Chapter 143
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143
"His Holiness the Pope has commanded me to deliver a message to your Deputy. Soon, divine judgment will be upon you all. And I have something to add myself."
This was no time to hesitate.
Even now, the castle's residents were dying.
The screams echoing from outside drove that reality home.
"Please tell those who call themselves Heroes that I expect great things from them."
"Rainmay, hurry!"
Unwilling to waste another moment, Kart charged forward with a roar that was half-shout, half-scream.
As if in response, flames erupted from his armor. They were of a completely different caliber than ordinary fire—flames possessing the same properties as a <Dragon Breath>—and they instantly enveloped his entire body.
A fire that consumed the user's very life.
"..."
Rainmay, who had been staring at the inferno on the verge of tears, finally made her decision and gripped her staff.
In the next instant, a pillar of light engulfed her, leaving behind nothing but a faint trace of mana.
Only after confirming that Rainmay had teleported safely did Kart push the flames to their absolute limit.
Willingly embracing the overwhelming heat, he strode toward the Holy Knight.
The flames swallowed the Lord's chamber whole.
"A futile effort..."
The Holy Knight was no exception, devoured by the all-consuming fire.
The ceiling collapsed.
*
By the time Kart regained consciousness, the entire area had been reduced to ashes.
Shoving aside the debris of the collapsed ceiling, he struggled to his feet. Agonizing pain surged through his body, and it took him several minutes just to find his balance.
His body had absorbed so much heat that ordinary fire could no longer burn him, yet he felt as if he were about to burst from the inside out. He had taken in a level of power that far exceeded what his body could endure.
As expected, I can't hold out.
There was no way a human body could safely contain the fire of a dragon. His limbs felt like lead. If he gave in and let his muscles relax, he knew he would lie down and fall into an eternal sleep.
Looking around, he saw that the Holy Knight was gone.
Did he leave without killing me?
Or was he forced to retreat before he could finish the job? He couldn't be sure, but even with that armor, the Holy Knight couldn't have withstood the dragon's flames unscathed. Kart let out a dry chuckle.
He stumbled forward, then collapsed, unable to bear the searing pain and utter exhaustion any longer.
Just as his eyes were drifting shut, his mind suddenly cleared.
Forcing himself awake, he raised his head slightly to see a mage from the Nixir Red Dragon Subjugation Squad, their face a mask of anguish.
The mage's staff flashed repeatedly as they desperately cast every healing spell they knew.
"C... Captain..."
"...You found me. Thank you."
Even amidst the chaos of battle, they had rushed over upon seeing the flames. He couldn't have been more grateful. As Kart stroked the squad member's head, the mage finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
How tragic.
It was a deep regret, leaving such wonderful comrades behind to die first.
Unfortunately, this wasn't an injury that could be cured with healing magic. His body wouldn't last half a day.
"Have the residents... evacuated safely...?"
His hearing was fading. The squad member's voice was a muffled drone, as if shrouded in fog. He barely managed to piece together a few words to understand what was being said.
It seemed they had been pushed back again and again, and were now cornered somewhere in the castle.
"Take me there."
The squad member replied again. Judging by the urgency in their tone, they were trying to stop him.
He attempted a gentle smile in response, but his facial muscles had stiffened, and he could only manage to narrow his eyes slightly.
"I'm not going to survive anyway."
Slowly, he stood once more. Though the squad member pleaded with him, Kart raised his sword again.
* * *
It was as quiet as if time had stopped.
His consciousness drifted away several times before snapping back.
Forcing his eyes open, he found himself standing alone on the bridge leading to the keep behind the main castle.
"Thank you," he muttered to the squad member, who had already vanished, and looked straight ahead.
Before him were hundreds of Orcs.
He glanced behind him.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of residents stared back, their eyes filled with terror.
"You brought me to the perfect spot."
There was no further retreat. With the castle wall at their backs, their only choices were to be slaughtered by the Orcs or to fall to their deaths.
Kart strained to look at the people behind him. He spotted several figures in red—his comrades. He was glad so many of them had survived.
"Retreat. Do whatever it takes to escape with as many residents as you can. I will buy you time."
His strength was failing, and his voice lacked its usual power, yet his words reached every human before him with absolute clarity. At his command, the subjugation squad members scattered among the residents answered in unison.
—Understood, Captain.
Even if he couldn't hear them, he knew.
As the humans began to move, the Orcs charged.
Blocking the bridge alone, Kart raised his sword.
Single-handedly, he clashed with the horde.
He slashed.
And slashed again.
Even when an attack slipped through.
Even when he stumbled and coughed up blood.
He regained his stance.
And slashed endlessly.
"Pant, pant, pant."
Had he cut down fifteen of them? He had barely swung his sword, yet his energy was already gone.
Seeing their chance, the Orcs rushed him relentlessly. Finally, Kart unleashed the flames of his armor one last time. It was his final resistance, burning away his own flesh.
"I am the one responsible for defending this castle—"
Unable to absorb any more heat, Kart's entire body was now burning.
"—the Captain of the Nixir Red Dragon Subjugation Squad, Kart!"
His eyes flashed sharply from within the inferno. An ordinary human would have been writhing in agony, but it wasn't just the armor sustaining him—it was his indomitable fighting spirit.
With victory guaranteed if they could just cross this bridge, the Orcs charged without fear, even as Kart was engulfed in flames.
He cut them down mercilessly.
Slashed, slashed again, and slashed endlessly. As he swung his sword in a wide arc, a veil of fire unfurled along the blade's trajectory.
He chuckled despite himself.
He could feel the presence of the people behind him gradually fading. They were successfully evacuating the residents. Yes, they were doing wonderfully. They truly were magnificent comrades.
"Good."
This was a death without regrets.
