Chapter 561: The Desired Honor

High above Fort Medraut, there was a writhing shadow, Offal. His vision of the world below was unaffected by the sunlight. The strange shadow took on the shape of a human.

What he saw before his eyes was unmistakable a war. A climax of human conflict, where humans could eat each other and take their lives.

The spears of the brave hero Richard and the heroine Valerie were now inescapably connected. The bodies of the soldiers piled on top of each other, and he could hear the thunderous sound.

「Twenty years, no, if only you had been born at least ten years later. 」

Offal’s words were directed at Richard, who was addressing his soldiers on the fort’s outer walls.

He had reached the pinnacle of humanity’s heroism. But that was forty years ago. How much strength did he have left? It would be too difficult for him to place a finger on Altius.

That was the destiny for humanity. People inevitably aged. They had to live their lives to the fullest, and pass their legacy on to the next generation, even if that generation didn’t turn out the way they wanted them to.

But there was one woman who tried to overturn this natural course.

「Altia. You are truly a terrifying woman. 」

The shadow turned its gaze to the Holy Church’s army.

An army of 60,000, led by the heroine Valerie. A warrior who faced demons alone.

And there he was, just a few feet away from Valerie.

The golden person. The one who possessed the soul of a great hero. Undoubtedly, the savior who would represent the highest form of this generation.

…Helot Stanley had arrived on the battlefield.

The reason Valerie had committed herself to the war was undoubtedly because of the presence of that golden person. In other words, it was Altius’ instigation.

Altius could’ve been aware of Valerie’s anguish. Which was why she had taken the initiative.

Furthermore, Helot’s presence here had a significance beyond supporting Valerie.

He was the Saint’s guardian and the one who commanded the army. Therefore, he didn’t act alone.

Offal narrowed his eyes and gazed into the distance. Tens of thousands of troops, including demons, could be seen stalking the high road again. They would join Valerie’s army in a few days, bringing their total to nearly 100,000.

Helot had simply joined with Valerie first, along with his accompanying soldiers.

「That’s typical of you, Altia. You never taught me anything. 」

Offal spat out his words. His tone was similar to that of his human days, before he became a divine being.

The other divine being, known as Altius, had only one will: to destroy and dominate her enemies. She would utilize every means to achieve this.

Offal understood Altius’ thinking, having shared history with her many times before.

Fort Medraut could no longer serve as a barrier to hold back the demon horde. Its fall was certain. The main army led by Lugis would not make it in time.

If that were to happen, Altius would no longer take a passive approach like maintaining the front line. Her main focus would be to chop off the enemy’s heads, no matter what.

…Therefore, if the fort fell, she would undoubtedly crush the royal capital.

If that happened, Lugis would be left alone and helpless. All hope of victory would be lost. Altius would corner him like a lion tormenting its prey. As she did to her subordinate, Ariene.

Offal lowered his gaze. He clenched his fingers. He could feel magical power flowing through each and every one of his fingertips.

Those known as divine beings gained their power from faith and…from souls. In this world where the Heraldic Order had been revived, Offal’s magical power was vast, incomparable to that of the previous world.

However, all of this should’ve been used to oppose Altius. It was meant to give his subordinate Lugis a push when he were to defeat her.

If Offal were to use his magical powers to intervene now, then he would no longer have the power to defeat Altius in her last moments.

Offal couldn’t help but ask himself: should he trust Lugis? Or should he entrust his efforts to someone else?

Altius had said that he was wrong, but Lugis’ achievements were brilliant. There was no doubt about it.

All sorts of humans had failed to reach his level. The fact that he was still pointing his sword at Altius at this point was astonishing. He had stepped outside the boundaries of humanity and become Altius’ enemy.

This was what Offal thought. If Lugis wouldn’t reach her, then there would be no one in this era who could kill Altius. No one who could stop her ambition.

That wasn’t surprising. An unstoppable absolute power would appear no matter what generation it was.

If that was the case, then hiding once again and entrusting everything to the next generation was also an option.

「This world will submit to you. Surely that will satisfy you, you greedy woman! 」

Altius was probably hearing Offal’s voice as well.

A few seconds that seemed an eternity. Countless thoughts and attempts ran through Offal’s mind. Then, Offal spoke after gritting his teeth.

