Chapter 680 – Even If I am Not There (2) #PART2
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.
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“Captain.”
“Yeah?”
“You really feel nothing about this?”
Vice-captain of the Shadow Mercenaries, Wolf, asked casually as he followed behind Kichi, who didn’t even turn around as she answered.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Besides, what’s there to say?”
Wolf smirked.
“So, you’re not fine after all, huh, Captain?”
Claudi Mansion.
Kichi and Wolf were walking down the mansion’s hallway. The reason was simple—the one who had been resisting had finally gone quiet. Wolf glanced at the demon in his arms: the Ten Thrones’ Marbas.
“Well, I get it. It’s awkward to talk about. Even if no harm was done, the fact remains that this guy tried to spread malice inside the Commander’s territory.”
“…”
“Especially since we were the ones tasked with protecting it.”
They had allowed Marbas to slip through.
“Guess Ten Thrones are still Ten Thrones—even in this sorry state.”
Kichi clenched her teeth.
From Arcana to reality, even factoring in travel through the portal, this was an unforgivable mistake. By the time they found Marbas, he had already gotten his hands on what he wanted.
Kichi spoke.
“Now that I know, it won’t happen again.”
Kichi had stationed part of the Shadow Mercenaries in the real world—specifically to guard Hoyeol’s family home. Of course, Marbas’s target was clear.
‘…Just what is this thing?’
Kichi stared at the book in her hands. A thin volume, the only notable feature being its black cover.
“If you’re curious, don’t even think about opening it, Captain.”
“Are you crazy? You think I’d do that?!”
“Just saying.”
Looks like our Captain’s finally relaxing a bit.
‘Still, the enemies we’re facing are getting more crude and vile by the day.’
Even the mighty Ten Thrones were being cornered. That a demon like Marbas would resort to targeting the Commander’s family—regardless of the book’s value—if they had gotten in his way, he’d have harmed them without hesitation.
In that sense…
‘What made you hesitate?’
The fact that Marbas hadn’t hurt anyone was what surprised them most.
No—more precisely, he couldn’t. The Marbas that escaped the Commander’s house was too weakened to even chase off a stray cat.
‘It was definitely the Commander’s magical imprint.’
Wolf had a sudden thought.
‘If this, too, was part of the Commander’s foresight…’
A thought that felt dangerously close to irreverence.
‘Why didn’t the Commander appear himself?’
Of course, even the Commander couldn’t know everything. Just because he knew an attack might happen didn’t mean he knew exactly when.
But if it was Hoyeol, he must have sensed his family was in danger the moment the magic circle activated. Trusting his arrangements was one thing, but they were facing a Ten Thrones demon.
‘The Hoyeol I know…’
…would never have taken Marbas lightly. Yet, as the Shadow Mercenaries struggled to subdue the rampaging demon, the Commander offered no word, no signal.
“…Want to do it, Wolf?”
In front of the master room, Kichi asked. Wolf didn’t respond—too lost in thought.
‘If the Commander is inside…’
Then this was all part of his plan. And in that case, Wolf hoped he wouldn’t hear an answer. It would be better to believe the Commander didn’t know.
‘Is that too irreverent a thought?’
There was a strange sense of distance with the Commander now. Something like a deep rift.
“Sigh…”
Kichi took a deep breath and raised her hand.
Just be honest about what happened, Kichi. What’s so hard about that?
Sure, it took time to fully subdue Marbas…
‘But we did seal him in the end.’
His brief stint in Akshan had helped. Realistically, the chances of the Commander being inside were low. Just drop off the silver-bound Marbas and leave.
“Alright.”
Kichi was about to knock when—
“You may enter.”
“…!!”
Hoyeol’s voice could be heard.
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Why I came to hate cats…
Just saying I hated them because they shed too much fur wouldn’t cut it. Both I and Grandfell deeply loathed cats. I can’t help but recall the previous Tower Master, who got caught in the crossfire of that resentment.
‘You never did anything wrong…’
I looked down at Marbas, the Ten Thrones demon subdued by Kichi and Wolf. Once a lion-formed demon, now reduced to something no different from a cat.
From him, past and background began to overlap.
—“…”
In a previous cycle, I had failed before ever reaching Grandfell. Because I’d lost someone precious to Marbas.
He had regained his power and, in his lion form, met the past version of me in a house soaked in blood.
—“You’re late.”
—“…”
—“Your arrogance killed your own blood.”
I shook off the memories and stared at Marbas with a neutral expression. Then I called his name.
“Marbas.”
His body lifted into the air by force.
And then I said something I never imagined I would—not until very recently.
“I will show you mercy.”
“…?”
Yes. Because this time… was the last.
There was a glimmer of hope in Marbas’s eyes.
“Me-Mercy…?”
Perhaps he expected I might spare his life.
Well, that depended on what he did.
I channeled suitable magic power toward him—only those memories related to Marbas.
And yet, even a tiny portion of it would be too much for him to handle. From the moment I lost everything to Marbas in that past life, I had hunted him mercilessly in every timeline since.
Which is why this was the first and last mercy I would ever grant.
To the demon who had died countless deaths trying to disrupt my reversal magic—
“Let me show you… your past.”
Mercy from Lee Hoyeol, to a demon who never knew his place.
“Ki—KIEEEEEEHH!!”
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