Gozine

{Cut me down.}

The vivid sentence is embedded in my mind and won’t fade.
Theo is telling me to kill him.

Now, at this moment.

In fact, he had said the same thing numerous times before.
I must kill him.

Of course, at first, it simply ended with just that sentence.
Next time, it changed slightly to mean I must kill him to break the curse and survive.
To be precise, the hidden meaning was somewhat revealed, but that wasn’t really important.
Anyway, from the very beginning, Theo wanted me to kill him, and I had planned to carry it out.
Whether it was for my own survival or because I couldn’t stand that damn bastard Theo.
Ultimately, the end of the father-son relationship in the Reinhaver family was already predetermined, and we had steadily tread the worst of the worst paths to reach the final stage.
This was the same when I met him to learn Black Sword, and it’s the same now.

But why?

Right now, I don’t want to kill him.

Has my ruffian, rebellious nature surfaced only now?

It’s hard to explain, and this situation, where I don’t even know the reason, is quite disgusting, but.
I could only ask as follows

{Why are you trying to make this choice? If I die, the reason for you to bear the threat disappears. Then can’t you just pass the position to the Allen and Hats twins and rest?}
{If it’s the Theo von Reinhaver I know. If it’s the Patriarch, I thought you would want me to die.}

While this was happening, Baal amusedly moved Theo’s body here and there.
Making fists, kicking, etc.
He’s testing out various things.

He seems unbearably happy to have gained a physical body.
Of course, Theo could very briefly regain control of his body if he sets his mind to it here, but that’s not easy. You can tell by looking at him isn’t responding now.
He’s already completely eroded by Baal.
As he said initially, there’s only one chance.

[Sad? Because your father was taken away?]

“No way.”

I answer with considerable sincerity.
Theo wasn’t a good father to begin with.

Even if he tried to choose sacrifice at the end, it’s hard to guarantee that this method will work.
Ultimately, if I can cut him down, or if Luna can kill him using Moonlight Element, then perhaps Theo’s death might have some value, but.
The time I spent with him was too short for any other value or sadness to be instilled in me.
I don’t feel any particular sadness either.

From the beginning.
From the moment Theo told me to kill him, he and I were in a kind of contractual relationship.
A contractual relationship too awkward to bind with the words father and son.
A relationship where sacrificing for each other suited us less than anyone else.

“I have no father. From the beginning until now. I’ve never believed in something called family, never deeply trusted them.”

[Hmm. Is that so.]

The family I dreamed of should have embraced each other.

Those who take responsibility for each other’s mistakes and help endure difficult times were family to me.
But every time that definition of family was shattered, I soon ended up thinking. Why was I born like this?

What helped me overcome these situations was none other than my companions.
A lot of companions by my side.
Some have protected me since countless past lives, others have built a new history in this life.
The people I am grateful for replaced what was missing, one of the important things in my life.
I thought about sacrifice for them.

…..But I don’t know.

For whom is Theo von Reinhaver’s sacrifice?

The Family Head of the Reinhaver family.
Holding absolute power, he stands unrivaled at the top even among the Three Great Dark Families. He can get anything he wants.

Honor? Power? Gold?

Everything existed in Reinhaver.
Moreover, if an opportunity to even break the curse has come….
Is there any reason to get involved in this fight?

‘Altende. Did he come to think she used him?’

If his heart broke due to the betrayal of the one he loved, that would be understandable.
The woman he thought was dead was alive, had left his side. And had continued living somewhere on the continent under a different name.

But is that all….
A feeling of something not quite right kept stabbing one side of my heart, but I didn’t show it.
Baal breaks my train of thought and takes a breath.

[I don’t know about other things, but thanks to being given a soul and a body, I have become complete. Now there will be no one left to oppose me. It has become boring.]

“…..”

I don’t answer.
It was a statement of obvious arrogance, but it was the truth.

Baal did not need an adaptation period for Theo von Reinhaver’s body.
It was already a completed vessel, and he had the characteristic of possession from the beginning.

At first, it wasn’t properly indicated, so I didn’t know.
Why on earth did such a characteristic attach to Theo?
Does such a weakness exist in such a strong person?

I hadn’t even heard of this in the game.

So, I dismissed it as nothing important.
I shouldn’t have dismissed it as a gamer, but I decided to just remember it and first follow the main story. The story would eventually continue, and everything would unravel at the end, so I thought it wasn’t something to worry about at that stage.

Indeed, at the very end, it was revealed where the characteristic he possessed was used.
It was used to offer his body to Baal.

Kaboom!

An explosive sound erupts around.
Baal merely made one gesture. From bottom to top. Then, a mana wave erupted in a semicircle, tearing apart hundreds of soldiers in front in a very brief instant. A single moment.

[Not bad.]

I clench my fist tightly.

Looking at the fragments of those who instantly became corpses, not even leaving behind flesh, I recall.

