Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Vespa (2)

◆

“Carlisle.”

Beneath labored breathing, Vespa barely managed to speak.

She was calling out to him, but despite Carlisle being right in front of her, she seemed unable to recognize him and was staring off into empty space.

It was understandable. Her upper and lower body had been completely severed by an Archduke Demon.

All of her bodily organs had long since ceased to function.

The only reason she was still breathing was thanks to the enormous magical power she had accumulated as a Grand Mage.

Burning through her entire body, she was using magic to barely postpone her predetermined death.

Replacing the activity of each and every cell with magical power, she was rejecting even absolute laws.

…Carlisle knew the reason for performing such a miracle.

“Where is Miss?”

She simply wanted to see someone, even if just for a brief moment.

“Where… Is she…? I want to see her… One last time—”

Carlisle hung his head deeply.

He couldn’t breathe. He absolutely couldn’t tell her the truth.

“…She’s on her way here. She’s running here… In a hurry.”

It was a lie.

Gray had coldly refused, saying she had to do more important things rather than protect ‘such useless people’, and had gone off to fight.

Those ‘useless people’ included Vespa, who was here in this terrible state.

The person who had been unconditionally on her side her entire life.

“Are you injured too… Carlisle?”

Vespa reached out and caressed Carlisle’s cheek.

She was stroking Carlisle’s face, which was covered in blood and completely disheveled.

—This person.

Even in this state, she was worrying about others.

“…There was combat on the way here.”

No, that wasn’t it.

This was the result of Carlisle clinging to Gray’s feet, telling her that without her support, Vespa and the civilians in this area would certainly be annihilated.

Gray, who had kicked him away with her boot, immediately ran off to the battlefield. This appearance was her doing.

Gray had said that protecting people was something for others to do, and she had gone to fight the leader of the demons.

From a macro perspective, it wasn’t a wrong decision. The more demons the Hero killed, the closer the battle came to victory. That was also the Hero’s purpose of existence.

—But then, Vespa here would definitely die.

No matter how ‘correct’ something might be, there were things that shouldn’t be done.

There were things that humans shouldn’t turn their backs on.

Not anyone else but her, Gray Chasefield as a ‘human’ before being a Hero,

She shouldn’t abandon Vespa. That was basic human decency.

That’s why he had tried to stop her.

This was the result of failing to stop her.

“…I see…”

“Yes. Please just hold on a little longer, Vespa. A cleric is coming with her too.”

“I wanted to see… Miss… One last time… So I kept… Holding on…”

Her labored voice grew quieter.

“Now… I think I’ve reached… My limit—”

In the eyes of the Grand Mage who had been part of humanity’s strongest forces, the faint flame of life that had barely remained was extinguishing.

“Carlisle.”

“—Yes.”

“Was it… Worthwhile… For me to serve Miss—?”

“—”

“Will Miss… Remember me—?”

Carlisle gritted his teeth. He bit down so hard that blood would burst from his gums, causing a trickle of blood to flow from the corner of his mouth.

He swallowed his expression. He swallowed his emotions.

Here, what he had to say was predetermined.

“Yes.”

He said with a bright smile.

“To Gray Chasefield, you were an irreplaceably precious person.”

He told a white lie.

“She will definitely remember you.”

He didn’t deny her life.

He turned away from the truth.

A faint smile appeared on Vespa’s face.

“Please take good care of Miss.”

As if that was enough.

“She’s a lonely person— so she’ll definitely need a friend—”

That she left such words until the end.

“Please stay by her side— Carlisle— no matter what—”

Those words still remain in his memory even now.

◆

“…lisle? Carlisle?”

The hellish scene stuck behind his eyelids vanished in an instant.

Carlisle snapped back to his senses and looked ahead.

“Oh, are you, are you tired?”

In front of him, Gray’s personal attendant Vespa was flustered and glancing around nervously.

It was probably her reaction to Carlisle staring at her blankly without saying anything.

“—No, it’s nothing.”

When he answered with a slight laugh, she visibly relaxed.

“You called for me and then suddenly went blank! That’s rude!”

“I’m sorry.”

“…No, but if you apologize so seriously like that, then I feel bad again…”

She became flustered again.

Despite receiving a legitimate apology, she acted as if she had done something wrong instead.

[…]

And watching such behavior, the Holy Sword was unusually quiet.

It was probably being crushed by guilt.

Ever since this human had begun to develop self-awareness, what he regretted most was anything related to Vespa.

“Ah, anyway! Let’s go quickly! You said you needed to observe classes!”

“But are you really okay with this? It was a sudden request I made yesterday evening.”

Yesterday evening was when he had asked her to accompany him as a ‘partner’ for touring classes on the first day of joining Elena.

This person probably had her own schedule and would be busy, but she had agreed very simply.

“…”

Come to think of it, wasn’t this person someone who had rather low feelings toward Carlisle personally, saying he was stealing Gray away from her?

Yet she had such a reaction.

It’s impressive that someone with this personality managed to navigate social life. There are limits to being kind, gentle, and timid.

‘It’s fortunate that this person has the talent of a Grand Mage. If she had no ability, it would have been a real disaster.’

[…If you do anything foolish to Vespa, I’ll kill you with my own hands.]

‘Would you?’

