Chapter 31 – Roholon Defense Battle (4)

I couldn’t bring myself to trust people anymore.

It was impossible.

Humans disgusted me—always changing based on their circumstances, their positions.

I loathed those who would discard anything for their own survival.

I despised the goddess who had allowed the world to crumble like this.

Just as I was about to turn my back on everything…

I met Noah.

Noah shone brightly, even in this godforsaken world.

She pressed forward despite all the hardships.

Even though I had given up on humanity and the world, Noah accepted me.

She embraced someone as pathetic as I had become.

She became my only friend when there was no one else left.

While everyone else called me “Priestess,” Noah alone called me by my name: Rubia.

That small gesture ignited a spark of hope within me—a tiny ember of faith in people once more.

If this was the world Noah lived in, the world she cherished…

Then perhaps it was worth saving.

Even if I hated billions of people…

The fact that Noah was here, that she remembered me, that she cared about me…

Maybe that made saving the world worthwhile.

I gazed at the adventurers gathered around the western gate.

People I didn’t trust, but had decided to place my faith in, despite my misgivings.

Slowly, I cleared my throat, ensuring my voice wouldn’t waver, and began to speak.

“Adventurers, we must hold the line, no matter the cost. If even the slightest gap forms in our defense, the entire village will be at risk. So I implore you—don’t give up. Protect this village with everything you have.”

Some voices muttered cynically, saying there was nowhere to run anyway. Others, brimming with confidence, swore to hold fast. Some trembled with fear. And still others were filled with ambition, seeing this as a chance to rise in rank.

Forcing a smile, I pressed on with my speech.

“I will take responsibility for your lives. So please… keep the villagers safe. Don’t let this become another nightmare like the tragedy of the past…”

I wanted my voice to sound strong, but it wavered at the end.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself before speaking again.

“Please… I beg of you.”

With those words, I stepped forward, moving through the ranks of adventurers.

I passed the gold-ranked adventurer at the front and moved even further ahead.

“I will take the lead.”

And then, I forced myself to say the words I despised most, the words that felt like ash in my mouth:

“For the glory of Erden.”

The moment I finished speaking, the southern wall collapsed with a thunderous roar, and the battle at the western front erupted into chaos.

***

“Kid!”

Heinzel’s voice rang out, and I threw myself to the side just in time.

The spot where I had stood was now torn apart by Heinzel’s special ability.

His halberd cut through the air like a scythe, shredding dozens of gnolls in one terrifying swing.

“Are you insane?!” I shouted. “Were you trying to kill me?!”

Ignoring my shocked outburst, Heinzel swung his halberd again, his face split by a manic grin.

“Kuhahahaha! You’d better dodge that much if you plan to survive as an adventurer!”

Stupid Heinzel.

Bald, shiny-headed, muscle-brained Heinzel!

“Using your special ability is cheating!” I protested, getting to my feet. “That doesn’t count for the kill tally!”

I grumbled as I stood up, brushing the dirt and gore from my clothes.

“If you don’t like it, use yours!” Heinzel shot back.

“Y-You… you bald bastard!”

I wanted to curse him out more, but I held back.

Calling him bald isn’t too bad, right?

“You’re half my age, brat!” Luchi chimed in. “Don’t act like we’re equals! And Heinzel, don’t even think of calling yourself my peer. Anyway, I think I’m winning.”

“Ugh… You’re just as bad, Luchi,” I groaned. “Unbelievable.”

Luchi, who had spoken so casually, was actually a mess, swinging his sword tirelessly. His attacks seemed light, but with each strike, a dozen gnolls were sliced apart.

Meanwhile, I…

“Huuup—!”

I had to give it everything I had just to take down three or four at a time.

Why am I the only one struggling like this?

Is it because my weapon is cheap?

No… A true master doesn’t blame their tools.

It’s because I don’t have a special ability.

Just wait. When the time comes, I’ll beat you all.

“We’ll see…” I muttered. “By the end, I’ll win…”

In the end, when Heinzel and Luchi are old men, I’ll be the one who wins.

Ignoring the old men’s taunts, I focused my mind on the battle at hand.

Cutting, slashing, and smashing continuously.

Until a wall of gnoll corpses surrounded me, I fought relentlessly.

As my blade dulled, I swapped it for another greatsword, keeping my movements constant.

I ignored the minor injuries.

I blocked only the attacks aimed at my vital points.

Instead of imitating Heinzel’s brute force, I followed Luchi’s swordsmanship, making smoother, more precise movements.

No greed for bigger kills—just one enemy at a time.

By the time I was down to my last greatsword out of five, a massive surge of divine energy shot up into the sky from the western front.

“Huh?”

It was Rubia’s divine power.

“That’s the priestess’ divine energy…” Luchi stopped what he was doing, rubbing his chin. “But what’s going on?”

Heinzel, too, slung his halberd over his shoulder and looked up at the sky.

A sense of dread washed over me.

I swung my greatsword wide, pushing back the gnolls in front of me, and stepped out of the battle.

“I’ll cover you,” Heinzel said, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

“…Thanks.”

As soon as Heinzel started to cover me, I expanded my senses.

The first thing that formed in my mind was… adventurers.

Dozens of adventurers.

Adventurers who shouldn’t be there.

I expanded my senses further.

Adventurers.

Adventurers.

Adventurers.

Cowardly adventurers who had run away.

Adventurers who had abandoned Rubia and fled.

They kept appearing in my mind’s eye.

I expanded my senses again.

The beasts appeared.

Hundreds of orcs flooded into my senses.

I saw them trampling, tearing, devouring, and killing people.

I expanded my senses even further.

