episode_0336

Swoosh!

At a speed exceeding the sound barrier, the air detonated along its path.

Checking the artifact, I saw Ursilla’s constantly changing location had become fixed in one spot. Thanks to that, the distance was rapidly closing, but it wasn’t a good sign. It meant the escape had finally ended.

‘Almost there…’

As I anxiously scanned my surroundings, a group of people came into view in the distance. A group cloaked in black robes. The Dark Church. And surrounded in their center was Ursilla, the one I had been searching for. She was barely fending off the Dark Church members’ onslaught, somehow holding on, but she looked unstable, as if she might collapse at any moment.

I immediately plunged straight down.

Boom!

The ground cracked centered on where my feet landed, and black flames erupted from the fissures. Though not a systematically established technique, the strike, combining vast mana and delicate control, was enough to incinerate the Dark Church members. The ones guarding one side were all annihilated, tearing a hole in the encirclement. The flames spread to where Ursilla was, but due to perfect mana control, only the others were affected, not her.

I strode confidently through the flames and stood before Ursilla.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah…”

At my worried words, Ursilla let out a blank gasp, then her face suddenly crumpled.

“Seniorrr!”

Then she threw herself into my arms. As if she couldn’t believe it, she ran her hands over various parts of my body, then hugged me even tighter.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for making you come to a place like this!”

“What are you sorry for? Of course I’d come.”

“Thank you for coming to save me. I was so scared.”

Her trembling shoulders were pitiful. I gently patted Ursilla’s back, my rage flaring towards the Dark Church.

‘How dare they touch Ursilla?’

What did this girl do wrong?! She hadn’t even interfered with their plans yet; did they do this simply because she was my lover? Unable to tolerate their actions, I extended my senses, fixing my gaze on every single Dark Church member. I intended to slaughter every last one of them without missing a single one.

Once Ursilla had calmed down sufficiently, I slowly let go of her.

“Ursilla. Stick close to my back.”

“Senior…”

“Just trust me. I won’t let a single hair on your head be harmed. Understand?”

As I gently caressed her cheek, she closed her eyes and rubbed against my hand like a kitten, then bit her lip tightly and shook her head.

“No. I’ll help too.”

“What? But…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be a burden.”

Ursilla’s eyes were resolute. I could feel her will, that even if she were to die fighting, she wouldn’t just stand by and watch. I reluctantly yielded a step.

“Alright. Then absolutely don’t overexert yourself. If you disobey, you’ll be in trouble.”

“Of course. I want to be with Senior for a very, very long time too.”

Her smiling face was dazzling. I unconsciously stroked her red lips, then pulled my hand away.

“Good. Then I’ll leave your back to you. Let’s make them pay the price for targeting you.”

“Yes, Senior!”

I just noticed, the honorific had somehow been dropped. Perhaps it was due to the urgent situation, but it felt like we had gotten a little closer, and that wasn’t bad. Although I had already consummated our relationship with Ursilla and we had become lovers, there seemed to be some inexplicable distance between us.

With this strengthened bond, we began to confront the Dark Church members. Fortunately, the Dark Church seemed not to have anticipated a variable, and their strength wasn’t particularly strong.

…Or there was a reason why it couldn’t be otherwise.

‘This is ominous.’

I hope the reason they couldn’t focus all their strength here isn’t because they’re focusing just as much somewhere else.

Crack!

A moment later, the last Church member finally fell. Strangely, even at the moment of death, they showed no intention of fleeing. While they were originally lunatics, it wasn’t just that; it was as if rushing at me and dying was their purpose.

Pondering the repeated sense of unease, I realized this wasn’t the time for it and looked at Ursilla.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. What about you, Senior?”

“I’m fine too. Let’s get out of here for now. I’ll take you to a nearby major city, so wait there at the Church. I have to go back to the banquet hall.”

I immediately picked Ursilla up. And just as I was about to fly up, she pulled at my lapel as if to stop me, and cried out.

“I-I want to come too!”

“What?”

“…I want to go with you. I don’t want to be separated from Senior.”

The hand holding my lapel trembled slightly. It seemed the Dark Church’s attack had instilled a slight trauma in her.

‘I was too inconsiderate.’

