Ch.125Chapter 125: War Clouds

New colors are entering my vision, which had only reflected darkness before.

I’m escaping from an unidentified space where nothing could be heard except the regular sound of interlocking gears.

The pure white light rippling from the portal that would return me to where I originally belonged was now coloring my vision.

Soon, just a little longer, and I could escape this place to rescue the fortress under attack by the army sent from the Obsidian Palace.

As the white light filling my vision rippled more intensely, my mind was calmly preparing for what would unfold next.

Yet at the same time, I was anxious to dispel the uneasiness I’d felt since first setting foot in this place.

What if—yes, what if—the place I would reach after leaving this blinding white scene…

What if it wasn’t the fortress where I had been just before entering this unknown space?

A sudden anxiety gripped me that I might end up somewhere completely different, somewhere filled with dark malice.

For example, if I were to fall right into the center of the Obsidian Palace, which constantly plots to devour Night Haven…

Even with the immense power granted by the Red Dragon Armor that now envelops my body…

Defeat would be certain against the overwhelming forces of evil lurking there.

“…”

As these thoughts crossed my mind, the joy of escaping the grasp of that divine being with twisted holiness quickly faded, and my expression hardened noticeably even without a mirror.

As if sensing my concern…

[Relax. You’re not heading to some strange place.]

Thanks to Fafnir’s voice assuring me that my destination was far from such a place, my worries were immediately alleviated.

[Still, we must hurry. Don’t let your guard down.]

Of course, his words also made it clear that I shouldn’t be completely at ease, preventing me from relaxing entirely.

But why the need to hurry?

Could something bad be about to happen at the fortress?

‘Are the forces dispatched from the Obsidian Palace heading toward the fortress?’

I realized that Fafnir, who could detect things I couldn’t perceive so easily, had sensed something, so I asked him what was happening.

[If your emotions become unstable while wearing that armor, irreversible consequences will follow.]

Fafnir’s voice echoing in my mind only demanded that I regain my composure.

It was somewhat disappointing that such words came from Fafnir, who had the capacity to properly assess the situation.

-Controlling desire is also one of the most necessary virtues to become my agent.

A thin, weak voice suddenly replayed from a corner of my memory filled with unpleasantness.

“Haaaah…”

I barely managed to steady my heart, which was wavering due to the uncertainty of the imminent future.

To think I would calm myself by recalling those memories that were unpleasant even to remember.

“Tch.”

As I clicked my tongue unconsciously to dispel the unpleasantness that had risen within me…

[Is something wrong?]

Fafnir’s puzzled voice echoed in my mind.

Since I couldn’t carelessly reveal my secret that he didn’t know about…

‘No, it’s nothing. I just needed a change of mood—being too anxious would only mess things up.’

I had to cover it up with a hastily concocted excuse.

It was a flimsy excuse thrown together in haste, but…

[I understand your urgency, but focus only on controlling the power residing in me. Nothing is worse than self-destruction before even reaching your destination.]

Fafnir was also preoccupied with preparing for what was about to happen soon.

He accepted my hasty excuse at face value without finding it strange.

Whew…

As I tried to internally contain a sigh of relief that no one would hear…

[Still.]

Startled by Fafnir’s voice suddenly echoing in my mind again…

‘Do you have something to say?’

I responded to his almost soliloquy-like call with a deliberately calm voice.

[To bear such power within your body must be tremendously burdensome. Yet you endure it well. Blood doesn’t lie, I suppose.]

What echoed in my mind was Fafnir’s voice filled with unmistakable approval.

Blood doesn’t lie…

Hearing Fafnir’s voice, which seemed to recall someone else wearing this armor besides me and its creator, I remembered something.

‘Fafnir.’

[What is it?]

‘Did my ancestor ever wear this armor?’

To resolve this question, I asked directly.

[…I could explain, but it’s too long a story for this moment.]

Fafnir’s voice echoing in my mind indicated he couldn’t answer here.

‘When today’s work is done, I’ll tell you one of my secrets, so please tell me a few things in return.’

[Very well.]

I calmly established this deal with Fafnir.

Around that time…

[We’ve arrived.]

As Fafnir’s calm voice announcing our escape from that space filled with ominous divinity echoed in my mind…

Whoosh-!!

Bright red flames erupted from the Red Dragon Armor I wore.

As if they would incinerate all impure things at our destination, leaving not even ashes behind.

#

Let’s rewind time a bit.

With righteous will and…

After being driven out by transcendent beings with overwhelming power…

After drifting through various worlds…

Finally, against the oppression of demon gods who sought to color their last utopia with their own hue…

The descendants of heroes who established a nation to protect their free will, each raising their weapons to protect what was precious to them…

To prevent the same tragedy from recurring, they built a fortress not far from where remnants of the evil they stood against remained…

The white snow that made the enemy hesitate to invade…

Suddenly stopped, and they seized this opportunity…

To stop the massive army deployed to destroy the fortress…

Heroes drew their weapons like their ancestors before them, just before they were about to take action.

