Chapter 301

Chapter 301

“—there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

“What?”

The dry, cracked voice was unmistakably one they remembered hearing before. They turned their heads in alarm. Far beyond the curtain, a man stood, a man of great age.

“Kyo, kyo, kyo, kyo, kyo?!”

Asel’s face went white. Despite the distance, she recognized him. It was Abel, the head priest of Nebula Clasier.

But he didn’t convey the same overwhelming sense of menace that he had when they first met. Those who saw him seemed more puzzled than terrified. Jaifa frowned.

“This is a total dead letter.”

“You look like a familiar cat. Yeah, I’m not going to be able to look at you.”

Abel whimpered; he was dying, so badly wounded that it was a wonder he was alive. He’d barely escaped the battle with Ronan, but he’d lost an arm, a leg, and about half his intestines.

“Ugh—.”

Asel gagged. Purple blood dripped down his severed left leg. Most of it was Ronan’s, except for what Navarordze had done to him. The silent savior spoke.

“—Abel.”

“What kind of monster did you build, brother. You almost got me killed.”

Abel waved his severed right arm playfully, the regenerating bone poking its white head out of the cut. The Savior asked.

“You are finished. If you were alive, you would run away, not show up here.”

“Well–to beg for my life,” he said, “because if I run away, you’ll find me and kill me anyway, and I’m afraid that at this rate, I’m really going to lose my weight.”

Abel looked up at the sky and spoke. His gaze lingered on the King of the Giants, who battled beyond the clouds. The strength of Ronan and his allies had far exceeded his expectations. Marja laughed at his words.

“Ha, what a shameless—!”

The skin on his face was thick. Suddenly uneasy, she looked back at the Savior. “I hear you’re a brother,” she said, “but I don’t suppose you’ll forgive me?” The silent Savior spoke up.

“You know what, it’s too late.”

“Sure. I just wanted to ask, because you’ve always had a weak heart.”

“You have lost so much blood that it has clouded your judgment, and you will not survive your appearance, so answer me as if you were doing your last penance. What have you done to my daughter, and what have you done to Lord Navardoze?”

His voice was firm. Marja breathed a sigh of relief, knowing her fears were unfounded. Abel, smiling wryly, shook his head from side to side.

“Well, I don’t know what happened…I’m not obligated to answer if I’m not going to save your life.”

“—I guess so.”

The Savior twisted his lips, the days they’d spent together flashing before his eyes like a flashlight. From the day they walked hand in hand over the ruins of their lost home, to the moment he plunged his sword into her back.

Instead of answering the question, the Savior closed his eyes. Then he muttered, “I’m sorry.

“—Kill them. Whoever you want.”

And then the stars parted slightly. With a quick flick of her wrist, Zaifa leapt, kicking the ground as if she had been waiting. Almost simultaneously, Abel drew his sword and unleashed a crescent-shaped sword qi. It grazed Zaifa’s cheek and flew straight toward Cain.

“What are you going to do with that!”

“Hmph!”

It was what I expected. It was such an ineffectual sword that I felt bad even comparing it to my old one, but I couldn’t let my guard down. Marja and Braum struck with greatswords and shields like lightning. But the sword energy didn’t even reach them, and they fell to the ground in nothingness.

“Huh?”

Marja’s brow furrowed in disbelief. It had been too little, too late for a spell. The small explosion mussed her blonde hair, knocked the tiara off Iril’s head, and scratched Braum’s itchy ass before dissipating.

“Oops.”

Abel smiled bitterly. He didn’t expect it to be this messed up, even if it was. At that moment, the Weartiger flew level with the ground and landed in front of Abel’s eyes.

“That’s fast.”

That was the will. Zaifa said nothing, but swung her arm. Her nails, still wet with Ronan’s blood, dug gently into Abel’s weakened shields.

His hand drew an arc, and Abel’s head exploded.

The sound of crushing skulls was eerie. The body that had been standing, oblivious to death, fell backward. With a sweep of his hand across his face, the Savior opened his mouth.

“—Peace be with you.”

It was the moment a long-standing feud was tied in knots. It was a hollow, if not empty, ending.

Such was the Savior’s demeanor, that the party could not exult in the slaying of the enemy beast. Zaifa narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the English language.

“This is—.”

Something was wrong. I had killed him, surely, but it didn’t feel like I had. When I looked again, Abel’s body was slumped over, twitching.

“What is it?

His instincts, the ones that had always guided him, were warning him. Zaifa stomped on the corpse and burst into a flurry of activity. Suddenly, he heard a muffled chuckle from within the veil.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“Hmm?”

Jaifa turned her head. She saw Iril laughing in Marja’s arms. She was laughing out loud, unresponsive to all the commotion.

“Ahhhhh! Hee-hee–hahaha!”

“Yi, Irene, why are you suddenly—.”

Marja’s eyes flashed with embarrassment. It wasn’t the usual sleepy chatter. The nonstop, echoing laughter was almost eerie.

“What, what’s going on–gasp!”

It didn’t take long to realize that something was wrong. The Savior was about to check on his daughter in earnest. The clouds parted, and once again the giant king’s blow struck nearby.

The pillar of light struck the ground, creating a pit that looked like it could bury an entire mountain. Asel cried out as he saw blood gushing from the Savior’s mouth.

“Hey, let’s get him to a medic first. This way!”

“Ugh, ugh!”

Asel shouted. Marja hugged Iril tightly and started running. She didn’t know what had happened, but the best healers on the continent would be able to fix her.

