Ricardo’s voice was heard once again.

“Did you close your eyes?”

At his word, seeking confirmation, Yuria’s heart pounded furiously.

A gentle voice.
Yuria pressed her lips tightly shut as the soft and quiet sound caressed her ears.

“Yuria? Did you close your eyes?”

His voice questioned once more.

Knowing her own curiosity, Ricardo checked repeatedly while she gave no reply.

After all, she couldn’t find her voice.

Her lips remained sealed, knowing she could have died had she been even a moment later.

-Thump. Thump.

And her heart continued to race wildly.

She wasn’t sure if it was due to the near-death threat or from seeing Ricardo again, but one thing was certain—her heart was pounding like mad.

Ricardo spoke again, in a calm voice.
Feeling the concern faintly edging his words, Yuria felt her resolve wavering.

“You need to close them. It’s a bit gruesome to look at.”

***

The situation was dire.

With people to protect behind her, and an ignorant moth that knows nothing but to cause trouble beside her, full concentration on the fight was impossible.

I looked at Ruin, who was fiddling with his fingers, as I blocked the heavy greatsword strike.

-Muttering.

“Ruin.”
“Why?”

I called out to Ruin.

Ruin, muttering to himself as he prepared a large-scale magic, was reciting a complex spell. However, his trembling hands made the execution of the spell anything but helpful.

“If you don’t want to die, stop with the clumsy magic.”

Ruin bristled at the mention of his uselessness.

“What?”

It must be frustrating, considering the enormous foe before us and the need to prove usefulness. I know. He wants to look impressive in front of the girl he likes.

But Ruin is not only weak, but also scared right now. He had to put aside petty desires for the moment.

Otherwise, he would really die.

The killer intent emanating from the man before us was overwhelming.

The intimidatingly rogue aura,
The bloodstained greatsword,
And the dark aura surrounding it.

Just looking at it made my skin tingle.

Moreover, the man was a heretic, called a lunatic by the world.

A fanatic group known for their creed: ‘Disbelieve, and you die,’ creating countless victims.

The black clerical robe.
The black bible.
Upon seeing the notorious heretic for the first time, Ruin, unable to control his emotions, would find it hard to unleash his true power.

Ruin, fiercely casting spells with a grave face, saw me effortlessly deflect the man’s blade.

“Kehehe… You can catch this? Young swordsman?”
“I’m quite versatile.”
“Puhaha…!”

Ruin thought if I could do it, so could he.

I kindly spoke to the challenging-looking Ruin.

“Listen to me, Ruin. If Yuria’s arm falls off, you can’t just fix it back on.”

Ruin wouldn’t understand me.
Because he’s not as strong as me.

“Just keep quiet, Ricardo.”

Thus, to Ruin, my actions seemed like bravado, and he wondered what right I had to give orders when I had been expelled from the Royal Academy.

We were, after all, just peers from the academy.

Ruin didn’t really know me.

He had no idea about the unofficial event where I single-handedly killed Michail, or how dangerous aura could be. It was beyond the comprehension of a magician like himself.

Believing to be on par with Hanna or Michail, Ruin retorted.

“Don’t be cocky. There’s no way you’re on my level.”

I responded to Ruin.

“Oh. Then take care of it yourself.”

Ruin completed his magic.

The strongest magic he could conjure.
‘Explosion’

As a hot breeze signaling the successful completion of the spell brushed through his hair, Ruin smiled.

“Watch closely. I’m not who I used to be…”

The moment a red flame rose over Ruin’s hand, Bang!—a thunderous noise as the bloodied greatsword swiftly moved to sever Ruin’s arm.

Ruin didn’t notice.

Not until the greatsword was about to touch his arm.

“See? I told you, you’re going to die.”

With all my might, I kicked Ruin in the abdomen.

Crash. Ramming into a tree, Ruin’s head drooped down.

He seemed to have lost consciousness due to the intense impact. Such an unhelpful fellow.

“Yuria, keep your eyes well shut.”

“It’s going to get ugly from here.”

Swish. A line of scarlet blood rose before Yuria’s eyes.

***

Taking a vacation always leads to all sorts of events.

It’s as if the whole world is against me.

As irritating as it might be for the person possessed by the spirit consuming their destiny, the incidents just keep coming, causing my head to throb in pain.

Attempting to loot a dungeon covertly without the protagonist knowing, yet I bump into him on the way.

After emptying the dungeon, I meet the female lead who nearly died at the hands of a heretic.

No matter how much the protagonist is known for attracting incidents, there should be times of respite.

Yuria, who never seems to have a break from troubles, is bothersome in many ways. But what can I do? I can’t just pass by without getting involved.

Moreover, this man before me might just be the biggest destiny I’ve encountered this time.

I looked at the man before me.

A man drenched in blood.

[Balak Lv. 71]
[Profession: Archbishop of Despair]
[Favorability: -50]
[Preferred Topics: Daughter/Health/Confrontations with the Powerful/Greatsword Techniques/Anything Black and Big]
[Disliked Topics: Daughter’s Illness/Nobility/Toothpick-like Swords/Murder]

Balak is one of the villains in the novel.

He has a story to tell, which makes it hard to label him as a villain, but he has also committed many evil deeds, making it hard to say he’s not one.

We are the same kind of beings.

Balak was affiliated with the heretics because of his daughter’s illness.

In the past, Balak was an S-class adventurer, and he has a daughter.

The only daughter left behind by his deceased wife.

The doctors told him to give up, and even the papacy advised him to give up on his sick daughter, who was Balak’s one and only treasure.

