Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Failure-4
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Celia's first emotion upon meeting his gaze was that distant, profound sorrow.
His pain was far greater than she had imagined.
The two stood there, eyes locked, simply staring at each other without doing anything.
She was afraid. She felt certain he would charge down this hallway at any moment and crush her just like he had Nerwen moments ago.
But more than that, guilt weighed heavily on her. Others might not know, but the Saintess at least understood what a good person he was.
Even now, he was suffering more than those he had struck down. It was entirely her fault that she had driven him to this state.
"I'm sorry..."
She desperately wanted to ask what had happened. What did he mean by turning back? How had he defeated the Princess and Pashier? What was he going to do now?
But those were questions she wanted to ask, not ones she should.
"Should... I die too?"
Talk of who liked whom or hidden relationships—it had all been her delusion.
Everyone was a sinner. Everyone was complicit, and everyone bore responsibility.
If she used holy spells to heal the others, the fight might continue, but looking at Enel's calm expression, she didn't think they could win.
Even if they could, she didn't want to.
It was foolish, but she hadn't known. She thought he could endure it.
He was someone who never said a harsh word to anyone. She didn't even want to imagine how much pain he must have felt for this rage to erupt.
He blankly looked around. There were the fallen people and the magic circle in ruins.
A brief silence fell. But urgent footsteps growing closer shattered that fragile peace.
Celia realized what she could do.
"You bastard! Do you even know where you are?!"
The old knight and the imperial palace guards burst into the basement. The soldiers who had fled with the Princess behind them had regrouped.
"Escort His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Princess out first! My knights, stay by my side! We stop him!"
The guards formed ranks with their fine armor and disciplined stances.
"I thought some thief had broken in, but to think you'd pull off something this audacious."
The old knight at the front drew mana from his sword. They had been the escort pursuing the elf and the Saintess, but the danger here was far greater and more vicious.
"Sir Reinhardt... please retreat. Hurry..."
Elenor pleaded with them to turn back, squeezing out her last bit of strength, but she couldn't break their pride.
They fixed tense gazes on Enel, as if he were some monster that had appeared in the imperial palace.
"Don't hold back. Be ready to give your lives. This is a being that overwhelmed the Hero. Whether it's the reincarnation of a demon god or the rampage of an ancient dragon, we won't survive."
The old knight glared at Enel with unwavering eyes.
"Saintess, we'll hold him here, so please escape."
A guard tried to carry Celia out, but she shook her head fiercely.
"N-no. I can't. If blood is shed now, then it'll really be irreversible..."
The Saintess tried to shake off the guard's hands however she could, but with both arms unusable, it wasn't easy.
Her right index finger, stained with her own blood like a brush, was ceaselessly writing prayers on the canvas of her left hand.
"We'll protect the others somehow! We'll get Her Highness, Lady Nerwen, and Lady Pashier out no matter what!"
They thought the reason Celia wouldn't leave was her remaining comrades. If they promised to evacuate everyone safely, she would follow obediently.
The truth was a bit different. Of course, they were precious friends to the Saintess too, but the real reason lay elsewhere.
It was that man over there, radiating murderous intent and having felled everyone—he was the true reason she couldn't take a step.
"No more. Really, not now..."
There had been countless chances.
If she had said even a slightly warmer word to him, ignored the mage's orders and cast enough holy spells to put him at ease, or stood ready to fight the other party members to protect him—would things have been different?
If that wasn't enough, even if she had turned a blind eye to sacred relics and the Goddess's commandments to protect him—would it have changed anything?
It was all too late. Enel had already broken, and people had fallen. But if this wasn't the end.
Then this might truly be the last chance. Celia didn't want to miss it again. Even if it meant her death.
The old knight drew his sword and aimed it, but Enel did nothing, letting his holy sword hang limply.
"Surrender if you harbor no hostility. You've committed this outrage against His Majesty the Emperor—you won't leave alive, but at least I can ensure a fair trial."
