121
Chapter 121
She thought peace would never come to her for the rest of her life.
Her bindings were so stubborn that it was impossible to even move her body as she wished, making her physical form no different from a prison for the past ten years.
A puppet manipulated while hanging by the strings of those who took everything from her. She had no choice but to continue living that kind of life.
That was what Aria had thought.
...Until today came.
The familiar Holy Sword revived her hazy memories.
Whether it was fate or inevitability.
She crossed swords with the boy who shared that man's name. By his hand, she was finally able to find liberation.
The peace she thought would never come had finally arrived.
Of course, she still had some lingering regrets.
There were many things she had left undone.
"Don't worry. I will definitely make it happen."
However, the boy took that burden upon himself.
The weight of her request. He declared that he would gladly accept it, fully knowing what it entailed.
Because of that, she could now close her eyes in peace.
...Or so she thought.
Her eyes, which she was sure she had closed, were forced open once again by someone.
"I know you want to see your husband soon, but if you don't mind, please postpone the schedule just a little longer."
The white-haired boy declared with a smile.
"Because I will find a way to save you no matter what."
That was definitely a ridiculous notion. If it was a problem that could be solved so easily, she would have broken free from this wretched binding long ago.
But despite that, seeing him speak so confidently...
That sight was all too familiar.
They resembled each other.
Just like that man who used to put up a front, claiming he was fine even while suffering and struggling in agony.
That boy must also be bearing countless responsibilities and duties just like him. Only then did she realize her mistake.
She had repeated her mistake, even after witnessing someone suffer from the weight of their responsibilities by her side.
She ended up forcing a burden onto a child who was already struggling with responsibilities far too heavy for his age.
Worse still, that kind-hearted boy who resembled him was trying to overexert himself just to save her.
However, regret always arrives when it can no longer be undone. Because her body was gradually nearing death, even moving her lips to speak was difficult.
She wanted to tell him not to bear all the burden alone.
She should have told him that he didn't have to take responsibility for everything.
But now, that was impossible.
Sure enough.
As if trying to use the Holy Sword's power to heal her, the boy placed his hand on the Holy Sword Fragment that was radiating a sinister curse.
The outcome that met the boy who had pushed himself to save a life was horrific.
After all, he even tried to absorb the power of an object containing a curse so dangerous that just approaching it was hazardous.
Naturally, the boy was perfectly fine.
"......?"
Confusion colored Aria's face.
However, the scene unfolding before her eyes did not change.
She could feel the energy of the World Tree.
Roots sprouting from the boy's hand wrapped around the sword blade and completely absorbed its energy.
Even after absorbing that much energy, the boy approached her without even undergoing basic Mana Circulation.
Soon after, a brilliant light burst forth.
Pure white wings suddenly sprouted from the boy's back.
Overwhelmed by the immense energy that poured out in an instant, the power binding her couldn't withstand it and was instantly incinerated.
Her wounds healed.
Life returned to her.
Of course, her severed limbs didn't grow back. Even so, the essential emergency treatment was completed.
A miracle.
At a spectacle that could only be described as such, Aria looked at the person who had caused that miracle.
However, the boy who had been there was gone.
She had absolutely no idea where he could have suddenly gone in this situation.
And before long... footsteps echoed.
Footsteps that were too heavy to be the boy's, and numerous ones at that.
When Aria turned her gaze toward the source of the sound, the scene that entered her vision was....
"Carry out your duty according to the Saint's revelation!!"
It was a group of middle-aged men covered in blood, mixed with all sorts of organs including eyeballs.
And behind them stood the white-haired boy, spreading his wings with a benevolent smile.
*****
"...What in the world are you?"
Aria, who was in the middle of being treated by the clergy I had called over, asked me that.
It was a completely sudden question.
She was looking at me as if I were some strange creature.
I panicked, wondering why she was acting like that all of a sudden... but then I looked back at my current appearance objectively.
Achieving the unnatural feat of holding an advantage against a Sword Master at this age.
The status of a Hero wielding the Holy Sword.
On top of that, I even had brilliant pure white wings sprouting from my back.
Not only was I commanding the key figures of an organization called the Holy See as I pleased, but I was also using the power of the World Tree and had the entire Elf race under my command.
I didn't bring them here, but I had captured most of the Dwarves as Slaves, so essentially I had subdued two races with force and turned them into Slaves.
...It would be stranger if she didn't look at me with those eyes.
I certainly didn't intend for it to happen, but somehow I had become an unimaginably massive figure.
