Chapter 152

Chapter 152

“Yes, thank you.”

The moment she opened her eyes, she heard a knock and immediately jumped out of bed to send the dorm supervisor away. The dorm supervisor, who had come to inform her of the entrance ceremony time, was taken aback.

After sending the dorm supervisor away, before preparing to go out for the entrance ceremony, Celian took out the communication device she had brought to contact her family.

Although she didn’t like receiving help from her family or her household and had never used the communication device unless there was a special occasion in her past lives, this time she needed her family’s help.

“What is the matter, young lady?”

The voice of the head butler, who handled all family affairs, was heard. However, no matter how much authority the head butler had, the content of the conversation was not for him.

“Please connect me with my father.”

“The family head is currently in the monthly family general meeting…”

Looking at the background visible behind the butler through the crystal ball and the way he spoke in a hushed voice, it seemed he had also secretly slipped out of the meeting to receive the call.

“It’s an urgent matter. Bring him to me immediately.”

However, for Celian, such a family general meeting was not important at all.

Therefore, her expression and voice were filled with more seriousness than ever before.

The head butler could also sense that something was unusual.

He had been working for the family since before Celian was born, and had watched her from when she was a baby until she became the young lady she was today. Celian, who had always shown a kind and delicate demeanor, had never shown such a resolute attitude.

Therefore, the butler did not argue further with Celian’s words, but realizing it was an urgent matter as she said, he immediately headed to the family conference room where the meeting was being held.

Her father, Lucas, appeared on the communication device belatedly, and Celian calmly laid out the words she had prepared.

The fact that she was being targeted by an assassination group, where that assassination group was based, and so on….

Lucas knew his daughter wasn’t lying, but the content was hard to believe. Of course, Lucas, being a high-ranking noble, was not immune to assassination, so he was not surprised by the mention of assassins.

However, Celian was destined to become a hero. He could never have imagined that fellow humans, not demons, would target Celian’s life. To abandon humanity for the sake of their own interests.

Even though he considered himself moderate among nobles, this matter had crossed the line.

Therefore, as soon as he finished communicating with Celian, he immediately got up and issued an order.

He summoned only the most outstanding knights and soldiers, leaving only the minimum necessary troops to defend the territory during the attack.

Of course, he did not explain why they were being assembled.

The people participating in the current family general meeting were those he trusted, so there was no need for secrecy. But these people were different.

Of course, he didn’t distrust them, as they were loyal subjects and subordinates of his territory. However, if even a little bit of conversation leaked out, and if the assassins caught wind of it, the plan would be ruined.

Therefore, he only conveyed the message of a night operation, keeping the actual content of the operation a secret until the end.

However, the assembled knights and soldiers, looking around, saw only those who were ahead of the others, and even with the news that the family head himself would be accompanying them, they could only vaguely sense that something unusual was happening.

***

Without even stopping by Depel, a nearby city close to their destination, they deliberately took only paths that people didn’t frequent and arrived at the mountainside.

As they climbed the mountain following the path Celian had told them about, the assassin guild’s hideout, exactly as described, came into view from a distance.

A perfectly ordinary cabin, looking like the dwelling of a hunter living in the area.

However, the half-ruined chimney, the tall coniferous tree next to the cabin, and all the small details were exactly as Celian had described, so there was no doubt that it was an assassin’s lair.

However, the only question Lucas had was how Celian knew all of this.

Even while burning with rage, Lucas maintained a cold, rational demeanor in one corner of his heart. Therefore, he naturally thought about each detail.

It was possible to accidentally discover the assassination. Then, it was possible to find out who the assassin was and where the assassin guild was located.

However, where the highly secretive assassin guild’s hideout was, how it operated, and the paths to approach it without being noticed by them. These were parts that raised many questions if they were to be dismissed as accidental discoveries.

Even the bushes where he and his subordinates were currently hiding were the same. A location that would be difficult for the assassins guarding the surroundings to detect, and from which they could unilaterally monitor.

