“So, you’re going to continue?”
Deheter desperately used his iron pillars haphazardly all over the town in a blind search for sacrifices. A number of villagers caught up in his indiscriminate attack recovered a bit of his flames. After, Deheter pulled out a scroll.
It was a gift from Pikton to bring Sungchul down to the ground, a scroll containing anti-air magic.
[Use that to terminate that human.]
Deheter who now had access to fight against aerial targets had a very obvious choice open to him.
Block one more attack and then retaliate.
‘He must be running out of mana. Drinking a bit of potions should not be able to recover enough mana to allow another barrage of attacks like the last one.’
The red light in his eyes flashed brightly once more.
But as if he had read Deheter’s thoughts, he made a slight motion to open his coat flaps to show Deheter what lay hidden beneath them.
Under the brilliant diamond broach were eight shining Soul Gems.
Multicasting.
The list of spells prepared were as follows.
1st Soul Gem Fly
2nd Soul Gem Star Light
3rd Soul Gem Star Light
4th Soul Gem Star Light
5th Soul Gem Star Light
6th Soul Gem Star Light
7th Soul Gem Star Light
8th Soul Gem Star Light
Deheter who had no way of knowing what this signified could only tilt his head.
Next moment, primordial lights once again manifested from the tip of Ryze Hymerr’s staff.
Not one or two, but seven of them at once.
‘Not consecutive attacks, but all at once? How can…?!’
He was aware that Sungchul’s greatest achievements were grounded on hand to hand combat taking advantage of his physical prowess. And Sungchul had certainly slain countless enemies by smashing them to death with Fal Garaz.
There was no deeper meaning behind this, it was because it was the simplest and the most familiar way of dealing with his problems.
But if alternative methods were required, Sungchul did not hold back on using his secret weapon he had been practicing; his magic.
Seven pillars of light converged on Deheter in a choir of death and completely enveloped him in the light.
Once the primordial light faded away, the only thing that remained were signs of destruction, and a blackened clump standing in the middle.
“O…Oksana…”
The King of Nimpas, Deheter’s body was beginning to disintegrate.
His body fell away like ash and were carried towards the village by the wind.
Oksana who had been hiding behind the fountain held her mouth as she watched the final moments of her husband in tears.
“…”
Sungchul put down his staff and returned to the ground.
The final voice of the fallen was carried by the wind and whispered to his ears.
[I loved you…]
Deheter’s voice.
[From the first moment I laid my eyes on you fifteen years ago…]
The king was reduced to ashes and disappeared.
“…”
Sungchul kept his mouth closed as he walked towards the fountain.
He walked the straight path created by Starlight as he thought to himself.
‘So, in the end, all of this was for the sake of love?’
He hadn’t seen this coming. The fact that the only thing that moved Deheter’s heart was his feeling towards his queen.
But even if he had known, the result wouldn’t have differed greatly.
Sungchul wrapped up his thoughts as he stood before the trembling Queen Oksana.
“You understand what you have to say, right?”
Oksana wasn’t able to speak.
It would be more correct to say that she refused to speak.
A stubborn woman to the end.
Despite the terrible things she witnessed, the threat to her life, and the death of her husband, Oksana did not lose herself and concealed herself under the veil of terror as she observed Sungchul for what to do.
Having prepared all the excuses she was ready to unleash when the time was right.
Sungchul considered killing her for a moment, but that soon ebbed away.
The scattering final words of Deheter stayed his hand.
He thought to himself, what difference would it make if were to kill this woman?
Sungchul put away Fal Garaz and sighed as he looked towards the horizon in the distance. He slowly spoke up after confirming the red Airship Sylphid take to the sky.
“He had told me this.”
The trembling Oksana looked up at Sungchul.
“That he had loved you since he first saw you fifteen years ago.”
“…What?”
Oksana tilted her head.
“Wh… what do you mean? I didn’t even know who he was back then…”
The truth didn’t matter. Sungchul simply conveyed the last message of the dead. There was nothing else he needed to say.
Even if he were to speak more, all he would hear back in return was that woman’s detestable self-defense and excuses.
Sungchul glared at the confused Oksana as he continued to speak calmly.
“You have betrayed and attempted to kill your husband who protected you to the very end, even giving up his life. Whatever you decide to do from this point forward, this truth will always remain with you.”
Oksana’s iris narrowed. But that was the extent of emotional response she showed. To Oksana, Deheter was worth only this much to her.
Sungchul turned towards the entrance of the village.
From not far away, he heard a vigorous shout.
A knight on a horse was galloping towards them as fast as he could.
His appearance seemed prearranged ahead of time
Sungchul felt the tip of his fingers twitch.
It was the fishermen’s instinct that finally kicked in.
The red Airship Sylphid was over Sungchul’s head before he realized and announced its presence and condition to the world.
Sungchul saw Marakia, Taigon, and a number of unknown members of the Mura sect wave their hand from the side of the ship. He watched them without much emotion as he took out a leaf of the World Tree.
Sungchul squinted at them as he stemmed the bleeding as he waited for the knight to reach him.
It did not take long for the knight to reach them.
He ran to the queen and kneeled before the queen.
“You’re alive, my majesty!”
He had met this person before.
He recalled him being one of the guardian knights of the palace.
He listened to the queen’s sobbing retelling of events as he consoled her. This made Sungchul think,
‘This man. He was an acquaintance of Derha of sorts.’
He could sort of guess what had happened, and what will soon happen.
“Imperial Commander in Chief, you were also safe. It’s such a relief to see you well!”
Sungchul walked up to him. His unchanging gaze was fixed onto the man’s face.
Pressured by an unspoken pressure, the Knight became nervous. But it did not stop him from taking something out to offer it to Sungchul.
“The reason why I was not at the palace was because I was carrying out my orders from the king.”
“…King Deheter’s order?”
The knight took out a document to show Sungchul once he was asked.
“What is in this?”
The Knight explained smoothly albeit intimidated by Sungchul.
“After the attempt on your life, the King was cooperating with his father in law, Viceroy Horneko to investigate who might be responsible. And today, that investigation finally bore fruit… but something so tragic took place meanwhile.”
Sungchul opened the letter. In it was the information about the assassin.
[Royce Champaign]
Age: 23 years
Affiliation: Allied Merchant’s Coalition
…
In the document was a very detailed information with several long explanations about the evidence that this man was responsible.
From Royce Champaign’s birth, to his childhood, his family background, and his prior dealings and connections to the Assassin’s guild and his motives and so forth.
Even the most difficult to please judge would nod to such a convincing document.
That is, if he was not aware of the truth already.
However, Sungchul already knew who the assassin was.
Transcendent Senses. The ability he had obtained due to the oath he had taken with god completely nullified the possibility of falsifying the truth before him.
Sungchul skimmed over the document before glaring at the knight and asking a question calmly.
“Who made this document?”
To this, the unnamed Knight smiled brightly and replied.
Viceroy Hornek…”
Splat!
Fal Garaz crushed the man where he stood.
Oksana screamed out loud from behind him.
“W…What are you doing! Why?”
Sungchul turned to look at Oksana after lifting up his bloody hammer.
“The reason why I left you alive is because of your husband.”
“…”
Oksana wasn’t able to reply and simply glared at Sungchul from behind.
Sungchul continued to speak regardless of her behavior.
“But you will soon come to resent your husband.”
Sungchul walked away with his bloody hammer in hand.
“Your family ends today.”
The bait he had laid out for so long finally caught the big one.
And the name of his catch was one of the Thirteen Champions of the Continent, Horneko.
Today, he will pay the price of his wrong doing.
He will pay for bringing harm to Bertelgia’s body.
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