Chapter 470
At the entrance of the Crineto Forest in the southern region of the Imperial Capital.
All of us, including myself, had gathered at the prearranged rendezvous point.
-Groan
"Are you alright?"
"I'm not exactly fine, but... I can endure this much..."
As Harriet wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, she asked cautiously.
"Still, having your heart pierced twice in a single day. There's nothing good about having such experiences."
It hurt like hell.
Being impaled by a spear was an unexpected event, but the second time my heart was pierced by Lament, it was intentional. I knew it would happen.
I swear.
Knowing it was coming made it even more frightening and painful.
Of course, I've been healed by Tiamata's divine power now, but the memory of the pain does not easily fade.
Above all else,
I couldn't forget Ellen's shocked expression after she had stabbed me.
It was bound to become a trauma.
Not only for stabbing me but also for the hellish feelings today's experience would bring to Ellen. I couldn't help but be uneasy knowing this.
I had considered the possibility that Ellen might be at the scene, but I hadn't anticipated that the crowd would force her to fight against her will.
Harriet deactivated the spatial teleportation barrier and extracted me at the right timing according to the signal.
The leader of the Black Order was dead, and the remnants had retreated.
I couldn't be sure what they would try to do to me next.
The Knights periodically cleared the monsters from the gates near the Imperial Capital, so there were no monsters nearby. Of course, that wasn't foolproof, and there were instances when monsters appeared in the refugee camp on the Imperial Capital.
At the moment, there were no monsters visible within the vicinity of the forest.
Despite many unexpected events, I ultimately achieved my desired goal.
I succeeded in rescuing Sarkegaar, Lucinil, and Charlotte.
Although I had to treat Ellen harshly unintentionally.
It couldn't be helped.
That's what I think.
At first, Charlotte was unconscious.
But now, she was awake.
Charlotte, unaware of what had happened to her, was in a state of shock.
Charlotte, with her black hair and red eyes.
Would she be unable to return to her original form in this state?
"Your Highness..."
Sarkegaar, with a trembling voice, spoke to me.
"I'm sorry. I found you too late. I had too many things to do... No, never mind. I'm sorry. I was too late."
"No, Your Highness. Just seeing you safe like this... The gods... The gods..."
I quietly embraced Sarkegaar as he sobbed miserably.
He appeared somewhat terrifying in his true Dreadfiend form, but what did it matter?
I was grateful that Sarkegaar was safe.
After the embrace, I also quietly hugged Lucinil.
"I'm sorry, my Lord. I was late..."
Lucinil laughed faintly and hugged me back.
"No, not really? Thanks to your warning, both this gentleman and I fared quite well. We were treated like distinguished guests. We even heard about what might happen at the execution ceremony today."
As Lucinil hugged my neck, she patted my back.
Finally, I stood before Charlotte, who was still in shock.
"Um..."
What should I say to start?
Just as Charlotte was in shock, I couldn't find the right words to begin either.
"I did this because I thought it was necessary, but..."
"..."
In front of Charlotte, who had no idea what was happening, I finally sighed.
"From now on, you must go with me… um… first of all, I'm sorry for everything so far."
As I apologized, Charlotte trembled her lips.
"I don't know if you still hate me… but I couldn't leave you alone."
I didn't know what Charlotte was thinking.
However, I had clearly lied a lot and deceived Charlotte.
Even now, Sarkegaar, the enemy of Charlotte's mother, stands beside us.
She may not be able to forgive me.
I didn't know what Charlotte had done wrong to me, but she smiled at me weakly.
Thud
Charlotte suddenly collapsed, falling to her knees.
And then, she bowed her head.
With her head almost touching the ground, she knelt before me, her head lowered.
"Ugh… uh… ugh… ugh… ugh! Sob!"
Charlotte cried out, as if screaming.
"No, no, why are you crying… like that…"
Was she sorry to me?
Just like I felt sorry for everyone.
Had Charlotte felt guilty towards me all this time?
Me, Ellen, Charlotte.
Why did we all end up feeling guilty toward each other?
Why did we all get stuck with the idea that everything was our fault?
"Sob! Hic! Ugh! Oof… oof… oof…"
Guilt and remorse.
Charlotte made an animal-like sobbing sound, like a retching noise.
"Uh, uh… uh… sorry… ah, sorry… sorry… sorry… I, I… did wrong…"
I knelt down in front of Charlotte, who was crying and bowing her head.
