I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor in a Romance Novel

The Saintess glared at Zeke, her face contorted with rage.

She had failed to snatch the notebook from him.

According to Zeke, that notebook granted only one wish to a single person.

“…Kill me. Just kill me…!”

Zeke was strangling the Saintess.

Squeeze

Her carotid artery tightened in his rough grip.

“Gasp…”

“…Saintess, how could you do this to me? You know everything. You know what I say every day, what I desire… You’ve been by my side for 10 years, seeing and hearing everything…”

His shoulders heaved with rough breaths, his hand trembling with betrayal.

If Zeke had truly set his mind to it, the Saintess would already be dead, her neck snapped.

However, the deep, dark time they had spent together desperately clung to his sanity, even as madness threatened to consume him.

“Gasp, murderer… Why act kind now…? It’s not like you’ve ever hesitated to slit someone’s throat, no matter how precious they were to you, no matter what time you spent together.

Why, am I any different…? Or are you just a little sad now that it’s time to go? Want to have a taste of this body before you leave?”

The Saintess taunted, provoking him.

His pitch-black eyes pierced her golden ones.

The dense, murderous aura that she had witnessed countless times by his side now surged through her bloodstream, spreading throughout her body.

She felt like she would be sucked into those emotionless eyes if she let her guard down for even a moment.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

She finally understood why the fallen angels, demons, and monsters cowered before him, begging for their lives.

She also realized that he had never used his full strength, even when he crossed swords with her.

The Saintess instinctively clenched her teeth, trying to stop them from chattering.

Spit!

Her saliva splattered onto Zeke’s face.

“Human butcher. Zeke Clayman… Hero my ass… You’re no different from the bastards who invaded Dave Continent.”

“Is that truly… what you think of me…?”

The Saintess had to exert all her strength to keep her wavering resolve from crumbling.

Her gaze shifted slightly to the notebook crumpled in Zeke’s other hand.

If only she had that notebook, if only she could use it…

Returning this world to its original state wouldn’t just be a dream.

‘I need to make him lose his mind. That’s the only way I’ll get an opening…’

However, the Saintess’s goal wasn’t to steal and use the notebook.

Zeke would never allow that.

“Why bother lying when it’s all over? You son of a bitch.”

Didn’t she know better than anyone how desperately he yearned to return to Earth?

‘I’m sorry… Zeke. Even if I have to die… I want you to stay in this world…’

Zeke Clayman was the hero summoned to save this world.

An irregular existence, to say the least.

Without him, Dave Continent would have been destroyed long ago.

Even the Saintess, born with the boundless love of God, couldn’t offer much physical help except for the first year or two.

His overwhelming growth rate and prophetic knowledge allowed him to uncover the secrets hidden throughout this world.

In fact, it was safe to say that he had taken care of almost everything by himself after dealing with the Demon King.

He had shouldered such a heavy burden and finally defeated the Ancient Bard, so it was only right to say that he had more than fulfilled his mission.

She knew how shameless it was to ask anything more of him.

However…

The Saintess bit her pale, chapped lips.

‘But… this world still needs you…’

Even without her, as long as Zeke was there, humanity would find a way to survive.

That was the last resort the Saintess had in mind.

Carefully, she extended a finger towards the notebook, hoping Zeke wouldn’t notice.

‘Fire…’

She focused, attempting to cast a fire magic spell.

At that moment.

“Bullshit.”

Zeke’s eyes flashed bright blue.

Thump

The mana gathering at her fingertip dispersed, and Zeke’s chilling voice flowed into her ears.

“Don’t try anything funny, Saintess…

I’ve been watching you for 10 years too.

Your thoughts are obvious. If you can’t use this notebook to turn back time… you’re going to leave me here and go. I can see right through you.”

The Saintess’s eyes widened.

“Yes, that’s right. If you burn that notebook, I won’t be able to forgive you. I’ll lose my mind and kill you. That’s for sure…”

Zeke’s brow twitched.

“But then what? You think I’ll play it your way? After I kill you, after I can’t even use the notebook?

If you think I’ll be stuck cleaning up after the remaining humans out of guilt… you’ve been watching me for 10 years, yet you still don’t know me at all, Saintess.”

Zeke spat out each syllable with emphasis as if making a declaration.

