Chapter 157: I Lost – 1

At fifteen, they said I had slain a dragon.

That I had slaughtered Eight Knights.

Yet to the Paladins eager to participate in the trial by combat, the titles attached to my name seemed to mean nothing.

“Grant me the honor!”

“I will put an end to those wicked men!”

“Give me the chance!”

The Paladins guarding the archbishop clamored to fight me, clutching their swords tightly and shouting at the top of their lungs to gain his favor.

Perhaps their unwavering faith was the source of their courage.

Maybe they believed, without a shred of doubt, that Lord Las would protect them.

It didn’t matter to me.

Even if Lord Las truly existed and wished to bring his hammer down upon Vivian, I would continue to wield my sword until the very end.

After all, this was what I did best.

I wasn’t good at politics.

I wasn’t well-versed in etiquette.

All I had ever known was how to take lives.

So there would be no regrets.

Because I would do my utmost in the thing I excelled at most.

As the trial by combat was set to take place and the knights were chosen to fight, I turned around and faced Vivian for the first time in a long while.

“…Why… why…?”

Her eyes were filled with unmistakable despair.

As if she couldn’t comprehend why I would risk my life for her.

Yet to me, that gaze felt warm.

Because I could see that she wasn’t using me—she was truly worried for me.

She had even been willing to throw away her own life to protect me.

“…Why did you come back…?”

Vivian whispered.

I knelt on one knee before her, leveling my gaze with hers.

She continued.

“You said you would never return…! That I should have died…!!”

“Hic…! Then why did you come back, only to throw your life away?!”

I couldn’t give her an answer.

No words could adequately explain the storm inside me.

Vivian resented my choice.

“Or is it just to torment me?”

“To get hurt right in front of me…!! To make me suffer? Or do you really think you can kill all those knights? That doesn’t even make sense!! Even if some knights die, the Order would never let me go!! Why would you make such a reckless decision, why!! You’re going to die!!”

She finally cried out, sobbing.

“I told you again and again. I… I can’t live without you!!”

I bit my lip hard.

“Seeing you die… hurts more than anything else.”

“P-please, stop now. Just stop… and disappear to the north. I heard you have a fiancée now. Just… just be with her…”

Vivian struggled to get the words out.

Then, as if giving up, she exhaled deeply and murmured.

“…Live happily with her.”

For the first time, I could see her true feelings clearly.

I wondered why I had ever been so mistaken.

“…Are you serious?”

I asked Vivian, already knowing the answer.

She clenched her teeth and averted her gaze, unable to respond.

I knew she could never truly wish for that.

After all, she had once gone so far as to imprison me to keep me by her side.

“…You’re right.”

I told Vivian.

“I’ll probably die here.”

“K-Kailo!!”

“So let’s die together.”

Her lips trembled like those of a frightened child.

Tears continued to stream from her eyes.

“…We fought so hard to survive together. Now that it’s come to this…”

“…Let’s see it through to the end.”

Realizing she couldn’t persuade me, Vivian let out a deep sigh.

Then, lowering her head, she asked in resignation.

“…Why…?”

“Kailo… I… I tormented you… I betrayed you. After all that, why?”

“…I disgust myself… I find myself so repulsive it makes my skin crawl… So why are you doing this for me?”

Her tears soaked the ground.

Slowly, hesitantly, she let out her innermost thoughts, word by word.

“…Do you not find me revolting?”

We had spent a long time apart, and I had taken that time to sort through my own emotions.

“I am angry. Even now.”

Hearing that, Vivian flinched but steadied herself before shouting once more.

“Then why did you come back?! Why are you fighting?! I told you… Hic… I told you to leave!!”

There were plenty of reasons to resent her.

But now, I finally understood why I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.

And why I couldn’t walk away, even as she pleaded with me to go.

I did hate her.

But…

“…Hey, you cruel woman.”

I called out to her as if lashing out.

Her expression, twisted with anger, softened in an instant.

“You’re right… You’re not beautiful, and just looking at you still makes my blood boil…”

Especially the fact that she had tried to throw her life away.

I let out a small chuckle.

“…But I love you. That’s why I forgive you.”

“…What?”

“Do I need another reason?”

Vivian looked up at me with parted lips, unable to speak.

She just continued staring at me, as if trying to etch me into her memory.

I took the chance to examine her face.

She was still as beautiful as ever, but her forehead bore several wounds.

It looked as though she had been hit with stones.

Seeing that made me uncomfortable.

It wasn’t often that I saw her injured.

“…Is your forehead okay?”

“…Vivian?”

Vivian couldn’t say anything.

Her red eyes, which held me within them, couldn’t look away from me.

She stared at me as if she had fallen into her own world.

“…Please.”

Vivian finally whispered emptily.

“…Please, don’t die.”

“Please… please…”

I nodded at Vivian.

Then, I reached out to brush her cheek—but realizing that I was still a little angry with her, I clenched my fist and stood up.

When I turned around, a Paladin was already standing in the distance, pointing his sword at me.

He spoke.

“Are you ready, follower of the witch?”

***

Swish!

Thud!

As Kailo’s sword swept past, a headless body crumpled to the ground.

Plop!

The knight’s severed head, which had belatedly flown through the air, landed among the citizens below the platform.

“Ugh!”

People screamed at the grotesque sight, but the commotion soon died down.

“Haa… haa…”

Everyone held their breath in awe of Kailo’s overwhelming strength.

That made fourteen.

Fourteen Paladins had already perished, yet Kailo remained unscathed.

Only his breath had grown heavier, but his sheer might continued to crush all opposition.

His body was soaked in blood, steam rising from the warmth of fresh kills.

“Shall we continue, Archbishop?”

