Chapter 90 Until Death Separates Two
When she heard the voice, Shura didn't turn around.
She held her hair down, which was all messy from the wind, and shrank her shoulders a bit. There was no charm based on her beauty, just the innocence of a child who was scared of being scolded.
"Why are you here? I don't want to see your face right now."
"Mind my own biz? You think I'm supposed to care 'bout your drama?"
"Just leave me alone for now."
"I said it again: don't give a damn about your selfish crap."
He was so self-centered.
Without even getting her to look at him, he just sat down next to her. He must have run here. The faint smell of sweat made Shura hug her knee tightly.
"Do you hate beasts?"
"Does it look like I do?"
"Hell yeah, it looks like it."
"Then your eyes are working fine. It's not just hate; I want to destroy everything that's called a beast."
"Everything, huh?"
"Yeah."
Getting straight to the point meant only the truth was allowed. So Shura didn't hold back.
She wanted to destroy all beasts. No black or white, just all of them, even the power he had.
It was a heavy promise, but when she said it, it felt light. It felt like feathers.
Shura regretted it without wanting to be noticed.
Her true feelings could be seen as a sign of hostility.
Now, a big crack might form.
And she could hear the footsteps of her own gray world and hugged her knee tighter.
"Beasts spring from human regrets, ain't it?"
"...!"
"Don't know for sho', but Quollio said somethin' like that. Just learned it from him."
Beasts are born from human regrets.
Even Shura, who had killed many beasts, didn't know this. But she had thought about it.
When she lived as a beast hunter, places with a lot of beasts had signs of disasters and conflicts. They came in response to many deaths.
Even though she felt disgusted by how beasts existed, she was still caught up in it.
"Then what are you saying? You want to say that killing beasts is the same as killing people?!"
"Don't be dense. Not my point. It's up to your own perspective, ain't nobody here to pass judgment on you or me."
"Then what do you want to say?!"
He wasn't telling her to stop seeking revenge.
He wasn't waving around some easy sense of justice saying not to kill beasts because they come from human thoughts.
Not understanding Hiiro's intentions, Shura looked up.
With eyes like a child about to cry, she finally looked at him.
Then Hiiro's light green eyes softened gently.
"If I die, some crazy powerful regret'll linger after me."
"...What?"
He quietly said it.
The end he might face.
"I vowed to chase my dream, become the top knight in this land. Told myself, told you too. If I back down now, I'd turn into a monster for sure."
"...That's..."
"And not just any beast, either. It'd be one strong enough to level the whole damn world."
If the strength of a beast is decided by the size of regret,
Hiiro would surely become an unprecedented monster.
Shura knew his thoughts. She saw them. She felt them. She was surrounded by them.
"So, listen up, Ash Valkyrie... when I lose my grip and turn into a beast, you gotta put me down yourself."
That's why she could easily imagine the end he spoke of.
"But ain't no point throwin' away your life for some punk like that. You're worth more than that smoke and this Ruthless combo put together."
"......"
"Just keep your eyes on me."
If that happens,
Facing a monster that is all about itself wouldn't be easy.
If she got distracted by anything else, she wouldn't stand a chance.
The role of carrying out his wish could only be fulfilled by focusing solely on Hiiro.
For Shura, it was a cruel yet gentle──too gentle──white threat.
But.
"......, ────."
It was a much more selfish demand than any sense of justice.
Shura smiled tiredly.
"Are you stupid?"
Ah, that's right.
She hasn't forgotten. But it hit her again.
This is who this guy is.
"You want me to kill you? What the heck? Are you planning to make me take care of you even after you're dead? Seriously, that's the worst. Idiot."
"Shaddup. What're you talkin' 'bout, help? Never asked for nothin'."
"You are! It's a mess. My life is going crazy again... because of you."
"Huh? You think I care?"
The guy named Hiiro Merifar was the one who broke the world she once locked herself away in.
He pushes his own logic, offers up his life, and tells her to accept it.
"I can't just throw away my revenge that easily."
"I ain't sayin' dump it, just look at me straight on."
"You're a human, not a beast."
"Yeah, human for now. But what if that changes?"
"...You want me to pour all my hatred into a future we don't even know about?"
"Exactly. If I don't, you'll still take me down when I become a beast. You think you'd outrun me, Ash Valkyrie? Forget it."
".........Ugh. I really don't get it. This is so messed up. You're always so ridiculous and selfish..."
There's no way she can just throw away her hatred.
He didn't say to throw it away.
He just wants her to focus on him, forcing her into a conclusion that doesn't make sense.
".........Okay, I get it. I just have to watch you, right?"
He's so pushy and selfish.
He asks for a promise that only benefits him.
But if she's being honest,
She wanted that.
She might have been hoping for his words to reach deep inside her.
Shura didn't refuse Hiiro's proposal.
"──I swear."
Looking up, the girl says.
The empty space where she gave up her important people.
There's no rising black smoke, just a clear blue sky.
"If you fall, I'll kill you. But, Hiiro. If that happens... I'll hold a grudge for life."
What she offered was something similar to a past promise but different.
Eventually, until death separates the two.
But she hopes it never comes to that.
The innocent ash smiled faintly, wishing for it.
* * *
"Hmm, I can't hear what they're saying at all, but it seems like it worked. I can't believe Hiiro managed to cheer up Sis Shura... good job, Hiiro!"
"Y-you idiot. Don't shout so loud, what if she hears us?"
"What if she does? Hmm, maybe I'll get cut into 3 pieces? Sis Shura is super scary when she's mad."
"That's not something you should say with a smile, sister..."
"Totally."
"Well, anyway! We don't have to disband Reginleif right away! Happy ending!"
"You're so carefree. I feel like I'm going to have a lot of worries from now on."
"That's pathetic, Quo. That's why you wear glasses."
"Glasses have nothing to do with it!"
"Really? They totally do!"
"Don't say that! You... fine, let's go to the training ground. I'll shut you up for good!"
"Oh, the skinny glasses guy is talking big! I'll turn you into a punching bag!"
"W-wait, why are you two fighting over here... oh, they're gone... sigh."
"But, I see... Mr. Hiiro really is someone who can work hard for others."
".........I want to talk more with him...
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