Episode 229. Abyssal Holy War – The End of Despair
I had forgotten for a mont, but a light that should have been shining down from the sky filled my eyes.
The storm of light pushing away the purple mist seed to clear away the despair in my heart as well.
My reverie as I stared at the pillar of light was shattered by a clack- sound.
Bang!
Christine's pistol spat fire, and a charging drone collapsed.
My sense of reality suddenly returned.
We were still in the middle of a battle.
Drones still sward all around, and screams and the roars of battle erupted from everywhere.
I readjusted my grip on my sword, drew my dagger, and threw it at the head of a drone approaching our horse.
I didn't have to ride for long. Everyone had followed as I plunged into the death trap, and they were engaged in a bloody battle.
As soon as Christine grabbed the horse's reins and brought it to a halt, I imdiately jumped off.
"Thank you, Christine. The situation is urgent, we'll talk later."
"You had better be prepared. ...Thank you. For being alive."
Christine's voice, cold in her reply, yet her last words were ultimately tinged with emotion.
I nodded to her, turned my back, and faced Gaston and the Cuirassiers who had sohow followed through the sea of drones.
"His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette!"
"Gaston, give a warhorse!"
"Understood!"
Seeing a cavalryman bringing a reserve warhorse on Gaston's order, I turned my gaze and saw the wave of reinforcents crashing down on the rear of the drones attacking the Allied Forces' position.
Francia's Cuirassiers charged, supported on both flanks by Krafte's Hussars.
And following them, the infantry, waving the flags of Francia and Krafte, were charging with a roar.
"It has been a long ti, Your Excellency the Marquis Lafayette!"
"Desaix!"
Louis Desaix.
The man who should have remained in our holand, serving as the Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army in my stead, ran up to and saluted.
"What are the numbers of the reinforcents? Who is commanding the Krafte Army?"
"Thirty thousand from the Revolutionary Army, and fifty thousand from the Krafte Army. The commander of the Krafte Army is His Majesty King Heinrich of Krafte!"
...The king ca to this island himself?
I suppose Christine must have brought him over and landed him, but I couldn't make sense of any of it.
I had no idea what on earth was going on, but...
"By agreent with His Majesty Heinrich, all seventy thousand reinforcent troops are under the command of His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette! Please give us your orders!"
Only after hearing Louis Desaix's words did my confidence return.
"Infantry, attack the drones that are attacking the defense line! Cavalry, join and await instructions!"
"As His Excellency the Marquis orders!"
I turned my back and aid my sword at the Red Demon, who was staring at from afar, surrounded by drones.
This was sothing I hadn't expected either, but you said it yourself, didn't you, you bastard?
That this was an overwhelmingly advantageous fight for you from the very beginning.
So you shouldn't complain too much that we are finally able to fight on equal terms.
"Cavalry, follow ! We will cut off the enemies' escape route and annihilate them!"
The tide of battle had already turned.
*
The battle situation was reversed with the arrival of reinforcents, but because of the sheer scale of the enemy, the battle continued for quite a long ti after that.
However, Paimon, who had suffered an unexpected counterattack, ultimately had to retreat after losing more than half of his massive drone force.
This was a first, having the experience of chasing down and finishing off fleeing drones with cavalry.
The sacrifices made while fighting an overwhelming enemy were not few, but it was hopeful that we could save the wounded soldiers, thanks to the surviving paladins and the wielder of a divine power stronger than anyone's.
And that wielder of overwhelming divine power was now sitting before , drinking cocoa and taking a brief rest.
The dense fog, thick enough to obscure vision, receded as if to avoid her presence, but the veil covering the high sky did not disappear.
Perhaps that was why Eris's silver hair, rarely seen without its hood, shone in its natural color even under the violet sky.
As if even the evil of this island could not touch her.
I realized anew how different the color of this island's fog, which gave off an indescribable sinister feeling despite being a similar shade of purple, was from the color of her eyes that seed to reflect everything.
But that was that.
What was I to do if her tactic of silencing people with her mysterious appearance worked even on ?
"...So what happened? There's no way the National Assembly would have given permission."
