Vol 2 Chapter 64 – With You【Vol 2 – The Condemned Knight Edition】

Hearing Erik’s words, Eleonora wore a dumbfounded expression unlike any she had ever shown before. But as she processed their meaning, her eyes turned sharp.

“Save me? What a joke… Are you making fun of me? You have no idea how hard I’ve tried.”

She was aware of her own twisted personality. That’s precisely why she had tried to reform herself by joining the knightly order, and when that didn’t work, she had limited her brutal attacks to criminals as a last resort.

Save her? If that were possible, she would have managed it herself by now.

“Yes. I’m sorry, but I can’t fundamentally fix your sadism. Miriam’s healing magic probably can’t cure it, either.”

Erik nodded matter-of-factly. He possessed no means of correcting Eleonora’s personality.

One might think Miriam’s powerful healing magic could do it, but her magic, while capable of mending physical trauma, did not restore the mind, so it would likely have no effect. At Erik’s frank admission, she let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Hah, enough. I don’t want to see such a pathetic attempt at begging for your life.”

Especially, she thought, from someone she had fought alongside, however briefly. As Eleonora implied this, Erik smiled brightly.

“You know, I was thinking. Maybe you don’t need to force yourself to fix that personality. Why not try to face it instead?” “…………I’m sorry?”

What is he talking about? Face it?

“…I already limit my attacks to criminals to suppress my sadism. Isn’t that, in part, facing it?” “Then let’s narrow that scope a little more. That way, you can gradually bring your sadistic urges under control.” “Narrow the scope? What do you plan to do? That’s impossible. Who would you limit it to?”

Eleonora’s sadism was incredibly strong. Because of that, if she unleashed it on a single person, they would almost certainly die.

That was why she had been swapping out victims, repeatedly capturing, tormenting, and killing criminals. Limit that? Impossible. She could never hold back.

So Eleonora thought, but there was one person standing right here who was an exception.

“Me, of course.” “…………Eh?”

Erik thumped his chest with a brilliant smile, leaving both Eleonora and Miriam completely dumbfounded.

“Eh… what are you…” “What are you saying…!?”

Miriam’s voice cut through Eleonora’s bewilderment. It seemed even his own partner couldn’t understand.

“What do you mean, ‘what’…? I said that I will accept all of your sadism, Eleonora-san…” “That!!”

Miriam roared at a baffled-looking Erik. Eleonora, for one, could understand how she felt.

“…Are you pitying me? If you’re saying this out of pity, then I refuse.” “No? This is for my sake, though…”

Erik smiled at Eleonora’s sharp gaze. Though bewildered, she explained just how reckless his proposal was.

“My sadism isn’t something one person can handle. You will inevitably break in a short amount of time.” “I’m counting on it.” “Pardon?” “Ah, er… It’s nothing.”

Eleonora herself knew better than anyone the abnormal strength of her sadism. There was no way one person could endure it for long. They would surely die.

Erik cleared his throat with a soft cough and began to speak.

“Actually, I haven’t told you this, Eleonora-san, but I have a skill. With it, I’m confident I can handle your sadism.” “A skill, you say?” “Yes. The skill of ‘Immortality’.”

Hearing those words, Eleonora was stunned, but it also made sense. That powerful uppercut she had slammed into Erik’s jaw earlier…

A sturdy monster might not have died, but it should have been more than enough damage to kill a human. Furthermore, he had lost a massive amount of blood; the clothes he wore were stained with it.

Even with Miriam’s healing magic, it had been a mystery why he hadn’t died. Now she understood the reason, but…

“I see, a rare and wonderful skill. But I don’t believe it’s enough to handle my sadism.”

Eleonora pointed out the loophole in his skill.

“Judging by the fact you rely on Miriam-san for healing, your skill just means you don’t die, right? You still feel the pain, don’t you? The mental damage continues to build, doesn’t it? If that’s the case, even if you don’t die at first, you’ll eventually reach your limit.”

People can die from internal wounds even if their external ones are healed. Eleonora knew that all too well.

If someone were to repeatedly experience pain that would kill a normal person, they would eventually suffer a mental death. Eleonora believed that even if Erik was a Hero, there was no way he could remain sane while being constantly attacked.

“No, it’s okay.”

But Erik dismissed her concerns with a smile.

“Wh… What makes you so sure…?” “Let’s see… I have an extremely high tolerance for pain… enough that I can even deal with Debora.” “The ‘Spoiled Princess,’ you mean…”

Debora Vilemse. As a knight, Eleonora of course knew the name. And she also knew the infamous rumors that followed her.

She had, after all, been planning to pass judgment on the princess one day. This was the person who threw tantrums and casually blew people up—the very person no one dared approach—and Erik was her loyal knight.

I see. That’s a very convincing argument.

“But, I…”

Eleonora hesitated. Perhaps Erik really could handle her sadism.

But for that very reason, she didn’t want to treat him like her personal toy. Erik, who thought of her, cared for her, and spoke such gentle words.

Was it right to hurt a man like that just because of her personality? It was while she was wrestling with this that Erik took her hand.

“Wanting to accept your sadism is my wish, too. Please, won’t you let me?” “Erik… san…”

What Erik was touching was her rugged gauntlet. The very same one that had beaten him relentlessly, now caked with his own blood. He touched it without the slightest hesitation and smiled at Eleonora.

Had anyone ever known her true nature and still smiled at her like that? Had anyone ever offered to work with her to overcome her sadism?

Had anyone ever said they would accept that sadism just to help her control it? This man before her, whom she had known for less than a month, was willing to throw himself away to help her.

At that realization, Eleonora felt a weight suddenly lift from her heart. It was as if a breath of fresh, clean air was flowing into her world, which had always been gloomy and murky.

A feeling of her world expanding all at once. A feeling that it was okay for her to exist. There was someone in this world who would accept the real her.

“…Are you an idiot? Saying such kind things to the woman who declared she’d kill you and then actually attacked you relentlessly… I suppose I should expect nothing less from the Altruistic Charity Hero.”

Eleonora muttered, looking down. Erik said nothing, merely continuing to touch her gauntlet and smile gently.

When Eleonora raised her face, the murky, desire-filled color in her eyes was gone, replaced by shimmering tears.

“I don’t know how much I’ll be able to control my sadism, but I’m willing to try. Erik-san, will you help me?” “Of course.”

Erik gave a powerful reply to Eleonora, who asked with a smile through her tears. Her sadism was so intense it could make her lose herself completely. But she had decided to face it once more.

It would be difficult, and harsh, if she were alone. But if there were two of them… if she was with Erik…

Eleonora decided that from this day forward, she would live without pretending to be someone she wasn’t.