episode_0150

In truth, Yurian had his own confidence. Although he had ingested Shilov’s poison, it did not hinder his movements.

From the start, he was as skilled as Christian. He had been through numerous battlefields and had hunted monsters and demons to some extent.

So,

“Even if the odds are against me, victory is not entirely out of reach.”

Dodging the trajectory of the vertically descending longsword, Yurian rushed towards Dimitri.

The distance between the two rapidly narrowed.

In front of him, Yurian put all his strength into the rapier in his hand. Then, sharply honed, the strike aimed towards Dimitri’s heart.

“Huut.”

Clang-

However, the narrowing tip of the rapier did not touch Dimitri’s body. With a muffled sound of impact, Dimitri deflected the rapier with the hilt of his longsword, lightly blocking the blow.

It was certainly a quite threatening strike.

As the Empire’s sword and the protector of the North, he was not someone who would easily succumb.

Yurian quickly adjusted his stance.

Although the strike was blocked, he could not give up like this.

“There’s no time left.”

If he continued to focus only on defense, he would crumble.

So, even if it cost him his life, Yurian lunged towards Dimitri.

A sharp pain was felt in his thigh.

A stinging sensation rose from his left shoulder.

Thus, as Yurian managed to deflect Dimitri’s longsword with his body, he thrust sharply when the opportunity presented itself.

“Huah.”

In an instant, Dimitri’s posture faltered.

After releasing the rapier, he was late in returning to his original stance, and the longsword still pointed at the empty air.

In that moment, his red eyes flashed.

Thump, his racing heart whispered that the end was truly near. His vision blurred, and a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

So, this time, he had to land a decisive blow.

Yurian exerted all his remaining strength, pushed off the ground, and flew towards him. He extended the tip of the rapier towards his heart.

“Dimitri!”

And beneath his black hair, the man gently raised the corners of his mouth.

What touched the tip of the rapier was not soft flesh but the bracelet on his wrist. It was then that Yurian realized he had fallen into Dimitri’s trap.

The stabbing motion, that straight-line movement, was all too familiar to Dimitri. Among the monsters rushing towards him, he had already experienced it countless times, especially when felling a Direwolf.

“You may have thought of your own way to evade, but.”

After releasing the final blow, Dimitri struck down Yurian’s wrist with the sharp edge of his longsword.

With his grip already loosened, Yurian lost the rapier due to the intense impact.

Dimitri kicked away the fallen rapier and Yurian slumped to the ground.

The outcome was decided.

His body succumbed to Shilov’s poison.

Now, even his legs had no strength left.

As Dimitri approached the seated Yurian, he placed the longsword on his slender shoulders beneath his silver hair.

Dimitri aimed the sword at Yurian’s neck and pondered his decision for a moment.

In reality, as the instigator of the rebellion, it wouldn’t matter much if he were to slit his throat. However, sparing him to inquire about his involvement in the situation wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Dimitri’s contemplation didn’t last long.

“Kuluk-”

With a splat, Yurian spat out red blood beyond his lips.

Shilrove’s poison was faithful and effective, leading its victim to death.

Nevertheless, it was fortunate that Yulrian did not collapse during the battle, but only now. With a tilting view, Yulrian thought so.

The last moments were clearly different.

Unlike the fallen Emperor in the deep darkness, Yulrian fell under the clear autumn sky.

#

With the fall of the rebellious marauder, Duke Yulrian Valatie, the situation of Duke Valatie’s party also came to an end.

The men in black robes lowered their weapons, and the knights of Beaurne kept them bound, watching them closely to prevent any suspicious behavior.

And Dmitri ran towards his lover waiting for him.

“Eli—!”

His lover was tied to the chair where Yulrian had welcomed him. Dmitri untied his lover and removed the gag from her mouth.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Dmitri’s eyes quickly scanned Eleanor. But before he could examine her body, Eleanor, now freed, threw herself into his arms. Unlike anyone else, his embrace was warm and comforting.

“Dmitri!”

“Eli! Are you okay?”

“I was scared….”

“You endured well.”

“I thought I would never see you again….”

His hand, which had been caressing her back behind her blouse, now moved to her head. Dmitri gently brushed Eleanor’s hair. A single tear escaped her eyes, held back by his warm touch.

And Eleanor stepped back from his embrace.

“You’re hurt…. here, and here.”

Although the end may have felt somewhat anticlimactic, Dmitri had not won easily either. There were wounds all over his body, though not deep. Eleanor gently touched Dmitri’s wounds.

“I’m more worried about you. You were imprisoned! Did that bastard do anything to you….”

Dmitri’s voice was still full of concern. Eleanor raised her hand to his rough cheek, looked into his eyes.

“I’m fine. Really….”

Her voice was moist with tears. Dmitri raised his hand to her forehead, brushing aside her disheveled bangs. He placed his lips on her exposed white forehead.

He wanted to hold her in his arms and share a deeper kiss, but there were too many eyes watching at the moment.

And.

As if confirming his bad feeling.

The assassin sent by Ernst was hiding between the buildings, secretly watching.

