Chapter 562: Too Weak, Too Strong

Guardian Valerie Brightness gazed down upon her army, her eyes wide with fiery intensity.

She felt as if her entire body was being torn apart each time she wielded her magical armor and issued commands to her subordinates. She couldn’t properly control the strength in her fingertips.

It wasn’t a problem with her body. It was her mind that was distorted. Her mind and body seemed to be separate entities, completely out of sync.

Yet, despite this, her command remained flawless. Her body understood how to survive war no matter how unstable her mind became.

War used violence to create miracles. It was nothing less than the human endeavor where the tyranny suppressed in peacetime was affirmed to its fullest extent.

In a sense, Valerie was a genius of violence. One could even call her the epitome of tyranny. She was undoubtedly the center of the battlefield in this era.

「My master. Are you perhaps troubled? It’s unlike you. 」

Dore, the adjutant, lined up the horses, clad in light armor.

Valerie, who usually fought on the front lines, was now commanding from horseback, looking down on her troops.

Valerie’s current appearance was proof that she was different from her usual self.

「I’m not wavering. I have a regret. 」

Valerie declared, still commanding. It was a clear, unadulterated statement. It showed that her true feelings didn’t have any ulterior motives.

Right now, all Valerie felt was a burning regret. She had lived a life without regrets, yet now it felt as if everything had crumbled before her eyes.

Normally, Valerie wouldn’t act until her actions and heart aligned, for better or for worse.

But the words professed by that Guardian Helot Stanley had driven her body forward, leaving her mind behind. Two things were said: an order to invade the capital with reinforcements, and a message from the Saint.

Upon hearing it, Valerie reached a certain conviction.

She could no longer keep Richard alive.

The army would kill Richard no matter how much she struggled. No, even before that, his soul was already stolen by Giluel’s necromancy.

…If that were the case, rather than letting someone else take it, it would be best to receive it with her own hands. There was no other way.

Therefore, Valerie forcefully cut off all her doubts. Fortunately, the coldness of the battlefield prevented her from thinking about anything else.

She wasn’t particularly shaken by Richard’s refusal to surrender again and his opposition to her. Rather, she even smiled, finding it typical of him.

He had always been one step ahead of her, always in her sight. For Valerie, he was her mentor, her idol, and a symbol of her ultimate goal.

He would die today. She would undoubtedly kill him.

Valerie raised her gaze after hearing the loud voices of the soldiers.

She saw the fort’s main gate creak open. Several soldiers scattered, perhaps due to gunpowder, but the remaining soldiers poured into the fort like an avalanche.

「Dore, stop them. It’s an obvious trap. 」

「A trap? What trap is there with a fallen fort, Master? Even the hero probably can’t escape now. 」

Dore, who had been expressing relief and an indescribable emotion at the fort’s fall, tilted her head and looked at Valerie.

Dore’s words were reasonable. A trap was something set to prevent a fort from falling or to allow oneself to escape. But there was no such thing as a trap with a fallen fort.

Just moments ago, the figure of a commander could be seen on the fort’s outer wall. He couldn’t escape now.

The soldiers probably shared Dore’s thoughts. Besides, no soldier could stop at the sight of an open gate. They rushed into the fort, each vying to be the first.

Ah, they don’t understand, Valerie thought. A disconnection between mind and body had created a strange coldness within her heart.

That villain wouldn’t simply allow the fort to fall.

Fort Medraut was a relay point on the road connecting the Cathedral and the capital. It was a crucial location for stockpiling troops and supplies.

If it could no longer be defended, what would that villain do? Valerie could easily imagine.

…In an instant. A deafening explosion rang out. The fort, which had repeatedly rejected soldiers, now spewed flames, swallowing them whole.

The surroundings were enveloped in a strange shimmer, a dazzling blend of the snow’s reflection and the flames’ light.

Valerie channeled magic into her magical armor, pulling on the reins and accelerating her horse. Her unwavering composure told her this was her only chance.

Valerie was overcome with regret in her racing heart.

On that day, when she realized Richard had strayed from her path. Not anger, not even a desire to win him back…

…I should have held his hand.

If only she had done that, then this miserable battle wouldn’t have happened. Valerie ran, tears welling up in her eyes, trying to hide them from everyone around her.

This battlefield was coming to an end.

—

Filaret La Volgograd had an “Evil Eye”, which she had created herself. But why?

Because of a huge threat. The witch from mythology, with a natural gift for magic and sorcery alike, appearing as an ordinary girl, surveying everything around her.

…No, that was a misunderstanding. That wasn’t even a girl, not even human.

There was still a considerable distance between them. Yet, that entity, with its deathly evil eye wide open, responded to Filaret with an overwhelming amount of heat.

