I Became a Raid Boss

“Whew…”

As I steadied my slightly ragged breath, the crimson sword in my hand dissolved into tiny mana particles, scattering away. That’s why I like using a sword made of mana—it doesn’t break, even if I pour in a little too much strength.

Of course, maintaining it requires a lot more energy than a regular sword, and it’s so difficult to control that it’s not a technique I’d use lightly.

There’s a reason why swordsmen go to such lengths to find a legendary blade. It’s much easier to find a sturdy, sharp sword and swing that around than to weave highly concentrated mana into a precise blade and keep it stable throughout a fight.

I shook off the lingering mana of Grasid that clung to my hand and stepped forward.

Where the radiant glow that once colored the world had faded, one old man remained standing.

“As expected of a Master Mage… I didn’t think you’d survive that.”

They say, “Even if it’s the enemy who killed your parents, some things are just…” It’s a saying used when someone finds it too cruel to commit a certain act or tries to stop someone from making a drastic choice. But the flip side is, when it comes to the one who killed your parents, the grudge runs that deep.

To me, that old man was such a person.

But even if he was my mortal enemy, one I couldn’t share the same sky with, I had no choice but to acknowledge his abilities.

The old man, hearing my unfiltered words of admiration, slowly opened his closed eyes. Under the light, his gaze was more serene than ever.

“Survived, you say. Does this look like survival to you?”

“Yeah.”

Well, after all, I was aiming to cut you in half with that attack.

“Just managing to avoid being split in two—I’d say you did pretty well.”

“Ha ha… Should I take that as a compliment?”

“By the way, you might want to change the way you talk. Hearing that kind of tone from such an old face—it’s painfully awkward.”

“It’s too late for that; it’s already stuck. At my age, there’s no changing it.”

“Tsk.”

Hearing such lighthearted words from his deep, resonant voice brought about an odd sense of dissonance, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Like he said, it’s too late to change now.

A crimson line ran straight across the old man’s chest. While it had narrowly missed his heart, it was still a mortal wound. If the attack he suffered had been ordinary, and if a capable healer had been nearby, he might have survived.

However, the mana seeping into the wound was slowly eating away at him, burning and rotting his body. Just like what had happened to my father.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, the old man, who had been tracing the crimson line across his chest, spoke bluntly.

“How much time do you think you have left?”

“Well, more than you, at least.”

“With my age, I’d expect no less.”

“There’s no rule saying who goes first.”

“Still, don’t you think you should outlive an old man over a hundred?”

“…That’s quite an age.”

“Ha ha. Truth is, even I don’t know my exact age anymore. I stopped counting after a hundred.”

“…”

Hearing him say that, it makes me sound like a jerk who’s constantly picking on old people. Not that age matters when it comes to a life-or-death battle.

The Magi seeping into his wound crawled up his neck, reaching his face, turning it black as it spread. The old man spoke with his now darkened face.

“I have a favor to ask. Won’t you hear me out?”

“I don’t think we were ever close enough for that.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not much to grant the wish of a dying man, is it? Do you know how much effort I put into guarding your father’s grave? All those pests that kept coming…”

“…I’ll hear you out, at least.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The old man showed me his staff—a staff that was barely holding together, with only the neck of it remaining intact. His gaze wandered to a few other places, and mine followed his.

A longsword, now turned to dust.

Fragments of a shattered bow remained.

Though in better shape than the other three, a greatsword with a chipped blade appeared in dire need of repair.

“I know you’ve got a lot of anger. But surely taking down three Imperial swordsmen and a Sage must have been enough of a release?”

“This is… unexpected.”

I realized what the old man was getting at.

“…It’s really something new.”

To think that the once-proud Sage of the Empire would beg for mercy.

As I pondered, he stroked his long beard.

“It’s not strange for a defeated dog to ask for the victor’s mercy, is it?”

“Well, you’re not wrong… But I thought you’d hold out to the end. Something like, ‘No one will touch the Empire while I still draw breath!'”

“Haha. That’s amusing.”

Even as he chuckled, he didn’t deny my words.

Well, considering death was at his doorstep, trying to sound brave would be meaningless.

“Mercy, huh…”

My decision didn’t take long.

I nodded.

“Alright.”

In truth, there wasn’t much need for him to ask. It wasn’t as if I could keep pursuing vengeance with this worn-out body.

Besides, after killing the Sage who bore most of my hatred with my own hands, my remaining feelings toward the Empire had mostly faded.

If my father hadn’t died at the hands of the Sage, I probably wouldn’t have held any particular grudge against the Empire at all.

“…Thank you.”

Upon hearing my answer, the old man offered a faint smile.

His dull eyes, void of light, disappeared beneath his eyelids.

That was the end of the old man once known as the Sage.

“…It really doesn’t suit him, even in the end.”

They say vengeance is empty.

But, I don’t know.

I couldn’t quite put into words what I was feeling at that moment, but if I had to, it felt closer to a sense of relief or freedom rather than emptiness.

Maybe the Demonic Race felt something similar.

“Whew.”

My eyelids felt a little heavy.

The urge to lie down and take a nap grew stronger, but unfortunately, I still had things left to do.

