Ch.371Side Story 1 – Journey to the Southern Continent (26)

Alicia doubted her own eyes.

“…That person?”

Until just a moment ago, he was merely a mysterious man.

No, he was the “Cassian” she had known.

But.

‘Selden Alphonse.’

The moment she heard that name, her mind went blank.

“…That’s impossible.”

Alicia felt her fingertips tingling.

The man I slept with was Lord Selden Alphonse?

She looked at his face once more.

Such a beautiful face.

Even though she had seen it before, only now did she truly “recognize” his appearance.

Long eyelashes, white smooth skin, and deep, clear silver eyes.

His beauty seemed as if carved by a god.

Moreover.

He felt more beautiful than any woman she had ever seen.

Despite feeling slightly upset at being deceived, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

‘So this is what a handsome face looks like’

Alicia realized.

A name she had only heard in rumors.

The man who first stopped the Monster Wave, the hero of the Western Continent’s war.

And the man who had taken two imperial princesses as his wives was none other than Selden Alphonse standing right before her.

Silently.

Alicia stared at Selden Alphonse, completely entranced.

He was composed.

Though he wasn’t smiling, his face was perfect just as it was.

And at that moment, he moved.

“…”

Selden Alphonse’s steps advanced toward the battlefield without a moment’s hesitation.

The battlefield that had been filled with chaos until just moments ago.

However, as he joined the battle, the atmosphere instantly changed to silence.

Silently.

Alicia stared wide-eyed at Selden Alphonse’s back.

It felt like if not today, she would never see him again…

She wanted to engrave in her eyes, even for just a moment, the face of the man she had loved for the first time.

“Fireball.”

With Selden Alphonse’s sharp cry, a massive fireball began forming at his fingertips.

At first, it was merely a small flame, but it grew larger and larger, taking the form of a burning sun.

The fireball, writhing like a living creature, emitted a red light that devoured the surrounding darkness.

-Wh-what is that!?

-Wasn’t he a knight!? A mage?

-I heard Selden Alphonse could use magic too… was that true?

The Blood Wolf Clan, Fierce Ghost Clan, and Shadowless Clan were shocked at the sight.

Instinctively, they tried to flee, but it was already too late.

The fireball crossed the ground with a thunderous roar and instantly flew toward their camp.

-Ev-everyone get away!

Someone’s desperate cry was heard, but the fireball had already reached right behind them.

In that moment, the ground shook and an explosion echoed.

BOOM—!

With a massive explosion, flames scattered in all directions, and the shockwave swept everything away.

Hundreds of clan members fell screaming as flames engulfed them.

-H-help me!

-My body is burning!!

The flames wrapped around their bodies, melting their armor and burning their skin.

No matter how strong their swordsmanship, it was useless against this terrible magical power.

The heat of the explosion engulfed nearby buildings in flames, the ground glowed red-hot, and blackened corpses lay scattered.

Furthermore.

The survivors tried to stagger away, but their feet seemed frozen in terror.

Selden Alphonse watched the scene before him with a cold smile.

However, he didn’t stop there.

Looking down at the battlefield engulfed in flames, he opened his palm and then clenched it into a fist.

“Flame Explosion!”

At that moment, the fireballs burning the clan members exploded.

Intense heat and light covered the surroundings as the flames spread in a beast-like form, swallowing the enemies whole.

Those at the center of the explosion were reduced to ashes without question, while those at the edges screamed in severe burns.

‘What on earth is happening?’

Kirdo couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

The sky churned with red energy in the darkness, and the ground bubbled with rising flames.

“Ev-everyone run!”

This wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre.

Kirdo gritted his teeth as he looked around, and his subordinates were falling one by one, writhing in agony.

He clenched his teeth.

“Everyone run quickly!”

Kirdo raised his voice with all his might.

His cry cut through the battlefield like thunder, and for a moment, life flickered in the eyes of his subordinates who still had their senses.

