novelraw Chapter 251: Abyssal Holy War – Finale (3)
Chapter 251: Abyssal Holy War – Finale (3)
Chapter 251. The Abyssal Holy War – Finale (3)
"Thank you, Vachet."
I took José Vachet's outstretched hand and pulled myself up.
Just taking his hand and standing up made my arms tremble. I really fought to my limit.
My mana is completely depleted, of course, and even the Divine Power I felt circulating inside me is gone.
It feels like every muscle in my body is screaming.
...Still.
The demon that had been lunging at me so relentlessly just moments ago is now lying limp on the ground.
Paimon.
Is this horribly shriveled corpse, looking like a mummy, really that demon?It doesn't feel real, so I'm just staring blankly at the corpse when-
"Behold! This great power of the magic arts! This great feat! It is another radiant glory to be recorded in the history of the Magic Tower!"
The voice of an incredibly frivolous old man rang out.
"Waaah!"
"W-We're alive! We're alive!"
Only then did cheers erupt from the entire camp, and looking around, I was finally able to feel a sense of relief.
The Drones that had been driving us to the brink of annihilation just moments ago were all lying limp on the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
Even Baal, who had simultaneously faced three of the Central Continent's most renowned fighters for their martial prowess and withstood a Grand Magic with his bare arms, had vanished without a trace.
The Magic Tower Master's Grand Magic had decisively wiped out the demon race and the Drones entirely.
"Ha, to think..."
Did we really win?
We really, really won.
As everyone let out cheers of joy-
José Vachet, who had helped me up, stood as if nailed to the spot, his gaze still fixed on Paimon's corpse.
I walked over to him and supported his shoulder.
"...You did well, Vachet."
The man who had avenged his younger brother blankly turned his gaze to me, and I gave him a small smile and added.
"See? My decision to reappoint you wasn't just lenient treatment, was it?"
-I am an incompetent bastard. A bastard who was swayed by petty emotions, lost countless subordinates, and was humiliatingly taken prisoner. Why do you grant lenient treatment to someone like me, His Excellency the Marquis?
That's what he had asked when he was captured by the Krafte Army.
The man who had cut down his own brother, was dragged into an unwanted war, fell into a trap, and was consumed by self-blame.
As if he'd finally found his sense of reality, he knelt on the spot and shed tears.
"Thank you, His Excellency the Marquis. ...Thank you."
"...I'm the one who should be thankful. You saved my life."
I glanced down at Paimon's corpse, which would never move again.
That demon had stared only at me until the very end.
But in the end, the one who delivered the final blow was someone who never even entered the demon's sight, someone who wasn't even part of its grand plan.
"Jack..."
I turned my back so the weeping Vachet could be alone and walked over to Kroxx, who had plopped down a short distance away.
"Are you alright, Kroxx?"
"Uhahahaha, of course I'm alright, brother! Ha! He was a formidable foe!"
Contrary to his words, his entire body was covered in wounds, and it was severe at a glance.
Eris's divine protection had helped, but its effects must have worn off by now...
"You should at least get some treatment. If you leave it like this, you'll have twice as many scars."
He already looks incredibly intimidating with his muscular, large figure covered in scars...
"No, I don't need it!"
"What?"
"These are glorious wounds from facing a formidable foe! Shouldn't they be kept as medals! Uhahahaha!"
"I... I see..."
I thought I was fairly tolerant of cultural differences, but was even that just arrogance?
I had thought the scars covering Kroxx's body were proof of all the hardships and adversities he had overcome as the king of Iberica...
To think they were left untreated for such a macho reason, it kind of shatters the illusion.
"Alright, get some rest."
"Uhahaha, will do!"
With a complicated expression, I turned my gaze to Gaston and Lord Beaumont.
The two of them were in better shape than Kroxx, at least.
It was probably because Kroxx had acted more aggressively and threateningly, drawing the brunt of the attacks.
"You've worked hard, Lord Beaumont."
