NOVEL NEXT Chapter 261
“Look at the kids. They’ve completely lost it.”
I removed the Eye Masks from Rosmas, Droniel, and Yan.
“Ugh, Lucius…”
“Run away… The witch is a traitor…”
“Ha. What kind of dream are you having, really?”
Although I took off the Eye Masks, they were still trapped in their dreams.
“Lucius. Leave them alone. If you wake them carelessly, they might suddenly go wild.”
“Is it that if you have a vivid dream, it feels real?”
“Yeah. They might try to attack us as soon as they wake up.”
“The Master is the Necromancer that kills me and controls my corpse.”
Something sent chills down my spine.
“Right, everyone is having a dream right now, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. A very terrifying dream.”
Maybe Asmodeus deduced that I was controlling Lucius’s body.
In reality, the party members weren’t pleased with me using Lucius’s body at my whim.
That anxiety might have burst into this element now.
Then, what about that person?
Why is Liriez like this?
“Liriez. Do you have something to say?”
“…….”
Bound by several Holy Spears, Liriez remained silent.
“You’re conscious, right? Why are you keeping quiet and refusing to answer? I don’t like people who just close their mouths without speaking.”
“…….”
Though released from Asmodeus’s illusion, she was now literally ‘shutting up.’
“Is it that even with ten mouths, you have nothing to say? Liriez. Look at me.”
Slowly, Liriez lifted her head.
With her blurred blue eyes, she grimaced the moment she saw me.
“Witch….”
“Yeah. I’m a witch. And you’re the hero. Why did you fall for the Demon King’s temptation?”
“…….”
“Is it because your opponent has the Holy Sword? You’re someone who even awakened as a Spirit Device. You willingly surrendered yourself to Asmodeus’s sweet words.”
“…….”
“No answer?”
Liriez remained mute.
She seemed intent on keeping her mouth shut.
“Huh. Well, I didn’t expect you to talk anyway. I already figured out how she persuaded you on my way back after subduing Asmodeus.”
“Ah, uh…!”
“Are you ashamed? Embarrassed? You offered yourself to the Demon King, and now you feel ashamed?”
Liriez’s face twisted in despair.
“Alright. We don’t have time for long talks anyway, so let’s keep it short. Do you know what you’ve done?”
“…I betrayed the witch.”
“Betrayed? No. You disappointed me. The reason I ascended to the Sky Island with Lucius was because I believed in you, not anyone else.”
A day.
In that one day, the party fell apart, and the Bride Ship became a mess.
“I believed in a hero named Liriez Cesarcross. When we split the party, what was the standard? Lucius’s party, Liriez’s party. I regarded you as equal to Lucius.”
“…….”
“Not anymore. You easily fell for such words and put everyone in danger.”
What if Asmodeus had led the Bride Ship to fire its main gun at the humans?
What if Asmodeus had Liriez damage the Spirit Device Bahamut in the hangar?
“I didn’t just leave my house to a kid; I entrusted it to an adult, and they sold it to someone else within a day! Is that even reasonable?!”
“Master.”
“Wait. The person who should be angry is you. Lucius. The Bride Ship is everyone’s space, but fundamentally, it’s ‘your home.'”
Lucius, who was about to stop me, lowered his hand.
“Of course, Lucius has other places he considers home. But this Bride Ship was meant for Lucius. Did you think there’d be no place for you here? How long has it been?”
“That is….”
“Yeah. Sure, you could think that way. But did you consult me about it?”
“…….”
Liriez remained silent.
“That’s the difference between you and Lucius. Lucius always consults me. Is it wrong to ask?”
“But….”
“I couldn’t because there was no time. I didn’t do it because I thought it would be a bother. That’s just an excuse. You should’ve asked me. No, at the very least, you should’ve consulted with Belerze.”
You consulted once last time.
“I told you. I even asked if the clone of the witch was still a witch. I told you. If you want me, become the hero that saves the world. Right, or wrong?”
“…That’s right.”
“Is that brainwashing by the Demon King?”
That was right before we went up to the Sky Island.
“I don’t know how to save the world. What does it mean to save the world? Is the path I’m currently thinking of correct? Did you even ask those kinds of questions?”
“…….”
“So, you surrendered yourself to those desires. You chose the seemingly easy path.”
If you had any struggles from that consultation, you should’ve spoken up before this chaos occurred.
“Did you think after killing Lucius and taking over the Bride Ship, I would become yours?”
