episode_0196

As soon as the knights disappeared, Wallenstein and the bug knights stopped pretending to fight.

The garden of the First Emperor’s Palace, where human sculptures float on a sea of blood.

Here, there were now only four humans alive.

“Keuhum! Huh! I can’t even do this… . But now, there’s no need to put on a lousy play. Isn’t that right, Princess Aishangior? You’ve been resting quietly for a while, have you regained your stamina?”

Coughing blood, Wallenstein spoke to Hashall.

The Bug Knight’s surprise attack was just a play, but his complexion seemed a little pale, as if the penetration wound to his abdomen itself was real.

“… If you’re curious, why not give it a try? This time, I will definitely break that famous ghost sword and send it to the grave.”

Hashall raised his black iron longsword again.

Her voice was a little cracked, as if she was tired, but it was clear and without a trace of madness.

Now that the knights had dispersed, she no longer had to act like a monster.

“Princess… ! Have you come to your senses?!”

“Were you sane from the beginning? Turtle Prince.”

Hashalr answered sarcastically.

A rude tone that ignores all respect. The ferocious voice even contained a hint of reproach.

If you think about it, the reason things got to this point was because Leopold was largely responsible for being overly cautious.

“Oh my god, who did that in their right mind… ?”

In fact, Leopold was so shocked by the meaning of Hashall’s words that he did not have the presence of mind to pay attention to the tone of his words.

Because I have just found out that his fearful and reliable ally has a habit of eating people while they are sober.

“That’s right. There is a saying that when you are young, you chew on stones… I didn’t know Orhan’s daughter liked human meat. Did it taste that good?”

“If you’re curious, just give it a try. I will cut off the wrinkled lamb and stuff it into your mouth. There’s nothing to regret since it’s something you’ve never used, right?”

Hashal revealed his teeth and provoked Wallenstein.

Would she have liked the taste of human meat? It was fishy, salty, bitter, and even disgusting.

I suppressed my nausea and forced myself to swallow just to recover a little bit of my stamina and scare my enemies.

“Hehe… , Cough! Ah, I can’t even laugh at this… . Anyway, it’s clear that there are limits to bragging like that. How many more minutes can you last like that?”

“Well… . Until one of the old people dies of old age?”

Hashalr forced a smile and stood as if he was fine… In fact, Wallenstein was right.

If the other person attacked, I would have tried to fight back, but I was not in a state where I could attack her and fight her.

There were limits to preventing bleeding by pressing on the wound.

To make matters worse, her mind continued to blur, and it seemed like the time given to her was slowly coming to an end.

If you lose your mind like this, your body will be taken away again. She bit her lip.

“Hmm… Okay, stop.”

At that time, Wallenstein whipped out his sword and put it in its sheath.

The bug knights also followed suit and put away their swords.

It was clearly his attitude that he had no intention of fighting anymore.

“… What are you thinking?”

Hashal narrowed his eyes and asked.

If we continue like this for a long time, we can definitely end her life.

The old man was also injured… How dare you blow up a golden opportunity to end the enemy’s life just like that.

She could not understand Wallenstein’s intentions.

“Izabella asked to capture the princess alive… How can they capture a woman who moves her limbs with the thread of murder and who wakes up again even after being knocked unconscious? It’s obvious that if I fight like this, I’ll die… That’s not what ‘we’ want.”

Wallenstein’s answer was bizarre.

I feel like I’m going to die trying to capture him alive, so I’m just going to let him go?

It was not an attitude toward political opponents.

Rather, it was closer to the behavior of warriors trying to tame wild horses.

“Besides, as you can see, my wounds are not light… If I’m unlucky, even I might lose my life. Is there any reason for me to take such a risk and grant Isabella’s request? Anyway, as time passes, someday… The princess will also be grateful to us.”

“Thank you? To the one who threw away my heart in two? Did I get dementia because I was old?”

Hashal pointed to his chest proudly.

Although she was tied up with bandages, as if someone had given her first aid while she was lying down, traces of vertical cuts were clearly visible through the gaps in the half-loosened bandages.

“Well… The day when you face the limit of a master, that high wall… The princess will find out too. What is ‘our’ purpose?”

With a low murmur, Wallenstein turned and left for the 3rd Prince’s palace.

The bug knights also followed suit without saying a word.

“Did you step down? After winning everything, now… ?”

Leopold muttered as if it were absurd.

I even understood that a series of self-made acts were committed by Isabella and Wallenstein together.

The purpose was probably to blame Isabella’s evil deeds on Leopold and Princess Aishangior.

‘No, why on earth would you do such a useless thing…’ ?’

There was no need to go back, saying that the fight was won anyway and that the cause was sufficient.

Isabella’s victory was virtually guaranteed just by temporarily tying Hashar’s feet and killing Leopold.

Isn’t this why you’re intentionally taking a long way back, leaving a shortcut behind?

“Izabella… What on earth are you thinking?”

“Well… Do you understand? Anyway, it seems like the immediate crisis is over with this, so I just ask the turtle prince.”

Hashall staggered towards Leopold.

The cracked black iron longsword had already been discarded on the floor.

