Midnight in Valentine (9)

-Kaang!!

The man called Jean Saturnus swung his snow-white greatsword to deflect the black spear.

The spear that had flown into the air suddenly stopped, then slowly flew back to Aslaksha’s grasp.

“That’s far enough, wicked being who has taken His Majesty’s body.”

With his sword pointed at the Emperor’s throat, Jean spoke quietly.

“…Jean Saturnus.”

Aslaksha, who had taken over the Emperor’s body, murmured while looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“I knew you would come here.”

Twitch, twitch.

Wiggling the fingers that firmly held the spear, Aslaksha said.

“However, I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”

“Princess!!”

Rubila, who had arrived panting, shouted as she stood in front of me where I was kneeling.

“Are you alright?”

“…Rubila.”

I weakly raised my head, looking around, and asked.

“Why are only you here? Where is Delphina?”

“…Ah, well.”

“There’s no need for concern, Princess Knight of Failon.”

Still pointing his sword at the Emperor, Jean answered my murmur.

“She has gone to our hideout where my comrades are, to call for reinforcements.”

“…Oh.”

“It’s only a matter of time before your wicked machinations end, one who calls himself Aslaksha.”

Jean spoke with a voice full of anger.

“I will make you pay the price for desecrating the Empire.”

“…Who are you?”

“Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, Jean Saturnus.”

“…I see.”

Only then did I let out a hollow laugh and say.

“So Aslaksha was lying.”

“Lying?”

“…”

Jean asked as if he didn’t understand.

“That one before you. He proudly boasted that he had all four generals of the Imperial Guard, including you, under his control.”

“Oh?”

“But now, I can’t find any trace of mind control in you.”

“…Hmph. So that’s what this is about.”

Jean smirked and said to Aslaksha.

“As expected of the Demon King’s Army, using such vile tactics. Trying to manipulate her with your worthless tongue.”

“…Well.”

Aslaksha tilted her head.

“How can you assert that ‘all’ of my words were lies?”

“…What?”

“I mean exactly what I said, Princess Knight Evangeline. All you’ve seen is the unaffected Jean Saturnus. But for the last one… Left General Gilbert de Roi, how can you be sure he’s free from my mind control?”

“Enough of your nonsense, ‘witch’ who calls herself Aslaksha!”

Jean shouted at Aslaksha, who was speaking with a smile.

“Gilbert de Roi has been with me the entire time since escaping the palace! There’s no way he could be under your mental domination!”

“…That’s precisely the point, Jean Saturnus.”

Aslaksha shook her head and smiled.

“Indeed, I failed to control your mind. That part of my deception was true.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“With you right next to him, why would I need to directly control Gilbert?”

“…”

At Aslaksha’s words, I heard the string of patience in my mind snap.

“That girl, Delphina or whatever, must be in danger.”

“…ASLAKSHA!!!”

-Kwaaang!!!!

Her black spear, held horizontally, blocked my right fist that was clenched so tightly it might break.

“Using your right hand instead of your left.”

Aslaksha shook her head and laughed.

“A soft punch with all strength drained. Weaker than I imagined.”

“Stand back, Princess Evangeline!”

As Aslaksha provoked with a voice mixed with laughter, Jean urgently shouted and swung his snow-white greatsword.

Kaang!! With a rough metallic sound, the black spear controlled by Aslaksha was pushed back greatly.

“You must know it yourself! While it’s truly commendable that you fought to avoid killing Barry until the end, your body is already at its limit!”

-Ppaduk.

I silently gritted my teeth so hard they might break.

“Won’t you stop moving?”

Toward me, Aslaksha narrowed her eyes and threw a taunt.

“Your precious Delphina might die, you know?”

Saying that, Aslaksha slightly raised her other hand.

The hand opposite to the one controlling the spear.

It was a coquettish gesture, as if manipulating a puppet with strings attached.

-Wuduk, cheolpeok.

Along with the sound of something being forcibly raised, came the sloshing sound of bloody water falling to the ground.

“…Lord Barry?”

Jean Saturnus murmured.

A massive man with a face turned pale blue from blood loss brought down his sword toward me with unfocused eyes.

-Gwang!!!

“Keuk…!”

A swift strike that left no room to dodge.

I hurriedly raised my creaking left arm to block Barry’s strike.

As if truly at its limit now, my left arm screamed entirely.

“Princess!”

Rubila shouted urgently and drew a red one-handed sword from her waist.

Without even being able to look back at her, I said.

“…Rubila.”

“Y-yes!”

“Go after Delphina.”

“B-but.”

Rubila murmured in a confused voice.

“You know. You can’t beat this one.”

I said, looking up at Barry who was being controlled by Aslaksha, having completely lost his mind.

“…”

At my words, Rubila silently lowered her head.