#

Whoosh

In the middle of an open space in Night Haven, where a cold wind was blowing…

The pure white snow that had been falling as if to engulf the fortress until just moments ago had significantly diminished compared to the biting gale.

Rustle, rustle

Seeing the snow abate, the garrison soldiers and knights of the fortress began to emerge one by one, their murmurs filling the fortress, overpowering the sound of the wind.

Among the knights and soldiers, those who were younger and had spent less time at the fortress showed clear signs of relief that the relentless snow had finally stopped.

But among those with more experience at this fortress…

-This… isn’t this dangerous?

-Of all times, for the snow to stop right before the new year.

-Stop those excited rookies and report to the deputy commander immediately!

Their murmurs clearly indicated they understood what would follow the end of this long snowstorm.

However, regardless of the direction…

Among all the people in the fortress with their various murmurs, there was one person who did not join in this commotion.

“…Karl?”

Lilliansis Proxian, who had been worriedly looking at her fiancé who had been clutching his chest in pain and kneeling on one knee just moments ago, was the only one not caught up in the commotion.

…More precisely, she had been looking at where her fiancé ‘had been’ until just now.

“…Karl?”

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, it was hard to judge, but she had no leisure to express idle sentiments like commotion right now.

#

Her mind, Lilliansis Proxian’s mind, was filled only with bewilderment.

Until just now, despite the white snow falling as if to cover the fortress…

Her fiancé, Karl Ranos, who had been by her side, speaking kindly…

Had suddenly disappeared before her eyes.

There had been no warning.

When he suddenly let out a faint groan and clutched his chest, she had only thought of extending her arms to ease his pain, but from her sight…

Her precious fiancé vanished like smoke—how could she not be bewildered?

“…Karl?”

Only the name of her precious fiancé kept coming from her lips.

Though spoken in a dazed voice…

The will to find traces of her fiancé who had disappeared like a mirage before her eyes was so clear that anyone nearby would have noticed it.

The problem was that beside her…

Whoooosh

There was only the knife-like wind that was growing stronger in inverse proportion to the weakening snowfall.

Her two arms, which had tried to embrace the broad back of her fiancé who had collapsed clutching his chest, stretched toward where her fiancé had been until just now.

Her hands began to sense what could be felt from that ground.

If someone saw this, they might question if she was trying to feel the warmth of her suddenly vanished fiancé, but…

“…Impure magical energy.”

Judging by Lilliansis’s words mentioning impure energy as soon as she placed her hands on the ground where her fiancé had been standing…

It was easy to see that Lilliansis’s action of placing her hands on the ground was not a meaningless act born of urgency.

The expression of Lilliansis, who had been absentmindedly repeating her fiancé’s name, gradually hardened.

The cause was discovering that the clue related to her suddenly disappeared fiancé’s whereabouts was connected to the demonic realm, the lifelong enemy she had to face as a holy sword practitioner guided by fate.

From the lips of Lilliansis, whose expression had visibly hardened…

“…Why?”

A brief utterance revealed her lack of understanding of the current situation.

It was not unreasonable for her to be confused.

She wondered why such an overflowing amount of impure energy was necessary just to abduct one person.

But questioning was one thing…

Lilliansis, who had obtained a clue related to her fiancé’s whereabouts who had disappeared like dispersing smoke, rose from that spot.

“I must save him…”

She spoke with a voice infused with the will to rescue her fiancé.

It was at that moment that the movements of the fiancée, who had learned that her fiancé’s disappearance without a trace was related to the demonic realm, became urgent as if racing against time.

Lilliansis’s footsteps, cutting through the crowd of fortress personnel who were murmuring while looking worriedly at the suddenly weakened snowfall, headed toward the north gate of Night Haven.

Toward where the massive Dragon Claw Mountains, shrouded in gray mist as if it were unbelievable that pure white snow had been falling until just now, filled her vision.

As far as she knew, the only place where beings capable of wielding such immense and twisted power beyond human comprehension could be was the place called the Unholy Sanctuary beyond those mountains.

Despite spending peaceful days without even minor conflicts since setting foot in this fortress…

The fact that entry and exit from the fortress were restricted except for essential personnel due to unidentified demons boldly infiltrating the fortress interior did not cross her mind at the moment.

“Wait for me just a little longer…”

For her, the person who had shared and eased her loneliness and sorrow as if it were his own—loneliness and sorrow she had gained along with her different power—might be beyond those mountains where impure energy surged.

For her, restrictions like limited entry and exit were not physical devices that could constrain her.

People who knew her well would be shocked to see Lilliansis so out of her mind—she was truly not in her right mind at the moment.

If the highest authority responsible for the fortress’s defense, Iriana Ranos, or even fellow students from the same cradle had seen this scene, they would have surely stopped her from losing her reason and going berserk.

Fortunately for her…

Due to beings approaching the fortress at a steady if not rapid pace with the north gate—her current destination—as their goal…

Her deviation would not be seen as a deviation but would be praised as nobility, bravely stepping forward after noticing the signs of something major about to happen.

But that evaluation would only come a little later from the current point in time.