Chapter 194: Farewell Regrets

“In the meantime….”

Unfathomable brown eyes scanned the corpses lying nearby.

“You’ve killed quite a few.”

“……”

“I didn’t expect it, but you really did kill the Emperor.”

Looks like you became the Hero at just the right moment.

Even I couldn’t handle the Emperor. Stigma looked at Deon with renewed interest.

When was it, I had the chance to spar with the Emperor once in the past. Of course, I gladly accepted.

That spar with the Emperor was the only one, but it was so memorable that I still remember it. Skill so great that I doubted if we were even the same Heroes. The gap between him and me was only two steps, but Stigma knew well how vast that gap was between ‘Heroes’ who had already bloomed and matured in their talents.

Yet, I couldn’t dare to feel jealous because each of his movements was so clearly imbued with blood and sweat, showing his immense effort.

If so.

How should I view ‘Deon Hart,’ who defeated him for the simple reason of being the ‘Hero’?

‘…….’

Stigma moved his stopped feet and approached Deon, who was on high alert. The closer he got, the more Deon flinched and sharpened his senses, but he didn’t care and reached out his hand. The hand, seemingly about to touch his face, stopped at a certain distance from his cheek.

“Truly fascinating. If you look closely, nothing seems to have changed much, but I can only think that this beauty is not of human origin. Is this what they call an aura?”

“……”

“Anyway.”

A gentle smile floated onto his face.

“Congratulations. You now possess a power that no one can ignore.”

“……”

Setting aside Deon Hart’s luck in becoming a Hero with overwhelming talent by breaking through odds lower than being struck by lightning, and the fact that the Hero and the Demon King are on the same side, Stigma smiled.

“The fourth Hero is dead, and the third Hero has turned to the Demon King. Even the first Hero is dead like this, so is it my turn now?”

“……Senior.”

Do I have to fight and kill again? Deon’s shoulders tensed.

Stigma, having confirmed that he was tightening his grip on the dagger, looked at his dull, dead red eyes and replied nonchalantly.

“Yes, junior. I’m sorry for making you nervous, but I want to let you know that we don’t need to fight. For me, fighting you right now would be nothing more than a pointless death.”

“……”

“You also know that I’m not fighting for the Empire or the Emperor, right?”

Stigma fights for ‘honor.’ And it’s not the pure and noble ‘honor’ of self-satisfaction, but for ‘honor’ to be shown and recognized by others.

“So, there’s no need to engage in a life-or-death battle with an opponent you can’t beat in a place where no one is watching.”

Of course, there was also the purpose of getting permission to destroy the Lowfell family, but that also isn’t a reason to fight Deon Hart here and now.

The Emperor is dead, and the Empire is collapsing. The target to seek permission from and be mindful of has disappeared, so why should I draw my sword?

“You’re still looking down even after I’ve said all this.”

“……”

His gaze is directed at the floor, as if he’s being cautious, or feeling bad about his own actions.

Stigma moved the hand he had been extending. The hand that had been hovering near his face moved down and lightly touched his shoulder.

“Raise your head now. I don’t know why you’re lowering your head when you’ve achieved your goal. This was clearly your choice. Right?”

“……Yes.”

“Then quickly raise your head and straighten your shoulders. Your current behavior is disrespectful to the countless people who were sacrificed for your purpose and to yourself. Act confidently. ─And.”

The hand that went up again takes the cigarette out of his mouth.

“I told you it’s not good to rely on drugs. Even if you’ve become a Hero, try to refrain from it.”

Chiiik. He smiled gently as he put out the lit part with his fingertip.

“This is my last piece of advice as your senior.”

Last piece of advice.

Deon, who was fiddling with his empty mouth, raised his head. Their eyes met, and his lips opened hastily as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t easily speak and twitched a few times before closing them again.

After a brief silence, the words that came out of his mouth again were about a completely different topic.

“……Did you successfully suppress the Barbai tribe?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you, we were able to eradicate them. Thank you.”

“……Come to think of it, you’ve always disliked the Barbai tribe, Senior.”

As if sensing something, words followed the fragmented conversation again. It was obvious that he was trying to continue the conversation, so Stigma just smiled.

“Are you curious?”

“……”

“It might be a trivial reason for you, junior. They are just….”

He hesitated reflexively, but it was only for a moment.

After all, this is probably the last time we’ll face each other peacefully. When else would I be able to speak so honestly in my daily life, where I’m always conscious of other people’s gazes, fearing my honor might be tarnished?

Stigma, making a quick decision, naturally concealed his hesitation so that no one would notice and continued speaking.

“……It’s only because they invaded the only village a bastard child had ever cared for.”

A very boring and predictable story.

A common story you might have heard once, about a helpless bastard child who barely found solace in a peaceful and kind village, but then barbarians invaded, setting fire, killing people, and sweeping everything away.

Thanks to that, I became enraged and climbed up to this position, so should I be grateful? Apart from that, my feelings towards them remain the same.

“Anyway, it’s all in the past now.”

One of the reasons I spoke comfortably and openly is this.

Because it’s all over and done with, even if Deon Hart goes around spreading it, it won’t have a big impact.

My honor might be slightly tarnished, but it’s only a minor level, and I’ll build up more honor than what’s lost due to that. Rather, it could be an opportunity to let people know that Stigma’s vengefulness is so persistent and vicious that it can annihilate an entire tribe.

