Episode 118. Interlude – Madness

“…….”

Inside a barrier made of blood-red slime.

In the silence that fell like a curtain.

“…Ha.”

A low chuckle escaped from the lips of Seto, the Grand Archbishop of Madness.

“Really? You really pulled the trigger five times?”

“There was no rule saying you can’t pull it multiple times alone.”

“…….”

Seto’s expression hardened.

‘How?’

As if he couldn’t comprehend, Seto stared intently at the candidate before him.

The calm gaze, as if nothing had happened.

The question ‘How?’ filled his mind.

‘How… can there be no reaction at all?’

What Seto couldn’t understand wasn’t that he had pulled the trigger five times in a row.

He had seen many people sacrifice their lives to protect someone dear.

Parents throwing themselves to protect their children, lovers risking death for each other.

There were even foolish people who sacrificed their lives for strangers they had never met.

‘But.’

Even those people showed some emotion when death was imminent.

Whether it was fear or relief.

‘At least show some joy.’

Sometimes there are people like that.

People who desire death.

People who, at the moment of death, smile brightly and open their arms to welcome it.

‘But you’re not even that.’

Seto looked at Dale with trembling eyes.

During the five times he pulled the trigger.

His pupils showed no change in emotion.

As if he had multiple lives.

Indifferently. Emotionlessly.

He pulled the trigger.

“…Ha, haha!”

Seto clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

He looked at Dale with a wide grin, as if he couldn’t contain his joy.

The ‘true face’ glimpsed behind the mask.

“You… are insane?”

The word ‘madness’ truly suited him.

Perhaps.

Even more than the one called the Grand Archbishop of Madness.

“Uhee, heehee! Ahahahaha!!! Good, good, good! That’s it!”

Seto spread his arms wide and jumped up and down like a child.

“I came here just in case, but I never thought I’d see someone crazier than me!”

A shiver ran down his spine.

His body trembled with rising ecstasy.

“Yeah, good. I’m satisfied.”

Seto nodded and flicked his hand.

“I’ll be going back now.”

Gurgle.

The blood-red slime surrounding them melted and seeped into the ground.

“Paha! Ha, ha!”

“Cough, cough!”

“Ha, ha… D-Dale!”

As the barrier disappeared, Yuren, Camila, and Iris, who had been suppressed by Seto’s presence, gasped for breath.

Yuren and Iris immediately rushed to Dale’s side.

“Kuh…”

Professor Elisha, who had been bound by the Blood Red Aura, also broke free and watched Seto’s movements with wary eyes.

“Well then. See you later, Dale Han!”

As Seto turned and took a step towards the exit.

“Hey.”

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Huh?”

“You just talked a bunch of nonsense and now you’re trying to leave?”

“Uh… uh?”

I pulled Seto’s shoulder, who looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

“…….”

Seto’s mouth gaped open as he saw the revolver I held out.

“Ah, no, uh… didn’t you understand? I said I’d let you all live.”

“Letting us live is one thing.”

I aimed the gun at Seto’s head.

“But you should at least fire the gun before leaving. There’s still one bullet left, right?”

“…….”

“Well, if you don’t want to, I’ll pull the trigger for you.”

I aimed the gun at Seto’s head and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, and Seto’s head snapped back.

Kwaaaaaaa!!!

The condensed magic within the bullet exploded.

“Huh.”

A low chuckle escaped Seto’s lips.

As he lifted his head back up, a stream of blood flowed down his forehead.

“Tsk.”

I had a hunch, but as expected, the magic in the bullet wasn’t enough to blow Seto’s head off.

“Ha, haha! Ahahahahahahaha!!!”

Seto burst into laughter without even wiping the blood from his forehead.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!!! That’s it! I was looking for a crazy hero like you!”

Unlike other heroes who trembled in fear before him.

He was twisted. Misaligned.

Beyond redemption.

Broken.

“Ha. What should I do? I think I’m falling for you.”

Seto exhaled a heated breath and licked his lips.

I frowned and shook my head.

“I’m not interested in guys.”

“Really? Should I cut it off?”

“No.”

What the hell are you cutting off, you bastard.

“Hahaha! Just kidding!”

Seto chuckled and leaned in close to me.

“Look forward to it, Dale.”

He twisted his lips fiercely and stuck out his tongue.

“I’ll definitely kill you with my own hands.”

“Yeah?”

Pfft.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“Go ahead and try.”

If you can.

“Hahaha! Yeah, that’s it. That’s the reaction I wanted!”

Seto smiled contentedly and turned away.

“Then I’ll be going! See you later, Dale!”

