IWMHWD 126

Chapter 126. My First and Last

2024.03.05

The more Cordelia turned over the fact that she would have to die tomorrow, the more bitter and resentful she became, until she cried so much that her eyes swelled shut. Exhausted from weeping, she lay half-faint on her bed, only to awaken again not long after.

[Every time I see you, you’re crying.]

She had no idea how Roti had managed to find her here, but she didn’t care. It was already overwhelming enough just trying to endure the situation she faced.

When she looked at the grey dog—now plumper than before—the sorrow welled up again, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyelids were raw and stinging from so much crying.

“R-Roti, huuhh… I-I’m g-going to d-die tomorrow, sob…”

[Get up and put on some clothes. Your master is about to do something insane.]

“I-I’m going to die, hic… I won’t even be able to f-feed you anymore…”

[You’re not dead yet. So stop sniveling and get up.]

“S-sniff, what? What do you mean by that?”

Cordelia froze at Roti’s words, her tearful sobbing breaking off. The dog—though animals shouldn’t be able to—gave her a look that was clearly impatient and annoyed, urging her on.

[Don’t make me repeat myself a third time. You have to stop your master.]

“S-stop him? From what?”

[I’ll explain on the way.]

Roti leapt lightly down from the bed. Cordelia blinked in confusion until he barked another sharp order, forcing her to get down as well. Wiping her swollen eyes, she hurriedly threw on an outer robe and followed after him.

It was the dead of night, so still that even the sound of insects seemed too loud. As they walked down the dark corridor, Roti spoke.

[Do you know why demon descent is forbidden?]

“No…”

He had opened with such an abrupt question that Cordelia shook her head.

[Because humans and demons are fundamentally different beings. The mere act of one crossing into the other’s world creates fractures in reality. And if those fractures grow, both worlds are endangered.]

“But magicians borrow strength from demons through contracts. Sometimes parts of a demon even appear in the human world.”

Cordelia thought of the eyeball of Candias embedded in Leonard’s door as she protested.

[What you gain through a contract is only a tiny fragment of a demon’s power. Summoning and descent are completely different. Descent is the manifestation of the demon’s power in its entirety.]

They descended the stairs to the first floor. Roti led her out toward the gardens as he continued.

[But when Najabut broke that law and descended, a fracture appeared in the world. A large one.]

“And what does that have to do with my master? It was Lydia who summoned the demon.”

[Because your master is about to summon one himself. He is a powerful sorcerer. If he truly intends it, a high-ranking demon will answer—and the collapse will be catastrophic. The world, already unstable, will tear apart further.]

Roti let out a short sigh.

[If the fracture grows beyond control, the world itself could be destroyed. We have to stop him before that happens.]

“Wait, Master’s going to summon a demon? Why in the world would he…?”

[To obtain what he desires.]

“What could he possibly want? He already has everything… Don’t tell me—it’s because of me?”

She had thought him a man with nothing left to covet, but suddenly she realized what Leonard’s “desire” was. Roti glanced back at her for a long moment, then nodded.

[That’s reason enough.]

“But I thought magicians only contracted with demons for strength…”

[Demons are the source of mana. The greater their power, the greater the possibilities. It only seems like contracts are about strength because most magicians seek only that.]

As they spoke, they reached a part of the garden Cordelia had never visited, despite all her walks around Embly Castle.

[And a contract staked on life itself demands immense power. At any other time he might endure it—but now is the worst time imaginable.]

“Wait, life itself? You mean Master’s? He’s going to wager his life in a contract with a demon?”

[That’s all the explaining you need.]

Roti stopped. Cordelia halted beside him. Even though the midnight garden was pitch-black, she could clearly sense the surging magic.

[Stop him—if you want to save him.]

Those words snapped her fully awake. She ran toward the place where the magic pulsed. Before long, she saw Leonard with both hands raised toward the sky, chanting.

“Master!”

She shouted with all her strength. Leonard lowered his hands and turned.

“Cordelia? At this hour—how did you get here?”

“What… what are you doing?”

“Your eyes are swollen. You’ve cried a lot, haven’t you?”

