Perfect Avatar
Chapter 175: A Shell Of A Hero

Chapter 175: A Shell Of A Hero

With the first light of morning filtering through the window, Dora rose from his bed. Blinking softly, he slowly regained his awareness. Despite his identity as Sin Avatar, fatigue was a concept unknown to him. Through his exceptional mastery of his abilities, he skillfully displayed a facade of weakness by utilizing less than 1% of his true strength, while the remaining 99% lay dormant within his soul.

This allowed him to feel fatigue and, above all, to reduce the hardness in his body when in contact with those close to him.

With a gentle movement, he inclined his head, his gaze fixated on the crown of Wendy’s head. The weight of the young girl, sound asleep on his chest, served as a comforting reminder that she was there, ensuring he wouldn’t vanish from her sight once more.

Taking a moment to appreciate the scene before him, a tender smile gradually formed on his lips. His eyes then shifted towards the room they shared, a sanctuary that bore witness to their new hope in life.

The room was simple, containing two beds and a table, the only accommodation Malia could manage within her limited budget. In her relentless pursuit of Dora, she had depleted a significant portion of her savings throughout the past year.

Hiring detectives and knights had been her go-to strategy, but unfortunately, most of them vanished into thin air, taking her money with them. This unfortunate series of events left her in a state of poverty, compelling her to take matters into her own hands. However, a glimmer of hope emerged when news of Dora’s murder trip made headlines.

Malia’s unwavering determination finally paid off, granting her the well-deserved respite she had longed for. Now, she could finally find solace in a peaceful slumber, knowing that her arduous battle had come to a triumphant end.

In peaceful slumber, Solaria lay next to her, completely at ease. Malia had adamantly refused to let her sleep on the floor, and so they found comfort in sharing the same bed. This simple act of compassion resonated deeply with the Princess, who found warmth and tranquility in the embrace of their shared sleep.

After gently pushing Wendy aside, Dora rose to his feet and strode towards the door. A surge of power emanated from him, spreading like a veil of darkness throughout the room and beyond. Slowly, he began to perceive every detail within the inn, from the cracks in the walls to the presence of each individual. In the living room, he sensed three people, in the adjacent bedroom, two more, and one lone figure outside the building.

He opened his eyes and confirmed the identity of the person.

"... Here we go."

Within the confines of the garden, Mercy positioned herself with her back turned towards the door, her hand firmly grasping her elbow, revealing her perturbed state.

Abruptly, the door flung open, causing her to pivot in surprise, her eyebrows arching in response to the sight of a stunning girl, blessed with lengthy black hairs, stepping out from the inn.

Initially, Mercy averted her gaze, but as the girl halted directly in front of her, she redirected her focus, her countenance reflecting doubt. The girl bestowed upon him a sorrowful smile and uttered words in a soft, delicate manner.

"Greetings... I guess."

"... Dora?!... What the hell?"

The young girl mustered a smile and graciously pointed a direction, beckoning Mercy to join her by the inn. As they made their way towards the establishment, they paused beside a towering tree, their eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously.

"So... what exactly is this? Another illusion?"

"No, it’s a spell I... inherited from someone special. But I doubt we’ll have time to talk about it. You’re here for a farewell, aren’t you?"

As Mercy processed the sentence, her eyes widened in shock. She scrunched up her face in a frown, crossing her arms and turning her head.

"Farewell? So yer really planning to disappear?"

Dora acknowledged with a subtle nod, his gaze briefly shifting to the side.

"Yes, that was what we planned all along, wasn’t it? Now that I have control, greed won’t be a problem for anyone. It was a complicated story but now we can finally see the end of the tunnel."

"Tch... But wait, since you’re in control... do you really have to leave? You could just be a good Avatar, right? Like the dean? Like you were before... You can do that, right?"

A look of concern crossed Dora’s face as he frowned at the girl’s statement.

"... I don’t know, the Sin left me the body, but it still exists. Only he has a perfect understanding of this body, I’m just a vessel, so I doubt it could be a good idea."

"Why? You could just..."

"Mercy, it’s not about whether I’m in control or not, I don’t want to."

Mercy was taken aback by the unexpected statement, her mind reeling with disbelief. She gazed at him, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"... What?"

"Look... I’ll be honest with you. At first, I wanted to follow Candace’s plan, erase my memory again but... is that really necessary now?

As his words flowed, a tremor coursed through the depths of the Mercy’s eyes. It was as if a tempest of emotions had been unleashed within her, for nothing about the person standing before her bore any resemblance to the Dora she had known.

This individual, now inhabiting a female body, possessed a captivating sparkle in his eyes.

"Today I really don’t feel any desire to fight or argue with anyone. I feel like I might be called a monster but I don’t care. All that matters to me now, is my family. After all this time... I can finally be happy with my mother and my sister... I can have a normal life... I can..."

"What’s about us?!"

Mercy’s sudden cry took aback Dora, this unexpected outburst had caught him off guard, leaving him slightly unsettled. With a concerned gaze, he carefully observed Mercy, trying to decipher the cause of her distress.

The young woman stood there, trembling in confusion, Memories of Lilith’s words flooded Mercy’s mind, leaving her bewildered and lost. Overwhelmed by the weight of it all, she lowered her head, her teeth sinking into her lip, a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil.

"... It’s just bullshit... living a normal life? What about us? We’re going to the Kalaharis, everyone says we might die... this is the time we could really use a monster... how is this now a plan to let you... you... fuck."Her hand instinctively reached for her head, her eyes almost shutting in a gesture of tiredness.

"Mercy... You... after everything that happened, are you really saying that? We managed to stop the Sin’s madness, we... we saved people. Why are you..."

Dora stretched out his hand, intending to provide a comforting touch between her and the distressed girl. Yet, in a surprising display of resistance, the girl swiftly recoiled, forcefully slapping Dora’s hand away.

The abruptness of the action startled him, but what struck him even more was the transformation in the girl’s eyes, tinging with a fiery red, mirroring the intensity of her emotions.

"I already know!... Forget it, I understand... Of course, we did everything to stop him...we stopped Dora... even though he was ready to... do the work... we I rejected the one who would have carried us... for nothing. Why are we so stupid?"

Letting out a deep breath, she fixed him with a disappointed stare.

"You’re not wrong, I shouldn’t ask ya anything, you’re not even wrong, are you?"

"..."

With a swift movement, she pivoted away from him, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides.

"It’s good that you changed your appearance, Dora was never supposed to leave, at least I won’t have such lame images of him. Have fun in your cowardly life with your stolen memories, Mr. Fake."

With each confident step the young woman took, Dora’s shock deepened, rendering him speechless and unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Standing now alone, he slowly lowered his gaze to the ground, the weight of the moment pressing down on him like a heavy burden.

"... What do you want in the end? What more do you want from me?"

His entire body shook uncontrollably, head hung low in distress. Little did he realize that just outside the inn, Iris stood with her back against the wall, her eyes scanning the ground below. A melancholic smile played on her lips as she silently nodded.

"Maybe it would be better if I didn’t talk to you after all..."

Rising to her feet, she extended her arms before taking a final look at the inn and walking away.

"I’m sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just that you’re not the one we wanted to see... Now I can’t say goodbye to you, because I never want to be unpleasant with you, but I hope that one day..."

With a swift and graceful movement, she vanished into the depths of the street’s corner.