"Let's ss with that Evil God's underling."
Those were the first words Celine uttered through her gritted teeth.
I had to stifle a bitter laugh.
"Are you crazy, Celine? Do you think I'm doing this because I don't want to?"
What noble would welco refugees who had already deserted their own territory?
It was a problem I had reluctantly co to accept because no matter how hard I searched, I could not find a solution.
Yet, here Celine was, rekindling my spirits out of nowhere, leaving flabbergasted.
After all, she hadn't even taken my side back then either.
She knew as well as I did that fighting a monster that endlessly regenerated was impossible.
But despite my objections, Celine was brimming with enthusiasm.
I crossed my arms, deciding to hear her out.
"No! I'm not saying we should defeat it. I'm saying we should destroy the core hidden inside it!"
"...Isn't that the sa thing?"
"No, Senior Yuren told sothing."
Apparently, there had been so secret discussion among the group while I was unconscious.
Hearing this new information made my eyes twitch.
If it was from Yuren, the information was trustworthy.
So far, none of the information he provided had ever been wrong.
"The Dark Orders' magic has a 'core', and there is always only one. But seeing how the test subjects are going berserk even after the caster, the Dark Priest, died..."
"...So you are saying they must have separated the core?"
"Yes, he said it's very likely they've used a spell to separate the core from the ritual."
It was an intriguing fact.
I couldn't understand why the Dark Order's magic required a 'core,'
From what I heard, in most cases, the caster themselves functioned as the core.
This ant that only in a few exceptional cases was a separate core used.
Unfortunately, the magic controlling the clones, including Ria, fell into that category.
I closed my eyes and fell into deep thought.
"It's not like we're trying to defeat that monster... Let’s just hold out for a little longer and wait for an opportunity. Wouldn't everyone agree to that? H-How could we abandon Ria?"
I understood Celine's feelings.
She had lost soone dear to her in her childhood due to the sches of high-ranking nobles.
She didn't want to lose another longti acquaintance to the whims of the people in power.
This situation was bringing back nightmares of her past.
Perhaps her insistence on saving Ria, might have been an expression of her desire to heal the wounds of her past.
Now, she could protect soone.
Maybe she wanted proof that she didn’t have to watch as helplessly as before.
In any case, her desire to save Ria was genuine.
But I soon sighed and shook my head.
"This is sothing we can wait for the central army to handle... There's no way the imperial family would just stand by while a monster ravages the land, right?"
"What if we lose the core in the anti?"
At her rebuttal, I kept my mouth shut.
Hadn't Celine seen that I was a holder of the Dragonblood Script?
If I asked the central army to do their best, it wasn't a wish that was impossible to achieve.
I was about to trace the Dragonblood Script in the air, but Celine's continued questions made hesitate.
"Or what if another Dark Priest arrives while the central army is dispatched? And what if that Dark Priest takes control of the core?"
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
"The Dark Order will move just as swiftly, if not faster, than the Imperial Family."
I was dumbfounded by Celine's clear reasoning.
Celine, alongside , was used to getting mocked by Leto for being a "blockhead" in the Knight division.
I had no idea when she had beco so articulate.
"We have to save Ria... this is our last chance!"
I fell silent again.
She had a point.
Though there hadn't been any significant movent yet, the Dark Order wouldn’t leave the Evil God’s underling unattended. They would undoubtedly try to inflict even more damage.
In the process, it was highly likely that they would try to recover Mitram's research results.
After all, it was the precious data of a scholar who had conducted biological research for over a decade.
It would be strange if the Dark Order didn’t attempt to secure it.
And then there was the possibility that the core embedded in the 'Corpse Giant' would be exposed.
I delibrated.
Should I try to persuade the group again?
If things got too dangerous, we always had the option to flee.
Even though it ant risking our lives, it was worth the try.
The real issue was how to evaluate that ‘worth’.
To so, it might seem like a rude and selfish request.
It would sound no different from asking them to risk their lives to try and protect the Dark Order's creation.
And it wasn't just the Saintess.
Yuren and even Senior Elsie might think like that, because they also didn't have a deep connection with Ria.
So, I hesitated.
My personal feelings were clear.
I wanted to save Ria.
But if I'm not careful, I might end up acting selfishly, clinging to a futile hope.
At that mont, I was ntally agonising for a long ti.
A mory pricked at my brain like a thorn.
For a mont, I almost cried out in pain.
The landscape was soaked in blood.
Everything was unclear in my hazy mories.
But there was the voice of a woman, whispering in my ear with a seductive smile.
"...You should have abandoned it sooner."
Abandon what? I wanted to ask.
As I jolted back from the dream into reality, all kinds of mories tangled together in a ss.
Burning Great Forest.
Blood, blood, and more blood.
Trembling hands, fading breaths.
Even with my eyes open, the hastily scrawled ssage was still vivid.
Let go of what must be discarded.
My father had said,
"You mustn't defy fate."
And Arthur, the Imperial Administrator, had also said,
"...We must let go of what must be discarded."
Staggering, I took a step back.
The last image that flashed through my mind was of my father, apologising to with a face full of sorrow.
It was the price of trying to defy fate.
As I gasped for breath, Celine looked alard.
