Since I didn’t go far from my last position, I noticed Erin and Stella battling an Upper Demon.
To be precise, it was when I slightly adjusted my course after spotting a massive lightning bolt brimming with mana that had been carelessly dropped by someone and realized the scene.
It seemed like the battle had already concluded when I was about to move again, but then I noticed the Upper Demon referred to as “Bear Something” stirring.
Given that both Erin and Stella appeared utterly exhausted, unable to lift a finger, I decided to provide a bit of assistance on my way.
Even if the Upper Demon had not yet transformed into a lump of charcoal, they were already in dire straits, so all it took was a gentle approach to deliver a fatal stab.
Though I wanted to move Erin and Stella to a safer place, pressing matters remained unresolved, leaving me no choice but to leave the two of them there and continue my journey.
There were no other indications around, and given the fact that the dense demon aura that had enveloped this area had been completely erased by that immense lightning bolt, not many bold entities would dare approach, so this place would likely be one of the safest spots in the vicinity.
With that in mind, I immediately turned towards the direction where Selian had come from – the place where Yuli and Anne should be.
I hurried my steps, ignoring the screams around me. If you want to call me selfish, that’s fine. Aren’t all lives equal, they say? Unfortunately, not to me. To me, nothing is more precious than the lives of my friends.
Feel free to question whether this so-called hero deserves the title. Honestly, I myself doubt why I was chosen as a hero in the first place.
In the blink of an eye, I arrived at a new battlefield.
Fortunately, both Anne and Yuli were holding out against the demons.
Knowing Anne’s capabilities, I was puzzled as to why she hadn’t taken down the demon until I saw the weapon in her hand and understood.
Like her mother, Anne wields an unusually large greatsword for a reason. Among weapons capable of fully channeling the power of the bloodline that the House of Kleyn possesses for destroying demons, such a sword is rare. This means Anne’s true strength manifests when wielding her particular weapon in battle against demons.
That was the reason why Anne could resist demons as humanity’s last line of defense.
Conversely, Yuli’s performance surprised me. Once weak in swordsmanship, Yuli had met Linne in this life and now was far stronger than before, a difference incomparable to her previous life.
Though I already knew that Yuli had grown stronger after making a contract with Linne, comparing her former frail self to her current self was inevitable as old memories resurfaced.
Yuli’s magic failed to penetrate the opponent’s magic, and the demon’s magic similarly failed to reach Yuli, turning the fight into a battle of stamina and mana reservoirs, an area where Yuli had a disadvantage.
However, with my presence on the scene, the battle’s outcome was effectively decided.
Thus, I approached the demon behind Yuli who was casting an unusual spell.
Even though I was standing directly behind the demon, they were too focused on Yuli to notice me. I quietly lifted the Holy Sword and pierced their heart.
The demon dueling Yuli collapsed without even a scream.
Not noticing the demon’s fall, Yuli continued to cast a spell aimed at where the demon had stood, but it narrowly missed me.
Of course, with my ability to dodge even Eden’s tentacles, being hit by Yuli’s magic was something I knew would not happen.
Instead of focusing on the magic, I immediately headed towards Anne, who was still fighting nearby.
I swiftly cut off the female demon’s head who was frantically swinging her whip.
Anne, being too busy defending herself to notice her opponent’s weakening, rushed forward immediately after noticing the depletion in the whip’s strength. However, all she found was the decapitated corpse.
Both Yuli and Lanne stood dumbfounded, checking the corpses of the demons they had been fighting, unaware of what exactly had brought them down.
Even though it felt like a despicable act not to give a proper farewell, I remained hidden in the darkness.
Upon checking my surroundings, it seemed there were no intermediate demons or above that posed a threat to the two individuals.
Instead, I felt a massive presence rushing towards us from afar. It turned out to be Craig, Yuli’s father and a Sword Master, his entire body drenched in demon blood, likely from a previous battle.
With Craig, who had long reached the level of Sword Master, now present, the two were safe. Thus, my focus shifted to the next task.
Even though they might still be there, I moved towards a place I had marked during the closing ceremony.
On the roof of the building where Presia had been lounging during the closing ceremony.
There she lay quietly, unharmed, much like sleeping, which felt quite incongruous given the surrounding battlefield.
Like Selian, who had exhausted all her strength, Presia too had fallen from using up all her mana.
Had Presia not blocked the meteorite that was heading towards the city, the casualty count would have been unimaginable.
Truly worthy of being recognized as the most talented mage on the continent.
However, her haste to block it likely led to a slightly messy weaving of the spell, resulting in a complete drain of her mana and subsequent unconsciousness.
The fortunate part was that no one, whether a mine, monster, or demon, had touched her while she was unconscious.
From the looks of it, thanks to the concealment magic cast from the outstretched hands of Bear and Tokki next to her, she had remained hidden.