Kailo asked.

“It seems Las has chosen to favor our side.”

The archbishop scowled.

…This wretched man…

Where had he suddenly appeared from, and why was he protecting that witch?

He had known Kailo was strong.

…But what in the world was Las doing, allowing these heretics to run rampant instead of striking them down?

Or… could it be that Las truly was on their side, just as this northern warrior claimed?

That was impossible.

The archbishop knew they couldn’t afford to stop here.

Gritting his teeth, he looked toward the remaining Paladins.

Even after witnessing the gruesome fates of their predecessors, their eyes burned with conviction as they gazed up at him.

Each and every one of them was determined to fulfill their duty.

The archbishop gestured, selecting the next knight.

Kailo sneered from a distance.

“Your archbishop is sending you to your death, and yet you blush with excitement? If this isn’t fanaticism, what is?”

The archbishop flushed with anger, but the knight standing before Kailo growled in fury.

“Silence! This time, Las shall strike you down!”

With that, the next duel began.

Now, the fifteenth opponent.

Any human would be exhausted by now.

And the archbishop could see it.

Kailo’s movements were growing slower.

At the same time, the witch bound behind him, Vivian Rondor, was struggling more desperately.

Her lips were bleeding from how hard she had bitten them.

Like a mere imitation of humanity, the witch was displaying human emotions.

The archbishop scoffed and ignored her.

He had no intention of letting Vivian Rondor go.

With Kailo Alan here as well, this was an opportunity.

The first reason: a witch with power should not be allowed to exist.

The second: executing these two influential figures would rally more followers.

The Las Order could use this event to strengthen its grip and expand its influence.

It was a desire masked beneath the guise of devotion to Las.

Kailo Alan had to be dealt with sooner or later.

If sacrificing a few knights meant eliminating both of them, it was a worthwhile trade.

The archbishop was prepared to throw every knight in this land at them if necessary.

The only concern was the sheer number of onlookers.

With every knight Kailo Alan defeated, a seed of doubt was planted in their minds.

Was Vivian Rondor truly a witch?

If so, why was Las favoring Kailo Alan?

Why were knights who had followed Las all their lives being crushed so easily?

…It was a risk he had to take.

In the end, people only remember the outcome.

As long as the world knew that Kailo Alan was ultimately defeated, nothing else mattered.

Any sacrifices along the way would have to be ignored.

Though it was already becoming troublesome, the sooner Kailo Alan died, the better.

Clenching his jaw, the archbishop continued watching the battle.

Whatever happened, time was on his side.

“Archbishop…!”

Just then, Baristan, the bishop of the Loctana branch, hurried to his side.

The archbishop looked at him in confusion as Baristan hesitated before whispering into his ear.

“…A battle has broken out at Loctana’s northern gate…!”

“A battle?”

What nonsense was this?

“Vivian Rondor’s soldiers are fighting against the Paladins…!”

“What?”

Rockpen, the archbishop, turned his gaze northward.

Though he stood high on the platform, he could not see the battle from here.

Vivian Rondor’s soldiers were fighting?

Did that mean they had risen in rebellion?

“…How large is the force?”

“It’s not that big yet. Six of Rondor’s soldiers are fighting against six of our knights…”

“…Suppress them immediately.”

“…Yes, Your Excellency.”

…The archbishop could not shake the feeling that things were beginning to unravel.

It was like small flames igniting one after another.

This was not what he had planned.

Rockpen was well aware of the resentment the Order had garnered in many regions.

Excessive inquisitions and purges had led to innocent casualties.

Fear could keep the people quiet, especially when reinforced by real examples of a witch’s cruelty.

But if too many resentful voices joined together…

It could become a problem.

Witch hunts followed a predictable pattern.

Once the first stone was thrown, others would follow, afraid to stand out.

But if some dared to oppose it…

Others would find the courage to do the same.

It all depended on shaping public perception.

Understanding this, the archbishop had even placed agents in Loctana to steer the people’s sentiments.

Yet now, knights of the Order were engaged in battle.

If the conflict escalated and Loctana’s soldiers fully revolted, the tide could turn.

Vivian Rondor was deeply trusted in Loctana.

More citizens would side with her over the Las Order.

For now, the Order still held the moral high ground.

But if people started believing that Vivian Rondor was not truly a witch…

***

As beliefs began to emerge that the Las Order was wrong…

• Thud!

“Argh!”

With Kailo’s kick, the paladin who had engaged in the duel fell beneath the platform.

• Thud!

The paladin, who fell headfirst, seemed to have broken his neck, and he remained completely still.

“…Once again, it seems the gods are on our side.”

Kailo Alan said as he rested his twin swords on his back.

However, the Archbishop, who was nearby, saw it.

The first red mark that appeared on Kailo’s arm.

Blood began to spill out.

The signs of fatigue were becoming more apparent.

If they fled here, the Order’s prestige would plummet.

They had accused the powerful Vivian Rondor of being a witch, but the outcome showed she was not.

They had thought she was an easy target.

…However, the atmosphere was beginning to shift, and he could feel it.

‘Why try to swallow prey you can’t digest?’

It was as if the King’s voice was echoing.

…Should he have listened to his words back then?

Only now did the Archbishop vaguely realize that this could become a bigger problem than anticipated.

“…Next.”

Whatever happened, he could not stop here.

If he didn’t carry it through, the backlash would be too strong.

The Archbishop sent the next Knight to Kailo.

Had he had more time, he wouldn’t have been so anxious…

But the sparks from the northern gate of Loctana were now pressing in on him.

…Before it was too late, he had to kill both Kailo and Viviane Rondor and leave.

The Archbishop wet his lips for the first time and leaned in a little further, watching the battle unfold.