Chapter 111
Nahun, who was intently listening to the story, narrowed his eyes sharply when Veronica fell silent.
“…So.”
“Yes?”
“Is that it? You mean to say that’s the end?”
“That’s right. There’s nothing more to discuss except for praises of His Majesty Seere’s strength, you know?”
“What?”
“After that, of course, His Majesty won. He swept away the hero and all the soldiers.”
“No… didn’t a lot happen? Wasn’t it a serious situation?”
“If His Majesty had lost, would I be sitting here like this? The forces would have collapsed. And I told you he’s still alive.”
Veronica spoke as if it were natural. While Nahun thought her words were correct, there were certain aspects that didn’t quite add up.
“Then why is the 69th floor like this? It’s all burned down.”
“Ah, that’s because after that, the Great Demon War started in earnest, and everything got burned down. Before that, there was a big fight with the hero that almost destroyed everything.”
Then why on earth did Veronica make such significant statements the moment she met Nahun? That was the question troubling Nahun.
“No, you were really serious when you spoke to me. You sighed heavily and said, ‘Is it truly a blessing?’…”
“Oh, that. That was for a different reason.”
“What?”
“What I was worried about was… the relationship between His Majesty and Nahun.”
“What?”
Nahun harbored doubts, but Veronica didn’t provide answers.
“I think it would be better for you, Nahun, to go to the Demon King Castle and see for yourself.”
“…What are you talking about? Did Seere forget about me or something?”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t be worried at all.”
“???”
Veronica did not resolve Nahun’s confusion. She seemed to want to end the conversation and get up.
“…Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Then the Great Demon War has ended now?”
“It would be hard to say it’s completely over. Right now, we could say it’s in a sort of ceasefire.”
“If you’ve come down here, that means they’ve withdrawn from the heavens, doesn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then why isn’t it officially over?”
“Because the high-ranking beings in both the heavens and the demon world are still moving.”
“…!”
This meant that the Great Demon War that had occurred up until Nahun’s return had been fought without the leaders of either side.
Since it was uncertain when an archangel or a great demon might intervene, Veronica had used the expression that it wasn’t over yet.
Nahun let out a slight sigh.
“…I see.”
“Let’s head to the Demon King Castle. If His Majesty finds out I’ve been holding onto Nahun here, it could cause a lot of trouble…”
“Can’t I just explain that I asked you to?”
“…I don’t think such an excuse would work, which is the problem.”
Nahun had been having difficulty understanding Veronica’s words from earlier. She had seemed to imply that there were issues concerning his relationship with Seere.
“I may have wronged Seere greatly, but there’s no way that child would abandon me.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. If anything, if His Majesty had cut ties with you, I wouldn’t be worrying at all.”
“Then what are you implying…?”
At that moment, Nahun opened his eyes wide. He sensed a familiar magic nearby.
“Uh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m a bit confused because the atmosphere has changed… Is that Seere’s magic?”
“Yes?”
At that moment of Veronica’s surprise, the sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed. Upon seeing the owner of the distinct sound, Veronica was astonished.
‘…What should I do?’
Unlike Veronica, who was thinking about how to explain this situation, Nahun was staring blankly at her.
‘Oh… really….’
She had grown beautifully. The first thought that crossed his mind was that.
With snowy white hair like her childhood and an increase in her red hair, her appearance had matured significantly. She had grown slightly taller, but the changes in her physique were a clear testament to her complete growth.
While there were positive changes, there were also slightly disturbing ones. The deeply somber blue eyes were the evidence.
Still, Nahun called out to her warmly. It would be the worst choice to make himself uncomfortable and shy away from her due to the awkward atmosphere.
“Seere.”
“…….”
His former student, Seere von Debata, had grown into a graceful woman.
#
Nahun greeted her warmly, but Seere did not respond. It was a reaction that might feel hurtful. Still, Nahun understood that given he had disappeared for eight years and had just now reappeared, her reaction was only natural.
Though no more than a month had passed for Nahun, for Seere, eight long years had gone by. Someone who promised to return in two years had failed to come back for eight.
Naturally, one could have many thoughts while in such a waiting position. The words that flowed from Seere’s mouth were…
“Traitor.”
“…….”
“Liar.”
“…….”
“You deceived me.”
