Chapter 172………………………………………….
A distant, surreal feeling washed over me.
The thought that she could truly die if I told her to—it didn’t make sense logically. There was no way Liena could be serious.
Yet, for some reason, I could read sincerity in her eyes.
As if, should I say the word, she would really return to the execution grounds and wait for the day of her death.
‘No… but if I actually said that, she might suddenly turn and attack.’
I couldn’t read her mind at all right now.
She had never been exactly conventional in thinking, but I could usually predict how she’d act.
Now, however, I had no sense of her current feelings or intentions.
‘Honestly… this is scary.’
It would have been easier to deal with the old Liena, who openly revealed her hostility.
Then there was Shadow, too.
Would a monster under the influence of the wicked god simply watch as Liena was executed?
Even if it did, I couldn’t imagine what Shadow would do once Liena died and there was no one left to control.
Above all…
“Um.”
I carefully began, trying not to provoke her.
“I’m not telling you to go die, but what happens if you die? Shadow too…”
“I know what you’re curious about. Shadow’s one thing, but the bigger question is how the Monster Wave will turn out, isn’t it?”
Exactly.
“Most likely, the wicked god will choose a new apostle. Didn’t the goddess Miela tell you something similar?”
“….”
“The gods can choose apostles until the final victor is determined.”
Of course. When the goddess summoned Liena and me together, I had asked this exact question:
If I failed to complete my task and died, what would happen to the world?
“You worry about what happens after you die… you’re kind. Don’t worry too much. As long as it’s not dying to the apostle of the wicked god, I can choose another being freely.”
Put another way, if I lost to the wicked god, the world would end.
Suddenly, the weight of the world’s fate pressed down on my shoulders.
‘From the moment I decided to drive Liena out, I was prepared to take on her responsibilities.’
Just a few months ago, my only goal had been to divorce Riandro, and yet somehow everything had escalated like this.
No choice now but to handle what I was tasked with.
Being part of this world, I too could not remain free from the Monster Wave.
I thought through which choices would help stop the wave.
I wanted desperately to get this troublesome human out of my sight, yet simply telling Liena to return and face execution was not a good option.
Even if Liena went back willingly and Shadow caused no trouble, if the wicked god selected a new apostle, everything would reset.
‘No, it could even make things worse…’
Then I wouldn’t even know who my enemy was.
The role could fall back to the character originally intended to be the wicked god’s apostle in the novel, but the story had already diverged; nothing was certain.
At least now, I clearly knew who the enemy was.
Speaking in front of Liena, I opened my mouth.
“I don’t want you executed.”
Her expression brightened.
“Thank you for saying that, Idel.”
“But since the Empress is dead and the Emperor injured, I can’t just let you be.”
“I understand. Honestly, I had been thinking of leaving anyway.”
“Leaving?”
“Yes. Even though I stopped myself before, there’s a chance Shadow could harm someone else. I want to go somewhere as empty as possible.”
“…Not a bad idea.”
We couldn’t allow any more victims.
“Um… but…”
Liena suddenly hesitated, glancing at me.
“What is it?”
“I know it’s an audacious request, and I’m really sorry to you.”
“Tell me.”
“Won’t you come with me?”
“What?”
“I… can’t endure this alone. Even now, I still hear the wicked god’s voice in my ear, feeding my hatred for the world.”
She pleaded, grasping my hand.
“So I want you by my side. With you, I’ll try to endure. I can control monsters, so daily life won’t be too inconvenient.”
“…I don’t get it. I don’t understand why you suddenly cling to me like this.”
“It’s simple. Facing death, I realized something: you were the only one who ever truly showed me genuine affection, even without the goddess’ blessings.”
The person Liena recalled was the real Idel, now gone.
“That was in the past. I don’t like you now, as you know.”
“Doesn’t matter. Even so, it doesn’t erase the fact that you treated me kindly back then.”
