Chapter 281 |
——————
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
Leciel and Ban.
Since both of them couldn’t spare much time, their meeting took place at a temporary base near the eastern front where battles were raging on.
In the distance, the cries of Asrai monsters echoed, and the tension was palpable, making it not the most suitable setting for a reunion with a first love.
‘If I come empty-handed, will it seem too insincere?’
He quickly looked around, but it was winter and there were hardly any wildflowers to be found.
If Karen were here, she would have teased, “Oh my, no wonder you don’t have a girlfriend!”
Gerald would have pretended to be knowledgeable about relationships and offered various unnecessary advice.
The winners, Evergreen and Luke, would have quietly chuckled from behind.
… And originally, two girls were always together with them.
One would mockingly tease and the other would frown at her antics but secretly laugh along behind her back.
Ban found himself smiling unwittingly.
‘It feels just like old times. It’s only been three years.’
The red and blue hair brushed past his eyes as if in a hallucination.
As a new student at Rosenstark, it had only been a year.
But that time had completely changed Ban’s life.
From the induction ceremony at Rosenstark to the orientation.
The intimidating classes and practical training.
The Forest of Martial Arts and festivals.
Memories of battling the Demonic Church Leader at the Northern Front vividly resurfaced in Ban’s mind.
“……”
Ban walked down memory lane for a while before suddenly looking up.
… And there was Leciel.
“Uh…”
A silver sword without a sheath at her waist.
The aura of a knight ready for conquest.
Though her face showed signs of fatigue, her eyes still sparkled.
Ban, forgetting all the practiced greetings, stood in front of her and looked at her for a moment.
It felt like memories that had been swirling in his mind were now pouring out into reality.
‘….’
As Ban was overwhelmed by countless emotions-
“Ban.”
Leciel called him quietly.
Ban walked over and stood in front of her.
There was now just a height difference between them.
“Hello, Leciel. You haven’t grown taller.”
“…What?”
“I’ve grown a bit.”
Leciel looked slightly puzzled at first, then chuckled as if she couldn’t believe it, and Ban felt that the past three years had indeed been good to him.
‘It’s already nice.’
Truth be told, if Ban had wanted to meet Leciel, he could have come up with some excuse to do so.
The current leader of the Dawn Knights to which Leciel belonged was her father, Felson, and even if it wasn’t him, Ban could have known about Leciel’s whereabouts as one of the Guardians of Seals of the Lotus Knights.
But Ban intentionally avoided Leciel.
Sometimes, even when they met from a distance, he would turn and go the other way.
He guessed why Leciel had left them.
‘It must have been painful for her just to look at us.’
Ban remembered the conversations that used to flow quietly in the dimly lit studio.
That’s why he could understand why Leciel had silently left the academy.
Of course, many of their peers relied on the “hero” and were saved by him.
‘But Leciel’s case is different.’
From her childhood to her youth, even memories were hard to recall.
The hero was her everything, her dream.
That’s why only the hero could save Leciel.
Because the cause of the harsh race was the “hero” himself, Leciel was able to overcome her pain because he positively affirmed her.
Even if their mentor wasn’t a real hero, the salvation they received was real.
But Leciel was different.
Her shock and sense of betrayal were inevitably greater than theirs.
The Lotus Knights follow the path of infinite affirmation of the hero.
Even if they were close friends, watching that scene from the sidelines would have been selfish.
So Ban deliberately kept his distance from Leciel.
But today was different.
…Leciel had actually requested the meeting first.
It was because of a new hero that appeared in the north, Arpeugas or something, and she had come running himself.
[PR/N: Apreugas 😭]
Ban polished his voice and asked a somewhat cliché but burning question.
“So, um, how have you been all this time?”
Leciel calmly replied as they walked side by side.
“…As you know, I’ve been living on the battlefield. The demon realm has had ups and downs.”
“Any injuries?”
“No, I’m fine. And you?”
“I’m fine too. I may not be as good as you, but I’ve improved a lot.”
Leciel smiled lightly.
“Really? Should I give you the title of Master Swordsman?”
“Well, don’t I have to defeat you in a fight for that?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then I’ll pass. There are still many things I want to do. I have a lot of lingering regrets in this world.”
Ban laughed, shaking his head.
These simple everyday conversations were so enjoyable!
The scene of this simple daily conversation would be surprising to Rosenstark juniors or regular Lotus Knights if they saw it.
Ban had been acting based on the “hero” motif all this time.
He pursued a capable and strong leader, and successfully portrayed it.
If anyone saw him faltering like this, all his efforts would seem futile.
“Kukkuk.”
Ban desperately composed his expression.
Sadly, it was time to get to the point.
“By the way, what’s the matter? Suddenly wanting to meet.”
Their steps on the temporary base ground came to a halt.
Simultaneously, the sounds of the battlefield, which had been absent until then, pierced their ears.
A brief moment of silence awaited an answer.
It felt like three years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Leciel answered calmly,
“Her Majesty wishes to meet you.”
“Her Majesty? Why?”
Leciel had become a member of the Dawn Knights and, at the same time, a member of the newly established Imperial Direct Force.
This was a measure taken to control Leciel, who tended to act recklessly.
Even though she was her, she couldn’t ignore the Emperor’s command.
Through Euphemia, the hero had assigned Leciel a battlefield to fight on during this time, curbing her excessive recklessness.
Leciel might have been infuriated if she had known, but… it was inevitable.