I was too hasty and couldn’t think about Ursilla’s perspective. I held her close and whispered.

“I want to be with you too. But where I’m going is dangerous. If you come along, something terrible might happen.”

“…Even so, I don’t care. If I’m by Senior’s side, I can feel safe. …Please?”

Ursilla carefully looked up at me. Her obsidian-black eyes, moist with unshed tears, trembled. I simply couldn’t ignore that gaze.

“Are you really sure? I might not be able to protect you.”

“It’s alright. I’ll try not to be a hindrance. More than anything…”

“More than anything?”

“When Senior is in danger, I don’t want to be the only one in a safe place. I’ll protect Senior too.”

Ursilla depended on me, yet at the same time, harbored the desire to protect me. In front of such a commendable display, uttering words of refusal was impossible. I ended up chuckling.

“Alright. Then let’s go together. Protect me.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you.”

Unable to resist her dependable appearance, I ended up giving her a short kiss on the lips.

Afterward, we quickly soared towards the banquet hall.

*

After 20 minutes of searching for the Red Archmage, Deborah and Roxana finally found her. However, her condition wasn’t good.

Rip!

“Ugh!”

Just then, a spell cast by the Blue Archmage sliced through the Red Archmage’s side. She barely avoided a direct hit, but even so, it was a deep enough wound to expose her internal organs. Besides that, there were numerous large and small wounds all over her body, making it seem difficult for her to last much longer.

“Tsk, it missed. Next time, I’ll truly put you at ease.”

“Daniel… I’ll never let you get away with this. You joined the Dark Church?”

“Haha! What can you do? Just die already. I can finally get rid of you.”

Daniel cast a Transcendental Magic spell to finish her off. As blue magic power spread in all directions, the surrounding environment changed, and a vast ocean unfolded. Then, an immeasurable amount of seawater gathered, compressed, and rotated, forming a colossal cyclone. Katia, standing before it, was as precarious as a sailboat facing a storm.

“Damn it! Do you think I’ll just take it?”

She likewise cast a Transcendental Magic spell, forming a lava field, but its area was far too narrow compared to Daniel’s. Just as she was about to be helplessly swept away by the cyclone.

“Stop!”

Shimmer!

Roxana’s Transcendental Magic unfolded, colliding with Daniel’s cyclone. The cyclone was swallowed by an illusion as deep as the abyssal sea, destroying the false space and simply vanishing.

“Tsk! You arrived quickly.”

Daniel clicked his tongue in regret and hastily summoned two cyclones, placing them on either side. Meanwhile, Roxana entrusted Katia to Deborah and confronted Daniel.

“Daniel. Is what you just said true? You joined the Dark Church?”

“Ha! It seems there’s a misunderstanding. I haven’t joined the Dark Church. We’re just cooperating for mutual benefit.”

“Cooperating? Don’t you know what kind of people the Dark Church members are? The moment they discover your true intentions, you’ll be betrayed!”

To the Dark Church, Daniel, who lacked faith in Nephelina, was merely a temporary tool to be used. He would surely be used up and cast aside [a proverb referring to discarding someone after they have served their purpose, like cooking a hunting dog once the rabbits are caught]. Roxana continued her persuasion, half-sincere, half-false, while trying to buy time. Of course, it was of little use.

“Hahaha! What laughable meddling. We already know each other’s thoughts. I have a plan too. So why don’t you worry about yourself first? The Dark Church intends to kill you for sure this time.”

“…Me? Why?”

“That’s none of my business. But from their perspective, isn’t there no reason not to kill you?”

He was certainly right. Unless there was a special reason to keep her alive, it was only natural for the Dark Church to kill her, an Archmage. However, Roxana somehow felt that the Dark Church’s intentions weren’t merely based on self-interest. Should she say there was some reason she absolutely *had* to die? In other words, they on the other side already knew that Roxana was originally supposed to die in this incident. And if she were to name such a person, only one came to mind.

‘Ethan Gloucester.’

Could this be proof that he, who was said to have disappeared due to unstable spatial movement, was alive? Although his public activities had ceased, he was likely still working covertly as one of the Dark Church’s Apostles. It was just a prediction, but the possibility was high.

‘I should test him.’

