draws his sword.
Then he cuts down the crawling shadow creature.
“The monster is dead.”
He walks over to the fallen soldier.
He places a hand on the corpse for a moment, then stands back up.
Recently, he’s been doing that more often. Staring at corpses and weapons.
There’s something there… but he doesn’t tell me.
Ever since his fight with Sir Cassius, he’s been changing.
He used to just apologize for everything. Now, even while trembling, he tries to act to protect me.
How ironic. He’s such a coward… and yet.
“Luvel, what are you doing?”
“Ah? Nothing. Just… making sure he’s really dead.”
He flinches and stands up quickly.
A lie.
That kind of lie doesn’t work on me.
What are you looking at, Luvel?
Something inside me snapped.
Something fragile that used to call itself “humanity.”
Thoughts like not wanting to be a burden… not wanting to cause harm… all of it got pushed aside by something else.
“Luvel, what are you doing?”
“Ah? Nothing. Just… making sure he’s really dead.”
Adele suddenly came over and spoke.
I haven’t told anyone about Memento Mori yet.
Honestly, who would believe it? A power that steals memories by touching the dead.
Like Gideon said, if I get exposed doing this, I’ll be dragged to an inquisition as a heretic.
But the more I use it, the more I can reduce variables and understand enemies.
Touching weapons lets me learn how to use them even without training.
There’s no better ability for surviving in darkness.
My head hurts more often now, and sometimes memories get mixed up.
But it’s a small price.
Even now, I felt disgusted with myself… but I still protected Adele from getting hurt and eliminated the threat.
I confirmed through the corpse’s memory that there was nothing else ahead.
If I just abandon morality completely… I could probably send soldiers into danger as bait and extract all the information.
No.
Not that far.
“Sir Luvel, is there really nothing ahead?”
“Yes. Nothing as far as I can tell.”
The soldiers whisper behind me.
They probably think I’m a madman who touches corpses.
That’s why those rumors exist.
Tap. Tap.
We descend the spiral staircase.
The deeper we go, the more unnatural the silence becomes.
Sssshhh… sssshhh…
A strange breathing sound from below.
Not a shadow creature… a “lost one.”
“Sir Luvel…!! That sound…!!”
“It’s a lost one. Stay quiet and follow me.”
I can feel it.
Danger keeps stacking up because of me.
At the same time… I see myself in these soldiers.
Weak. Hesitating. Fragile.
I glance at Radices’ sword in my hand.
And I think of Gideon, who can barely breathe without his support device.
If Gideon hadn’t been there, I would’ve died back then.
Honestly, Radices was almost entirely defeated by him anyway.
I don’t know anymore.
Thinking too much doesn’t bring anything back.
I just need to move forward.
“Move behind that pillar.”
“Y-yes!!”
The soldier follows my order.
The creature lunges at him.
At that exact moment—
Slash.
I cut it down from the blind spot.
“…Did you just use me as bait?”
“No. That was a misjudgment.”
A lie.
I used him as bait.
I felt disgust earlier… but now it doesn’t feel wrong.
He wasn’t meant to die.
I just removed risk.
That’s all.
“…Let’s move. We’re almost done.”
“Yes…”
The soldiers are afraid.
Not of monsters.
Of me.
At the end of the stairs, there is a wooden door.
Creeeeak—
Inside, coffins are scattered across a dusty chamber.
Bones stored in jars line the walls.
A burial site.
Two bodies remain intact in the center.
A knight in light armor… and a saint in priest robes.
A Knight and a Saint.
Why did they die here?
I place my hand on the knight’s corpse.
Memory flows in.
“…I’ll save your saint.”
“Stop… don’t… pull it—”
“Run. You have no more use.”
Hammering sounds. Screams. A chase.
The saint carrying the knight.
They were fleeing from someone.
And then—
The knight’s thorn is ripped out.
None of this makes sense.
Nothing I know explains it.
“Let’s go back. This seems to be the end.”
“Yes!”
We leave the tomb.
Before leaving, I glance back.
The saint seems to be protecting the knight.
Were they like us?
A question without answer.
We climb the stairs.
My thoughts twist like the spiral itself.
“…That concludes the expedition. Good work.”
Even though it wasn’t long, darkness always leaves exhaustion behind.
“My condolences for your comrade.”
The soldiers look even more worn than I am.
They didn’t choose this mission.
They lost a comrade.
And they saw a knight use people as bait.
Trauma is inevitable.
I don’t know. My head hurts. I need rest—
It became easy.
Once was hard.
Using people as bait became simple.
Every expedition repeated the same pattern.
The more I abandoned things… the safer everything became.
The results improved.
And eventually…
I was granted the qualification of First-Rank Knight.
“U-Um!! Sir Luvel!! S-Squire Record Keeper Lettie here!! Pardon the intrusion—!!”