Balak was scammed by doctors dozens of times, he knelt and prayed to the Goddess religion that promised healing through prayer, but to no avail.

When the money he’d gathered as an adventurer was nearly gone.

One day, he heard the preaching of a religion in the streets that claimed incurable diseases could be cured simply by believing, and that was the beginning of Balak’s downfall.

At first, he was reluctant to swing his sword out of guilt, but as his daughter’s condition gradually improved over time, the weight of Balak’s conscience lightened.

His daughter tried to stop him.

But Balak, who gave up on being a good father, silently raised his sword.

At the end of the novel, as his daughter dies, he realizes the heretics had lied, but by then, it was after his defeat by the protagonist’s group.

The novel’s tragic villain.
He is Balak, right before my eyes.

Fortunately, it’s still early in the novel, so he hasn’t committed any major wicked deeds yet.

He must have tried to scare Yuria away by now.

At this point in time, Balak must be wrestling between his conscience and his daughter.

I had always wanted to meet him, but meeting this way felt somewhat pleasant.

I looked down at Balak.

He glared at me with shaky arms, his greatsword thrust into the ground, and as his fierce gaze pierced through, I let out an awkward laugh.

Balak said to me.

“Are you a monster?”
“Eh, hardly.”
“Ha-ha… Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.”

Balak spoke to me sincerely. He was a monster among men himself, but he shook his head, saying he couldn’t keep up with me.

I said to him.

“Look at me. I’m torn up too.”
“Make a sensible comparison.”

I was also in bad shape, similar to Balak. My trembling right arm had been severely slashed by Balak’s greatsword, and blood was dripping from it.

Balak was no different.

Covered in blood and minor scars, he knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

After hundreds of exchanges, having emerged victoriously, I spoke modestly.

“I am a monster, indeed.”
“Heh… you’re crazy. Crazy. Using aura at that age.”

Balak stood up heavily.

He walked slowly towards me with his shaking greatsword, and I shook my head, telling him.

“Let’s stop.”
“Why?”
“There’s more behind you.”

I looked behind Balak.

Many figures visible through the dense bushes, likely heretics who had come to explore the dungeon.

They must be the elite, handpicked ones.

In the novel, the heretics were the first to raid the dungeon and leave. It was after that Ruin awakened fighting the remaining remnants.

Balak must have come here to raid the dungeon with those shadows behind him.

I looked at Balak.

Balak, with his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

If I killed Balak here, the latter part of the novel would surely be easier, but I was certain I couldn’t take them on while ensuring Yuria’s and Ruin’s safety.

Deciding to leave the fight behind and go our separate ways, I said.

“We’ll be going our way, so you should go back to yours.”
“Why? If we fought now, you could probably take my head with you.”

I waved my hands at his words.

What an exaggeration.

If I fought with this noble, who would try anything to take even one of Michail’s arms, I doubt I’d return unscathed myself.

Plus, Balak is a monster that gains explosive power the more he bleeds.

His current weak appearance could also be an act.

“Being on good terms is always best, isn’t it?”

“That’s true. It was an interesting fight, though. What a shame.”

Balak laughed awkwardly.
Since it was too regrettable to leave just like that, I drew a piece of paper and a pen from my pocket. Swiftly, I scribbled something on the paper and handed it to Balak.

“Take it.”
“What’s this?”
“My signature.”

Balak, smiling faintly, tucked the paper I had written into his pocket.

“Check it when no one’s around. It’s hard to come by.”

Leaving Balak behind with a small smile, I felt my legs weaken and crumpled under me as I hoisted Yuria on my back.

“We’ll be off. Don’t forget about me.”

And with that, we parted ways.

***

As we descended the hill,

Yuria was silent.

Awkwardly being carried down the mountain on my back, not saying a word, it felt like I was going to die of awkwardness.

Yuria asked me.

“Did you plan this whole thing as well?”
“Hardly.”

Our silent descent continued.
I had no clue what to say.

Breaking the silence, Yuria spoke to me.

“But, Ricardo. Do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Always show up when it’s dangerous, save me, and leave like it’s nothing. Why do you do that?”
“Umm… Indeed.”

I couldn’t say that it’s because those were the only times that were written to be dangerous in the novel.
I was worried whether Yuria could handle herself, so I watched from the sidelines, but then I’d be labeled a stalker, which made it uncomfortable to speak.

Ah, am I really a stalker?

Now that I think about it, it seems about right.

I started to feel sorry in multiple ways.

Yuria addressed me again.

“Hey, Ricardo.”
“Yes?”
“Every time you do that, I have a misconception, you know?”
“About what?”

Yuria lowered her head deeply.

“Are you actually impotent?”

Yuria muttered softly.

***

The mansion came into view.

A mansion that looked like haunted ghosts might appear any minute.

Yuria, who had been dozing on my back, said to me.

“Uh… why are we here?”
“We have to eat before we leave.”
“What?”

I glanced at Ruin, whom I had dragged along the ground.

‘If this guy hadn’t passed out, I would have left him behind.’

Ruin, seemingly unable to stand up.

I had no choice but to bring Yuria to the mansion because the inns in Hamel had poor security.

Standing in front of the mansion, I looked at the window.

-Peek.

A silhouette of a person on the second floor.

Peering out, it seemed like we were hard to see because the sun had set, and the lady kept sticking her head out over and over.

I dropped Ruin on the ground and waved my hand.

“Lady!”

Finally realizing I had arrived, the lady exclaimed.

“Oh my goodness!!! Ricardo!”

And then, seeing Yuria come down from my back.

“Heh…?”

It was Olivia, wrapped in a blanket.