<CHAPTER 66>
Death Flag
One of those narrowing the encirclement hesitated.
“Isn’t that the Hero?”
Commotion arose among the assailants.
“What should we do?”
The assailants turned their gazes toward those presumed to be their leaders.
“Kill him.”
“What?”
“That person commanded that not a single witness be left alive.”
“But…”
“Anyway, when the Hero dies, a new Hero will be born, so it’s not our concern. We simply need to follow that person’s orders.”
Ehilie was dumbfounded.
She had expected the Holy Order to be in shambles since there was a fake Saintess and a deranged High Priest, but she hadn’t expected it to be this much of a mess.
Gabriel set Ehilie down and drew the Holy Sword. Soon the assailants also slowly drew their swords and aimed them.
“Gabriel, leave me behind and run away.”
No matter how much of a Hero he was, he was at too great a numerical disadvantage. If Gabriel were alone, he could surely escape.
If he stayed here, his life would be in danger too.
“Don’t worry, Ehilie. I will protect you.”
His words were appreciated, but—
“You’re weak. You got beaten up by the thugs who came to my house before.”
***
Gabriel felt wronged.
No, not exactly wronged, but—
“T-there was a reason for all that!”
“What reason?”
“Because you…”
Because you weren’t there.
He looked at Ehilie with tender affection.
Gabriel had changed after meeting Ehilie. As if escaping from thick fog, strength he had never felt before was filling him.
Even now was the same.
At this moment with Ehilie by his side, he felt confident he could defeat any opponent.
“What? Why me?”
Clear eyes that knew nothing looked up at Gabriel.
His heart pounded.
“I think you’re quite a decent person, Gabriel. So I want to maintain a good relationship with you going forward. As long as you don’t cross the line.”
Gabriel recalled his promise with her and bit his lip.
He didn’t want to betray Ehilie‘s trust.
If he couldn’t dare to covet the seat beside her, he wanted to be by her side even as a friend,
“…No. Anyway, I have something to protect, so I will never lose. Please believe me.”
Ehilie still looked doubtful but nodded.
“Alright. I’ll believe you. But promise me. If you think you can’t handle it, abandon me and run away.”
“Usually in these situations, shouldn’t you say don’t die, or don’t get hurt?”
“No. That’s a death flag.”
“What?”
“Such things exist. Anyway, if you feel overwhelmed, don’t try to look cool and just run away. They can’t really harm my body, so you can use me as a human shield if necessary.”
“…Do I look like such a worthless man to you?”
“No. I’m just giving you realistic advice. Whatever happens, you need to survive first.”
Her expression was too serious for it to be a joke.
Gabriel, who had been listening blankly, unknowingly chuckled.
This wasn’t the time to be laughing.
Perhaps because Ehilie was by his side, his heart felt at ease.
Gabriel realized.
‘I’m done for!’
Leaving aside resonance and Saintesses.
At this moment, Gabriel had fallen for the woman named Ehilie.
Ehilie watched the battle while holding Herond in her arms.
As soon as the battle began, Ehilie learned that Gabriel hadn’t been bluffing.
Crash!
Each time sword met sword, thunderous sounds rang out as if lightning struck. Each time Gabriel swung his sword, assailants fell helplessly.
‘He truly is the Hero.’
His figure darting nimbly like lightning through the enemies’ gaps was truly worthy of being called the Empire’s strongest sword.
But there were too many enemies.
Endless new figures kept appearing from the darkness.
Swords, axes, spears, even heavy pipes—the weapons were all different.
Perhaps the only fortune was that they weren’t shooting arrows, likely because there was danger of Ehilie getting hurt.
‘At this rate, Gabriel will tire out first.’
Gabriel had to fight off enemies while protecting Ehilie at the same time.
No matter how strong he was, how long could he endure against endless numbers?
While watching with concern,
One assailant with a dagger lowered his stance and tried to approach Gabriel‘s blind spot.
“Look out, Gabriel!”
At Ehilie‘s shout, Gabriel quickly raised his body to dodge the attack.
Whoosh—
The blade grazed past his side by a hair’s breadth.
The very moment Ehilie felt relief,
Something flashed from the darkness and flew toward her.
“Ehilie!”
Gabriel tried to rush over, but it was already too late.
Slash—
The dagger grazed Ehilie‘s shoulder.
‘Huh?’
Feeling her left shoulder grow hot and wet, Ehilie slowly turned her head.
Red blood flowing down the cold blade.
Only after taking in this unreal scene did the pain rush in belatedly.
“Hey, what are you doing hitting a woman!”
