Chapter 79.1: Part 1

Bonus chapter thanks to '@Marve' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

One minute earlier.

Terias and Samuel's bloody battle.

I naturally couldn't help but wonder as I watched, my vision reconnected to Sijo's, which had been cut off.

'Why?'

For what reason did Samuel declare that he would remain here alone?

Samuel's incomprehensible behavior.

He couldn't have possibly thought he could defeat Terias on his own.

Samuel also seemed to have guessed that Terias was stronger than him.

Then why?

I knew he wasn't unaware of the plan to use himself as bait to evacuate the students.

What I was curious about was.

It was because I simply couldn't understand why Samuel was willing to sacrifice himself for the students.

'He clearly hated half-beasts.'

Samuel had shouted at Luna and the half-beast students, trying to get them to evacuate.

I watched Samuel, breathing raggedly, through the Sijo's vision.

With one arm and one leg torn off each, and his ribs broken, even breathing must have been agony.

But.

He kept getting up.

After realizing that he couldn't stand, he crawled on his belly and grabbed Terias' ankle.

Why was he doing that?

I closed my eyes.

And then I recalled Samuel's past.

Samuel, who had been betrayed by a half-demon and forced to devour his own mother.

'Does he know?'

That the half-demon hadn't betrayed the family but had tried to protect Samuel.

Judging from the conversation they had, the humans knew that the Gluttony family's members were alive.

That's why they must have searched the family thoroughly, killing everyone in the process, as they searched for the members.

However, thanks to the half-demont's guidance, no further searches were conducted.

In fact, the humans had been fooled until they noticed Samuel hiding in the closet.

'That half-demon definitely wanted to save Samuel.'

But.

'Samuel doesn't seem to know that.'

Then what was it?

The reason Samuel had tried to save even the half-demon students.

And why, in the end, did he tell me, the one he hated most, to escape with the others?

The answer I came to after much deliberation was simple.

'He didn't want to be protected.'

Now he wanted to protect.

His comrades.

And his comrades including me.

Therefore.

A surge of animosity towards Terias, the one who had reduced Samuel to this state, began to rise within me.

Even with empty words, Samuel and I could not be called close.

But for some reason.

I couldn't suppress the overwhelming hostility I felt.

My eyes sank even more heavily.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak-.

My eyes narrowed, and the Sword Lacquer, now recognized as a distinct trait, erupted from my hand.

Soon, the entrance to the secret realm, which had been forcibly opened was cut off.

'There are traces of someone coming out again.'

Bloodstains were abundant at the entrance to the secret realm.

Judging from the faint warmth remaining, it was clear that it belonged to the students of Sytan.

"Did they escape?"

Then there's nothing left to see.

As soon as I infiltrated the secret passage, I used Position Exchange on the stone fragments and moved at an incomparable speed compared to before.

I reached a distance that should have taken about ten minutes in just ten seconds.

Soon after, my figure blurred.

'Absolute Stealth.'

In order to save Samuel, I burned my senses and manifested the power to distort the rules of the world.

Since three hours have not yet passed, another sense will be lost.

But I had no regrets.

I did not spare anything in order to save Samuel, who threw himself to enforce his beliefs until the end.

Since my mana had increased, the time I could use Absolute Stealth was extended to about 5 seconds.

Swoosh-.

I passed by Terias and Sylvia and headed toward Samuel.

The three of them did not even notice that I had entered the secret realm.

I could have attacked Terias while in a state of Absolute Stealth.

But since it seemed like Terias's hammer would come down any moment, I prioritized Samuel's rescue.

I used Position Exchange to move to Samuel's side.

Just before Terias's hammer came down.

I hugged Samuel and kicked off the ground.

Only then was Absolute Stealth released, and my figure was revealed.

At this, Samuel's eyes opened wide.

A gaze that could not understand the situation that had just occurred.

I opened my mouth with a grin.

"You're not dead yet. Well, you do look like you're about to die though."

A pause.

Samuel, who had been flinching his remaining shoulder, opened his mouth with a faint smile.

"......You're here now."

"Just a tad late, but no matter. Patients shouldn't complain, just rest."

I used Position Exchange once again to put Samuel down in a place where Terias's attack would not reach.

"I'll be back soon."

"...Will you be able to survive?"

"More than enough."

I smiled ominously, expressing my confidence.

In fact, it was a bluff.

I had taken the elixir in Besaha's lab.

But that alone was not enough to defeat Terias.

'My body is not in normal condition either.'

One of my senses, touch, was gone.

Even the sensation of breathing had disappeared.

It was the aftermath of using Absolute Stealth.

Having lost my sense of touch, I was already acting on my body's instincts.

No matter how I looked at it, it was a situation where I had no chance of winning.

......But I had no choice.

"Now, it's my turn."

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