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Chapter 60: Nothing
“─Stop right there. You’ve passed.”
The voice came out of nowhere.
Abel instinctively turned around, but there was no one there.
Then, next. He immediately sharpened his senses and searched for any presence. Although far from being proficient, Abel consciously refrained from using his magic-sensing ability, which he should have used many times before already, because he understood it unconsciously at that moment.
This way is better, he thought.
However, the result remained the same.
Except for the trembling men in front of him, he couldn’t find a single person. No weird presence either.
That’s why Abel remained vigilant without letting his guard down and concentrated.
“You’re strong enough
 Oh, now that I look closely, you. Black hair and red eyes. You’re not from this country, are you? No, even more than that
 in our──”
“Where are you!! Show yourself!! Is Lily
 Is Lily safe?”
Abel couldn’t contain his emotions any longer and blurted those words out.
The strangely calm voice, devoid of any tension, was unpleasant and unbearable for him at this current situation.
The owner of the voice was Nicole. She was the person who had previously hired mercenaries and instructed them to abduct Luke.
“
Lily-chan, she’s safe. I’ll let you hear her voice now
 ───Abel.”
“Lily!!”
The voice switched.
A slight sense of relief that it was indeed her voice. And at the same time, the despair of not knowing the enemy’s whereabouts, as if nothing had been saved, flooded into Abel.
“I’m sorry
 I’m sorry, sorry, sorry
 I’m really sorry. I’m sorry
 I was careless
 I wasn’t thinking at all
 Even though I always act so high and mighty, I’m such an idiot. I’m really
 sorry. I──”
“──Don’t apologize anymore, Lily. It’s not your fault
 It’s all their fault,”
Abel hasn’t yet heard Lily sound like that, sound so weak and apologizing,, he felt his heart being torn apart because of it. Instead of asking for help, she uttered an apology, saying “I’m sorry.”
(Lily is strong, after all
)
She regretted more than anything else that she had become a burden to Abel.
Knowing that, Abel felt frustrated and pained.
Unforgivable. There was no way he could forgive it.
“If anything happens to Lily, I will never forgive you.”
Darkness gleamed in Abel’s eyes.
It firmly captured Nicole behind the unseen crystal, sending a shiver down her spine.
“─Good. If you want her released, obey my orders.”
“
”
However, even Nicole had things she would never yield on. She, who lacked special powers, knew that she had to make use of everything available to her.
No matter how cruel it may be.
It’s not like she didn’t feel guilt.
But there are things she must accomplish even if it means killing her own heart.
That’s all there is to it.
Therefore, she would provide a choice.─ A choice to make.
“─By the day after tomorrow, kill Luke Wizaria Gilbert. If you do that, I’ll set her free.”
In an instant, Abel tasted despair as if his heart had been seized.
Lily or Luke.
Two options presented before him.
“Ugh
”
He couldn’t accept it immediately, nor did he possess the power to overcome the current situation.
Abel felt as if the night had enveloped him even darker.
“I’ll say it again. Kill Luke Wizaria Gilbert by the day after tomorrow. If you do that, I’ll set her free.”
Nicole presented the choice.
However, she didn’t give him enough time.
She knew from experience that it would be more effective that way.
“Don’t forget, I’m always watching. It’s futile to entertain any strange thoughts. Well then, good luck.”
“W-wait!! Wait, please!!”
He reflexively shouted, but there was no response.
Still, there was something he wanted to say.
“Lily!!! You don’t have to worry about anything!!! I will definitely save you!!! Just endure a little longer!!! Everything will be alright!!! Don’t worry about anything, okay!!!”
Abel shouted in a loud voice, causing his breath to quicken. Hoping that this voice would reach her.
The remnants of the mercenaries had already fled.
Abel was aware of that, but with Nicole’s presence being so uncertain, he had no choice but to let them go.
“
Haa
haa
”
He clearly felt a thread snap within himself.
Abel slowly and quietly kneeled down, placing his hands on the ground.
And he lightly punched the ground.
With a little more force, he punched the ground.
And then, with even greater force, he punched the ground again
.
It gradually gained momentum.
No matter how much blood flowed from his fists, Abel continued to punch the ground without stopping.
Again and again, repeatedly, over and over─
“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”
A scream that tore through the silence of the night.
Frustration, his own powerlessness, anger, hatred. Abel screamed, as if to expel all of those mixed-up emotions from within him.
“I can’t do anything!!! I can’t protect anything!!! No matter how much!!! No matter how hard I try!!! I can’t protect anything!!!
 Nothing
 nothing
”
Tears fell onto the ground, drop by drop.
Frustrated. Incredibly frustrated with his own helplessness.
Abel despised himself for being unable to do anything but taste that frustration. He felt miserable, hollow.
―Kill Luke Wizaria Gilbert by the day after tomorrow.
Nicole’s words echoed in his mind.
He couldn’t help but be reminded of how cruel this world was, no matter how much he disliked it.
“
What am I supposed to do? What
 am I supposed to do
”
There was no one to reach out a hand to Abel, who could only hang his head and sink into the depths of despair.
He didn’t possess the power to save everything.
In that case, there was no choice but to make a decision─