CH 402

-Whirrrrr

After the torrent of divine power swept the surroundings, I could see particles of light falling from the sky.

The storm was so powerful that it swept me up and tossed me around.

Olivia stood in the midst of the storm, staring at something in the distance.

There.

A figure stood, its black robe tattered, and its bones exposed. Black smoke rose from its eyes and the corners of its mouth.

-Hissssss

It wasn't dead.

To begin with, it had been moving while dead.

Olivia murmured softly, staring at the motionless skeleton.

"Death Knight..."

It was a Death Knight that had been blocking our path.

As its bones slowly crumbled to ashes, we watched in silence.

The Death Knight was undoubtedly one of the highest-ranking undead. The fact that it didn't evaporate but left remains, despite Olivia's massive use of her divine power, which was extremely effective against the undead, proved its strength.

"To think that such a thing would appear where people live, the world has gone mad."

Olivia gritted her teeth and muttered.

However, the chaos was not over.

We had dealt with one Death Knight, but the city's turmoil was only accelerating.

And then.

-Screeeeech!

With a chilling, shrill sound, a phantom horse emerged from the end of the street.

"There are more!"

As if aware that we had dealt with one Death Knight or seeking to eliminate the threat, another Death Knight approached from a distance.

Moreover.

-Heeheeheeheehee!

It wasn't just one, but two.

Olivia's expression turned grave.

"What on earth..."

It took a tremendous amount of energy to deal with just one.

Olivia's face darkened as two more appeared. Two would be difficult.

Was the city of Rajeurn truly doomed today?

The two Death Knights, charging at a ferocious speed, targeted Olivia and me.

Olivia's stamina was depleted, and I was not strong enough to face the Death Knights.

If I used retreat to create an opening, could we face them?

Since they serve the Demon King, would they stop attacking if I revealed myself as the Demon King? If so, what should I say to Olivia?

I had to make a choice.

Would Olivia be on my side?

Would she believe that I hadn't intended for this situation?

Just as I was about to remove Sarkegaar's ring to confront the two charging Death Knights.

-Swish!

A blue flash swept between Olivia and me.

-Thunk!

Both Olivia and I could see the flash piercing the chest of the charging Death Knight.

The burning blue magical power surrounding the sword, embedded in the Death Knight's chest, became visible.

And then.

-Swish!

Another blue flash passed us.

This time, it was a person.

-Crash!

Both Olivia and I clearly saw it as one of the Death Knights charged forward, only to be kicked with such force that it was sent flying into a burning building.

In an instant, one Death Knight was incapacitated, and the other was slammed into a corner. The one who did this then turned to us.

"Reinhardt, Miss Olivia."

The head of the Special Investigation Bureau.

And, the captain of the 3rd unit of Shanafel.

"The situation is dire. Return to the empire."

With that, the Swordmaster.

Scottla Kelton gave us a succinct order.

—---

I had thought that he must be quite skilled, having been dispatched to such an important scene and holding the position of bureau chief.

It wasn't so strange that Scottla Kelton was a Swordmaster, being the captain of the 3rd unit of Shanafel, the empire's greatest knight order.

However, Olivia had used an awakened level of divine power, and I had struggled against the two Death Knights. They were sent flying helplessly by a single stroke of his sword and a kick.

It felt more real than ever that the Swordmaster was an unrivaled existence even among superhumans.

But the Death Knights were no pushovers.

Swoosh!

One Death Knight nonchalantly pulled the sword embedded in its chest and threw it away, as if it wouldn't suffer a fatal wound unless it was torn apart by divine power.

The magic within the sword seemed to have already faded.

Crunch!

And the Death Knight that had been slammed into the wall crawled out of the debris, tossing it aside like styrofoam.

"…"

Their twisted limbs.

But even their dark eyes, which seemed to burn with darkness.

These grotesque beings, exuding a sense of dread, stood before Scottla Kelton.

"Death Knights."

I had sensed it to some extent when I saw them riding phantom horses, but Death Knights...

The Death Knights didn't charge at Scottla Kelton.

Instead, they slowly began to retreat. Had they decided that facing the Swordmaster would be too difficult?

Aware of how dire the situation was, they backed away and put some distance between us through several leaps.

Swish!

As they reached into the air, phantom horses were summoned, tethered by reins.

Kiiiiiiii!

The Death Knights summoned their phantom horses, mounted them, and disappeared as they raced through the burning streets at a speed that made pursuit impossible.

Scottla Kelton did not chase after the retreating Death Knights.

"There may be more of them. I will escort you to the gate."

