〈 Chapter 205 〉 202 …
*
“……Elcia?”
I completely forgot we were in a fight and stared at Elcia.
She took the president’s attack for me and slammed against the wall, hitting it hard.
She didn’t even let out a single whimper, just slumped against the ground.
My mind wasn’t processing things correctly.
I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.
“Elcia?”
Elcia got hurt because of me.
Because I stupidly hesitated, the president had the chance to counterattack.
Such a pathetic and trivial mistake.
And Elcia paid the price for my foolish blunder.
On top of that, she was currently sealing her ability.
In other words,
She took that terrifying attack completely bare-handed.
It was already a stretch to block it with a weapon.
With no abilities at all, she threw herself into danger for my sake.
Without a moment’s delay, she launched her fragile body into harm’s way.
“Elcia.”
I called her name once more.
It was a small wish as well.
She’d be okay.
There was no problem at all.
No!
She had to be!
“…Elcia.”
I murmured her name again while checking her condition.
Elcia lay there with her eyes closed, a faint smile on her face.
The part of her doll-like outfit was torn around her abdomen, and all the treats inside seemed to be smashed too.
At least, I was relieved that her body wasn’t buried under the treats.
So she should be okay.
The treats must have cushioned the blow, so she’ll easily stand up.
Surely, she wasn’t seriously hurt.
Even now, she’d probably be about to cry out, “It hurts!!!” with teary eyes.
She surely would.
I wished for that.
I hoped.
[My dear, stay focused! It’s brutal, but we’re in a fight right now!］
‘……’
Elcia, who objectively was a troublemaker,
Had caused me plenty of anxious moments with various incidents.
But no matter what,
She never once left my side and was always with me.
She never betrayed me and believed in me until the end.
Without a shred of doubt.
She had her quirks, but.
She was always on my side.
Even if I wanted to hate her, I couldn’t.
Money?
I’d gladly give her as much as she wanted.
I could just earn more.
Food for me?
If she wanted it, I could give it to her countless times.
Seeing her happy face, even if I was hungry, made me feel good too.
I would do anything Elcia wanted.
If necessary, I would risk my life for her.
So I desperately hoped she was safe.
At the same time, a whirlwind of thoughts began to swirl.
Inconsistent and filled with foolish wishes just for her safety.
She couldn’t have died, right? She was bare-handed. What if she got really hurt? I need to get her to the infirmary quickly. How many are left outside? What’s the nearest hospital? What emergency measures should I take now? No, would emergency measures even help? Would she be okay? Elcia, you’re going to pop up and say “surprise!” right? You’re going to get up for me. Stop the jokes, it’s not funny. Please. You can’t die.
Please don’t die, Elcia. Please. Please. I’m begging you.
My hands felt weak.
My legs trembled, barely able to stand, let alone approach Elcia.
I couldn’t feel any pain anymore in my left arm, which had already cracked.
I felt as if unspoken words were choking my throat.
In that moment, I saw the president smirking.
He looked genuinely pathetic.
“Isn’t she a dumb girl! What’s a mere woman gonna do to block that?!”
“……”
I couldn’t even respond.
I couldn’t hear those words.
Right now, my mind was solely focused on Elcia’s condition.
I didn’t take my gaze off her for a moment.
I had to see with my own eyes that Elcia was okay.
When I didn’t react, the president started chattering again.
“Was that girl your little toy? That’s too bad. Thanks to you, she’s become a corpse.”
“……”
“If you want to make good use of her, why not stick that little toy of yours in my ass? Then maybe you’ll win!”
“……”
Regardless, I didn’t move and kept my eyes on Elcia.
Hoping Elcia would get up soon.
But my wish,
Sadly flickered out like a candle in the wind.
From within her doll-like outfit, a liquid began to seep out, staining the fabric and the ground below.
Even in the dim light, it was unmistakably clear.
A red liquid.
Then suddenly, the president began clapping.
Another mocking gesture.
“Congratulations! You killed that girl! It’s because you’re such a weakling!”
“……”
“Seeing her die after acting tough all by herself was quite the sight.”
At that moment.
I heard something snap in my head.
*
The president was feeling rather pleased.
Of course, the guy he was facing earlier had been quite the hassle.
His techniques were refined, his transitions quick, and the timing of his attacks was razor-sharp.
