episode_0176

The Benity Annihilation Operation.

As the operation was about to begin in earnest, I received a request.

The one who made the request was none other than Emilia.

The girl who was to take the lead in the operation.

“Yuda.”

She pronounced my name clearly.

As if trying to hide her agitation, even just a little.

“I have a request.”

“Hmm?”

“When we infiltrate the mansion and face my uncle… let me have my turn.”

“…That doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea. Deron Benity is a formidable opponent.”

“I know. He’s one of the continent’s foremost ice mages.”

“The Young Lady will not be able to stand against him.”

“Promise me.”

Her hand gripped my sleeve.

The villainess’s shoulders trembled, but her eyes remained calm.

Like an old captain’s prayer before a tidal wave.

“That you won’t interfere.”

“…”

“It’s my duty. And, at the same time, it’s the last bit of stubbornness I have left.”

“You might be seriously injured. Or even die.”

“I don’t care.”

There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in her reply.

Perhaps it was her final act of dignity.

“Because there’s something I absolutely must know, and something I must accomplish.”

Her deep eyes, an endless blue.

In that serene shimmer, the present was transparently etched.

The narrow-eyed boy who stared down at her blankly, and then…

A starlight that refused to be extinguished in defiance.

I couldn’t ignore the girl’s sparkle.

“So, promise me.”

Because she shone dazzlingly.

As if I might be enchanted by her if I wasn’t careful.

“That you will respect me, even if it means I get hurt or die…”

That was nobility.

It was a pride cloaked in the name of vanity.

Therefore, I couldn’t refuse.

Because her resolve, reflected on the surface of the water, was still as beautiful as a winter flower.

I could only nod with a faint smile.

As if understanding that sublimity.

“…If that is your will, then gladly.”

At the same time, I prayed.

For my delicate girl.

“Please.”

Please.

May your pride be an affirmation to life.

May a calling exist within that vanity.

“May your duty be free of regret.”

I whispered.

***

“I’ve come to take it back. Your name.”

A voice flowed through the corridor.

Beneath the moonlight beyond the window, we stood before our target.

The curtains fluttered in the passing winter wind.

“…Emilia?”

The man stared at us blankly.

Deron Benity.

The atmosphere was chilling.

Emilia glared at the enemy of her life with cold eyes.

Her uncle, the object of her resentment, was utterly detestable.

“…”

Was he assessing the situation?

Deron’s gaze meticulously checked the corridor.

He seemed wary of forces that might be waiting nearby, in addition to us.

But there was no particular sign of anything.

“Hmm…?”

And for good reason.

Because only the two of us had come up to the corridor.

A glint appeared in Deron’s rolling eyes.

As if he’d been unnecessarily tense.

“Ha… I didn’t think so, but is it really just the two of you?”

The man let out a hearty laugh.

Following his exhaled breath, frost gradually spread at his feet.

His triumphant blue eyes stared clearly at us.

“So.”

Specifically, Emilia.

His niece, a card that had served its purpose.

“What brings you here?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“My name… Right, you seem to be angry about Ruthka’s matter.”

“You tried to eliminate that child. And me too.”

“There are adult matters, you see. Besides, Ruthka was the one who stabbed us in the back first.”

“No… you were the one who betrayed us. Ever since our parents passed away.”

“…Ha.”

The man scoffed.

He then covered his mouth, revealing a grotesquely twisted corner of his lips.

His gaze was like one looking scornfully at junk on the street.

Then he asked.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

Blatantly.

The temperature in the corridor instantly dropped.

His exhaled breath immediately turned into white mist.

“What can you even do?”

“…”

“You half-wit who couldn’t even keep your own place.”

“Even now, I’m going to take it back.”

Screech—!

The ice held at her fingertips soon transformed into a frozen spear.

Emilia aimed the gleaming blade.

At the same time, she glanced our way.

‘Is she telling me not to interfere?’

I nodded.

Because I had clearly promised.

I would step in at a dangerous moment, but for now, I wanted to watch.

The story of this girl, resonating so venomously.

Indeed, could she reach the end of the night and the season?

I stepped back.

“Yes, come.”

Deron, at ease.

He too deployed mana, conjuring magic in his palm.

Emilia threw a single question at her uncle.

It wasn’t a very long question.

“One… I have a question.”

“Now, after all this?”

“My parents’ accident, were you involved?”

The suspicious accident.

The former Duke and Duchess of Benity, who had met a sudden death.

At the time, and even now, the truth of the matter had never been revealed.

It was merely recorded as an unfortunate accident.

-The Duke and Duchess have passed away.

-The cause of death is still unknown, but investigations suggest a carriage accident…

No one knew the truth.

Except for the provisional head of the family who managed the incident at the time.

The person in question replied.

“What if I was?”

“…Then any further conversation would be meaningless.”

Emilia took her stance.

In her blue eyes, a flashing venom settled.

“It seems there are only two of you… You seem to underestimate your uncle too much.”

“You are enough. You, who couldn’t even reach my father’s toes.”

“Unless you bring the Imperial Knights, you won’t be able to catch me.”

“We’ll have to see about that.”

“Is it because you resemble your elder brother so much, that you’re so foolish?”

The two aimed their magic at each other.

Her flowing blue hair flickered with the fleeting moment.

Crack!

Her steps leaped off the ground.

And then, the next moment.

Clash—!

Along with the clashing explosion, shards of ice scattered.

Betrayal, pride, and Benity… it was the moment when all these things reached their end.

The two vain individuals swung their chilling blue blades.

***

Deron Benity.

One of the Empire’s foremost ice mages, and the provisional head of the Benity family.

After the former Duke and Duchess passed away, he seized control of everything in the ducal family in just a few years.

As such, he was quick-witted.