Eris had wanted to land on this island with the vanguard from the beginning, but it was thwarted by the vehent opposition of the National Assembly.
She herself had agreed and said she would do her best as Queen, so why did she suddenly appear here?
Hearing my words, Eris took a sip—slurp—of her cocoa and answered with a bashful smile.
"I ran away from ho."
"What... did you say, Your Majesty the Queen?"
"I said I ran away from ho. Because no one would give permission."
Ah, wait a mont.
The back of my head...
"Th-Then. Does the National Assembly not know that Your Majesty is here?"
"I secretly told only President Brisseau on the dawn of my departure. I also asked him to handle the aftermath! ...It should have all worked out, don't you think?"
Eris replied proudly with an "Ahem-".
So, the Queen, whom I thought was staying put, had made a declaration to one of the Presidents at dawn on the day of departure and then headed straight for the Island of Demons.
I just hoped the elderly, lawyer-turned-President hadn't collapsed from a heart attack...
More than that, I was going mad just imagining the look on Count Anjou's face right now.
The Central Party was, in na, the Royalist Conservative Party, but this innocent, progressive, no, radical Saintess Queen...
Then again, if she had told Count Anjou, Eris would have imdiately found herself in a situation read as 'imprisonnt' but written as 'protection'.
Perhaps my expression had soured, as Eris added with a dry cough.
"It's not that I did it for no reason. I had a premonition. A very strong premonition that I would regret it imnsely if I didn't act now."
"...A premonition."
She acts so playfully, but she is a Saintess no one can deny.
And perhaps, truly.
I offered a small, silent prayer of gratitude to God.
If she hadn't co, we all would have t our end here.
"...Thank you, Your Majesty."
Eris answered with a broad smile.
"So, that's all well and good, but how did you bring Desaix and His Majesty the King of Krafte?"
For soone who ran away simply because she had a premonition that she had to co, the scale is far too large, isn't it?
Eighty thousand troops without the National Assembly's permission.
And among them, fifty thousand were not even the Revolutionary Army, but the Krafte Army—the King's own elite army, at that, who were supposed to cross over when the gate opened.
Eris cleared her throat.
"I did sothing I feel sorry about to Sir Desaix. I thought I wouldn't be able to do anything alone, so I made a request of Sir Desaix. He followed , prepared to lose his position, so you have to put in a good word for him, Marquis?"
"Haha... It goes without saying."
He always seems sincere and calm, but despite appearances, Desaix is a forr Royal Guard.
He has his loyalty to the Royal Family, and Eris is a Queen worthy of that loyalty, so I suppose that's why he was moved to act.
"But, how on earth did you get the King of Krafte?"
"I agreed to it."
The answer ca from behind .
Heinrich, who had once fought against on the battlefield of the Great King as the Crown Prince of Krafte, stood watching Eris and with his arms crossed, dressed in a military uniform reminiscent of that Great King.
"It was quite sudden, but the Saintess Queen said she had a premonition that I, of all people, would help her."
...Honestly, this is truly unexpected.
That actually worked?
No matter how you looked at it, Heinrich I was a man far removed from piety.
Heinrich narrowed his eyes at and added.
"Yes, just as you think, I do not rely on God. However, it does not seem my judgnt was wrong."
"I thank you for this most tily salvation, Your Majesty."
When I politely bowed my head, Heinrich fell silent for a mont before replying.
"No. It was a decision I made knowing that if you were to fail, I would fail as well, Adversary of the Great King."
When I looked up, Heinrich's eyes were similar to, yet different from, those of the Great King that had burned with the aspiration for the Great War.
Pure and young passion, and at the sa ti, the gleaming fla of vengeance.
"Because Krafte has a reason to take vengeance on these demons."
I didn't know his reasons for going this far, but it was sothing to be grateful for.
As I was thinking that, Heinrich slowly turned his gaze to face Eris.
"Of course, that aside. The Krafte Kingdom will expect the Revolutionary Kingdom of Francia to provide due compensation for this cooperation."
Eris gave an awkward laugh and replied.
"Of course, the National Assembly will prepare a fitting reward for the Krafte Kingdom's salvation! ...Right, Marquis?"
