What Must Be Protected

“Evangeliiiiiiiine!!!!!”

Cornelio, the monster that had been Cornelio, roared.

With bloodshot eyes, he cried out while spewing bloody foam filled with killing intent toward me.

“I’m sorry.”

But his final wish in life cannot be fulfilled.

“I won’t die.”

I won’t die, and I will make it so.

“Princess, don’t kill him!”

At that moment, Delphina shouted.

Thinking what an unexpectedly carefree thing to say, I instinctively turned around, and she continued shouting:

“He mentioned having ‘backers’ with his own mouth! There’s information we need to extract!”

Ah.

“You mustn’t kill him right away! No matter what state he’s in, we need to keep him alive at least…”

“Okay, received.”

I nodded and said.

“Leave it to me.”

Speaking quietly, I gripped my greatsword tightly.

Jack Relix’s apparition, which had been watching me until just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

‘…I’m sorry, Jack.’

Jack was my first lieutenant.

The youngest son from the Baron Relix family, which couldn’t even be called powerful in flattery, and a knight whose aptitude was more suited for rear support as he had no talent for combat.

He couldn’t use Aura, was terribly clumsy with the circulation breathing technique, and was completely unsuited for fighting on the battlefield with a sword.

Nevertheless, he steadfastly went into battle following me as I moved from battlefield to battlefield, and at the Palantie operation, he took an axe in my place, had his jaw split open, and died.

I will probably never forgive myself for not moving just a little faster at that moment, until the day I die.

However.

Being swayed by the words of someone like Cornelio would be the worst thing I, who survived, could do to you.

At least at that moment, you would have wanted me not to die.

‘So.’

-Grip.

I twist the sword handle in my grip and take a big step forward.

Leaning my center of gravity far forward, I put all my weight on the tip of the sword.

I wrap blue Aura around the blade and sharpen it precisely.

‘I’ll win, even for your sake.’

With my lost left arm, I firmly grip the sword and swing it with all my might.

“──Kark!”

With both short lances soaring into the sky simultaneously, Cornelio fell to the ground.

“This…”

As he gritted his teeth and tried to get up, a sharp sword tip was pointed at his face.

“…”

“It’s over.”

Princess Knight Evangeline Failondia was looking down at him with eyes so cold they seemed to freeze.

“Disrespect toward superiors, disobeying orders, undermining military discipline, numerous violent incidents… When I only heard rumors, I thought there might be some exaggeration.”

“Tsk…”

“Seeing it in person, it’s even worse. Problem knight, Cornelio.”

Evangeline said quietly.

“What were you thinking, behaving that way toward your superior?”

“…I, I am one of the Kingdom’s Seven Swords.”

Cornelio muttered through gritted teeth.

“I’m not in a position to be ordered around by a princess brat who just became a knight…!”

“And that princess brat just thoroughly thrashed you.”

At the princess’s words, sounds of gasps could be heard among the surrounding soldiers.

“Why are you all reacting that way? Surely you didn’t think that just because I’m a princess, my mind would be a flower garden?”

To her question that wasn’t really a question, there wasn’t a single soldier brave enough to step forward and answer.

After all, she herself hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer.

Silence continued.

Toward Cornelio, who was sitting and glaring, Evangeline opened her mouth.

“Well, anyway. Now you have no more complaints, 6th seat?”

“I’m 5th seat…!”

“You’re 6th seat. You just lost to me.”

Evangeline stated decisively, and added as she withdrew her sword,

“From now on, I’m the 5th seat, not you. And as I’m above you among the Kingdom’s Seven Swords, you’ll follow my orders without argument, right?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering? Didn’t you say that you don’t follow orders from people weaker than you?”

Evangeline said with a mocking smile.

“How about you keep your word? You’re not a child who hasn’t grown up yet.”

The blatant insult, which seemed excessive, created tension among the soldiers.

“Why is the atmosphere like this? Do I seem to be speaking too harshly?”

Suddenly, Evangeline muttered, completely erasing her smile.

“Think about it. What disaster would unfold if we sent such a problematic person to the battlefield, someone who treats his superior’s words like a dog’s barking and tries to run wild as he pleases.”

Looking down at Cornelio, Evangeline said,

“Of course I know too. One person can’t determine everything on a battlefield. Even if that person is one of the Kingdom’s Seven Swords, even if they’re the continent’s best commander.”

In the suddenly somber atmosphere, the soldiers swallowed dryly. Evangeline continued:

“Still, I want as few deaths as possible on the battlefield. I want everyone to follow orders well, move promptly, achieve victory, and return home safely.”

After saying that, Evangeline paused. With her lips tightly closed, she looked around at the soldiers surrounding her in a large circle.

Evangeline’s gaze finally turned to Cornelio.

“Are you pissed off because I’m a princess, because you think I got my position by riding on my father the king’s coattails?”

“…”

“I’m pissed off because I’m scared of people dying in this battle.”

Toward Cornelio, who kept his head down without answering, Evangeline said in a subdued voice,

“Of course people will die when we fight battles, and even though it’s obvious that many people will die, I can’t stand how shitty that feels.”

Evangeline stared down at the seated Cornelio and muttered as if spitting out the words,

“As the commander of this battle, I have a duty to keep all soldiers alive and send them back home. I can’t let that responsibility be compromised because of one disobedient dog.”

