The “Duel Trial Demon Summoning Incident” ended with the extermination by the Cathedral’s 13th Division.
Grey was reduced to 17 pieces by Father Raul’s magic saw and was incinerated as a chunk of meat—or rather, a piece of demon, while the Grey Association was bankrupt, having its assets seized due to this incident.
In a desperate attempt to block the shotgun bidding, Grey ironically ended up proving the shotgun’s practical utility.
Orders poured in not only from the Imperial Army but also the Kingdom of Ra and Yura Republic, for magical tools, and the vivid recording of the duel between Grey and me became a new combat manual.
Additional orders came in from the Cathedral.
This time, the equipment that the 13th Division armed was something I had gifted to Father Raul for testing and networking purposes.
However, as a result of this demon extermination, both the “Holy Magic Shotgun” and “Holy Magic Saw” were evaluated as suitable for fighting demons and were formally selected as exorcism tools.
I hope for the souls of the demons that will be sawed by the magic saw in the future.
And then I…
WUUUUUUNG
“Yuren!!! You were so reckless! What were you thinking?!”
“Sylvia is right!!! Plus, it was unfair that you didn’t tell us!!!”
Back at home, while receiving treatment for the wounds on my arm inflicted by Grey from my Master, I was getting scolded by Sylvia and Julia.
I didn’t tell anyone other than my Master that I thought there would be such an incident in the duel trial.
I was concerned that they would oppose me out of worry for my safety.
After returning from the duel trial where I fought the demonized Grey and got a huge wound on my arm, those two scolded me continuously.
Honestly, I had no words to counter their scolding.
“I’m sorry for not saying anything, but… I wanted to handle this myself.”
“Haah… fine. But please do let us know next time. If something happened to Yuren, I would never forgive myself for being oblivious.”
“I feel the same!!”
“Got it, I promise to tell you next time.”
The two were genuinely angry, and I sincerely apologized.
Meanwhile, my Master’s treatment was wrapping up.
“Yuren! The treatment is done! Just don’t overexert yourself for about three days, and you’ll be fine!!”
I moved my treated arm.
Other than a bit of muscle soreness, I felt no pain at all.
“You’re amazing, Master. I feel like I could duel again right now!”
“Ahem!!”
My Master’s healing magic was truly impressive.
It would have taken me a week to recover completely.
Spark! Spark!
At the mention of another duel, Sylvia and Julia shot me sharp glares.
With eyes sharper than Grey’s thorns, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
“I just meant that in theory, haha…”
Why is it that, even though I’m not married, I’m starting to understand the heart of a married man?
A sad moment, feeling the burden of joyless responsibility.
*
That night, when everyone was asleep, I quietly climbed onto the rooftop with a bottle of booze.
I wanted to enjoy a quiet drink on a night like this.
“It’s a perfect night for a drink.”
I popped the cork and took a sip.
The aromatic drink moistens my throat, mingling with the lovely night air.
“Glug… glug… ah… delicious.”
Someone once said, revenge is fleeting.
But I don’t think so.
I believe nothing restores self-esteem like revenge.
The most straightforward and quickest method is to eliminate the person involved completely, but that would make me a murderer, and my Master would be heartbroken.
So…
The only way I could finish my revenge was this way.
This was the only method that wouldn’t make everyone sad while completing my revenge.
Well done, Yuren. You’ve endured until the end.
Tonight’s drink was a present for me.
“Yuren.”
“Master?”
Just then, I heard my Master’s voice.
Turning to the side, I saw my Master floating in her pajamas.
She calmly flew over to sit beside me.
“I knew you’d be here. Can’t sleep, huh?”
“Not quite. I just wanted to savor this feeling a little longer.”
“I see, my disciple.”
My Master sat beside me in silence.
Looking up at the night sky with her brought a soothing air that surrounded me.
Was it because I was only focused on revenge, the dune, and the shotgun?
This gentle atmosphere felt incredibly sweet.
As I enjoyed that moment, my Master spoke again.