Assuming everything she just said was sincere and without hidden motives, I could almost understand Liena’s psychology.
Her only place to lean on now might be the happy memories of her childhood.
Through soul resonance, I had glimpsed her memories:
Abandoned by birth parents, rejected by foster parents, living a life full of misfortune—her only bright memories were the times she played with Idel.
Now, even the happiness she had built with blessings and her faith in the goddess had disappeared. It wasn’t strange she clung to the past.
‘But I can’t accept her.’
It had gone too far. Even if she were the real Idel, I couldn’t forgive my old friend who had crossed that line.
After a moment’s thought, I gave my answer to her request.
“Fine. I’ll go with you.”
Liena’s expression froze in surprise.
“R-really?”
“I have no choice. If this is the way to stop the Monster Wave.”
“Thank you! Really, thank you! I won’t act badly! I’ll endure until the end!”
Her flushed face quivering, Liena spoke through tears.
“You don’t need to be so thankful just because you’re going with me. I’m not doing it for you.”
Because I had just decided: I would personally end this before she harmed anyone else, in a place far away, by her side.
As apostles of gods, fated to clash, this was the surest way to stop the Monster Wave.
Still, Liena hugged me tightly, saying thanks.
‘Even if you’re not a fool, you probably sense my intentions.’
Yet she was so joyful—was it because she deliberately ignored the worst possibilities?
Or was it because she secretly intended to trap me?
Either way, I couldn’t let her leave alone.
If Liena triggered the Monster Wave hidden away, there would be no solution.
‘Time alone won’t make it impossible to find her. But people would die while searching.’
About ten thousand people. That was the death toll from the Monster Wave in Reincarnate and Walk Only the Flowery Path.
In the novel, Liena quickly defeated the wicked god’s apostle and sealed the wicked god, so the casualties were the lowest ever.
But ten thousand. Ten thousand people, living ordinary lives like me, breathing, eating, and interacting with loved ones.
I couldn’t dismiss that number as a mere statistic.
‘Since Liena has already become the wicked god’s apostle, I have to handle this myself.’
So I would act before the Monster Wave even occurred.
That was my goal. Naturally, it required taking some risk.
I would prepare as best as I could, of course.
“Wait, there are two conditions for me following you.”
Liena’s eyes widened at my words.
“What conditions?”
“First, we go with the divine beast.”
“Fine. That’s reasonable.”
“Second.”
I glanced toward where Shadow lingered.
“I’m afraid of Shadow—the one who broke through ironclad security to kill the Empress. Until I’m certain it’s safe, use this on Shadow.”
I walked to the desk and opened a drawer.
What I pulled out was a small rope, the same one I had used to bind Hersiso at the Grand Temple.
“What’s that?”
“A binding artifact.”
“That kind of artifact won’t work on Shadow. It absorbs everything.”
“Still, try it. If I do it, it might be dangerous, so you do it yourself.”
Liena didn’t understand, but she obeyed.
I handed her the rope and explained how to use it. She swung it toward Shadow.
The rope expanded, wrapping around Shadow before vanishing into its black body.
“See?”
I clicked my tongue silently at her.
But this was a deliberate failure on my part.
At least, it fulfilled one of the conditions to neutralize Shadow.
Since Liena urged us to leave before others noticed something amiss in the star palace, I hurriedly packed our belongings.
I didn’t want anyone entering Shadow’s territory either.
I packed clothes, basic necessities, and even some potential weapons into a large bag. Finally, I picked up a pen.
‘Terence…’
I forced my trembling hand to write him a short letter.
Since the Emperor was badly injured, I couldn’t involve him in this. I didn’t want to put him in danger.
Unlike me or the divine beast, he had no divine mission.
“Now, let’s go, Idel.”
The time had come. Liena reached out her hand, and I was about to take it.
“Idel!”
A desperate voice called from outside the window.
Regaining my senses, I realized I had already leapt onto the balcony.
Far off, I saw Terence.