Persval was wary of her and tried to stop her, but as soon as their eyes met, he retreated.

The blood vessels had burst and the eyes were stained red… Because there was no longer any hostility or madness in it.

“Please?”

Looking at Leopold, who was asking stupidly, Harshall chuckled.

The way she frowned in suspicion and opened her mouth blankly seemed quite a funny expression to her.

“It’s not particularly difficult… , please somehow attach my name to it. … Because I’m planning to faint soon.”

After finishing speaking, Hashall collapsed helplessly towards Leopold.

The energy of killing that was flowing out melted into the air and disappeared.

Perhaps the sword wound she had been pressing on had opened up, and blood was flowing out from her chest and soaking the floor.

“Princess… ?! Oh no! The wound… !”

Leopold, whose complexion changed, urgently hugged her.

It was such a serious injury that it wouldn’t be surprising if he died if he wasn’t taken to a priest as quickly as possible.

“Lord Persval! Get your horses ready right now! We’ll take the carriage and head to the aid station!”

“Yes, old times!”

Running toward the carriage, Leopold checked Hashall’s condition.

A wound so horrific that it stretched from the collarbone, through the chest, to the abdomen. Leopold sighed.

‘You mean you went on such a rampage even after getting hurt like this? First of all, if you don’t stop the bleeding… !’

Leopold laid Hashall on the seat of the carriage, took off his coat, wrapped it around Hashall’s upper body, and fastened it tightly.

It might only be a temporary measure, but there was only so much he could do.

Leopold prayed to God, anxiously watching the gorgeous robes turning red in an instant.

‘Elfinel, please take care of us… !’

—-

Did his prayers reach heaven?

Hashall did not stop breathing until he arrived at the Elfinel Church’s aid station.

Candidate for sainthood, Lacey Elmane Stadolph, was absent, but she was not the only healing priest at the almshouse.

The priests of the Elfinel Church, who were in a state of confusion as they looked at the collapsed imperial palace, were shocked to see the ‘Knight of the Goddess’ severely injured and urgently prepared treatment.

1 For those who did not yet know the tragedy in the prince’s palace, Hashal was still a knight who received Elfinel’s blessing.

The healing miracles unleashed by dozens of healing priests with all their might were poured down on her.

As the brilliant holy light enveloped Hashall’s body, the wound in his chest slowly began to heal.

The color comes back to my once pale face.

Because it was a serious injury, it would take time to fully recover, but this was enough to put out the urgent fire.

Leopold breathed a sigh of relief.

======[Isabella]======

In a dark carriage.

“I’m a little disappointed. Lord Wallenstein. I can’t believe I can’t catch a girl who isn’t even 20 yet. The reputation of the Empire’s Best Sword has fallen to the ground.”

Isabella, dressed in a black dress, shot a sharp shot at Wallenstein, who was leaning against the carriage and taking a sip of the recovery medicine.

He had even prepared fierce dogs and war horses to use when he captured Hashal, but they were useless, so he was a little annoyed.

“Well. It was a much stronger opponent than I thought. The strength I inherited from my father, and even more skills than my father. Neither I nor Orhan would have reached that level at that age.”

Wallenstein shrugged his shoulders calmly.

My chest and stomach throbbed, but it was bearable, perhaps thanks to the recovery medicine.

“Even so, if you and the Para-Chevalier attack together, it will be enough… .”

Parachevalier.

Monsters created by planting parasitic bugs on master-level knights or knights close to them.

It was a power that Isabella enjoyed using.

Since he had the Sword of Oath, it would be difficult to capture Hashall with just these, but he thought that the combination of the Ghost Sword and these would be enough to capture him.

“I should have won. However, it was impossible not to kill him. He was a warrior who fought by forcing his bones back together even if they broke them, so he probably wouldn’t stop until he died. So what should we do?”

Isabella let out a blatant sigh, as if she was pathetic.

“I was surprised when Payrus said he dragged you in… It’s less useful than I thought. I could have played with it to my heart’s content if I had just caught it, but it’s a shame.”

“If you were that disappointed, shouldn’t you have come forward yourself? During rolling time with my own son.”

Wallenstein sneered.

The plan to capture Hashal failed, but that was a secondary goal. The original goal, a self-made play, was completely achieved.

So there was no reason to go out in a low-key manner.

In particular, he is not Isabella’s subordinate.

It was Peyrus that Wallenstein followed, not Isabella.

Isabella’s eyes turned cold.

“If I had come forward myself, it would have been you who would have messed up the plan… . and… Don’t speak informally. A young guy.”

“… Young guy?”

Wallenstein asked back as if it were absurd.

As far as he knows, Isabella Benes is 41 years old. There was a difference of more than twenty years between him and him.

“I guess Payrus didn’t tell you? I am the last witch who survived the witch hunt by the cultists.”

Isabella chuckled and laughed.

Wallenstein swallowed his voice.

The witch hunt ended a hundred years ago. Then, the age of Isabella, who survived the witch hunt… .

‘Poor Ferdinand, I can’t help but pity you.’

Wallenstein expressed his condolences to the deceased emperor.

To the man who took as his wife an old prostitute who was well over a hundred years old.