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“You always talk strangely, Duke! Isn’t that something I should be saying?”
Whenever Dietrich made a cold expression, even Yuric who was hanging around him became fearful, but Hermann wasn’t discouraged and responded to his words.
‘Just like a protagonist.’
I looked back at Dietrich, admiring Hermann’s steadfast attitude. His lips curled up as if he found it laughable.
“What qualifications do you have?”
“You have no qualifications as well!”
“Why don’t I?”
“I am Anissa’s real brother. And Duke, aren’t you a wastrel who’s coveting Anissa?”
“A was– what?”
Dietrich’s face warped at Hermann’s words.
“This bastard—”
“There’s no way I will approve you for Anissa not until dirt gets in my eyes!” [1]
“We have to just pluck out your eyes then.”
‘Why are you going to pluck out his eyes!’
I shook my head at Dietrich’s stormy face.
Wuuwuuwuu.
I quickly rushed in between them since they looked like they would attack each other soon, but Hella wailed loudly from a distance and started looking for us.
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‘At this rate, Hella is going to find us first!’
I alternately looked at Hermann and Dietrich who were glaring at each other and heaved a deep sigh.
“Stop.”
They flinched and looked back at me as if my serious expression worked on them.
“Dietrich, is it time for us to fight with each other?”
“.........No.”
Dietrich averted his eyes at my sharp tone and mumbled.
“Didn’t Anissa say now’s not the time! You really can’t tell the difference for the right time, Duke.”
I turned my head towards Hermann, who was grinning triumphantly as if gloating over Dietrich and raised my eyes at him ferociously.
“You’re the same, Hermann. Are you picking a fight against Dietrich when we still haven’t even found out how to destroy Hella yet?”
“B-But the Duke….”
“Stop making a racket! You do know that dealing with Hella comes first right now, am I wrong?”
“.....Yes. Sorry.”
Hermann slowly nodded his head, intimidated by my scolding, and gripped his sword.
‘Huh? Is that a relic?’
I narrowed my eyes at the purple amulet sparkling near his neck.
“Hermann, that amulet, is it a relic?”
“Yes. It’s the goddess Hella’s– I mean, it’s a relic handed down from the temple of Hella.”
“Please give it to me.”
I reached out to him, treating the holy relic that would be equivalent to three castles for one jewel stone like a trinket you can find on the sidewalk.
“The amulet?”
I shook my open hand in front of him, urging, and Hermann took off the amulet with a sour look on his face.
“Why….”
“The darkened holy sword of yours worked on Hella earlier. I think this will do the same.”
Dietrich grabbed my shoulder as I squeezed the amulet in my hand to darken it.
“Are you thinking of using your ability again?”
I looked into his black eyes like a curtain of night. I smiled gently at the deep worry filling his eyes.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“If you’re going to overdo it again—”
“No, I’m not just saying that. Now, I won’t do anything like sacrificing myself for you.”
"..............."
“I realized that’s not what you want.”
It may sound selfish at first glance, but Dietrich slightly nodded his head as if he was relieved by my words.
“Because the most precious one to you is me.”
I took his hand on my shoulder and continued speaking.
“You said that losing me is the scariest thing in the world. I will never put you in such an atrocious situation again.”
“......All right.”
Though they were passionate words that made one’s face heat up, Dietrich admitted them serenely. And he laughed lightly.
“As you said, I don’t need anything else as long as I have you.”
I smiled at Dietrich, who nodded slowly like a meek child.
“Yeah, I know.”
I decided to consider my safety first in order to prioritize Dietrich’s heart.
‘So let’s not overdo it.’
It wouldn’t be for Dietrich if I get hurt trying to annihilate Hella.
‘But in the current situation, I could darken three relics.’
I darkened Hermann’s amulet, feeling the power overflowing like a river from earlier.
“Do you also need this?”
Hermann understood my plan and handed over the bracelet and ring he had been wearing.
He swept his chin while he watched me darken the relics without any difficulty.
“I see. If you darken the relics, it would double the strength of the Duke.”
Hermann’s guess wasn’t wrong.
Dietrich did actually lead the war to victory using Hermann’s holy sword which I had darkened.
However, even though entering a contract was the same as being fooled by the demon, he had already paid the price of the contract, and summoning Baal was already overwhelming enough.
I stared at the tattoo that was still hanging around Dietrich’s neck and bit my lips.
