Raymed walked along the road of Aurelius.
He was walking with the white armour of Blastur.
As he walks towards the palace, the citizens look at him with awe and approval.
His hair was tied with a black tie. The wind blew his small ponytail.
As they approached the palace entrance, the guards began raising their weapons. The announcer then declared, "Behold! Hero Raymed has returned." As the other guards say in unison, "Praise the Great Hero!"
The announcer nudged as Raymed kept walking.
"Her Highness is expecting you, Sir."
"I was planning to see her."
Arriving in Morgwynevere's throne room. Raymed saw three familiar faces.
Kourin, Suiko, and Recca were there.
"Welcome, Hero Raymed." Morgwyn greets Raymed. "I have been expecting you."
"I suppose you are expecting me to hand over the Demonic Cores," Raymed asked.
"It wasn't my primary focus. But indeed, to hand over the demonic cores to me is mandatory." Morgwyn said with an unreadable face.
Raymed lifted his hand, summoning Blastur. From the red gem, he expelled four sealed demonic cores.
The retainers of Morgwyn began to murmur, "Not one? But four? How strong is he?"
They began to discuss what may have happened.
"Dantalion, Seere, Andromalius, Decarabia. I have Saint Carmilla sealed it for me." Raymed lifted the demonic cores into the air.
Morgwyn stretched her hand forward as the orbs began flying towards her. She saw the core one by one, examining it.
"What of Belial?"
"I didn't manage to finish him off."
Morgwyn looked at Raymed up and down.
"You have unlocked Grade 2. Progressed to 40% High Human. Retrieved 4 Demonic Cores. Yet, didn't manage to finish Belial off."
Raymed looked down, preparing to hear what Morgwyn had to say.
"Splendid work," Morgwyn said.
Looking up, Raymed saw something he perhaps didn't even think possible.
"Though it is to be expected of you. But it is a splendid work." Morgwynevere said with a faint smile on her face.
Raymed kneeled and said, "Thank you for the praise."
"Arise, Hero Raymed. Take a moment of respite. Court dismissed."
Then Morgwyn's retainers began dispersing from the royal court, leaving only her and Psytelier.
"YAYAYAYAY! Raymed, you did great!" Recca jumped onto Raymed's shoulder, playing with his hair.
"RECCA!" Suiko grabbed Recca by her collar. Carrying her like a cat.
"Psytelier."
At the mention of their name, Recca, Suiko, and Kourin instantly kneeled. "Yes, Highness." They said in unison.
"I trust you have prepared the training program well?"
"We have completed it. Deployment is possible whenever you see fit, your Highness." Suiko said.
Morgwyn nodded before looking to Raymed. "Hero Raymed."
"Yes, Highness."
"You might be able to take on lesser Demon Lord Envoys. But the top 7 rank Demon Lord Envoys are still beyond your reach."
"I agree, Your Highness."
"Please come forward," Morgwyn ordered Raymed.
As he stand in 2 feet from Morgwyn's throne, she began to ask. "Did you remember what you told me? About how you want to have a dialogue with Ars?"
"I did."
"Are you still?"
"I am."
Morgwyn nodded before saying, "Then prove it with your power. Raise your mana right now."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't hold back," Morgwyn asked with a smirk.
Raymed focused his thoughts as he began raising his mana.
"HAAAARGH!!!!"
10%
Red Sparks appeared.
40%
It began hitting everywhere, but everything indoors was protected by mana.
80%
"GRAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
99%
Raymed reached the peak of his power.
His body was emitting a red aura.
"I presumed you had finished? Good work." Morgwyn flicked her finger, and a protective barrier began to form around Psytelier. Then her index finger pointed at Raymed.
"At that level, you can't achieve anything. This is but a little of my raw mana. Behold the gap of power. Engrave it in your soul the gap you need to reach." Morgwyn spoke before a flash appeared.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Raymed was suddenly hit with a flood of mana that had felt like the atmosphere itself was chaining him to the ground.
The stream of mana from Morgwyn's fingertips looks like some ray directed at him.
"AAAGRHHH!!!" Raymed tried to tank the stream of mana flowing into his body.
In a sense, Morgwynevere had force-fed Raymed with her own mana. The mana itself wasn't particularly dangerous, but the sheer amount of it was the problem.
"Your Chronic Eater eats mana. For the most part, it eats residual mana left in an environment. However, your 'control' over it is sloppy. You might have guessed what I mean by this."
With only 10 seconds on the clock.
Raymed fell prostrate to the ground.
His hand tried to steady his shaking body.
