Chapter 578: The Nature of Fate

Time rewound. The moment of the fall of Fort Medraut.

The alluring flames and explosions created by gunpowder easily engulfed enemy soldiers who entered the fort, turning them into a bloody mess.

The fire, currently confined to the outer walls, would soon engulf the entire fort. That was the nature of using gunpowder and burning water. It wouldn’t stop until it burned to ashes. The provisions they had been counting on had been lost. They couldn’t make it through.

On the burning outer wall of Fort Medraut, Richard, now a defeated commander, fiddled with an unopened bottle of ale in his left arm.

「Have you sent reinforcements to the capital? That’s good. You should escape too, don’t stay with me. 」

「But Commander…」

「Silence. It’s an order. Go deliver the message. Fort Medraut has fallen, and I’m dead. That’s all that matters! 」

Richard roared at his hesitant soldier.

He was an excellent soldier. He knew how to fight while suppressing his fear. That was precisely why Richard couldn’t let him die in a place like this.

Besides, he was still young, not a seasoned veteran. He was far from being close to the grave.

The soldier saluted and left, while showing a face contorted with regret and tears. He really was a good soldier. He could suppress his own thoughts and follow orders.

「He made it in time. But I didn’t… Hah. 」

The arrival of Lugis’ avant-garde troops. That meant he had defeated Zebrililith. How he did it was unknown. Whether such a thing was even possible was unclear.

But he had done it. Only a strange certainty remained in Richard’s heart.

A skinny child, untalented, with nothing to show for it. Only his eyes gleamed with light. He thought that even if he took him in, he would eventually die somewhere unknown. Like himself, he would accomplish nothing.

But now that child had grown into a man, and he had become a hero. That alone was enough, Richard thought.

That was why he had sent the avant-garde troops back to the capital. His army shouldn’t be involved in this losing battle.

This wasn’t just about troop losses; it was a matter concerning the governance of the new Kingdom on a larger scale.

…If we were to quote historical records, the rule of the new Kingdom by the Heraldic Oder  during this period would be depicted as peaceful. There were no rebellions, and the nobles obediently followed the new Queen.

However, that wasn’t the truth.

Queen Philos and Saint Matia’s governing foundation was incredibly fragile. A newly emerging power couldn’t possibly have an unshakeable base.

The Queen was being supported by nobles led by Biomondor. However, they were those who had no power within the old Kingdom to begin with, and therefore followed Philos. Their territory wasn’t very large. There were still opportunistic nobles within the Kingdom who neither supported Philos nor followed King Ameritz.

While they currently pledged allegiance to Philos, who had seized control of the capital, discontent was clearly simmering.

This was partly due to the loss of much of their power, but the biggest issue was religion itself.

Unlike the old Kingdom, the new Kingdom adopted the Heraldic Order as its state religion. However, the majority of the nobles followed the Great Holy Church and looked down on the Queen for believing in a different god. Furthermore, she was the illegitimate child of a lowly concubine. Even Saint Matia was merely an upstart who had ridden the wave of the times.

The only areas Philos could completely control were the fertile territory surrounding the capital and the noble lands of the Biomondor faction. A rebellion could have broken out at any moment. Human desires and rebellious spirits were difficult to suppress even amidst the rampant evil.

So why didn’t they revolt? Why would they so readily submit to the young Queen?

…It was awe of victory.

The Heraldic Order, the Queen’s support base, had achieved victory after victory. The walled city of Garoua Maria and the mercenary city of Belfein. From the Ghazalia Civil War to the Battle of Sanyo, and the campaigns against internal rebels, great demons, and magical devilish beings.

In every campaign, the Heraldic Order…no, the hero himself, had achieved victory after victory. He, who had won every battle and was said to have slain a dragon, was allied with the Heraldic Order, and by extension, the new Kingdom.

To rebel against the new Kingdom meant having the hero’s blade brought down upon one’s own neck.

In short, that was all there was to it. Other factors were merely secondary. Only the myth of the hero’s invincibility supported the new Kingdom’s power foundation.

That’s why Richard sent Lugis’ troops toward the capital. This way, even if Richard were defeated, he could justify it by saying that Lugis hadn’t been defeated. The myth of invincibility would still be alive.

「…I knew you’d come. You big fool. 」

Richard turned on his heel at the outer wall of the fort, where not only enemy soldiers but even his own had been lost. He had been watching her charge.

She stood inside the fort, where the fire was just beginning to spread. Her eyes were breathtakingly sharp, and confidence that no man could match radiated from her shoulders. She wore a magical blue armor.

Valerie Brightness reigned there, destined to become Richard’s grim reaper.

「I’m not as bad as you, villain. Setting fire to the fort yourself…how reckless. You’re useless now. 」

「That’s good. It’ll be a bonus if we both get stuck here. 」

Valerie knew about Richard’s state. She understood what fate awaited him.

That’s why she wore a smile that seemed to draw lines across her face and raised both hands.

There was no carelessness, no lapses in concentration. This was Valerie’s full-force stance, the embodiment of violence.

「…Well, I don’t need to ask your purpose, do I? 」

Richard replied, seizing his black sword with his left hand. Only the sound of burning flames and their voices could be heard.

「I’ve come to kill you, Richard. 」

「Yes. I’ll kill you too, Valerie. 」

If this was what one call fate, then fate must be mad.

Two beings who once shared great ambitions, who spoke of dreams together, who were comrades. Now, in this burning place, they directed unwavering murderous intent towards each other.

Valerie wouldn’t allow Richard to become immortal. She wouldn’t tolerate Richard being killed by anyone else.

Richard, too, knew how dangerous Valerie was, a being that transcended humanity itself. That was precisely why…because he wished for the victory of his hero…he couldn’t let her escape.

「Where did that noble spirit that begged to be killed go? Still as unreadable as ever. 」

「I’ll use whatever I can. Words are a good weapon. I’ll pay any price for them. 」

It was the same lighthearted exchange as always. Just like the time when they were both working under Roymetz, chatting and drinking ale together.

There was no sadness or brutality; only a sense of humor between them remained.

But the air itself was filled with a dreading breeze.

One who was once among the strongest in humanity. And the one who was the strongest now. A fight to the death, which should normally be over in the blink of an eye, possessed a chilling intensity.

Valerie snapped her fingers and said as the flames rose high.

「Richard, you betrayed me, trampled on my ambitions. You took everything away from me. 」

It was a vow. Words of blessing and determination, a stake of dignity and life. Valerie’s almost glorious warrior’s demeanor made those words seem all too natural.

「Therefore, let us once again entrust our lives to the heavens. The victor shall receive a second chance at life. Richard, I challenge you to a duel. 」

「…I accept. I will duel in the name of heroism. For me, honor and pride are paramount. 」

The former hero and the warrior of the north faced each other in this hellish place. Their final duel began within the burning fortress as it fell.

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