Chapter 46: The Right Not to Forgive

"Uh...?"

I wasn't the only one panicked; Jin-wook was the same.

In this modern era, how often does a city building explode with a roar?

"What on earth just happened?"

While blocking all the flying debris with telekinesis, I asked myself.

I wondered why the building where we agreed to have dinner was exploding now of all times.

Modern times have much stricter safety regulations as mana is mixed into major power sources.

"Jin-wook-ah."

"Huh?"

"Go home first—no, go back, get your parents, and run to my house as fast as possible."

However, the question was solved quickly.

Because I felt the familiar wavelength of a Grand Mage's mana, which I knew all too well, pricking my skin.

And it was hers—someone whose presence should absolutely not be felt here, just like in Riana's case.

"Quickly."

"Do you know what happened?"

Know? I know it too well.

I nodded at his words.

As I got off the card and stood on the waves of telekinesis, Jin-wook grabbed my wrist saying, "Eun-ha-ya, wait!"

When I turned my head, Jin-wook sent me a gaze meaning 'don't go'.

"You quit being a Hunter."

"I did."

"But do you have to go? Isn't it dangerous?"

...If it's dangerous for me.

Then there are very few people in this world who can stop that crazy bitch who must have chased me here.

But if I tell the truth, he'll be shocked.

"Jin-wook-ah."

"Yeah."

So, to reassure Jin-wook.

And to prevent him from holding me back, I decided to cover his eyes with only partial facts without telling the truth, and opened my mouth.

"An S-Class Hunter is not let go by the state just because they returned their license."

Actually, there is such a clause.

A clause that the state can summon S-Class Hunters by order in a national emergency.

Of course, calling even retired Hunters means the situation is critical, so most respond to the call.

"You know too. Even though I retired because I wanted to live normally, our society still needs me."

"...Yeah."

"Take this."

I handed him the bracelet I always wore, which had practically no use other than as an accessory since I had no mana.

Originally, I meant to give my answer after dinner, but words I had to say before sending Jin-wook away came to mind.

"I'll go beat that thing up and come back, so can you keep it for me just until I return?"

"...You're really coming back, right?"

"Of course."

Then, before sending him off, I kissed Jin-wook on the lips.

It starts with that building now, but with that bitch's mana, destroying the city center would be a piece of cake.

'She is calling me. Saying she will destroy this whole city if I don't come out.'

In other words, if I just step forward, the destruction of the city will stop for now.

I'll have to talk to her to know the rest, but...

"Because I can't stand seeing tears in my boyfriend's eyes."

After throwing the last words, I let go of the hand I was holding.

After sending Jin-wook off, who was trying to say something, I immediately rode the waves of telekinesis and headed to the side of the collapsed building.

Floating aloofly in the air, waiting for me.

And preparing magic as if to destroy the building seen over there if I didn't appear.

"Hwain?"

A woman I once believed to be my comrade.

At the time, she was the youngest Senior Mage, but now she seemed to have sufficiently achieved the realm of a Grand Mage. She was sitting precariously on the steel beam of the broken building.

"Elijah." (Elijah Erze)

"What, is it really Hwain?"

"Since I appeared, stop destroying the city."

I spoke while struggling to suppress the anger rising from within along with past memories.

Elijah Erze.

The eldest daughter of the Erze family, and the genius of the century said to be born with the best skills of the era.

"Wow, Hwain. How did you get so weak?"

And as far as I know, the only existence who didn't actively participate in the plan to smack me in the back of the head.

"You became stronger while I didn't see you."

"Of course. Do you know how hard I trained to come to this distant dimension?"

However, even if she didn't actively participate in that plan.

Since it's true that she was prepared to stab me in the back, I cannot forgive her.

That world was a dog-like world that forcibly destroyed my daily life, tried to use me, and then throw me away.

"Our Hwain has become weaker contrary to my expectation? To the point where I can't feel any mana... Huh?"

Muttering as if gauging my strength by my mana amount alone.

Elijah, who stood up from the steel beam she was sitting on and flew this way, expressed puzzlement upon seeing me.

"What the, Hwain. You were originally a man."

"Is that important right now?"

"To me?"

"Cut the bullshit and speak. What is your purpose for coming here?"

But I have absolutely no intention of chatting with her like this.

Anyway, that world is the one that tried to cast me aside after using me (Tosagupaeng).

And that bitch was one of the dog-like bastards plotting the plan to stab me in the back.

"Hwain, I found you."

"..."

"Hwain, who was the savior of our world. We need your help..."

"Stop. I will not return to that world."

However, not forgiving her and going crazy to kill her upon sight are different matters.

The only reason I talked to her briefly was one.

She was the only one who opposed the plan to kill me, and since she didn't actively participate, I took that into account.

"Don't drag me, an other-worlder, into it anymore, and go back to your world."

"Hwain..."

"And go there and live in atonement for the rest of your life. Don't ever think of seeing me again."

Furthermore, unlike me and Riana who crossed over in a crude way—withstanding dimension pressure with strengthened bodies and piercing through the gap between dimensions...

Elijah, like a mage, seemed to have found a stable way to cross over, as her mana was almost intact.

If I fight her in this state, the city where my parents have to live in the future will suffer great damage.

