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Damian knew from the moment he saw Parkel emerging from the exit that he was a considerable powerhouse.

Being able to gauge the gap between himself and his opponent was a basic quality a martial artist should possess, so it wasn’t difficult. Parkel seemed to be on par with the Cardinal he had seen in the forest, likely a Bishop among the heretics existing within the Diocese in Ruden.

It was merely a conjecture, not a certainty.

Even if he could foresee the future, it would only be the information written in books, which was exceedingly limited. Nevertheless, his heart was already filled with conviction.

The unique sensation emanating from the heretics sharpened Damian’s senses, prompting him to draw his sword and stand before Elena.

He was not an opponent he could not kill.

It was clear just by looking that he was of a lower status than himself. He was not a foe to invoke any sense of crisis. Yet, Damian’s behavior was otherwise; he acted as if he were the one lacking composure. The reason for that was the girl beside him—Elena.

It was instinctual for him to stand with his sword drawn before her the moment he laid eyes on Parkel.

Even though Elena had warned him not to do so on their way here, his body instinctively moved that way. She wasn’t someone who needed protecting, but because Damian had always been the protector, it was inevitable despite his promise.

“Damian. The promise.”

When Elena spoke to him, Damian finally realized that he had reflexively positioned himself in front of her. However, he did not step aside immediately. It was due to his concern for Elena. Seeing his feelings reflected in her gaze, Elena briefly locked eyes with him before speaking again.

“Promise.”

Her voice was infinitely soft, almost incongruous with the situation.

“…Got it.”

With her second plea, Damian had no choice but to step aside. It was a promise after all. He couldn’t hold onto his stubbornness for long. Elena responded to the space he created with a smile, much like a child showing off to their parents.

After that, Elena’s action was simple.

She raised a finger at Parkel standing before them. That was all.

At that moment, Damian felt Elena’s figure before him turn into something distant and profound.

In his eyes, she resembled an endless mountain and an enormous giant reaching into the sky. At the end, she shone like the brightest star up above. Elena hadn’t transformed into something else; she just raised a finger, and Damian couldn’t help feeling that something emanating from her was what triggered this reaction.

Damian remembered facing similar presences in the past. While they might not have been as intense, they possessed something that separated them from others.

Arthur and the Sword Saint.

Overwhelming powers known as Transcendents.

The sense of vastness felt from those who transcended the species known as human mirrored the feeling he sensed from Elena now. It was a momentary illusion, but despite Elena being right before him, he felt his distance from her as though it were the star floating far overhead.

Far yet near. A contradiction, yet that was how it felt. It wasn’t a place he could never reach, just not yet enough.

In truth, he already knew this in his head, but nothing could compare to the shock of witnessing it with his own eyes.

With only the light of the distant stars and the moon illuminating the alley, a white flash filled the dark space. To the others walking down the avenue, it seemed like a brief flicker of a candle, but for someone, that fleeting moment felt eternal.

The light of the star brightening the sky was reborn on the ground and struck Parkel. It was a momentary flash, but for light, that time bore no significance. By the time Parkel acknowledged the light, Elena’s starlight had already shattered his body.

“Gah—!!”

Struck directly by the light, Parkel let out a brief groan before crumpling to the ground. Even as a Bishop of heresy, he didn’t manage to put up any significant resistance and was swiftly defeated.

Confirming that Parkel was utterly incapacitated, Elena turned her head and gazed at Damian with the same expression as before. Although the opponent she had just defeated was a Bishop of heretics, she seemed to take the outcome as natural, showing little excitement over her recent victory.

Instead, her focus was entirely on Damian, as if she were observing how he would react to her appearance.

“How was it?”

At Elena’s voice, Damian awakened from his reverie.

Not long ago, she had seemed so far away, but now, returning to reality, he found her face peering right before him. Perhaps due to the moment of daze he had experienced, Elena’s face now bore a hint of anxiety unlike before.

“Damian?”

Perhaps it was because of the sudden change in proximity. Damian instinctively reached out towards her. The way her cheek squished under his touch muffled her words.

“…What are you doing…?”

“Elena. Just a moment. I need to steady myself.”

The softness of her cheek felt pleasant.

Elena was taken aback but didn’t seem to dislike his action. It was a mischievous act Damian had repeated often, and upon hearing his words, she accepted his hand without a word.

Perhaps it was because she had just witnessed something so astonishing that her head felt muddled, but that too began to clarify with Elena’s usual demeanor. Nothing had changed; she was still Elena Edelweiss. That was enough, so he decided not to think of anything else.

Coming back to his senses and looking at Elena, he saw her seemingly waiting to see how he would respond. This made Damian unconsciously chuckle, but then he found himself pondering what he should say. After much thought, Damian simply offered a few words.

“You did well.”

“Is that all?”

“Shall I be surprised and do a somersault? In truth, I want to say a bit more, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Was it a little lacking?”

Having seen Damian’s hand stroking his head, Elena seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking her head.

“No. This is enough. Can you keep petting me?”

“As much as you want.”

“Hmm, also hug me tightly.”

“Clearly, you thought it was lacking.”

As he embraced Elena, Parkel entered his line of sight beyond them. From him came faint breaths, indicating he was still alive.

“Ah.”

The flow of events had gone awry, but the two were here to rescue Elteman from the heretics. Even if the Bishop lay there defeated, they needed to find Elteman soon.

Seeing Parkel sneaking out confirmed that he was safe, yet what if there was something?

Of course, only Damian was worried about that.

Although it seemed their roles had reversed, Elena had come here with this objective from the start. Satisfied by receiving praise from Damian, she felt quite content.

“…Why is the staircase… so long…?”

Just as they were about to enter the exit that Parkel had come from, a voice echoed. It was a breathless voice, one that sounded familiar. Not long after, the owner of that voice appeared. The first to cross the threshold was a golem clad in armor, but the next being to show was a human.

His silvery hair reflecting the moonlight and violet eyes told them exactly who he was.

“Damn it. If it were this long, I could have escaped already… Elena? And my sister-in-law? Wait, why are you here? Huh? What is this doing here?!”

Unlike when they last met, his face was alive, and he appeared more talkative than expected. Anyone would think he was an entirely different person, but there was no denying he was Elteman Edelweiss. The Elteman that Damian had originally seen in the novel looked just like this, making his previous appearance stand out as an exception.

As he emerged completely unharmed and nonchalantly, Damian felt his tension ease. Naturally, he called him brother-in-law, for he was indeed the Elteman Damian had recognized from the story. Damian nodded his head in greeting.

He had rushed here filled with worry, only to find things resolving rather easily, which left him feeling a little anticlimactic. He wondered if he had been worried for nothing, and he felt drained in many ways. Yet, such thoughts vanished as he saw both of them smiling calmly.

After all, no one was hurt, so wasn’t that what mattered?

Thinking back, that was sufficient.

 

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