Chapter 95
“I’ll keep my promise, Zion. You can’t go anywhere without me…”
At this point, I must forcefully stop Zion.
Zion is likely overwhelmed with emotions and making a wrong judgment right now.
How can Zion say goodbye to me?
There’s no way that can happen!
If I just hold on a little longer and wait for Zion to calm down, surely Zion will forgive me.
So, if I just keep things like this for a little while…
“……”
Zion, who had been gripping the exit door, slowly lowers her hand.
“Holy Sword Summon.”
And she drew the sword.
Wait, she’s actually wielding it?
What exactly is Zion trying to do right now?
“You really don’t want to believe a word I say, do you?”
Zion, still holding the sword in her right hand, swung it over her left shoulder, stepped forward a little, bent at the waist, and steadied her breathing.
“No Resistance Type Slash.”
Then, Zion swung the sword diagonally. Suddenly…
– Kiiing!!
A sharp tearing sound echoed as the wall of space that had been blocking Zion shattered into pieces.
‘Did she just… cut through space?’
“I told you last time that I let you off easy. This makes three times you didn’t trust me.”
Zion switched the Holy Sword to her opposite hand, bowed her head slightly, but didn’t look back as she swung the exit door wide open.
“You got it wrong again this time, Teacher. Why not go back in time and try again?”
And with that, Zion walked out of the hot spring.
No, this must be a dream. It’s a lie. This can’t be… reality…
I immediately stood up to chase after Zion and left the hot spring, but ultimately couldn’t take a step and froze in place.
What could I even do after finding Zion?
No matter what I say, Zion will no longer believe me.
I can’t persuade her, nor can I hold her back.
There’s nothing left for me to do…
My head droops, and my heart quiets.
In every sense, it feels like I’m done for.
Perhaps this is just the future that was destined to come.
After all, I knew this was bound to happen someday.
I knew it would be exposed eventually…
‘To think I would be the one crumbling at this moment… How painful it is…’
My right arm trembles uncontrollably, making it difficult to move.
The strength leaves my legs, and I collapse to the ground.
My wet body, discarded outside, squeaks and screams.
Did I overthink things while exchanging words with Zion?
No more thoughts come to mind.
Would it be easier if I just lost consciousness and fell?
If that happens, my body would surely suffer severe damage from the cold.
I wouldn’t want to die, but the pain might make me wish for it.
Ah, I already feel a strong urge to die.
But as a doctor, I know.
People are stronger than they realize.
No matter how much shock a healthy person endures, they don’t collapse from it.
Then, just how much pain has Zion been through?
In the end, what I think of is Zion.
I’ve seen that strong Zion trembling, unable to do anything, losing consciousness countless times.
What kind of torment have I inflicted on someone like her…?
It feels like I can’t endure this unless I receive punishment.
If I can’t lose consciousness, then I might as well sleep. If I close my eyes like this…
“……”
Before I knew it, spirits were coming close to me once more, warming my body.
And I started to feel my foggy mind clearing as if they were using some kind of magic.
Is the truth I revealed to Zion what made me like this, and now they can’t bear to see me in pain?
It would have been nice if they could just let me be peaceful… But they won’t even allow that.
“Hah…”
With my mind clearing, I felt my judgment returning.
It would be pointless to blame these spirits.
The one who sinned wasn’t them; it was me.
“……Shall I go back?”
Ultimately, I led my aching legs, stood up, and had no choice but to accelerate my steps.
What a truly disgraceful and miserable ending.
In a world without Zion, what am I supposed to do next?
If only I could really… turn back time.
***
It was late at night, but I exited the hot spring and returned to the kingdom using the Magic Tower.
All the mages capable of activating the Space Movement Array had already left for the day, but I managed to explain my situation to the mage on duty and activate the magic circle myself to return.
Walking alone through the empty night streets, I trudged home.
When I think about what comes next…
Of course, not a single thought came to mind.
A life without Zion—it’s going to take quite some time to adapt.
Is adaptation even possible?
Well, tomorrow’s a holiday, so that won’t be a problem, and then I guess I should return to my usual routine.
Caring for patients, providing treatment, administering rehabilitation, and getting them to exercise…
But is there even meaning in those things? Why have I been doing all that?