Nahun could not find the words to counter Seere’s statements. Each word was an embodiment of the emotions that had built up over the past eight years while she waited.
“You said… just wait for two years…”
The overwhelming old emotions struck Nahun like a wave. He felt as if he could not breathe. Seere’s beautiful face twisted, and the sadness she had accumulated over the past time began to spill out.
“Seere… I’m truly sorry. I really didn’t know it would turn out like this…”
“You have no idea…! You don’t know how I felt waiting for you every single day.”
“…….”
Nahun fell silent. Then Seere spoke.
“…You know, Teacher.”
When she addressed him again with honorifics, calling him Teacher, Nahun found a sliver of hope.
“I can no longer trust your words.”
But it was an illusion. The sadness spilling from her eyes was replaced by determination as she drew her sword. Silently, Seere pointed her blade at Nahun.
“Y-Your Majesty!?”
“…Yes.”
Unlike the surprised Veronica, Nahun calmly nodded. If he had to resolve the emotions that had built up over the last eight years, and that meant facing the blade aimed at him, then so be it.
“I must see how wonderfully you’ve grown.”
He would have to respond. That was the punishment of a mentor who had made his pupil wait endlessly.
Nahun drew the sword he had brought from hell. It resembled Seere’s sword quite a bit. The dark blade and the red gemstone embedded in it were similar. The only difference was that Nahun’s sword had a blunt, squared-off end, whereas Seere’s was much sleeker.
“A-Are you really going to fight?”
“Fight? I doubt it.”
Nahun scoffed softly.
“I feel like I’ll get hit unilaterally here.”
Boom───!!!
Without any warning, it began. A powerful shockwave spread out, strong enough for Veronica to urgently need to depart. It was the result of Seere swinging her sword with full intent.
“N-Nahun!”
Veronica shouted with a serious expression, worried that Nahun might have been hurt. But Nahun was….
“…That’s heavy. You’ve got some excellent skills now.”
He was fine. Nahun perfectly blocked Seere’s powerful strike. As Veronica sighed in relief, Seere began to relentlessly attack Nahun with her sword.
While doing so, Seere indiscriminately spat out the words she had thought of over the past eight years.
“I can’t even trust you when you say you won’t leave me again! How am I supposed to believe you’ll stay and not leave again!?”
“…I truly apologize for that. I didn’t intend for it to take this long.”
“Don’t give me that nonsense! You always planned to leave, and you thought I wouldn’t know!?”
“…….”
Nahun couldn’t refute her. If he had intended to conclude this by placing Seere at her peak, he would have been thinking about returning.
It was unexpected that Seere was fully aware of that.
“…If that’s what you wanted, I was going to consider staying.”
“Liar!!”
It was said with sincerity. It had been a long time since Nahun had come to regard Seere and the members of the demon world as important. While he had been contemplating returning to reality, it had never been out of vague lingering feelings.
It was merely one of the motivations to help Seere reach her peak. However, Seere could not bring herself to believe those words. More precisely, she could not believe them in her current situation.
Clang!!!
Blocking Seere’s sword strikes was no problem. However, her feelings of being hurt and disappointed pressed Nahun down and made him waver.
As he realized how much she had suffered waiting for him, Seere suddenly cracked a smile.
“Well… if I tie you up, you can’t run away, right?”
“…Huh?”
“Or I could cut off your limbs. If I extract your magic constantly, you won’t be able to use any spells. I can deal with the Massu beside you….”
“…Seere?”
Nahun was utterly taken aback by Seere’s sudden strange words. He had thought she would just express her sad emotions after being apart from her teacher.
“What are you talking about…?”
“If you keep trying to leave me, then I have no choice…”
Seere’s gaze had turned dangerously intense. While Nahun was distracted by her dangerous expression, Seere seized the opportunity.
She grabbed Nahun’s wrist with her own, momentarily tying him up so he couldn’t swing his sword and pushed him down. Then, in an instant, she drove her sword next to Nahun’s neck.
“I don’t really want to do this, Teacher. But eight years is too long…”
Nahun stared blankly at Seere. She was struggling to contain a smile that kept rising up.
He wasn’t fool enough not to realize what emotion Seere was currently displaying towards him.
“I need to tie you up tightly, so you won’t leave me anymore…”
The emotion reflected in Seere’s eyes and expression was…
“Te-ac-her.”
Deep affection.
