Chapter 158: I Lost – 2

From some point on, our world consisted of only you and me.

—Clang!

The Paladin staggered to his knees, an expression of shock on his face as Kailo’s sword slashed down vertically.

It was an overwhelming sight, yet Vivian could see what others could not.

She saw the wounds accumulating on Kailo’s body.

She saw the exhaustion piling upon him.

And yet, Kailo concealed it as if it was nothing, continuing forward without hesitation.

The world despised both her and Kailo.

Just as many had wished for her death, they also wished for Kailo’s demise.

They had done nothing wrong—only been born the way they were.

And for that, they had to bear endless resentment and malice.

Even now, the people of the territory had merely agreed to this trial by combat, but their gazes remained cold.

They watched the duel with ominous eyes, as if they were waiting to see which side to support based on the outcome, ready to turn against them completely if things went awry.

It was such a lonely world.

A life that had never been blessed by anyone.

And yet, Kailo never stopped struggling within this cruel world.

Not even for himself.

Most of his struggles were for Vivian.

Could there really be someone willing to wield their sword so desperately for another?

When Vivian watched his back as he fought, he shone so brightly that she could hardly look at him directly.

It was as if he was speaking to her—

That even in this world, they could one day be loved.

That if they didn’t give up, if they kept trying, things would eventually be okay.

Long ago, they had made two bets.

One was about tears.

Vivian had promised never to cry again.

If she did, she had said she would let Kailo return home.

The second bet was Kailo’s.

If, one day, the people of this land came to love him, he asked her to send him back to his homeland.

Vivian had told him such a thing was impossible.

The grudge the people of Loctana bore against the Alan family was deeply rooted.

That had not changed.

Even now, she was certain it never would.

And yet, Kailo stood before these people once more, unafraid.

Even as he bore the suspicion of being a witch’s follower, even as hateful eyes bore into him, he kept moving forward.

From some point on, our world consisted of only you and me.

Yet you kept trying to widen that world.

You kept supporting me from behind and leading me forward, paving a path I could not turn away from.

Through that path, Vivian realized—

She had grown.

—Slash!

Kailo’s sword pierced through the Paladin’s armor, emerging from his back.

—Crunch!

As the knight coughed up blood, Kailo twisted the blade, the sound of bones shattering echoing in the air.

The light faded from the Paladin’s eyes, and his body slumped lifelessly.

…The 34th.

Through the endless stream of Paladins challenging him, Kailo continued to press forward, step by step.

But for some reason, Vivian felt as if she could see the end.

Hundreds more knights still remained.

And Kailo… Kailo was already so exhausted.

When the 35th knight stepped forward, Vivian’s heart turned pitch black.

Yet she could not look away.

Please, please.

Mother.

Father.

Brother.

Please, help Kailo.

Just this once, let this prayer reach you.

He was the one who had filled the void left by her lost family.

If she lost him too, she would not be able to endure it.

His death—she knew—would hurt far more than his departure ever had.

When he left before, it had already felt like death itself.

But if he were to die now, fighting for her…

“…Please… please…”

At that moment—

Vivian did not know how, but she saw it.

Among the crowd, a single figure appeared like a curse.

A woman draped in a deep robe.

But even from a distance, Vivian could not mistake her.

Golden hair hidden beneath the hood.

A slightly tall frame.

And that distinct face.

…Elena.

A demon hidden among the spectators, watching with a smile.

Vivian’s heart stopped.

Elena smiled as she looked directly at Vivian, then extended her delicate hand toward Kailo.

“Ot—”

—Thunk!

Before Vivian’s scream could even end, Kailo, who had been fiercely engaged in battle, suddenly froze.

Slash!!

Standing behind Kailo, Vivian felt something hot splatter onto her face.

For a moment, her mind went blank, and she couldn’t move.

When she lowered her gaze slightly to look at the ground, she saw droplets of blood dripping down, mixing with the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

“Ah…! Ahhh!!!”

Vivian screamed in despair.

A paladin’s sword had pierced through Kailo’s side.

“I-I did it!”

Slash!!

The paladin, who had raised his voice in triumph, had his head sliced cleanly by Kailo’s blade.

—Thud!

Kailo, clutching his side, wavered for a moment.

Vivian’s eyes were filled with endless streams of blood-stained tears.

…What is this?

Could such a form of torture truly exist?

Bound in chains, unable to do anything—forced to watch as the person she loved most fought and died before her eyes.

No matter how much she shook her arms, the chains would not break.

No matter how much she screamed, Kailo could not hear her.

