Vol 2: Chapter 38
(Please be safe, my lady…!)
I started running toward the castle gate that separates the 1st Holy District and the Holy Royal Palace.
「Reiji-kun, we should talk to the 1st Knights Order.」Lelenore-san said, as we ran at full speed.
Certainly, the castle gate was guarded by the Knight Order.
…Just what the hell are you guys doing? Something is happening right now! Right behind you!
「There’s no need for that.」I replied.
「Eh?」
I awakened many of the skill orbs that my body learned.【Physical Strength Enhancement】,【Back Muscle Enhancement】,【Abdominal Muscle Enhancement】, and【Body Enhancement】coupled with【Sprinting Technique】.
「EEHHHH!?」
The distance between me and Lelenore-san increased greatly. My body became swift as wind, and I reached the castle gate instantly.
「Hey, which House’s escort are y–」
「Stop! Stop! You can’t pass through here–」
I lowered my center of gravity and kicked the stone pavement with【Power Burst Enhancement】and【Jumping Technique】.
「EEHHHHHHH!?」Lelenore-san screamed in shock.
I jumped over the castle gate easily and landed on the other side.
(【Healing Magic】)
My muscle fibers were screaming in pain, but I healed them with magic.
And then I started running through the deserted Holy Royal Palace, straight for the hemispherical darkness.
(What is that? Is the young lady inside that?)
I remembered the time when I fought the dragon in Achenbach Dukedom.
I didn’t have the power to fight back then, so I was taken away from the battlefield by Non-san.
If I had the same power I do now back then, there might not have been so many casualties.
Raikira-san might not have died.
(—But this time, I will make it in time!)
I was almost reaching up on the dark dome. Should I just go in straight, or by some other means?
「!!」
Just then, I found a figure of a person standing in front of the dome.
* Eva Sillys *
Eva initially thought that the darkening of her vision was due to her fainting. But soon realized that her non-visual senses were still normal. The warmth of Mira’s embrace, someone’s scream, and the wind blowing in—a scorching smell.
「Your Majesty, what is this!?」
There were only a limited number of bright things in the dark. The brilliance of Holy Blue that overflowed from the body of the Holy Prince Kluvshrat, who was right next to her, and the same light overflowing from the Holy King, who was standing on the stone steps.
When she squinted her eyes, there was a denser darkness next to the Holy King, and black fog seemed to gush out from there.
「UOOOOHHH! Get lost!!」
The Holy King swung his staff with all his might, aimed at the dense darkness.
The place where the darkness was was the place where Louis stood not long ago.
(Louis…?)
An unpleasant thought that Eva didn’t want to think about crossed her mind.
That that darkness might be Louis.
The darkness pulled back and evaded, but the darkness of the surroundings—the darkness that filled this space seemed to have eased just slightly at that moment.
「Sorry, I am okay now.」
「Eva-sama!? Are you okay?」
「Yes… just don’t look at my eyes.」
Eva, whose mana had recovered, raised her body while trying not to look at Mira’s face.
It seemed that the only people who could understand what was happening here were the Holy King, El, and Duke Rozier.
(My magic eyes caused Louis-sama to…)
She knew that Louis’s bullish behavior was clearly caused by her “Magic Eye of Inspire”.
Her chest hurt so much.
Regret overwhelmed her.
「El! What does this mean?!!」
「Eh, Your Majesty… the Duke’s family wasn’t strong enough to accept that skill orb.」
「But you didn’t say this would happen!!」
「Ha…. All the Holy Kings in the past gave the skill orb to a “pure person” who has the Holy Blue…」
Holy Blue.
Pure person.
Those two are the key.
Louis didn’t have the Holy Blue—but why did this happen just by taking in the skill orb?
「…Brat… Kakakakakakakaka…!!」
A dry, hoarse voice echoed.
It was the darkness that laughed. It was the darkness, not Louis—Eva tried to believe that.
Cold chills ran down Eva’s spine.
「LOUISSSSS!!」
Duke Rozier’s scream echoed. The other nobles who had come to spectate, were trying to run away.
「W-What is this? It’s like a wall!」
「Knights! Attack it with your sword!」
It seems that they couldn’t escape. Eva saw the knights hitting it with their swords, but it was bounced off with a small spark.
(The Holy King’s 1st Knights Order is here, so it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay…)
Eva put her hand on her chest and tried to reassure herself.
「Pitiful. You Can Never Escape.」
A voice devoid of all emotions came from the darkness.
「Shut up! You’re going to die–Knight Commander!!」
「Yes, sir!」
「Cut it down!!」
「Yes!」
Three lights appeared out of nowhere in the darkness. The person responsible for it was the 1st Captain of the Knights Order and also the Knight Commander.
The color of the sword he unsheathed was gold.
The blade of the sword reflected light like scales.
「That is the【Holy Sword Technique】!!」
Someone shouted excitedly.
With 6 stars, it was the highest military power of this country.
The light illuminated the muscular warrior. The Knight Commander does not go to the front line and is sometimes referred to as an “honorary position” because he cannot afford to lose the skill orb of【Holy Sword Technique】, but the Knight Commander is not weak by any means.
A person who trained as a soldier and was approved by the former knight commander and the Holy King will become the successor.
Donning metal armor, and his cloak fluttering in the wind, the knight commander swung down the sword of light.
「Ah–」
At that moment, blinding light cut through the darkness. Eva was knocked off her feet by the shockwave and fell on her backside. She heard someone scream.
When the impact subsided—it took a short time for her vision to return to normal.
The darkness was still there.
And–
The knight commander was pierced by a sword.
The sword was a treasured sword.
The treasured sword given by Duke Rozier to his son, Louis.
(After all, that is…)
Eva could no longer deny it. That dark mass in the shape of a person, was Louis.
The knight commander collapsed on the spot, and no longer moved.
