After driving my sword into the wall and waiting for a while, the soldiers finally disappeared from sight.
They were a tough opponent.
I withdrew my sword.
Even the knight’s sword had sustained some damage.
If I had encountered them in their prime, I might not have been able to win in this current state. Of course, if I were at my full strength, I would have won.
There were no more soldiers around. However, there was only the wall in front of me.
“Liese, it’s safe to come over now.”
As I called her, she approached. The way she held the hem of her dress with both hands was elegant.
“You fought splendidly.”
“Yeah. Your healing along the way was helpful.”
“No, I could only help a little…”
With that, Liese turned to look at the place where the soldiers had vanished, her expression turning sorrowful.
“Why did this happen?”
Unfortunately, I had arrived only after the war had started, so I couldn’t say. Since I had never heard of this country before, I couldn’t understand the circumstances.
Well, war itself is an unreasonable thing. Sometimes, it’s decided by the will of a single leader.
“That can wait. For now, you should escape. Do you have a place to go?”
“No… I’ll be living in hiding for a while. This way.”
As Liese pressed her hand against the right edge of the wall, a mechanism activated, opening a passage wide enough for a person to pass through.
“You can escape to the nearby forest from here. What will you do, Lord Ahavain? It would be reassuring if you could accompany me.”
Liese looked at me as she said this. If protecting her were a trial, I should do so, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.
This was because I couldn’t see what lay beyond the passage that Liese had just opened.
The passage ahead was pitch black.
I reached out a hand experimentally, but I felt something blocking my way.
It seemed that this was unrelated to the trial. I would have liked to escort her all the way, but… it couldn’t be helped.
“I’m sorry, but please go on alone from here.”
“Understood. Thank you for getting me this far. Unfortunately, this is all I can offer you.”
With that, Liese presented a necklace she had been wearing around her neck.
It had a modest design, but a few gemstones were set into it.
I initially declined.
“You’ll need money for your journey ahead. It would be better to use this for that.”
“I have a little money for travel, and you saved my life and dignity. Please allow me to give you something in return.”
She offered the necklace once more.
After being told this much, I had no choice but to accept.
As I took the necklace, Liese bowed her head to me and disappeared into the passage.
Normally, a knight would have accompanied her at this point.
However, I had sacrificed everything to protect her.
It seemed that the king had not yet been defeated, but with the country in this state, it would be difficult for her to go on alone.
She had to live without anyone to rely on.
If she had lived as a princess, the disparity would be even greater.
I silently wished for her luck.
When I could no longer hear Liese’s footsteps, I turned back.
The commotion had quieted down considerably.
Could it be that the forces remaining in the castle were few?
If the occupation was already nearing completion, it might become difficult to move freely.
As I thought this, the moment I took a step forward, an unimaginable roar echoed from above, shaking the entire castle for an instant.
Dust and debris fell from the ceiling.
Something must have happened above.
Not directly above me, but higher…
I recalled what it was like to see the castle from the outside.
Given its position, it was likely the throne room.
I didn’t know what was happening, but I ran toward it.
I didn’t encounter any soldiers along the way.
The roar continued periodically.
It sounded like something was fighting.
It must have been an incredible battle.
It was as if Mastema was fighting… No, that couldn’t be the case.
If she were to unleash her full power, the castle would collapse.
I climbed the stairs and moved down a wide corridor.
The throne room was deeper inside, but in front of it lay the fallen bodies of knights.
They had been fighting back. They still held their swords, yet each body bore only a single wound.
Each of the four bodies had injuLiese from different weapons.
All the wounds were deep—likely fatal. They had undoubtedly been struck with considerable force, but what caught my attention was their positioning.
Considering the positions of the bodies, it seemed they had charged at a single foe heading toward the throne room, only to be countered.
One of the knights still had a faint breath left.
He looked at me with hazy eyes, blood spilling from his mouth.
“An apostle…”
With those words, he breathed his last.
There was undoubtedly something ahead.
The door that barred the way to the throne room stood wide open.
I entered. Though modest, it was still a grand hall that possessed the dignity unique to the throne room.
However, there were several large holes and damages.
Evidence of battle.
Someone was inside.
If my eyes were not mistaken, that someone was more than twice the height of an ordinary person.
In each of the four arms, they held different weapons.
That four-armed creature was undoubtedly the one who had turned the knights into corpses.
Further in, there appeared to be a girl.
Her long blonde hair was stained with blood, and she held a sword in her hand.
It seemed the girl and the four-armed creature had been fighting here.
The four-armed creature also appeared to be heavily worn out, but it seemed the outcome of the battle had been decided.
As it stepped forward to deliver the finishing blow to the fallen girl,
My instincts screamed that allowing that to happen would be disastrous.
I dashed forward before I could think.
The four-armed creature stopped in its tracks and looked at me.
As I approached, I could clearly see its size.
Its eyes resembled blue flames.
It was not human.
I see, so this is what an apostle of a god looks like.
…It seems even stronger than Victor.