“Ahahahaha! Haha!”

“Uh, sis, you’re okay, right? Hang in there!”

Iril was giggling all the while. Asel chewed on her lower lip. He didn’t know why, but a pit in his stomach didn’t bode well.

“—Hmm.”

The Zaifa, who had been prowling around, stepped back inside the Star Guard, and the man who watched them from the ramparts of the General Headquarters spoke up.

“Please. It’s my nephew–heh!”

Blood spurted from Abel’s mouth. He could feel his already bad condition worsening. The alter ego he had created with all his remaining energy had died. Bishop Lavondite sobbed.

“Kyo, Master. Are you okay? I thought it was going to be like this, but I stopped you—!”

She specialized in elaborate alter ego magic, and she regretted granting Abel’s request. Lavondite’s magic, which drained the target’s life force as well as mana, was not well suited to the dying Abel. He shook his head.

“No—I would have gotten caught if I hadn’t been so careful. If I hadn’t been a little late this time, the cat would have seen me.”

“Hey, let’s get you treated, you’re in real danger.”

“Cure—.”

Abel dragged the horse’s tail. Lavondite was trying to help him up. Abel’s left arm disappeared from view and reappeared. In his remaining hand, the hilt of his sword was clenched.

“Huh?”

Lavondite raised an eyebrow. At the same time, her head shot up into the air. A fountain of blood spewed forth, drenching Abel’s face. The worshippers escorting him around the perimeter shuddered.

“Hee hee! Kyo, Master?!”

“You’ve done a great job. Let’s all go be stars.”

Abel swung his sword nonchalantly. Dozens of believers were beheaded before they could even scream. With this, all witnesses were eliminated.

He lifted his head and looked up at the top of the castle. The vortex of Schlieffen swirled around the tower, growing and shrinking. Abel clicked his tongue.

“I’ll do it in moderation.”

Iriel couldn’t see what good she was doing with a stolen subject. If the archbishops hadn’t robbed her in the first place, she wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble with her alter ego.

‘You must have gotten stronger by the light of the stars. I don’t know what the hell you’re doing.

Dragging his tongue, Abel lowered his head. It was a shame he had to take his own life after all he had done for her.

Of course, with Iril’s powers awakened, he won’t die as painfully, Abel muttered.

“Rest in peace—death.”

He didn’t want people dying in fear and screams. Abel began to walk, using his sword as a walking stick. His destination was the castle’s basement, a secret chamber that connected to the world of giants.

****

“Uh-oh.”

Iril opened his eyes. Her head felt fuzzy, like she was drunk. The blue sky overhead was beautiful.

“What was I—what was I doing?”

I had been through something, but I couldn’t remember what. The wind tickling my nostrils carried the smell of grass and wildflowers.

She slowly raised her upper body. A winding trail stretched out in front of her. As she looked up along the path, a small village came into view. Iriel’s eyes widened at the eerily familiar sight.

“This is—.”

In early summer, Nimburton was lush and green. A small river meandered through the village. Sleepy flocks of sheep wandered among the hills that surrounded the village.

“NimButton.”

Iriel’s vision was tinged with a strange color. I wonder if this is perfume. She wiped the tears from her eyes on her cuffs. Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her.

“Sister.”

“Huh?”

The voice was as familiar as the landscape back home. Turning his head, Iril’s gaze fell on the boy in the straw hat. Staring up at him, the boy’s eyes were a beautiful scarlet color, like a sunset.

“Ronan—!”

“I’m hungry. Feed me.”

Young Ronan said brazenly. His wild eyes were as wild as ever. Reaching out, Iriel gave his brother’s cheek a gentle tug. The chubby cheeks stretched.

“How long?”

“It’s smooth—is it really Ronan?”

“Sis, you’re acting weird today, so I must be real. Can you fake it?”

Ronan frowned at the inexplicable behavior. Once again, Iriel’s eyes filled with moisture. With a gasp, she pulled her brother into a hug.

“My brother, how long has it been!”

“Whoa—!”

Ronan sobbed with embarrassment. He hugged her so hard, it was almost suffocating. When he saw his sister’s shoulders shake, he released her.

“—Did something happen to you?”

“Uh huh. I don’t know, I think I did, but I don’t remember.”

“I see.”

Ronan slowly lifted his hand and patted her on the back. It was a small but affectionate touch, he said.

“That’s not going to happen now, let’s stay together.”

“Uhhh, still together?”

“Yeah. Some of my friends are here.”

Ronan nodded when they finished hugging. Opening her eyes, Iriel gasped. Three boys and girls surrounded him. Little Marja smiled and waved.

“Hi, Irene!”

“Oh, hello, sister.”

“—You are beautiful today.”

Then young Asel and Schlieffen greeted each other in turn. It was a lovely scene indeed. Unable to contain her emotions, Iriel hugged all four of them at once.

“Whoa!”

“Hey, what the hell—!”

The children had their own reactions. Iriel, eyes closed, laughed out loud.

“I’m happy.

Warm sunshine, a loving sister, and her friends. She couldn’t ask for more. Only after a while did she raise her head, stroking her children’s hair and saying, “I’m sorry.

“Okay, guys. Shall we go get some food? My sister makes a really good potato stew.”

She felt as if she’d forgotten something, but it didn’t matter now; she was back to her girlhood self, eye level with Ronan.

At the same time, a voice echoed in Adeshan’s head as he sat in the middle of the battlefield.

[Adeshan. Dangerous].