HRB 113

The moment that was the original ending. The instant the protagonist, who had walked the righteous path, underwent darkening and opened his eyes was, of course, an intensely unforgettable moment for Eddie as well.

It was urgent, and he felt pity for the man before him.

He wanted to save him, somehow. Even if it was presumptuous.

“You were the only one. The only one who reached out a hand to him as he came this way.”

“…….”

“So I don’t feel much sympathy for humans these days… but it’s different for you.”

The ‘righteous path’ of the Holy Sword was different from Ketron’s path. Destroying demons was the Holy Sword’s sole objective, and it wouldn’t matter how many humans were sacrificed in the process.

Having experienced the absurd ending Ketron met by his side, he would have felt even more anger towards humans. That was why Eddie couldn’t blame the Holy Sword.

After that, the Holy Sword also fell silent. Eddie’s mind became complicated.

The current world seemed peaceful on the surface.

At least, the people around Eddie seemed to be.

But when Gerold and Ebon would return from going outside with serious expressions, and seeing the black rain that often fell from the sky, and Ketron, who seemed to be quietly waiting for something without explicitly stating what, Eddie realized that something was very, very wrong.

When would the second subjugation of the resurrected Demon King begin?

Ketron frequented the Imperial Palace. The Emperor sometimes visited the mansion directly, and other times summoned Ketron to the Imperial Palace.

As Gerold and Ebon were often caught up with Ketron during these visits, Eddie vaguely realized that this was the progression towards the ending scene of Part 2 that he had confirmed.

[Ketron looked back at his new companions.]

On the day of the Tournament, around the ending of Part 2 that Eddie had confirmed, this story was written.

[There were Augustine and his newly joined companions, Gerold and Ebon.]

A story about Gerold and Ebon, who had become new members of the Hero’s party. And it ended with them starting a new adventure, a typical ending.

Of course, in the original Part 2, it wasn’t the subjugation of the Demon King, but ‘the extermination of the remaining Demon race.’

‘Is this why you called me?’

When I saw this content back then… I never imagined that Ebon would be the Ebon I knew, but the message the story intended to convey was clear.

‘Make the ending like this? Is that why you’re showing me this in advance?’

Make the ending like this.

Of course, Eddie was an ordinary person without great power, but as a supporter who could greatly influence the protagonist, he could have led the flow to some extent. The story wanted him to lead it to the desired extent, granting a certain degree of autonomy while ensuring he would inevitably be swept up in the destined flow.

After all, that was the role the story expected of Eddie.

However, following the flow of the story, which Eddie couldn’t change no matter what, the Demon King was eventually resurrected, and the ending became so twisted that it could no longer be resolved by simply exterminating the remaining Demon race.

Eddie’s urging the two to get along with Ketron was, of course, primarily due to Eddie’s personal wish for them to befriend Ketron, but it was hard to say he wasn’t conscious of Part 2 at all.

Eddie had made his own efforts. In order to live in this world with the people he cherished, after the story peacefully reached its desired ending.

But lately, he felt a sense of doubt and anxiety, wondering if that was even possible. He felt the dark clouds hanging over this world and the vague malice this world directed towards him.

Though the mansion appeared peaceful on the surface, from a certain point on, an undeniable, ominous aura began to permeate the mansion where they lived. The signs of war were intensifying to a degree that even Eddie, unaware of the situation, could feel the approaching ill omen.

Time flowed by, and the last day of that year arrived.

On that day, the Emperor himself visited the mansion. It wasn’t a visit with the intention of spending the end of the year intimately with his brother.

Lee Jeong-han, or Emperor Ricarius, whose face looked tired, sought out Ketron as soon as he arrived at the mansion.

“Come with me for a moment.”

As always when the Emperor visited the mansion, he sought out Ketron.

“Eddie.”

Ketron, who approached Eddie, naturally kissed Eddie’s cheek. Still, the fact that he didn’t kiss his lips passionately, with his brother, the Emperor, so close, was perhaps him maintaining a certain boundary.

Of course, whether Ketron maintained a boundary or not, the Emperor Ricarius’s gaze immediately sharpened the moment Ketron kissed Eddie’s cheek. However, it seemed his reason, desperately preventing him from arguing with the Hero at this crucial juncture, managed to hold back the words that rose to his throat.

Everyone knows, everyone knows…

Of course, Eddie didn’t assume that the Emperor, who knew Gerold and Ebon, wouldn’t know about Eddie and Ketron’s relationship, but realizing that even the Emperor knew about their relationship, Eddie couldn’t bring himself to smile.