All the way to the western front, where the adventurers should have been.

And finally, I found Rubia.

Standing alone, defending the western gate.

Her body was riddled with dozens of arrows.

A spear had pierced her abdomen.

Swords impaled her legs.

Her body was covered in bite marks and claw wounds.

Her arm was twisted at an odd angle.

Her leg was broken.

A hole gaped open in her side, pouring blood.

Even so, Rubia stood alone, holding back thousands of orcs.

The intense heat in my head began to cool.

The trembling in my hands subsided.

The rage simmering in my heart began to settle into a cold, hard resolve.

“The western front has fallen,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need to go.”

“…I see,” Luchi replied, his tone grim. “Finish quickly, and we’ll follow.”

Heinzel nodded. “I’ll try to save as many villagers as I can. Don’t overdo it, kid. You’ve still got to buy us breakfast if you die.”

Heinzel’s light-hearted joke helped calm me a little.

“I’m off,” I said. “See you soon.”

I steadied my breath.

I spat out the broken tooth in my mouth.

I let the blood pooling in my throat moisten my dry mouth, and I ran toward Rubia.

I ignored the monsters rushing at me, trusting Heinzel and Luchi to handle them.

Despair echoed through peaceful Roholon.

The sounds of flesh being torn apart.

Inarticulate screams.

The wails of children.

The rage of monsters.

The agony of death.

It all flooded my ears.

***

But I had to ignore it.

I had to close my ears.

Shut off my mind.

I focused only on Rubia.

I trusted Heinzel and Luchi to hold the line.

I smashed an orc’s skull.

I slashed open a goblin’s belly.

And I moved forward.

As the divine light from the western front dimmed, I finally reached Rubia.

I swung my greatsword.

I hacked at the beasts surrounding her.

Over and over again.

Hoping to clear a path.

Praying Rubia wouldn’t fall.

I didn’t know how long I fought.

I didn’t know how many I killed.

Screaming, I called Rubia’s name as I cut my way forward.

Attack after attack came at me.

I killed.

And killed.

And killed.

And killed again.

Before I even thought about it, my body kept moving.

I felt no pain anymore.

I didn’t care about defense, only offense.

I had to reach Rubia.

She couldn’t fall here.

I couldn’t let her fall.

I picked up a fallen spear and stabbed.

I swung a club.

I threw an axe.

I shoved a dagger into an enemy’s chest.

I burst hearts, bit into eyes, tore through hides.

And when there were no more beasts in my reach, I looked back.

Behind me, a mountain of corpses piled up.

And in front of me…

Rubia stood, staggering, blood pouring from her wounds.

“Rubia.”

“Noah… is that you…?”

Her trembling hand reached out to me.

I took a step forward and grabbed her hand.

“You’ve… you’ve gotten so hurt,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Doesn’t it… hurt? And… what’s all this? Your cute face is all… hurt. That makes me… really sad…”

I had trusted the adventurers.

I thought they wouldn’t break.

I thought they would hold on no matter what.

Because they had a priestess.

Because the villagers were behind them.

Because they knew, on the other side, just three people were desperately holding the southern front.

I thought it was only natural that they’d hold.

“Are you okay?” Rubia asked, her voice weak but filled with concern. “Noah… can you see this? I’m… I’m healing, see? I won’t die. As long as the end hasn’t come, I won’t die. So please… don’t get hurt.”

Rubia’s trembling hand reached out to touch my head.

Even with her voice cracked and broken, she still worried about me.

Even as her body wavered, she poured divine power into me.

Every action she took grated on my nerves.

“And… how are the villagers…?” she asked.

I couldn’t answer.

“I see…” she murmured. “What about the adventurers?”

I remained silent.

“Ha… I guess… it was my fault for believing in them,” Rubia said, her voice filled with resignation. “It’s because I’m weak. But… we still need to go and help the villagers, don’t we? They’re innocent… they didn’t do anything wrong…”

“Didn’t you hate people, Rubia?” I asked, my voice tight with frustration.

Rubia flinched at my question.

“How… how did you know?”

“Then why are you worrying about the villagers?”

My chest felt tight. Anger bubbled inside me.

“Why… why didn’t you run away?”

I didn’t even realize my voice had turned cold.

But Rubia’s response came in that same gentle tone.

“Because behind me… behind me, Noah was there. If I had run away, Noah would have had an even harder time.”

“…Who am I, really?” I whispered, more to myself than to her.

Rubia’s trembling hand paused.

Her voice, cracked and frail before, found strength again.

Her unsteady body straightened.

“Noah… you can’t turn out like me. You mustn’t break like I did.”

And then, her warm hand.

Her gentle voice.

The faint, sweet scent—tinged with blood but still comforting—wrapped around me.

Everything about Rubia enveloped me.

“The world, the goddess, they made it like this. It wasn’t people who did this. So… don’t let yourself fall like this. Please, Noah. Keep shining brightly until the end.”

And then, with a voice thick with tears, she pleaded.

“Please, let me save this world. Don’t let my heart break. Be my guiding light. Please… I beg you.”

I couldn’t break here.

I couldn’t fall now.

I had to help Rubia find hope.

I had to help her believe in people again.

To restore her will to save the world.

Rubia was still here.

Luchi’s bag still had an elixir.

No matter what happened, she wouldn’t die.

So…

I had to try.

“Rubia.”

I pushed her back slightly and took her hand.

“Let’s go.”

Her trembling hand.

Her staggering body.

Her tear-filled eyes.

“Let’s go, and see for yourself.”

I pulled her along, gently but firmly.

“See what I’m capable of.”

And then, I locked eyes with her.

“Watch me carefully.”