Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The End of Ambition (3)
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‘What the hell is going on?’
Avilon Aleyas struggled to grasp the situation.
The reinforcements from the Southern Branch were currently surrounding the venue alongside the Guard Knights, standing watch.
There was nothing wrong with the security setup itself—but that lack of issues was the problem.
‘Did something happen to Brishura?’
As he pictured the brunette beauty’s face, Avilon felt a surge of anxiety.
The plan had been for Archbishop Brishura to lead her subordinates in storming the venue, with Avilon responding by attacking the princess.
They had made extensive preparations for it… yet the promised time had passed, and Brishura still hadn’t shown.
‘She should be leading the drugged soldiers to assault the venue by now. Why haven’t I heard anything?’
The blaring music and the nobles’ chatter made it hard to get a read on things.
As he anxiously scanned the surroundings, one of his subordinate knights came rushing over.
“Branch Leader’s proxy, there’s some kind of commotion over there!”
“Where?!”
She’s finally here, he thought, turning toward the venue.
But that area was still caught up in the lively party.
“Not over there… beyond the forest that way. It looks like fighting’s broken out in the sector Sir Erwin of the Iron Guard was handling.”
“What?”
“It seems like headquarters’ Sion the Formless Knight and others are in the thick of it… What should we do?”
“...!”
Only Brishura and her disguised subordinates had been placed in that sector.
He had no idea what had gone wrong, but things had clearly gone awry.
“Keep everyone’s mouths shut.”
“Pardon?”
“Make sure the party guests don’t catch on!”
Snapping those orders, Avilon left the area.
“I’ll handle it, so you all hold position!”
* * *
“Gah!”
A powerful strike completely severed one of Brishura’s arms.
Flesh tried to regenerate from the wound on its own, but it only twitched uselessly, failing to heal properly.
[It’s over. You’ve hit your limit.]
‘Yeah.’
Brishura’s drugs weren’t omnipotent.
He had figured there’d be a limit eventually, but it had come sooner than expected.
“Guh… ugh…”
The monstrous body of Brishura began reverting to its original form.
Even the enhancement drug’s effects had worn off.
“Sion, we’re done here too!”
With Robel’s booming voice came the sound of the last drugged soldier collapsing.
Liz and Robel must have taken out the remaining small fry.
“Who’d have thought we’d catch a Dialogue Church archbishop? Ha ha!”
“Don’t let your guard down, Robel.”
Liz scolded the excited Robel as he chattered away.
“Sion, is she completely neutralized?”
“That’s how it looks.”
“Should we call it done?”
I surveyed the surroundings.
It seemed like these were all the Dialogue Church operatives.
[I’m not sensing any other presences either. Unless there are more drugged soldiers without mana…]
‘With Brishura in this state, it’s weird no one’s come to rescue her.’
These special drugged soldiers were all they’d deployed this time.
No one was coming to save Brishura.
“Hmm, but how did these guys sneak in here? Even if the Guard Knights missed it, the Southern Branch knights should’ve been posted too.”
“They must’ve had connections.”
“Huh?”
“With the Southern Branch.”
“...!”
Robel startled at my words.
Meanwhile, Liz nodded as if she’d suspected as much.
“Yeah, that figures. It was suspicious when they suddenly brought up reinforcements.”
“They planted these guys among the knights assigned to security.”
Robel looked flustered as he listened to our conversation.
“So you’re saying Branch Leader’s proxy Avilon has joined hands with the Dialogue Church?!
“That’s how it seems.”
“What nerve! With purge knights already here over his father’s scandal, how could he…!”
“With the purge knights around, he had to move fast. An investigation might uncover his ties to the Dialogue Church.”
I didn’t know his exact goal, but Avilon had teamed up with Dialogue Church’s Archbishop Brishura to plot an attack on Princess Atria.
With Avilon’s cooperation secured, Brishura had brought her subordinates, disguised as Holy Knights, to raid the venue.
Avilon had probably been set to move in sync.
But my response had been quicker than they anticipated.
Brishura and the drugged soldiers had been subdued early, never getting close to the venue.
“Then we need to nab Avilon—no, Avilon! Let’s go!”
“Hold on, Brother Robel.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s coming to us first.”
With that, I turned my head.
Avilon Aleyas was approaching from that direction, radiating murderous intent.
“Avilon…!”
“Urk!”
Intense mana emanated from Avilon.
Right after, sword bullets he unleashed came bearing down on us.
“Dodge.”
“Gah…!”
Liz and Robel barely evaded the attack.
A 6-star and 5-star knight couldn’t block an 8-star’s sword bullets.
