The moment Zhong died, the smile beneath Cirian's hat brim vanished completely.
She turned her head to look into the distance.
“Gluttony is gone? What the hell is the point then?”
She cursed irritably.
“Time to go, time to make a run for it.”
She snapped her fingers.
The shadow beneath her feet expanded abruptly, swallowing her whole. The shadow wriggled on the ground for two or three seconds before vanishing completely.
In Renn's field of vision, the shadow barrier enveloping the entire alleyway also shattered.
Moonlight streamed in once more, and the outline of the ruins emerged clearly.
Without hesitation, he turned and ran toward the main street.
He crossed three streets and bypassed two collapsed houses. Something lingered in the air in the distance—a heavy scent of rust mixed with the smell of scorched stone slabs.
Then he saw her.
Esper was kneeling on one knee in the center of the ruins, her right hand propping up the Holy Sword which was stabbed into the ground, and her left hand clutching her side.
Even though her injuries had been healed through the resonance of 'blood', the pain from being scalded by high-temperature steam and directly hit by the warhammer still remained.
After the battle ended, along with the departure of 'blood', that piercing pain flooded back into her mind.
Then, Renn saw her eyes.
They were red.
Renn's hand rested on his sword hilt.
Esper raised her head, seeing his movement and his expression.
“You saw?”
Her voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like her own.
Renn nodded.
“So, are you going to kill me?”
“...No.”
He fell silent for a moment, then let go of his hilt.
“Killing demons on sight is the rule of the Holy Spirit Knights. The rule of the Roundtable Knights is to fight for honor and the weak.”
“Hah, you certainly know how to interpret things.”
Esper coughed, trying to stand up, but her legs gave out and she fell back to her knees.
Renn stepped forward, squatted down, and pulled a small vial of potion from his waist, handing it over.
“Drink this.”
“It's not poison, is it?”
“If I wanted to kill you now, I wouldn't need to go to such lengths.”
“Tch.”
She took the potion, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. The bitter liquid slid down her throat, making her face scrunch up. However, the dull ache in her waist did ease up considerably.
“Thanks.”
“Don't mention it.”
Renn stood up and looked around, his gaze lingering for a second or two on the dried black bloodstains.
“You don't look too good. Did the enemy on your side run away?” Esper asked, rubbing her sore muscles.
“Yeah. Mid-rank Abomination Herder Cirian. She cursed and retreated.”
Renn fell silent again for a moment.
“But I will catch up to her.”
“So now you have another girl to chase? First the crazy senior, now an evil witch?”
Renn didn't laugh, nor did he reply. He simply cast his gaze toward the gray horizon in the distance.
...
When she returned to the tavern, Esper had changed into a long robe she salvaged from the ruins, mostly covering her injuries.
The instant she pushed the door open, Eladia, who was sitting on a chair in the corner, suddenly raised her head.
Her sky-blue eyes, which had been blank and lifeless, seemed to suddenly light up the moment she saw Esper walk in.
Then, she just kept staring at her face.
Staring intently.
“Hey, what is it?”
Esper felt goosebumps break out across her back under that intense gaze.
She believed she had hidden everything that might cause concern.
Her external injuries were covered, the blood was washed off, and her expression was kept under control.
Eladia stared for a while longer.
“Esper... your eyes...”
Ah.
Right. Her disguise hadn't been restored yet.
Renn's attitude earlier had been so natural that she had completely forgotten about it.
“Good thing no one else saw...”
She muttered as she closed her eyes, focusing her attention to get her magic circulating again.
When she opened them again, her pupils had returned to a deep brown.
“This should be fine now, right?”
“Mm...”
Eladia nodded vigorously.
“So you were staring at my eyes just now?”
“Mm... I think red eyes are really pretty... but you usually disguise them as brown... so I rarely get a chance to see them...”
“Are you praising me?”
“Yes...”
“Thanks.”
Esper sighed, leaning against the window.
Day was about to break.
...
Once dawn broke, things became trivial.
The chief of the Adventurer's Guild walked over with a commission slip and a bag of gold coins, his hands still trembling as he stuffed the coin pouch into Esper's hands.
“Holy shit, you guys actually killed that thing?”
“Yeah.”
“You youngsters really deliver.”
Esper weighed the pouch; it felt like there were about fifty gold coins inside.
