The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 119

Veronica was afraid of death. She feared the unknown of the afterlife, and she was terrified of the thought that there might be nothing at all. That was the excuse she told herself. That was why she had wanted to ask just before she fell asleep.

What about you? If I die, what will you do all alone?

She tried to open her eyes to look at him again, but her body was too weak to obey. The moment her consciousness slipped away, she was swept into sleep’s current. Her feet sank into a black swamp, dragging her deep into its depths, unable to move forward any longer.

The darkness stretched endlessly before transforming into a vivid blue sky. A peaceful Bayren, her mother still alive, her friends, her father’s gentle laughter, the rough-hewn alleyways of childhood memories, the dazzlingly blue sea, and the back of a whale she had seen for the first time.

She dreamed a long dream. A dream where she was aware it was a dream. After all, the person sitting beside her, watching the sea together, was none other than Leon. Perhaps it was a final gift from life. A way of assembling her best memories together before lowering the curtain.

And yet.

She blinked blankly. The sharp morning air brushed against her nose. When she tilted her head back, she saw the distinct features of the man holding her. There couldn’t possibly be two such beautiful faces in this world, so it had to be Leon. He was lying beside her, arms wrapped around her, fast asleep. A rare sight, as he didn’t even stir at her movement, too deeply lost in slumber.

Suddenly worried, she lifted the covers. His body had fully healed, not a single scar in sight. No matter how much holy power he possessed, was it truly possible to recover from such grievous wounds without even leaving a mark? Could this be the afterlife?

Now that she thought about it, her own hands were the same. No scars, no traces. As if she had merely woken from a long, harrowing nightmare. But that couldn’t be—yet her head felt clear and refreshed, like a morning after a good night’s sleep.

Had she not seen the massive bones scattered throughout the cave, she might have been confused about where the dream ended and reality began. Only when she saw the bleached remains of the Bahamut did she realize that a considerable amount of time had passed.

Then… she really had…

“…I’m alive.”

Veronica murmured aloud.

“I survived.”

Her voice, now louder, seemed to rouse Leon, who furrowed his brows. His long, narrow eyes, barely visible beneath his disheveled hair, opened faintly, capturing her within them before lingering. Veronica beamed brightly, looking down at him.

“Leon! Wake up. It looks like a divine miracle has blessed us. Our wounds are completely—”

Healed.

The words never left her lips. The moment he abruptly pushed himself up and crushed her in a fierce embrace, the rest of her sentence was muffled against his chest. His murmured words were lost in the folds of her clothes, leaving Veronica startled and dumbfounded. A deep, low voice fell from above her head.

“Does anything hurt?”

“…No.”

Her words came out slurred, making her sound amusingly muffled. But Leon paid it no mind and continued questioning her.

“Did you check where you were injured? Your hands?”

“I’m fine.”

She finally managed to pull her head back and let out a long-held breath.

“Ah, well, I didn’t check to see if I still have ten fingers and toes, so maybe—”

Before she could finish, his arms loosened. When she looked up in disbelief, she found him actually checking her hands. Dumbfounded, Veronica burst into laughter.

“I was joking. I’m completely the same from head to toe.”

Even after hearing the answer he wanted, Leon continued scrutinizing her as if he were still uneasy. Veronica watched him with quiet amusement, as though he were treating her like someone who had just returned from the dead.

She didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it. This was a first. When he caressed her face, his touch was so tender that it left her feeling strange. As if his longing had been etched into his fingertips.

When the smile finally faded from her red lips, he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss against them.

It had been so long that the sensation was deep, lingering, and wet. More than simple desire, the heated contact felt like an attempt to confirm their connection, to mark his presence upon her. Every time his lips moved, his strong jawline and throat quivered.

Veronica, following his lead with shallow breaths, eventually wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap. As her seated height rose, her once-tilted head now leaned back.

When they finally pulled apart to catch their breath, he looked down at her with hazy, intoxicating eyes. His wet lips glistened sensuously.

“You’re like a big puppy.”

She murmured in a husky voice as his kisses trailed down her neck. The strap of her chemise slipped down her shoulder. When she pulled him close, entangling her fingers in his tousled red hair, his large hands swept down her back as though he couldn’t contain himself. His body language was that of a starving wolf, desperate for affection.

“…I thought I’d never see you again.”

