Chapter 259: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (52)
Chapter 259: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (52)
The Saintess’s warm comfort continued for a long while.
I could hear the passing servants whispering amongst themselves. The Saintess couldn't have been unaware of it, yet she showed no sign of letting me go.
For my part, I was simply bewildered.
Wasn't she the Saintess who was always snapping at me and looking for ways to tease me?
To suddenly hold me tight and offer such heartfelt consolation—I wondered what on earth had happened overnight.
Judging by how closely she had examined me at first, it seemed she had seen the future 'me.'
If so, it was only rational to assume the change in her attitude was because of 'him.'
Even as my thoughts raced incessantly, the Saintess continued to soothe me.
By now, her voice was even tinged with a hint of weeping.
She stroked my hair as she spoke.
"I won't let you... I won't ever let you become like that. I'll be by your side whenever things are hard or painful, so you must come to me."
"I-I see."
My voice came out as a mere mumble, muffled against the Saintess’s soft valley.
I wanted to ask what was going on, but she wouldn't release me.
In truth, if I applied even a little strength, I could have escaped her embrace.
Thanks to her training in grappling arts, the Saintess was quite strong. Still, she was no match for me, who had spent my entire life training with a sword.
Yet, in the end, I couldn't push her away.
Because it felt good.
The Saintess’s embrace was cozy and soft.
It even brought back vivid memories of my childhood.
They say men remain children no matter how much they grow.
True to those words, I found it difficult to shake off the Saintess’s maternal warmth.
To be precise, it was a certain physical part of her that symbolized maternity.
Still, listening quietly to her words, I felt I understood why she was acting this way.
A few keywords kept surfacing in her speech.
Words like 'alone,' 'pain,' and 'I'll stay by your side.'
It seemed the Saintess had been deeply shocked after seeing the future 'me.'
She must have found it tragic and frightening that my original future turned out that way.
I hadn't spoken to him directly either, but even by piecing together the fragmented memories I'd glimpsed, I could guess what state he was in.
He had lost everyone precious to him.
The only mission left to him was the hollow command to 'save the world.'
I wondered if he had managed to save the world in the end.
Since the future was unknown, I took a sharp breath and lifted my head.
Then, I firmly grasped the grieving Saintess’s hands.
"Saintess, please don't worry. I am Ian Percus, after all."
"......That person also claimed to be 'Ian Percus.'"
Ah, right.
As pity began to well up in her eyes again, I quickly corrected myself.
"It's different. You weren't by his side, Saintess."
In truth, she might have been.
But I wasn't so tactless as to point that out.
The Saintess still looked sorrowful, but she seemed a bit relieved.
"So, the path I walk will surely be different. I have many good friends by my side, not just you, Saintess... Is there really a need to make such a painful decision?"
"Ian, that... this might be a difficult conversation."
The Saintess averted her gaze, her voice trailing off.
Anyone could see the agony on her face.
I just stared at her blankly, wondering why she was being like this.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.
"......We've decided to abandon the Percus Territory."
My body, which had been trying to persuade her, froze solid.
For a moment, I couldn't comprehend those words.
Abandon? The Percus Territory?
Why on earth?
Countless questions swirled in my head, but the only words I managed to squeeze out were:
"That's absolutely out of the question."
Immediately after, I began seeking out everyone nearby.
The first person I went to was Arthur, the Administrator of the Empire.
He showed a change even more dramatic than the Saintess; the moment he saw me, he jumped to his feet.
He flusteredly tried to kneel, then stopped himself in surprise.
As I stared at him, stunned, Arthur offered a greeting while breaking into a cold sweat.
"H-Have you risen, sir? I am carrying out the instructions you gave in sequence. Thanks to Viscount Percus being cooperative..."
"Instructions?"
At my counter-question, it was Arthur's turn to look dazed.
He studied my expression for a moment, then, perhaps thinking this was some kind of test, immediately began reciting the orders the future me had given.
"It's a large-scale retreat operation. Since it will be impossible to handle the subordinates of the Evil God once they are summoned with our current strength, we are to vacate the Percus Territory within three days..."
"......Three days? How can all the residents leave within three days?"
Arthur couldn't easily answer my question and bowed his head deeply.
He recited the painful reality with an air of apology.
"Therefore, at least several hundred refugees are expected to be generated. However, you previously said, Lord Ian, that it was an unavoidable sacrifice..."
Goddammit.
I couldn't bring myself to curse in front of Arthur, so I muttered it internally.
