CH 503

It's not that I took them lightly.

There was no way I could take them lightly.

I didn't think it was possible for me to endure the vengeful spirits' erosion, which even Olivia couldn't withstand.

I knew this was a reckless attempt.

However, I had no other choice.

I had to somehow deal with the army of vengeful spirits that would become an uncontrollable problem if they continued to grow.

Since they had dominated Olivia, they could dominate anyone.

Port Mokna would be reduced to ashes, and Liana, who was just as despised as me, would die as well.

Thus, I decided to imprison the army of vengeful spirits within myself.

Not anyone else, but I had to endure it.

Their hatred was directed at me, so I had to bear it.

No other alternatives came to mind.

As the wave of vengeful spirits began to erode me, I felt a strange sensation.

The feeling of my soul being attacked.

Had Olivia felt this way too?

If consciousness were like the moon floating in the night sky.

And if the self were the world reflected under the moonlight of that consciousness.

It was a bizarre feeling as if the moon named consciousness suddenly became distant and faint like the starlight in the night sky.

With just the starlight, the world could not be illuminated.

And so, as the distant moonlight failed to illuminate the world.

I felt a distant sensation that the self, shrouded in darkness, was fading away.

Since they had entered my soul and mind, I could feel their anger and hatred not with my skin, but with my soul.

I couldn't identify who these massive vengeful spirits were.

However, the harsh and desperate images that passed by contaminated my mind.

A mental retching, or vomiting sensation.

Such a chilling feeling dominated my soul, dragging me towards the abyss.

If I sink, it's over.

I brought them in not to be dominated, but to be imprisoned.

I cannot fall.

In the midst of the distant and dark sensation where consciousness recedes and the self is engulfed in darkness.

I think.

The sacrificed ones can hate and resent me.

They are only victims of everything unrelated to what I have experienced and derived from me.

They can resent me.

Hate me.

Be angry.

And have the right to destroy me.

However.

I have no intention of giving myself to them.

I plan to endure.

To imprison their hatred, anger, and desire for revenge within me, preventing them from drawing in any more vengeful spirits.

I said they had the right to destroy me, but I never accepted that they could.

I feel sorry for their sacrifices, pity, and guilt.

Unfortunately.

I cannot die.

In Rezaira, I became a Master Class.

However.

What I learned in Rezaira.

From Luna and Ronan, and Lena and Arta.

It wasn't how to wield a sword, but how to wield my heart.

The power to control the heart.

Becoming a Master Class was, strictly speaking, a result derived from reaching the pinnacle.

The world of the mind, soul, and heart.

I have mastered the art of controlling them.

My consciousness has become distant like a star.

My self is shrouded in darkness.

But.

Stars don't die easily.

Although the far-off starlight is faint, one cannot say it isn't light.

Even if it's a weak light on the verge of extinguishing, if it's the light of my consciousness.

It will be immortal.

Even if the starlight can't illuminate my self, it is not gone, but merely trapped in the darkness.

I have little knowledge of the mysterious power used by Luna Artorious.

I cannot wield the strength she displayed as an incarnation in this world.

But the mind.

And the soul.

That is the realm of the heart,

And in my heart, I alone am the deity.

Under the name of self-suggestion, I have always ruled as the god of my will and heart.

Spirits surged into my mind like a torrent, trying to shatter and collapse my consciousness. My awareness and self were fading away.

However, that starlight.

The power Luna wielded.

She magnified the existing moon and drew forth a mystical moonlit sword.

It's not the same method.

Instead, with the sensation of reaching out to the distant starlight,

The sensation of pulling it towards me,

I pulled my drifting consciousness back.

Not like moonlight, but shining like the sun.

I resist the dark souls trying to swallow my self, who are dragging me into the night of consciousness.

I will endure.

I will bear it.

I imprison the spirits trying to consume me within myself.

“Did you think…”

I let them live within me.

“…it would be easy to consume me?”

I will return to the world of reason and substance.

Eventually, when I pulled my senses back from the depths of my consciousness into reality,

“…?”

I found myself lying in bed, in my room at Lazak's royal castle, embraced by Olivia, not at Port Mokna.

“Rein… Reinhardt?”

Olivia's eyes widened as she saw me open my eyes.

“Why am I here……?”

“You… you're awake! You're finally awake! You're awake!”