It seemed he prioritized protecting Olivia and me.

"I have sent a messenger to the empire. Soon, the Holy Knights and imperial support troops will arrive. The situation will stabilize, so you need not involve yourselves any further."

“Aaaaaah!”

“Mommyyyyy!”

Hell was all around us.

Too many things were already not okay.

Scottla Kelton told Olivia and me a story that we couldn't possibly believe, saying that everything would be fine.

—---

We couldn't insist on being stubborn when the Swordmaster told us not to interfere in the situation any further.

Not knowing the extent of the power held by the followers of the Demon King, we had directly experienced the strength of a Death Knight, the highest-ranking undead.

We had managed to defeat one, but there were two more, and we had no idea how many more there might be.

"Kieeeeek!"

"I'll take care of this."

As the reanimated corpses appeared and charged at us, Kelton struck them not with the blade of his Aura Blade, but with the flat side of his sword.

"Pwoong!"

As if they had been caught in a massive explosion, the charging undead were struck by the flat side of the sword and exploded like balloons.

It was the technique used by Saviolin Turner when deflecting my and Ellen's swords.

When used with the intent to kill the opponent, the mere impact would cause them to explode in a shockwave.

Once again, I felt how much Saviolin Turner had been holding back against us.

As soon as he sensed something strange, Scottla Kelton seemed to have sent a messenger to the Empire.

We could see the troops who had arrived to protect the burning city of Rajeurn, now in disarray, beginning to clean up the situation even before we reached the warp gate nearby.

"We came following the light, but did you happen to converse with the Death Knight?"

It seemed as if he intended to gather information from us before returning to the Empire, so he asked us.

"They said... they are underlings of the Demon King. And they seem to refer to the Demon King as the 'prophet'... considering the words they used..."

"It must be the followers of the Demon King. If there are any who would call the Demon King a prophet, it would be them."

"Yes... They said they intend to complete the unfinished work of the prophet... It seems they planned this attack after the last one failed."

"Hmm...?"

Scottla Kelton narrowed his eyes at Olivia's words.

"Did you hear them correctly?"

"Yes? Ah... I'm sure that's what I heard."

He must be incredulous, knowing that the previous Demon King attack was a fabrication.

The Demon King had failed in the attack on Rajeurn, and therefore had sent more powerful minions to destroy Rajeurn once and for all. That was the only way Olivia could understand it.

However, Kelton knew that the Demon King had nothing to do with the previous attack in the first place.

Thus, the very situation where the minions of the Demon King attacked Rajeurn to complete the failed attack didn't make sense to him.

Of course, he didn't tell us any of this.

He must have had a hunch that something was off about the followers of the Demon King attacking Rajeurn.

"Hmm, and..."

That wasn't all.

He had also seen Olivia holding Tiamata, not just me.

"I think you should discuss the details with the captain."

Not only me, but Shanafel had also learned that Olivia could wield Tiamata.

That meant the royal family would inevitably learn of it.

—---

As we arrived at the warp gate of Rajeurn, countless armed forces were pouring out of the gate. Sending an army was a more dangerous move than intervening in domestic affairs, but the Levaina royal family would have welcomed this deployment from the empire with open arms rather than resisting.

And there, a familiar face was waiting for us.

"I'm glad you're both safe."

Saviolin Turner.

She was guarding the area around the warp gate with the members of the Shanafel squad. It was not a trivial task, as the destruction of the warp gate would have caused severe disruptions in troop deployment, making it a crucial defensive point.

As Turner approached me, she carefully embraced me.

"I'm sorry. I thought it would be safe here."

Her coming here in person, as the leader of the Shanafel, was surely due to Olivia Lanze and me being present.

I could feel the deep sense of apology in her voice.

"For now, return to the temple. We'll take care of everything that happens in Rajeurn."

Hero or warrior.

I had tried to be something similar, and in fact, had done something similar. Though, to be precise, it was Olivia who had done it, not me.

But the scale of the incident had grown too large, and the situation had reached a level that neither I nor Olivia could resolve on our own.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

The intense pressure from the weapon wielded by the Death Knight wouldn't easily fade from memory.

And then, Scottla Kelton whispered something into Saviolin Turner's ear.

Upon hearing it, Turner's eyes widened – specifically, as she looked at Olivia.

"… For now, go back. We'll talk in detail later."

Rajeurn was far too dangerous a place for conversation, not the right setting for sharing stories.

—---

It was the empire's role to put an end to the turmoil in Rajeurn, not ours. No matter how small the country, the empire had to take the situation seriously when the capital was attacked by an unidentified heretical group. They had dispatched the Shanafel, each member capable of special operations, and even their leader.