Seeing him fall, Morgwyn stopped her stream of raw mana.
"Your 'Chronic Eater' can only eat if there is space available in your body's mana reservoir. Consume too much, and you will suffer consequences. It is the same as oxygen toxicity. Though you rely on your Chronic Eater to win previous fights, right now, you are but an ant. Ars' raw mana quantity might even be larger than mine. If you can't even handle my mana, how can you even think to be on par with him?"
"I....Wil...." Raymed struggled even to speak.
"To be a proper Hero, you must control Chronic Eater, be an expert on using Blastur, and finally ascend to 100% High Human."
"I....promise... I will...." He raised his right fist as high as he could.
"Give me proof, Raymed."
"You are the weakest hero I ever met. But you can bet before we through." Morgwyn walked away from her throne, caressing Raymed's head.
"I'll make a true hero out of you, " she said before Raymed's consciousness faded away.
***
I moved my body groggily. This pillow is so nice.
Hmm?
Is something on my arm?
I slowly opened my eyes.
White ceiling.
Can't say I like white ceilings.
Never had a good day in a hospital room.
Guess after tanking Morgwynevere's raw mana until my body overloaded, this will be the logical place for me to go. As I turned my head, I saw a blonde-haired woman beside my hospital bed.
She was sleeping with her head on my bed.
Her hand holds mine tightly.
The hospital room was rather small.
Oh, wait, this doesn't seem like a hospital.
Perhaps this is just another room inside Psytelier's headquarters.
The door to my room, located behind Kourin, slowly opens.
There, Suiko appeared in a doctor's outfit, complete with her glasses and stethoscope, and was holding a small writing board. "Have you had a nice dream?" She asked, smiling. "This beautiful lady is worried sick, you know, about your disappearance."
I looked away, "I am sorry. I didn't understand how Belial's trap worked. When I got out, it was already more than a month."
"It's fine. Anyway, once you have more rest and feel ready, please wake Kourin up. She has something she's been meaning to tell you." Suiko said, exiting through the door.
Silence appeared once more as I took a look at Kourin.
I am sorry.
I am sorry I disappeared.
My hand instinctively moved, caressing her blonde hair.
"Hmmm..." She sounded.
Panicking, I retracted my hand.
Slowly, she began to wake up. She stretched her body before finally looking at me. "What are you staring at, Med?" She said with her hair all messed up.
It seems she even forgot what she was doing.
Then her eyes closed and opened in an instant.
"Ah!" She nudged me.
"I am back-" I said.
Kourin embraced me in a tight hug. "Welcome back!"
"Oh yes. I have something to tell you." Kourin whispered in my ear.
"I am all ears."
"Good, you are all ears." Kourin giggled.
I sense danger.
Then her tight embrace became even tighter as I felt her intent to crush a couple of my bones.
"OUCH OUCH OUCH KOURIN WHAT ARE YOU!"
She whispered, "Must be nice getting locked up inside somewhere with Derashina for 1 month, right?" I can feel her hug getting even tighter.
"OUCH OUCH OUCH IT WASN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL!"
"Also, why didn't you search for me first after coming here, huh?" Kourin asked.
"I...I....Okay, that is my fault. But please don't ---OUCH!!! TO TIGHT!!!"
Kourin's hug keeps tightening until she finally lets up.
"I am... really glad you are here." Her voice carried sorrow. "I am currently trying to figure out things. Adjusting everything once more."
"Is there something wrong?"
Kourin pushed me away, looking at my eyes.
Before diverting it somewhere else.
"I recovered my memories."
My eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah, I see." That was all I could manage to say. "Isn't that great?" I smiled, trying to cheer her up.
"I saw something that I don't want to see."
Her voice was quiet. It might fracture if she spoke any louder.
I nodded slowly, "I see. Do you want to talk about it?"
She hesitated.
Her fingers tightened around mine before loosening again, as if she couldn't decide whether to hold on or pull away.
"Will you leave me," she whispered, "if you find out there's something wrong with me?"
The question struck deeper than I expected.
I turned fully toward her.
"Kourin."
She flinched slightly.
"You are the most precious person I have in this world," I said quietly. "I won't leave you. No matter what you were before. As long as you're trying to move forward — that's all I care about."
Her lips trembled.
"Then… what if I choose to be evil?"
I didn't hesitate. "Then I'll stop you."
She looked up.
"Not to kill you. Not to abandon you. I'll fight you until you turn back. Until you remember who you are now."
Her brows knitted together.
"Stupid," she muttered.
"I know."
"Naive."
"Probably."
"Musclehead."
"Definitely."
