Chapter 173
Ch.173 Got it.
Icira’s death was utterly unexpected.
“What’s wrong with Lady Icira?”
At Edward’s words, I lowered my head.
My mind was in chaos.
Icira is dead?
It was unbelievable.
Just a while ago, she’d insisted she was fine—so why? Why did this happen?
My brain couldn’t keep up with the current situation.
If the Dragon Heart shattered, why did both Icira and Cecilia say they were fine?
According to the setting, the Dragon Heart isn’t literally a dragon’s actual heart.
Dragons, as magic-based lifeforms, carry a precious gemstone within them linked to their magic.
The lore states it contains immense magic, and shattering it means death.
If it broke… wouldn’t they both have realized immediately?
If it broke… wouldn’t they both have realized immediately?
Cecilia definitely would’ve sensed something was wrong, and Icira herself would’ve known her condition even better.
Though not a biological organ per se, the Dragon Heart holds tremendous power—
because it contains a dragon’s vast reservoir of magic.
They surely both knew.
Then… then why?
Why didn’t Icira and Cecilia tell me the truth?
Could it be? No…
Did those crazy bitches really do this?
Frantically, I scribbled into my notebook:
—Cecilia and Icira clearly said they were fine! What the hell is going on?
“You okay? Your expression looks awful.”
“Shut up and wait.”
I waited anxiously for Leah’s reply.
Every second felt like a hammer pounding my chest, my heart racing violently.
The words slowly appeared:
—Lady Icira… told Cecilia to say she was fine. So Cecilia obeyed, believing it was Icira’s dying wish…
Reading those words felt like getting struck on the head with a sledgehammer—my mind went numb.
—I’m sorry for deceiving you, Master, but it was her final request… I couldn’t refuse…
“Why?! Why would you do something like that?!!”
I screamed like a madman—
because otherwise, this rage would never subside.
“You goddamn insane bitches! Do you really want to die?!”
But no matter how loudly I shouted or cursed, my fury wouldn’t fade.
—I need you to tell Cecilia straight. If she can’t properly explain herself when we meet… I’ll kill her myself.
After writing that, I spat out another string of curses:
“Just you wait till I catch Roy, you son of a bitch! I’ll cut off your limbs and slaughter you!”
***
“U-uh… what should we do?”
Leah showed the notebook to Cecilia with a troubled expression.
—I need you to tell Cecilia straight. If she can’t properly explain herself when we meet… I’ll kill her myself.
Seeing Hans’ message, Cecilia froze, pale as a ghost.
“H-he seems really angry, doesn’t he?”
“Of course. They were pretty close, right?”
“B-but for me… what else could I do? It was her dying request… How could I possibly refuse?”
Of course, that wasn’t the whole story.
Cecilia agreed with Icira’s reasoning, too.
If she were in Icira’s place, she’d also want Hans to enter Hell as quickly as possible—
because only then could all life be saved.
But saying that outright might only aggravate him further, so she kept quiet about it.
Neither Cecilia nor Leah had ever lost comrades as precious as the Hero Party members before.
Yet they both understood clearly that wallowing in grief was foolish—
especially for those bearing a sacred duty; indulging in sorrow would be outright irresponsible.
If they let grief consume them before slaying the Demon King, what then?
They were special—heroes shouldering humanity’s burden.
They had no time to sit around sobbing over someone’s death.
Even before they could mourn a fallen comrade, enemies would attack, forcing them to push onward toward the Demon King’s fortress.
There was never time for proper memorials—
they’d simply bury friends in nearby soil and march forward.
In contrast, Hans’s gameplay never depicted such details so vividly.
As a player, he hardly cared whether story characters lived or died.
Moreover, after learning all the plot points and strategies, he’d ensured no comrades ever died—
because he always knew who would die, when, and where, allowing him to intervene in time.
Originally, Destiny was a bleak game, but thanks to players actively sharing information, it became lively and cheerful.
“Is Hans really upset?”
Mia approached, her voice full of concern.
“Look at this.”
Leah handed her the notebook; Mia frowned as she read.
“Hmm… this proves Lady Icira’s judgment was correct.”
Though her words might sound cold, Mia now understood why Icira made that call before dying.
Hans wasn’t being rational right now.
He was normally the calmest man—no matter what happened, he stayed composed.
But now he was acting emotionally.
Cecilia hadn’t revealed Icira’s true condition because it was Icira’s final wish—
how many people could coldly refuse such a request from someone facing death?
This wasn’t Cecilia’s fault—
she’d merely honored Icira’s desperate plea.
Initially, Mia thought it unnecessary—to her, aside from Icira’s death itself, Cecilia’s lie was a minor incident.
But what if Hans hadn’t entered Hell immediately?
If he’d delayed by even an hour—maybe days?
Chasing Roy would become impossible, leading to the seal breaking and all life perishing.