I swung Ashurai to deflect them, but Avilon charged in immediately after.
“...!”
Avilon gritted his teeth and swung at me.
Our sword auras clashed.
[He’s strong!]
Boom!
Though my mana was depleted from fighting Brishura, this attack pushed me back.
Even among 8-stars, Avilon’s current specs seemed superior.
“Brishura…!”
But Avilon didn’t press the attack on me.
As I was forced back, creating distance, he reached out to Brishura instead.
“Grab on tight!”
He pulled her into an embrace and fled on the spot.
In the opposite direction from the venue.
“Sion, why’d you let them escape!”
Robel raised his voice urgently as he watched the fleeing pair.
“With your skills, you could’ve stopped them!”
“We have to let them escape, Brother.”
“W-what?”
“If we make more noise, everyone at the venue will notice.”
“...!”
We were quite a distance from the venue now.
The toilets for the guards had been placed far off to accommodate the VIPs.
“Archbishop Brishura’s weak in combat, fine—but Avilon’s a formless knight. Subduing him quietly isn’t feasible.”
“Ah…”
“I get it.”
Liz spoke up from the side.
“If we fight Avilon here, the party’s over. Guests will panic and flee, causing chaos. You want to avoid that, right?”
“Exactly.”
It looked like the birthday party was still going strong at the venue—Avilon must have covered for them.
We had to let it proceed smoothly.
For Princess Atria’s sake, and for us guarding the event.
“Her Highness’s party must conclude successfully. Understood?”
“Got it.”
“Ugh… yeah, fine.”
Liz and Robel both accepted it.
“Still, we need to pursue quickly. We might lose them otherwise.”
“No rush, Sis.”
“Huh?”
“We won’t lose them. Absolutely.”
That’s right.
I’d already sent Dietrich after them.
* * *
“You okay now, Brishura?”
“Ugh…”
Deep in the forest, far from the venue, Avilon spoke to Brishura.
She was gulping down drugs one after another to heal her wounds.
Her physical injuries were mostly mended, but she writhed in agony from the side effects.
“Ah… Avilon…”
“What is it?”
“Why did you help me? You could’ve played dumb…”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Brishura.”
Avilon spoke calmly to the gasping woman.
“How could I abandon you?”
“...”
“We trusted each other. Didn’t we?”
With that, Avilon embraced Brishura.
Without the slightest hesitation, despite her body marred grotesquely by drug side effects.
“I won’t abandon you.”
“...”
“We’re in this together, Brishura.”
Tension drained from Brishura’s rigid body.
As Avilon smiled, sensing it—
“Heh heh heh…”
A mocking laugh echoed.
“Brishura, why laugh?”
“How could I not, Avilon…?”
Brishura swept back her hair with fingers not yet fully regenerated.
“You’re just planning to use me to flee to the Dialogue Church.”
“...”
“With this mess, escaping unscathed is near impossible for you. You’re already under scrutiny over your father… The purge knights won’t let it slide.”
“...”
“Your only way out is using the Dialogue Church’s network to escape south. Then start fresh as one of us—leveraging your connection to me, an archbishop.”
Brishura bared her fangs in a grin at the silent Avilon.
“You planned to use me. Just like I planned to use you.”
“...”
“Since it’s come to this… shouldn’t we be honest with each other?”
The moment Brishura finished—
Crack!
Avilon seized her throat.
“Guh… ack…”
“You get it, Brishura…”
“Let… go…”
“Your tattered body needs my help to shake off the Holy Knights’ pursuit. Right?”
“Eek…”
The formless knight’s grip strength nearly choked her out.
“We’re in the same boat. So cooperate fully.”
“F-fine…”
Avilon released her.
A normal person would’ve had their neck snapped, but Brishura just coughed a few times.
“Brishura, tell me everything about the Dialogue Church infiltrators hiding in the south. We’ll use that to plan our escape.”
“You’re… planning the escape?”
“I know how Holy Knights are deployed across the south. And how to move in a situation like this.”
“Ah…”
“We’re in this together, Brishura.”
Avilon emphasized.
“Combined, we can escape no problem.”
That’s when a cold voice came from above.
“I wonder about that.”
Avilon and Brishura jerked their heads up.
But all they saw overhead was pitch-black night sky.
Cloudy, with no moonlight or starlight piercing through…
“...!”
Fwoosh!
Light flashed in the sky like fireworks exploding.
They braced for an attack, but no spells rained down.
Instead…
“Avilon, over there…!”
“...!”
The moment he turned at Brishura’s cry—
Avilon’s eyes caught sight of Sion Aleyas charging straight through the dark forest toward them.