Ernst’s order to the assassin was the lives of Duke Yulrian Valatie and Eleanor Beaurne.

The reason Eleanor’s name was involved in wiping out Galatea’s blood was simple.

If, like her father, Yulrian had taken Eleanor’s body, Galatea’s blood could continue through her.

One of the assassin’s targets, Yulrian, had already fallen to the Duke’s sword. Though he still seemed to be breathing, it was clear that he would soon meet his end.

So the assassin’s gaze was solely focused on the platinum-haired woman in the Duke’s arms.

“Eli!”

Finally, Oujeni, who had been lingering behind the knights, also leaped towards Eleanor.

With a warm smile on her face, Eleanor finally let out the emotions she had been holding back. Dmitri gently released her from his embrace.

“Ojenee!”

“Elli!”

The two women embraced each other as if they were lovers. Unlike before, Eleanor now accepted Ojenee’s body without any hesitation.

“I’m so glad, Elli.”

“Ojenee, are you hurt anywhere?”

Pulling Eleanor closer to her, Ojenee nodded as tears streamed down her violet eyes, moistening Eleanor’s shoulder.

“I-I’m fine. It’s just… Elli, you…”

It was the first time Eleanor had seen Ojenee cry. The child who had always seemed like an older sister in front of her was now shedding tears, causing Eleanor’s nose to tingle with emotion.

“Now… it’s all over, Ojenee. So…”

As the two women embraced each other, the eyes of an assassin glinted in the background. With the Duke now far away from her, it was the perfect opportunity.

Moved by the tears, Eleanor eventually rested her head on Ojenee’s shoulder. Unlike the significant height difference with Dmitri, she could comfortably rest her head on Ojenee’s shoulder.

“Albriss Doyen is also in good health. He’s currently accompanying the Count to the palace.”

“Even… Father… is coming up?”

“Yes. Leading the Western Army, he’s coming up…”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps stopped. The pupils in Ojenee’s violet eyes dilated significantly. Something suspicious was reflected in her eyes.

“No, no!”

A black-clad man emerged between the mansion buildings, and Ojenee locked eyes with the assassin.

In a split second, before realizing what it was, Ojenee moved first.

A black-masked man appeared between the mansion buildings, and the ominous feeling she had when locking eyes with him might not have been a coincidence.

And that feeling proved to be right.

In an instant, Eleanor, who was in Ojenee’s arms, collapsed to the ground.

“O-Ojenee…?”

Confused, Eleanor called out her name, unable to understand why she had been pushed away. She only confirmed her friend’s chest turning red under her sky-blue eyes.

At that moment, a buzzing sound echoed in Eleanor’s ears.

“He’s an assassin!”

“Protect the lady.”

“He’s escaping that way!”

The courtyard of the mansion began to get chaotic. Despite the commotion, Dmitri held the fallen Eleanor in his arms, preparing for the next attack.

Yet, her sky-blue eyes were fixed on her friend turning red.

“O-Ojenee!”

With a dagger blocking her chest, Ojenee’s body slowly began to tilt backward. Before fully grasping the situation, Eleanor’s body was turned by a strong force.

“It’s dangerous, Elli.”

“P-Please let go of this. Dmitri, Ojenee… Ojenee!”

“There might be another attack. Elli, please calm down…”

“No! Dmitri! Let go of this, please!”

In her desperate attempt, Dmitri finally let go of Eleanor. She rushed towards the fallen Ojenee. The knights of Beaurain began to surround the three of them.

With a gentle touch, Ojenee struggled to lift her lips. However, the words she wanted to say remained trapped in her throat. A tear rolled down her violet eyes.

“Foreigner, don’t go! Doctor, we need a doctor!”

Eleanor’s desperate voice made Foreigner reach out towards her face. Foreigner’s trembling hand gently wiped the tears streaming down Eleanor’s cheeks.

“I’m glad, Ellie.”

This time, he would save her.

Because he could keep the promise he made when he turned back time.

The pretty girl he first met when he followed his father to the Beorn mansion.

The beautiful woman you had grown into, surpassing the pretty girl.

You, who shyly confessed that you had found a man you loved.

You, who closed your eyes with a pale face, not responding even when called.

The fact that turning back time to save you meant something.

“No… Foreigner, no… I can’t let you go like this…”

The violet eyes that were looking at her lost their vitality.

Her hand, which had been gently caressing her cheek, lost its strength and fell limp.

Eleanor knew well what that fact meant when she bid farewell to Violet from her embrace.

“Foreigner! No, no!”

Unlike the warm red liquid flowing from her chest, Foreigner’s body stiffened little by little. Eleanor, with tears streaming down her face, pleaded with Dimitri, who had approached her.

“Elli…”

“D-Dimitri. Please help Foreigner… Please help our Foreigner…”

Even if he was the Grand Duke of the Empire and her lover, there was nothing he could do right now.

“Elli…”

“No! This can’t happen! This is not how it should be!”

Eleanor fell to the ground, holding her friend’s cooling body in her arms.

And at that moment.

The platinum blonde hair began to flutter.