Not the End (1)

She thought it was an unusually long night.

In her dream, Scarlet, who was more accustomed to being called by her former name Sekti, roamed the battlefield with her senior just like in the old days. Wielding the Morning Star, protecting her senior’s back— and protecting each other’s backs, slaughtering the unforgivable undead and purifying the filthy battlefield in a sacred ritual.

Sekti was happy as she dreamed this dream, one that could not be more glorious for a cathedral knight. Although it was a dream she thought would never return, it was precious precisely because of that. That’s why she felt even more dejected when she woke up, and it was so regrettable that there was nothing between her clenched fists.

When she woke up, she was lying on the ground. She was sure she had fallen asleep on the ground, but it was somewhat different from where she had slept. First of all, the Jakerokko they had ridden was standing far behind, but right next to her was a large cart.

And on that cart, limp Lizardmen were being stacked up neatly.

It was a somewhat bizarre scene where snake beastkin like Amira were loading the limp Lizardmen onto the cart, and Kairoc, a Lizardman himself, was watching from the side.

‘…What on earth is going on?’

What had happened?

Sekti was curious about that.

And Serad, lying beside her—

Was rather stretching widely while still lying down.

“Ugh.”

There was a cracking sound of bones aligning as Serad stretched. Both Sekti and Serad had followed along to the Katus Empire like unwanted baggage, but they knew. They knew well that no one welcomed them. It was something they couldn’t help but know from the beginning.

Sekti habitually checked on Yona and Alec. She still couldn’t say she had a good impression of Yona. But it had been greatly diluted from that initial image.

The two briefly made eye contact before quickly turning their heads away. What kind of dream did they have? Sekti wondered for a moment.

“Knight, are you alright?”

Serad’s voice was heard, and then there was a hand on Sekti’s shoulder. It would be a warm and gentle touch. Sekti, in her armor, couldn’t feel it, and it would be a rough and coarse touch because of the holy cloth wrapped around it, but it must surely be warm and gentle nonetheless.

“…I’m fine. How about you, Healer?”

“I think I’m alright too. But what on earth is going on here…”

“It seems we were subjected to some kind of illusion… or something like that.”

It was truly embarrassing that Scarlet, a cathedral knight following the Celestial Deity, had been so helplessly caught in an illusion or magical trick. But that didn’t mean there was no room for excuse. After all, it was a god, wasn’t it? — God, yes, god.

As she followed Yona, Sekti’s thoughts were unknowingly changing little by little. She used to think of Berbaria and Damian as unconditionally evil demons. But as she followed along and saw things for herself, she unconsciously began to wonder if these beings were really, truly the demons from the scriptures, if they were really Demon Archdukes—

Such thoughts were gradually changing Sekti’s mind. Although she wasn’t aware of it, at least such changes were seeping in little by little, like weeds’ roots getting wet in a drizzle.

“Ahhhggg…”

Serad got up and stretched widely. There was a cracking sound from her waist. And following her, Sekti also stood up and readjusted her armor.

“Excuse me, Saintess.”

“What.”

Yona glanced at Serad and responded curtly to Serad’s call.

The fact that she responded at all was a huge improvement. Before, she used to treat people as if they didn’t exist even when they were right there, so she had changed quite a bit.

“What happened just now?”

“Hah— how annoying. Alevian, explain for me.”

At Yona’s words, Alevian, who had been watching the Lizardmen being stacked onto the cart next to Kairoc, smiled awkwardly.

“—That’s what happened.”

Serad and Sekti nodded at Alevian’s explanation.

Honestly, it didn’t feel real, but they had to nod at Alevian’s words, who said he had seen it all from beginning to end. However, it was more of a simple acceptance of “I guess that’s how it is” rather than understanding.

“Alevian, weren’t you caught in the illusion?”

“I’m immune to such things. Catsy’s illusions don’t work at all on beings stronger than himself to begin with.”

Alevian smiled as he said this.

This was also a situation where they could only accept it as “I guess that’s how it is.”

‘…Then doesn’t that mean Alevian is stronger than that cat god…?’

“Catsy’s illusions don’t work on those who are stronger than him, or those with strong mental barriers… anyway, something like that. But now that he’s agreed to submit to Yona, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Catsy’s illusions had many limitations in various ways.

