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Chapter 239: Tragedy (2)
The sound of footsteps echoing on the stone floor filled the underground of the palace.
The knights of the imperial palace rushed to the underground upon receiving news of the situation.
Even Ressimus, who had been requested by the emperor himself, hurriedly arrived,
But contrary to expectations, a very unexpected situation was unfolding underground.
“….?”
Unable to understand the situation, the knights looked around in confusion.
“Your Highness!”
Ressimus, the first to regain her composure, rushed to Arin.
“Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?”
Arin’s face was more bewildered than before, and her gaze was directed towards Cyan.
“What on earth happened? What is going on right now…?”
“Ressimus.”
Arin quietly interrupted Ressimus.
“Take all the knights and leave.”
“Yes? But…”
“It’s an order.”
It was a strangely indifferent yet firm attitude, unlike her usual self.
“Please don’t interfere with this situation. Right now, the only thing I can do for Cyan is… that.”
Ressimus couldn’t help but be greatly flustered.
“Do as Arin says.”
Adding to that, Violet interjected, and Ressimus reluctantly left the room with the knights.
Even as the knights left, Arin’s eyes never left Cyan.
“Can I ask you sothing, Arin?”
Seeing Arin like that, Violet asked.
“How many tis have you seen such a face on that man?”
“This is my first ti too.”
Honestly, who would have thought?
If Cyan was cold enough to not shed a single drop of blood even if pricked with a needle,
Would he make such a face filled with tragedy?
From Arin’s perspective, that sight was truly strange,
And incredibly pitiful.
* * *
Has there ever been such a difficult ti in my life?
Even when the sword pierced right next to my heart,
Even when my whole body was torn apart by the demons, it wasn’t this hard.
Dragging my extrely heavy body, I finally reached beside my leader,
– Thud
I collapsed weakly like a guilty criminal dropping everything.
Without a word, I carefully examined the leader’s condition.
[What’s going on?]
Kaeram, reacting before , opened her mouth with a tone of doubt.
A body with hardly any place untouched as if it had been brutally tortured.
But it’s strange.
There’s sothing unfamiliar in the leader’s wounds scattered all over the body.
A white glow inside the wounds where blood is flowing.
It was a very unfamiliar glow that I had never seen before.
[Lundel, this bastard…!]
Kaeram exclaid, her voice full of anger.
But you know what’s funny?
There’s a sword in the leader’s hand stained with blood.
Not soone else’s, but her own blood-stained sword.
I could tell right away what this ant.
The desperate state of the leader right now,
She made it herself.
“Kaeram’s fiery voice can be heard from here.”
The leader quietly opened her mouth with a smile towards .
I asked with a stiff expression devoid of any hint of amusent.
“Isn’t this a bit too much for a surprise event?”
“….”
“I’ll admit it. I was really surprised. Now that I understand the leader’s intention to reform , please stop now.”
Instead of replying, the leader responded with a slight smile.
Thinking there was nothing more to see, I quickly generated the light of healing.
– Snap!
The mont I tried to apply the healing light to the leader’s body, soone grabbed my wrist.
It was none other than a Mist’s mber.
My body froze for a second, overwheld by a slightly sinking feeling.
Not only did they stand there dumbfounded until my leader reached this point, but now they’re even stopping my hand?
“Not letting go?”
I said with a feeling of wanting to cut off the hand that grabbed right away.
However, rather than obeying my command to let go, the other mbers began to one by one grab my hand, preventing from using my strength.
In their eyes, there was a full sense of reluctance to do such a thing.
“It’s the leader’s order…”
One mber reluctantly spoke up.
An order?
An order?
Are they kidding with right now?
What kind of insane leader issues such a crazy command to watch her own death!
As I tried to push away their hands, forbidding them to interfere, the leader spoke up.
“I ordered them not to do anything.”
I sighed in disbelief and bowed deeply.
“What’s the reason?”
I asked for the reason, but the leader remained silent.
And so did the other mbers.
No one explained this insane situation to .
“Silica received a sentence.”
Amidst this, one person spoke up.
It was Mia.
“It’s a sentence of death that we, as humans, cannot refuse…”
A sentence?
What does that even an?
“Do you see Silica’s wounds?”
She pointed to the white glow in the leader’s wounds.
“I’ve heard it from Professor Boris before. It’s said that the gods have the power to determine the fate of us mortals.”
Power?
“The glow you see now is evidence of that. Humans who receive a death sentence from the gods beco bodies that cannot be healed. Like Silica now. And for humans who cannot heal their wounds, there is nothing but death.”
What?
I’m not suffering from any cognitive impairnt right now, am I?
Why don’t I understand any of what she’s saying?
Can’t be healed?
Is that even possible?
‘Before that, let give you a little despair.’
At that mont, before the light of the god left, those words he left with ca to mind.