Surprisingly, Bear and Tokki had some abilities. The concealment magic hiding Presia seemed difficult to detect unless someone was an exceptionally sensitive entity or an Upper Demon.
Of course, it was all clear to me, but I was, after all, an excellent assassin as well as a Sword Master, so not noticing this magic might be considered abnormal.
As I gently descended beside Presia, the gaze of Tokki and Bear casting the concealment magic turned towards me.
Despite possessing little other power besides concealment magic, Bear and Tokki immediately rushed to block between me and Presia with their small bodies.
Upon recognizing my face, they seemed reassured and began pulling at my clothes while pointing to Presia.
Even without their urging, I gently lifted Presia, who seemed to be unconscious as if asleep.
The tiny girl cradled in my arms.
With her in my embrace, I moved towards the building of the Academy that had withstood due to the various magical applications by the professors.
Without needing the front door, I lightly scaled the walls to the seventh floor and opened the window.
Inside, behind the dark curtains, was Presia’s residence, Magic Building 707.
Carefully laying her down on the sofa she usually slept on, the concealed building, especially her lab fortified with various magical security measures, seemed safe.
I lightly stroked Presia’s hair once, raising doubts about what someone like me was doing to an unconscious young girl who couldn’t resist. Upon reflection, Presia and I were the same age, so treating her like a child also made me seem like one.
Of course, if we’re speaking of that, then how should we consider Anne, who acts childishly despite being older than me?
“Thank you for everything. And I am sorry, Boss.”
Carrying a strange emotion, I used her moment of unconsciousness to quietly offer my apologies.
Even in her unconscious state, Presia slowly leaned into my hand that was gently stroking her head. She then made a cooing sound and smiled brightly, still asleep.
I checked again, confirming she still remained unconscious.
Seeing her innocent face made it even harder to stay, so I slowly turned towards the door.
However, just before opening the door to leave, I felt something grab my ankles.
Turning my head slightly, I saw that it was Tokki clutching my pants.
Shortly after, Bear also waddled over and grabbed my other ankle.
Bear and Tokki, making eye contact with me, looked up and shook their heads from side to side.
It wasn’t simply a plea to stay by Presia’s side out of concern.
It seemed Bear and Tokki had noticed something in the farewell I offered to Presia.
Since I stayed silent and upright, the two tried their hardest to pull my pants towards the room, trying to stop me from leaving and instead bringing me towards Presia.
Not only Presia, but I also felt extremely sorry towards these two.
I lifted the pair holding my ankles and cradled them gently.
Then, despite their resistance, I forced them from my embrace and placed them gently by Presia’s side.
Bear and Tokki quickly jumped down from the sofa and rushed to grab me once more, but they couldn’t find me as I had already disappeared.
Now it was time to deal with the remaining demons.
However, before heading back onto the city streets, I stopped briefly at another location.
The place I arrived at was the dormitory where my friends and I spent our time together.
Despite the turmoil, the dormitory miraculously still stood.
I wasn’t here to fetch items left behind; it was entirely the opposite.
I gently stroked the ring I had been wearing on my finger before carefully slipping it off.
This ring symbolized the friendship shared with my friends, and now that I’d betrayed them, I no longer had the right to wear it.
Even with my strong resolution, there was still lingering attachment as I hesitated to place the ring on the desk.
But eventually, I placed it down, jumped out of the window, and returned to the battlefield via this route.
It mattered little whether it was an Upper Demon or Intermediate Demon.
Demons slaughtering others, playing with Academy students, or engaging in evenly matched battles—I took their lives one by one by stepping on their backs.
Since the demons were distracted elsewhere, it was easy to exploit their lapses.
Losing a strong core in Eden and now with an unpredictable variable in me, the demons’ fall was inevitable.
However, ours was a victory stained with heavy casualties among our ranks.
After ensuring that all demons were indeed down, I slowly headed out of the city.
Given my much increased strength now, if I were to form another group targeting the Demon King, reaching the Demon King would likely be far smoother compared to before.
But having killed them all before, how could I possibly lead them into danger again?
Even if the risks were significantly lower, they would still threaten the lives of the girls.
Thus, I took all the risks upon myself.
Certainly, my strength alone is no match to all of ours combined.
Yet, being an assassin meant another direction of strengthening myself, one in which I might paradoxically grow stronger while alone.
Evaluating the dangers alone might increase compared to before, but at the same time, all the risks my friends faced before would now rest solely on my shoulders.
Yes, this is my sole act of atonement towards them and my revenge for the death of my family.
It would be even better if fortune smiles upon me and I succeed in assassinating the Demon King.
But even if my sword fails to reach the Demon King, and I fall, it makes no difference.
I am the lone assassin raised with immense effort by Black Moon.
Even my death would serve as my final act of vengeance towards the now vanished Black Moon.
I parted ways with everyone, leaving the Academy behind, embarking on a lone mission to slay the Demon King.
And three years have since passed.
