87

-Mom, I have something to tell you.

I stroll through the forest and then break into a run.

The strong wind chasing me brushes against my face.

"Alina… a little faster…!!"

"Understood. Hold on tight, Miss."

With a single snap of the reins from Alina, the horse sped up, galloping even faster.

-Athena… she might die soon.

Grit—

Overwhelmed with anxiety, I clung tighter to Alina's waist.

Since hearing Mari's words, we hadn't stopped running.

'No.'

That can't be true.

Athena, dying? Impossible.

But her sudden change in behavior, and the way she let go of me without any hesitation, kept gnawing at me.

Mari, who had returned to her dragon form, perched on my shoulder. She rubbed her tiny face against my cheek as if to calm me down.

"Heh…heh! Can't we slow down a little?"

Sephir, flying beside us with flapping wings, gasped heavily as she spoke.

She was sweating profusely, her face showing sheer exhaustion.

It wasn't surprising. We had been running non-stop for hours.

"…Sorry, Sephir. We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer!"

I turned my gaze forward again.

In the distance, the outline of Athena's mansion slowly came into view.

I never imagined we'd return here so soon, but I couldn't ignore Mari's words.

'Just see her face… then leave again.'

I didn't want to be here any more than I had to.

I just needed to resolve this uneasy feeling, confirm she was safe, and leave.

"We've arrived, Miss."

The mansion's front gate came into view.

I quickly dismounted and ran toward it.

But before I could step inside, I encountered someone completely unexpected.

A towering figure.

A man wearing a flowing, Japanese-style kimono.

"…Who… are you?"

"It's been a while, young lady."

His straw hat was pulled low, obscuring his face.

However, the thick beard and the mysterious aura surrounding him left no doubt about his identity.

"…Sword Saint."

He glanced at Mari, perched on my shoulder, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Unbelievable. To have a dragon, a calamity of nature, by your side. Who exactly are you, young lady?"

"Why are you here?"

At my question, the Sword Saint sighed and pulled a small piece of paper from his robe.

"I received this message."

When he handed me the paper, I saw only a single, short word scribbled on it:

-Don't look for me.

"…What?"

"Concerned, I came to find her, but Athena is no longer here," the Sword Saint said, removing his straw hat.

"Young lady, did something happen between you two?"

He looked at me, waiting for an answer.

However, the look in his eyes as he spoke already seemed to know everything. He gazed at me with a mournful expression.

I told him.

About what happened with Athena.

Of course, I didn't tell him everything.

The events with Athena were something I didn't even want to put into words.

But I explained to him that I could no longer stay by her side, the color of the soul Mari had seen in her, and what it might mean.

Since he was one of the few people close to Athena, I thought he deserved to know at least this much.

"I see,"

He said, a faint, bitter smile crossing his face.

The swordmaster, laughing wryly.

'This isn't the time for this.'

The reason the swordmaster came here wasn't important.

What was driving me to the brink of madness with fear was the fact that Athena wasn't here.

Athena's sudden change in demeanor. The color of the soul Mari had seen. The note she left for the swordmaster.

All of it was making me increasingly anxious.

"Athena… Do you know where Athena is?"

When I asked him urgently, he pondered deeply for a moment before letting out a long sigh and speaking.

"I have an idea. But…"

His words sparked a glimmer of hope within me.

"Where is it?!"

He hesitated momentarily without answering, but after seeing the desperation on my face, he finally spoke.

"Athena isn't the type to end her life willingly. But throwing her life away in a reckless battle? That, she might do."

"…A battle?"

"Yes. A fight to the death."

A battle where Athena could lose her life?

Even the protagonist couldn't stand against her.

Who in the world could possibly defeat someone like her?

"There's only one."

He paused before continuing, his voice steady.

"Our enemy and the embodiment of overwhelming power. A terrifying existence."

His words struck me like lightning.

There was one.

Someone even Athena, once hailed as invincible, could never defeat.

"…The Demon King?"

"It's only a guess," he replied.

"But if she's truly decided to throw her life away, then that's the most likely opponent."

"And even if that's the case, there's nothing we can do. The Demon Realm isn't a place one can simply walk into."

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded violently.

Anxiety was slowly morphing into reality, tightening its grip around me.

"No… It can't be."

The Demon Realm.

A place where no one but demons could enter freely. Even if someone managed to enter, survival was nearly impossible.

And yet, did she go there alone?

Really, just to die?

…No, Athena.

You're not seriously thinking something so foolish, are you?

But whether it was true or not, there was no way to confirm it.

As Carlos said, the demon world is a different place that can only be reached through magic.

If you try to walk there directly, you must go somewhere through a passage of the underworld known only to certain people.

"Demon world…demon world…how…"

As I was anxiously worrying and biting my nails.

"Um…there…"

Sephir, who had been standing quietly behind me, cautiously revealed her pink hair.

"Hmm?"

Carlos frowned at Sephir and then touched his sword sheath.

Then, a sharp aura began to swirl around him.

"It seems I have rusted a lot, not even noticing a demon next to me."

"Yikes?! Wait a moment?!!!!!"

"Quiet."

As Carlos drew his sword.

A chilling sound was followed by the appearance of a bright white blade.

"Sto…stop him, Hera!!"

Sephir, who was terrified by Carlos's murderous intent, quickly ran behind me and started trembling.

"Typical of a demon, hiding behind a good person. It's useless. There's nowhere my sword can't reach."