I drew out all the Magi lingering in my body and dispersed it into the air.

Some of it lingered nearby, some blended into the atmosphere, and some drifted away, disappearing into the vast sky.

Eradicating all the Magi from the world of Silia was impossible.

Since mana is what forms and sustains this world, the contamination of mana is inevitable.

If it can’t be stopped, then it’s better to adapt to it.

That was why I changed the system that previously gathered Magi into Laxia to instead spread it throughout the world of Silia.

And when the Magi accumulated beyond a certain point, it would be sent to Edel for purification.

‘…Is that the right choice?’

‘It’s better than letting it build up until it explodes beyond control. Besides, my children can overcome this much.’

With the system changed, all that remained was the Magi I held within myself.

Now, even that was gone.

With the two forces that had sustained my dying body now fully drained, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me.

‘So, do you regret it?’

…Maybe a little.

It was only after achieving my goal that I began to recall the things I had left behind.

From the small joys like meals I’d once enjoyed to the places that held memories… and even the relationships I had forged.

Hmm, I don’t particularly miss Ashié.

“…Come to think of it. I wanted to take that flower with me.”

Going to the Holy Kingdom was as far as my plan went; I never imagined things would turn out like this.

Once the dam broke, other regrets began to surface, one after another.

But what could I do?

“Now, maybe… I can rest a bit.”

I’d say I lived a rather hectic life, wouldn’t you?

I collapsed onto the ruined battlefield and looked up at the clear blue sky.

Days like this should be overcast to set the mood.

Edel really has no sense of style.

As I gazed up absentmindedly, I let out a sigh.

“Next time, maybe a little more…”

“Kana!”

“…!”

At the sound of a familiar voice, my head snapped around so fast it nearly broke.

I wanted to stand, but the overwhelming exhaustion clinging to my body wouldn’t let go.

Behind the familiar face, I saw many others.

Shin Da-eun rushed to my side, her eyes filled with turmoil.

I raised a hand that still had some strength left, waving it feebly.

“Hey there.”

“Kana, your body…”

“This?”

I placed my hand on my chest, and it came away sticky with blood.

“…Ah! D-doesn’t it hurt?”

“Hmm, not really.”

It had hurt before, but now the pain was almost gone.

What remained was a hollow feeling.

“…That makes it even worse! Wait, no, this isn’t the time for this! A healer, no, a priest! We need to get you to a priest! Oh, if only Celine were here…!”

Slap.

“…Huh?”

I lightly brushed away Da-eun’s frantic hands as they clung to mine.

Her stunned voice followed.

“It’s no use.”

Even if the Pope himself came, it wouldn’t change anything.

My heart was completely pierced and shattered—there was no saving me now.

If I hadn’t pushed my tier higher using Magi, I wouldn’t have survived even this long.

Blink.

“Ah.”

My vision dimmed for a moment as sleepiness washed over me, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring up at the sky.

Something about this felt familiar, like I had gone through it just a short while ago.

“Cough…”

A small cough sent dark, lifeless blood trickling down the corner of my mouth.

What I saw next was a face full of sorrow.

It seemed she had realized that the end was near.

“Kana…”

Warmth enveloped my cold, clammy hand.

Da-eun had once told me about her past.

About the parents she was born to, her childhood, and how she had lived.

As we shared stories buried deep in our hearts, I came to understand the depth of Da-eun’s feelings.

Yet, there was one question that still remained unanswered.

“Da-eun, can I ask you something?”

“…Yes, anything.”

Da-eun answered with a face that looked like she was about to burst into tears…

In fact, tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

I stared at Da-eun’s tear-streaked, disheveled face for a moment, then shook my head weakly.

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

“…What’s with that? You know how to make people angry.”

This cheeky kid.

Da-eun muttered, her expression twisted in a way that made it hard to tell if she was laughing or crying.

I didn’t find it unsightly at all.

Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, Da-eun pulled out an item she had been carrying.

It was a longsword with a familiar shape, exuding a somewhat antique charm.

“Justina asked me to give this to you, as a gesture of thanks.”

“I doubt she actually put it that way…”

And besides, what’s the point of giving a gift to a dying person?

Even if I wanted to accept it, I couldn’t.

So—

“That thing.”

“Huh?”

“Hold on to it for me, Da-eun. As you can see, I’m not really in a state to take it.”

Hearing this, Da-eun’s face crumpled into tears again.

She looked like she might burst into tears at every word, making it hard to say anything more.

“Just don’t go using it however you want.”

“…I’m absolutely going to use it however I want. I won’t even take care of it properly, I’ll bang it against rocks, and, oh yeah, I’ll use it to chop up all the vegetables you hate.”

“…What?”

“So—”

Squeeze.

Da-eun’s grip tightened around my hand.

Even though I couldn’t feel it anymore, I was sure that’s what happened.

“…Don’t leave me. You promised not to abandon me, so why are you trying to leave first…?”

“Even if you say that…”

It’s not something I can control.

If wanting to live meant you wouldn’t die, then my father would still be here.

And so would that old man lying over there.

So, I gave a gentle smile.

“It’s okay—”

Because I’m sure we’ll meet again.

Before I could finish, the strength left my body completely.

And the familiar darkness—

—

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