Even being burned at the stake would feel more merciful.

She had sobbed so much that her voice could barely escape her lips.

“…Stop.”

Kailo’s whispered softly.

The archbishop’s face lit up as he asked,

“Are you asking for mercy? Are you admitting defe—”

“Stop crying, Vivian.”

But Kailo spoke as if he couldn’t even hear the archbishop’s voice.

Using his sword to support himself, Kailo trembled as he stood and turned to look at her.

“…It feels like it’s always been this way.”

Then he spoke again.

“I think… I always wanted to stop you from crying.”

“Ah… Ahhh…”

“When you cry… for some reason, my heart has always felt so heavy, so suffocated. Even now, I can’t bear it. Please, stop crying. I’m okay…”

What part of him was okay?

For her sake, he had killed over thirty more people.

More scars were added to his body once again.

Once again, he was burning his own life away to protect her—how could any of that be okay?

Vivian finally shook her head and spoke.

“Stop… Now, stop. You’ve done enough… Too much, even. The blood… the blood is too—”

She wanted to say, there’s too much blood flowing, but her throat clenched shut, and she couldn’t get the words out.

Yet, as if he had already heard them, Kailo let out a small chuckle.

Then, he reached for a torch that had been prepared on the platform.

People gasped in shock.

But Kailo let out a deep breath and pressed the blazing fire against his wounded side.

The archbishop’s face hardened.

-T-This lunatic!

-A-All northerners are like this? How can a noble do something so savage…

Murmurs filled the air, but Kailo did not stop.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the unbearable pain.

—Sizzle…

The horrifying sound of burning flesh echoed in Vivian’s ears.

Kailo’s eyes kept rolling back, his whites showing as his vision threatened to fade.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

But by the time the scent of searing flesh filled the air, Kailo pulled the torch away from his wound.

Beneath his thin clothing, the charred, blackened flesh no longer bled.

“…Next?”

With that, Kailo tossed the torch onto the execution pyre below.

—Fwoosh!

The flames engulfed the pyre—the very one meant for Vivian’s execution.

It began to burn away.

It was then that doubt crept into the eyes of the paladins.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the madness in the archbishop’s gaze.

…Kailo was still fighting.

Just as he always had.

While she had always crumbled, crying, Kailo had never given up until the end.

Vivian clenched her teeth.

She forced back her tears.

He had asked her not to cry.

So now, she had to pull herself together and fight.

“Fourth Knight Order!! Anyone!!”

Vivian shouted with all her strength.

For the first time, the archbishop reacted, rising from his seat.

“Interfering in a holy trial means accepting defeat—”

Kailo cut him off.

“Wait, don’t be so hasty. The trial hasn’t even concluded, has it? We don’t even know if she’s guilty yet, so calling in some knights should be fine, don’t you think?”

Vivian’s call had stirred the Fourth Knight Order into action.

But while the paladins hesitated, only one figure stepped forward, breaking through the crowd to reach the platform.

It was Wallace.

“…You called for me?”

His face was filled with barely concealed frustration and resentment.

He struggled to suppress the emotions in his eyes as he looked at Kailo, then turned his full attention to Vivian.

“There is a woman in a hooded robe beneath the platform.”

Vivian said, her voice unwavering.

“She has golden hair, an exquisite beauty… and she’s tall. When you see her, you’ll immediately know who I’m talking about.”

Wallace’s face was filled with confusion, but he continued to listen.

“…Capture her.”

Vivian commanded.

She couldn’t stand by and watch as Elena kept interfering with Kailo.

No matter the doubts or sacrifices, Elena had to be stopped.

Elena.

If she could make it out alive, she would kill that demonic woman—by the most painful, most brutal means possible.

Since she frequently appeared in human form, Vivian assumed that she couldn’t completely escape it.

Even a demon must take some kind of shape, right?

Now that she wore the guise of a human, they had to capture her if they could.

“Capture her, Wallace. Use all the forces if necessary… Capture her. This is important.”

Wallace still looked confused, but he nodded.

“Yes. I will make sure of it.”

With that, Wallace left once again.

Vivian looked down from the podium.

Had Elena figured out her plan?

She was no longer in the same spot.

Kailo, seemingly grasping the situation, asked,

“…That woman from before?”

There was nothing Vivian could do but apologize.

“I’m sorry… Kailo, I’m sorry….”

Kailo took a deep breath and said,

“I told you, Vivian, I’ll let it slide.”

At the same time, he raised his sword.

“Archbishop, what’s next?”