“Don't look down on the amount. It was originally a commission issued by a lord of a small region.”
The chief smiled helplessly.
The hunter stood by the counter. After hearing how things went down, he fell silent for a long time. Then he turned his head away and wiped his face hard with his sleeve.
“At least that thing is dead.”
Once the hunter left, Amy from the bakery arrived.
She brought a basket of bread. It was still steaming, fresh out of the oven.
Amy didn't say a word. She simply placed the basket on the table, glanced at Esper, nodded, and left.
The bread was delicious.
Truly delicious.
The crust was slightly crispy, the inside soft and fluffy, and steam billowed out when it was torn open.
Even Eladia ate a few extra.
After they finished the bread, Nar's mother arrived.
The woman carried a bowl of clear water, standing before Esper.
Her eyes were still red, but her expression had calmed down.
“Please allow me to perform a simple blessing for you.”
“I don't believe in the Church of Radiance.”
“This isn't a ritual of the Church of Radiance. It's just a custom passed down in our town. It uses water.”
Esper hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The woman dipped her finger into the clear water and lightly drew a circle on Esper's forehead.
“O Hero, may you never see a child's tears again on your journey hereafter.”
...
It was about time.
Outside the tavern, Esper carried her tattered pack on her back, the Holy Sword floating behind her.
Renn stood beside her, organizing his gear.
Eladia stood on the other side, still holding a half-eaten piece of bread, nibbling on it bite by bite like a hamster.
“Oh, right.”
Esper remembered something.
“Where's the messenger? The one sent out yesterday.”
Just as she spoke, the sound of hooves echoed from the direction of the town entrance.
The young messenger, riding a lean horse and drenched in sweat, rushed in with a letter clutched in his hand.
“I'm back! I'm back!”
He flipped off his horse, almost eating dirt, and stumbled over to the chief.
“Reporting! Regarding the reinforcements, when they heard the Annihilation Knight was here, they said they didn't need to come!”
“You're quite famous, aren't you?”
Esper raised an eyebrow.
“It is but an empty title.”
Renn's expression remained unchanged.
“But, but, but, they gave us this!”
A commission slip, along with several documents stacked underneath, was handed over by the messenger.
The chief took them, glanced through them, frowned, and handed them to Esper.
Esper scanned the contents.
The next confirmed target of the death marchers.
Unlike Zhong, this person had very distinct features.
Kaylar, female. A gray-haired dwarf. Rank Six. Carrying a hammer.
No corresponding historical prototype could be found, but she carried the aura of the Black Tide.
She flipped to the back.
The sighting location was an area about two days' journey north of Hart Town.
Renn leaned over to take a look.
“...This direction. It's the same direction Senior went when she finally left.”
“Hmm?”
“Yulia Wagner is very likely in the region north of Hart Town right now.”
Esper looked at Renn, then at the commission slip.
“So you're going to travel with us?”
“Just traveling together temporarily. If you don't mind.”
“Would it matter if I minded? You're going there anyway.”
“Yeah, so it wouldn't matter.”
“Then why are you being so polite?”
“I am a knight.”
“Stiff.”
Esper folded the commission slip, stuffed it into her pocket, and turned to look at Eladia.
“Let's go.”
“Mm.”
Eladia stuffed the last bite of bread into her mouth, her cheeks bulging, turning her into a squirrel.
...
Before stepping out of Hart Town, Esper did one last thing.
She drew the Holy Sword and held it before her eyes.
The glow on the blade had subsided, but the moment she gazed at it, she could feel that something had remained inside.
『Gluttony』
Zhong's Authority, through the recording function of the Holy Sword, had been preserved within the blade.
She still didn't know how to use it, or even if she could.
But it was indeed there.
Inherited by her.
By absorbing Zhong's power, Esper's magic reserves had also reached the peak of Rank Six.
She was only a step away from Rank Seven.
However, even if it was just a step away, it was still an unbroken barrier.
For now, this would do.
“...I wonder what the difference in meaning is between this and Greed.”
Esper returned the Holy Sword to her back and stepped out of Hart Town's gates.
On the wild grassy slope east of the town, the fragment of the cloak tied to Ade's tombstone swayed gently in the breeze.
A final farewell to someone she would never see again.
Rate on N.U.