As soon as he heard me, Lord Beaumont staggered to his feet.
"Heh heh, a pity. If I were just ten years younger, I could have put up a better fight..."
Indeed. To think he faced that monster in the body of a middle-aged man over 50.
He was a former Guard Knight, after all, and one trusted enough by the Emperor to guard the woman he favored.
"Then I shall go to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Please do. Thank you again. But please get some treatment before you go. Her Majesty the Queen will likely be unable to get up for some time."
After Lord Beaumont walked away with a wave of his hand, I went to the seated Gaston and held out my hand.
"You did well, Gaston."
Gaston grinned and took my hand-
"Ugh."
I almost stumbled absurdly while helping him up.
Ah, how embarrassing. I'm really in tatters.
"Oh, m-my apologies, His Excellency the Marquis."
"No. I should be the one apologizing. But still..."
I looked at the wounded Gaston and grinned.
"I'm glad you're safe. ...Now that you've faced a Demon King, it seems you've achieved everything a knight could dream of, haven't you?"
Gaston scratched his head, then smiled brightly.
"I am a happy man."
As soon as he said that, Shandra ran up and threw her arms around him.
"Ran!"
...The strongest knight who faced a Demon King and his lady.
They're both covered in blood, but I suppose that has its own charm.
I gave the slightly embarrassed Gaston a small smile and turned away.
I'm happy we won, but there must be many casualties to handle, and I need to figure out how the reinforcements even got here, but Demian is...
"Uhahaha! I'm alive, I'm alive again! Look! This Master of Defense is immortal!"
"Ooooh-!"
What a complete mess...
I shook my head, looking at the utterly chaotic Revolutionary Army camp.
Fortunately, even in times like these, there are always people who find work to do.
"Congratulations on your victory, His Excellency the Marquis!"
Louis Desaix, who had taken overall command in the rear, galloped over on his horse and saluted me.
"Good work commanding the main force, Acting Commander-in-Chief."
Desaix smiled brightly and replied.
"It was an honor."
"Everyone is happy, but the casualties are severe, so help me get things in order... And how did those reinforcements get here?"
I asked, looking at the cheering Dwarves and the Revolutionary Army soldiers who wore the 3-Party Emblem of the National Assembly-
"The one who can answer that has come in person."
"Hm?"
As I was puzzling over Desaix's answer, a voice filled with a seasoned wisdom and calmness unsuited for this battlefield reached me.
"It feels like it's been a long time, Marquis."
"President Brisseau?"
Nicolas Brisseau, President of the Liberal Party.
The old politician, completely out of place on a battlefield, looked at me and began to speak.
"You've been through a lot of hardship, Marquis. ...I arrived late, but just seeing this battlefield tells me what a fierce battle it was."
"I never thought the President would be all the way out here..."
Brisseau chuckled hollowly and replied.
"After Her Majesty the Queen willfully led the remaining army and made landing, the National Assembly was thrown into an uproar."
"Th-that's right..."
I'd forgotten because of the fierce battle, but hadn't they summoned me, Eris, and even Christine to a hearing?
"But, it suddenly occurred to me. The National Assembly had always left the war to you, Marquis, and Her Majesty the Queen. ...We were lucky if we weren't getting in the way with things like the budget."
Brisseau continued to speak slowly.
"And to think, the very reason our revolution began was because of these demons. So, for the first time, we decided to mobilize everything to help you and Her Majesty. Well, that's the official line, but there was also the feeling that it wouldn't do for only a noble and the Queen to fight a war that is the very foundation of the revolution."
"Haha..."
"Talleyrand persuaded the Kingdom of Alps, Count Anjou mobilized the cadets of the military academy and the reserve forces, and we secured the war expenses. It was rushed, but I doubt the National Assembly has ever worked with such a united heart and will. The reason I set foot on this island myself is because I was planning to retire anyway and I've lived long enough, but..."
Brisseau, ever so slowly-
"I also came because I wanted to say this to you in person."