It wasn’t likely Daniel knew, but asking wouldn’t hurt.

“From what you’re saying, it seems you don’t know much either, do you? You’ll be betrayed soon enough then.”

“Puhahaha! I’ll take care of that myself, so mind your own business. Well, I’ve stalled enough, so let’s get serious. I’m ready.”

“Ready?”

“Yes. Farewell, Roxana.”

Rumble!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Daniel unleashed two gigantic, typhoon-accompanied cyclones at her. Compared to his confident demeanor, it was an unremarkable attack.

“Not a chance!”

It was just as Roxana was about to respond.

-“Master-nim! Dodge!”

Deborah, who had been observing the situation from Katia’s side, hurriedly sent a telepathic message. Feeling a chill, Roxana canceled the spell she was about to activate, left a phantom clone, and vacated the spot.

Crash!

By a hair’s breadth, a fearsome sword plummeted onto the spot where she had been standing. The impact split the sea, and surging demonic energy polluted the surrounding area. The sword violently scattered sharp energy and demonic energy around, then pulled itself free and hovered in mid-air.

[Hahaha! You managed to dodge that, huh!]

A grating voice, like fingernails on a chalkboard, hinted at its identity.

“Calisto…”

The cursed demonic sword, tens of thousands of years old, had appeared in this very place. Just dealing with Daniel alone was overwhelming, but with an Apostle added to the mix, defeat was a foregone conclusion. Even just now, she had barely avoided it thanks to Deborah’s foresight; otherwise, she would have at least suffered moderate to severe injuries.

Daniel saw Roxana’s tension and let out a chuckle.

“Fufufu, Roxana, your complexion has darkened considerably. Have you finally come to believe my words? Then die!”

Rumble!

Once again, Daniel’s offensive began.

[Let’s have some fun for the first time in a while!]

Calisto also joined in, circling around the massive cyclones, constantly seeking Roxana’s openings. Its direct yet powerful destructive force pierced through her illusion magic in a single strike. If she let her guard down even a little, she would be impaled and die. The balance of the battle rapidly tipped to one side.

Boom! Swoosh!

Cyclones flew in from the front, and Calisto rushed in from behind. In the relentless combined attack, Roxana ultimately sustained damage.

Swish!

Fragments of Calisto’s sword energy grazed her shoulder, leaving a long trail of blood. That was just the beginning. Her wounds rapidly multiplied, and Roxana quickly became covered in blood. The only reason she could endure this much was thanks to Deborah’s foresight. The problem was that her opponent had also noticed.

[Hahahaha! So there’s a possessor of foresight here. How amusing!]

The knowledge and experience Calisto had accumulated over countless years were truly vast. Inferring her identity in an instant, he sharply turned and headed towards Deborah.

“No!”

Roxana forgot about dealing with Daniel and immediately activated a spell, switching places with the phantom clone she had pre-summoned next to Deborah. At that moment, Calisto was already within close range. Without hesitation, Roxana blocked Deborah’s path.

“Masterrr!”

As the faint cry reached her ears, the distance to Calisto rapidly diminished.

Swish! Rip!

Even before the sword touched her, her entire body felt as if it were being sliced by the brutal sharp energy. It was obvious what would happen if she took the sword with her body.

‘So, this is how I die.’

In Roxana’s mind, one person involuntarily came to mind.

‘Ruan…’

Why was she thinking of him now? She asked herself, but deep down, the answer was already there. It was just that the current desperate situation made it too difficult to acknowledge it. Accepting these feelings before dying would only cause her more torment. If only she had realized it sooner, she would have put in her full effort before dying, but the fact that she realized it now was a source of regret.

So, it was an absurd wish, but she hoped he would appear now. If he appeared magnificently like the prince on a white horse she had so longed for as a child and saved her, then she felt she could wholeheartedly accept these feelings without any hesitation.

Roxana slowly closed her eyes, praying for a miracle.

Boom!

And then, the hand of salvation descended.

“I’m sorry. I’m quite late, aren’t I?”

Roxana opened her eyes at the voice filled with guilt and saw the face she had longed for. She smiled involuntarily.

“I found him. My prince.”

It was the moment a witch who had lived for over 100 years fell in love.