Chapter 73
The man’s eyes temporarily regained their light.
The first thing the man did upon barely regaining consciousness was to give in to despair.
“This… won’t do. One last request, please. Kill me before I completely lose myself.”
Aiming for the realm of the seventh tier, he was truly a warrior.
No amount of battlefields and near-death experiences could break his will.
Yet, he now lay on the bed, unscathed, calmly accepting his fate.
It was utterly hollow and utterly clear.
That was the end for those addicted to Turbid Truth.
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Indeed, it was an herb used as an ingredient in the Dark Elves’ potions.
The noble felt the burning energy bubbling within him.
He thought, if he had this power, the walls blocking his path would no longer be a problem.
As a day passed, then two, and then half a month.
“It’s hot… it’s so hot!”
The noble writhed in pain from the raging flames trying to consume him.
The raw fire energy did not subside.
On the contrary, it continued to grow hotter and hotter.
Until it completely incinerated the man.
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The vassals recalled the imposing figure of their former head.
“Are you trying to test me? Fine, I accept your challenge, you insignificant creature.”
At that time, no one thought of it as arrogance.
The head of the family was the master of the Blue Mage Tower and the owner of a great house, while the challenger was merely a lowly demon.
And a year had passed since then.
Decline had come to the once-prosperous territory.
The eyes, which had held wisdom and courage, were now filled with Turbid Truth.
This was all caused by the great mage accepting a portion of the power from a lowly demon.
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“…Master?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you feeling alright?”
As breakfast came to an end, Katria carefully asked Ricir.
“…Wait! Now that I think about it—”
“…!”
“Your hairstyle seems different from usual!?”
“?”
“Oh, I misspoke. I meant your makeup!”
“?”
“No, that’s not it. The bread tastes…!”
“…”
“Damn it. Is this all I’ve become? Sorry, Tia. What did I miss?”
“That’s not it. I just wanted to check if you were uncomfortable—”
“If I had to say it was uncomfortable—well, if I had to choose, I’d prefer less bread and more meat?”
There was too much bread and too little meat.
Ricir, who was poisoned by Turbid Truth, had consumed four hundred years’ worth while being consumed by Verdandes’ power, said that was all he felt discomfort about now.
Katria finally felt a sense of unease.
Ricir’s outward state appeared too normal.
As if nothing had happened at all.
As if, for some unknown reason, everything had been resolved.
“You’re talking about meat, right!? Got it! Starting from tomorrow—no, tonight! I’ll make sure to pay attention to that!”
Katria said with enthusiasm.
It was the most natural expression of her previously energetic maid persona.
Her heart raced.
Perhaps, she hoped, a miracle had occurred without her knowing.
“Ugh…!”
However, that hope was quickly crushed.
Ricir, who had been about to say something, covered his mouth with his hand and coughed.
“Master!?”
Ricir looked down at the hand which had covered his mouth.
The palm was stained a deep red.
*
Yesterday.
After his duel with Meltas, Ricir had spent a chaotic time.
Upon checking his body after an outburst of sudden vision magic, he realized he had accumulated all sorts of things within him.
Ricir stayed up all night to organize all those things and internalize them completely.
He manipulated his mana until he could be satisfied with himself.
As a result, he experienced Mana Reflux and overload.
It wasn’t concerning.
After all, he had significantly lowered his limits since nearly falling apart due to mana overload in the past.
To put it mildly, it was a minor symptom akin to a muscle ache.
‘So what is this?’
Ricir looked at the blood staining his hand.
‘Hmm?’
Then, he sensed the strange discomfort he had felt in his body since yesterday had vanished.
‘Now that I think about it, it was said that Blue Breath has the effect of expelling bodily waste.’
Ricir guessed so.
Surprisingly, it was a conclusion close to the truth.
Verdandes.
The remnants of a once-mighty demon that ruled over the desert had been excreted as waste.
Ricir felt a refreshing sensation and spoke.
*
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing to fret over.”
He put on a soft smile.
With blood smeared on his lips.
Katria found herself unconsciously staring at his face.
So, she observed his face more closely than before.
Then, things began to appear that hadn’t been visible previously.
Clearly, signs of fatigue.
“Oh…”
Katria realized.
The reason he seemed unaffected wasn’t because he was truly fine.
He was merely pretending to be alright, and thus, that was how he appeared.
“…”
In some ways, it was to be expected.
How could he be okay?
Even at this moment, his mind and body must be undergoing erosion.
Katria felt a deep sense of self-loathing.
Recollecting how just a moment ago she had denied such an obvious truth while escaping reality.
“Tia…!?”
“How…?”