The battle isn’t over yet.

I don’t know what the Head of the Reinhaver family Theo was thinking by doing this.
But it can clearly help me.
If I can just buy more time in this situation, then perhaps using Luna’s Moonlight Sword might allow a breakthrough.
Anyway, even if he is the Demon King, Theo should be able to resist Baal’s will at least once. At least the him I know doesn’t lie.
If there is one sole trust, I know better than anyone that it’s that one thing.
Theo von Reinhaver is that kind of person.

“I wish you’d humor me a bit more for now.”

[Sword of Reinhaver. I commend your courage, but to think you can fight and win against me now… Are you serious? If not, do you not value your life?]

“If I valued my life, I shouldn’t be thinking of fighting.”

[I like that. Life-and-death battles are my favorite entertainment.]

A duel with our lives on the line.
Here, it’s a fight where my death is almost certain, so it might just be fun for him, but I am looking for an opportunity.
Holding the Black Sword, hiding my cold sweat, I look around.
I quickly send a telepathy to Luna.

{I will distract that bastard’s attention. So, Master, please infiltrate behind him and…}

{…Brazen newcomer, are you okay?}

What?
Why is Luna suddenly saying this to me?
As I think it’s strange and feel suspicious, Luna suddenly continued.

{You’re crying.}

What nonsense…

Unknowingly, I reach my hand to my eyes with the hand opposite the one holding the sword.
As I lightly extend my index and middle fingers and place my hand on my blood dyed skin,
Only then could I realize.

“Ah?”

Damn it, I thought I had shaken it all off now.
Tears were truly flowing down both cheeks.
Strength drained from my whole body at once, making it hard to maintain my posture.
Strange.
This can’t be.

I’ve been doing well until now.
Mistakes here are not permitted.

I, I….
I must succeed.

I realized.
It seems I am still trapped in the young Nox from the past.
The boy from the past who couldn’t grasp anything.
To add, I had returned to the form of a boy who craved family love more than anyone. Inside that was a young boy saddened by his father’s death, and it meant that the existence called father had already, unknowingly, begun to take deep root within my circle.

Luna swings her sword.

{I’ll try to buy some time, even if just a little.}

I watch the back of my master, her golden hair flowing as she does what I should have done myself.

— What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting up?
— Are you going to watch your master die now?
— This might be the last chance? It’s also the only chance for you to survive.
— Just a brief moment is enough. The position of Family Head, everything of the family will come into your hands.

A whispering voice.
Is it demon’s whisper, or is it from that unknown being latent within me?

The first Family Head.
The power of devilization that came down along with the curse from Jin von Reinhaver.
The side effect of this finally began to erode me.

Strong mental strength.
I was confident I could endure with just this, but this in turn meant that if that foundation crumbled, the current me. Nox von Reinhaver could collapse at any time.

Kabooom!

“Cough!”

Blood vessels burst.
Blood gushing from somewhere. Seeing it, I finally regain my senses.
It was my master’s.

Luna.
A woman born with a tragic fate, perhaps she should have been Luna von Arkheim. Someone who cherishes her squad members more than anyone. My warm master is hitting a wall and vomiting blood.

Staggering, she grabs her sword again. Standing upright, she looks forward.

Now I don’t know.

If there is anyone reading this, honestly, I have a few confessions to make.

First, I think I loved my father. Theo von Reinhaver.
Just look at how my hesitation now injured my master Luna and led to the worst situation. It’s easy to see that Nox von Reinhaver is an indecisive human.

Father.
Actually, I was happy when you taught me the sword. I was unbearably happy because it finally seemed like my existence was imprinted on you.

The moment after Garen’s death, when things must have been difficult for you, you designated me as the next successor of the family.
The time you pointed to me amid the expectations of the vassals and said you would take responsibility yourself.
Every moment, I didn’t show it, but I ended up feeling my father’s warmth.

Damn it, I was this kind of human.
Weak, liking to be recognized, someone who needed someone by my side.

Second, I was afraid.
The reason I hypnotized myself into thinking sacrifice was no big deal and went around saying it was because of a consciousness that I must be upright to myself and must finish this task myself.
Every moment, I lived with a fear of death in my heart.
The unremoved time bomb kept ticking away, gnawing at my spirit, and I was weakening.

So, to become a bit stronger, and because I was cowardly, I tried to avoid everything through death. There was no such thing as a sublime sense of sacrifice in that.

Lastly, third, I.
Since the devilization progressed and I took on this form. No, perhaps I had felt it since much earlier than that.
I enjoy killing people.
Crushing, breaking, watching those struggling while I hold the power of life and death has already become familiar and accustomed to me. It has become a pleasure.

The moment I hold the sword now.
I may not try to remember what I was like in the past in the future.
As long as there’s no abnormality.

I will continue to enjoy killing people.