“Then, let’s slowly part ways around here. You must have things to do, junior, and I also have my own work to do.”

“……Are you really… just going to leave?”

“Yes.”

The target to be mindful of has disappeared, so shall I deal with the postponed matters first?

Stigma turned his back. He indifferently turned his back to the Hero, who might be an enemy, and took a step without hesitation. Deon, who was silently watching his back, slowly threw out words.

“Will we be able to see each other again?”

“Well, if you continue to walk that path, junior, and if I don’t break my stubbornness, we’ll meet again. Though it won’t be in a good situation.”

We’ll probably meet again as enemies.

He kept walking without looking back. Only after the gaze following behind his back disappeared did Stigma stop in his place.

‘…….’

Words he had swallowed because there was no need to mention them burst out belatedly.

“Elegance… has become ingrained in your body.”

Your appearance when we first met was the best.

Perhaps because you became a Hero, you exude a much gentler aura than before, but the elegance that seems to be ingrained in your body as a habit is still there.

Seeing your former, more human demeanor disappear, I feel like I ruined you, junior.

“I shouldn’t have given you such advice.”

Stigma wore a bitter smile.

Now that you’ve become a Hero, you don’t need to care about elegance or courtesy, and even before becoming a Hero, Deon Hart was from a direct line of a noble family. A person who doesn’t need to prove himself as a noble.

‘I should have been the only one obsessed with the attitude of a noble.’

My thoughts were shallow.

The foolish bastard child felt a sense of kinship with Deon Hart in that he had personally destroyed his own family, and this was distorted into recognizing him as someone who, like himself, had to struggle to be recognized.

“Our junior would be recognized in noble society even if he just stayed still.”

He became an existence that many people shunned as the leader of the Killer Squad, but even so, his identity as a ‘noble’ was not denied. Birth is such a thing.

Deon Hart was different from a bastard child who had to make every effort to set foot in noble society.

‘…….’

He looked back at the ingrained attitude.

The more old-fashioned etiquette of an older generation that even Duke Starbe Illuster, the epitome of the current generation of nobles, couldn’t hide his surprise at, even for a moment.

Even when no one is watching, his body naturally moves to maintain dignity. Stigma gave a faint smile.

“……Come to think of it, was valuing martial prowess also for the same reason?”

Because the reason I was able to step into noble society was thanks to my overwhelming martial prowess as a ‘Hero.’

……So now, with the most powerful weapon that allowed me to be recognized, I intend to destroy my family.

‘In this chaos, even if one family is annihilated, no one would feel it’s strange, right?’

Let’s think about what happens after later.

He started walking again, having stopped. As if foreseeing the future, the blood-red sunset cast a long shadow behind his back.

And so, Stigma disappeared without a trace.

The news of the Lowfell family’s disaster spread by word of mouth a few days later.

***

After Stigma disappeared, Deon, convinced that this place was cursed, hurried out of the Imperial Palace, fearing that another battle might break out if he stayed longer.

While the Imperial Palace was collapsing and people were arriving in droves, he wondered what the guys at the main gate were doing.

‘Even if nothing else, the collapse of the Imperial Palace is such a big commotion that it’s visible from afar, so they couldn’t have not known.’

Yet they didn’t come, if there’s no good reason, I’d be a little… very annoyed.

Because of this, he even made extreme assumptions that they were all incapacitated by the enemy or had abandoned him and gone elsewhere, but the faces of the guys he encountered at the main gate were infuriatingly fine.

The guys who had been pacing around the main gate, looking restless, brightened up as soon as they saw me and approached….

“Sir Deon! You are safe!”

“We waited believing in you until the end as ordered!”

“……Right… I did tell you to wait……”

“Yes, that’s right!”

……How irritating.

Why do I see second mad dogs in those guys?

“Actually, when the building collapsed, I almost made the mistake of rushing in out of shock, but thanks to the physician, I was able to calmly hold my position.”

“Because there was no signal. Going in without an abnormal signal means lacking faith in Sir Deon.”

“De-say.”

Who was that ‘De-say’ bastard just now?

How far has the Demon Church stretched its tentacles? And Ben, why are you so proud?

I pondered for a moment where to start correcting them, then changed my mind and looked back at myself. By now, it wouldn’t be strange if I had the ability to turn normal guys into crazy ones, so I checked….

“Sir Deon?”

“……Never mind.”

Looks like I’m tired. To be having such pointless thoughts.

When I thought about it carefully, demons were originally like this. The only difference from before is my mood, maybe? I can’t vent my anger on innocent guys just because I’m annoyed….

“Excuse me? I didn’t hear you properly.”

“Good job.”

“Ah, following orders is natural!”

“……”

I slowly closed and opened my eyes.

Right, Ben’s mana stone necklace is there, so they would have known that there was nothing wrong with me and kept their positions. It’s not a bad action, and I know that well in my head… is it because my nerves are on edge? The way they answer is just annoying. Ptooey.

“……Anyway, we’ve taken care of the big thing, let’s go back.”

“Aren’t you going to report to the Lord Demon King? What if other orders are given….”

“We’ve destroyed the biggest obstacle, so the rest won’t be difficult even without me. And….”

He probably wants to see me in person anyway.”