Several more of the orcs held Leon down and pinned him to the ground. He was forced—forced to watch his precious disciple be raped and destroyed before his very eyes before being tortured to death himself.
That was what the Orc Queen wanted, and so that was what her loyal subjects wanted too.
“How did it come to this…?”
It took all his strength to muster those words—words that concealed a burning rage toward his own failures.
The orcs possessed superhuman strength. No ordinary person could wrest themselves from their grasp. However, Leon was far from ordinary. With his remaining energy, he could fling the orcs aside and rescue Alice. He had the power, but…
“Move…! Move…! Move…!”
It was no use. Try as he might, he couldn’t focus the strength. He could only quake in fear.
Why?
Because he would die. If Leon tried to save her, he would lose his life in the process. And thus, he found himself unable to act.
“What am I doing? What’s wrong with me?!”
His body. His mind. Both were ruled by fear. He knew what he had to do. He had to save her. He had to sacrifice himself. He needed to. There was no other way.
Yet Leon could only watch, terrified.
It was just like that day.
That day, four years ago.
What was I talking about? I haven’t learned a thing.
These four years—these four, hellish years.
That day, that moment, when everything was taken from me.
It hasn’t taught me anything at all.
Just as Leon’s mind began to fade into oblivion and despair, he heard a noise.
“Oink… Oink.”
An order from the Orc Queen. Do it. The orcs surrounding Alice began to move. One of them grabbed her slender arms and held her fast, while another spread her legs.
“Uhh… Urhh!”
Her wide eyes were wet with tears. The orc pressed with his erect genital and began rubbing it against her, as if detailing what was about to happen.
But even then, Leon could do nothing but watch in terror.
“M-Master…”
With a frightened yelp, Alice turned and locked eyes with Leon. If those eyes were filled with disdain, with disappointment at her useless mentor, then Leon would have understood. But they weren’t. Her bright green eyes showed no malice whatsoever.
“Please…run away!”
Here, at the very end, the only thing Alice felt was love. Unconditional love for her teacher, and thoughts only of his safety, no matter at what cost that came to herself.
Those feelings. That look.
“Rheina…!”
They were the same as his. The man Leon betrayed. The man Leon failed.
“Ugh…grgh…!”
Leon couldn’t stop the emotions flowing out of him. But nor could he bring himself to exert command over his fear.
“Ooooiiiiink!”
As if in ridicule, the Orc Queen squealed. A prelude to the young girl’s tragedy and the beastmen’s debauchery.
“Stop…!”
In just moments, Alice would be defiled before his very eyes, and it would be all his fault, because he couldn’t be there for her when she needed him most.
“Stop it…!”
The moment seemed to stretch on forever. Amid a silent world, Leon considered the weight of his sin.
Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit.
In the end, I never became who I wanted to be. I’m not a protector or a savior. I couldn’t even keep my promise to him. I’m just… I’m just…
“That’s right. You’re an idiot. A big, stupid idiot.”
All of a sudden, a voice rang in Leon’s mind.
“There is a way out of this dilemma, and that is not to let despair rule you but to fight against it.
“If there’s even a glimmer of humanity in you, Leon, then there are no limits. Let your mind transcend your mortal flesh and lead you to victory.
“…Isn’t that what I taught you all those years ago?”
That voice. The voice that so clearly pointed out his flaws.
“Leon. You aren’t my helpless young disciple any longer. You’re my child. And as such, you have a responsibility to uphold. You know what it is. Deep in your heart, you understand what you have to do. Don’t let your worthless self-hate define you; say it. What do you want to do for your dear apprentice? For Alice?”
Slowly, Leon felt his power return. The voice inside his head banished all of Leon’s fears and showed him the way.
“I want to protect her! Even if she doesn’t want me to! Even if I don’t think it’s possible! I…I have to save her!!”
His mind turned blinding white. Before he knew what he was doing, his right arm dropped to his hip—and to the hilt of his holy sword.
“I’ll let you off this once,” the voice said. “But some things never change. No matter what happens, you’ll always be my troublesome little student.”
Leon thought of the voice, strict yet loving, and of the woman in his life who once bore it.
Then…Leon Crossheart yelled.
“Hark, ye fiends! Fear my might!”
Those words were the same his master spoke whenever she unsheathed the sword.
And, as fate would have it, on that occasion, the hilt in his hand moved.
It was just a peek. Just enough for the blade to get a glimpse of the outside world.
Yet its black-and-gold edge removed from this world all who had fallen into sin.
There was a flash. The light of divine power. It blinded the eyes, but just for an instant, and when it cleared, the only ones remaining were Leon, Alice, and the queen’s head. All the orcs and the eggs had vanished, obliterated by the majestic light of Leon’s holy blade.
“Agh… Aaahhh…”
She was melting. The queen’s head, a congealed mass of countless smaller heads, was melting.
From her blue eyes came bitter tears.
“Aahhh…aaahhh…”
At the very end, only one of the heads remained. Leon stood up and, without saying anything, walked over to her. He picked up the gun that had fallen to the ground…
“My…baaabiiiies…”
…and put a bullet right through her brain.
You aren’t the only one who wants to protect their child, he thought. I do too. And for that, you need to die.
There was no apology. Instead, a prayer. For a soul ascending to heaven.
“May your rest be eternal salvation.”
After those solemn words, Leon removed his coat and turned to Alice.
“This should do for now.”
He handed it to her, keeping his face turned away. Alice cheerfully put it on, then asked…
“It’s over now…isn’t it.”
“…Yeah. For good this time.”
Then Leon looked down at the sword at his hip.
“That voice… There’s no mistaking it. It was…”
But Leon’s introspection was broken by none other than the voice of his disciple.
“Erm…Master? Do you think…we could get going?”
It was no surprise she didn’t want to linger any more than she needed to. It was possible the orcs’ violence had already traumatized her. Thus, Leon placed his thoughts aside for the moment. Even he was surprised at how quickly he put the girl’s needs above his own.
“Can you stand?” He asked.
“I-I’m not sure I can. I’m sorry…”
“I see. In that case, I’ll carry you.”