He wasn’t yet open-minded enough to reveal his lover, who was of the same sex and significantly younger—though by Eddie’s physical age, they were only four years apart, making compatibility unnecessary—to his family.

“I’ll be back shortly, so stay with the Holy Sword.”

“Yes, why so suddenly?”

He always brought the Holy Sword nearby when he left Eddie’s side, so why was he asking like a plea today? As Eddie replied with a smile, Ketron, who seemed to be searching for words, fell silent for a moment before saying softly,

“I just have a strange feeling.”

“……?”

It was a vague statement for Ketron, who always conveyed his intentions directly and clearly. Of course, Eddie didn’t attach much significance to it. After all, Ketron wasn’t going far.

With that conversation concluded, Ketron, as he always did when leaving Eddie’s side, brought the Holy Sword near him and left for a moment.

“Hmm……”

Eddie scratched his cheek. Eddie, an ordinary person with nothing particularly special except for his companion convenience store, wasn’t very helpful in times like these. The most he could do was prepare snacks or something similarly trivial.

Thinking about it, the Marquis Rivalt had also visited with the Emperor, making Gerold and Ebon seem busy as well, and Sebastian was terrible at cooking, so he thought he might prepare dinner himself.

Given the current situation, he was concerned about the Emperor, who seemed thinner than before, and since everyone else would be busy, it would be convenient if he, who was relatively free, took action.

Eddie headed to the kitchen to carry out his thoughts. While contemplating what to make for dinner, Eddie took out some meat from the convenience store refrigerator, thinking of making a rice bowl, but then noticed they were out of cabbage.

“Ah.”

The default condition for the meat deopbap Eddie often made was stir-fried cabbage until wilted, seasoned with salt and pepper, and eaten with meat, but he happened to be out of cabbage. If he added other vegetables, it wouldn’t be as good a substitute for cabbage.

Conveniently, the mansion they had moved to was right next to the market. He had been there countless times, so going alone without Ketron shouldn’t be a big problem.

“I just transformed! I can’t transform into human form right now!”

When Eddie announced he was going to the market for a bit, the Holy Sword leaped up as if wronged.

The Holy Sword, which had recently taken a liking to human form, had just transformed into a human, hugged Eddie, chatted, and then transformed back into a sword.

Did it have a cooldown, as Ketron said? Once it transformed, it couldn’t transform back into a human. And now was precisely that cooldown period.

The Holy Sword, greatly disappointed at missing the chance to go to the market with Eddie, and half because it had to leave Eddie’s side, was consoled by Eddie with a smile.

“I’m just going out for a moment, nearby, so it’s okay.”

“Normally, a moment of carelessness leads to disaster!”

“No, I’m not going far, just to the market right next door.”

Eddie replied with a hint of annoyance. Both Ketron and the Holy Sword were overly protective. Honestly, what reason could a grown adult have for not being able to go to the market right next door alone?

Of course, they were more concerned because they knew Eddie was afraid of being alone in crowded places, but Eddie had improved compared to before. He wasn’t at a point where he couldn’t go to the market right next door alone.

Eddie wasn’t a frail boy; though he’d never measured, he was likely over 180 cm by modern standards. In a world with so many monstrous beings who surpassed human limits, it was a bittersweet situation where he, with physical specs that would be considered sturdy by modern standards, was still considered someone who needed protection.

“I’ll be right back.”

When Ketron finished talking with the Emperor and came out, he saw Eddie going to the market and was about to follow, but was caught by the Emperor or Marquis Rivalt… and it wouldn’t end with mere embarrassment.

After all, he was an adult man. Fearing the embarrassing situation of being seen being overprotected up close, Eddie quickly grabbed his wallet.

He just needed to quickly buy cabbage and come back.

Stir-fried cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper was so delicious on its own. Eddie, who was quite fond of cabbage, thought only of the cabbage and quickly said goodbye to the Holy Sword.

“It’ll be really quick.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Looking at the Holy Sword, which grumbled with reluctance even as it acknowledged the inevitable, Eddie smiled.

It was just going to the market right next door; what could possibly happen for them to be so overprotective? Still, if he went out like this and returned safely a few times, they would probably feel relieved, thinking he was more capable than they thought. Everything was difficult at first.

And so, on the last day of that year.

Eddie made his final outing.