Seto waved his hand vigorously as if greeting a close friend and walked away.

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy silence fell as Seto left.

But only for a moment.

“Ha.”

Professor Elisha sighed deeply and shook her head.

“…Dale, Candidate.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s have a private talk later.”

“…….”

Wait, why?

What did I do wrong?

“D-Dale, you…!”

Yuren grabbed my collar with wide eyes.

“Why, why did you do something so reckless?!”

Yuren, on the verge of tears, tightened his grip on my collar.

“Five times… five times! What if it had actually fired? What were you thinking?!!”

“…….”

“If you… if you die, what am I supposed to do…?”

Yuren finally shed tears.

I looked at him and smiled bitterly.

‘Guess it’s time to reveal it.’

Only Iris and Professor Elisha knew about my ‘Blessing of Resurrection.’

Yuren didn’t know that I could come back to life even if I died.

“I won’t die.”

“…What?”

“Even if the gun fired and my head exploded, I would have lived.”

“……?”

Yuren frowned as if he didn’t understand.

I turned my head and looked around.

Except for Albert, who was still unconscious, everyone was looking at me.

“I have the Blessing of Resurrection.”

“Blessing of… Resurrection? What’s that?”

“Well, it’s faster to show you than explain.”

As I said that, I created a Magic Power Orb next to my head.

I fired the orb at my temple.

Crunch.

The sensation of my head exploding and my vision flickering to black.

“…Huh?”

Yuren stared wide-eyed at me, whose head had just exploded.

“W-What are you doing, Dale!”

Camila, who had been silently watching, also shouted in shock.

And then.

Whoooooosh!

The Holy Mark engraved on my left chest glowed, and my head, which had exploded into gray ash, regenerated at an incredible speed as if time had reversed.

“W-What?”

“What the hell…?”

Yuren and Camila gaped in astonishment.

Even Iris and Professor Elisha, who knew about my ‘Blessing of Resurrection,’ stared blankly at my perfectly regenerated head as if they had seen a ghost.

“See? This is the ‘Blessing of Resurrection.'”

I tapped my perfectly restored head with my index finger.

Camila looked at me with trembling eyes and asked.

“So you… can come back to life even if you die?”

“Yeah.”

“Over and over again?”

I nodded in response.

“Huh… What the hell is this…?”

Camila shook her head as if she couldn’t comprehend.

“…Ah.”

Then, Yuren let out a gasp as if he remembered something.

“That’s why… you didn’t die back then…”

He must have been recalling the day I stormed the Helios Family alone.

“Anyway. I pulled the trigger because I trusted my blessing, so don’t worry so much.”

“…Don’t worry?!”

Iris stomped over to me with an angry expression.

“You still feel the pain even if you don’t die, so what do you mean don’t worry?”

Iris frowned and slapped my back.

Yuren looked at Iris and frowned.

“Iris, did you know? That Dale has the Blessing of Resurrection.”

“Ah… Yes. I knew.”

“…….”

Yuren bit his lip at her answer.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Sorry. I didn’t get the chance.”

I didn’t particularly intend to hide it from Yuren.

But.

‘Well, I’d have to die for you to find out.’

Lately, except when practicing Magic Power Practice, there hadn’t been any situations where I could die, so I never got the chance to tell him.

“Y-You could have at least told me!”

Yuren shouted, seemingly upset that Iris knew something he didn’t.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough love quarrel.”

Professor Elisha sighed and pulled Yuren away.

“Dale, Candidate. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Professor Elisha dragged me behind the pile of rocks where we had been earlier.

“Phew. Where to start…”

Professor Elisha lit a cigarette and bowed her head to me.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“A professor who can’t protect even one student… I’m disqualified.”

Professor Elisha bit her lip with a self-reproachful expression.

I swallowed a bitter laugh and shook my head.

“No one could have expected the Grand Archbishop of Madness to show up here.”

Professor Elisha lit the cigarette with a small flame.

“…….”

She took a drag in silence.

After a moment of thought, she looked at me and spoke.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you pull the trigger?”

“Huh? Well, because I have the Blessing of Resurrection…”

“No.”

Professor Elisha shook her head.

“I’m asking why you pulled the trigger on the Grand Archbishop of Madness when he was about to leave.”

“That’s…”

“Did you know? That the Grand Archbishop of Madness would actually welcome such a reckless action.”

“…….”

“Were you trying to make sure his attention was solely on you?”

Phew.

Professor Elisha exhaled smoke and looked at me with deep, sunken eyes.

“Dale, Candidate… are you perhaps…”

Her purple eyes glinted sharply.

“From the future?”