"Ian Oppa? Oppa, Oppa! Why all of a sudden...?"
I raised a hand to stop Celine from approaching.
Calming my ragged breaths, I then said,
"…No."
Celine froze in place.
She looked at with wide, incredulous eyes.
Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I reaffird.
"No, it's too dangerous… Let's find another way. I'll protect Ria."
I hurriedly ended the conversation and turned away.
I walked away, almost as if I were fleeing.
Yes, this was the best decision.
Facing the Corpse Giant was far too risky.
Celine, Leto, and I might be okay with this, but the others had no reason to risk their lives.
As I continued to walk forward, I reassured myself,
It was then that I heard Celine's heated voice.
"...You've changed."
It was a phrase won often used when chastising their boyfriends.
I wanted to laugh it off and make a joke, asking what she was even talking about?
If only Celine's body wasn't trembling when I turned back to look at her.
She stood there, fists clenched, trembling with anger.
Her amber eyes glared at fiercely.
"Ian Oppa, you've changed! You weren't like this before!"
"What did I...?"
"How many tis have you hung out with Leto Oppa and I recently?!"
Looking back, it was true that I had been spending less ti with Celine and Leto these days.
Still, I felt a bit wronged and could only protest.
"That was then, and now we have other comrades who have survived life-threatening situations together..."
"And lately, you've been going head to head with high-ranking nobles and whatnot!"
I had no retort for that.
Thinking back, I realised how crazy I had been.
If luck hadn't been on my side, I would’ve been expelled from the academy long ago.
But Celine's anger didn't stop there.
“And now you say it’s too dangerous?! Now that there are plenty of pretty, talented people with good backgrounds around?!"
I wanted to tell Celine to calm down.
But her voice, once ignited with anger, showed no signs of calming down.
"You promised to protect..."
A sudden mory from my childhood surfaced.
I rembered the scene vividly.
A flower field.
In that place, where sky blue flowers swayed, I hugged a little girl.
I felt like we had made so kind of promise back then.
"To , and to Ria too...you said you'd protect us..."
Her voice sounded as if she was on the verge of bursting into tears..
I felt as restless, as if I had returned to my childhood.
All I could think was that I had to sohow soothe Celine.
As I turned back to her with that single thought.
A bizarre sight caught my eye.
The sky was opening up.
There was no other way to describe it.
A crack in the sky spilled forth endless darkness, forming a shape like that of a shadow.
A colossal figure stood on the ground.
Its imnse size was impossible to gauge.
It was simply enormous.
Despite being so far away, it was clearly visible to the naked eye.
It took only a few seconds for the sky to open and the giant to descend.
The crack in the sky released one last wave of unidentifiable masses.
They were moving at a terrifying speed.
Just being struck by a single one would cause a massive shockwave in the surrounding area due to its montum. And one of them was falling right behind Celine, who was sobbing.
I shouted and sprang off the ground.
"Celine!"
With a smack, I pushed her aside as my sword sliced through the air.
Blood sprayed along the path of my strike as the falling mass was split in half.
It was a tangled lump of flesh.
Entangled bodies were shedding tears of blood and screaming in agony. Their grotesque form, fumbling and standing on multiple legs while extending several arms, was utterly horrifying.
Faces extending in all directions cried out and scread.
Kieeeeeek!
Celine just sat on the ground with a dazed expression.
Even though I had already cut it in half, it was still moving.
I had seen sothing similar before.
It seed that flesh nests, flesh seeds, and the Corpse Giant were similar types of monsters.
Moreover, the one responsible for summoning them also seed to be Mitram.
I shouted at Celine again.
"Go back and get everyone! We need to start evacuating right away!"
"...B-But what about you, Ian Oppa?!"
Celine's question made hesitate for a mont.
Beyond the Flesh Glob, I could see the village, filled with screams.
Countless people lived there.
They must be terrified and confused.
Naturally, the number of people able to assist the evacuation would inevitably dwindle.
Additionally, those Flesh Globs might be committing a one-sided massacre there..
I couldn't bring myself to say that I should go back too.
Instead, I rembered the resentful words Celine had thrown at .
It was a promise made in the recklessness of youth.
Since I am a knight, I will protect you.
The mory Celine triggered brought back another promise, one made to another girl.
Ria too, still cherished that promise.
Believing in it, she had confided in .
The secret that she had no mories before coming to the manor.
I tightened the grip on my sword.
"...I have to protect."
My voice still held traces of hesitation.
It was unclear what I wanted to protect.
Celine stared at , stunned.
I wasn't expecting an answer.
I just kicked off the ground and rushed forward, before I swung my sword horizontally again.
The Flesh Glob that was prepared to lunge at was split apart once more.
Unable to endure it, the Flesh Glob scread and writhed.
I stomped on its grotesque face.
Only then did the screams cease.
I severed all its limbs, rendering it harmless.
“I’ll head to the village. Soone needs to lead the people."
"By yourself, Oppa?!"
"If things settle down, send more people."
That was our final exchange.
Without wasting a mont, I dashed toward the village.
The faces of many people flashed through my mind.
The innocent faces of those who had made my childhood happy.
For the first ti in a long while, I prayed to the Heavenly God.
Please.
Please let not be too late.
As teors of flesh rained down from the sky.
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