Chapter 297

Chapter 297

“Amount of ethyl.”

Schlieffen said. There was no answer. Iril was fast asleep, buried in the center of the giant chair, and Marja, seeing her, muttered to herself.

“—like a princess.”

“Huh, this is really—dazzling.”

Braum nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. She was beautiful in her leeches, but today was different.

A gorgeous, elegant gown draped over her body, the kind you’d expect to see at an imperial ball. As white as the first snow, the dress looked like it had been made just for her.

“Is this a crown? It’s pretty—.”

A beautiful tiara was placed on her well-combed hair. They said they had brought her to be made a saint, and it seemed they had given her the treatment she deserved.

The deadly beauty froze Schlieffen’s brain for a moment, but he regained his senses and began to examine Iril’s condition. It wasn’t long before Schlieffen breathed a sigh of relief.

“—Good for you.”

Upon closer inspection, I couldn’t find any wounds. His breathing was steady, and he didn’t look like he was sick.

However, I was concerned that it wouldn’t wake up no matter how many times I called it. He must have been put to sleep with some sort of sleeping spell. We’d better get him to a medic. Marja shook her head, noticing that Schlieffen was standing there doing nothing.

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden, aren’t you moving?”

“—Listen.”

“Me? Wouldn’t it be better if I picked it up myself? I think Irene would like it better.”

“I’m not—no, just listen.”

Avoiding eye contact, Schlieffen shook his head. For the first time, his face, which had remained unchanged after slashing triple-digit numbers of enemies, was flushed. It wasn’t hard to see why. Marja snorted.

“Harbor. Inappropriately cute.”

“—Shut up.”

“How are you going to propose to me when you can barely hold me? Anyway, get out of the way. She’ll do it for you.”

“Hold it delicately. As if you were handling a glass ball.”

Schlieffen snapped. Marja did as he asked. Iril’s body was as light as a feather to Marja, who wielded a greatsword larger than her own with one hand. Iril, who had been sleeping soundly, chuckled in her sleep.

“Ehhhh—.”

“Oh, she’s smiling. You must be having a good dream.”

Marja smiled broadly. It was the carefree, baby-like laugh that warms the heart just to see.

But they weren’t done yet. A rescue was not complete until they had escaped enemy territory with their hostages. Besides, they still had the task of stopping the giant’s descent ritual. Marja said.

“What now, the ritual?”

“If we haven’t found them by now, they’re probably up here, and I’ll take care of them, and you’ll take Miss Irene and escape somehow.”

Schlieffen extended his index finger and pointed upward. Marja’s eyes widened.

“Taking on the archbishops alone?”

“They are defenseless when they perform the ritual. And I’ve already captured two archbishops. I think it’s reasonable.”

“Well, by the way—.”

Schlieffen replied grimly. Indeed, he had observed the ritual of calling the giants in Adren. It would be easy to find a loophole in such an energy-consuming act.

Furthermore, the Archbishops Schlieffen had captured were the most powerful of the forces, Fantasia and Alon. If we approached cautiously and took them by surprise, it would be surprisingly easy. Braum muttered slowly.

“Sure–that sounds like the best thing to do.”

“—Alright, don’t hurt yourself.”

Marja followed suit and sighed. She hugged Iril a little tighter, who was fast asleep.

Now that they had a plan, it was time to execute it. They were about to step into the car. Schlieffen, feeling an eerie sense of urgency, called out.

“Everyone is in danger!”

“What?”

The group stopped in their tracks, and with a powerful explosion, the ceiling directly in front of them collapsed. BOOM! Dust from the falling earth covered the interior.

“Ugh!”

“What, what?!”

Marja and Braum gasped in dismay. Both reflexively wrapped themselves in mana shields and were unharmed. Iril, meanwhile, was fast asleep.

[Stop].

An unearthly, creepy voice rang out. Five figures emerged from the dirt. The three instinctively recognized them as the Archbishop. A woman stepped forward with the sound of clicking heels.

“You are—!”

Marja’s eyes locked with hers, and she sucked in a breath. The colorful robes and beautiful features were striking. It was a face she remembered.

[That’s enough, you rats].

Archbishop Letancier said. The three had met her earlier, in the opening days of the war. She was the archbishop who had sneered from the ramparts and brought despair to the Allies.

The aura emanating from her body had become more powerful than ever before. Even the graceful sweep of her hair behind her ear felt threatening.

“Ugh—!”

“Moo, what did they do?”

Braum’s shoulders hunched. It was like facing a giant, not a man. He was nothing like the archbishops he’d encountered during his raids.

I was at a loss as to how he had gotten this strength, when another man stepped forward.

【Put her down now. I’ll kill her painlessly.

It was Verminion, who, like the others, held the office of archbishop. Letancier shook his head.

【Go with the others, Verminion. I’ll take care of these mice. It was my duty to take care of the saint in the first place.】

【Come on, give it to me. We don’t need the ritual anymore anyway].

Verminion said with a sneer. Marja gritted her teeth. These bastards don’t even see us as worthy opponents. The other three archbishops were the same, only they weren’t speaking. Schlieffen, who had been silent, was the first to speak.

“What do you mean, you don’t have to do rituals?”

[Eavesdropping like a rat–well, literally. I suddenly lost my connection to the sky].

“Is the connection to the sky—?”

【Yes. But it’s not a bad thing, the power of the starlight has only grown stronger.

Verminion nodded, and he told him the current situation as if it were no big deal. As Schlieffen had guessed, the archbishops were performing the ritual of calling the giant.