「…Very well. You win, Altius. I can’t think of any other option. 」

—

Fort Medraut looked as if it was on the verge of abandoning its former self as a fort.

Enemy soldiers surrounded the fort, with numerous ladders clinging to the outer walls. The defenders, intent on burning them down and killing them with spears, were slowly but surely dwindling in numbers.

「Arrows are coming! Ready your shields! 」

Richard spoke up the moment he saw arrows rising from the enemy camp. Everyone readied their shields and hid in the shadows of the stone walls.

The gusting wind blew through, and a hail of arrows blanketed the outer walls. These merciless, inorganic killers sometimes pierced their shields and took the lives of many soldiers.

Richard distorted his tongue. Ideally, he would’ve fired a stream of arrows himself, but the difference in numbers was overwhelming. It was like pouring water on hot stones.

「Sir, the cannons are ready! 」

「No confirmation necessary! Fire all at once! 」

Visia, who shouted, must have understood what Richard meant, for the moment he spoke, a loud roar rang out, and huge stones were launched by gunpowder.

This rare sound on the battlefield, along with the sight of the falling stones, briefly stopped the enemy soldiers in their tracks. It was the culmination of technology that could be called the sword of the Heraldic Order.

But even so, the numbers were still too great. No matter how many enemies they killed, more just kept coming. Even Richard’s black sword was stained with blood and couldn’t keep up.

「It’s impressive. I’d love to lead an army like that. …Anyway, do you want to go back to the royal capital, Visia? 」

「Nonsense. A soldier would rather fire an arrow than complain. 」

「…Visia, you… 」

Richard noticed that Visia’s voice sounded unusually raspy. During a temporary gap in the enemy offensive, Richard was able to observe his condition.

And then, he understood. It was a miracle he was still alive and moving. Arrows had hit him all over his body. His internal organs had likely sustained fatal damage judging by the blood oozing from his stomach.

There was no hope.

「Sir, I’m a soldier. 」

Visia spoke while standing before Richard could say anything. He knew that if he sat down, then he wouldn’t be able to stand up again.

At Visia’s words, Richard instinctively stopped what he was about to say. There was no way he could tell him to rest.

So he issued his orders in his usual tone.

「Visia, you can’t hold back the enemy any longer. You’ll only have a few more hours to fight, even if you try your hardest. We need to buy ourselves another half a day. 」

The Great Holy Church’s forces continued their campaign for nearly half a day, and their momentum was unstoppable. They had a firm goal: to eliminate the heretics, and they were led by Silver-Rimmed Ultramarine Valerie Brightness. She knew all too well how to enthuse her soldiers.

「Is the outcome as expected? 」

「Yes. Visia, you prepare the drinks. We’ll win the enemy over. 」

Richard spoke, looking into Visia’s eyes. The light still lit. Rather, it shone brightly, as if to say that now was his prime.

「Sir, may I say one last thing? 」

Visia nodded upon receiving the order and spoke in a hoarse voice. His throat, so full of pep talks to his subordinates, was now painful even to speak.

But still, he spoke. They both knew they were running out of time.

「I’ve been on countless battlefields with you, from when you were a unit commander to when you were a hero. …You asked if you wished me to return to the royal capital, Sir. 」

His voice, husky with age, spoke with a firm grounding.

Richard didn’t interrupt.

「It’s ridiculous. I’m not following the Princess, nor am I entrusting my life to her. I told you, all I have is fame. …I wanted the reputation of fighting alongside you. To me, wherever you stand, that’s the royal capital. That’s all. 」

「…I’m a man who accomplished nothing. 」

「Then, let’s accomplish it here. 」

Visia turned and gathered his men to carry out Richard’s final order. A wry smile appeared on Richard’s face, deepening the wrinkles on his cheeks.

Richard couldn’t leave these outer walls. And so, he was unable to witness Visia’s final moments. Such compassion was unacceptable on the battlefield.

That’s why he only called out to him with his back turned.

「Make sure you keep your throat clear. Ale will taste good after victory. 」

「I’m looking forward to it, Sir. 」

Richard and Visia parted ways here. The soldiers on the fort where beginning to disappear one after another. The fort’s fall was inevitable.

Several roars rang out, and the sound of the fort’s main gate creaking could be heard.

But Richard laughed it off.

「I’ll show you what it’s like on the battlefield one last time. A battlefield is a place where you fight to the death. 」

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