"I feel like I'm hunting a monster, not hitting a person, High Elder."
Click, click—Shion’s steps echoed as she approached.
Her boiling rage was now taking shape and radiating outward. Crackle! Crackle! The electricity in the air was wild and untamed.
"Y-you, Herald!"
"What?"
Rohan looked down at the fallen High Elder with an expression of pure displeasure.
Around them, the elders who had been beaten with the scabbard lay groaning on the floor.
More than half of them were unconscious. The ones who were still awake had vacant, unfocused eyes.
"Please, protect me...! The vessel's intent to kill me is real!"
"You think I wouldn’t notice something even a fool like you can feel?"
"Th-then why...?"
Rohan showed no signs of getting up from his chair.
For the first time, the High Elder's face was consumed by fear.
"If I step in, it wouldn’t be fun, would it?"
"...What?"
"She’s only had a taste of the bitterness. Now she needs a sip of cider to cleanse her palate. Shut up and get beaten to death."
Levin Maxwell had no idea what those words meant.
Thud!
Before he could even question it, a tough-looking boot filled his vision.
The High Elder, still collapsed on the floor, lifted his head.
Shion was standing right in front of him, electricity crackling in her palm.
Crackle—Zzzt!!!
The sound alone was enough to make one believe they'd be fried on the spot if they were hit.
For Levin Maxwell, who had lived a life untouched by pain, this was the embodiment of terror.
His voice, aimed at Rohan, carried a desperate urgency barely distinguishable from a scream.
"Herald! Did you not swear upon my name and Hekes'?"
"Oh, that? I did. If punishment comes, I'll take it, so don't worry about it."
If Rohan were truly Hekes' subordinate, he would have had to protect his master’s vassal at all costs.
It wasn't about honor or trust—it was an absolute, binding compulsion.
That was why the High Elder had never doubted him.
Rohan shifted his gaze to Shion.
He listened as the girl spoke.
"High Elder. I cannot understand you. My father must have felt the same way."
"...!"
"But my father... he would have tried to understand."
Shion's lightning magic condensed into a compact sphere.
She let it drop onto the High Elder’s body.
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"Krrrrrk──!!!"
Maxwell convulsed violently as electricity surged through him. His scream was too pitiful to even be called a scream.
The robe he wore was barely keeping him alive, but it couldn’t completely block the attack.
The once-lustrous robe was losing its color. It was clear that withstanding another attack would be impossible.
Rohan, who had been watching from his seat, idly played with his sword and commented,
"One more hit, and he’s actually dead."
"Y-yes! This is the limit!"
A glimmer of hope flashed in the High Elder’s wrinkled eyes.
Even now, he held on to the expectation that the Herald of Hekes would stand up and save him.
But then Rohan suddenly turned away.
He casually started chatting with Clara, who had been sitting quietly beside him.
"I don’t think they’ve figured it out yet, have they?"
"O-oh! I think it’s because you’re too good at acting, Oppa...!"
"I was getting nervous about when they’d catch on. Maybe I have a talent for this?"
The amusement in their conversation reached the High Elder’s ears.
Rohan, completely at ease, showed no trace of pressure.
And the moment Maxwell heard the word 'acting,' a realization struck him.
"You... you bastard...!"
The honorifics he had been using disappeared in an instant.
Rohan smirked, as if he had been waiting for this reaction.
"Yeah, that’s how it is. You’ve lived your life deceiving others, so don’t be mad now that you’ve been tricked yourself."
The fake solemnity he had been forcing on himself was now gone.
Rohan spoke in his usual, casual tone.
The High Elder froze in sheer shock.
Rohan’s smirk deepened.
'Of course, this would be hard to accept.'
Shion didn’t even know his real name, nor did she know about the people he had encountered in Tigrova.
There was no way to confirm the hidden details about the Reverse Praise Society, the usage of Judah’s Silver Coin, or Hekes’ plans.
With no way to verify them, he had no choice but to believe them.
Even if he had the means to check, he likely hadn’t even considered the possibility of deception.
"You insane fools! You dare invoke the name of the Reverse Praise Society without fear?!"
"Old man. You do realize that as long as there are no witnesses, it's over, right? If I draw my sword, do you think there’s a single elf here who can stop me?"
"!?"
There were a few elven elders skilled in combat.
If Rohan had tried to break in with brute force, the elders specializing in defensive magic and combat would have stalled him for quite some time.
That was why Rohan made his move when he had the upper hand.
When the fight began, he had targeted them specifically.
The ones capable of resistance had already had their limbs crushed beyond recovery.
They had all gone through a special "bludgeoning course," ensuring that even if he were to cut their throats now, they wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance.