"Because that is the only way I will forgive you."

So it was a method to send her back by using the shred of guilt she held toward me.

"Sorry, I can't do that."

Along with Elijah's words, a magic arrow passed by my cheek at a very close distance, grazing it.

Thanks to telekinesis, there wasn't an unfortunate event of my hair being cut or anything.

But seeing the coat I borrowed from Si-hyun Unnie getting slightly cut, I intuitively sensed that I would have to fight inevitably.

"Because I must take you today."

"Why, did the Summoning Magic not work?"

"...How did you know that?"

"Of course."

I glanced at the ground once.

Seeing that many Hunters, who were gathered before I knew it, were glancing this way...

I crushed the magic circle Elijah created to subdue me with telekinesis.

"Uh?"

The moment Elijah let out a stupid sound seeing the magic circle emitting an abnormal reaction, a massive explosion occurred.

BOOM!

While the mana storm covered the surroundings, I dug through it, grabbed Elijah by the collar, and threw her to the ground.

"Kyaaaak!"

But that wasn't the end.

I clumped glass shards, steel beam fragments, and chunks of concrete like a fist and slammed them down hard on the ground where Elijah would have fallen.

Bang!

A tremendous vibration rang through the earth.

The materials forcibly clumped by telekinesis exploded upon impact, scattering debris as if to blow away everything around.

"As expected, you just lost your mana, you didn't get weaker."

And as if she dodged it somehow, Elijah's surprised voice came from beside me.

When I turned my head, I saw her looking dirty with her clothes roughly torn, as if she hadn't fully blocked it.

"But, compared to your overwhelming stature back then...!"

She began to draw out her mana properly as if she intended to get serious now.

The surrounding Hunters tried to rush in shouting "Kill her!", but...

I deliberately restrained all the Hunters gathered here with telekinesis so they couldn't move.

"B-Body..."

While everyone froze.

The only ones moving were two: me and Elijah.

As I walked leisurely through the Hunters who tried to rush in, Elijah swallowed hard nervously looking at me.

"This is enough... Huh?"

But did she not lose the will to fight me despite that?

While preparing magic, perhaps feeling the warm liquid flowing from her side, she stared blankly downward.

"Kyaaaaaak!"

Seeing the rebar fragment stuck in her side that made blood gush out...

Perhaps the pain rushed in, she couldn't complete the magic she was casting and collapsed to the side.

"I told you. You should prepare magic in advance and burst it all at once like a storm."

"Hwain, you...!"

"Otherwise, you get beaten like this!"

I picked her up with telekinesis and threw her into the building whose lower part was still intact.

Even though the building's glass windows broke receiving a tremendous impact, it seemed enough to withstand her light body.

With a thud sound, Elijah hit the glass window and bounced forward.

Elijah's weakness was her frail body.

Her innate talent combined with powerful mana made her a powerful existence impossible to approach if she prepared in advance.

But conversely, her body was so weak that in a situation where she allowed an approach like now, she couldn't do anything.

Rather than a flaw, it was a quite fatal weakness.

"Elijah, I'll say it for the last time. Return to your original world. Go back and live reflecting on the past you, who tried to cast aside me who saved your world."

"Ugh, I can't... do that."

"Or else I will kill you. The past? That kind of thing has no meaning to me now."

I gripped her neck and lifted her frail body just like that.

"Don't try to hold onto me with that clumsy intimacy from back then."

If I apply force to my hand like this, she will go limp just like that.

But even though I could, I waited for a moment.

If she really chose the option to return, I truly intended to spare her.

"Because those days are now just memories I don't want to recall anymore."

And, I didn't want to recall the memories of that time anymore.

Therefore, gritting my teeth, I spat out the final words to her.

But words I didn't want to hear anymore popped out of her mouth.

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

Unable to suppress the sudden surge of rage from within, I threw her forward again.

At the same time, words I wanted to say but kept inside burst out.

"If you were going to say sorry, you shouldn't have done it."

"No. If you were going to say sorry, you shouldn't have given me the pathetic hope that I could return back then."

"Or you should have honestly told me there was no way to go back!"

Back then, she was the woman I loved the most, and in the end, the one who hurt me the most.

I spat out words that would be a great wound to her.

Hearing the assault towards herself and the pain she had to endure, she said nothing after that.

"Elijah."

"...Yeah."

"Say it. That you aren't sorry. That actually, you were afraid of Hwain, so you wanted to eliminate me."

"...Sorry."

"Fuck, stop saying sorry!"

Don't take away my right not to forgive you.

In that world filled with despair, you gave me the most brilliant times.

Don't take away my right not to forgive you, who filled me with the most heinous sense of betrayal, at your own convenience.

"I will never go to that world again."

I picked up a glass shard next to me and aimed at her neck as she lay collapsed.

If I just let it fly, her frail body will soon turn cold.

Then, burying the time with her again, I can spend happy times with Jin-wook.

"So this is the last chance. Go back."

Even for me to do that, this woman must do one of two things here: return or die.

Therefore, I spoke to her again as if sentencing her for the last time.

"...I don't want to."

Hearing Elijah's answer, I aimed the glass shard at her neck.

At that moment, a voice that shouldn't be heard came from behind.

"Eun-ha-ya!"

It was Jin-wook.