༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (53) ༻
Did I want to win?
Of course, I did.
I had to win by any means necessary and crush them so thoroughly that they would never dare to oppose me again.
It was a burning emotion that had taken root deep within my heart long before I even realized it.
It was the only way I could protect those dear to me.
This fierce emotion seized me, causing me to momentarily hold my breath as Mitram’s honeyed whispers filled my ears.
“Rage. Hatred. Surrender to those emotions… Morals? Ethics? Do you believe they can change the world? No, they’re all meaningless.”
I struggled to rise, the urge to scream at her to cease her bullshit welling within me, but the woman’s hand pressed down on my shoulder, forcing me back down.
Having reached my breaking point, my vision gradually dimmed as I lost the strength to keep my eyes open.
Even till the end, her smile loomed large in my sight.
“And isn’t it what you’ve always done?”
Her words momentarily quelled the surge of anger rising within me.
Always done?
That’s right, I had always succumbed to my emotions and acted upon them.
“Just surrender to your fury and kill to your heart’s content. Now, here… unleash all your wrath upon me.”
Mitram’s laughter faded into the background.
My thoughts grew hazy, and my head drooped to the ground as the tension drained from my body.
Haven’t I done enough?
I had achieved feats beyond my humble origins as the son of a rural viscount. Now, I simply felt drained.
And although I had pretended otherwise, the conflict with the princess left deep scars. My loved ones were hurt, and they might still be suffering. It was too steep a price to pay for something so vague and surreal as ‘the end of the world.’
In comparison, hatred and murderous urges were straightforward and just so, so clear.
To kill someone required only a single thought. Then, everything would be resolved, and my heart would find solace.
Strength surged into my sword hand as mana raged around me.
Like a chilling tempest sweeping across a plateau, an eerie gale roared ferociously within the tunnel.
Mitram retreated, her eyes alight with ecstasy.
Aura began enveloping the sword. But instead of the usual brilliant silver, the light grew murky, eventually darkening to a somber gray.
Its intensity and presence were incomparable to before.
Kill.
That singular thought consumed my mind, materializing on the blade before me.
Hatred and the desire to kill surged uncontrollably within me as my vision tinged red and my breaths grew ragged.
The tunnel reverberated once more, emitting another ominous cry.
Time was running out.
-Duduk. Duduk.
Using the sword as a crutch, I forcibly steadied my trembling legs.
The blade stumbled several times, gouging the ground at awkward angles, yet I managed to stand firm.
“Oh, how utterly splendid… Ian Percus, have you finally embraced your true nature?”
Mitram stood before me with a radiant smile.
“…Fine.”
Let’s enjoy killing each other.
Mitram danced with joy as she summoned more threads of mana.
If before, I was trying to avoid them, I was now prepared to retaliate.
My eyes captured every movement, tracing the myriad trajectories weaving through space.
There.
The convoluted paths converged at a single point.
My sword descended with unwavering resolve.
Dozens of mana strands lost their power and dissipated as the sound of my blade cleaving through everything in its path filled the air.
A few persisted, but I was faster.
A shockwave of dirt erupted, and the surrounding space became compressed as I launched myself off the ground.
In an instant, I had closed the distance between us.
Swinging my sword at the woman who still wore a grin, it left a trail of light as it closed in on its target.
With a little more force, she would meet her end.
But at that moment, a voice echoed within my mind.
“…Ian Percus.”
Time seemed to freeze.
The world dissolved into a blank white expanse as countless memories overlapped, voices clamoring in discordant harmony.
I futilely scanned around, feeling like a criminal standing before a jury.
Unfamiliar faces spoke in unison.
“Save the world.”
It was a familiar sensation. I had experienced it numerous times before.
These were ‘my’ memories. Remnants of regret left behind by someone who had made the wrong choices.
Yet, it was this very point that filled me with indignation.
“…Why should I?”
Why must I bear such a heavy and agonizing burden?
I’m just a normal person…
I had never even dreamt of such a grand mission before receiving that letter. It was a task far too immense and burdensome for a simple son of a rural noble.
Yet, despite it all, I had done my best, and this was where it had led me.