“No, Dietrich will not be using them.”
“......I’m sorry but since I’m Hella’s kin, I don’t think I’d be of much help.”
Hermann curled his fingers and made an apologetic face.
I shrugged my shoulders since I had no intention of putting Hermann in the lead in the first place.
“I’ll be the one to use it. These relics.”
“No.”
I had said that to Hermann, but the answer came from the other side.
I heaved a sigh at Dietrich’s resolute words.
“Did you forget what I said earlier?”
“..............”
“I know I’m the most precious one to you. I told you I won’t overdo it.”
“Then why are you going to use the relic?”
“Because I’m confident.”
I was convinced that if there was anyone who would be able to see the end of Hella, that would be me.
Not Hermann who was the protagonist, not even Dietrich who was given the role to play the villain and live a life of solitude, but I, who was the voice of this story.
“I have confidence I’ll win, Dietrich. Believe in me.”
This world moved according to Hella’s will and Dietrich and Hermann were people who were completely, fundamentally part of this world.
‘But I’m not.’
I was the only blemish and transcendent in her world.
When I realized that fact, my body began to fill with power as if Eredia was responding to my will.
I snatched Hermann’s sword and looked back at the two people’s faces filled with nervousness.
“I’ll be back.”
"......."
“The two of you, make sure to hide well.”
I’m warning you, so don’t even try to interfere.
I warned them firmly and took a step forward.
────── 〔✿〕──────
Hermann didn’t trust Anissa’s plan.
It must be so since in his eyes, his one and only sister looked so slender and delicate.
‘Her arms aren't even half of mine, isn’t the sword too heavy for her?’
Their mother, Dona Euclid, was a typical southern beauty who was of small stature that she could be buried in a tall flower garden and hidden from view.
Anissa’s circumstances, which resembled Dona's, would be no different.
Even though he knew it was hereditary, when Hermann recalled Anissa’s skinny body, he glared at Dietrich.
‘It’s clear that she grew up not eating properly in Lagrange.’
Although he did not fully understand the circumstances of Lagrange, he knew that in Lagrange, even if they were siblings, they grew up in different environments depending on their abilities.
She wouldn’t have been able to grow up luxuriously because she had to hide her ability.
Hermann clenched his fists, imagining the little Anissa dressed in patched clothes who must have longed for Euclid.
‘She probably wouldn’t have cried in front of Dietrich Lagrange.’
His eyes became moist with unshed tears, but that cold-hearted man wouldn’t understand him who was feeling pity for the young Anissa.
He struggled to control his grief and glared at Dietrich, who was an inch – actually, it wasn’t just an inch but a large margin of difference – taller than him.
‘Why is that punk so large?’
Not only was he tall, but he also had a large build even for a knight of the North.
Did he steal the food meant for Anissa to fill his stomach?
‘Otherwise, there’d be no reason for him to boast longer legs than me, who as the eldest son, took the elixir that was supposed to be good for the body.’
He had made the conclusions to himself and turned to look at Anissa’s small but resolute back as she slowly went farther away.
He became fretful that she might drop the heavy sword on her feet as Anissa made her way to Hella.
However, when she arrived where Hella was, she began to swing the large long sword with one hand and began to turn her head.
‘Is she doing some warm-up exercise?’
She looked extremely cute like a chick doing gymnastics but the real battle was different from the sparring done in a drill hall.
Hermann turned to look at Dietrich because he thought Anissa’s carefree manner was due to her poor grasp of the situation.
“Will it really be all right not to help her?”
"..............."
“Duke, what are you doing right now?”
He thought it seemed too quiet but Dietrich was muttering something under his breath while in place.
“Duke! Are you summoning demons right now?!”
He didn’t know what exactly he was saying, but Hermann knew that Dietrich was calling out demons.
It’s a spell he’d often heard during the rose war.
“You showed complete confidence in front of her as if you would never help her!”
He wasn’t holding back because he didn’t want to help her. Hermann’s voice filled with betrayal rose up.
“Duke, you’re such a completely two-faced man!”
Dietrich frowned indifferently as if a fly was buzzing around him.
“Shut up.”
Note:
[1] Hermann is saying over my dead body but the literal translation is ‘not until dirt gets in my eyes’ which leads to Dietrich saying he’ll pluck out his eyes. Lol.