She let out a weak breath, something between a laugh and a sob.
"...Ghoster."
"...Okay, that one hurt."
Her grip tightened again.
Then, quietly.
"You're really in love with me, aren't you?"
"I am."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
And the moment they did, my heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Love?
My mind replayed everything.
Her stubbornness.
Her casual sarcasm.
Her reckless courage.
Her quiet kindness when she thought no one was watching.
The way she always stood with me, even in danger.
The way she always welcomes me back.
My chest ached.
This feeling — heavy, warm —
This had to be love.
Wherever I go, she is my home.
Because I love Kourin.
"I do," I said, meeting her eyes. "I love you, Kourin."
Her pupils trembled.
For a second, she looked like she might collapse.
"Stop it," she whispered.
"I want you in my life—more than anyone. And I want to be in yours. More than anyone."
She slowly pulled her hand away.
My heart lurched.
"Kourin—!"
I caught her wrist before she could retreat, standing despite the lingering weakness in my body.
She turned back, eyes shimmering.
"You don't even know me," she said shakily. "My past. My true self."
"I don't care."
She stiffened.
"I know who you are right now. And the you standing in front of me is strong, kind, and painfully selfless. That's the person I fell in love with."
"There are better people than me," she whispered. "I'm just—"
"You're the one I want."
Silence followed.
Long. Heavy. Trembling.
"I am Konohana Sakuyahime the 9999th. I am a deserter of my own country. I fled my country to save myself. I was a selfish person."
"Even so, you became a Psytelier, knowing it would erase your memories. Performed duty to counter Demon King Ars."
"But, I didn't do it because of that. I was a tool when I began working for Morgwyn. I wasn't doing it for the betterment of-"
"Even so! You helped me, Thalamik, and Carmilla. A bunch of other people, too, because of your own conviction! You are never a tool."
"I-I-I...."
"You made those choices. Not because you were ordered to — but because you wanted to."
Tears overflowed.
"Konohana Sakuyahime might have been flawed. But you aren't her anymore."
I tighten my grip on her wrist.
"You are Kourin. The most wonderful person and the person I love!" I declared before pulling her closer to my embrace.
She broke completely.
Her shoulders shook as she clutched my clothes, sobbing openly.
As I was hugging her tightly, I began to shiver myself.
"I'll never leave you. But please, don't disappear on me, either. Let me help you. Let us help each other face whatever is in front of us." I said to her before cupping her shoulders and looking straight into her eyes.
Kourin was sobbing as she offered a pinky finger.
"Promise you won't leave me?"
"I promise."
We linked our fingers.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she leaned closer, eyes fluttering shut.
My heartbeat thundered.
BADUMP.
BADUMP.
BADUMP.
BADUMP.
BADUMP.
BADUMP.
A sudden pressure pushed lightly against the back of my head.
Through blurred vision, I caught a glimpse of Suiko outside the door, grinning and giving me a thumbs-up.
I barely had time to process it.
Our lips met.
Warm. Soft. Shaking.
Everything else faded.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us were red-faced and breathless.
"I—"
"I—"
We stopped at the same time.
She buried her face into my chest.
"...Idiot."
I smiled.
Both of us are trying to speak about something awkwardly.
Only then did I remember.
AAAAAAAA KOURIN'S FIRST KISS WASN'T MINE!
I AM SO SAD!
"What's with your face suddenly frowning?" Kourin asked, moving away from me, crossing her arms.
"N-nothing, just thinking about the moment at the karaoke."
Kourin widened her eyes. "Will you give it a rest already?" She seems to be embarrassed to remember it.
Then the door opened, "Did you know Kourin kissed you back when you almost died fighting Focalors?" Suiko said with a devilish smile.
"SUIKO! YOU ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!" Kourin shouted as she threw a pillow. The pillow didn't hit Suiko as she ran away from the door and the room.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.
"Kourin... did you really?"
"Y-Yeah.. about it, I am sorry..." She said.
Then does it mean...
"So your first kiss..." I pointed my index finger at my face with a confused expression.
Kourin looked away, beet red, before saying, "Y-y-yes..."
With too many things happening at once, I feel so tired but happy. I let my body fall back onto the bed.
"Med! Are you okay?"
"I am fine. I am just happy."
"Don't scare me like that." Kourin looked at me from above my head and said as she nudged her forehead onto mine.
"I am sorry," I said with a sorry face.
As I pulled my hand behind her head, I closed the distance between us.
Kourin and I shared another kiss.
It feels as if time had flowed slowly.
I promise. I will continue to look only at you, Kourin.
I promise to protect you.