Chapter 249: Do Not Stop (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 249: Do Not Stop (3)
He knew it wasn't him.
But they looked so much alike.
They were so similar that a wave of confusion washed over him, reminding him of Franz from some half-forgotten moment. That confusion plunged him into an absurd state of chaos. The sharp focus he had maintained to analyze Evan’s swordsmanship shattered and tangled.
In that instant, another memory fragment surfaced through the chaos. It wasn’t a memory of Franz, but one of Bern’s that Calian now possessed.
—How did that child get in your way, Father?
—Is there any need for a reason when the sword has already been swung?
—Even if you’ve already killed and disposed of them, I must know why.
—Will knowing change anything now?
—If you do not answer, I will start by making that guard over there look exactly like the child. Then I will ask again. How did that child get in your way, Father?
—They were the successor of the place you visited last month.
A successor. A young child.
That was all he had registered.
Yet, before he could stop it, the memory completely consumed his mind.
—That is why I sent you back. Shouldn't we eliminate any future trouble in advance?
—For such a trivial reason…
—Trivial? What if we had left that child alone and they grew up to be as fierce as you?
Because the child who had suddenly appeared resembled a certain bastard currently lying around the royal palace. And because, of all things, memories of another young child of the same age had resurfaced.
It was a brief moment, not even long enough to draw a single breath, but his attention had been stolen. He had told himself over and over not to overthink, yet he had let his thoughts wander.
And so.
The split-second opening created by those thoughts—
Thrust!
Evan did not miss it.
“……Ha.”
This… damn family.
Every single one of them is so damn green-eyed.
For a second… I got confused.
“This is driving me crazy…”
Is this a field of grass or something?
* * *
He was anxious. It was taking too long.
Alan couldn’t bring himself to sit still, his agitation leaving him at a loss.
If Evan died, the Seal of Oath bound to Alan's heart would be released. He would know the moment the situation was resolved without having to stare out the window. Nevertheless, Alan stood by the window, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene outside, his feet pacing restlessly before the glass.
He should be back by now.
Calian.
But he couldn’t leave Lemain’s side, either.
Though he was Calian’s teacher, Alan was also the Commander of Valkan. With the palace guard’s numbers depleted, there was no telling what might happen. Regardless of the other mages present, Alan had to remain with Lemain for now. He knew this rationally.
“Count.”
Lemain, who had been sitting silently on the sofa, called out to him.
Alan quietly turned his head.
“I, too, find it difficult to wait any longer. I would like you to go.”
Though he remained seated, Lemain’s heart was in the same place as Alan’s. His gaze was also fixed on the world outside the window.
“Nothing will happen here,” Alan answered quietly, suppressing the urge to run out that very instant for the thousandth time, reminding himself again why he had to stay. He glanced out the window one last time.
Watching him, Lemain spoke.
“Go and bring him back. I will take responsibility for whatever you do.”
It was a request.
From the King of Kairis to the Commander of Valkan.
From a man who had once been nothing but incompetent to the Archmage.
From Calian’s father to Calian’s father.
* * *
Ha.
A sound, half scoff and half gasp, escaped him once more.
“In front of a child… You really have no limits.”
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Thick drops of blood, the same dark red as the sword whose tip now touched the floor, dripped down one by one.
Calian glanced down at the blade buried deep in his abdomen and tightened his grip on his own sword. Evan, who had delivered a rather painful blow as payment for Calian’s brief distraction, replied, “I told you. You aren’t leaving this place.”
Calian didn’t react.
Tearing his gaze from the sword ripping through his insides, he looked at the green-eyed child standing in the distance and offered a beautiful smile. A gentle voice, completely out of place in this situation, flowed from his lips.
“You’re dreaming.”
Think of it as a dream.
[Sleep]
“It’s a nightmare… so don’t remember it.”
Thud!
The child, who had been staring with wide eyes at Evan, at Calian, at the sword in Evan’s hand, and at Calian impaled by that sword, collapsed to the floor.
Only after confirming that the child, whose identity he didn’t even know, was asleep did Calian gather the aura protecting his body to stop Evan’s sword from penetrating any deeper.
Evan simply twisted the blade and pulled it free.
Splatter!
With the sword that had plugged the wound now gone, a gush of blood spilled onto the floor.
For a moment, Calian’s body swayed.
Evan’s two swords swung toward Calian’s neck and heart.
Clang!
Calian barely managed to raise his sword and block the attack. And then, he smiled.
Frowning, Evan kicked off the ground. But before he knew it, Calian was rushing at him, whipping up a wind, moving like someone who had forgotten what had just been pulled from his gut.
Evan hastily twisted his body to dodge Calian’s sword as it aimed for his heart. Or rather, he tried to.
He couldn't completely block the dark red thrust that came at him with a speed far beyond his expectations. As he twisted away, Calian’s sword carved a deep gash across his left chest.
Slash!
Drops of blood burst from Evan’s wound, splattering across the hallway wall. Bright red blood trickled down to the floor.
Dash!
Before he could even process the pain from the deep wound, he saw Calian kick off the ground again. Postponing any attacks from his weakened left side, Evan raised the sword in his right hand.
Calian threw his body forward, lightly stepped on the tip of Evan’s blade, and launched himself into the air.
Because Calian’s sword was slightly faster, Evan hastily retreated a few steps while maintaining his stance. He tried to back away further, but the gap between them refused to widen. A sharp pain shot continuously up his spine, rattling his head.