"How much... hostility should I show?"
"If you won't, then die!"
A sword faster than his age suggested came at Enel. He stood blankly until the last moment, then slightly raised his holy sword to deflect it.
"Damn, what power..."
There was no strength in the arm blocking the sword, nor in the hand gripping the holy sword. Yet it clung to him as if it desperately wanted to stay in his grasp, refusing to leave.
"Take this!"
"How many more... do I have to kill?"
"All of us, obviously!"
Reinhardt charged at Enel with a shout. Sword clashed against sword.
It was a bit more like a fight than Elenor's had been. Having grown accustomed to the Hero's power only to have it stripped away in an instant was different from sparring with Elenor, whom he had trained for years.
"Damn it, don't hold back!"
But for the old knight to win—or even stall—against the Hero with that alone was impossible.
Still, Enel had no reason to feel anger toward him.
"...Why not just leave?"
"Every citizen of the Empire has received grace from His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Princess!"
There was no reason for someone swinging a sword in defense to succumb to the melancholic aura from someone like Enel.
"I was dragged into power struggles and lived as dew on the execution grounds! What sustained me then was His Majesty the Emperor!"
Other guards aimed for Enel's flanks and rear, but they couldn't easily intervene. Those who bravely charged were caught in their clash and flung away.
The holy sword didn't cut flesh. But that didn't mean it was safe.
He had no experience fighting those weaker than himself. Monsters were natural foes to be slain at full power, and Elenor, whom he had crossed swords with most, wouldn't be scratched even if he swung with all his might.
Shoulders shattered, ribs broken, crawling painfully on the ground—it was no exaggeration to call them mere corpses clinging to life.
"You think I'll yield?!"
Enel narrowly dodged his sword. Even in a clash where full force would never push him back, he retreated step by step.
Emotions flared, breaths grew ragged. The mana-infused sword pressed down on Enel's holy sword.
"When I heard they had achieved greater feats than anyone and subjugated the Demon King faster than any Hero, I felt such relief, but..."
Reinhardt steadied his breath. The sword gripped in both hands shot straight toward the sky.
"You think a worm like you can taint that finale with death?!"
It was a sword as heavy as a mountain. A mighty blade achievable only through an unyielding heart and honest training, without a hint of falter.
Reinhardt harbored no thought it would miss, no doubt it would be blocked.
He simply swung for his beloved disciple and his liege, the Emperor.
"Haaaaaaa!!!"
But the sword didn't connect. A powerful repulsion flung it aside.
Just once, when he resolved himself and lifted the holy sword with force, his strike became meaningless.
"It... won't work..."
"We'll help!"
In the brief opening as he hesitated, new knights rushed in, swinging at Enel.
Of course, they fell even more easily, collapsing to the ground.
The area was already littered with unconscious soldiers. They carried out the combat-incapable ones through the narrow stairs while more fresh soldiers poured in.
A few knights were mixed in, but even Elenor, the pinnacle of knighthood, and Reinhardt right below her couldn't land a scratch on him.
The bravest and most responsible fell first.
And later, even soldiers who had merely been nearby in the palace gathered.
"...Can't we stop now?"
Reinhardt hadn't fallen.
He hadn't been truly hammered by the holy sword like Elenor, but he was no longer in a state to fight normally.
The other soldiers kept pouring in endlessly to support him.
"Stop? You think I'll retreat and let you do the same to Her Highness again?"
The old knight's voice had softened considerably. Or perhaps he was too exhausted to shout.
"Y-yeah! W-we won't back down, not one!"
A noble who had recently been promoted to the capital for his merits chimed in. His voice trembled, but he showed no intention of turning his back on Enel.
Terror dwelled in their eyes, but it hadn't reached their feet yet.
Enel, raising his holy sword once more with weary resolve, spotted a familiar face among the guards.
"Baron... sir?"