Katria’s expression was marred by pain.
“How can you smile like that…?”
Ricir, startled, looked down at his hands.
‘Damn it. Why is the waste coming out upwards? It should be coming out honestly downwards.’
Assuming that the maid was crying due to shock from seeing him cough up blood, he gave her a kind smile to soothe her.
“It’s alright, Tia. It’s nothing to worry about, so please, don’t fret.”
…
An overflow of emotions.
The mask of the cheerful maid that Katria had created crumbled.
To stop the flood, she imprisoned her face with both hands.
The sight Ricir had shown her was digging into her heart.
What words should she say to him?
– It’s okay, Tia. It’s nothing.
To him who thought optimistically without realizing his situation.
– So please, don’t worry.
To him, who was even worrying about her in the midst of this.
How nice it would have been.
– Yes, it’ll be alright.
If she could have reassured him while smiling.
But that was impossible.
The signs of fatigue that he couldn’t hide even with acting.
The blood he had coughed out.
Katria felt the inescapable end she had postponed creeping closer.
Ricir.
He wouldn’t make it through today.
In the end, she couldn’t save him.
In the end, she would bring about his ruin.
The man who had saved her world, of all people.
The feelings of pity and guilt towards Ricir.
The hatred and disappointment she felt towards herself.
All tangled together and tightly squeezed her throat.
Her breath was coming shallow.
The impulse to cry swelled in her chest, feeling stifled.
“Tia…?”
But she must endure.
She didn’t deserve the right to cry.
She didn’t deserve the right to trouble him.
So what to do now?
What should she do right now?
“…Master!”
The maid Tia lifted her head.
“Can I ask you for a favor!?”
“A favor?”
“Yes! I want to spend today with you!”
The maid Tia said with a beaming smile.
“…Is that so?”
Ricir couldn’t deny her request.
Because tears were welled up in her eyes as she beamed with joy.
*
Other than the maid sticking close beside him, it was an otherwise ordinary day.
Having resolved most requests from the upper lords, Ricir went about his usual routine at the Mage Tower.
Reading books, training his body, and just then, preparing for another lesson with Meltas.
“Master!”
The maid Tia came to him, restless.
Spending the last moments of his life in an ordinary routine.
Ricir was unaware of how his actions reflected on her.
Suddenly!
To Tia, Ricir looked like a man who loved his life.
It was only natural.
“May I ask you something, if it’s not too much trouble?”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“If today were the last day of your life, what would you do?”
“…I guess? I haven’t really thought about it.”
“…”
So natural.
It was too natural, but he wasn’t ready to face his end.
“Then let me change the question—what do you want to do right now?”
“…”
What was going on with her all of a sudden?
Ricir tried to understand Tia’s intentions.
Since she saw him cough up blood, her behavior had become clearly odd.
She looked somehow anxious.
‘Does she think if something happens to me, I might return to being a slave?’
Ricir nodded.
It seemed today would have to be used to calm her unstable heart and mind.
“Tia, if you don’t mind, do you want to see the Mage Tower?”
“…Yes! I’d love that!”
The two exchanged joyful smiles at each other’s reactions.
*
The final destination of their Mage Tower outing was a pond located on one side of the courtyard.
Ricir and Katria sat side by side on a bench, looking out over the pond as it absorbed the sunset.
Katria thought.
It was a pleasant silence.
As Ricir said, it was truly a beautiful sight.
Wishing time would stop like this.
“Tia.”
“…!”
Just then, Ricir’s voice broke through.
Indeed.
Time does not stop.
The little time he had left would continue to flow.
“How was it? Was it… fun?”
His gaze.
Katria realized.
Today, the reason he spent time with her.
He had given her his time.
Unknowingly, it was also his own time.
In the end, she was the one benefiting until the very last moment.
She was the one being a burden.
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
“Today, I really had a wonderful time.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“Really, really, really… there won’t be another time in my life that’s more enjoyable than this…”
“…Is that so? Should I start a Mage Tower tourism business then?”
“How about you… how was it?”
Ricir smiled as brightly as he could to put her at ease.
“I had a good time. I wouldn’t mind dying today.”
“…!”
So natural!
Katria looked away from him, back to the pond.
“If it’s alright with you, would you spend tomorrow with me too?”
“Is that so?”
“Tomorrow… could you show me outside the Mage Tower… Bondales…”
“Yeah. Alright.”
“…I’m so happy.”
Katria smiled brightly.
Ricir gently patted her back.
Tears were pouring from her eyes as she smiled brightly.
And so, the day drew to a close.
*
“Tia. Get up. We’re going to see Bondales.”
“…”