“If that happens… I’ll destroy Dave Continent with my own two hands. I’ll make sure no living thing can survive. I’ve had enough of being dragged into this shithole and putting up with this bullshit. Saintess.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zeke released his grip on her neck.

Thud

The Saintess collapsed to the floor.

“I’m disappointed in you. Truly…”

She looked up at Zeke and finally managed to speak.

“Don’t… Don’t go…”

Crystal-clear tears streamed down her cheeks.

She clung to him, having given up on everything else.

“Don’t go… Zeke… Please…”

“I’m going.”

“Let’s… Let’s live together. Zeke… Okay…?”

Snap

It felt as if the thread of sanity she had been desperately clinging to in her mind had finally snapped.

“Live with me… Don’t leave me… I can’t live without you…”

“Shut up!!!!!!!!”

Zeke roared, his veins bulging in his neck.

“You goddamn trashy bitch…! You should’ve said those words before I got my hands on this notebook!”

Zeke clenched his fist, then turned his back on her. He clutched his throbbing head.

“It was nice knowing you. Let’s never see each other again. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you for sure.”

Zeke opened the notebook and bit his finger, drawing blood.

Then, he scribbled something down with a vengeance.

His wish.

Rumble—

An earthquake erupted, centered around Zeke.

A fierce wind howled.

The scenery began to distort, as if to prevent anyone else from intruding.

Zeke raised his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and other emotions, and looked up at the sky.

“I’m going. Back to Earth.”

Muttering words that were either meant for himself or for the Saintess, he closed his eyes.

The grey clouds parted, revealing the sky.

A void as pitch-black as Zeke’s eyes.

Then, a light began to emanate from within.

At first, it appeared as a small, blue dot, but it gradually grew larger.

A massive beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Zeke.

Boooooooooooom!!!!!!!!!!!!

The light was so intense it threatened to split the continent in two.

The Saintess could barely open her eyes, but she watched through narrowed slits as Zeke disappeared.

It happened in an instant.

Then, a suffocating silence descended, as if it had all been a lie.

The beam of light was gone. Zeke was gone.

“…Zeke…?”

The Saintess remained collapsed on the floor, frozen like a statue.

She could only stare blankly at the space where he had vanished.

She had tried everything to stop him from returning, but it was all for naught.

“Zeke Clayman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

* * *

Lillie, the Princess of Ira in the North, opened her eyes.

“Ah…”

She had a dream.

A dream of a distant past.

A worn and faded dream from 10,000 years ago, but the despair of that day still remained vivid in her mind.

The feel of the fluffy blanket covering her body brought her back to reality.

“My Lady!!!!!!!!”

A black-haired attendant rushed to her side as soon as he saw her stir.

His voice boomed in her ears.

“You’re still weak… and you went mountain climbing…! What on earth…!!! What happened!!!”

The Saintess frowned irritably and closed her eyes again.

“Shut up, Sergey. You’re loud. My head hurts.”

“Ah… I-I apologize… But you’re a Duke’s daughter…”

“Whatever. What did Father say? He must have heard.”

“Well… The Black Wolf Knights are refusing to say anything until you wake up, and they’ve locked themselves in the dungeon… His Excellency, the Duke, is furious… He… He’s ordered that you’re not to be fed until you wake up…”

“What!?”

The Saintess’s eyes widened in shock.

“H-How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s been a week since you returned from the Lyos Mountains…”

“…Well, at least I won’t die from starving for a week. Anyway, I need to see Father. Get ready.”

“B-But you’re still not fully recovered…!”

“Tsk, if I don’t go, the Black Wolf Knights will keep starving. Damn it. Who told them to do something so reckless…!”

The Saintess clicked her tongue.

“I’ll get ready, so go and have the other attendants wait outside. What are you waiting for?”

The attendant bowed and left Lillie alone in her room.

Lillie sighed.

She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“Ugh… Maybe I shouldn’t have said that about being loved. This is such a pain in the ass.”

As she always did when she was annoyed, she reached for the locket she wore around her neck.

Her fingers met with nothing but bare skin.

“Huh…? My locket…!!! D-Don’t tell me…! Zeke!?”

The realization of the missing locket made her face stiffen in shock.