The people I cherished had suffered, and my body bore the weight of countless injuries. Even now, I struggled to remain upright.
Regrettably, walking this path of wrath and sin seemed to be my only recourse—the only solution I could envision.
With my resolve firm, I clenched my teeth and infused more strength into the sword.
The gray aura enveloping the sword whipped up a fierce storm.
Now, everything would reach its conclusion once the sword completed its arc.
It was at that moment.
Just as everything seemed poised for an irreversible outcome, a fleeting thought crossed my mind.
What would have happened if I had killed Senior Delphine?
Granted, I had never even harbored a hint of intent to kill her during the Hunting Festival, and such an act would undoubtedly have dire consequences.
However, Seria’s frightened face from that time flooded my thoughts.
Recalling her terrified expression, my sword and my arm slightly faltered.
And back when the Saintess had questioned my motives for going to such lengths to save the orphans, I had responded with arrogance.
“Immanuel, the Lord be with us.”
With each clash of thoughts and memories, the sword trembled in tandem with my hand.
Emma, the woman I had rescued of my own volition, embraced me, rousing me from my trance.
“You’re someone who saves lives.”
“Huu…”
I exhaled deeply.
The blinding world around me crumbled away.
Mitram, who had been watching me expectantly, tilted her head in confusion.
The aura surrounding my sword gradually regained its former brilliance, shifting from gray back to silver.
My smirk tugged at my lips as I processed all the information thus far.
Until now, I had been blindly consumed by battle, but as I gathered my thoughts, all the subtle clues she had exhibited began to surface.
Instead of following through with my swing, I seized her by the collar.
“…You’ve left an escape, after all.”
The underground passageway trembled violently, signaling its imminent collapse.
Piles of dirt had accumulated up to our knees, and judging by the debris falling from the ceiling, it appeared more prone to collapse.
However, she merely chuckled, feigning ignorance.
“Ian Percus, if you’re trying to joke-“
“You keep talking as if I’m going to make it out alive.”
Her eerie grin froze, and her mocking laughter ceased abruptly.
“If that were the case, you wouldn’t need to persuade me, would you? I don’t know what game you’re playing… but it seems you’ve at least left a way out.”
Mitram promptly burst into laughter.
“Do you want to know, Ian Percus? Surely, you desire to live as well. Now, just make a contract with m-“
-Swik!
My sword cleaved through her neck.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She attempted to retaliate in her final moments, but I was quicker.
Adhiṭṭhāna.
I still didn’t know the path I had to take.
But merely determining the general direction ignited my aura with an intense light.
Not even the sturdy mana thread could withstand the manifestation of my will.
Mitram’s head rolled on the ground.
With the mana thread severed, her body failed to regenerate, collapsing limply after a brief moment of flailing in disbelief.
Only then did I respond.
“…No need.”
It was a better use of my time to study the area than to argue with her.
In any case, it was obvious that any ‘contract’ with the Dark Order would only lead to regrets. I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such an obvious trap.
My gaze shifted to the ceiling.
An unusual amount of dirt was falling.
Initially attributing it to gravity, I soon realized the ceiling was collapsing at an alarming rate.
With no time to spare, I climbed atop the fallen debris. The tallest mound of dirt had already reached halfway to the ceiling.
Then, a giggle echoed from behind.
“…Ian Percus.”
Glancing over my shoulder, Mitram’s head stared back with a rigid grin, her power fading away.
“Anyhow, this appears to be the limit for a vessel… But don’t be too lonely, I’ll be seeing you soon.”
She was as tenacious as a cockroach.
I responded to her farewell with a hatchet.
Her skull shattered, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.
“…Fuck off.”
As I caught the returning hatchet, my body fell forward.
A heavy mass of dirt had collapsed onto my back.
A fleeting light flickered in my vision, but with my strength waning, consciousness began to slip away.
Only a desperate voice lingered in my ears, an echo fading into darkness.
“Hm? Kyaaaaaah! W-What happened- Huh? I-Ian? Ian! N-No… Priests… Gather the other priests immediately!!”
The world plunged into darkness as my consciousness faded—unaware of how the relationships between the princess and those around me would change.
This marked the end of yet another story.
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