‘It was to see the broken things. Because it was what I loved.’
Why on earth do I find enjoyment in such things?
More importantly, what meaning do they have now?
What I love now isn’t any of that.
What I loved, the only thing…
“Zion…”
That which is no longer with me.
The thing I can’t have anymore.
Because of my foolishness and stupidity, it slipped from my hands,
The most precious and beautiful thing in the world…
“Huh…”
Suddenly, tears poured from my eyes, blinding me.
My diaphragm convulsed as if it had a mind of its own, making it hard to breathe.
A sound like air escaping from a broken instrument accompanied my scream.
The moment I first met Zion, the time we spent together, from mundane daily life to special memories…
They all rushed through my mind like a lantern flickering past.
As if they too were trying to leave me behind…
My whole body and mind became filled with an empty feeling as if I had been hollowed out, and everything, my body and my thoughts, slipped out of control, convulsing or running wild.
And in the final moment, it all erupted…
“……”
There was nothing.
Nothing but the tears that were gushing from my eyes.
It was truly like my entire body had become hollowed out, incredibly nothing else sprang forth, but…
“Khak…”
A lamenting cry and tremor barely escaped.
Why? Why did this happen?
How could something like this happen to me…?
“Looks like you came on your own, Teacher.”
“?”
A voice echoed from somewhere.
This voice is…
It was a voice I knew.
And as if there was no need to recall whose voice it was, the owner of the voice had approached me while I was blinded by tears.
“Mirae. Why are you in my house?”
“Where’s the Hero? Hasn’t he returned to the kingdom?”
Out of nowhere, Mirae asked about Zion’s whereabouts.
What on earth is going on?
There were countless things I wanted to ask her, but with the first question, Mirae was already responding with another question.
Looks like she has no intention of answering me.
“Mirae, this is none of your business. So please leave quickly.”
This feels ominous. Something feels off. The atmosphere and her tone are different from Mirae’s usual self.
What in the world is happening?
Why are such strange things happening on the same day…?
“I didn’t mean to pry. I already knew you came back alone.”
Though my house was dark without any lights on, I could clearly see that Mirae’s appearance was changing.
It was only expected since the only source of light in this room was Mirae herself.
A pink light, like magic, radiated from her entire body, and the usual nurse maid outfit vanished without a trace, replaced by a dark robe adorned with various golden decorations.
Before I realized, horns had sprouted from Mirae’s head, and her tied-up hair had come undone, flowing down to her shoulders in long pink waves.
And in her right hand, a small wand filled with ominous magic.
This appearance… she’s not human. Why is Mirae…!
“If the Holy Sword isn’t in the capital, then I guess it’s fine to use my powers? Nice to meet you, Teacher. This is my first time showing you this side. Oh, I guess I don’t need to call you Teacher anymore?”
Mirae, revealing her true self, was undeniably a demon.
And not just any demon.
At a glance, she was endlessly close to human and could hide her identity in front of the Holy Sword, a high-ranking demon.
A demon of at least the legion commander level, why is she in my home, no, why was Mirae, the one I thought I knew, by my side all along?
“Don’t you have any comments? You’re not saying anything? Well, it doesn’t matter. I won the gamble. I was faster, Hop Harvey. This tedious chase ends here. You are going to die without recalling anything.”
What did Mirae just say? Die? Me?
She pointed the wand towards me with an unfazed expression.
That means Mirae is… trying to kill me?
“Annihilation.”
“Severance.”
Though it seemed Mirae cast some kind of magic, I was able to quickly sever the space between us.
No matter how strong a demon is, that defense cannot be broken. Unless they are a fellow adept in space…
“Connection.”
What did she just say?
The severed space instantly returned to its original state with Mirae’s incantation.
Could she be manipulating space?
I need to quickly come up with something…!
“Fix coordinates, seal rifts, amplify spatial density.”
Just as I was starting to come up with a plan, Mirae cast a threefold spell to stabilize the space, preventing me from using spatial magic anymore.
She’s a higher adept in space than I am! That means now I can’t do anything…
“Goodbye, Doctor. Unlike the usual times, I won’t let you open your eyes again.”