“It doesn’t matter. Our orders were not to touch that woman’s face and to bring her back alive, right? We need to take out insurance so she can’t escape again.”
‘Ah. So that’s why!’
“Ehilie!”
Gabriel‘s voice calling to her sounded strangely distant.
Before she could even grasp what was happening, her vision went dark.
Just a few minutes before Ehilie collapsed.
Having arrived nearby guided by the crow, Redemberg‘s field of vision captured the battle unfolding in the distance.
Redemberg immediately assessed the situation.
‘That snake-like High Priest seems to have sent soldiers to capture Ehilie!’
Humans in black masks were stealthily trying to approach Ehilie, and Gabriel was blocking them.
Redemberg wasn’t interested in how Gabriel fought.
His gaze was directed only at Ehilie.
‘Is she hurt somewhere?’
Ehilie‘s expression didn’t look good at all. Moreover, her face was flushed.
‘Does she have a fever?’
While examining her with concern, he unfortunately saw it.
The clothes clutched tightly in her hand.
Redemberg‘s gaze naturally shifted to Gabriel. Gabriel was stripped to the waist.
Which meant, the clothes Ehilie was holding were his.
‘Why is that…?’
Force entered Redemberg‘s jaw.
The words he had heard from the crow came to mind.
“Ehilie held hands with the Hero!”
Cold killing intent filled his red eyes.
He had understood “held hands” as simply forming a cooperative relationship.
There must have been a reason, so he didn’t particularly mind.
But if it meant physical contact,
‘I have to kill him.’
Gabriel, who dared to hold Ehilie‘s hand, would die.
The very moment he reached this simple and clear answer,
A dagger flew toward Ehilie. Due to the distance, the blade grazed her shoulder faster than Redemberg could use his magic to block it.
Snow-white hair was cut and scattered through the air.
Before the unconscious Ehilie‘s body could hit the ground, Redemberg, who had moved in an instant, caught her body.
“…Ehilie.”
The body in his arms was hot. Not warm as usual, but burning hot as if it would melt away soon.
Her lower lip chewed raw from anxiety, her shoulder wet with red, and her rapid breathing.
Everything tore at Redemberg‘s heart.
‘I was told humans are weak.’
That humans die easily, that they drop dead from bleeding a little or having a fever.
His red pupils shook precariously. Trembling occurred at his fingertips. His red eyes glinted with spreading madness.
“What are you standing there stupidly for! Immediately—”
With a gruesome bursting sound, the neck of the man shouting orders flew off.
“W-what is this…”
The assailants’ pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck.
They still hadn’t grasped the situation. No, they didn’t even have time to grasp it.
In the silence, dark and dense magic scattered from Redemberg‘s body slowly enveloped the surroundings.
Redemberg‘s gaze lingered briefly on the dagger soaked with Ehilie‘s blood, then shifted to its owner.
His burning red eyes accurately found the one hiding in the darkness.
A simple spell, not even a gesture needed.
‘How dare you.’
The moment he muttered inwardly, magic filled with killing intent pierced the man’s shoulder. Soon the magic spear tore through the flesh, entering and shredding his insides.
“Hurk! Kuh!”
The man who had wounded Ehilie gasped painfully and collapsed.
With that death as the beginning, a one-sided slaughter different from the battle Gabriel had been waging ensued.
Ehilie, who masked the cruelty of the Demon King Redemberg, had her eyes closed, so there was no one here to stop him.
Each time wind imbued with magic was wielded like a blade, things that had been there disappeared silently without even uttering a final scream.
Mikhail‘s soldiers, faced with irresistible terror, divided into two groups.
“T-that’s not human, it’s a demon, a demon! Run!”
Those who fled in fear, or those who lost their minds and charged.
The final fate of soldiers who made different choices was all the same.
Redemberg had no intention of leaving a single one of those who had threatened Ehilie‘s life.
Those who screamed and fled, and those who approached with trembling swords raised, were all shredded by his raging magic.
All of this happened in an instant.
On the ground covered with blackened trees and blood, the only ones alive were Redemberg, Ehilie, and Gabriel, who had barely blocked the magic with the Holy Sword’s power.
Gabriel barely endured the dense demonic energy and raised his sword.
“I thought you weren’t an ordinary demon, and as expected, you were the Demon King!”
Redemberg didn’t even respond to Gabriel‘s trembling question.
His ears held only the sound of Ehilie‘s heartbeat,
Then,
Herond, who had been hiding in the distance to avoid being swept away by the enormous magic, flew over with a flapping of wings and transformed into human form before him.
“Your Majesty, what are you doing!”