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes, and she hugged me even tighter than before.

I was certain that I had been on the outskirts of Port Mokna just a moment ago.

Why am I here?

What I thought was a long time felt like an instant when I left Rizaira.

What I thought was an instant seemed to have taken quite some time.

“Sob… Rheinhardt… I… I was scared. I thought you wouldn't wake up. I was afraid you wouldn't… Waaah!”

Olivia sobbed and embraced me.

Had several days passed?

What had happened?

I had no idea. I weakly embraced Olivia, who was crying and holding me tightly.

I had no strength in my body.

Was my energy drained?

“Sister… are you alright…?”

At my question, Olivia twisted her lips as tears fell.

“Now… now is the time for you to worry about me?!”

Perhaps upset by my words even in this situation, Olivia wept even harder.

“Wait… just a moment…”

“Huh? Do you need something?”

I tried to separate from Olivia and get out of bed.

No, I tried to.

However,

“Ugh…”

I couldn't even maintain my balance due to the excruciating headache that felt like my head would split open.

“Reinhardt! Are you okay?”

“Yeah… Yes…”

I managed to maintain my sense of self.

I was sure I could.

“You're not okay. Look at yourself…”

Olivia, weeping, supported me and led me to the mirror.

“…”

Looking at the mirror, I saw that my hair had turned completely white.

Although I succeeded in imprisoning countless spirits within me,

It had undoubtedly affected my mind and body.

------

After the battle between Olivia Lanze, who had been dominated by massive spirits at Port Mokna, and the Demon King.

The Demon King, having absorbed all the massive resentful spirits into his body, had been unconscious for a week.

Olivia Lanze, who had regained her sense of self, needed rest as well, but she stayed by the Demon King's side, tending to him while he was unconscious.

Upon hearing that the Demon King had regained consciousness, everyone from the Council of Elders to the royal family sought him out.

The Demon King, his hair now turned white, looked incredibly frail.

It wasn't just a lack of energy.

Living with a collection of wills trying to kill him trapped within his soul was not something a normal being could withstand.

Even if one wasn't a normal being, one couldn't easily handle it.

It was as if he was dying in real-time but holding on through sheer willpower.

To prepare for any possible situation, Olivia Lanze, the Holy Order's leader, continued to watch over the Demon King even after he regained consciousness.

------

The Demon King was clearly conscious. However, everyone could see that his condition was worsening.

"Ugh... Uuugh!"

"Reinhardt... Are you okay?"

Olivia, biting her lip, watched as Reinhardt collapsed in the castle corridor, retching.

"I'm fine... I'm okay..."

Reinhardt, who kept repeating he was fine, looked anything but.

His white hair had returned to normal thanks to the Dreadfiend Ring, but the Demon King was tormented by fever, headaches, and retching.

Just as the mind could affect the body, it seemed as though the soul could affect the body too.

Olivia supported Reinhardt as he staggered to his feet after finishing retching.

The resentful spirits trapped within Reinhardt's mind were not removed by holy power. Thus, they couldn't influence the outside world, but they were directly affecting Reinhardt.

Olivia could heal the decayed and rotten limbs from the battle.

The Demon King's waning strength could be healed by Olivia's holy power.

But she couldn't help with the internal issues.

She couldn't purify or heal the resentful spirits embedded within the Demon King's soul.

------

The Demon King struggled with not only national affairs but also daily life. Therefore, he took up residence in Lazak Castle, receiving care from the Holy Order's leader.

The fact that the Demon King was growing weaker was kept a closely guarded secret.

Charlotte, the regent, had already been handling all of Edina's national affairs, so there were no issues in Edina.

However, the atmosphere among the Edina high-ranking officials, who knew the Demon King was growing weaker, was overwhelmingly gloomy.

Operations at Port Mokna were, of course, suspended. They were in the process of a large-scale withdrawal since it was unclear whether the threats in the vicinity had been completely eliminated.

The responsibility for this entire situation primarily lay with the commander, Liana de Grantz.

"..."

Reinhardt, who looked too weak even to sit in a chair, sat in his bedroom, leaning on Olivia, and quietly stared down at someone.

Liana de Grantz.

The commander of Port Mokna knelt before the Demon King with her head bowed.