He chuckled inwardly as he walked.

[But what’s the reason for observing classes together?]

‘First, I need to see what level her talent is at.’

Thanks to the regression point being moved up much earlier than originally, it was unknown what level of aptitude Vespa possessed at this point in time.

The basic classes at the Cradle should do well in assessing such capabilities.

‘Originally, she was just awakening her talent when we first met…’

After the Hell Invasion, she had devoted herself to training for about three years after realizing her aptitude as a mage.

…In just that period, she had become a mage with ‘Grand’ in front of her title. A title bestowed only on the continent’s finest mages.

There was no way to explain it other than genius.

‘Considering her capabilities, she’s probably not ordinary even now, but I still need to test her.’

Once her talent level was determined, he planned to immediately help her find her way.

Conveniently, the four Hero skills he could currently copy were related to ‘magic’, so he could guide her through those.

As he was thinking such thoughts.

“…Hmm?”

He encountered Gray walking from the opposite corridor.

Upon spotting Carlisle and Vespa, she immediately walked over and stood in front of them.

“Classes?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Yes, Miss!”

Carlisle and Vespa answered simultaneously.

…Gray’s gaze was fixed only on Carlisle.

“When classes are over, go get my equipment again. It broke after barely using it a few times.”

“Shall I do that, Miss?”

“…”

Gray’s gaze fell on Vespa who said that, then returned to Carlisle.

“And buy some new bath salts. The ones you bought this time weren’t good.”

“I, I can prepare new ones—”

“…”

Again her gaze fell on Vespa, then back to Carlisle.

“Ah, and tomorrow’s meal—”

Back to Carlisle.

“Contact father about—”

…Once again to Carlisle.

Despite Vespa, who was also an attendant, being right next to him, she was only talking to him. Vespa was being treated like she was invisible.

The longer this went on, the more Vespa’s shoulders drooped.

Her burning frustration was visible. She wanted to be helpful to Miss too, but wasn’t receiving any attention.

“—Then, I’ll be going. Come report when you’ve finished everything.”

So it was probably because she was so frustrated that she committed the mistake.

“Ah, Miss! Isn’t there anything I can help with—?”

Placing her hand on Gray’s shoulder as she was walking away, that mistake could only be explained by desperation.

The next moment.

The blade of the Holy Sword, drawn like lightning, touched Vespa’s nape.

That it stopped just before cutting her throat was pure thanks to Gray’s superhuman reflexes.

“…”

Bright red blood flowed down Vespa’s nape where the sword tip had pierced her skin.

She, who hadn’t even realized what had happened, immediately sat down where she was with a pale face. Her legs seemed to have given out.

“…”

For a moment, Gray’s eyes also wavered. It was an instinctive action, not something she had done on purpose.

Some words lingered at the corner of her mouth for a moment.

What she should say at times like this—she probably knew.

But.

“…Don’t touch my body. What do you think you’re doing without knowing your place?”

As always, what came out was the worst possible sentence.

Carlisle watched the scene with a bitter smile.

‘People don’t change all at once.’

Probably, if it had been Carlisle who received such treatment, she would have apologized.

But her way of treating other people besides him still had a long way to go.

[…]

While the Holy Sword remained silent, Gray turned around and walked away.

Carlisle, who had been silently watching, soon turned his head toward Vespa.

“Are you alright? What Miss just did was too much.”

“Miss probably didn’t do it on purpose.”

As soon as he said that, such an answer flowed from Vespa.

…Even though she was clearly the one who had been wronged.

She was making excuses to Carlisle, telling him not to think badly of Gray.

“I was wrong. I knew that Miss really hates being touched—”

Moisture mixed into her voice.

Soon, burying her face in her knees, she said through her sobs.

“—I need to do better— to be helpful to Miss—”

“…”

It was a scene he had witnessed countless times before his regression.

“If I try hard— she’ll surely recognize me—”

No.

Carlisle knew the result.

It wouldn’t reach her.

No matter how hard Vespa tried.

No matter how much unconditional love she gave to Gray.

The Hero’s gaze would never turn to her.

Sharpened arrogance would crush even the most basic human virtues.

Such a future was predetermined.

[…—!]

He could clearly feel Gray gritting her teeth inside the Holy Sword.

Reliving the wrongs committed by her past self must be a painful experience.

But.

‘It’s okay.’

He comforted her.

[…You.]

‘I told you. I absolutely won’t let it happen again.’

Not this time.

Would he let such a hellish scene be witnessed again? Would he let her die?

…Would he let people become unhappy?

Not until dirt entered his eyes.

He had said it before. This time was different.

Not stopping Gray from committing such atrocious acts was also in that context.

Because he knew how to change that.

“…Vespa.”

Carlisle approached the sobbing Vespa and knelt in front of her.

“Don’t cry.”

“…Sob, sniff… Yes… It’s ugly to look at…”

“No. From now on, I’m going to make you incredibly happy.”

“…?”

Vespa’s tear-filled eyes widened.

“Let’s make Miss unable to live without you.”

“…”

“Shall we have a passionate confrontation with Miss?”

…Vespa stopped crying.

The reason was that the sentence was too absurd.

[What nonsense are you spouting? Please explain.]

‘…Does this sentence sound that strange?’

[…]