At this point, it was clear that no one would believe me even if I said I was just a normal person.
Because of that, I briefly pondered how to answer her question. But that dilemma didn't last long.
"Could it be that you truly cannot recognize this person's name even after seeing these radiant wings!!"
Because for some reason, there were twenty middle-aged men who were far more eager to explain my identity than I was.
The praise was so excessive it was almost embarrassing.
Partly because it was overwhelming, and partly because I had other matters to attend to, I slipped away from the crowd.
The metallic stench of blood hit my nose.
Blood stuck stickily to the soles of my shoes. Stepping on unidentifiable lumps of flesh that I didn't really want to know the origins of was just an added bonus.
Ignoring all of that, I kept walking until a familiar face finally came into view.
The battered First Prince was right in front of me.
'He definitely mentioned bringing Yulli into the Imperial Family back then.'
This guy might know something. As a Royal, he probably had access to information that others didn't.
To extract that information, I lightly poked him with the Holy Sword.
A truly cruel and unusual torture.
I was worried that he might be too far gone to hold a conversation, but I guessed an Archmage was still an Archmage.
The guy was staring right at me.
Despite everything he had been through, his eyes were still sharp and clear.
However.
...I heard laughter.
A deeply unpleasant chuckling sound.
Before I could even open my mouth, the man in front of me started laughing, as if he found something incredibly amusing.
For a moment, I wondered if he had lost his mind.
But those eyes didn't belong to a lunatic.
A sense of dread washed over me.
An incredibly ominous premonition.
I quickly ran through the possibilities in my head.
What kind of tricks could he possibly pull off in his current state?
He was completely neutralized.
Not only could he not move, but his Mana Circuits were likely shattered, making it impossible for him to cast magic.
The only other thing I could think of was reinforcements, but there was no way he could call for any.
Because this was the Demonic Realm.
Communication using Mana definitely wouldn't reach out here....
'Wait a minute.'
A sudden hypothesis crossed my mind.
I felt a cold sweat running down my back.
What if.
It was just a wild thought, but....
What if he had already sent a message to the outside?
Of course, given our location, communication via Mana would be impossible.
But that also meant analog communication was entirely possible.
There wasn't even a need to use a person.
Since Mana Communications ran the risk of being intercepted by other Mages, Mechanical Birds were sometimes used instead.
If the Prince had one of those....
What kind of information would have reached the Imperial Family by now?
Our personal information?
Our current location?
Whatever it was, it would be fatal.
There was no way he could have secretly sent a Mechanical Bird. There was no way that could have happened. I tried to calm my surging anxiety by telling myself that, but...
The Prince, seeing me like that, smiled and spoke.
He told me that I had finally figured it out.
*****
A highly advanced Magic Engineering Machine.
The letter the Prince sent reached the Imperial Family in an instant.
A blaring emergency signal.
The first to notice the appearance of the Mechanical Bird was....
"This is...."
The Second Prince, Renya.
Seeing that, Renya couldn't help but be horrified.
The true identity of the Black Fang that he had been chasing so desperately. It was because he only now realized that he had been tricked by them all this time....
Well, that wasn't the exact reason.
To begin with, Renya hadn't even read the letter.
"Do they take me for an idiot?"
Renya frowned and muttered that to himself.
The Mechanical Bird had his brother's Seal on it, yet the letter was completely soaked in blood—an extremely bizarre circumstance.
He didn't know who had laid this trap, but it was clear that whoever set it was severely lacking in intelligence.
Renya hated his brother.
But he did acknowledge his strength.
Because of that, he knew.
There was no one out there who could turn an Archmage—let alone one constantly surrounded by powerful Guards—into a bloody pulp.
The imbecile who created this thing probably expected a reaction like, 'Huh? It's blood! Hyungnim is in danger! I have to open the letter right away!'
If that was the case, then it was truly unfortunate for them.
The one who discovered this Mechanical Bird was him, a renowned Strategist.
He wasn't foolish enough to fall for a Curse that would trigger the moment he opened the letter.
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
Renya flicked his finger and activated a Spell Formula.
At the same time, the fake letter went up in flames.
With this, the nefarious scheme of a wicked villain attempting to launch an indiscriminate Curse terrorist attack on the Imperial Family was prevented in advance.
It was truly a momentous and joyous occasion.
*****
"You will experience firsthand what it means to make an enemy of the Empire! Hahaha!!"
The First Prince of the Empire laughed wickedly.
...Completely oblivious to how the situation was actually playing out.