This time, it was his murmurs that scattered in her embrace.

Veronica chuckled. “Yeah, I felt the same. I thought I was going to die for sure… I even cried embarrassingly. Can’t you just tell me that was all a dream?”

Now that she was perfectly fine, it was embarrassing to think that she had sobbed, begging to live. She laughed to cover her embarrassment, expecting Leon to join in, but instead, he remained strangely silent.

The moment she sensed something was off, he slowly lifted his head. As their eyes met, the smile gradually faded from Veronica’s lips.

Wait a moment.

“Don’t tell me… Not only was it not a dream—”

“……”

“Did I actually die?”

“……”

“No, that’s ridiculous. That can’t be right.”

She mumbled in confusion, searching for any reason to dismiss the thought. She had hoped he would deny it, but Leon only opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again. His hardened expression left her utterly bewildered.

“It’s all over now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“No, that’s not the point. Then how…? I…”

“I broke the swords after you died.”

Leon gave a short explanation. Veronica didn’t immediately grasp what he meant. Her eyes widened as he spoke again.

“A thousand years’ worth of accumulated life force—it was more than enough to bring back the dead.”

Following his gaze, she turned her head and saw fragments of shattered gold scattered across the ground. The blades were gone, leaving only the swords’ hilts, yet she still recognized them as Hennessis and Apocalypse.

A thousand years’ worth of life force, more than enough to resurrect the dead… Veronica’s eyes wavered without focus.

“Is something like that even possible? No, is it even okay to do something like this?”

“There were countless corpses in the cave besides us. But only we came back to life. I believe that was God’s answer.”

“But this isn’t something that can be dismissed as divine will. I may not be the most devout person, but even I understand what the holy swords mean to the Church.”

Hennessis and Apocalypse—the two swords of God—were sacred relics, proof of His existence. They were evidence that the tales recounted in the scriptures were not mere myths but historical facts.

“People don’t believe in things they cannot see.”

“I know. I knew all of that, and I still made my choice. Because you meant more to me.”

His solemn and weighty words left her speechless. He had not taken the holy swords lightly—he had simply found something even more precious. Veronica clenched the fabric of her clothes tightly in her grasp.

“I wasn’t in my right mind when I shattered them, but even now, with a clear head, my decision hasn’t changed. A living person is worth more than a dead sword.”

He meant every word. Veronica realized what he had sacrificed and steeled himself to do. That he had laid down the cross he had borne for so long here.

“And as for faith… Well. If one must see something to believe it, then haven’t we merely been relying on God’s staff all this time instead of walking on our own?”

As he gazed down at the shattered remains of the swords, his expression carried a faint bitterness. Ever since leaving Tiran, the only companion he had left was his sword.

If he had made his decision, she hoped he would have no regrets. Without realizing it, Veronica opened her arms and pulled his face to her chest.

“You look like you’re about to cry.”

For a long time, they stayed there, as if mourning a nameless friend.

***

They each gathered the broken sword fragments and the cross necklace. Next, they planned to wash in the lake before heading back to Kart. Though they were already clean, it felt necessary—after all, they had been lying in the midst of corpses.

“Pervert.”

Veronica blushed as she stepped into the lake, the water splashing around her. Until that moment, Leon had been watching her openly from the water, his lips curling in amusement.

“I didn’t see a thing. You were covering yourself with your arms.”

“Liar. You’ve been watching this whole time.”

The moment she met his playful gaze, Veronica quickly assessed the situation and changed her course, moving in the opposite direction of Leon. Strangely enough, when Bahamut had dragged her in, the lake had seemed terrifyingly deep. But now, with him, it felt small and insignificant. As long as she avoided the center…

“Kyah!”

She shrieked in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. Her short scream echoed through the cave.

Leon frowned slightly. “It gets deeper that way.”

“Oh.”

“Why are you suddenly acting shy? Your clothes were already transparent before.”

“That’s different from being blatantly stared at.”

“So, is this fine now?”

When she nodded, he let out a chuckle, as if he still didn’t quite understand. Pushing his wet hair back to reveal his forehead, Leon smiled in a way so refreshing that just looking at him felt like a breath of cool air. She found herself staring at him, momentarily entranced—until she sensed the sharp gleam in his eyes.

Splash! Before she could react, water drenched her face, as if it was already too late to escape.