“Yuren…”
“Yes, Master.”
My Master gently stroked my head and continued.
Her hand felt warm, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I’m sorry. And… thank you.”
“I should be thanking you, Master.”
Like in my childhood, I felt the warmth of her hand.
I felt like I could sleep like a baby for the first time in ages.
*
At the border area where the Zers Empire, Ra Kingdom, and Yura Republic meet, there is a peculiar city.
This city began with criminals and vagrants, unable to live in the three countries, gathering in underground caves below the cliffs where none of the nations’ influences reached.
The forsaken,
The lost,
The criminal,
And those who use them.
As such people gathered, their group grew, turning into a village, and eventually, became a city.
That city is the city of “Triad,” a place of pleasure and crime.
And deep within it is the conference room of the “Connected Ones,” where their meeting was held after a long time.
“Is everyone gathered?”
A voice, old and gravelly, echoed through the conference room of the “Connected Ones.”
However, there was no human present.
Only crystal balls in golden, red, blue, and green hues.
From the golden crystal ball, the voice of an old man emerged, and everyone responded with their presence.
Thus, the meeting began.
“So… ‘The Grey Witch’ is dead?”
“Yes, she was defeated in the Duel Trial and demonized, being exorcised by the Cathedral.”
The gentle voice of a young man came from the blue crystal ball in response to the old man’s statement.
Upon hearing this news, a brash street punk’s voice came from the green crystal ball.
“She went out with a bang, huh? Demonized in the duel trial—this will be talked about for the next century.”
“She might have wanted that future.”
In response to the green crystal ball’s words, a young woman’s voice echoed from the red crystal ball.
She remained staunch as she continued.
“She liked Grey. Calling for war.”
Within the “Connected Ones,” particularly, Grey was a war enthusiast.
No, she was an entity so foreign that starting a war was not just a means, but a goal in itself.
The old man in the golden crystal ball remarked.
“That was her problem; we are not lunatics who start wars without gain.”
The sound of coffee swirling briefly played in the background.
The old man’s voice carried a bitter tone, possibly due to the mixed feelings of yesteryear’s coffee.
“From the moment war became a goal instead of a means, the downfall of ‘Grey’, or rather, the Bell Family was already set in stone.”
“So, what will you do, Gold?”
The blue crystal ball posed a logical question.
It was only natural.
The reason the Connected Ones were connected was simple, for gain.
Discussing the future benefits was just a matter of course.
“What need is there to decide? The hunter who hunted the Grey Witch has already provided us with a new job, hasn’t he?”
Everyone present had already received the information about the newly created magical tools, precisely initiated by Yuren.
“I thought he was merely a jester making simple entertainment, yet he has produced something rather useful.”
“[Gun, Shotgun, Magic Saw] all appeared useful.”
“But he is selling them too honestly; weapons should be sold in a dirtier manner for greater profit!”
They were experts in selling weapons.
Circumventing patents to copy Yuren’s magical tools was a trivial matter.
“Indeed, if new weapons create new markets, it serves as a perfect scenario for us.”
“That girl did a good deed before leaving.”
They knew that Yuren’s magical tools were flying off the shelves within the Imperial Army through the Edward Consortium.
However, their reach still only extended to the central region of Zephia within the Empire.
There were still many countries left to sell to, like the local areas, Ra Kingdom, and Yura Republic.
With interest in guns and shotguns heightened due to the game Dune and the incident created by Grey, it was as if the stage had been set for them to make a sale.
The owner of the golden crystal ball felt immensely grateful to Yuren and Grey for creating this situation.
“Now… while business is essential, Grey was once our comrade, let us raise a glass in her memory.”
Outside the crystal ball, the sounds of toasting echoed, each person giving a word of remembrance.
“For Grey.”
“Farewell, Lightyear.”
“Goodbye, Grey.”
And finally, the last voice emerged from the golden crystal ball.
“Farewell, Grey.”
With that, the meeting of the “Connected Ones” came to an end.