"I made a lot of mistakes too."
"No, no! No! I… I didn't trust you! It's all my fault… all, everything, everything is my fault… because of me…"
I could only pat Charlotte's back as she cried like a small animal for a long time.
—---
Lucinil, Sarkegaar, and Charlotte.
I managed to bring them all back to the Edina Archipelago.
Thanks to my warning, Lucinil and Sarkegaar were neither treated harshly nor tortured.
Not that nothing happened.
The Black Order attacked me, I killed their leader, and I even had to fight Ellen who was there.
Many civilians were hurt.
However, in the end, I managed to safely bring the three of them back.
Charlotte didn't hate me; she felt guilty.
Who was the cause of all this?
It seemed inevitable that the Gate incident would happen with our emotions and my lies intertwined.
Everyone seemed to think that all of this was their own responsibility.
The royal city of Lazak.
I felt the need to be alone with Charlotte for a while.
It was obvious that Charlotte was too weak, and her condition wasn't good.
Charlotte, who had stopped crying almost like a seizure, hung her head low.
She seemed to feel guilty even when making eye contact with me.
"It's all in the past."
"…"
"Let's end it with each of us having wronged each other, that's all."
"…"
But I couldn't erase Charlotte's guilt towards me with those words.
"I… I can't. I… I don't deserve… your help. Not even a little… don't help me this much… I betrayed you. I didn't trust you. I… didn't try to understand you…"
It seemed that she thought it would be better to die at the hands of a monster in some distant wilderness.
"People died because of me... All of them... It's my fault..."
Charlotte's guilt had turned into self-loathing.
I grabbed Charlotte's cheeks as she hung her head and repeated those self-deprecating words, forcing her to look into my eyes.
Upon meeting my gaze, Charlotte, with eyes like those of a demon, couldn't bear it and looked down before finally closing her eyes completely.
"Do you remember what I told you before?"
"..."
"If you're like this, what do you think I become?"
Back when she wondered if it would be better to die since the soul of the Demon King resided within her, I spoke to her with a sorrowful heart.
How do you think I feel when you don't cherish your own life and keep repeating these self-deprecating thoughts?
"If you're like this, what does it make of me who risked my life to escape the Demon King's castle, who killed my father's soul to preserve your identity? I had to fight the Black Order and even Ellen to bring you here. If you're like this... what does it make of me who brought you all the way here?"
"..."
At my words, Charlotte reluctantly opened her eyes and looked at me.
Tears filled her eyes.
Seeing those tears, born of guilt, was painful for me.
"Live for me, at least. If you're sorry, work as much as you feel sorry for me."
"…Work?"
"Yeah, to be honest, I brought you here not just to save you, but also... um..."
I thought this might be better.
She seemed unable to accept living with me because of her guilt and sense of sin.
She seemed unable to accept the peace this environment provided her.
"I brought you here to work."
Like how Eleris destroyed the warp gates to lessen her guilt and sense of sin, Charlotte needed something to do, to focus on, so she could push those feelings aside.
And, in reality, I needed Charlotte here for that reason.
"There's a lot you need to do."
"Me...? What can I do...?"
"Anyway, if you're sorry to me, if you feel guilty towards people, work. Work to repay them."
I'll accept the debt.
Repay the debt for saving your life three times.
If saying this could give Charlotte even a bit of determination, then it's better this way.
"I'm... like this... how can I... what can I do...?"
Her words, questioning what she could do in her demon-like form, made me chuckle despite the situation.
"No, you're amazing."
I gently brushed Charlotte's blackened hair.
I shouldn't say this, but...
"You have an even more impressive visual than me."
"…?"
Honestly, it was true that Charlotte looked more like a Demon King than I did.
No one would dare complain about a broken dish or cup to a Demon King representative who looked like this.
I pinched Charlotte's cheeks, still bewildered by my claim that I didn't save her but brought her here to work.
"…!"
"So, from now on, eat well and take care of yourself. Exercise, too. Got it?"
"…"
"You have to do that if you want to do your job properly, right?"
Charlotte looked up at me with her cheeks pinched.
"Answer me quickly."
As I released her cheeks, Charlotte lowered her head with a blank expression.
"…Yes."
Knowing why I spoke like this, Charlotte cried again.
I told her that I would get angry if she kept crying, so she tried to hold back her tears while also holding her breath, gasping for air. It seemed like she might pass out from not breathing properly.
I had no choice but to gently pat her back.