I had to leave the conference hall, stumbling backward.
After that, almost everyone I met said something similar.
If anything, the women were more worried about me than the bizarre details of the operation.
"Senior Ian, are you okay? Oh no... Still, if things get hard, you must tell us. Promise!"
Those were Seria's words.
I wanted to say that I felt like I was dying of hardship right now, but I forced myself to hold it back.
How could a noble abandon their territory, let alone their people?
The moment Celine saw my pale face, she let out a deep sigh.
"Ian Oppa..."
She tapped my shoulder weakly.
"......They say there's no other way."
No other way?
The Yurdina family had a private army of a thousand, and even the magic corps of the Lainella family was here.
Despite that, Seria's face was already one of resignation, and I couldn't find Senior Elsie or Sir Reynold anywhere.
In the end, the last person I sought out was Reto.
As soon as I burst into the reception room, panting, Reto let out a long sigh as if he had expected this.
"......You're here?"
"Hey, Reto. Are you in on this too?"
Reto didn't bother asking 'in on what.'
His attitude suggested he had read my mind the moment he saw me.
He began his explanation with a sigh.
"It can't be helped. The more I hear, the more appalling it gets... We don't have the strength to face that monster right now. Taking it head-on would be madness."
"We have to at least buy time for the people to evacuate! Why have we been sitting in this mansion collecting taxes all this time?! It's because we're supposed to sacrifice ourselves at times like this...!"
"Ian, the Dark Cult's power is still formidable."
I fell silent, my words cut off.
Reto must have been sad and frustrated too.
He had grown up here with me, building countless memories.
Even with that pained look in his eyes, Reto persuaded me by listing the reasons one by one.
"We don't know what kind of ambush might happen during the retreat. And most of the forces we can use right now don't belong to the Percus family. Do you understand what that means?"
"But..."
"It's not an opponent we can win against just by blindly throwing our forces at it."
With that, Reto tossed the documents he was holding toward me.
It was a paper filled with dense notes.
I stared blankly down at the document.
At the very top, written in large letters, was:
'Corpse Giant.'
"This is information I got from the 'you' who came from the future yesterday. He said the more details he gave, the less time he could stay in this timeline, so I only summarized it roughly... and even then, it's like this."
My eyes scanned the notes on the document.
'Infinite regeneration.'
'Resurrects surrounding corpses to use as allies.'
'Impossible to face with an army; a small elite subjugation team must be formed.'
'A means to stop regeneration is required.'
It was an absurd enemy.
Were the subordinates of the Evil God truly such terrifying beings?
I could only stand there, speechless.
"If we respond recklessly, the damage will only increase. Because the number of corpses will grow."
It was a death sentence.
A death sentence handed down by the strategist I trusted most.
"I'm sorry, Ian..."
It was a sensation I hadn't felt in a very long time.
Despair and a terrible sense of helplessness at being unable to do anything.
I was a pathetic human being.
At least, I would be in the eyes of the hundreds who were about to lose their lives.
Unable to bear it, I pulled out a bottle of whiskey.
I heard that the 'me' from the day before had also overdrank, but no one among my family or companions tried to stop me.
It seemed everyone understood how I felt.
If I got dead drunk, perhaps the future personality would possess me again.
The thought crossed my mind, but I soon shook my head, dismissing the possibility.
Hadn't that man personally added that it was 'impossible'?
Therefore, even if I fell asleep drunk, the probability of the future personality being summoned again was not high.
And even if he were summoned, nothing would change.
Wasn't he the very person who had decided to abandon the territory?
My headache felt like it was worsening today.
So, letting out a faint groan, I had to open the door to my bedroom.
I wanted nothing more than to get drunk and pass out immediately.
If there hadn't been an unexpected guest in my room, I would have carried out that plan faithfully.
However, the moment I opened the door, I couldn't help but freeze.
Someone was there.
A girl with hair like flowing ebony, her eyes holding golden dew upon a pure white canvas.
I could tell who she was in an instant.
It was none other than Ria Percus, my younger sister.
However, there was a different reason why I had to stop in my tracks.
It wasn't surprising that Ria had entered my bedroom without permission; that had happened a few times before.
What surprised me was the posture Ria was currently in.
She was on her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"B-Brother..."
Sobbing, the girl spoke.
"P-Please, don't hate Ria..."
The request my sister wanted to make of me, even at the cost of throwing away her pride, was merely that.
I felt the need to have a conversation with Ria.