「That won’t do, you pathetic loser. 」

Those words, spoken not by voice but by magic, struck Filaret’s skull. It felt as if her head was about to split open. Blood rushed to her throat, threatening to make her vomit.

Initially, Filaret had entered this situation calculating her chances of winning.

Her opponent didn’t know about her evil eye. If she could inflict damage on the eye with a surprise attack, then she could buy herself some time. Using battlefield magic, she should have been able to burn the beasts and their bodies together.

If things went as planned, even if victory wasn’t possible, Filaret should have been able to prolong the battle until Lugis could defeat Zebrililith.

But it was no use. She had actually seen it, felt the evil eye, and realized.

…That thing was in a league of its own. It was impossible to even scratch the enemy’s powerful evil eye. Its skill in magic and sorcery was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Filaret’s clenched teeth shifted. Fear enveloped her throat.

Filaret’s spirit wasn’t strong at all; rather, she was a weak and cowardly person. Her past scornfulness had given her weakness.

Therefore, she couldn’t jump into battles with no chance of winning like Caria, nor could she act with composure in the face of adversity like Eldith.

It was precisely because she was weak that she devised strategies and could even come up with dirty tactics. When beaten down, all composure vanished, and her expression contorted.

Her teeth chattered in response. Each step the enemy took close, death got near, and her skin tingled with fear.

Many thoughts raced through Filaret’s mind.

She would settle her past by confronting and overcoming this demon. Wasn’t that too convenient?

Or was it simply that she lacked the courage to confront her own weakness head-on, and tried to end it in another way?

That’s why she got on the verge of breaking down so easily when things went wrong.

Now that Filaret thought about it…it had always been like this. At the Great Temple of Flimslat, in the war against Vrilligant, and always before that.

Filaret bit her cheeks as the pressure of the evil eye pounded into her.

…She had always just used magic as instructed. She was only trying to meet her own expectations. Had she ever faced a formidable enemy, and defeat it head-on, alone?

「Ha, ha, hahaha… 」

A dry laugh formed as Filaret exhaled every last drop of air from her lungs. It was truly ridiculous that she only realized this at the brink of death.

She was weak. She felt as if she were about to be crushed by the enemy’s magic. Her spirit was about to break. The moment her chances of winning vanished, her legs trembled uncontrollably, and her thoughts and composure vanished.

「Shut up…! What’s wrong? What’s so bad about it? Don’t be ridiculous! 」

Lugis was always there at times like these.

He would offer words of encouragement and tell what to do.

That’s why Filaret was able to get back up again and again.

But today, there was no one else but Filaret.

A directional vortex of magical energy struck Filaret’s entire body with force. The power of her evil eye had finally become uncontrollable.

Blood gushed from her mouth. One arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. She had lost feeling in her fingers. She had avoided death itself, but she was utterly battered.

「Ha. Is this the end? It was a disappointment, but it was fun. Such a pathetic loser. 」

She heard those words transmitted through magic. The witch said it was fun. So it must have been fun for her. Tormenting the weak must have been incredibly enjoyable.

Filaret immediately understood that this was a death sentence.

This was the end for her. Her life was taken. Her future was taken from her.

The weak had no choice but to be taken from.

For Filaret’s heart, overwhelmed by humiliation, fear, and shock, this was the final blow. Her fragile heart would crumble in an instant if she were alone.

「Ah… 」

A breath escaped from her lips. Her body swayed. Her fragile heart seemed to shatter, and her body threatened to follow suit.

Her eyes, even bleeding, widened. A moment passed.

She realized that all she could do was cling to others. She was timid and fearful, unable to do anything without someone’s help. Her life had been nothing but one of being looked down upon.

That’s why.

…Next, Filaret looked down on everything on her path.

「Don’t mess with me…! You’re the weakling! 」

The evil eye surveyed the area. Filaret’s bleeding eyes glided a flash of magic towards the witch Baronius.

It tore through Baronius’ shoulder after draining the surrounding magic.

「Shut up, shut up! Shut up! 」

Filaret’s heart was weak. She couldn’t fully accept fear like Caria, nor could she gently deflect it like Eldith. Filaret always faced fear head-on, collapsing to her knees.

Therefore, all she could do was…after shattering, rebuild her mind in a chaotic mess and stand up again.

For Filaret La Volgograd, this was the greatest lesson she learned from him.

「Weak? No chance of winning? I don’t care if I die in order to win!! Got a problem with that!? 」

Her words were utterly incoherent. Surely, she didn’t even understand what she was saying. But there was only one clear thought left behind.

「You’re not the one who’s going to take it! I’m the one who’s going to take it from you! 」

All Filaret could do was punch, overwhelm, and crush the enemy before her.

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