parentshiftbook Chapter 402 [Illustration]
Chapter 402 [Illustration]
Chapter 402 [Illustration]
Rumble...
The torrent of Divine Power swept outward, and particles of light fell from the sky in its wake. The tremendous surge of power was strong enough to throw me off my feet. Olivia stood in the middle of the storm, gazing silently at something in front of her.
The black robe the figure in front of her had been wearing was reduced to rags, exposing the bones beneath. Black smoke was rising from its mouth and eyes.
Sssss...
It wasn’t dead. From the start, it had been moving in a state of death.
“A Death Knight...” Olivia murmured quietly as she looked at the motionless skeleton.
A Death Knight had been blocking our path. We watched silently as its skeletal fragments slowly crumbled and turned to ash. Olivia had used an immense amount of Ouen’s Divine Power, which was highly effective against the undead, yet there were still remains left over. This creature had surely been a high-level undead.
“The world is going mad if something like that could appear where people live,” Olivia grumbled through gritted teeth.
However, the commotion was far from over.
We had only dealt with one Death Knight, but the chaos in the city was accelerating.
And then...
Screeeeech!
With a wailing sound akin to a banshee’s cry, a phantom horse appeared at the end of the street.
“There are more!”
Another Death Knight was approaching from a distance, either aware that one Death Knight had been dealt with, or to eliminate the newly-discovered threat. In fact...
Another horse neighed.
It wasn’t just one, but two. Olivia’s expression turned grim.
“What on earth is this...?”
Even dealing with one had required an enormous amount of mental fortitude. Now that two more had appeared, Olivia’s expression became bleak.
Dealing with two of them would be extremely difficult.
Was Raziern about to end?
The two Death Knights, approaching at a furious speed, were targeting Olivia and me. Olivia was exhausted, and facing a Death Knight was too much for me.
‘If I used “Revise” to create an opening, could I handle them? They said they served the Demon King, so if I revealed myself as the Demon King, would they stop attacking? If so, how would I explain it to Olivia?’
I had to make a choice.
‘Would Olivia side with me? Would she believe that I hadn’t intended for this to happen?’
Just as I was about to remove Sarkegar’s ring in response to the charge of the two Death Knights...
Swish!
A blue flash streaked between Olivia and me.
Clang!
The flash of light, bright enough for Olivia and I to see clearly, embedded itself in the chest of the charging Death Knight. It was only then that we noticed it was a sword, engulfed in a fiery blue mana, lodged in the Death Knight’s chest.
And then...
Swish!
Another blue flash passed by us. This time, it was a person.
Clang!
We both saw it clearly as the figure leaped up and kicked the other charging Death Knight, sending it crashing into a burning building. The person who had swiftly neutralized one Death Knight and pinned the other down turned to look at us.
“Mr. Reinhart, Ms. Olivia.”
He was the head of the Special Investigation Bureau and the captain of Shanapell’s 3rd Division, and a Swordmaster.
“The situation is dire. Return to the empire,” Scotla Kelton ordered.
***
I had assumed he was quite skilled, since he had been dispatched to a critical site and appointed as the head of a team. Moreover, he was a captain in the empire’s top knight order, Shanapell’s 3rd Division. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that Scotla Kelton was a Swordmaster.
However, Olivia had used Divine Power at an awakened level, and I had struggled against the single Death Knight. Yet, these two had been effortlessly dispatched by a single sword strike and a kick. It was a stark reminder of how Swordmasters were exceptional even among superhumans.
But the Death Knights weren’t to be underestimated.
Swoosh!
The Death Knight that had been stabbed nonchalantly pulled out the sword embedded in its chest and discarded it, as if to show that, without Divine Power or being shattered into pieces, it would not suffer critical damage. The sword had already lost its glowing mana aura.
Rumble!
The Death Knight that had been slammed through the wall emerged, tossing debris aside like styrofoam as it crawled back onto the street.
“...”
However, the scale of the incident had grown too large, and the situation had escalated to a level that neither Olivia nor I could resolve alone.
My fingers trembled slightly. The intense force behind the Death Knight’s blows and the weapon that it wielded were not easily forgotten. Scotla Kelton whispered something into Sabioleen Tana’s ear, and her eyes widened as her gaze drifted across Olivia.
“... For now, return to the capital. We’ll discuss the details later,” she said.
Raziern was too dangerous a place to have a conversation.
***
It was the empire’s role, not ours, to sort out the chaos in Raziern. Even though Levania was a small nation, its capital being attacked by an unknown cult was a serious matter, prompting the empire to dispatch Shanapell, an order in which each member was capable of special operations, along with their commander.
Of course, a significant reason for their deployment had been my presence at that location. The scale of the attackers in Raziern was unknown, but they would be no match for Shanapell.
