Returning Home...? (2)

"A miracle! It's a miracle I say!"

She yelled directly to my ears.

"The process was long, but we did it!"

Saliva is splattered everywhere.

I smiled bitterly.

A genius of magic engineering.

This green-haired beauty once shocked the continent with her "Caryl Reversal" theory that hastened the process of creating artifacts.

"By compressing the mana into a fourth of its original size and infusing your mana into the portal made from manaite, we were able to partially connect the portal into…!"

Usually, I wouldn't mind being this close to a beautiful woman, but it's quite difficult to appreciate the view when they have bloodshot eyes, thick eyebags, and is screaming like a lunatic.

"We managed to preserve the tunnel of connection by…!"

"Okay, okay, stop right there."

"Wha-?!"

I pushed her away forcefully and stepped forward.

The babbling that seemed to be able to continue forever was cut off abruptly.

I had to do this. I've learned my lessons when she previously invented an artifact.

At that time, I didn't stop her from talking as my form of appreciation.

After ten hours, I stopped caring and directly chopped her in the neck.

"…So, this is my ticket back home."

I silently gazed into the faint blue membrane in the portal.

I turned around and spoke.

"You said it was hopeless, yet how…?"

Portals existed in Thanassia.

But all of them were only capable of connecting places in this world.

It's hard to accept that this failure of a woman in front of me was able to create this masterpiece.

"Ah, by compressing the mana into a fourth…!"

"Just tell me the essentials."

"…Tsk."

With an expression that screamed of dissatisfaction, she brought her index finger to her temples and thought silently.

[-Sigh]

If only she can maintain her current demeanor all the time.

What a waste.

After contemplating for a while, she opened her eyes and opened two of her fingers.

"There are two main factors for this portal."

"Oh? And those two are…?"

She grasped her index finger softly.

"First, we need a coordinate."

"A coordinate? Like a marker of some sort?"

"Yeah, we were able to lock into a coordinate using the materials you provided."

She moved her hands and pointed into a glass container.

Floating there were clothes I had on when I transmigrated.

"So, the clothes were able to act as a marker?"

"I wouldn't call those pieces of fabric clothes, but you're right!"

My eyebrows twitched.

I tried my best to hold onto things I brought here with care, but all that was left were just these ragged, torn pieces of fabric.

I couldn't help it, a century passed after all.

Even I can't stop the damage that time brought.

Not caring about my feelings, she grasped her middle finger next.

"The second factor is your mana."

"My mana?"

"Yeah, I don't know why, but your mana is different from the rest of us!"

I snapped my fingers at her. Although she said it cheerfully, she implied that something is wrong with my mana.

"…Explain."

As if finding the situation funny, she smiled and spoke slowly.

"It's because…!"

She bent backward and pointed her finger at me.

"It's because your mana is weird!"

"…What?"

"It's weird!"

Caryl nodded repeatedly as if doing so will dispel my doubts.

"I can't explain… but it's just different!"

She opened her eyes and looked at me as if I was to be pitied.

"…"

I snapped my fingers again.

"Well don't think too much about it, what you need to know is that we need your mana to open it."

Her smiling eyes squinted a bit.

Although she was still smiling, I could feel that she's being serious.

"But before we continue, I need you to do something."

Her gaze penetrated me, more precisely to the portal behind me.

"I need you to touch the portal."

I licked my lips.

Was the portal unsafe?

As if sensing my worries, she quickly continued.

"No worries, I just need to test something."

She waved her hands as if trying to reassure me.

"…Fine."

I turned to the portal and slowly reached my hand to it.

"…It doesn't feel abnormal."

The texture was slimy and cold, just like a normal portal.

"As I thought."

Looking at the portal, Caryl nodded and spoke.

"The portal is stable, and the mana isn't being dispersed."

"…Then what's the problem?"

"This is."

"…!"

Under my questioning eyes, she raised her arm, and…

"It stopped…!?"

"Yeah, my hand can't even penetrate it."

The portal acted like a mirror under her touch.

My hand is partially submerged, yet her hand is touching the surface of the portal.

It looked bizarre.

On the left is my hand partially submerged and on the right is her hand touching the surface of the portal itself. It looked unnatural.

"Now, try to cover my hand with your mana."

"…Okay."

Even after covering her hands with my mana, we still couldn't insert her hands.

We tried various tests after that.

Covering dead objects with mana, inserting our hands together at the same time, inserting Andrios' hand. But none of it worked.

"Yep. So in conclusion, The only thing that can enter is you!"

With that, the curtain of the experiment closed.

It doesn't change anything though, the original plan was for me to leave alone.

'Oh well… I guess it's fine.'

"Andrios, thank you for everything. You may leave"

He silently stood for a while.

"…I'll await your return."

He bowed and left us quietly.

"I still can't believe that he turned to that." Caryl said.

Neither do I. He used to be a battle maniac that would challenge me every day while screaming about the honor of demons.

"…Just say it."

After the conclusion, I've noticed her stealing glances at me. She shrugged while muttering "Sharp as always aren't you."

"…Are you really going back to your home?"

Her brown eyes stared into mine. I looked away and replied.

"…Yeah, lives will be lost if I don't"

"…Curse this world." She said.

Equilibrium.

A concept that applies heavily in this continent of Thanassia.

The balance between demons and humans can't be broken. Once the scale tilts to one side, the world itself would lend its hands to the losing side.

Ninety years ago, when I was bestowed the title "Hero". I can feel an unknown power continuously flowing into me every day.

At that time, the scale was tilting to the demons. So, the world decided to lend its help by lending its power to the "Hero".

That's the only way for me to beat the demon lord who has been alive for so many years.

The balance tilted heavily to the human side as a result.

The world decided to forcefully balance it back by creating more demons and by inciting violence in human minds.

In the end, many lives were lost and I ended up being branded as a heretic.

Through a twist of fate, I managed to unite all the demons as the demon lord, tilting the balance to the demon side.

The world reacted by giving its power to potential heroes.

I tried many ways to prevent this, but it always ends with the hero hunting me down.

After many near-death experiences, I decided to kill those heroes when they were weak.

I tracked the power that the world lent and slaughtered many innocent lives.

I smiled wryly.

"It didn't let me go when I try to leave the demons' side. And I can feel the appearance of potential heroes getting faster."

Caryl put an unpleasant expression and massaged her temple.

"I guess I'm the only one left from the original hero's party then."

Caryl was one of the people that left the Kingdom of Krom. Everyone else fell one by one during battles, only both of us remain.

For that, I bowed.

"...Thank you for the cooperation for all this time, Caryl."

"What are you talking about?! Just go already!"

"…Yeah."

She stared at me for a long time, and I did the same.

Both of us thought that we will never see each other again, so we kept staring for a while.

In the ground scattered with pieces of ore, two people are staring at each other.

In the end, she broke the silence.

"Just try to stop believing that everything is your fault."

"…I'll try."

"Goodbye!"

"Yeah…Goodbye."

The cool and slimy texture wrapped all over my whole body, I can feel myself falling somewhere.

"Kheuk…!?"

All of a sudden, excruciating pain attacked my body.

"Kuhk…!"

It was a bone-crushing pain.

"Kugh…Agh…!!!"

The pain went away as quickly as it appeared, and I opened my eyes.

"What!?"