Anyway, quite unexpectedly, something significant happened.
Leciel and Euphemia had become close like sisters.
Leciel recalled a recent communication:
——————
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
[Why do you keep avoiding the pain of the past, Leciel?]
“I… I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.”
[Pretending not to know when you do is a bad habit.]
Facing the Emperor’s gaze, Leciel felt like her inner thoughts were being read.
[I understand that the relationship has brought not only pain but also joy. Don’t focus too much on one side. You might regret it later.]
After that, Euphemia conveyed a secret order.
“It seems you’re focusing on bolstering the seals in the Sealing District rather than the Eastern Front, which is currently in a state of stalemate.”
“Just a moment, what does that mean?”
“It means that Her Majesty plans to entrust a separate guardian for each seal to us, her direct force, and the Lotus Knights, and finally to the new… hero’s faction.”
“Oh, so that’s why we were asked to meet Arpheus.”
There was a moment when Leciel’s tone turned official.
“Yes, so today, as the ‘guardians’ tasked with the same seal, we’ve come to discuss.”
Ban also put on a serious expression and nodded.
So, they briefly shared information to efficiently guard the seals.
Although detailed orders would be delivered soon, it didn’t hurt to lay the groundwork in advance.
Ring-ring-
Ban’s communication bead rang just as the conversation was wrapping up.
The sender was Luke.
[Negotiation successful, but Arpheus has one condition…]
…Interestingly, Arpheus’ condition seemed easily achievable.
Leciel nodded with a displeased expression.
“…If you’re going to call yourself a hero, you should have adequate skills.”
That concluded the conversation for now.
With a brief farewell of “Well then,” Leciel turned to leave.
It didn’t take long for Ban to realize that he couldn’t hear the footsteps of her departing.
“……?”
Leciel looked back.
Ban remained in place, still looking at Leciel.
Leciel tilted her head slightly.
“…Do you have something else to say?”
Ban slowly spoke up.
“We’ll welcome you back anytime. You don’t have to come back if you don’t want to. Just drop by if you miss us.”
Each word was filled with suppressed emotions.
Leciel sensed the care in his words.
An awkward silence.
Three years ago, the boy with tousled hair who smiled innocently flashed before her eyes.
She couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re still the same.”
Ban smiled back slightly.
“You’re the same to me too.”
* * *
Sector 1 of demon realm.
This place had symbolized humanity’s hope twice.
It was the area that resisted until the end when the First Era ended, and it was conquered.
And not long ago, it heralded the beginning of humanity’s counterattack.
But now, all that glory was hidden beneath the veil of darkness.
Whoosh-
The wind, laden with dense demonic energy, swept through the ruins of the city.
The tall walls were half melted and covered in ashes.
White bone fragments rolled around on top.
And in the center of the area.
Standing at the top of a giant stake that seemed to pierce the sky, an old man looked down on sector 1.
“Let’s begin.”
Flutter-
As Theo’s words fell, dozens of silhouettes that had been chillingly silent behind him simultaneously raised grotesque-shaped daggers.
The hands holding the daggers didn’t seem to have any flesh.
Whoosh-
A dark energy flowed through their grotesque bones.
Lich.
They were the denizens of darkness that Theo had subdued while conquering the human strongholds of magic towers.
Although the bound humans screamed anew upon seeing them, there were only those here who welcomed their suffering.
Slash-!
Simultaneously, hearts were cut out.
The twitching organs spread out on the magic array on the ground.
At the same time, a chillingly powerful force amplified within the demonic array, drawing a strange pattern as it shot up into the sky.
The change happened then.
Crackle-
The faint starlight that had existed disappeared altogether.
There was only a black void filling the sky and earth.
Suddenly, a red lightning bolt erupted from Theo’s body, constantly flashing back and forth in the sky, leaving a trail of crimson.
And in the moment when small rifts repeatedly formed and disappeared, everyone in this place felt the gaze of a colossal presence.
Even the Liches, who had been the focus of consciousness, trembled and cowered.
Andrew Orrin.
Having voluntarily submitted to Theo as a collaborator of the magic towers and having become a Lich, he looked at the elderly man standing at the center of the magic array with the gaze of an outsider.
Only he stood nonchalantly in this place.
‘…This is the power of a mere legion commander?’
Trembling with fear, Orrin approached Theo.
“W-What in the world is happening here?”
As he played a decisive role in the fall of the magic towers, receiving favor, Theo replied calmly,
“Klk, what’s happening is a communication with His Majesty.”
Even as he spoke, the power of the lightning bolts emanating from Theo’s body grew increasingly formidable.
Thus, enveloped in a bright red radiance, he made contact with the presence beyond the rift.
The old man’s body trembled, his eyes half-opened, marking that moment.
“Oh… Great Lord of the Demons….”
…The logic of power governs the demons.
Theo, who was on equal footing with Malekia, after swallowing Yol, had become so strong that Malekia had to take notice.
With such tremendous power, what kind of being could induce absolute obedience in Theo?
Unable to dare look at their ‘communication,’ Orrin bowed his head to the ground.
Tss-tss-tss-tss-tss-
Until the lightning vanished and the rift closed, no one dared to speak.
Theo’s movement came after dozens of hearts that had been laid on the demonic array turned to dust and flew away.
Flutter-
His hand pointed westward.
“Get ready.”
There will be tremors inside and out.
“We’re sealing it.”
——————
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
