Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Even before he opened his eyes, pain had already returned.
Every breath dragged through torn lungs, and even the will to move felt as heavy as shards of metal embedded in flesh. Simply being alive felt like punishment.
“…Sir Rekun.”
The first thing he heard was a familiar voice.
And he could tell, even without looking, that it was trembling.
“Are you conscious?”
It was Sera.
The old knight slowly opened his eyes.
A ceiling came into view. The familiar ceiling of the castle. But there was nothing comforting about it, not when his body felt this broken.
Just breathing was difficult.
“…Still alive, I see.”
Even that single sentence scraped his throat like blood.
Sera immediately lowered her head. Her face looked like she was holding back tears.
“This isn’t the time for remarks like that.”
“That is a fair point.”
Rekun admitted it flatly.
Then he slowly turned his head.
At the edge of his vision were kneeling squires, a pale-faced physician, and soldiers staring toward the walls with stiff, hollow expressions.
Not the face of victory.
The face of survivors.
“…The enemy?”
Sera bit her lip.
“They’ve withdrawn.”
A short answer.
But its meaning was simple. The army of the Butcher, Kraksion, was no longer here.
Rekun closed his eyes for a moment.
Then gave a slow nod.
“…I see.”
Victory.
But the word carried no taste.
The air inside the castle felt heavy and still. No one looked like they had won. Survival itself had become another form of loss.
“Sir Rekun.”
Sera spoke carefully.
“Why did you go that far?”
Rekun did not answer immediately.
Sera continued.
“You didn’t have to do it alone. We were here. We could have retreated. Facing that army head-on was…”
“Sera.”
He called her name.
His voice was low, but steady in a way that made her stop.
“What do you think a knight is?”
“…Someone who protects,” she answered after a pause.
“Not wrong.”
A faint smile crossed Rekun’s lips.
“But it is not enough.”
He took a slow breath.
“A knight protects even what he knows he cannot save. That is what it means to be one.”
Sera’s eyes wavered.
“So you’re just supposed to die for it?”
“Perhaps.”
His tone did not change.
“But someone must. So that others can live.”
She could not respond.
Because she knew it was true.
But knowing it was right did not make it any less cruel.
“…And what about you?” Sera asked quietly.
“What did you actually protect?”
Rekun fell silent.
That question cut deeper than any blade on the battlefield.
His mind drifted back through the carnage.
Broken weapons, blood-soaked gates, fallen warhorses, and endless waves of killing intent.
And himself standing in the middle of it all.
“…I don’t know.”
It was the only honest answer.
Sera’s eyes widened slightly.
Rekun continued.
“But one thing is certain.”
He placed a hand over his chest.
“I am still here.”
A simple sentence.
But it carried everything he had left.
Sera bit her lip again.
“You really are insane,” she muttered.
There was anger in it.
But also relief.
Rekun gave a faint laugh.
“I’ll take that as praise.”
At that moment, commotion rose near the gate.
“They didn’t fully withdraw!”
“Scout report!”
“Movement on the western ridge—!”
In an instant, tension returned to the castle.
Sera’s face tightened.
Rekun tried to rise.
But his body refused.
His breath grew shallow again.
Blood rose in his throat.
“Sir Rekun!”
Sera rushed to support him.
He raised a hand to stop her.
“I’m fine.”
“Nothing about you is fine!”
Her voice nearly broke.
Rekun looked at her for a moment.
Then spoke quietly.
“This time… I am not alone, am I.”
Sera froze.
It sounded like a request.
And permission.
Rekun slowly turned his gaze forward.
Beyond the walls, the remnants of battle stirred once more.
“…This is Belar’s land.”
He said softly.
“Let’s see it through to the end.”
And once again, he reached for his sword.