Such places were not easy to find, even if one searched by foot.

However, Lucas let the questions remain as questions and did not ask Celian. Even though she seemed young, his daughter was now a proper lady, a noble, and a hero.

Of course, even if he asked, Celian wouldn’t answer, and he would never dream that she had regressed, so it would remain a lifelong curiosity.

As the sun gradually set and the moon rose, casting a dim light on the mountainside, Lucas realized it was time and quietly signaled his subordinates with his hand.

No matter how stealthily they tried to move, with so many troops in motion, it was inevitable that their presence would be felt.

Therefore, the soldiers surrounded the area and headed towards the hideout with only a few of the most skilled knights.

After all, the opponents were merely assassins.

They were scary when hiding in the dark, but once their location was discovered, they were pathetic enough that even sharing swords with them would be a waste.

Of course, some of them might be a bit skilled and fight back. They might even get wounded somewhere.

But it didn’t matter. He was prepared to accept such wounds.

He needed to show those who targeted the hero and abandoned humanity what true fear was. In fact, he needed to wield his sword with the mindset of fighting demons rather than humans.

…No, Lucas actually knew that the hero and humanity were just excuses.

Yes. This was just a way to vent his anger.

Anger that mere assassins dared to target his daughter.

A father is such a being.

***

“Thank you, Father.”

The next day, Celian greeted her father, who had come to the academy in person, and received the item she had specifically requested. Although it was just a piece of paper, which could have been delivered by a subordinate, Celian insisted on calling her father and having him deliver it in person.

That’s how important this piece of paper was.

“No. Although you only recently came to the academy, I’m glad to see you looking so healthy.”

In fact, it had been a very long time since Celian had seen her father’s face.

In her first life, she set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King. In her subsequent second and third lives, she was so busy searching for the assassin guild that targeted her that she didn’t even return home during vacations, only contacting them via the communication device.

Therefore, it had been a truly long time since they had seen each other face to face.

However, her father’s face, which she saw after a long time, looked younger rather than older, and different from the last time she saw him, which made her chuckle.

The relief that all her worries were resolved brought back the everyday smiles to her.

“Haha. If you have anything to ask, contact me anytime, and please make sure to visit during the vacation.”

Lucas, unaware of Celian’s thoughts, was simply happy that his daughter was smiling at him and spoke in a loud voice before turning and getting into the carriage.

Lucas thought it was time to show his pure daughter the image of a reliable father. He believed that only then would his daughter respect him in the future.

Of course, for Celian, who had already experienced the bitter and sweet tastes of the world, this was an impossible notion.

After seeing her father off in the carriage, Celian returned to her room, clutching the scroll she had received tightly in her arms, lest she lose it.

After confirming that the door was locked and the curtains on the window were drawn, Celian slowly unrolled the scroll.

This was the scroll of the master-servant contract that bound Elysia. The assassin guild used this to force Elysia’s actions. It was an item that should never exist.

Therefore, Celian held the scroll in one hand and slowly raised a candle with the other to light it.

Although the scroll, which had magical enchantments, resisted the flames to some extent, it had its limits. The scroll, which began to burn from the edges, gradually spread the flames and blazed up.

The scroll, which maintained its shape despite being completely burned to a black crisp, looked exactly like the scroll from her first life, which had only black burn marks.

With this, the chains binding Elysia were gone. A quick check on Elysia in the morning revealed that she had visited the hideout after the raid last night.

She too would know that the assassin guild that had bound her was gone. Perhaps the master-servant contract etched somewhere on her body had also disappeared.

There were no longer any constraints on her, and there were no assassins targeting her life.

Now she could approach her once again.

***

Celian had done everything for her. She had taken care of her eating, her clothing, her sleeping, ensuring everything was the best.

Of course, to avoid making her uncomfortable, she had used the family name and posed as her sponsor through the academy. She had also considered other methods in case she refused the sponsorship, but fortunately, it wasn’t necessary.

Her regained daily life was happy every day, and she was able to become friends with other people besides Elysia again.

