Chapter 18: The Price Is The Heart

Surprised.

I felt my heart drop.

Not just drop.

Drop, get crushed, and burst.

Haa. Haa.

Shallow breaths came from where I was looking.

Seeing Sia lying on her side, I thought she was pretty.

Of course, being thin made her look pitiful, but if she gained weight, she would become even prettier.

Poke.

I poked the sleeping Sia’s cheek.

“Mmm.”

Reacting to the poke, she shifted her body, looking insignificant.

The sight was cute, bringing a smile to my face.

Making sure she wasn’t cold, I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and got out of bed.

Then I looked at the other person in the room and asked.

“How long are you planning to watch?”

Startled by Lilac’s sudden question, Diana momentarily panicked but quickly regained her composure.

“To discuss with the Hero-.”

“I’ll go alone. What party.”

Diana was speechless at the words, dripping with arrogance and conceit that seemed to pierce the heavens.

Diana had also confirmed it.

Lilac, the Hero’s, martial prowess was already beyond imagination.

She even questioned if she was truly human.

That level of power could devour not just the continent, but the world.

A being who had long since transcended humanity.

Yet a being who wished to remain human.

Lilac was human yet not human.

Where did she obtain such power?

It was a realm beyond comprehension.

Still.

“There’s always the case of ‘what if’…”

“There isn’t. Such things.”

Grit.

She pressed her lips together hard.

Feeling the taste of blood, she quickly released the pressure.

Watching her silently, I turned my head to look at Sia lying in bed.

I know why she’s reacting like this.

Mission.

Failure to complete the mission given by the Goddess would result in the loss of not only faith but also divine power.

And that mission is.

‘Forming a Hero party and killing the Demon Lord.’

It can be done.

Diana and I can gather others and go kill the Demon Lord.

Only about two days remain anyway.

We can pick up useful people along the way.

But then again.

Should I, who doesn’t even believe in gods, do such a troublesome task?

The god I sought so desperately in my youth.

Ultimately abandoned me.

And then reappeared.

After I killed the Demon Lord.

‘Eat shit.’

I had no intention of doing as the Goddess wished.

I have enough power, and others would only be a burden.

Moving alone was much more convenient than being with such burdens.

Earlier, it was a mystery.

The Demon Lord, already killed, reappeared.

Hearing the story from Sia felt futile.

The Demon Lord I caught with my master.

Back then, I wasn’t as strong as now, so I received my master’s help.

When I killed the Demon Lord, I felt a slight sense of accomplishment.

But then.

Saying she couldn’t acknowledge it, she resurrected the Demon Lord.

My effort. My time and sense of accomplishment.

All turned into vain bubbles by a god.

In such a situation, I didn’t want to play according to the god’s will.

That’s why I refused.

“Please…”

Diana, watching me endlessly with teary eyes, finally knelt and clasped her hands together.

It looked like praying, but slightly different.

Like a misbehaving child rubbing their hands together, begging for forgiveness.

I thought the sight was pathetic.

The Saintess bowing her head so easily.

The future of the temple seemed short-lived.

Actually, it wasn’t Diana’s fault.

She was just a child unlucky enough to be chosen by a god, gaining a position unsuited for her.

No matter how distant I was from human emotions, seeing a grown woman begging like that didn’t sit well with me.

“Hoo…”

Sighing, I looked at Diana.

Her face was smeared with tears and snot.

I conjured mana and wiped Diana’s face.

Perhaps due to the series of events, her eyes looked sunken.

She didn’t look like a Saintess at all.

Conversely, Sia sleeping in bed looked like an angel itself.

Unaware that love goggles had formed.

Anyway, it was true that Diana, who was not at fault, bothered me, so I decided to grant her request.

“Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”

“Really?!!”

At my words, Diana shot up, grabbed my hand, and her eyes widened.

She was so happy that I hallucinated ears flapping on her head and a tail wagging behind her.

‘If it were Sia, it would have been cuter and more lovely. I should make her do it when she wakes up.’

I granted Diana’s request.

But whenever something is received, a price must follow.

“However.”

“Yes…?”

“Only you, Sia, and I will go.”

At my condition, Diana’s widened eyes narrowed sharply, and she stepped back.

I thought about punching her, but I couldn’t because the loud noise might wake Sia.

“Impossible.”

“Why?”

“That’s obviously because with four people…”

I know.

Hero parties usually consist of four members.

Indeed, the Goddess apparently said to do so.

But that’s that.

“Why should I follow the Goddess’s words?”

“What? Because you’re the Hero, Lady Lilac.”

Frowning in frustration, Diana quickly opened the door and stood with only her head poking out.

“Did I ask to be the Hero?”

