Chapter 127 - The End Of War, Part 3

Van returned to the guild, stepping before the front entrance.

'I bet there'll be a mess… or not. I did leave in a hurry.'

His thoughts flickered to Mika and Rika's shaken expressions.

'Was it right to just leave them like that?'

His mind instinctively wandered to Amoria's reaction to the news.

'She knew about it and took it calmly… Maybe knowing in advance helped. I hope it did the same for those two.'

Guilt gnawed at him as he took a few steps forward.

'I shouldn't have left them in that state. But I couldn't risk that boy dying. That, plus… I told them about me and Alicia.'

A sigh escaped him.

'Maybe I've said it too abruptly. But if I didn't do it now, I probably never would've…'

His gaze lifted as he reached the guild doors.

'Walk in. Let's finish this.'

He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

Marcy's head snapped up at the sound of the doors. Her eyes landed on Van.

"Oh, didn't notice you left," she muttered, then frowned. "Where's Michael?"

Van's gaze flicked around.

'…So Mika and Rika left without saying anything.'

A quiet sigh of relief. 'Good.'

"He had to leave," Van said simply, walking past the counter.

Marcy squinted at him. "What did you two talk about that was so important? And I know you or something blocked the sound." Her tone was almost accusatory.

Van barely reacted. "I'll tell you soon. It's not urgent right now."

He stopped in front of her.

Marcy hummed, narrowing her eyes. "Fine. But I will ask. I find the whole thing suspicious. And if I don't hear it from you, I'll get it out of that boy."

"Fair enough." Van said, still standing in front of her, looking into her eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. "Want something else?"

Van hesitated, then exhaled. "…You're a great mother."

Marcy's eyes widened.

"Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

A brief silence. Then, she scoffed, shaking her head awkwardly. "A-are you seriously still upset about that? Chillax, it's water under the bridge, I'm not mad anymore—"

She cut off mid-sentence.

Van's grip tightened around her shoulders.

Even she couldn't shake him off.

"Marcy." His voice was steady, his gaze firm.

For a moment, she stilled, caught off guard.

"You have no idea how much I'd give to take Anne's place as your child."

Marcy's lips parted slightly.

"You're worth more than you can imagine in my eyes. I want you to know that. Okay? And what I said last night? I meant none of it."

Her face flushed red.

She pushed at him—or tried to.

Van didn't budge.

Instead, she stumbled back, flustered.

"J-Just… Woah. What's… gotten into you all of a sudden…?" She looked away, awkward. "I know that already."

Van held her gaze for a moment longer.

"…Alright."

'Then, goodbye, Marcy.'

His fingers subtly curled, preparing to activate [Hard Swing]—to erase Magus's influence.

But—

"Miss Marcy, Anne is awake!"

Misa's voice rang from upstairs.

Van froze mid-motion, lowering his hand.

Both he and Marcy turned toward Misa.

"C-Come on…" Marcy murmured, gently nudging his shoulder with her elbow. "She's gonna want to see you."

Van watched her head toward the stairs.

Then, with a sigh, he followed.

-----------------------------------

Marcy sat beside Anne, gently patting her head.

"M... Mom...?" Anne murmured, her voice weak and weary.

"I'm here, girl," Marcy said softly, stroking her hair. "Why the hell did you wake up? You should go back to sleep." Her tone was almost scolding, but her eyes were gentle.

"I... I had a nightmare."

The room grew heavy. No one spoke.

Marcy exhaled. "Well, it's over now. We found out about the brand—and we removed it from all of you."

Anne's breath hitched. Her eyes widened as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Ah... I... Mom... I..." She gasped between sobs, her words breaking apart. "I was... so, so scared... Th-thank you... haaaah..."

Marcy pulled her into a firm embrace, pressing Anne's head against her chest.

"Shhhh... It's okay. I'm here." She whispered, her fingers threading through Anne's hair.

"This... Oh... This is real, right? I'm... This... I'm not dreaming, am I?" Anne clung to her mother, her voice trembling.

"Of course not. You're safe now. This is real." Marcy reassured, holding her closer.

Across the room, Lizzy lay curled up, facing away from them.

Van's gaze flickered to her. With his enhanced perception, he caught the faintest sound—quiet, muffled sobs. She was trying not to interrupt Anne and Marcy.

After several long minutes, Anne's crying softened. Marcy, still cradling her, turned her attention to Van.

"V-... Van...?" Anne's voice wavered as her eyes landed on him, widening in surprise.

He gave a small nod. "Hey there."

Slowly, he approached, kneeling beside Marcy.

'There it is…' Van noted as his eyes locked onto the faint pink mist surrounding their heads. It was subtle, just like it had been with Misa.

'Well, either way—it's overstayed its welcome.'

Raising a hand, he gently waved his palm near Anne's head. The mist scattered and vanished.

"H-huh...?" Anne blinked, confused by the gesture.

Marcy tilted her head. "What was that?"

