The civilians and the upper-district elites... we didn't manage to save everyone, but we at least pulled out the survivors.
"..."
"Do you regret not saving them all?"
"No... I just feel regret. It's heartbreaking."
I'm not some fairy-tale hero—how could I save them all? If I'd forced myself, I'd either be dead or I'd have them torn apart by me—one or the other.
"It is tragic. I'm human too—how can I not be bothered knowing people I didn't kill died like that? But this is Terra. What did you expect in a place like this?"
This isn't called Helltera for nothing. Lose focus for a second, and you never know when or where you'll end up like that.
"Baekhyun, and Miss Swaye. Before we question you about what happened at the scene, let's head to the hospital for your checkups."
"Ugh... now that it's over, it aches like hell... I'm not going to be stuck at this size forever, am I?"
"Stop the pointless talk and hurry up!"
"Always that temper... oh right, Dragon Head."
"Huh? What's this?"
"Use that gift well. Truth is... I tore up a chunk of that building in the fight. Consider it payment for repairs."
But I'd only blasted through some walls and pillars, ripped up the floor, sent a few bodies flying, and piled up a stack of corpses.
Damn, the math doesn't add up...
If the landlord and Dragon Head freak out over this, I'll tell them to go to hell... Actually, maybe I should just cut them open? Am I damn brilliant or what?
"I—I'll cover the repair costs, so let's just go now!"
"Huh?! Seriously?!"
What a windfall. If he's actually footing the bill, I'm really grateful.
"For real? No lie, right?"
Kid. It's impressive you didn't cuss, thinking I'm a gentleman... but I overheard it anyway.
Hmm. Seems like you were overheard.
"I'm not lying! Let's get out of this filthy place!"
"Alright then. My body is throbbing to death too. Ugh, why does blood keep soaking into everything?"
"Blood?! Are you... injured?"
"? It's not my blood."
"Th-then..."
"Uh... don't pry too much. This world is cruel."
I guess that makes sense. A daughter of a wealthy family wouldn't know how brutal life can be out here.
"I'll go first. Shit... help me get everyone else sorted out."
"C-corpses?!! No way!!"
The guards have already been cut to pieces, so why is she freaking out?
sob...
"…You're crying?"
"How could I not?! It was terrifying!! sniff... guns blazing, flesh tearing, people screaming in pain... I thought I was going to die..."
Oh shit. It's not that I made her cry, right? If I can't get paid... those repair costs won't be pocket change, and I'd be buried in debt for life...
That absolutely cannot happen!!!
I won't end up like that teacher!
"Here, take my hand. I wiped it, so at least it'll be cleaner than before."
"How does just holding hands change anything?!"
"It makes it easier for me to protect you."
"…You'll protect me? Me?"
"Yeah. I'm not entirely sure yet, but the [Sword Sect] draws blade to protect others. It's gotten heavily stained lately, but I'm still of the [Sword Sect]. So if you ever get scared like this, grab my hand, and I'll protect you right away."
"Why...?"
"Don't know? It's just... you're scared. At least while I'm holding your hand, you won't feel so terrified, right?"
"…I don't know."
"Then should I let go?"
"No, I didn't mean let go! Just keep going... like this."
"I didn't realize how hard it is to cater to a lady."
"You're saying that out loud?"
"Is that forbidden? But if you keep it bottled up, it makes you sick. Just like when you cried from fear, there are things you shouldn't suppress but release immediately."
That's why they invented stress disorders. Humans get sick when they bottle things up. Of course I have to... hold back. But what matters is...
pfft... haha... what's that? You're really strange.
"Right? Everyone says the same thing."
"Haha... yeah. I think I feel a bit better."
"What a sight. If you go from crying to laughing, you grow horns on your behind."
"What is that!! It's just rude things to say to a lady!"
"Hey, hey, don't yank me! It's dangerous!"
"Then just save me!"
"What kind of shameless lady is this?"
"Here I am, what's your point? More importantly, let's go! If anything happens to me, you'll be responsible?"
"Responsible? Why should I?"
"…That was mean."
"Why not?"
pfft... ha! Your face is hilarious right now!
"...Anyway, let's go for real now. Hold on tight."
I made this lady laugh, didn't I? That's what matters right now.