Seeing the prowess of a Swordmaster firsthand for the first time had left my skin tingling. Though Mana Reinforcement was often said to be the next step towards becoming a Master, the gap seemed enormous.
I couldn’t handle a Death Knight, and Olivia had to use all her strength to deal with one, yet Scotla Kelton had easily managed to deal with two. The Death Knights had even sensed that they were outmatched and fled.
It was night in the capital, and all was quiet. While the capital of a small nation elsewhere on the continent was ablaze, the imperial capital seemed unaware, calm, and silent, except for the troops urgently moving through the gate.
Just crossing a few gates, or even just one, was enough to make it seem as though a massacre wasn’t actually happening.
Like me, Olivia found the capital’s tranquility unsettling.
“Should we ask them to keep it a secret?” I asked.
Olivia knew what I meant. If it became known that Olivia was also Tiamata’s master, it would lead to more troublesome situations. She would be plagued by countless demands and pressures, being oppressed from all sides, with everyone asking her to become a saint or savior.
Olivia, who detested such attention, must have been uneasy knowing that Scotla Kelton had seen her wield Tiamata. If it were up to me, I could ask Tana to keep Olivia’s ownership of Tiamata a secret, and both Tana and the imperial family would likely keep that secret.
Olivia looked up at the night sky, adorned with stars that seemed so numerous that they were about to spill out onto the earth. Somewhere on the continent, because of the acrid smoke from the fires blanketing the ground, not a single star could be seen. Olivia quietly gazed at the sky above the capital, where even the Milky Way could be seen.
“We decided to let people know that you became the owner of Alsbringer,” she said.
“... That’s right,” I replied.
The plan was to reveal to the people that the hero had returned, to garner fame and political standing. It was more for Charlotte than to give hope to people, but those secondary effects were inevitable.
“In that case, those kinds of people will target you, won’t they?”
As soon as the return of the hero was announced, the Demon King would target me. Most people would worry about that, but I was the only one certain it wouldn’t happen. However, the events we had just experienced made me realize something.
There were followers of the Demon King that even I didn’t know about. Those who claimed to be followers of the Demon King, and who presumed to know the Demon King’s intentions and acted on them, actually existed.
Olivia looked at me and smiled playfully.
“The Demon King will target those who are a threat to him. So, if the reason you’re in danger and are being targeted by the Demon King is because you’re Alsbringer’s master, then the Demon King will target Tiamata’s master as well.
“Not to mention, I’m stronger than you. So the Demon King will try to eliminate me first.”
Olivia’s words felt like they were choking me. Her sad gaze, her feelings towards me, all felt like they were squeezing my heart.
“I want to protect you. But I almost couldn’t just now.”
Two Death Knights... If Scotla Kelton hadn’t appeared in time, the situation could have taken a dire turn. Olivia could have died, or I could have died.
“If it’s hard to protect you alone, then I must become something. Whether it’s a saintess, a hero, the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, or the pope of the Church of the Five Great Gods...”
Olivia’s eyes found mine. “Or the first Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire. Whatever it takes.”
Olivia had decided to take up the name of the gods she had abandoned. Not for the sake of the gods, not for the people, but for me.
“If it’s to protect you, I’ll do anything.”
Olivia, who wanted to live a life of her own choosing, had fled from the life that was being forced upon her, but was ultimately choosing to return of her own will.
Because of me, who decided to walk a dangerous path for Charlotte’s sake, Olivia had chosen to walk an even more dangerous path. To create a situation where the Demon King would have to target her before he could get to me.
Guilt welled up inside me.
I had nothing to offer her. Why did she have to take on such risks without expecting anything in return from me?
Within the guilt that rose from those feelings, I realized something.
‘Is this how Charlotte feels about me? Is that why, rather than being grateful, she can’t even meet my eyes, but can only look down at the ground with an apologetic expression whenever she sees me?’
In an unexpected place, I had gained an inkling of how Charlotte might have felt as well, because Olivia was willing to sacrifice everything for me.
The feeling of gratefulness, but with a greater sense of guilt...
‘What am I to deserve this? Who am I?’
I was engulfed in guilt, confronted by Olivia’s unwavering gaze.
Olivia smiled at me, as if she understood. “Because this is the life you gave me. And so I’ve decided to use it for your sake. No—rather, this is a choice I made for myself. So don’t feel sorry.”
Olivia had decided to become Olivia Lanche once more.
“So, Reinhart, no matter what happens, even if the world turns upside down, even if the Demon King tries to hurt you, even if the world tries to hurt you... No matter what happens...”
Olivia gently pulled me towards her by my collar and kissed my forehead.
“I will protect you,” she whispered softly.