Chapter 422

Chapter 12: Aftermath #2

The invasion of the Outer Gods, led by the War God, had lasted only a few hours, but the damage to the Holy Nation was truly immense.

More than half of the holy capital’s walls had crumbled, and the royal palace was so devastated that its original form was unrecognizable.

The one silver lining was that the swift evacuation had resulted in relatively few casualties. However, “relatively” was only in comparison to the sheer scale of the destruction; the loss of life was by no means minor.

“It’s a relief the defense force was made up of machines.”

The capital’s defenders could be broadly divided into two groups: the Order of Knights, composed of the paladins of the Cordelia Church, and the Defense Force, composed of machines built by the dwarves.

The Defense Force had suffered heavy losses, losing fifty percent of its strength, but since its forces were mostly machines to begin with, there were almost no human casualties.

The Order of Knights had also managed to preserve more of its forces than expected, thanks to the timely arrival of Count Chase, Gale the Wind Wolf, and Adelia the Golden Yaksha.

But Adelia, who brought it up, and Yuder, who was surveying the state of the capital, both wore grim expressions.

No matter how one looked at it, the Holy Nation had suffered a terrible blow.

And there was one more thing.

Entering the treatment room in the shelter beneath the royal palace, Cordelia burst into tears.

On two beds placed side-by-side, Maia and Dahlia lay unconscious.

Both were so covered in bandages and hooked up to all sorts of medical devices that a single glance was enough to see how critical their conditions were.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

“Dahlia, Dahlia’s legs…”

Cordelia couldn’t finish her sentence.

Yuder, clenching his jaw, turned to look at Maia.

One of Maia’s legs was also so completely crushed that amputation seemed the better option.

Yuder had already heard what happened from Athalia.

If Count Bayer hadn’t appeared at the right moment, the two of them wouldn’t have just lost their legs—they would have lost their lives.

Yuder squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself.

He had granted them access to the World Stone because they were the two people he trusted most in the Holy Nation, aside from Cordelia. But it had been a mistake.

If he had never given them that authority in the first place, Maia would have fled the capital, and Dahlia would have had no reason to confront a being like the War God.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

They weren’t the same people they used to be.

As long as they were alive, there was a way to figure out the rest.

So it was okay.

Right now, he should be grateful for the fact that they had survived.

Yuder spoke softly, as much to himself as to Cordelia, and forced a smile. Cordelia, her face streaked with tears, nodded.

*

Dahlia slowly opened her eyes.

Through her blurry vision, she saw a white ceiling reflecting a faint light.

“Ah…”

A small, cracked voice escaped her lips. Dahlia blinked.

Her head was heavy and her body felt languid, but she was slowly regaining her senses.

I’m alive.

Letting her shoulders slump with a vague sense of relief, Dahlia tried to sit up.

Or rather, she intended to.

The last moments before she lost consciousness flashed through her mind.

“Agh?!”

As she tried to raise her torso, Dahlia nearly rolled off the bed.

Barely catching her balance, she lay back down, immediately understanding why.

There was no sensation in her lower body.

It wasn’t paralysis.

She had almost fallen because there was no weight where her legs should be.

Dahlia’s breathing instantly grew ragged.

Clenching her jaw, she threw back the blanket that covered her up to her chest.

Below her thighs, there was nothing.

Her knees were gone.

“Haa… ha…”

Both of her legs had been severed.

This was reality, not a dream.

Dahlia continued to gasp for breath, covering her face with her hands.

She didn’t scream, but she couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down her face.

It’s okay. It’s okay, Dahlia.

She had lost both legs, but she hadn’t died.

And… and…

Dahlia quickly lowered her hands and looked to her side.

Right next to her.

She saw Maia, lying in bed, sleeping peacefully.

Though her exhaustion was plain to see, her face looked serene.

“Haaah…”

Maia was alive.

Maia is alive.

Dahlia found herself laughing through her tears.

She had lost both her legs, but Maia was alive, so it was enough.

They both could have died, but they were both alive. She had to be satisfied with that.

What had happened?

Did the young lady and young master come to save them?

Dahlia kept thinking.

Part of it was genuine curiosity, but it was also a way to avoid the reality that her legs were gone.

“Maia…”

She wanted to see her from a little closer.

She wanted to caress her cheek and feel her warmth.

But she couldn’t.

Getting out of bed was now impossible.

Fresh tears welled up, and Dahlia bit her lip to stifle her sobs.

She wanted to cry, but she had to endure.

She was a knight.

Hadn’t she prepared herself for the possibility that a day like this might come?

Besides, if she cried now, she might wake Maia.

Swallowing her silent sobs, Dahlia continued to think.

What happened to the young lady and young master?

Could she get prosthetics to replace her severed legs?

If they were prosthetics made by the young master Edward, would she be able to walk again?

But if she could no longer fight—if she had to quit being a knight—what would she do then?

Should she learn administrative work?

Or maybe she could learn to be a handmaid under Maia.

That might be a little fun.

A million different thoughts flooded her mind.

But in the end, she could only cry again.

It felt like her heart would collapse from the terrible sense of loss.

Some time passed.

Dahlia, who had cried herself to sleep, opened her eyes, feeling a bit dazed.

Perhaps because she had cried her heart out, she felt strangely refreshed, and an incredibly welcome face came into view.

“Dahlia!”

“My lady?”

“Yes, yes, it’s me.”

Smiling with even more energy than usual, Cordelia leaned down and hugged Dahlia tightly.

“My lady.”

“Yes, Dahlia.”

“My lady.”