Such a choice wouldn’t befit someone bearing the weight of all existence—and Mia was confident Hans wouldn’t allow that.
Yet after reading his message, Mia realized her assumption was wrong.
‘How can you be so shaken…? Don’t you still understand how heavy your duty is?’
Mia worried inwardly about Hans—
in such emotional turmoil, he might make a critical mistake.
“Ah… wh-what should I do? He says he’ll kill me…”
Cecilia was deeply hurt.
Hans, usually so gentle, now threatened to kill her—it shocked her to the core.
Of course, Cecilia had once jokingly asked Hans, ‘Do you want to die?’
But that was clearly a joke—and Hans would just shake his head with an awkward smile.
For such a kind person to genuinely threaten her life was clearly no small matter.
‘What did I do wrong…? Why is he angry at me?’
As Cecilia sulked inwardly, Leah also fell into deep thought.
Even when she played pranks on her master, Hans rarely got angry—
because he genuinely cared for her.
Having grown up with him since childhood, treated like a little sister, Leah had never seen him truly furious.
Now, cold sweat trickled down her spine.
‘They say it’s scarier when someone who never gets mad suddenly loses it…’
Moreover, the situation itself was complicated—Icira was dying, yet Cecilia lied.
Objectively, Leah agreed with Cecilia’s choice—but would Hans understand?
Leah had no idea what would happen next.
“L-let’s just go to Hell first. Staying here won’t change anything, right?”
Her pale platinum hair trembled faintly.
“Yeah… you’re right.”
Seeing Cecilia’s dejected state, Leah looped an arm around her shoulders.
“Hey, don’t worry too much. If Master were in your shoes, he’d’ve done the same! He’s just never lost someone close to him before—that’s why he’s reacting like this. Don’t take it to heart.”
“He… doesn’t hate me, does he…?”
Watching Cecilia sink into gloom, Leah forced a bright tone:
“Of course not! Don’t worry. Remember how hard it was for us back then? This is just like that.”
“Leah… thank you.”
Her voice, however, lacked any energy.
“Come on, let’s hurry to Hell.”
“Okay…”
“Let’s go.”
Scarlet arrived, sensing the uneasy atmosphere among her friends—
Leah putting on a brave front, Cecilia clearly downcast.
Bewildered, Scarlet’s face filled with question marks—
until Mia quietly slipped Leah’s notebook into her hands.
“Huh?”
Her first reaction was shock.
She couldn’t believe Hans would write something so harsh—
but as she read from top to bottom, she understood why he was furious.
‘He’s really angry, huh…’
But that wasn’t the priority right now.
Stopping the God of Death mattered far more.
‘I’ll deal with this later…’
“Let’s head to Hell first and ask Hans what to do.”
And so, they—and Nephert—set off for Hell.
***
Even after reading the Hero Party’s message saying they’d arrived in Hell, I refused to reply.
I simply didn’t want to exchange words with them right now.
Closing my eyes, I reflected on where I’d gone wrong.
If only we’d played defensively…
If only we’d brought Auros…
Reviewing everything now, I saw numerous mistakes I’d made—
and those errors had cost Icira her life.
I was furious.
That someone died because of my incompetence—
especially her, who’d always supported and helped me.
“Are you okay?”
“No. I’m not okay.”
I answered Edward coldly.
“You should rest a bit. We’ll reach the Demon King’s fortress soon.”
“I don’t need rest. I’m so angry right now—I could beat anyone who comes near me.”
“B-but even humans need to rest a little…”
I shot Edward a sharp glare as his nagging dragged on.
“Don’t worry about me—just get us there faster.”
“Y-yes…”
After saying that, I felt guilty for taking my frustration out on poor Edward…
Icira… why?
It was clear Icira had ordered Cecilia not to reveal her condition—
since both claimed everything was fine in that moment.
But why? Icira, why?
I couldn’t understand her reasoning in death.
Guilt gnawed at me for losing such a dear friend so pointlessly—
and fury burned over my own incompetence.
I glanced downward.
Staring at the barren, ashen ground and scattered lava flows, I thought:
Might as well go wild here.
In this place, I could unleash my strongest attacks mindlessly—
after all, they’re demons, not humans like me.
Just then—
I heard Edward’s panicked voice:
“Master Hans?! Look—Wyverns ahead!”
I raised my head; dozens of black wyverns filled my vision.
—Kyaahk!
—Grrgh!
I aimed Equality at the wyverns and pulled the trigger.
—Bang bang bang!
Along with Equality’s roar…
—Kuhh!
—Kyaaah!
I watched as the wyverns crashed to the ground.
“The power of a god is truly fearsome. These Hell wyverns are dozens of times stronger than their surface counterparts.”
“It’s nothing. How much farther?”
“Just half a day more.”
Half a day wasn’t much.
Core
“Got it.”
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