Catsy’s illusions invariably fail against opponents who are stronger than him, or those with strong mental willpower… But in this situation, to be stronger than Catsy would mean only Alevian or Yona.

Alevian had no reason to be affected in the first place, and Yona normally shouldn’t have been affected, but at that time, Yona was very unstable. There was the momentary confusion from Alec’s question, but before that, she was also quite unsettled because Alec was next to her. For various reasons, it was fortunate for Catsy — or rather, that would be the correct way to put it.

“So what are we going to do now…”

“Well…”

Alevian turned to look at Yona. There was Yona, peeking over the hill and looking down below. Below that hill, the great army of the Meadow Gill tribe was encamped, and in front of them was a moat, and beyond the moat, the Azrami tribe was encamped, facing off against them.

“Normally, Yona would say she won’t intervene, but… the Yona I know.”

If she wasn’t going to intervene, there would be no reason to even look down below.

While saying something to the anxious-looking Amira, Yona was looking down the hill, then talking about something with Alec, and then discussing something with James.

“So why don’t you just be honest, Miss Yona.”

James said to Yona with a kind smile.

At James’ words, Yona hesitated and couldn’t answer, then abruptly turned her head away.

“…Let’s just take Amira there. No, really, I mean it.”

Taking Amira there meant, in other words, going to the imperial palace.

So Yona had been asking James if it would be possible to infiltrate the imperial palace with Amira for a while.

“Well, let’s say that’s the case. Unfortunately, I’m not capable of that much. If I were a shadow archer capable of infiltrating the imperial palace, why would I be doing adventurer work?”

Yona pouted her lips as she watched James burst into hearty laughter.

If it’s not possible, it’s not possible, there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Unfortunately, their current location was behind the Meadow Gill tribe, so to head towards the imperial palace, they would have to break through there anyway.

“If that’s really all, there’s a good method, isn’t there?”

It was Berbaria.

For some reason, Berbaria, still in Rubina’s form, approached Yona with Catsy on her shoulder and grabbed her hand.

“What method?”

“Why don’t I carry Amira, and you ride Catsy and descend in front of those lizards? Then if you declare your support for the Azrami tribe, no one will be able to object. Since you’re not interfering with the rebellion itself.”

Berbaria is the local deity that the Azrami tribe has been serving.

And while the Meadow Gill tribe didn’t directly serve him, Catsy is the god who descended upon them.

Amira riding Berbaria, Yona riding Catsy, and revealing themselves in front of them—

Yona muttered these words softly and imagined it.

A battlefield where morale seems to pierce the sky.

In the middle of that battlefield, where both sides are in high spirits as if they might clash at any moment, Yona descends riding a giant cat.

And Yona, riding that cat, speaks in a solemn voice:

• • In the name of I, Saintess Yona, who has subjugated Berbaria and Catsy, each holding a seat as Demon Archdukes, and also taken the life of Damian, I command you to cease your fighting. Lay down your weapons and stop this meaningless battle, and according to the natural order, I hereby support the Azrami tribe—!

Yona’s figure overflowing with dignity.

At Yona’s appearance, both the Meadow Gill tribe and the Azrami tribe pay their respects and withdraw their forces—

‘…This is it.’

Yona felt good just imagining that scene.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s move as soon as day breaks.”

“…I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but anyway, I think that will resolve things without much trouble.”

Alec felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he had no objection that this was the quickest and most straightforward way to resolve the situation.

Around the time they each went to bed.

A figure wrapped in a dark navy robe appeared.

With each breath in and out, a very faint hissing sound could be heard, and behind the robe, a tail was slightly visible, peeking out from under it.

In the shadow’s grasp was a dagger, its gleam hidden even in the moonlight.

‘Talking about being a Saintess. It’s not even funny, really.’

They hadn’t expected things to get so complicated, but it didn’t matter anyway.

The one they served always said that variables should be considered in plans— now, it was time to aim for something bigger according to those variables.

Slowly, very slowly, the shadow climbed onto the cart and began to examine each of the Lizardmen who were sound asleep, caught in the illusion. Among them, they slightly cut the neck of Adinimu, the shaman of the Meadow Gill tribe, with the dagger, creating a small wound, and poured an unknown liquid from a vial onto the wound.

After doing the same to Barikian, the shadow once again disappeared into the moonlight.