For someone unfamiliar with weapons, he was extremely dangerous.
Because of that, today was one of those rare days where the president was truly on edge.
Just thinking about the last moment when his knee hit the guy’s face still sends chills down his spine.
He hadn’t felt this anxious even when he was in the ability suppression team.
Thank goodness the last animal enthusiast member had shown him the future thanks to regression.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have faced such a direct confrontation.
That guy seemed to be quite seasoned in fighting people.
But that was all.
No matter how well he fought, he looked completely inexperienced when it came to killing.
He still felt like a rookie academy student.
Each time he tried to land a lethal blow, he hesitated.
That was undoubtedly because he wasn’t used to taking someone’s life.
Even though hunters and academy students often practiced taking lives in the sparring ground system, actually killing someone was an entirely different ball game.
Carrying the weight of taking a life was not something easily shouldered.
If he had been accustomed to killing, he would have pierced the blade straight into a fatal spot.
Then the outcome would have been decisively different.
‘No matter how you look at it, he’s just a kid.’
Plus, a woman had suddenly jumped in to take the kick for him.
The sensation of something breaking and exploding at the tip of his foot.
From experience, this was at least a wound requiring immediate surgery.
The odds were that she had a high chance of being dead.
Glancing quickly, it was almost certain she had died.
As a result, the guy was left staring blankly at the woman who had fallen in front of him.
At first, he felt annoyed by the sudden variable, but seeing the guy’s face quickly eased his mood.
He must have been so dazed because he wasn’t familiar with someone dying.
‘Well, I’m fine with this since it’s making my job easier.’
Anyway, as long as he took care of the guy in front of him, the rest of the women would be nothing.
That red-haired girl who was still holding on against so many was a slight concern, but she was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
He thought he had seen her listed as a high-risk individual, but since she couldn’t use her abilities right now, he didn’t believe she would be a problem.
Meanwhile, the previously dyed pink horse had seemingly regained its original black color.
Seeing that, the president instinctively ground his teeth.
‘Dyeing it back is going to be a hassle. Guess it was just cheap dye after all.’
But he decided to accept that as part of the process.
After all, couples are meant to learn more about each other as they live.
He justified that this too was a trial for a happy married life.
Meanwhile, he raised a baseball bat high behind the still-dazed man.
Now was the time to end this long fight and start a happy married life with his horse.
But then, he unexpectedly felt a shiver run down his spine from a sudden possibility.
That was how dangerous the opponent before him was.
To eliminate that variable, the president resolved to regress.
For reasons unknown, he could regress even while his nullification ability was active.
Though it was a rather peculiar phenomenon, he didn’t question it.
That was because, for him, it didn’t matter as long as it was beneficial; he didn’t see it as a loss at all.
‘It’s for precaution. He might just throw himself into a reckless charge.’
To eliminate even the last possibility, he peeked into the future through regression.
In the future, he could only see himself swinging the baseball bat toward the guy’s head.
It was a short glimpse of the future, but it didn’t pose a problem.
The man had remained completely still until the last moment.
Clearly, he had lost the will to live.
‘What a pathetic sight. This is what academy students are like.’
He experienced that certain future and returned to reality.
Perhaps fueled by that certainty, he began to grip the baseball bat even tighter than before.
With a derisive smirk, he said something short, not out of mercy but mockery.
“Die.”
Then, he viciously brought the weapon down toward the man’s head.
Even at that moment, the man still did not move.
He looked the same as he had before regression in the future.
Believing this would be the end, the president silently cheered inside.
And when the baseball bat met the man’s skull,
A loud bang echoed as it shattered.
Only the baseball bat shattered.
The man’s head remained completely unharmed.
This time, he couldn’t hide his shock.
‘……F*ck, it broke? How’s his head holding up?’
But he quickly gathered his thoughts.
So far, everything was fine.
He could only blame the regression ability for not providing a proper duration.
‘It’s great for predictions, but too short is a problem. If it were longer like that member’s, how nice would it be?’
This time he loaded his fist, ready to crush the man.
It seemed that this abnormal durability applied only to the head.
‘But even so, he couldn’t hold up against being hit bare-handed. I’ll send him to where that girl is.’
However,
Amid the splintered pieces of the shattered baseball bat,
The moment he met the hollow gaze of the man staring back at him,
The president sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
*
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