Intimidated by his overwhelming momentum, even the reckless Orcs began to hesitate.
Kart raised his sword one last time.
His body told him this would be his final strike.
Just as he was about to deliver the blow, a single Orc approached from the front.
...Kurak.
The master of the Great Evil Cave, the Legion Commander of the Orcs.
Unlike the others, there was not a shred of hesitation in his steps as he advanced on Kart.
Just before Kurak lunged to sever his neck—
"Do you think I'll let you pass...?"
Kart's sword slammed into the bridge first.
The solitary bridge collapsed.
* * *
"Sir Kart has fallen in battle."
After receiving the report, Ar stared blankly out the window.
Unlike his usual self, he was silent. He didn't say that things were proceeding according to plan, nor did he express any regret.
Only after several minutes did he mutter, "I must go see Lady Uin."
* * *
It was Rainmay who delivered the news of the defeat. Her voice, trembling through the magic tool, was so unstable that it took some time to fully process her report.
For all the time it took, the contents were brief.
They had lost. The castle had fallen. And—
"The Captain..."
Kart, the Captain of the Nixir Red Dragon Subjugation Squad, had died in battle. While some residents and squad members had escaped, far more had perished. And...
"The Pope... betrayed us..."
"...I see."
Ar feigned a surprised tone, carefully masking his true emotions. Rainmay seemed deeply shocked, but to Ar, this was all old news.
"And... Deputy."
Rainmay hesitated, but finally, as if steeling herself, she conveyed the rest of the message. She relayed everything, from the Pope's threat of divine judgment against Ar to the Holy Knight's declaration of war on the Heroes.
Having laid bare all her information, she finally asked the question that weighed on her, her tone solemn.
"Deputy, did you know this war would happen...?"
Was she suspicious because the Pope had specifically mentioned him? He considered other possibilities, but from her perspective, there was nothing else to suspect.
Ar replied in a flat tone, "If I had known, I would have stopped it."
Then he asked, "Who was the enemy that drove Sir Kart to his death?"
The report concluded after he managed to extract her painful answer.
After submitting his report to the Imperial Family, Ar quickly moved on. The Empire's chain of command was the epitome of inefficiency, placing extreme importance on useless etiquette. As the Deputy, Ar had the authority to report directly to the Emperor, but the other royals and nobles would never look kindly on such a breach of protocol. It was a right that existed in name only.
However, such a system was not always a detriment. For Ar, who needed to lay groundwork behind the scenes, this was an incredibly precious window of time. Since it would be several hours before the news of the defeat reached the Emperor's ears, now was the perfect time to act.
Avoiding the eyes of the nobles, he headed to the training ground, where Rashumer and Uin were in the middle of a sparring match.
He had intended to watch from a nearby hill, but Rashumer noticed his approach immediately, forcing him to show himself.
"It's good to see you both working so hard."
"Captain!"
The moment Uin saw Ar, she flung off her special gauntlets. They sailed through the air and landed squarely on Rashumer's face. As Rashumer fell backward with a grunt, Uin snickered at his misfortune and rushed toward Ar.
"Captain! Help me! That uncle keeps feeding me nothing but potatoes! He only makes potato dishes all day long!"
"Look at this brat's attitude. When we first met, she bowed politely and called me 'Sir Rashumer,' but now she just calls me 'uncle.'"
"Lady Uin, I'm sorry to say, I was the one who suggested the potatoes."
"...!!"
The shock of being betrayed by the person she trusted most made Uin's face turn pale. Rashumer teased her, saying she looked like a green potato.
Ar, who had watched the amusing exchange with a smile, spoke once the banter died down.
"I came to see how you and Lady Uin were doing, but there is something I must tell you both."
The playful atmosphere instantly vanished. Rashumer's expression hardened. Uin started to speak, but seeing the serious looks on their faces, she quietly took a step back.
"My apologies, Lady Uin, but I must speak with Sir Rashumer first."
*
Rashumer handed him a cup of grain tea. Ar took it and sipped.
Left alone, Uin ran through a few training exercises before sprawling out on the ground, bored of practicing by herself.
Glancing at her, Ar set his teacup down and spoke slowly.
"Lady Uin knows nothing of this, I assume."
"Even I don't know what's happening outside, so there's no way she would."
"Good."
The reason he had arranged this training camp was to prevent news of the war from reaching Uin's ears. Given her personality, she would have rushed headlong into the battlefield without a second thought. That would have brought the war to an early end—for better or for worse.
"Sir Kart has fallen in battle."
"I see."
Rashumer's reaction was calm. Although dying only a few days after the Orc invasion began was unexpected, it was never surprising for anyone to die on the battlefield. He merely felt a pang of regret.
"Was he killed by Kurak? Or the Gatekeeper?"
"He was not a man to die at the hands of the Gatekeeper."
Kart was strong. In Ar's estimation, he was one of the few talents in the Empire capable of defeating the Gatekeeper of the Great Evil Cave single-handedly. That was why Ar had asked one final question at the end of his conversation with Rainmay—about the events leading up to Kart's death. Rainmay's emotional suffering was of no concern to him.
"In fact, he reportedly slew Gorgo of the Tazak Tribe. I also initially assumed he fell in battle against Kurak, but it seems there was no direct confrontation."
"Then by whose hand?"
"Rainmay said he was defeated by someone claiming to be a Holy Knight."
"A lackey of the Papal Faction, then."
"And apparently, the man didn't have a single scratch on him."
Rainmay had confirmed it. She had even stated that she witnessed it herself.
"That makes no sense," Rashumer replied.
The flame-wielding treasures Kart possessed were so famous that there wasn't a soul in the Empire who didn't know of them. He knew just how absurd it was to claim that someone had emerged without a single scratch after facing those devastating flames.