The same applied to the current situation.

‘For now… the corridor seems clear.’

A corridor where no human presence was felt.

Even after deploying mana, the silence all around meant that the surroundings were safe.

At least on the floor he stood on, there seemed to be no unusual variables.

Deron’s mind raced.

‘There’s no way it’s just the two of them.’

Though he pretended to be at ease, it was an act to induce complacency.

No matter that they were mere brats who hadn’t even had their coming-of-age ceremony.

They wouldn’t rashly invade the ducal family, especially not just the two of them.

Whether they were waiting outside, or had already successfully infiltrated inside, it was correct to infer that forces other than the two existed.

The question was, whose forces were they?

‘It’s too fast for the Imperial Family to have moved.’

It would take at least two days.

The cultists had guaranteed it as well.

If so, the possible scenario was…

‘…The Academy, perhaps?’

Yes.

It was plausible if the Academy had stepped forward as retaliation for the previous attack.

The institution known as the continent’s best educational organization, Galimard.

Normally, they wouldn’t get involved in such matters, but they were in a position to have suffered the greatest damage from the Duke of Benity.

Even some of their faculty members had died in the line of duty.

They had the justification.

‘There’s also the possibility of a third party force, but…’

Well, that didn’t matter much.

Deron scanned his surroundings.

Since the situation had become complicated, he at least needed to escape.

The secret passage hidden inside the Duke’s office. He planned to escape through there.

After leaving the mansion, he would rendezvous with the Demon Worshippers.

Then he would disappear until the promised day arrived.

‘When that day comes… I will rule as the Emperor of the new world.’

His desire flowed darkly.

As he chewed over his own thoughts alone, someone suddenly appeared in his vision.

The blue-haired girl, barely standing, in tatters.

It was none other than his niece, Emilia.

“Haah, haah…”

Her breathing was rough and ragged.

The girl was a wreck.

Her usually flowing hair was unkempt, and her limbs were covered in cuts.

Her thigh, especially, where a shard was embedded, trembled faintly.

No matter how much she put on a brave face, her weakness couldn’t be hidden.

Emilia was merely putting on a desperate show.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Thud—.

With a few groans, she propped herself up with her spear.

The girl’s balance kept swaying.

Was it because she was overwhelmed by firepower?

Even though they were both ice mages, she seemed to struggle with the cold.

Snowflakes fluttered on her pale complexion.

However, Emilia did not give up her stubbornness.

“Never… interfere.”

She merely mumbled.

Towards the golden snake guarding her side.

“This is. My, Benity’s story…”

He thought it was a meaningless struggle.

Deron, who was watching, clicked his tongue dismissively.

He had thought she was quite a clever child, but to show such a pathetic sight now.

A foolishness that resembled someone else’s too much.

His brow furrowed.

‘Should I just deal with her now?’

Deron gathered mana at his fingertips.

Since time was pressing, he intended to finish it without dragging it out.

Both Emilia, and the golden-haired boy standing beside her.

‘Was his name Snakers?’

He had heard rumors about him.

A genius who had overwhelmed even the faculty at a young age.

A talent of historical proportions, following in the footsteps of the Red Sword Saint.

The mysterious boy.

‘Well… there might be some exaggeration.’

As is common with rumors, some distortion always exists.

Genius, talent, mystery… humans tend to get excited about such topics.

The aura Deron directly perceived wasn’t particularly strong.

Certainly, considering his age, he was clearly an immense raw talent.

But he was by no means comparable to the Red Sword Saint.

‘It’s laughable.’

Deron himself had participated in the [Great War].

The sight of the stars active on the battlefield was something no human dared to discuss.

‘This will be simple.’

Deron scoffed.

Even if the other side joined in this situation, he was confident he could overwhelm them.

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to let his guard down.

As it was right to keep variables to a minimum.

“Then, let’s finish this.”

Whoosh—!

Cold air swirled around his clenched fist.

White frost settled throughout the long corridor.

The final blow.

With this, he intended to finish everything.

Both his annoying elder brother’s bloodline, and that snake brat who had interfered from somewhere.

The densely gathered mana soon condensed into a compressed storm.

“Cough, ugh…”

“What a pity. When you meet your elder brother on the other side, please convey my regards.”

A taunt thrown until the very end.

He smiled.

Just as he clenched his fist, intending to shatter the entire space.

Suddenly, Emilia’s lips caught his eye.

“Ha, haha…”

Laughter escaped her, even as she was crushed by exhaustion.

Deron paused at her absurd reaction.

Had she gone insane?

To be laughing instead of begging for her life, in a situation where she was about to be killed immediately.

His brow furrowed at such an eerie feeling.

“…This, couldn’t possibly be everything.”

Spit—.

The girl spat out bloody phlegm, then took her stance again.

Her blue eyes were still gleaming.

As if she hadn’t even started.

‘What…?’

Apart from her battered appearance, her expression brimmed with confidence.

She clearly didn’t lose her composure even in a disadvantageous situation.

Such an incongruity was enough to make Deron wary.

Then, their gazes met.

“To life, pride. To betrayal, harsh winter.”

“…?!”

Crack—!

Behind the somewhat familiar incantation, the girl’s spear shattered into pieces.

The fragments furiously revolved around Emilia.

Soon, her blue hair fluttered in the whirlwind.

‘That incantation… No way, it can’t be.’

However, as if to prove that impossible thought.

From the girl’s two hands, a brilliant light surged.

Her red lips murmured.

“I told you.”

The vain one raised her hand.

Behind the shadow draped like a robe, jet-black snowflakes scattered across the corridor.

In her blue eyes, there was unchanging venom.

As a single season.

“I came to take that name back.”

A figure cloaked in night and winter.

Emilia stood with an entirely transformed aura.