He said in a calm and gentle tone.
"Marquis, you made it so this old man does not regret his choice. ...So, this time, I came to make sure that you, who has wandered from battlefield to battlefield protecting Francia, will have no regrets."
-This foolish old man's arbitrary decision... ...Will you make it so that I do not regret this choice?
In the war against Krafte, he was the man who looked away despite having information that could have driven me out.
A man I once saw as just a member of an organization I chose as the lesser evil to avoid the worst, someone I thought easy to work with due to his indecisiveness.
"Thank you. ...And, congratulations."
"Hm?"
"My strength alone was not enough to defeat those demons. In the end, it was all of you who achieved the final victory."
Nicolas Brisseau looked blank for a moment, then smiled and replied.
"Yes, the revolution was victorious. But you are our most proud member, so shouldn't we enjoy the celebration together?"
*
Eris slowly opened her eyes.
And she realized she was in a dark hallway.
A dark, musty, prison hallway.
Ah-
It's that dream again.
Clank.
Creeeaaak-
A door opened with the noise of a rusty hinge.
Eris, with a calm expression, waited for the jailer to enter through the door, then tilted her head slightly.
The one who entered was not the jailer.
A woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a nun's habit.
It was a rather impure attire for a nun's habit, but at any rate, it wasn't the jailer.
Have I had a dream like this before?
Eris thought so, and tilting her head slightly, she asked.
"...Lady Saintess?"
"What a strange experience, being called 'Saintess' by the real Saintess."
The First Saintess said, chuckling, so Eris asked quietly.
"Am I dead?"
The First Saintess's eyes, shining gold even in the darkness, curved as she smiled and gestured to Eris.
Eris obediently walked towards her as told, but lamented aloud.
"Just like God, can't you just give me a straight answer..."
The Saintess made a baffled expression, then chuckled and opened her mouth.
"It's a shame."
"What is?"
"I couldn't approach your dream world at all, so I never got to meet you in person..."
The Saintess took Eris's hand to lead her and added.
"It's because I feel that if we had met, we would have gotten along quite well."
The Saintess said this and opened a door-
When Eris blinked at the sudden burst of light, the location had changed.
Eris recognized this place at a glance as well.
The square where she met her end in her previous life.
A place she had seen over and over again in her dreams.
Just as when she was executed, the square was filled with people.
But they do not jeer at Eris.
Eris slowly raised her gaze towards the sky.
The sun that had taken her sight and made it impossible to recognize those who condemned her was gone.
There was only the deep blue night sky, and the starlight that gently illuminated the square.
Eris slowly turned her gaze to the golden Saintess who had guided her.
The Saintess smiled lightly.
"It's a form of atonement."
"Atonement?"
"Or perhaps a reward."
Eris could not understand what she was saying.
As she stood there, a knight approached and knelt before the Saintess-
The Saintess smiled so brightly it surprised even Eris, then placed a hand on Eris's chest.
"You'll be alright."
Before Eris could even react, a warm and gentle energy began to flow into her chest.
By the time Eris realized it was Divine Power, the Saintess's body was already half-faded.
"W-wait!"
The Saintess just smiled, took the hand of the knight who was kneeling before her-
And together they scattered into light, rising to the sky like smoke.
"...In the end, she just said what she wanted and disappeared."
Eris murmured this as she stared blankly at the sky, but for some reason, she knew what she had to do.
Someday.
They would meet again.
Eris slowly turned her gaze and looked at the center of the square.
There, just as in her previous life, just as in her recurring dream, stood a ghastly wooden structure.
The guillotine that had severed her neck and killed countless others.
On that platform stood Maximilien Le Jidor.
But Eris did not fear him.
Le Jidor, too, instead of sharply demanding her death penalty, bowed politely to her.
Eris slowly walked up to the platform where the guillotine stood.
The gruesome blade was the same, but the soul-staining smell of blood was gone.
This was the boundary line between the past where Eris was murdered and the altered future.
