Chapter 267: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (60)
Chapter 267: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (60)
"Let's go after that subordinate of the Evil God."
Those were the first words out of Celine’s mouth, her teeth grinding together.
I couldn't help but let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"Are you crazy, Celine? Do you think I’m doing this because I want to?"
What noble would welcome the life of a refugee, forced to abandon even their own territory?
I had looked at the problem from every possible angle and found no other answer, which was why I had finally, painfully, accepted the situation. Yet here was Celine, suddenly stoking those embers again. It was baffling.
After all, she hadn't taken my side back then either. She, of all people, should know that facing a monster with infinite regeneration was impossible.
Despite my rebuttal, however, Celine was burning with resolve. I crossed my arms, deciding to at least hear her out.
"No! I’m not saying we should try to defeat it. I’m saying we destroy the core hidden inside!"
"…Isn't that the same thing?"
"It’s not. Senior Yuren told me something."
It seemed some private conversations had taken place among the group while I was unconscious. My eyes twitched at this new information.
If it came from Yuren, it was a reliable source. At the very least, nothing he had told me so far had proven false.
"He said the Dark Cult's magic always has a 'core,' and there’s only ever one. But seeing as the test subjects are still convulsing even though the Dark Priest who cast the spell is dead…"
"…You think they separated the core?"
"Yeah. He said there’s a high probability they detached the spell formula."
That was an interesting fact. I didn't know why the Dark Cult's magic required a 'core,' but according to the story, the caster usually functioned as the core themselves. Only in exceptional cases was the core placed elsewhere.
Tragically, the magic controlling the clones, including Ria, fell into that category.
I closed my eyes, lost in thought.
"We’re not even trying to kill the monster… Just, let’s hold out for a bit and look for an opening. Wouldn't everyone agree to that? I mean, how can we just abandon Ria!"
I understood how Celine felt. She was someone who had lost a precious person in her childhood due to the machinations of high-ranking nobles. She didn't want to lose an old acquaintance to the whims of power all over again.
The situation was a direct trigger for her past nightmares. Perhaps Celine’s voice, pleading to save Ria, was actually an expression of her desire to heal her own unhealed wounds from that time.
I can protect them now.
Maybe she wanted proof that she didn't have to watch helplessly anymore, like she did back then. Regardless of the underlying reason, her desire to save Ria was genuine.
However, I eventually had to sigh and shake my head.
"We can just wait for the Central Army… Surely the Imperial Household won't just stand by while a monster tramples the land?"
"And what if the core is lost in the meantime?"
I fell silent at her counter-question. Celine had seen me using the Dragon Blood Runes. If I asked the Central Army to do their best, it wasn't an impossible request.
I was about to trace a Dragon Blood Rune in the air when I faltered at Celine’s follow-up question.
"Or what if another Dark Priest arrives while the Central Army is being deployed? And what if that priest takes control of the core?"
"…What are you trying to say?"
"The Dark Cult will be moving just as fast as the Imperial Household, if not faster."
I was stunned by the words pouring out of Celine’s mouth. She was a member of the Swordsmanship Department, someone who, along with me, was often called an 'idiot' by Reto. I had no idea when she had become so articulate.
"We have to save Ria… This is our last chance!"
I went back into my silent contemplation. She had a point. The Dark Cult was quiet for now, but there was no way they would leave a subordinate of the Evil God unattended. They would surely take steps to ensure it caused even more damage.
In that process, it was highly likely they would try to recover Mitram’s achievements. No, these were the invaluable records of a scholar who had conducted biological research for over a decade. It would be stranger if the Dark Cult didn't try to secure them.
And that meant there was a chance the core planted in the 'Corpse Giant' would be taken away.
I agonized over the decision. Should I try to persuade the others one more time? There was always the option to run if things got truly dangerous. It would still mean risking our lives, but it was a gamble worth taking.
The problem was how to evaluate that 'worth.' To some, it might seem like a terribly rude and selfish request—asking them to risk their lives to save a creation of the Dark Cult.
It wasn't just the Saintess. Yuren would likely feel the same, and Senior Elsie didn't have a deep connection with Ria either.
That was why I hesitated. My own heart was clear: I wanted to save Ria. But I was afraid that clinging to a faint hope would make me act selfishly.
As I remained submerged in agony, a memory suddenly pierced my mind like a thorn.
The pain was so sharp I almost screamed.
It was a blood-soaked landscape. Everything was blurred in the hazy memory. But there was a woman’s voice, whispering in my ear with a dangerously seductive smile.
"…I told you that you should have discarded it sooner."
Discarded what? I wanted to ask.
As I was jolted from the dream back to reality, all sorts of memories tangled together in a mess.
The burning Great Forest.
Blood, and more blood.
Trembling hands, a fading breath.
When I opened my eyes, that scrawled sentence was still vivid in my mind.
'Discard what must be discarded.'
My father had said:
"You must not defy fate."
And Arthur, the Administrator of the Empire, had also said:
"…You must discard what must be discarded."
Staggering, I took a step back. The final image of my father, apologizing to me with a sorrowful face, flashed through my mind. That was the price of trying to defy fate.
As I gasped for breath, Celine looked panicked.
"Ian? Ian! Why are you suddenly—"
I raised a hand, stopping Celine as she approached. Then, calming my ragged breathing, I spoke.