Bored, tedious, joyless.
She was wealthy and beautiful to the point you could say she was born with everything, yet she still felt a void, a clear longing for something.
Isn't there something that could make my life interesting?
But she'd already grasped everything she could. Money was in abundance.
Today she'd obtained everything possible. Toys? She could buy the entire manufacturer. In fact, she still owned the toy company she purchased as a child, and new and limited-edition products were delivered to her home regularly. Though she never even opened them.
What about books? Naturally, she could own every bookstore or hire authors outright. Fine dining? The chefs in her house were all top-class.
And a theme park, that beacon of children's dreams? She received an entire amusement park for her sixth birthday—so a theme park felt no different to her than the playground in her front yard.
This too, and that too, are all tedious.
What bored her most was social gatherings like today's. She was sharp enough to realize this wasn't just a group of people meeting to chit-chat.
The children were chess pieces, extensions of adult business deals.
The children smiled as they discussed family alliances, while the adults watched and steered the conversation toward business. The most lucrative piece on this board, the one everyone coveted, was undoubtedly Miss Swaye.
If her old grandfather died, his endless fortune would be inherited by her—so they staked their claims early to survive this ever-shifting Yongmun game. Securing a solid backer for their own children meant survival, and the children knew their fate lay in her hands, so they all bowed eagerly.
"Miss Swaye. It's an honor to meet you. My family runs Lym Billington Heavy Industry and oversees its brokerage with Yongmun."
"My family has extensive ties with Victoria. And Miss Beatrix, you also have connections to Victoria? What a coincidence."
"Miss Swaye. You are so beautiful. May I request a dance?"
All of this—business, family, flattery—it's utterly exhausting. And the most tedious of all is...
"Oh, really? That's amazing~!"
And yet she had to mingle, playing the fool. They all bowed to their peers and even humbled themselves before someone younger than her—something that didn't sit well with her, since she did the same to them.
In that sense, today's events marked, quite literally, the most 'egalitarian' moment of Swaye's life. Everyone—friends and foes alike—trembled under the same fear of impending death. She had never experienced fear like that before.
I'm scared..! Grandpa, help me..!
If anyone would answer her call, it would be her grandfather.
Ding!
Wh—Who is it?
A child drenched in blood, brandishing a blade. Oh shit. Reinforcements. We'll all be killed, and I'll be taken hostage alone.
"Damn runt..."
"Hey. Let go of her hand."
Not that... is he on our side?
But he's terrifying, so far...?
He was even more formidable than she'd imagined. He had straight-up outclassed the man who felled the guards like autumn leaves.
And I thought [Originium Arts] were notoriously difficult to wield. Could they really produce such power?
"Grab my hand."
"I'll protect you."
Hmm... I've never had anyone yank my hand like this before. It's hardly chivalrous to grab a lady's hand so roughly! But I can't say I disliked it, so I'll let it slide.
"What are you thinking?"
"Do you want to be my bodyguard?"
"No, I don't."
"Why not? If it's about money, I'll pay whatever you ask."
"No, that's unnecessary. Nurse? Please treat this girl first."
"And you? You don't look completely fine either."
"I'm tough, I'll be fine."
"Don't say that foolishness, both of you get checked. Mr. [Wei Yenwu] is footing the bill."
That man is going to bury us in debt, isn't he.
"All right then. Hey, let's go."
"Okay. Wait, don't let go of my hand, bodyguard!"
"Who's to say I'm hired? I'm [Sword Sect], not a bodyguard."
"How much is being [Sword Sect] worth, anyway? How much to buy it?"
"This is why the rich... their mindset is so different."
"How much would it take?"
"I won't sell. I follow the [Moejang] who took me in. Money isn't the priority."
Granted, money is supreme... but he was like a parent to me. He gave me everything, so I'm not just going to leave without paying my dues. And honestly... living together is fun in its own way.
"Impossible? In the name of Beatrix, there is nothing that can't be done!"
"Look, right here."
"I'll be waiting! I'll make sure you belong to me!"
"Um... you two have to let go now so we can examine you~"
"Then separate our hands a bit, please."
"What? You said you'd protect me!"
"Damn, this is a hospital!"
"Still!"
"Still what? What's 'still'?"
Sigh... what is this now...