Stepping onto the platform, Eris slowly turned her back to look at the people standing silently in the square, watching her.
There were countless people.
Some were faces Eris knew, but most were strangers.
So many who had passed through this square.
A form of atonement.
Or perhaps a reward.
Seeing their faces, Eris finally understood the meaning of the Saintess's words.
They were the ones who had killed Eris.
At the same time, they were the ones who had killed themselves.
Those who had started a revolution under the banner of freedom, equality, and fraternity, but ended up driving themselves to ruin through mutual suspicion and hatred.
The ones who were saved in the history that Pierre changed with her prayer.
The ones Eris could have saved, but failed to.
The foundation of the sense of responsibility that had been crushing Eris.
Feeling the Divine Power the Saintess had left her flowing from her chest throughout her body, Eris slowly sat down on the edge of the platform.
Realizing she wasn't in the tattered clothes from her time in prison, but in the robe she always liked to wear, Eris smiled faintly.
Just by wanting it, a harp appeared in her arms.
Eris slowly, brought her hands to the familiar strings of the harp-
And began to play.
She was taught that she should help them.
But she failed to help them properly.
She didn't want to resent them.
But she couldn't help but resent them.
She too, wanted to live happily.
But she thought she wasn't qualified.
Just a small miracle. Even though a single prayer at the last moment could have brought a better result.
The tragedy of the past that ended without changing anything.
A requiem for those who were sacrificed, and who sacrificed Eris.
The song, played with heart and prayer, echoed through the starlit square-
One by one.
The people filling the square began to scatter into light and ascend to the sky.
Those who had worn faces of sadness and earnestness faded away with peaceful expressions at the moment they turned to light.
Is this salvation?
She doesn't know.
Is it just comfort?
She doesn't know that either.
But someday.
Someday, when she too ascends to the sky like them.
She sings, hoping they will smile at her just as they are now at the moment they turn to light.
Maximilien Le Jidor, who had treated her so harshly in her past life.
The man who was already cold when she rushed to him in her current life also bowed politely to her, turned into light, and disappeared.
In the last face she saw, she thought she saw a faint smile.
As the people who filled the square gradually turned to light and disappeared-
Eris slowly raised her head and met the gaze of the man before her.
-Still, I'll pray for you. I pray that the hearts of those who hold hatred and vengeance towards you, older brother, may find some peace, and that you may find some peace in God's embrace. ...If God continues to give strength to a child like me, He might be more generous than you think.
Older brother.
-If not, then I'll perform service and good deeds for the people of this country in your stead. So that the weight of the sin you bear may be lightened, even if just a little.
The man who had asked for confession, who confessed his sins before the guillotine and died.
He smiled gently and slowly scattered into light.
As Eris smiled back at him, he pointed in one direction with his fading fingers-
The moment Eris turned her head in that direction, she almost burst into tears.
She somehow kept her trembling hands moving, continuing the performance.
Because.
A woman who looked just like Eris.
Her mother, was looking at Eris.
If I work this hard.
If I struggle like this.
Then when I ascend to the heavens and meet God, I'll ask him to forgive my mother's sins instead.
Her mother's face, who used to pray like that, did not look pained.
She wasn't suffering in hell either.
Her mother just smiled gently, just as Eris had seen her do in her early childhood.
That alone was salvation for Eris.
Finally, even her mother turned to light and ascended to the sky.
Eris raised her gaze from the empty square and looked up at the sky full of twinkling stars.
It felt like tears were about to fall.
In truth, she wanted to stop playing right away and be held by her mother.
But it wasn't time yet.
Someday, someday.
When I ascend to those heavens, let's go see her and tell her.
I did my best.
And.
...I lived, happier than anyone else.
So that I can say it with a smile, brighter and happier than anyone else.
So, for now.
Let's thank God, and the Saintess, who showed me this miracle.
Eris slowly closed her eyes and woke up from the boundary.
To return to the people waiting for her.