Of course, my presence in this place played a significant part in their decision.

The scale of the attackers on Rajeurn was unknown, but they were no match for the Shanafel.

On another note, it was my first time witnessing the prowess of a Swordmaster, and it sent chills down my spine.

While the next stage of Magic Body Strengthening was the Master class, the difference seemed too vast.

I couldn't stand against the Death Knight, and Olivia had used all her strength to handle one, but Scottla Kelton effortlessly fought against two.

Moreover, the Death Knights had even sensed they were outmatched and had fled.

The night of the Imperial Road was tranquil.

Somewhere on the continent, the capital of a small country had turned into a sea of flames, but the Imperial Road seemed unaware of such events, remaining calm and quiet. Except for the troops moving urgently through the gate, it appeared as if nothing had happened.

Crossing just one gate, let alone several, one might not even know that a massacre was taking place somewhere.

It seemed that Olivia, like myself, was not used to the tranquility of the ecliptic.

"Should I ask them to keep it a secret?"

Olivia must have known what I was talking about. If it became known that Olivia had become the owner of Tiamata, more trouble would ensue.

She would be tormented by countless pleas to become our savior as a holy maiden, as well as by coercion and oppression.

For Olivia, who despised such things terribly, it must have been unsettling that Scottla Kelton had seen Tiamata.

I could ask Turner to keep it a secret that Olivia had become Tiamata's owner, and both Turner and the royal family would keep the secret.

In response to my words, Olivia looked up at the night sky.

Stars were embroidered across the sky as if they would pour down. Somewhere, the sky was invisible due to thick smoke and fires covering the ground.

Olivia quietly gazed at the ecliptic sky, where even the Milky Way could be seen.

"You guys decided to let people know that you became the owner of Alsebringer."

"...Yes."

For fame, for political influence. To let people know about the hero's return through that.

To give hope to people, although it was more for Charlotte, such side effects would follow.

"Then, guys like those earlier will target you, right?"

If the hero's return was known, the Demon King would target me. Most people were worried about that, but I was sure it wouldn't happen.

However, today I found out.

There were followers of the Demon King that I didn't even know about. They actually existed, claiming to be his followers, arbitrarily assuming his intentions and putting them into action.

Olivia looked at me and smiled playfully.

"The Demon King will target those who pose a threat to him. If being the owner of Alsbringer puts you in danger."

"The Demon King would also target the owner of Tiamata."

"And, I'm stronger than you."

"The Demon King will try to get rid of me first."

Her words seemed to strangle me.

That sad gaze, her feelings towards me.

It felt like my heart was being wrung.

"I want to protect you. But I almost couldn't."

Two Death Knights.

If Scottla Kelton hadn't appeared at the right moment, the situation could have become dire. Olivia could have died, or I could have.

"If it's difficult to protect you alone, then I must become whatever is necessary. Be it a holy maiden, a hero, a commander of the Holy Knights, or the pope of the Five Great Holy Religions..."

Olivia looks at me.

"Even if it means becoming the first Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire, or anything else."

Olivia decides to pick up the name of the abandoned god.

Not for the god, not for the people.

For me.

"I'll do anything to protect you."

Olivia, who wanted to live a life of her own choosing, ends up choosing to return to the life of coercion from which she had run.

I had chosen to walk a dangerous path for Charlotte.

Olivia intended to walk an even more perilous path than I.

To create a situation where she would be targeted before me, should the Demon King set his sights on us.

Guilt welled up within me.

I had nothing to offer her.

Why must she take on such risks without any expectations of me in return?

Amidst the rising guilt, I realized something.

Was this the emotion Charlotte felt towards me?

No wonder she would always avert her gaze and look down, wearing an apologetic expression whenever she saw me.

In an unexpected place,

I had learned how Charlotte must feel, knowing that Olivia was willing to sacrifice everything for me.

Grateful, but with guilt that outweighed that gratitude.

What am I?

Who am I to deserve this?

Before Olivia's blind devotion, I was consumed by guilt.

As if she knew that, Olivia looked at me and smiled.

"Because it's the life you've given me, I chose to use it for you. No, don't apologize. It's a choice I made for myself."

Olivia decided to become Olivia Lanze once more.

"So, Reinhardt. No matter what happens, even if the world turns upside down, even if the Demon King or the world itself hurts you. Whatever comes our way."

As Olivia grabbed my collar and pulled me close, she pressed her lips to my forehead.

"I will protect you."

She whispered tenderly.