Anne and Yuri.

In her second and third lives, she had distanced herself from these two friends as well, so it had been a very long time since she had spoken to friends.

As happy times flowed by, they once again set out on the promised journey to defeat the Demon King.

This time, unlike her first life, it was an adventure where everyone was together.

Anne readily agreed, entrusting all her family affairs to her mother and younger sibling, and Yuri, with close assistance from Celian, had reached a level of skill that was somewhat passable, albeit with some concern.

Mariel, the saintess, had a brighter expression than in her first life. Recalling her first life, Celian felt she had done terrible things to Mariel.

Her own strength, which had become much stronger than before, and the party’s overall combat power were incomparable to the past.

Even Elysia, who had shed the shackles of an assassin and begun to spread her wings, had a dazzling talent. With the help of Celian, a Sword Master, by her side, she too reached Sword Master in just a few years.

Now, there was nothing to hinder them. Even if it was the Heavenly King Glen, who had killed her, this level of strength should be enough to overcome him.

Indeed, Celian’s party defeated the Heavenly King Glen and other Four Heavenly Kings, and only the Demon King remained.

“Now, only the Demon King is left.”

Anne, exhausted from thrashing about in the previous battle, lay on the ground, panting, while Yuri, who had followed them this far with her limited skills, handed Anne a water bottle. Mariel, who always played the role of the eldest sister and mother of the party, checked if the two had any injuries and cast healing magic on them once more.

“Indeed. It was a really long… a really long and arduous adventure.”

For Celian, it was a truly long journey, known only to her.

Now, if they defeat the Demon King, peace will come to this continent. Now, they could cast aside all their hardships and spend joyful days with their friends.

However… even this was too early an imagination.

“Damn it… I fell into a trap…”

It was a demon trap. Despite acting cautiously, it was designed to be unavoidable if one wasn’t aware.

The pursuit was already close. The party was exhausted, and if they continued like this, they would surely be annihilated.

Perhaps the place they were hiding in would be discovered soon. They might be able to cut down a few of the first attacking demons, but in the end, they would be the ones to fall.

But… it couldn’t be like that. If the hero and the saintess fall, there is no future for the continent.

Therefore, Elysia slowly stood up alone from among the resting party members.

“El…?”

Celian called out to Elysia due to her sudden solo action. However, Celian felt a sense of unease at Elysia’s lack of response. It was because her appearance somehow resembled her from long ago….

“No way… it can’t be…?”

“If we continue like this, everyone will just die.”

However, the answer from Elysia dashed Celian’s hopes. Her eyes were already filled with resolve.

“No…!”

Celian, who had started to get up to stop Elysia, stumbled and collapsed onto the floor.

Her vision blurred, her body unable to stay upright.

Looking around, Anne, Yuri, and Mariel had all collapsed on the floor. Their deep breaths made them look as if they were asleep.

“As expected of Celian. Is it because you’re a hero, or because you’re a Sword Master… This is the most potent sleeping potion from the combinations I learned, I didn’t expect you to still be conscious.”

“Why….”

“You probably don’t need to worry about this place being discovered. I used my past memories and applied them to create a more secure temporary hideout.”

Of course, it was a temporary hideout that would obviously be discovered if they searched with intent.

Therefore, she would sacrifice herself. She would draw the demons’ attention away from this place.

Later, when Celian and the others noticed her absence and began searching, they would have already woken up and fled.

“Don’t… go…”

Naturally, Celian had also figured out Elysia’s plan. However, Celian’s mouth, trying to stop her, couldn’t even utter a proper word due to the overwhelming sleepiness.

“…Goodbye.”

Elysia turned her back with a short farewell, thinking that prolonging the goodbye would only make it harder to leave. She couldn’t bear to look at Celian’s face any longer.

“El…!”

Celian, screaming with her last ounce of strength, saw Elysia’s retreating back through her closing eyes.

That was the last image of a living El that Celian saw in her fourth life.