Van ignored the question, shifting toward Lizzy. She flinched as he moved.

He flicked his wrist, dispelling the mist above her as well.

From across the room, Misa watched carefully. "...Let me guess," she said, eyeing him. "A fly again?"

Van shrugged. "Something like that."

"O... kay..." Marcy muttered, still puzzled but shaking it off. Then, her expression lightened, and she smirked.

"Anyway, it's thanks to this guy that you're free."

Anne's eyes widened. Her gaze snapped to Van as she slowly tried to prop herself up.

Meanwhile, Lizzy flinched subtly at the words.

'Him…? He… saved us?'

She swallowed, recalling that night in her room. His words echoed in her mind—the reason he'd pushed Michael away.

'I'll take cruel if it means you get some sleep.'

Her fingers clenched the sheets.

'He… meant it, huh?'

Biting her lip, she gripped the fabric tighter.

"Anne, what are you doing? You need to lie down!"

"I... I know, Mom... It's just..." Anne sat up, her tired eyes locking onto Van.

She hesitated. "I... stood you up on our date."

Van blinked—then chuckled.

"Oh yeah," he said lightly. "I was so heartbroken that I..."

He trailed off.

What sounds cool and reassuring—but not flirtatious?

Nothing came to mind.

Van awkwardly went silent.

"Never mind. I'm just glad you're okay. Think nothing of i—"

Before he could finish, Anne and Marcy giggled.

"Since you're heartbroken," Anne rasped with a small smile, "I'll make it up to you. After I get some sleep, I'll take you out on a real date. I swear to you."

Van's smirk faded.

"I..." He exhaled, his expression shifting.

Marcy narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I can't."

Anne tilted her head, confused. "You... you don't want to?"

Van's gaze flicked toward Marcy.

"It's not that," he murmured. "My father leaves the capital today. And I'm going with him."

A sharp silence filled the room.

"What...?" Anne's voice barely rose above a whisper. Her eyes widened.

Across the room, Lizzy's fingers curled into her sheets.

'He's... leaving?'

'I… I didn't even get to thank him…'

Marcy sighed. "You rest for a bit, Anne. I need to have a chat with Van here—see if I can talk some sense into both him and his helmet-head of a dad."

Anne nodded slowly, her eyes clouded with uncertainty.

Van turned as Marcy stepped past him, leading him toward the door. He followed without a word, closing it behind them.

Anne wanted to believe her mother could fix this.

But something told her even Marcy wouldn't be able to change his mind.

-------------

"I need to kill the Dragon King. You know that." Van said, his tone firm.

Marcy folded her arms, narrowing her gaze. "I get it. But something tells me that's not everything. You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Van exhaled. "As I clarified that night—everyone has their secrets."

She sighed in frustration, but before she could respond, Van cut her off. "But you deserve to know this one."

Marcy stilled, her attention locking onto him.

Van puffed his chest. "Remember the Demon Lord?"

"What about her?"

"I married her."

Marcy blinked. "What?"

"I married the Demon Lord. Our archnemesis. Married her. Her husband. Me."

"... Ah."

A silence stretched between them.

"... Well?" Van prompted.

Marcy pursed her lips, but her expression remained casual. "I know you're not lying... Uhh..." She scratched her head. "Huh."

As if a lightbulb went off, she muttered, "Is that why the demons are—"

"Yep." Van nodded. "They came to get me. Stayed as a gesture of goodwill. Now that the Holy Church's corruption is gone and Amoria's in charge, they can uncover the Gate's power freely. I can go kill the Dragon King, maybe find out more from him, but then... I'm going back to the Demon Realm."

Marcy stared.

Van raised an eyebrow. "...Kind of expected you to start swinging at me."

Marcy exhaled. "Look... She did some awful shit that I still have trouble forgetting. I'd definitely take a swing at her if I could, but..." She scratched her head, looking up in thought. "She's fucking hot, so I get why you'd wanna wed and bed her... Damn. You're really serious, huh?"

"I am." Van affirmed.

Marcy scoffed, leaning against the door. "Anne's gonna be heartbroken, you know. You're her first boycrush."

"I'm 42, Marcy. Cut it out." Van said flatly.

She smirked. "Yeah, yeah, you and Magus and your odd definitions from your world. What's wrong with a mother wanting a reliable guy who looks the part to date her? And she's almost 17, so stop acting like it's a crime."

"17 is a MINOR."

Marcy lifted an eyebrow, smug. "In my tribe, we married at 13."

Van's expression deadened. "You're omitting the fact that this is exactly why you became a warrior in the first place - so that you could opt out of it. No, we're done talking about this."

"Fine, fine..." She sighed.

"..."

"...I'm gonna miss you, helmet-head." Anne murmured, offering a somber smile.

Van exhaled deeply, lowering his head.

"No. You won't."

He lifted his gaze, his expression firm.

"There's something else you need to know." He said, looking into her eyes.

"It's about Magus."