It was an incredible salvation. Thanks to it, we all survived.
However.
...So, the Queen ran away from ho without the National Assembly's permission, convinced the Acting Commander-in-Chief and the King of Krafte, and landed on the island.
And now I'm supposed to sohow handle the aftermath, not to ntion the reward for Krafte?
"Th-That is..."
Is that even possible?
Wouldn't it just be easier for to lose my position?
My expression must have clearly revealed my feelings, as Eris furtively averted her gaze and replied.
"W-Well, if it's too difficult, you could ask your wife, Marquis Lafayette. Christine would surely be able to prepare enough compensation for Krafte, wouldn't she? Right? I trust she wouldn't let the queen she serves be seen as having written a bounced check."
I recalled Christine's icily cold expression from a mont ago and swallowed dryly.
Just kill , Your Majesty.
*
Handling the fallen took a little more ti.
Because no one wanted to be buried in this land of demons shrouded in purple mist, all the bodies of the soldiers who had fallen over the past week had to be given at least minimal embalming and then stacked near the cliff.
Hoping that when our struggle finally bears fruit and the gate opens, they could be buried through that gate, in their holand...
Or at least on the soil of the Central Continent.
Christine stood on a hill next to the cliff where the corpses were piled, gazing at the horizon and the Allied Navy warships sailing between.
"Thank you for coming, Christine."
Christine gathered her hair, which was scattering in the wind, tied it with a hair tie, and turned her head.
"You're not reproaching ? For coming to another dangerous place."
"Because I know full well that I have no right to do so."
Just as I don't want her to take risks.
She also doesn't want to take risks.
Nevertheless, because of the role I was given, I have taken risks ti and ti again.
This incident made realize it anew, but I've only ever fought battles where I would have died several tis over if not for God's divine protection.
So with what sense of sha could I reproach her for coming here?
Christine smiled lightly, then drew closer to and spoke.
"I thought about it quite a lot, Pierre. About how I should scold you for jumping into the enemy's position alone again. How I could endure this surging rage..."
It was rare for Christine to express herself so openly...
"I'm sorry, Christine. That wasn't my intention, but..."
I don't think it was despair.
At least, unlike that ti in Iberica when I had given up, I intended to fight until the mont I fell...
But in the end, it must have looked like a suicide charge.
As I was wondering what to say, Christine gave a wry smile.
"Truthfully, I know it in my head. That in that situation, you had no other choice. At the very least, that you were fighting until the end without giving up. That because you charged that far and drew the enemies' attention, our reinforcents were able to properly strike their flank."
Christine ran a hand through her hair and added.
"But still, feelings are difficult. I never knew I was this hot-tempered."
At those words, so unlike Christine, a laugh escaped , unfitting for the situation.
"If you're hot-tempered, then everyone else in the world must have anger managent issues-"
My next words were swallowed by her lips pressing against mine.
The salty sll of the sea breeze mixed with Christine's scent, and my head instantly beca dizzy.
On the verge of my reason flying away in an instant, I barely held on to my grip on reality, and as soon as she pulled away, I opened my mouth-
"Christine."
Tears stread from Christine's eyes.
"So I'm just... trying to be honest with my feelings. Because right now, I'm just happy that you're alive in front of ."
I couldn't think of any other words.
In that despair, how desperately had I felt her absence, how earnestly had I longed for her.
We just shared our breath, and I felt relief at her presence in my arms, realizing the long despair was finally over.
After a ti that felt imasurable, Christine, who had been panting with heavy breathing, collapsed into my arms.
"This is the last ti."
A small, but firm, declaration.
"This is the last ti I will let you be bound by duty and take such risks."
I soothed her by stroking her back and replied.
"Yes, it is the last ti. When this fight is over, I will always be by your side. Eternally."
Christine lifted her head and smiled with reddened eyes, still streaked with tears.
"No, I will be by your side from now on. We live together, and we die together with you."
Was how she felt now similar to how I felt when I stubbornly insisted on boarding her ship as she headed out to a naval battle?
Overwheld by that sentint, I pulled my Black Rose into an embrace and replied.
"Yes, my eternal Christine."
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