Chapter 396: Those who Trust and Those who Believe

The cold wind hit my cheeks and made my throat dry. Why didn’t I fill another glass of water before leaving the shelter? There was no going back now but I still regretted it.

I led the soldiers while jumping over the shadows of the eaves. A considerable amount of noise began to grow around me, and my heart began to beat faster without notice.

The soldiers probably felt the same way as I did, but none of them said a word. No matter what their thoughts were, all they could to do was move forward.

After all, opportunities were fleeting. If we missed them even once, they would easily disappear before our eyes. People who worked as soldiers probably understood this deeply.

The old man’s plan to sneak under the devil’s feet while igniting a fire seemed to have been somewhat successful. The cityscape that was supposed to be under the control of the demonic beasts was now in disarray. Everyone was being forced to take some kind of response.

We were now headed to the royal palace. It felt strange for a commoner like me, who was once not even allowed to approach the royal palace, to finally step into that place under the control of demonic beings.

Only the footsteps of the Heraldic and Ghazalian soldiers could be heard around us. As I exhaled the air that had accumulated in my lungs, a pair of blue eyes moved next to me.

「…I think Caria will be very angry. Her wrath will be like a torrential rain. 」

Eldith said so. It sounded like she was frustrated, or rather, alarmed. It was her way of saying it, but I knew exactly what she meant.

If I glanced behind as the small group marched, I would immediately notice that the usual silver and black figures were no longer visible.

As for Filaret, she took a different action midway through. Her situation was different from Caria’s, who had been forced to take a little break.

「How could I force a seriously injured person who is undergoing treatment to come to the front line? Stop kidding me. 」

My cheeks twisted but I spoke without raising my voice. I tried my best not to let the soldiers hear me.

In the previous battle with the magical devilish being, Caria’s arms and legs were seriously injured, and she didn’t seem to be able to move that well. If she were just a regular human, her limbs would be rendered useless forever. In fact, she wouldn’t even eat dinner by herself without external help.

There was no way I would bring such an injured person to the battlefield. I said those words to Eldith, whose her blue eyes turned outward for a moment before her mouth waved.

「I guess so. But she’s still going to be angry. If I were in the same position, I’d be angry and sad. I’ve had enough of being left behind by none other than you. 」

Words filled with a strange sense of reality entwined in my chest. Her blue eyes were so sharp that they looked like they could pierce through my skin. Even though we were on a serious march, Eldith didn’t accept silence.

I realized that it was the second time Eldith had questioned me about Caria. Did she say something similar during that time in Ghazalia when I left Caria? Strangely, it seemed like it happened just last night even though it happened a long time ago.

I opened my mouth while remembering something at the edge of my thoughts. The nostalgic royal palace was already coming into view.

「Trust. It’s called trust, Eldith. It’s because we trust that we can act, right? 」

Caria, who was both intelligent and ferocious. I was sure she’d be able to easily see through the reason why I left her asleep. She’d see the intentions behind my actions. She would then take action accordingly. That was how smart she was.

Oh, and that.

Even if everything went wrong and I rotted like nothing but mud. Even if I became just a pile of dirt.

If she lived, she would do something about it. She would come to save me. I had such a faint feeling. That was the feeling I also had for Filaret, and for Eldith as well.

The feelings from the past life hadn’t completely disappeared. Even though they were the people who once looked down on me, they were still the heroes I yearned for.

They were, for me, a presence with a wide variety of emotions.

I wanted to be forgiven for harboring a little bit of a dreamy admiration for them.

Eldith replied with, “Huh?” and then said the following.

「Then how much do you trust me? I’d really like to hear your answer, Lugis. 」

I shrugged my shoulders and met her gaze as I responded. Her blue eyes were illuminated by the morning sun, making them shine brightly.

「I must tell you this…Eldith. Trust that can be measured is not trust. 」

I suddenly stopped in my tracks when I said her name. A bright light came into my vision.

Next, a roaring sound and a rain of light rays materialized.

Magical arrows rained down onto the streets and buildings that covered the left and right sides. The attack was endless and didn’t leave a single person alive. It was as if it were a mass of murderous intent.

—

It wasn’t shocking.

It was no exaggeration to say so. The demonic beast Velg, which had the lower body of a horse, slammed its strong hooves against the rock wedge. He stared as dust was rising. There was no sign of resistance.

He felt that humans were extremely fragile.

Humans couldn’t stand against a storm of magical arrows. Most of their functions would cease once their arms were torn off. Most humans were slow and couldn’t move quickly.

Velg’s master said that humans had become stronger. However, Velg still had no idea what his master’s words meant.

In his experience, humans were only fearsome when they formed groups. But there was no creature that was easier to hunt than a sole human. Velg was proud for not being defeated by frail humans. In fact, he was pleased of his much strength and wisdom.

He lightly raised his thick, muscular arm and sent a signal to his subordinates hidden on the second floor of the building. In the midst of this offensive, something akin to a feeling of guilt ran through Velg’s chest.

Of course, it was not a feeling for humans. But for his master.

…I won’t allow you to interfere with the humans heading to the royal palace. You should only suppress those who are trying to wreak havoc on the city’s outskirts.

His master’s words were an order. But if he were to follow that order, the humans who were running to the royal palace would’ve reached that place by now.

It didn’t matter how insignificant they were. Velg wanted to avoid imitations that could trouble his master. Especially if a fight with Jewel was coming up. Velg made a sound with his hooves.

Magical beasts were not strong enough to fight in a battle that required strategy and coordination. That’s why Velg knew he would be unable to do anything if the Controller and Jewel were to consume his flesh and blood.

That’s why he should do whatever he could. Do what he needed to do to help his master. Even if it meant going against his master’s orders.

When the dust cloud from the large number of magical arrows subsided, Velg stared at the spot where the corpses were probably scattered. He wanted to see if that person was among them.

The human who had abhorrently aimed at his master’s life yet managed to escape. A vicious swordsman wearing green clothes. He had to die for going against his master.

The moment Velg tried to look through the dust, he noticed something irregular. His big eyes widened, and he moved around.

There was no body. Blood, or even pieces of meat. There was no trace of anyone dying.

Agitation and confusion ran wild in Velg’s brain. But before he could assess the situation, a voice was heard.

「…You can curse me as much as you like. 」

Velg didn’t know if he really heard that voice. It could’ve been a hallucination. It came from behind his back, where he could hardly feel its presence. Then, a reverberant sound cut through the space. The sound of a blade sliding down from the sky.

Avoid it. That strong intuition hit Velg’s brain.

No, it was bound to happen. But could he accept it?

While fighting the swirling conflict and frustration, Velg twisted his hooves. Even in the midst of this perplexing situation, a premonition of death grabbed Velg’s heart.

As Velg made up his mind, he struck the earth with his four legs. His giant body jumped and ran. The purple light followed and opened its jaw to eat his flesh.

A terrifying amount of blood splattered and flew into the air.

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