For them, “escape” was the only way out of this blood-soaked battlefield.

However.

Sadly, that hope was only momentary.

“Enchant.”

A single word flowed from Selden Alphonse’s lips.

As soon as his voice spread through the air, all movement on the battlefield stopped.

“…Huh?”

Kirdo suddenly felt his body growing heavy.

His feet became as heavy as stone, and his muscles stiffened.

He instinctively tried to resist, but strangely, his body wouldn’t respond.

And.

As if pulled by an invisible hand, Kirdo’s feet slowly began to move forward.

“Wh-what is this!?”

Kirdo’s eyes widened, but he wasn’t the only one surprised.

The members of the Blood Wolf Clan, Shadowless Clan, and Fierce Ghost Clan were the same.

They looked at each other with terrified eyes, but none could move of their own will.

-Wh-what the hell is this!

-…Why are my legs moving like this!?

-I’m being pulled too!

-Please, save me! I don’t want to die in a place like this!!

Their footsteps were increasingly heading toward where Selden Alphonse stood.

A magic that invaded not just the physical body but the mind as well.

It felt as if their bodies and minds were forcibly sewn together.

Despite not wanting to move, they were being dragged in one direction like puppets.

-Hold on! Just hold on!

-Lord Kirdo! Please save us!!

Some tried to resist by gritting their teeth, but the more they did, the deeper they seemed to sink into the quagmire.

“Ugh!! No!!”

Kirdo likewise bit his lip hard and resisted until the end.

However, his body betrayed him, taking one step, then another toward Selden Alphonse.

And before his eyes, he witnessed his subordinates kneeling one by one before Selden Alphonse, their faces filled with despair and confusion.

No one wanted it, but no one could resist.

“M-monster!!”

Selden Alphonse slowly raised both arms with a smile.

A faint smile hung on his lips, but within that smile lay a chilling coldness.

“This is the first time I’m using this magic in actual combat.”

As Selden Alphonse gestured, the sky turned red.

In that moment, the atmosphere churned and an immense heat was felt.

From the distant sky, flames swirled, forming a massive fiery sphere.

“Meteor.”

A giant meteor, wrapped in flames, fell at tremendous speed.

All who looked up wore expressions of terror.

The falling mass of fire appeared not as a simple spell but as divine wrath that would devour the earth.

“Run!”

Someone screamed, but it was too late.

When the meteor struck the ground, an enormous explosion sent shockwaves in all directions.

Pillars of fire rose, consuming the air, and burning debris scattered everywhere.

In an instant, hundreds of clan members were engulfed in flames and disappeared without a trace.

The earth split, and the sound of explosions shook the battlefield.

“Haa… haa…”

On the blood-soaked ground, Kirdo, the sole surviving leader of the Blood Wolf Clan, fled with burns all over his body, gasping for breath.

His subordinates had already turned to black ash, and he rushed forward desperately to survive.

Swoosh—! Slash.

That’s when it happened.

In an instant, the wind was cut.

With the illusion that his head had been shaved, Kirdo’s neck slowly twisted and flew into the air.

His vision rotated, and he caught sight of a man standing in the distance.

Jawill Wilson.

He swung his blood-soaked sword with cold eyes.

Kirdo’s body took a few more steps forward before collapsing, and blood gushed from his severed neck, spreading a red mist.

He looked down at the fallen Kirdo with a cold gaze.

And.

Selden Alphonse quietly exhaled as if everything was now over.

Looking down at the battlefield strewn with burning debris, he gazed up at the red sky.

Smoke and ash rose into the sky, scattered by the wind.

Silently.

His gaze turned to those watching him from afar.

The Red Moon Clan.

Gathered on one side of the battlefield, they were the survivors.

Their eyes were silent.

Some felt relief, while others trembled in fear at Selden Alphonse’s overwhelming power.

Step—step—

Selden Alphonse walked toward the Red Moon Clan.

Then, scratching his head awkwardly, he spoke.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”