He spoke calmly, brushing a gentle hand over her tear-stained face. His touch was so warm it nearly drew tears anew.

“You’re trying to summon a demon, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“Don’t do it.”

Cordelia seized his arm with all her strength. Leonard only gazed at her silently.

“I’ll be fine. No—honestly, I won’t. But I don’t want to live at the cost of your life.”

“Why are you dressed so lightly? You’ll catch a chill.”

Leonard quietly slipped off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Its warmth lingered, but Cordelia had no time for that. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her.

“I’m going to die tomorrow anyway—what’s a cold compared to that? Just stop this summoning ritual right now!”

“Acheron… I only founded that school because I didn’t want to bow to another Seirius. Don’t feel pressured. Carry it on. If you don’t know something, ask the others.”

“No! You founded it, so you have to take responsibility for it until the end!”

“Think of it as my will.”

“Then listen to mine! When I die, mourn for three years or so, then find another student. And don’t insult them the way you did me—calling me brainless or saying my head must be bolted on because I’ve got no sense. I only endured because it was you. No one else will put up with that temper of yours.”

“Is that your will, or just you scolding me?”

A laugh slipped out of him, out of place for the moment. Cordelia answered brazenly.

“Scolding? It’s heartfelt advice. Ignore it and you’ll grow old with no disciples left to fetch you water, because they’ll all have run away.”

“Haha.”

Leonard laughed aloud, then suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“…No.”

“I love you so much I’ve already picked out ten names for our children and made secret plans for a wedding in my homeland.”

“You never thought you should get the bride’s consent before preparing a wedding?”

“Consent. Quickly.”

“…This isn’t a proposal, is it?”

Cordelia pushed lightly at his shoulder, pouting as she asked. Leonard gazed at her with the eyes of a man looking at something unbearably precious.

Eyes as fresh as green grapes, lips just full enough, curling brown hair, soft cheeks.

He cupped her chin, leaned down, and tilted his head. His breath tickled her nose as he drew so close.

“Mas—”

His rough lips touched hers. Cordelia’s eyes flew wide, then fluttered shut.

It was not a long kiss. Barely even a kiss at all—just a brush of lips, then parting.

“Goodbye. My first and last.”

Leonard gently pushed her away. At the same time, light burst from beneath his feet, a pillar shooting into the heavens.

[Unbelievable.]

Roti, who had been waiting at a distance, sprinted toward them and shouted frantically.

[You must stop him—no matter what!]

“How?”

Cordelia looked helplessly from Roti to Leonard.

Roti hurled himself at Leonard, but the moment he neared the light, he was thrown back as though he’d struck a wall. He tried again and again, but the result was the same.

[Damn it. A demon of at least the top hundred…]

The ground shook. Clouds gathered overhead, blotting out the starry sky until nothing remained but the towering column of light.

Cordelia tried what Roti could not. Strangely, she passed through the radiance without resistance and seized her master’s hand. Roti’s eyes went wide.

“Master, stop! If I come back at the cost of your life, the rest of my days will be nothing but hell. Please, I beg you!”

“Cordelia…”

Leonard’s voice split into two, three echoes. As though he might vanish at any moment. Terrified, Cordelia clung to him desperately.

“Master!”

Then she felt her own body begin to rise, floating. The light that surged from beneath them wrapped not only Leonard, but her as well.

He grimaced, trying to push her out of the circle. But the more he did, the tighter she held him.

“Move away. If you stay, you’ll be caught up in the summoning!”

“If you don’t want me caught up—then stop!”

“How can I stop? Am I supposed to just watch you die before my eyes?”

Leonard shook her shoulders, his voice breaking in rare intensity.

“Then what about me? Am I supposed to live in your place? Spend the rest of my life tormented by guilt?”

“Then I’ll ask them to erase myself from your memory.”

“What? Just try it! I’ll chase you to hell itself if you do!”

Cordelia’s eyes blazed as she shouted. The sight must have struck him as almost comical, because the strength drained from Leonard’s body. Cordelia seized the chance and shoved him with all her might, pushing him out of the circle of light.