"…I can't."
Celine froze. She stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Wiping away cold sweat, I reaffirmed my decision.
"I can't. It's too dangerous… Let's find another way. I'll protect Ria myself."
Having hurriedly ended the conversation, I turned away. I began to walk with heavy steps, almost as if I were running away.
Yes, this was for the best. Facing the Corpse Giant was too dangerous a choice. Aside from me, Celine, and Reto, the others had no reason to put their lives on the line.
I kept walking, trying to comfort myself. It was then that Celine’s heated voice reached me.
"…You’ve changed."
It was the kind of thing women often said when they were berating a boyfriend. I wanted to crack a joke and ask what she meant, letting out a hollow laugh.
But I couldn't, not when I saw Celine’s body trembling.
She stood with her fists clenched, shaking with rage. Her amber eyes glared at me fiercely.
"You've changed, Ian! You weren't like this before!"
"What did I—"
"How many times have you even hung out with me and Reto lately?!"
Thinking back, the frequency of me spending time with Celine and Reto had indeed decreased significantly. But I could only protest with a sense of injustice.
"That was then, and now we have comrades who have crossed the threshold of death together…"
"And lately, you've been picking fights with high nobles left and right!"
I had nothing to say to that. Looking back, I realized I really had been a madman. If I hadn't gotten lucky somehow, I would have been expelled from the Academy long ago.
Of course, Celine’s anger didn't stop there.
"But now you're saying we can't because it's dangerous?! Is it because you're surrounded by pretty, talented people with great backgrounds now?!!"
I wanted to tell Celine to calm down. But once her temper was flared, her voice showed no sign of cooling.
"You said you'd protect me…"
It was a sudden summons of a childhood memory. I caught a glimpse of a certain scene.
A field of flowers. In that place where sky-blue petals fluttered, I had held a certain girl. I felt like I had made some kind of promise then.
"Me, and Ria… you said you'd protect us…"
Her voice was now thick with tears. I felt as restless and helpless as I had when I was a child. My only thought was that I had to comfort Celine somehow.
Just as I was about to turn back toward her with that single-minded intent, a strange sight caught my eye.
The gates of heaven were opening.
That was the only way to describe it. Endless darkness was overflowing from a jagged rift in the sky. That darkness took shape like a shadow.
A massive figure stood upon the earth. Its size was impossible to fathom. It was simply gargantuan. Even though it appeared far in the distance, it was immediately visible to the naked eye.
Only a few seconds passed from the opening of the sky to the descent of the giant. Finally, the rift in the sky vomited out unidentified lumps.
They fell with terrifying speed. Their momentum was enough to create a massive shockwave upon impact. And one of them was falling right behind the sobbing Celine.
I roared and kicked off the ground.
"Celine!"
With a sharp thud, I shoved Celine aside, and my sword sliced through the air.
Blood sprayed along that thin line as the falling object was cleaved in two.
It was a mass of clumped flesh. Entwined bodies were weeping tears of blood and screaming. The sight of it, fumbling to stand on several legs and spreading multiple arms, was utterly hideous.
Faces protruding in every direction wailed and shrieked.
Kieeeeeeeek!
Celine just sat on the ground, looking dazed.
I had already sliced it in half, yet it was still moving. It was a sight I had seen somewhere before. It seemed the Flesh Nest, the Flesh Seed, and the Corpse Giant were all monsters of a similar kind.
And the culprit who summoned them was the same: Mitram.
I shouted at Celine once more.
"Go back right now and get the others! We have to hurry the evacuation!"
"…Th-then what about you, Ian?!"
I hesitated for a moment at Celine’s question.
Beyond the Flesh Chunk, I could see the village, filled with screams. Countless people would be living there. They would be confused and terrified.
The more terrified they were, the fewer people would be able to join the evacuation. Moreover, a one-sided slaughter by the Flesh Chunks might already be underway.
I couldn't bring myself to say that I should go back too. Instead, I thought of the resentful words Celine had thrown at me.
It was a promise made with the bravado of a boy. That because I was a knight, I would protect her.
The memory Celine had stirred led to a promise with another girl. Ria still held that promise dear. Believing in it, she had confessed her secret to me—that she had no memories from before she came to the mansion.
My grip on my sword tightened.
"…I have to protect them."
My voice still held a hint of hesitation. Even what I wanted to protect was vague.
Celine just stared at me, shell-shocked. I wasn't expecting an answer. I simply kicked off the ground and lunged forward, swinging my sword horizontally once more.
The body of the Flesh Chunk, which had been preparing to pounce on me, was sliced apart again. Unable to withstand this, the Flesh Chunk thrashed and shrieked.
With a sickening crunch, I stomped on the grotesque face of the Flesh Chunk. Only then did the screaming stop. I neutralized the monster by hacking off all its limbs.
"I'm going to the village. They'll need someone to lead them."
"By yourself?!"
"If things stabilize, send more people."
That was our final exchange. Without wasting a second, I shot toward the village.
The faces of countless people flashed through my mind—the simple, honest faces of those who had made my childhood happy.
For the first time in a long while, I offered a prayer to the Heavenly God.
Please.
Please, let me not be too late.
From the sky, meteors of flesh were raining down.