Rohan lifted his head, signaling that he was done listening.
Shion was looking at him.
Her lips trembled as she spoke.
"Rohan. I..."
"Do what you want, Shion. If you can’t finish it, I don’t mind doing it myself."
At Rohan’s kindness, Shion weakly shook her head.
This was something she had to do herself.
The punishment of the High Elder—the one who had orchestrated everything—was her responsibility.
"...I'll do it."
Shion brought the sniper rifle from her back into view.
Click! The sound of a round being chambered echoed.
Then, she calmly aimed the muzzle at the High Elder, looking down at him.
"High Elder. You said you were afraid of death."
"P-Princess! This is something you cannot take responsibility for! If you listen to me until the end, I am sure you will change your—!"
Shion cut him off mercilessly, showing no interest in his meaningless words.
"I hope you won’t be reborn as a beast in your next life."
She pulled the trigger.
──Thunk!
A heavy sound rang through the conference room.
The spent casing clattered onto the floor with a metallic clang.
The High Elder, who had been desperately babbling, fell into eternal silence.
"Haa..."
Shion let out a shaky breath.
Her hands trembled violently, as if she could drop the gun at any moment.
It wasn't the act of killing a traitor that shook her.
The real problem was the flood of emotions that came with her newfound freedom—memories from the past resurfacing all at once.
"Clara, can you take Shion outside for a bit? I just need to finish up here."
"...Okay."
"Take care of her for me."
Clara nodded firmly at Rohan’s request, then quickly moved.
Once he confirmed that Shion and Clara had left the room—
'Time to clean up.'
Rohan stood up from his chair and drew his blade from its scabbard.
Sching!
It was time to take out the remaining trash scattered on the floor.
***
After Rohan finished slitting the throats of the elders and stepped out of the conference room—
He was met with the sight of Shion sobbing uncontrollably in Clara’s arms.
"Hnng... Hic! Huuuh...!"
She tried to hold it in, but the emotions poured out uncontrollably.
Clara, though much shorter than Shion, was trying her best to comfort her.
Rohan sheathed his sword.
Then, he walked up to them.
"Shion."
"...?"
Her face was a mess from crying.
Gone was the composed girl who tried to assess every situation with logic and present a solution.
Right now, she was as fragile as glass, on the verge of shattering.
Perhaps this was the real Shion all along.
Rohan gently wiped away her tears as she clung to Clara like a beloved doll.
And he spoke the words he had been holding back.
"It’s going to feel overwhelming. Anyone would feel this way after going through something like this."
"Rohan..."
"Just remember this—every second from now on belongs to you. Focus on what you want to do, on living happily. That’s how you start saving yourself."
For a moment, Shion’s sobs stopped.
She was listening intently.
"If you don’t know which path to take, you can pester me to find it for you."
"...?"
"Finding the right way alone is difficult. That’s normal."
"B-but...!"
Shion instinctively tried to protest, but Rohan pressed a finger against her lips.
She looked ridiculous, but to Rohan, she just looked adorable.
With a light chuckle, he continued.
"A sniper needs a spotter to aim properly, right?"
"..."
"You didn’t have one until now. If you aimed in the wrong direction, it wasn’t your fault. Got it?"
Shion stood frozen in place.
"...Got it?"
"...!"
When Rohan pressed her for an answer with a gentle smile, she gave a small nod.
"When you feel overwhelmed, when you need someone to take responsibility or even just someone to blame—I'll be your spotter."
If Rohan let go of her lips now, Shion wanted to ask why he was going so far for her.
But it was as if Rohan already knew.
He didn’t let go.
"Shion, just live happily from now on. That’s all that matters, nothing else."
"Ah..."
Only after finishing his words did Rohan finally release her lips.
Shion could feel it.
There wasn’t a single trace of selfish intent in Rohan’s words.
He wasn’t her parent. He wasn’t even her family.
Yet, he genuinely wished for her happiness, without expecting anything in return.
'Rohan...'
The more she thought about everything he had done—
The more she felt a warm, unfamiliar emotion filling the empty void in her heart.
The pain that had torn her apart moments ago melted away into that warmth.
'You... you were the only one who never deceived me from the start...'
As she met Rohan’s gaze, she felt an unfamiliar ticklish sensation—
And embarrassment creeping up on her.
At the same time.
"Also, conserve your mana. Why are you using a skill right now?"
Rohan smirked as he noticed Shion’s eyes had turned into hearts.
And at that exact moment—
Clara, who had been quietly holding Shion, sensed something strange.
Shion’s heartbeat, which had been steady before, suddenly started pounding—
Thump! Thump!
Loud and wild.