Liriez hung her head low.
Her shame.
Her desires.
It could be described as humanity’s primal desire and was the fundamental issue that made Liriez keep worrying and agonizing.
“Liriez. Do you love me?”
“…….”
Liriez did not answer.
But she clearly, clearly nodded once.
“Liriez. I’m the one who understands you. I supported you with Belerze because I understood you. Regardless of how the world views you, I accepted and understood you. But was that not enough with Belerze?”
“…I…”
With a voice that boiled with emotion, Liriez lifted her head.
“I… shouldn’t want something real…?”
Tears streamed down her blue eyes.
“I’ve lived without greed as a Holy Knight. The first desire that formed in my life came after seeing you. After obtaining the Spirit Device, that desire grew uncontrollably. So, I wanted you—”
“So.”
I placed my hand on Liriez’s head.
“If you had told me such things before this happened, none of this would have occurred.”
“……Lucius.”
Liriez glared at me from behind.
“Does Lucius ask those kinds of things?”
“Of course.”
Naturally.
“Lucius is someone with firm beliefs. If those beliefs waver, he’ll contemplate, and if the worries aren’t resolved, he’ll come to me. I am the sage, the guide who shows the way to the hero.”
“…Witch!”
“Wait a moment, Liriez.”
I infused mana into Liriez’s body.
“Once you take a nap and wake up, you’ll feel a bit better. In the meantime, I’ll hold onto your Holy Sword.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Even adults make mistakes.”
I held Liriez in my arms and patted her back.
“Once you take a nap and wake up, everything will be over. So sleep well. We’ll talk after that. Got it?”
“…….”
“Do you have an answer?”
“I understand. Thank you, and….”
Liriez smiled while crying at me.
“I love you.”
Thud.
Liriez dropped her head.
I gently caught her and placed her on the mana-made bed.
“…Huh. I knew she had that temperament, but I didn’t realize it would weigh this much.”
“…….”
Lucius looked at Liriez with a pale face.
That expression conveyed an unspeakable, indescribable fear rather than hatred.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Ah, it’s nothing. Just a bit… shocking.”
It seems the impact was significant enough to stutter his words.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill her; I just put her to sleep for real.”
“……What I’m worried about is something else.”
“What is it?”
“Liriez did… a backstab, didn’t she?”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Will you accept it?”
“…….”
This situation seems a bit off now.
I’m currently in Asydia’s body, and Liriez rushed at me when I was already inside Asydia’s body.
“Will you do it like Belerze?”
In order to match her mood, I mobilized Belerze.
Belerze truly did her best to accommodate Liriez.
Now, if she wants me.
“If it’s necessary, I guess I should.”
“…….”
“What are you making such a stiff expression for? I said ‘if it’s necessary.'”
I patted Lucius’s back, who was flustered.
“If Liriez is the ultimate hero and must share love with me to save humanity, then I can willingly sacrifice this one body.”
“…Does it have to be such a complicated condition?”
“Of course. It’s not complicated at all. Unless it’s truly a situation where I must ‘throw my body,’ I will never sacrifice myself.”
Whose body is this, anyway?
What makes her think she can have it?
“For the peace of the world, I’m someone who can accept love too. If needed.”
Ah.
That was a bit cool just now.
“If necessary, huh.”
“Yeah.”
“…What if love is not needed?”
“That’s a complicated question. But the answer is really quite simple!”
Love that does not depend on need.
That could be unpacked as unconditional love.
“Of course.”
Just like how I love Bel.
Just like how I love Asydia.
“Even without a need, I can devote and cast everything for that person. Even my life. Even my soul.”
And that’s what I did.
And I protected this world.
“How is it? Did that answer your question?”
“…It’s been helpful.”
Finally, Lucius subtly smiled.
His expression had been stiff since subduing Liriez, but now he seemed to be relaxing a little.
Well, it makes sense.
The other three were attacking with ether in their naked forms; the tension must remain high—
[Warning. Warning.]
Bee beep.
A voice echoed from somewhere.
Lucius immediately drew his Holy Spear and stood behind me, and I held my hand to stop him.
“I know that person.”
[This is a genuinely critical situation.]
With a flash.
Bahamut’s eyes sparkled.
He sent us a warning through the external speaker.
“Why make such a big fuss over warnings? It’s nerve-wracking.”
[Lucifer and Zephar have clashed.]