The ritual was going smoothly until it was interrupted. Suddenly, all the magic circles began to collapse and merge into one. The reason for this was unknown. However, the release of the power of the stars that had been traveling between heaven and earth proved to be extremely fortunate for the archbishops.

It was then that Schlieffen realized the reason for the Archbishops’ sudden strength. Like the Dragon King in Adren, they had absorbed the power of the overflowing starlight. Verminion clucked.

【We’re about to find out. But first—]

Suddenly, Verminion’s hand went up. The group’s faces stiffened. The moment he swung his arm, a half-moon-shaped sword energy shot toward the three of them.

“Everyone, everyone is in danger!”

Braum, in a panic, raised his shield in front of him. The blade was about to collide with the shield. Instinctively, Marja reached out with her arm and yanked Braum by the back of his head.

“Idiot, dodge!”

“Boom!”

Bang! An explosion rang out as Braum stumbled backward. A shield that fell a step too late landed on his stomach.

“Huh huh—!”

Braum’s face went white as he looked at the shield. The spot where the blade had struck him was gone, as if it had been cut away with scissors. It had almost cut him in half. Verminion spoke up.

【I’ll have to kill them all.

Gooooo–A curtain of bizarre colors rose from his feet. It seemed to be much harder than the stellar shields the group had seen before. Watching the scene from behind, Le Tansier sighed.

[Hmm… I’ll put it away then].

She was like a mother with a wayward child. The other three archbishops stepped forward, and they too were strong, if not stronger than Verminion, but they did not look weak.

“—is the end.”

Marja laughed in vain. The odds were stacked against them. Even if Jaifa, who was probably wandering around the castle somewhere, came to her aid, she doubted she could win. Suddenly, Schlieffen glanced back at her.

[Hey. Is there any blood left].

“Huh?”

Marja looked up. Suddenly, Schlieffen’s voice echoed in her head. When she didn’t answer, it came again.

[He asked if there was any of Ronan’s blood left].

[That, that–there’s a little bit left].

Marja nodded, her perceptive mind realizing that Schlieffen was up to something. With a glimmer of hope, Marja touched the vial of blood hanging from her waist.

With a sudden outstretched hand, Schlieffen snatched the vial of blood from around her waist. He poured it all onto his sword. Marja’s eyes went wide.

[Hey, what are you doing?!]

[You take Miss Irene and run away, and I’ll see what I can do about this].

[It’s not like trying is going to get you anywhere!]

Marja let out an inward scream. Only a fool could have known. The archbishops before her were no match for them. After a moment of silence, Schlieffen spoke.

[We have come to escape Miss Irene].

With that, Schlieffen gestured toward the wall. Marja chewed her lower lip as the implications sunk in. The archbishops were approaching even now, and she had to make a quick decision.

Is this right? Is this really right?

My head and heart were telling me different things. It wasn’t easy to make up her mind, even though she already knew the answer. When she finally came to a conclusion, Marja bowed her head deeply.

“—Alright, don’t die until I come back.”

Marja said nurturingly. Schlieffen didn’t answer. Braum, who had been handed the mission, raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, what does that mean—.”

“Shut up, I’m coming!”

Suddenly grabbing Braum by the hindquarters, Marja kicked the ground and leaped. Realizing what she was about to do, Letancier reached out urgently.

[Wait, stop!].

Seven invisible spears shot toward the two of them. But none of them pierced Marja’s back. Kagak! With a series of explosive sounds, all seven spears were cut off. It was Schlieffen’s sword technique from a distance.

“Thank you!”

Marja shouted. At the same time, she and the wall collided with a resounding crash. Kwah-boom! The view outside opened up beyond the exploding wall. Hugging Iril tighter, Marja leapt out of the hole.

[Apulsa!

Letancier’s face hardened. She hadn’t expected to miss this. Just as she was about to hurl herself away, a whirlwind erupted in front of her. The whirlwind of sword wind completely blocked the hole in the wall.

You—!

Letancier glared at Schlieffen. Not just her, but the eyes of all the archbishops were focused on him. A tremendous surge of life began to weigh down his entire body, a surge that would have crushed the mind of a lesser man.

[You better not be thinking about dying small].

【This is completely insane. Doesn’t he know what he’s talking about?

Schlieffen said nothing. Suddenly, he remembered the day he first met Iril. He’d never forgotten the moment he’d rounded the corner and bumped into her. He muttered to himself as he stopped in front of the gate.

“—I thought I’d met an angel.”

[What?

Verminion shook his head at the rambling. Schlieffen swung his sword gently. A stream of blood gushed from the neck of the Verminion standing in front of him.

“Curious—.”

[Burr, Verminion!

Verminion collapsed to one knee. Blood was gurgling from the severed artery. Of course, a wound of that magnitude would heal quickly, but Schlieffen’s purpose was to buy time.

Holding the sword upside down, Schlieffen drove the tip into the floor. With a faint shattering sound, a curtain of wind rose and enveloped the room. It was a storm binding that would not dissipate until he died or dismissed it.

[How dare you!]

【Stupid. You locked yourself in.】

The response was mixed. Some were outraged, others scoffed. But no one was afraid, even though it was destroyed. Schlieffen’s actions were equally reckless.

Schlieffen said nothing, and he knew it. The odds were against him. In his panic-stricken mind, a question kept asking itself.

Do you really think you can do it?

You think you can protect a daughter of the stars?

The archbishops were drawing their weapons, ready to tear him to pieces, for no voice could sound like his own. After a long moment of silence, he gripped the hilt of his sword.

“—Yes.”

The trembling ceased. The storm was swirling around the bluish hilt of the sword. Schlieffen, pointing his sword at the archbishops, spoke.

“I can protect you.”