[CHAPTER 65]
The demonic power I had forced into the holy sword exploded violently the moment I swung the blade and flew straight toward the enemy.
Between the strands of demonic power forcibly injected into the sword, I could feel the holy power that Sian had carefully tempered surging wildly as it mixed in.
Letion raised his baton, trying desperately to block the attack, but the instant he faced the strike that had already flown right up to him…
Too late.
…was probably what he thought.
Letion vanished without a trace along with the surrounding trees caught in the blast.
He had been completely annihilated.
The only proof that he had ever been there was the core stone lying on the dirt ground.
When demons are annihilated, they leave behind a core stone.
It looks no different from a beautiful gemstone, but since demons leave not even a strand of hair behind when they disappear, the core stone is the only proof of their death.
Green…
It could have simply been the color of Letion’s hair, or it could have symbolized the poison-stained life he had lived.
You attacked him with the intent to kill, and now you feel guilty just because you see the core stone?
I had never believed that Letion would be able to block my attack in the first place.
He was a demon skilled in poison and assassination rather than direct combat.
The only reason he had been able to block my initial strike was because I was weakened and because Sian’s sword had rejected me.
Neither the sword nor its wielder had been able to fully exert their strength.
I carefully picked up the beautifully gleaming core stone and put it away.
I planned to hand it over later to the person who had been closest to Letion.
That was the last courtesy I could offer to someone who had once been my subordinate.
Though if I die in this cycle, I’ll meet him again anyway.
Hoping that would not happen, I pushed myself up.
And then…
Ah.
Suddenly my vision wavered and dizziness washed over me.
It seemed I had pushed myself too hard fighting Letion.
The holy sword vibrated unpleasantly, offended by the demonic power forced into it.
I could no longer even hold onto the sword, so I hurriedly dropped it onto the ground.
Clatter—
When I was holding it, it had felt as heavy as a lump of iron.
Yet the sound it made when it hit the ground was light and hollow, as if it were empty inside.
It almost felt like a protest, as if to say that this was the weight it would have had in the hands of its rightful owner.
Listening to the sound, I panted for breath.
Soon, I heard footsteps approaching me.
I did not need to lift my head to know who it was.
It was Sian.
When I barely managed to raise my head in my exhausted state, I saw Sian’s face with his brows tightly furrowed.
His complexion was still terrible.
His displeased gaze flicked briefly toward his sword lying on the floor.
Only then did I feel awkward.
Ah, right, it is Sian’s sword…
Maybe that was a bit much.
I had borrowed someone else’s sword, one that was obviously extremely expensive, and then thrown it down like that.
Anyone would be annoyed.
Feeling apologetic, I tried to pick up the sword and hand it back, but the iron-like weight made it impossible for me to even attempt lifting it.
“Are you angry?”
“Yes.”
Of course.
“I’m sorry.”
“I shouldn’t have treated your sword so carelessly—”
“Do you really think I’m angry over something as trivial as that sword?”
Then it was not that?
My eyes widened in confusion.
Then why is he so angry?
I tried to think of another reason, but—
“Ah…”
Dizziness hit me again, and I staggered as I clutched my head.
I thought I was holding on well, but when I came to my senses, I was already collapsed on the floor, with Sian kneeling in front of me, checking on me anxiously.
Sian’s face wavered in my vision, and his voice began to drift farther and farther away.
I knew this feeling.
No, not this.
This feeling…
It was exactly how it felt right before regressing, right at the moment of death.
I could not regress yet.
I desperately tried to force my eyes open, but it was useless.
With the sensation of my body being dragged into an abyss, I closed my eyes.
***
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in an unfamiliar room.
How many times had I passed out in this cycle alone?
At least I didn’t die and regress.
I should be grateful for that.
As I sluggishly pushed myself up, murmuring voices reached my ears from beyond the door.
From the sound of them, it seemed like Ifrit, Noah, and Zahar.
What about Sian?
I swung my legs down from the bed and stood up.
The cold wooden floor sent a shiver through my body as my feet touched it.
Ugh… I feel like I’m going to throw up.
I barely suppressed the nausea rising in my throat and took a step forward.
Just as I reached the door—
“…If we can’t purify the poison quickly, it could become dangerous.”
Ifrit’s serious voice came through the thin wooden door.
The moment I heard that, I threw the door open without thinking.
As far as I knew, there was only one person poisoned right now.
I had assumed that if I was laid down safely like this, Sian would also be receiving proper treatment somewhere.
“Jerena?”
“When did you wake up?”
Startled by my sudden appearance, Ifrit gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“…You couldn’t detoxify it?”
Despite Ifrit’s attempt to calm me, the anxiety surging in my chest refused to settle.
Ifrit hesitated for a moment as he looked down at me.
“Unfortunately.”
“…Where is Sian?”
“Hey, no.”
Noah stepped in front of me as I tried to move immediately.
“The poison spread because his wounds weren’t treated in time.”
“It’s even being forced out of his body.”
“If you get too close, you might be poisoned too.”
“Me?”
“Poisoned by something like that?”
It was ridiculous.
I slapped Noah’s hand away and moved forward.
Even without them telling me, it was easy to figure out where Sian was.
Zahar, wearing a desperate expression, was standing guard in front of the door to the room right next to the one I had come out of.
He’s in there.
I pushed Zahar aside and stood in front of the door.
Perhaps because I had no strength left in my hands, he did not move easily despite bracing himself.
“Move.”
“You can’t, Jerena.”
“You’re still—”
“I said move.”
I grabbed the arm I had been pushing with and looked up at Zahar.
“It’s dangerous.”
“Poison means nothing to me.”
I rejected his words firmly and shoved him with all my strength.
Honestly, I had not expected to be able to push him away.
But I also did not think he would keep resisting.
Sure enough, Zahar…
Seriously.
I can’t make an injured person keep straining himself.
With that kind of expression, he stepped aside.
After finally clearing him away from the door, I opened it without hesitation.
“Sir Sian…”
The moment I stepped inside, a sharp, pungent smell of medicinal herbs assaulted my nose, making me frown.
“What is all this?”
The thick herbal stench filled the room, and I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve as I turned my head away.
The one who answered my question was Noah.
“They’re all herbs that increase poison resistance.”
“They’re only a temporary measure unless we properly detoxify him.”
“But since there’s no one who can do that right now, we had to do something.”
“…There’s a saintess candidate.”
“Isn’t purification the most basic thing a saintess can do with holy power?”
“We already tried.”
“She said she couldn’t.”
Could she not do it, or did she simply refuse?
I swallowed the words that rose to my throat.
It was a stupid question anyway.
Seria had shown hostility toward Sian, so even if she could have done it, there was no way she would have purified his poison.
“We contacted the temple for now.”
“We asked the wind spirit that was supposed to take us to the capital to bring a priest who can purify demonic poison.”
“When will they arrive?”
“We don’t know.”
“But since it’s a wind spirit, maybe by tomorrow…”
“Tomorrow?”
“You’re saying we leave him like that until tomorrow?”
“Are we preparing to clean up a corpse?”
It was absurd.
Sian’s face, surrounded by herbs, was deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat.
“There’s no other way.”
Noah looked like he wanted to say he was frustrated too.
Pathetic.
I ground my teeth, a harsh grinding sound escaping between them.
“I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“You can purify it?”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Of course I can’t.”
“…”
“Then what are you going to do?”
I stepped further into the room.
Walking up to the bed where Sian lay, I brought my hand to his lips.
“I’m going to absorb the demonic poison inside him into myself.”