Complete silence fell, with not even the sound of breathing, as numerous soldiers watched.

In the silence, Evangeline spoke.

“Won’t you think carefully about it too? Why, despite having the glorious title of one of the Kingdom’s Seven Swords, you remain in an insignificant position. Why you can’t rise to a position higher than 5th seat.”

Finally, Evangeline glanced down at Cornelio one last time, then turned to leave.

The soldiers standing behind her awkwardly stepped back.

-Grip.

Cornelio’s fingers, pressed against the dirt ground, clenched tightly, gathering a mound of soil.

-Crack!!!!

A blue wind of sword energy swept in.

Enormous bones and flesh separated into pieces in mid-air, and countless pieces of coarse fur scattered in the air.

Cornelio’s large, torn red eyes trembled.

“Why!”

In the excruciating pain of having an entire forearm severed, Cornelio shouted.

“Why can’t I win!!!”

Cornelio screamed.

“I, I gave up everything!! My human form, past glory, current strength, and a future I don’t yet know!!!”

To kill the woman before me, to achieve complete victory over her.

To stand at the top of my world once again. I sacrificed everything I currently have.

In fact, I vaguely realized.

From the moment I accepted the blue serum from those damn people of the Holy Nation.

The moment I stabbed this into my body, something irreversible would happen.

Nevertheless, Cornelio made his decision. At least the fact that he would gain more power than he currently had was certain.

Prepared to give up everything, he injected himself with the serum.

And yet──he couldn’t win.

“Why, why!! Whyyyyy!!!!”

“You just said it yourself, you stupid bastard.”

Evangeline, who had suddenly leaped up to Cornelio’s face, said quietly.

“It’s because you gave it all up.”

-Swoosh.

Slowly, Evangeline raised her sword diagonally and swung it.

The sword, which had only seemed slow, suddenly stretched, leaving a long afterimage.

──Crash!!!

Half of Cornelio’s upper body was sliced away as if erased by an eraser.

Through the cross-section of the erased upper body, Cornelio’s face was revealed.

“…What, you were still inside.”

-Thud…!!

Evangeline muttered quietly, and simultaneously Cornelio’s massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous sound.

“…There we go.”

Lightly landing on the ground where dust was rising, Evangeline silently approached Cornelio.

“Princess…!”

Delphina staggered toward her, but Evangeline silently shook her head at her.

It meant not to approach yet.

“……W… hy.”

Half-fused with the flesh, Cornelio muttered in a faltering voice.

“…I can’t… understand… I, more powerful than ever before…”

“So?”

Evangeline asked back.

“What were you going to do with that power?”

“…Obvious. Kill you…”

“And after killing me, then what?”

“…”

Cornelio couldn’t answer.

“When you were human, didn’t you have something to protect?”

Toward him, who couldn’t continue speaking, Evangeline asked.

“The honor of being one of the Kingdom’s Seven Swords. The sense of mission to fight and win as a knight. The desire to show off and be well-regarded by others.”

“…”

“Wasn’t it things like that, not the power of a Magical Beast, that made you strong?”

Evangeline continued quietly.

“Without even realizing it yourself, you stopped being desperate.”

“…Desperation, you say.”

“Yes. The desperation to protect what must be protected. Clinging only to empty values like power, you threw away everything your human self wanted to protect, and this is the result.”

Only then did Cornelio smile.

With a blood-covered face. Not a forced smile with twisted lips, but a genuine feeling of emptiness was there.

“…I, too, was once like you are now.”

Toward Cornelio who was looking at the sky, Evangeline spoke again.

“In the war, I lost many things. Soldiers I couldn’t protect, comrades who died before my eyes, my torn-off left arm… perhaps even my future children who might have existed.”

At her last words, Cornelio’s eyes twitched.

“It’s your fault, you bastard. How dare you act surprised.”

Evangeline growled and kicked Cornelio.

“Kuuh…”

“I know you won’t die even if I kick you a couple more times. Stop pretending it hurts.”

Toward him who was groaning as if dying, Evangeline clicked her tongue and said,

“Well, anyway.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Evangeline continued.

“When I reflected on myself right after the war ended, I found I had gained nothing, only wounds.”

Evangeline muttered while touching her lower abdomen.

“I thought I had nothing left. I drove myself to believe that all that was allowed to me was endless guilt and despair.”

Evangeline, who had been sighing softly and at length, glanced back and said,

Leaning on her tattered hammer, Delphina was silently looking at her.

“But as time passed, I found new things appearing.”

“…”

“One by one, things that I came to consider precious, continuously.”

Cornelio silently coughed dryly.

“Perhaps you could have had such things too. If you hadn’t been obsessed with vague things like revenge and power.”

“…I see.”

Looking up at Evangeline, Cornelio muttered in a dried-up voice.

“……I envy you.”

“You’re meant to.”

Only then did Evangeline grin and reply.

Although it was a weak smile, it was still full of emotion.

“Die envying what you couldn’t obtain in your lifetime.”

“…Fucking bitch.”

“Thank you for that.”

Toward Cornelio who was spewing weak curses mixed with coughs, Evangeline said quietly.

“That’s the highest compliment.”