Dahlia burst into tears again.

She wasn’t usually one to cry, but the series of events had left her heart too fragile.

Cordelia held Dahlia close, sharing her warmth, and once Dahlia had calmed down a little, she pointed to the side.

“Maia’s here, too.”

It was true.

Maia was on a bed pulled right up next to hers.

She wore her usual faint smile, which to others might look like a blank expression.

“Maia.”

Maia smiled gently and squeezed Dahlia’s hand.

Maia’s hands were usually cold, so it wasn’t a warm touch, but the coolness felt pleasant.

“Thank you, Dahlia.”

At those words, which held so much meaning, Dahlia bit her lip and nodded.

She felt like she was about to cry again.

It really is okay.

She had lost both her legs, but she had saved Maia.

With these hands, she had protected Maia.

Dahlia opened her arms, and Maia, with a small smile, leaned over and gave Dahlia a tight hug.

Cordelia watched them both with a smile.

And one other person.

Yuder, who had been silent until now, spoke with a gentle smile.

“Sir Dahlia, I thank you as well.”

“N-Not at all, sir. I was merely doing my duty.”

Dahlia replied a bit stiffly, still holding Maia.

After all, as a knight, Yuder was both her superior and her lord.

“Hmm, this won’t do. I’ll take it from here, so Yuder, you should step out for a bit.”

Dahlia is uncomfortable.

And for what we’re about to discuss, both Dahlia and Maia will be more comfortable without you here anyway.

At Cordelia’s order of dismissal, Yuder feigned a look of disappointment, but only for a moment.

He gave a nod to Dahlia and Maia, then left the room. After confirming the door was shut, Cordelia turned back to them and said:

“I’m going to turn you two into angels.”

“…What?”

Dahlia asked reflexively.

Maia just blinked her large eyes, not seeming to understand.

“To be more precise, I’m going to create new angelic bodies and then transplant your souls into them.”

“What???”

Dahlia couldn’t help but ask again.

Create what and transplant what?

“Your injuries are severe, and it’s been a while since you were hurt. This is the most certain and cleanest method. It’s also more reassuring.”

Because if they become angels, they’ll be much stronger than humans.

In truth, creating angelic bodies and transplanting souls into them wasn’t an easy task, even for Cordelia.

In her and Yuder’s case, their souls were already powerful enough to possess divinity, so manipulating avatars was simple. But Dahlia and Maia were ordinary humans.

Moreover, using an avatar was merely controlling a temporary body. For these two, their souls had to be moved to entirely new bodies.

Besides, I have no intention of making them just any ordinary angels.

Transplanting them into the lowest-ranking angels wouldn’t be that difficult.

After all, the lowest-ranking angels could be mass-produced as if on a factory line.

What Cordelia had in mind was the rank of Archangel.

A high-ranking angel, said to be just below the Archangels and Seraphim.

Creating an angelic body of this level and placing an ordinary human soul within it was an incredibly difficult task.

It would undoubtedly consume an enormous amount of Cordelia’s divinity and spiritual power.

But Cordelia was determined to do it.

For these two, she wouldn’t hesitate even if it required ten times more resources than she had estimated.

“So, with that said, are there any options you’d like?”

“O-Options?”

“Yup, since we’re making brand-new bodies. The base will be your current selves so your souls can settle in properly, but it’s possible to make a few tweaks.”

This was why she had kicked Yuder out.

It was one thing between women, but with a man like Yuder present, neither of them would be able to freely state their desires.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don’t have any regrets later. Just tell me everything. I can probably make most of it happen.”

The more Cordelia spoke, the more mischievous her expression became, as if she was looking forward to what kind of options they would request.

“Th-th-that… um…”

Dahlia stammered as if thrown into confusion.

When she thought about modifying her body, various desires came to mind, but she was too embarrassed to say them out loud.

But just then.

“S-Sweets…”

“Hmm?”

“Is it… possible to have a body that… doesn’t gain weight easily even if I eat sweets?”

As Maia shyly asked—her face looked expressionless to others, but Dahlia could tell—Cordelia blinked, then burst out laughing and nodded.

“Yes, yes, of course. A constitution that doesn’t gain weight easily even if you eat a lot is simple.”

At Cordelia’s words, Maia smiled faintly and clenched her fists.

She seemed more pleased than one might expect.

Maia, you were worried about that?

Maia, with her slender waist, always so delicate and elegant.

So she had actually been very conscious of managing her weight.

She had been forcing herself to hold back on sweets.

So that’s how it was.

Dahlia felt as if she’d just seen a message pop up—Understanding of Maia has increased by 10—and she smiled faintly before turning to Cordelia.

“My lady, I’d like the same, please.”

“Of course, of course. Anything else?”

Things they wanted for their new bodies.

Once again, Maia was the first to speak up shyly, and her request left Dahlia with another small surprise.

Cordelia, for her part, giggled.

“What about you, Dahlia? The same thing?”

“Uh… yes…”

Dahlia replied shyly, her face turning red. She glanced at Maia, who met her gaze with her usual gentle eyes.

So Dahlia smiled.

Though still embarrassed, she turned to Cordelia and began to list her own desired features. Cordelia, exclaiming “Ooh,” started to jot down Dahlia’s wishes.

Maia, too, began gesturing with her hands as she confessed her own desires.

And as the three of them continued their delightful girls’ talk…

We’re going to need a new scripture.

Yuder, standing outside the door, began to envision the verses and illustrations for the two new angels who would be joining Cordelia, a scheming—no, a deeply pleased smile forming on his lips.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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