"Wait?! Wait!!!!!!!"

"Don't worry, miss. It will be over in a moment."

"…"

"Wait a moment, Lord Carlos"

Just as I was about to explain.

Sephiro, sweating profusely, shook his head vigorously and yelled with his eyes tightly shut.

"If it's the demon world, I can take you there!!!!"

"….Hmm?"

"What..?"

Both Carlos and I exclaimed at the same time.

As I stared at Sephir with wide eyes, she quickly continued to speak urgently.

"I…I used to be a legion commander, so opening a portal to the demon world is something I can easily do..!!"

"Now that I think about it, I seem to have seen her somewhere before."

Carlos stared intently at Sephir for a moment.

Then he turned his gaze to me and asked.

"Miss, do you know her?"

Though it wasn't intentional, I got distracted by Sephir's statement and ignored his question.

I immediately grabbed Sephir's shoulder and asked her.

"Sephir, can you take us to the demon world right now?"

It seemed there was a glimmer of hope in Sephir's words.

As Carlos lowered his murderous intent, Sephir sighed with relief and replied.

"I can take you. But it's very dangerous, Hera."

As soon as Sephir finished speaking, she transformed back into a girl from my shoulder.

"I can protect you."

She looked up at me with clear eyes.

"We have to go, right Mom?"

"Mari…"

Mari was right.

There was no reason to hesitate if it was possible.

Even if Athena wasn't there, I had to check.

And this ominous feeling that kept making me anxious was telling me that we couldn't afford to waste any more time.

I spoke to Sephir in a solemn voice.

"Sephir, take us there now."

"Ugh…"

As Sephir hesitated,

Carlos sheathed his sword and took a step towards us.

"Let's go together. I can keep you alive."

"..Lord Carlos."

He looked down at me with a curious expression.

"It seems you have a strange charm that enthralls life."

"….Yes?"

"Never mind. Let's hurry. I have a bad feeling."

Sephir seemed determined as she tightly held my hand.

"Sigh. Okay. But promise me, Hera."

With that, Sephir spoke to me with a significantly more serious expression than before.

When faced with danger, I'll reopen the door, and you must escape immediately. Got it?

There was no time to hesitate.

I responded to her without delay.

"Yes, I understand."

"And if—just if—you happen to encounter the Demon King, you must leave without looking back."

"Yes."

The Demon King.

A name that resonated with an impact so powerful it made my heart pound, but the anxiety I felt for Athena quickly drowned it out, making it almost forgettable.

With her warnings concluded, Sephir let out a brief sigh, then allowed her mana to flow into the air.

The dispersed mana began to resonate, gradually forming into what looked like a doorway.

Beyond the door was a vast expanse of crimson sky.

Without hesitation, I dashed through the door, silently praying that the Swordmaster's prediction would be wrong.

Yet, as always with ominous premonitions of this kind, they tended to come true.

"Demon King's castle…? Why is it…"

Sephir stood frozen, her gaze trembling as she stared ahead.

In front of us lay the ruins of what could hardly be called a castle anymore, just its remains.

"It's here."

Perhaps because her mana had once resonated within me, I could feel it.

A distinct trace of her mana.

It was as if she were telling me that she was here.

I ran.

Without looking back, I sprinted toward the source of the mana's energy.

Finally, my steps came to a halt.

There, in front of me…

"Athena…"

A woman with crimson hair and massive wings stood before me. Beneath her, Athena lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in blood, her eyes closed as shallow breaths escaped her lips.

"Athena!!!"

From that moment on, instinct took over.

I ran.

Despite Sephir and Alina calling out my name in loud voices, I didn't stop.

I knew what I was doing—running headlong toward the Demon King with no protection.

Had I possessed even an ounce of caution, I wouldn't have made such a reckless choice.

But the sight of Athena, who looked like she could die at any moment, clouded my mind and left no room for rational thought.

The Demon King turned to face me.

Her eyes—crimson like mine but darker, almost black—widened as they met mine.

But only for a moment.

"I leave Athena to you."

With just those brief words, the Swordmaster darted forward with such speed that my eyes couldn't keep up, crashing into the Demon King like a bullet. In an instant, the two disappeared into the distance.

I rushed to Athena, lying in the space where the Demon King had been. Kneeling, I frantically checked her condition.

Her body was in tatters.

The ground beneath her pooled with her blood.

Her eyes remained firmly closed, her body unmoving.

"No… No… Athena… Athena!!!"

There was no response.

No matter how much I shook her body, no matter how many times I called out to her, her faint, fragile breaths were all that answered. Her eyes stayed peacefully shut.

"Please… Athena!!!"

Tears welled up in my eyes from fear, but I held them back, calling out to her again.

"Heal."

Mari had approached silently and placed her hand on Athena's body, her expression dark as she began to heal her.

"Mom, we need to wake her up first," Mari said.

I didn't hesitate to call out to her again.

Yet no matter how many times I shouted or shook her, Athena's eyes remained closed, her body still.

Anger welled up within me as I looked at her.

How dare she.

How dare she throw my heart into turmoil and try to leave me like this.

Finally, unable to hold back, I yelled.

"Hey, you selfish idiot!!!"

Smack—!

With a slap hard enough to leave a burning handprint, I struck her cheek.

And then—

"…Hera…?"

Her golden eyes fluttered open, returning to the world once more.