Chapter 26: The Hero’s Retreat and the Saintess’s Rumor (V): The Balance Has Crumbled
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Two shocks struck her.
One in her abdomen and one in her chest.
In the fading consciousness, she wondered. He had promised to protect her no matter what.
Indeed, they had reached the depths of the labyrinth, where vicious monsters roamed, without a single scratch.
He had said he would take all the attacks, yet there he was, covered in wounds, smiling.
[He was smiling—smiling, I don’t want to forget, please stop, I’m sorry, Ichiro, help me, help me, I love you, Ichiro.]
At that moment, her consciousness completely blacked out.
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In less than a minute, three of the main forces had vanished.
Half of the accompanying party was already incapacitated. The two tanks, who had been enduring with a faint hope, were now in critical condition, their lives hanging by a thread. Additionally, one of the key members of the Hero Party lay motionless.
It was simple arithmetic. The enemy had doubled, while they had lost three members. The precarious balance that had been barely maintained had completely crumbled.
Just moments ago, even as fear threatened to make them scream, everyone had suppressed it, fighting desperately for their survival.
But it was only a matter of time before the emotions that had been stifled would burst forth.
Tragedy continued to unfold.
Gyariri.
One of the healers was deeply slashed across the torso, collapsing without a hint of resistance.
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For Eliza, danger was always close at hand. She had survived death’s door countless times, enough to count on both hands.
“Stay calm, everyone!! We still have the Hero Party with us!!”
As the conscious girl gasped, she raised her voice before anyone else could scream.
What was essential for survival was to maintain composure and to fight to the end without giving up.
Eliza, driven solely by the determination to save her fallen daughter, managed to suppress her fear, like water held precariously at the brim of a full glass.
Yet, she herself could no longer fully believe that the Hero Party she had named was truly reliable.
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The Hero, Ryuguin, noticed the warm dampness of his pants. Pathetically, it was only thanks to Eliza’s inspiration that he had finally regained himself. Along with that, he was filled with anxiety as he realized he was about to cross the line he had planned to avoid.
“Mika! Cast Healing Magic on everyone! We can’t let anyone die!!”
“Understood,” she nodded, and at last, Mika saved all the members of the joint party, including those on the brink of death.
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Even though Healing Magic was cast by the Saintess, it didn’t mean that everyone would regain consciousness immediately. Even if they did wake up, there was no way for someone in critical condition to return to the front lines—except for some hero-level seeker.
“Mika! Once the healing is done, set up a barrier for me!”
Ryuguin shouted, his voice trembling.
“Yes, Hero-sama! No one shall lay a finger on you!”
Saintess Mika protected herself and the Hero behind a sturdy barrier, as if it were a matter of course.
“Eris! You can do this! If you can’t, wake up Ange who’s sleeping over there and take them down together!”
Ryuguin shouted, proposing a plan that could hardly be called a strategy.
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Is this really the Hero? Is this the party that has conquered seven of the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinths?
The commands given to a lone ally holding the front line from a safe distance were foolish, almost delusional.
Eliza couldn’t comprehend it. To the Hero Party, they were merely outsiders. Thus, if they were to abandon the accompanying party, she could somewhat understand that, albeit reluctantly.
If she found herself in a dire situation where she could only save her daughter or someone else, she would choose her daughter without hesitation.
But—
But this was—
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Eris’s efforts were nothing short of heroic. She pulled out the spear lodged in the back, deflected thrown weapons, and parried the strikes of the serpent blade. Yet—she understood that retreat was the only option left.
Still, she focused her mind on defense. She couldn’t afford to miss even a single strike from the spear or the rapid attacks of the serpent blade. If she let one slip, it could easily lead to a casualty.
Eris steeled herself and unleashed the Holy Sword she had sheathed at her waist.
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Since that day, I have come so far.
I—I loved him.
He was my closest friend, almost like an older brother who always looked out for me.
I wanted to be by his side forever. That meant being with him, and with him, that was something I truly desired.
Whenever I was alone, I would dream of our future together. Since that day when I was ten, I had never been loved by my family, including my parents. But thanks to Pul-san, I learned what it meant to have parents and what love truly was.
If it were just the two of us, I thought we could give our children the overflowing love that I had never received, and I would often blush and squirm at the thought.
It was embarrassing, but it was an honest and pure feeling.
With him, I believed we could respect each other’s most precious feelings, connect our hearts, and without hesitation, step into each other’s hearts, touching and embracing each other with all our might—that was a heartfelt wish that felt like a conviction.
But now, that was just a distant memory of a warm “someday” that might have existed.
I had a responsibility to end everything and atone to him. No matter how painful and difficult it might be, I—