“……”

“Goddess, my foot. Be grateful I’m even going with you. It’s thanks to Sia.”

Diana looks at me with an expression asking why Sia is involved.

Well, isn’t it thanks to Sia?

If Sia hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t have come here, and even if she visited, I wouldn’t have gone with her.

But since Sia also became a Saintess, she must fulfill her duty as part of the Hero party.

The fact that this is the fate decided by the Goddess is extremely annoying, but what does it matter to me?

The Goddess cannot directly interfere with humans and the world.

So, there’s no need to follow the Goddess’s words.

What can the Goddess do if she speaks?

‘Just ignore her.’

However, the biggest reason is to test the extent of Sia’s power.

To see how much she can exert.

If her divine power rampages while living normally at the mansion, I need to enable her to control it herself.
I didn’t want to see Sia hurting anymore.

So, I’m going for that reason as well.

“It doesn’t matter if only 3 go. That’s still a party.”

“No, but still… how can we take two Saintesses…”

‘So that was the problem.’

‘Did she mention four because she wanted a normal Hero party, excluding Sia?’

“I decide that. If you really don’t like it, just defeat me with force.”

“……”

“Decided then?”

“Yes…”

Her slumped body and crawling voice matched.

Somehow, my image of the Saintess named Diana changed significantly.

How much power could a Saintess have?

She possessed a body that couldn’t even defeat an Expert knight.

The only one who could defeat me was Sia.

“Then go. I’m going to sleep more with Sia.”

“…Do we really have to go like this?”

Holding the doorknob, her haggard face resembled the Goddess Sia described.

‘Maybe that’s why Diana was chosen as Saintess,’ I thought.

As I nodded, her shoulders slumped, and she left, looking utterly miserable.

The room fell silent.

Sia was still in dreamland.

Quietly opening my mouth, I spoke someone’s name.

“Butler.”

A voice that could plunge listeners into fear echoed in the room.

Naturally, adjusted so Sia couldn’t hear.

“Command me, Your Grace.”

Butler appeared without a sound.

Without looking at Butler, I gave the order.

“The village Sia lived in. You remember?”

“Of course, I remember.”

“I’ll assume you understand what I’m saying. Go.”

“By your command.”

Butler simply showed himself and vanished.

Butler was always near where Sia and I were.

Just hidden out of sight or using assassin skills to stay close.

That’s why he appears and disappears instantly whenever called.

I gave Butler a simple command.

Because Butler moves without a sound.

There was no one more suitable than Butler.

The command I gave Butler was simple.

The Majin who burned down Sia’s village and fled.

Such Majin usually reside in or near the Demon Realm.

However, Majin tend to prioritize individual activities.

Here lies the strangeness.

How could Majin who prefer acting alone form a group of 13?

Moreover, except for two, none escaped using previous scrolls.

This leads to one piece of information.

A leader who guided those Majin.

Meaning, there was someone backing them.

Information discovered after bringing Sia here.

Originally, I planned to handle it alone, but since I’m going to catch the Demon Lord anyway, I decided to stop by there first.

My master heard that newly born Demon Lords aren’t that strong.

So, there’s no need to rush.

The command given to Butler was to investigate the villages near the Demon Realm we were heading to and eliminate any suspicious individuals.

Butler also seemed unwilling to show Sia the perpetrators of her village’s destruction.

So Butler and I could clean up first.

I know the backer isn’t the Demon Lord.

Just a demon.

A rather high-ranking demon at that.

It had been a while since such demons occasionally destroyed nearby villages for entertainment.

Because of that, the Empire had a headache.

Engaging the Demon Realm in full-scale war would leave deep scars even if victorious.

‘While I’m at it, I should sweep through once. Then the Imperial family will quiet down for a while too.’

It was something that had to be done eventually.

Just the needs overlapping, doing it concurrently.

Definitely not doing it for the Empire’s sake.

Thinking otherwise felt unpleasant.

Once my thoughts were organized, I threw myself onto the bed next to Sia.

Feeling tired myself, I planned to take a nap.

The impact of throwing myself onto the bed made Sia’s body bounce slightly before settling.

She wasn’t heavy, but it meant Sia’s body was that light.

Even after bouncing once, Sia showed no sign of waking.

Turning on my side again, I looked at Sia.

Still a cute and lovely face.

Observing Sia, I didn’t resist my gradually closing eyelids and accepted sleep.

Even as my eyes closed, my thoughts continued.

If Sia gets scared seeing Majin in the Demon Realm.

That day, I will kill all Majin in the Demon Realm and its nearby villages.

How dare they frighten ‘my property’.

Shouldn’t they receive commensurate retribution?

Of course, that retribution is the Majin hearts.