Despair.
Was that the despair he spoke of?
To take the leader away from ?
“Explain, Kaeram.”
I addressed Kaeram with a disappointed heart.
“Don’t you know anything about this situation? Whether it’s a sentence or nonsense, how do we solve this?”
[….]
Despite my earnest inquiry, Kaeram did not respond.
“Answer! What should I do?!”
[Within a minute…]
Kaeram finally spoke.
[Find and kill the god who sentenced her and return.]
“….”
[Then she might be saved.]
A callous and even cruel response.
A hollow laugh involuntarily escaped my lips.
Kill?
Within a minute?
A god?
Sure, if that god were right in front of , I’d do whatever it takes to kill them within a minute.
But that god isn’t in front of right now, is it?
Then I have to go find them!
Whether it’s searching through dinsions or soaring into the sky, anything is better than just sitting still…
– Snap
“….!”
The leader, who had struggled to raise her hand, grabbed my arm.
“Don’t think strange thoughts. Sit quietly and listen to . It will be the final lesson.”
It was a force weaker than that of a newborn baby’s gesture.
I could have easily pushed her away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
The leader simply stared at without saying a word, then gently lifted her hand to touch my cheek.
“You’re rough.”
The heat from the leader’s bloodstained hand was transmitted to .
“You’ve been through trials and tribulations, and as a result, you’ve beco very rough.”
Then what, did she want smooth, soft skin like that of a noble’s child?
“What did you do in the astral plane?”
I was montarily taken aback by the sudden question.
“I’ve co to have a brief, rough conversation with the existence of the god that truly dislikes us.”
“Oh? You managed to co back alive?”
The leader gently stroked my face as if genuinely relieved.
“I’m sorry. I tried to handle things on my end so that you wouldn’t clash with them, but it seems that the gaze towards us has worsened.”
“I’ll listen to that from Aeru later! So please, for now, just…”
The hand that was stroking my face suddenly covered my mouth.
“We can’t do that. If we continue like this, you’ll have nothing left.”
Although I wanted to push away that hand imdiately and even chew off the god, I couldn’t.
From the trembling hand of the leader, I no longer felt the vitality of life that could sustain it.
“Do you rember what I told you before?”
The leader spoke calmly with an unchanged expression.
“That the world you desire cannot be achieved simply by wind and power…”
I rember clearly.
The leader said that to back then.
That I needed motivation.
So I thought the motivation she spoke of was Princess Arin.
I believed that killing Princess Arin, whom I couldn’t kill before, in front of everyone would awaken .
But the current leader…
Seems to have different thoughts.
“So, use .”
There was not a hint of hesitation in the leader’s words.
“There’s no need to despair. All those intense and negative emotions inside you will beco your strength. The driving force for creating the world you desire.”
“Why don’t you understand that you must also be present in the world I desire!”
“What can we do? The current world doesn’t allow for that…”
The leader gently wrapped her hand around my neck.
“You’re selfish, bold, and full of endless arrogance, thinking you can do everything alone. But I can’t abandon you. You’re my precious disciple, my comrade who shares my will. That’s why I chose it. I gave you everything I have.”
As the leader said that, she embraced tightly.
Then, all the dark magic and mist power within her, along with countless other energies and sensations that couldn’t be expressed in words, flowed into .
“I’ve given you everything I have. What you do with that power is up to you. Lead the Mist for , live for yourself, do whatever you want. Neither path will be easy…”
After the transmission was complete, the leader lightly patted my back.
“Are you sad?”
It was the cruelest thing the leader had ever said to .
I couldn’t respond, only continued in silence.
“Don’t forget those feelings and keep them in your heart. If you continue without forgetting the reason why I had to leave your side…”
“…”
“You will undoubtedly be able to create the world you desire.”
Sothing flowed from the leader’s face onto my shoulder.
I couldn’t tell if it was blood or tears.
Or perhaps it was both mixed together.
“So please, support . As a teacher who wishes for the happiness of her disciple’s future.”
Happiness?
I wonder if the word happiness is even applicable to , but at least for , in that world,
The leader must exist.
If the leader didn’t exist in that world,
I would never call it a happy world.
“Please, live well. Cyan…”
– Tap
When the leader’s hand, which had been patting my back, fell lifelessly,
And even the faint sound of her breath no longer reached ,
I realized.
That the person, Sirica Nigriti, who had given everything, had now left .
In other words,
The one I could trust and rely on,
Was gone.
“Hah…”
Exhaling a sigh without restraint, I slowly lifted my head.
Honestly, I don’t rember much of what happened afterward.
According to what the mbers later told ,
I just scread.
A cry filled with bitter anger and sorrow spread through the underground like the collapse of a palace.
So poignant that no one dared to speak, so incredibly sorrowful.
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