“…No.”

However, the words that came from Rubila’s mouth were quite different from what I expected.

Rubila took out a bright blue feather from her bosom and raised her sword high.

-Hwareuk…!!

“Rubila!!”

“I’m sorry, Princess.”

-Kwaaaang!!!!

With a thunderous sound, a waterfall of flames engulfed Barry.

As Barry reflexively stepped back, Rubila placed the glowing feather in my hand.

“It’s a pair of enchanted blue phoenix feathers. Delphina has the other one.”

“What are you saying…!”

“The one who should be by Delphina’s side is you, Princess, not me, a stranger who’s never met her before.”

In my hand, which she had forcibly made to hold it, the blue phoenix feather trembled and began to glow.

“How can someone who turns their back and flees from an enemy they cannot defeat be called a true knight of justice?”

“…Tsk.”

Only then did I click my tongue.

Although we haven’t known each other as long as others, I know enough about her.

And perhaps I had already subconsciously been certain that the Rubila I know would say something like that.

“…Don’t die.”

“Of course not.”

Rubila nodded.

As my vision turned white, Rubila’s face faded distantly.

“…You let her escape, your precious Princess?”

“…”

At Aslaksha’s question, Rubila silently rose to her feet.

“Well done.”

Jean said to her.

“I know this may be impertinent, but… with the Princess’s severe injuries, she would clearly be a liability in this fight. To allow someone with such injuries to fight would be against chivalry…”

“I know that too.”

Rubila said quietly.

“With the Princess gone, I’m likely to die here.”

“…”

“That’s what you want to say, right, Aslaksha?”

Rubila sharply asked Aslaksha, whose mouth was twitching.

“…If you understand so well, then why?”

“You’re asking the obvious.”

Rubila replied, drawing her blade.

“I am a knight. A knight does not retreat in the face of any enemy.”

“…No, that’s not a knight.”

Aslaksha shook her head with a trembling voice.

“Knights are invariably rude and selfish creatures who only know themselves. What you’re describing is not a knight but a hero.”

“No, I am a knight.”

Rubila shook her head.

“If someone like me could be a hero, then everyone in the world would be a hero.”

“…I don’t like you.”

Aslaksha clicked her tongue and stretched her hand toward Barry.

The flames Rubila had raised disappeared at once, and something like pitch-black bandages wrapped around Barry’s shoulder, which had been deeply cut by Evangeline’s strike.

“You should be grateful, Lord Saturnus. With this, Lord Barry’s life is saved.”

“…Well,”

-Kaaang!!!!

“That’s bloody well appreciated!!”

Wielding his sword like a raging storm, Jean pressed Aslaksha.

“Indeed, remarkable skill. You might even… surpass Evangeline.”

-Kaang!!

Aslaksha’s spear, flying like a bird, deflected Saturnus’s sword strike.

“I’ve lost Evangeline, but instead, you’ll have to die here…!”

“Do it if you can!”

“…What are you saying.”

“I mean exactly what I said, Miss Delphina.”

Gilbert de Roi shook his head and said.

“It was all a trap.”

“…”

“Both Jean Saturnus who helped you, and Gilbert de Roi standing here now, everything.”

-Bwoong.

Gilbert pointed the huge halberd he had been spinning in the air at Delphina.

“I’m not saying anything difficult. Even your setting foot in this country. Everything was a trap.”

“…So that’s how it was.”

Delphina nodded and gripped her hammer so tightly it might break.

“I understand everything now.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“So it means I should crack your head open here and go rescue the Princess?”

“…You’re putting on quite an act, Delphina Cornwall.”

Gilbert smiled mockingly.

“Don’t you know? That you are weaker than the man before you.”

“…”

“Not just slightly, but significantly different. In skill, in experience, in every sense of strength, everything.”

Someone borrowing Gilbert’s body spoke mockingly to Delphina.

-Twitch.

At that moment, the blue phoenix feather in Delphina’s bosom glowed softly.

A consumable magical tool made of a pair of feathers, with the effect of allowing instant teleportation to where the opposite feather is by consuming one side.

The feather that escaped from Delphina’s bosom and flew up transformed into particles of light and dispersed in the air.

-Kwaaaaaaang!!!!!!

Simultaneously, something fell between Delphina and Gilbert.

“Kuk…!”

Reacting to the rough dust wind that blew from the center, Delphina reflexively raised her arm to cover her eyes.

“…Khaheuk, kulluk.”

From within, a familiar voice was coughing up a sticky sound.

“…Princess?”

Delphina asked with a trembling voice.

Perhaps hearing her voice, as the dust cleared, Evangeline, who was in tatters, turned her head toward Delphina.

“…Damn it.”

In a sticky voice as if coated with blood, Evangeline muttered softly.