Proud and never having bowed before the Demon King, even though he was her lord in name only, Liana de Grantz now knelt before him, her head lowered.

"It's all... my fault."

Reinhardt silently stared down at Liana.

The massacre orchestrated by Liana had been the beginning of this calamity.

Olivia Lanze had paid the first price.

And so, to save Olivia Lanze, the Demon King made the choice to imprison those enormous vengeful spirits within his own soul.

Although the Demon King's soul was his own for the moment, it was gradually dying.

Liana could not even take responsibility for everything that had started because of what she had done.

Others had to pay the price for the sin she committed.

Because she couldn't bear it.

Because it was painful.

"If you tell me to die, I'll die."

Liana could only say that to her friend, who paid the price in her stead.

Olivia silently watched the scene unfold.

Reinhardt looked down at Liana, who was ready to accept death in payment if need be.

"You couldn't have known this would happen."

"..."

"Of course, you knew it was a sin, but you must not have known that this would be the outcome. Definitely not."

Reinhardt's cracked voice, completely different from his usual tone, filled both Olivia and Liana with an awful feeling just by listening to it.

"If unforeseen, unintended events happen due to your actions, and others have to pay the price, and so you have to die..."

Reinhardt spoke with difficulty.

"Then, shouldn't I die too...?"

"..."

Strictly speaking, what Reinhardt and Liana had done were qualitatively different.

But if they only considered the results, unintended events occurred, and others had to pay the price for them – that was the same.

Reinhardt's wish ultimately brought about unintended consequences, causing the Gate incident.

Liana's actions, which were meant to protect Edina and Reinhardt, resulted in Reinhardt's impending death.

In the end, they were the same; if Liana had to face a punishment akin to the death penalty for this, then Reinhardt, the Demon King, should receive the same punishment.

Reinhardt silently watched the tears rolling down Liana's cheeks, dripping off her chin and falling to the floor.

There was nothing she could do about the problems caused by her actions.

Reinhardt knew that feeling of helplessness better than anyone else.

"We've talked about this long ago, haven't we...?"

"..."

"Let's live and do something."

At Reinhardt's words, Liana's shoulders began to tremble.

His voice cracked, and he was tormented by fever, looking as though he could die at any moment – that was the Demon King's current state.

Reinhardt was bearing the unbearable.

Everyone knew that.

Reinhardt himself was not unaware of it either.

------

In the end, it was possible that a punishment was needed for the significant problems that arose for the Demon King because of something he did not command.

However, nothing could be gained through death.

Under the pretense of a hundred-fold retribution, Liana de Grantz was far too important in Edina to be killed.

Liana de Grantz was not punished.

The weakened Reinhardt was being cared for by Olivia, but naturally, others came to visit as well.

"What you've done is insane."

Lucinil, the Lord of Wednesday, said as much to Reinhardt.

"There was no other way."

The spirits were too large to be eradicated by divine power and were growing in real-time. However, there was no other solution but to imprison them within the soul's prison and endure it.

"I wouldn't call this a solution. Did you even think it was possible in the first place?"

Lucinil vented her anger in front of the Demon King.

"I must... make it possible."

The Demon King, with his drained and weary expression, said so.

"It's not that you made it possible. You're just enduring it."

"..."

"Have you forgotten about Charlotte's case?"

At Lucinil's words, Reinhardt fell silent.

Charlotte's soul eventually became one with the Demon King.

The Demon King's consciousness had disappeared, so their personalities weren't mixed, but the number of consciousnesses now residing in Reinhardt's mind was overwhelming.

"In the long run, your soul will become one with the souls inside you, blending together."

Reinhardt showed no reaction to these words, but Olivia, who had been standing beside him, turned pale.

"Then... what will happen?"

"I don't know the details since I've never conducted an experiment of this magnitude. However, the sense of self will disappear, and one will become a completely different entity."

Although he is maintaining his consciousness now, as he gradually assimilates with them, Reinhardt's existence will vanish like a handful of sand scattered in the desert.

He won't die, but will become a completely different being.

Upon hearing this, Olivia's complexion went from pale to ashen.

Lucinil was the magician who had dealt with souls the most in the world.

Therefore, she was a being who had conducted numerous experiments related to this.

If Lucinil said so, it would be so.

Reinhardt, listening to Lucinil's warning, appeared exhausted but said nothing.