Chapter 409: What lies Beyond the Escape

While my whole body was screaming with severe pain as if it was on fire, I saw a glowing, swirling sphere of power right in front of my eyes. Just looking at that sphere made me breathe heavily, and if I let my guard down, I felt like my consciousness would fly somewhere else.

A small world.

Jewel Agathos said so, pointing to the mass of magical power created by Controller Drigman.

He was no longer alive.

No trace of him could be found anywhere in this land. However, he turned his entire existence into a single core, creating a mass of pure demonic power. That core, which resembled a sphere, was trying to take shape within the framework of the world. It would eventually swallow up its surroundings and continue to expand forever.

Agathos explained the very essence of the glowing sphere.

Its appearance seemed to be transparent, yet it showed an unfathomable appearance. Looking at it, it made me think that maybe this was the origin of the demonic race.

A wind of magical power blew and hit my cheeks. That momentum was gradually gaining strength. Eldith opened her mouth while leaning lightly on Filaret.

「Then, it will come after us no matter where we go. 」

My throat felt like being cut open every time I tried to utter a sound. It appeared that the organ necessary for vocalization had been damaged.

When I tried to speak while looking at Agathos, I noticed that she looked down on us and responded.

I could feel the arrogance in every detail of her words, which was her trait. The reason she didn’t seem harsh was probably because she had no shallowness.

「Yes, that’s right. In fact, at first, he was planning on swallowing up the entire royal capital. You should be grateful to me for giving you enough time to escape. Do you understand? This is a newly born world…It’s like a vessel if you know what I mean. It will keep looking for something to fit in. You’ll only get one chance to escape.」

“It will be all over if you touch it even once”, added Agathos while shaking her lips.

I didn’t understand why this magical devilish being was so kind and polite by giving us the opportunity to escape. However, I knew that it was probably not just a courtesy.

After all, Agathos’ eyes never showed any good or bad feelings toward humans. Her eyes were always looking down on insignificant existences, like rubble and stones. Maybe we were even less than that.

But that’s why her words were true. For Agathos, there was no value or need to deceive humans. It didn’t seem like she had the tendency to lie.

If that was the case, then what I should do had already been decided. I took a deep breath. The pain that went through my entire body somehow kept me conscious.

I could no longer feel my arms, but fortunately my hand was still firmly gripping the sword. It was strange, but I felt like the treasure sword was giving me that much power.

Maybe it was telling me to do my part.

While leaning against Filaret, I managed to get my swaying legs to stand up. I wanted some chewing tobacco, but perhaps that was too much of a luxury right now.

Eldith spoke beside me, widening her blue eyes. I felt her slender fingers touching my arm lightly.

「Lugis. Why are you trying to move forward? 」

Eldith’s fingertips grabbed my arm while digging her fingernails into my skin. I didn’t even realize how much force she used. Judging by the way Eldith’s blue eyes were distorted, it seemed like she had no intention of letting me go.

Even if she didn’t say it clearly, I could tell what she meant by just her action. The Queen of Elves had told me not to move any further.

In a sense, it was natural. After all, I was about to jump into something that was said to kill me if I got swallowed in it. If people saw me from the outside, they’d see me as nothing more than a suicidal person. Filaret didn’t say anything to me, but she also took my arm in order to stop me from moving.

They were definitely showing goodwill. However, they couldn’t stop me.

「…I wouldn’t have done this by any means. But it’s now or never. 」

I forced myself to swallow a shaky breath and opened my mouth.

I never said that running away was a bad choice. Sometimes it was necessary and sometimes it was a wise decision despite the humiliation and anger.

But there were some things I couldn’t forget if I decided to escape.

Running away meant turning your back on someone. If you did so, that someone would definitely catch up with you at some point to haunt you.

No matter how much I tried to give up, run away, and turn a blind eye. At some point, my horrifying past would crawl out from under the ground and cling to my feet. And then, I’d be forced to have the worst possible encounter.

Ah, now I realized. My whole life had been a repeat of those actions. Just run away, give up, and then meet it in the worst possible way.

Even now, I was still being forced to face a scenario where I had to escape. But I refused; there was no way I’d run away again.

I answered back, breathing heavily while sweat dripped down my cheeks. The smell of soot covered the tip of my nose.

「Listen to what I have to say, Eldith. Now is the best opportunity. Out of the worst, now is the best. I have to do it here and now because it’s going to catch up with me eventually.」

Besides, even if I managed to escape now, that deadly threat would eventually catch up with me. I’d have to live in fear. It meant that I’d live each day with my heart frozen, wondering when the past would touch my shoulder.

I couldn’t let that happen again. Never again.

I took a step forward while keeping the tip of the treasure sword facing the ground. The small world was just a few steps away.

That world emitted a wind that engulfed the surroundings. The sound of the wind echoed through the throne room. It was so strong that it was already hard for me to hear the sounds around me.

However, a voice seemed to cut through that wind. It was a dignified yet familiar voice.

…What a terrible situation. But it’s not bad either. If you want to move forward, then I’ll create a path for you.

In a moment, the dark scarlet’s flash passed through my field of vision. It cut through the air, shot through the distance, and exploded.

A magical strangeness leaked from the tip of the dark scarlet sword. It aimed straight at the throne where the sphere was located. The small world that Drigman had created, which was called the demonic vessel, was about to be destroyed.

I didn’t know what it was. But I knew exactly who had done it. Something cold caressed the back of my neck.

Before my eyes, the dark scarlet stirred when its fangs reached the small world. A roaring sound, as if two strong forces were colliding directly, hit the back of my ears. I felt that the wind blowing around me became even stronger.

Next, the small world swallowed even the dark flash, increasing its majesty once again. It wasn’t enough. I could see that it was steadily moving into this realm by consuming it.

I unconsciously bit my molars and waited for her voice without realizing it.

「…Lugis. You own me an explanation since you’re trying to annihilate this deadly thing without proper care. But an explanation that resonates well with my heart. 」

My lips curled as I slightly tilted my shoulders in response.

「Please give me a break. I’m trying to be as careful as I can. 」

I thought I heard the words, “You idiot.” The knight that was my shield was holding a dark scarlet sword right next to me. Then, while shaking her silver hair and moving her small lips, she said with her silver eyes staring at both Eldith and Filaret.

「You girls too. Have our words bent this man will even once? 」

Caria added, “I don’t think so.”

It seemed like a lot had been said. Her cheeks involuntarily twitched, and her expression became distorted.

She was doing her best to accept my actions. It felt surreal. I would’ve accepted some kind of advice or disapproval instead of acceptance.

However, seeing as how both Filaret and Eldith were not uttering a word, they were probably of the same opinion as Caria. There was a strange silence for a moment.

I felt like I was able to show the true nature of my comrades in an unexpected place.

In the corner of my eyes, I could see Agathos twisting her eyes skeptically, wondering what we were doing.

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Ahahah, Agathos must think they’re crazy 😀

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