What the hell is wrong with that bastard?!
The wound Evan had received was deep.
But the wound he had inflicted on Calian was fatal.
It was obvious that the depths of their injuries were vastly different. Yet, judging by his movements, Calian created the illusion that his own wound was the far lighter of the two.
Whoosh!
Closing the distance with a short leap, Calian swung his sword. Evan forced his stiff arm to move and countered.
While slashing horizontally with his right sword, Evan gripped his left and drove it downward. Calian parried the downward strike, his own sword continuing its momentum. The rapidly slashing blade was knocked toward the floor, losing its trajectory.
Clang! Clang!
Instead, the attacks grew even fiercer.
As the movements of the dark red sword clearly changed, Evan’s posture began to crumble. His mind, which had refocused to face Calian, also began to unravel.
Clang, clang, clang!
Drip, drip, drip.
Streams of blood flowed from Evan’s wound, exposing the raw red flesh beneath. Blood poured from Calian’s wound as well, though it was hard to see against his black clothes, which had long been soaked a deeper shade.
Stumbling once before righting himself, Calian spoke as if out of habit.
“Ah, right.”
Evan, his relaxed demeanor gone as he panted heavily, stared at Calian.
“Earlier, I didn’t get to properly tell you… how I figured it out.”
What the hell is he talking about at a time like this?!
Having absolutely no intention of listening to the last words of the man who had wounded him, Evan scowled and took a step forward. His only thought was to kill that bastard as quickly as possible.
Swish!
Deciding he no longer needed his deeply cut arm, Evan thrust only with the sword in his right hand.
Watching this, Calian took a step back and let go of the sword he was holding. Then, dropping both arms toward the floor, he moved again.
Calian’s figure vanished without a trace.
Splatters of what could no longer be distinguished as blood or aura rained down onto the floor.
Feeling a chilling presence behind him, Evan spun around and raised his sword.
Hummm!
Hum!
Two sounds.
A sword that could change into any form at any time.
This time, it was not a longsword, a dagger, a shield, or a club. Not Lucy’s toy.
A sword, thinner than usual, was held in Calian’s hand.
Evan crossed his two swords to block Calian’s blade.
Clang!
Evan blocked the attack.
With a sharp metallic screech, the dark red sword stopped in midair.
…Squish!
He had only blocked one of them.
“I choose… not to use them.”
Two swords, having changed form in an instant, were held in each of Calian’s hands. One was blocked. The other…
“It’s not that I can’t. I can, too.”
Calian finished his sentence, staring at the second dark red sword that had pierced Evan’s heart with perfect precision.
Slowly.
Evan slowly raised his head.
He looked at Calian.
A vivid red light.
He remembered the red cloak worn on that day.
—Whose son I am.
He recalled red hair from a much older day, a color that so closely resembled the blood now flowing.
“You…”
A cold aura hung over Calian’s face as he looked down at Evan with eyes of a similar hue.
Whoosh!
He had only meant to say what he wanted to say, not to hold a conversation. Calian dispersed the swords in his hands.
There was no longer any need to look Evan in the eye, nor any reason to listen to his words.
“I told you I would teach you. Why did you have to do this?”
…You shouldn’t have.
Thud.
His support gone, Evan’s body went limp, and he fell to his knees.
His pupils, which had been fixed on Calian, shifted slightly. He glanced at where the swords had been in Calian’s hands, and then…
Thud!
He collapsed onto the cold floor.
He closed his eyes.
Calian watched him until the very end, then let out a long, shuddering breath.
Sssss…
Soon after, he felt two types of mana dispersing.
One was somewhat old, and the other was much older.
Clearly feeling the Seals of Oath that Franz and Alan had made with Evan disappear, Calian smiled faintly.
“I was so sick of it.”
Stumbling, Calian took a step, picked up the black pebble that had fallen near Evan’s body, and tucked it into his shirt.
Then, stumbling a few more steps, he retrieved the robe he had cast aside earlier and returned to the now-lifeless Evan. Raising a stiff arm, he unfurled the black cloth.
Flutter!
He deliberately covered Evan’s corpse with his robe.
It was not out of respect for a marquis, nor for a knight he had fought for so long.
It was because he wanted to move the sleeping child at the end of the hallway, but he was in no condition to do so. Since he couldn’t possibly move the child, he had no choice but to cover Evan’s body.
“I’m hardly in a position to be considerate.”
But still.
He hoped that when the innocent child woke up before the cleanup crew arrived, the first thing they saw wouldn’t be the corpse of their own flesh and blood.
No matter where or how they lived in the future.
They were too young to realize that what they believed to be a nightmare was actually reality. That would be a bit too cruel.
Drip, drip, splatter.
As he straightened his bent back, dark red blood dripped onto the floor once more.
“Franz… you damn grass-head.”
Outside the pitch-black window, he could see flickering lights gathering. Unable to think about what they were, Calian simply forced his feet to move.
Clutching the wound in his abdomen, he stumbled along before finally stopping to lean against the wall.
“What a troublesome brother…”
The Seal of Oath bound to Calian’s heart remained intact.
Therefore, the light green pea was still fresh and green.
That bastard.
A punk who’s a master at not listening.
But surely, he wouldn’t go and sell his heart somewhere else again.
As long as he doesn’t do that.
Drip, drip.
Of course.
You will… live longer than a cat, surely.