Chapter 129: The One Who Was Not Forgiven (4)

Yuri tried to talk to Gert, but he only got brief replies now and then, never managing to sustain a conversation. He realized that Gert’s sanity wasn’t intact.

Ever since he became a death knight, many parts of his being had worn away, and it seemed that his hostility toward living beings had filled that void.

They were in the midst of that difficult battle.

“Huh…?”

“What’s wrong?”

The great library where Pierre had run off to began to tremble. At the same time, Gert’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

“Die!”

Simon, not understanding the situation, continued his attack with his sword, and the blow landed on Gert.

But he was the one sent flying.

Even so, Gert didn’t react and simply stood staring at the great library.

Something was happening. Yuri, with Guilty slung over his shoulder, looked at Ivan’s group.

They were watching the great library with arms raised, as if in celebration.

“At last… it’s done.”

“Oooh…”

“They did it?”

That’s what they were saying. Thanks to Gert’s stillness, Yuri got a moment to breathe.

He signaled the others to wait and approached Ivan, grabbing him by the neck.

“Explain. What the hell is that now?”

Ivan responded with a strangely burning look in his eyes.

“It’s about to awaken.”

“What’s going to awaken?”

“A new being that will serve ‘Him.’”

“And who the hell is ‘Him’ supposed to be?”

Suddenly, Ivan swung his sword at Yuri.

“You don’t need to know!”

But Yuri had expected it. He blocked the attack, tripped him, and brought him down.

Ivan rolled along the ground trying to escape, but Yuri grabbed him by the hair and dragged him back. Finally, Ivan fell again at Yuri’s feet with his neck twisted.

“Trying to betray us again, huh?”

“Gahhh…!”

The other mercenaries surrounded Yuri, aiming their weapons at him. Yuri slid Guilty along Ivan’s neck, drawing blood, and asked them,

“What did your boss mean by that? Explain it.”

Then one of the mercenaries with a bow spoke up.

“It’s over. We have to flee.”

“What’s over?”

“The demon flower that lay dormant in Adelein will awaken. And with that, the death knight will have fulfilled his purpose. We can’t do anything anymore.”

“Demon flower?”

“We’re sorry for deceiving you, but we simply had different goals. Now we have to escape. It’s the only way to survive.”

“Well, I’m not running. Tell me who this ‘Him’ is and what that demon flower is. Explain everything!”

“There’s no time…!”

At that moment, one of the walls of the great library collapsed. All eyes turned toward it.

A black mist began to pour from the rubble, quickly spreading across the area.

The eyes of the mercenaries in front of Yuri glazed over. Yuri also felt a chill that drilled into his mind. A dark, piercing presence tried to invade his spirit.

But the Cut of the soul and the heart didn’t allow impure energies to enter.

As if disinfecting the poison, Yuri’s mana roared from within.

“Everyone, snap out of it!”

Jared still seemed fine, but Simon and Guinness might not be able to resist.

However, when Yuri looked back, he was surprised. Cory was protecting the group with magic. The dark force emerging from the great library couldn’t pierce Cory’s spell.

“Wow…”

Yuri gave him a thumbs-up in approval.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries, as if possessed, kept walking toward the great library. Even Ivan, who had been taken down by Yuri, began struggling to stand again with a blank look.

Jose approached.

“Your Highness, I don’t know much about magic, but I know that’s dark magic. It’s controlling people.”

“Should we flee?”

“Probably yes. but…”

Yuri and Jose looked at Gert. The knight, who had been standing still until now, began to move.

At first, Yuri thought he had also been possessed. But that wasn’t it.

Gert began attacking the group of mercenaries walking toward the great library. There was no point in fleeing. They didn’t have the strength to resist.

Yuri watched as the mercenaries fell one by one before Gert. He ripped out their hearts and squeezed them over his head.

His skull was soaked in blood, and the core in his chest glowed intensely.

Gert’s aura became even stronger.

Then Cory, who had been watching in silence, spoke.

“Your Highness… I think I understand.”

“Speak.”

“I’m sorry… inside that great library was a sealed malevolent presence.”

“And?”

“That presence, just like Okua, needs living beings to feed on. But Gert… was killing in its place. I don’t know if he did it intentionally to prevent its awakening, but by killing others, he kept what was inside sealed.”

Cory’s words were convincing. Yuri had also suspected as much. Could it be that the Death Knight, the resurrected knight who refused to die, had a reason behind his killings?

But he already had too much blood on his hands.

“Life… what a damn mess.”

Yuri gave a bitter smile. It’d be nice if everyone could be happy, but a world like that would never come.

“Hey.”

Yuri kicked Ivan in the head, who was still immobile. Apparently, the blow brought him back to consciousness, and he began looking around in confusion.

“What… what happened…?”

“What do you think? You were possessed.”

“Ah…”

“I’ll ask one question. Answer me. If you don’t, I’ll kill you. That ‘Him’ you mentioned earlier—who is it?”

“The lord is…”

Ivan looked at Yuri, then at the great library from which the darkness was emerging, and finally at Gert, who stood before it. He licked his dry lips and spoke again.

“If… if I answer, will you let me live?”

“Yes.”

“The lord is…”

And then his head exploded.

Ivan’s skull shattered, and blood and brain matter splattered across the ground. Yuri watched the gruesome scene in silence and muttered,

“Who the hell was ‘the lord’?”

“Maybe it wasn’t a name. More like he was saying ‘the lord is directly…’ or something.”

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it.”

It seemed Ivan had also been bound by some restriction. Yuri kicked the headless corpse and looked ahead again. Gert was still staring at the great library.

What could he be thinking?

Yuri spoke to Gert.

“Hey, Gert.”

Surprisingly, there was a response.

[Human.]

“Oh, you answered me?”

[Leave.]

A gust of dusty wind blew past his skeletal body.

The Death Knight, with shattered armor and only bones exposed, looked about to collapse.

Gert spoke.

[If you don’t go… I’ll kill you.]

“And what will you do?”

[I’ll stop it.]

Gert turned his back, as if there was nothing more to say.

“No one here knows how to explain anything, huh?”

Yuri raised his mana sword and looked at the world through the domain of the soul.
Then everything changed.

The great library had been devoured by black energy and transformed into a monstrous creature with tentacles.

Gert, who in the real world looked like a skeleton, within the soul domain appeared as a knight clad in worn armor with a fluttering cape.

Yuri saw something where Gert’s core was.

「Destiny」

That character flashed intermittently, as if trying to convey something.

Seeing Gert and the great library within the soul domain, Yuri understood.

Gert was also a product of dark magic. That’s why he could never completely destroy the “demon flower.”

All he could do as a final act of resistance was to wipe out all life in Adelein to cut off the energy feeding the monster.

It was a brutal and desperate path. But Yuri was not like him.

Yuri approached Gert and shouted at his back.

“Gert. I’m going to help you.”

Gert stopped and looked at him. His eyes glowed faintly.

[You can’t. I will stop it.]

“No, you can’t kill it. You know that.”

[That’s why I will stop it.]

“I can kill it.”

Gert stared at him. Yuri repeated,

“I can cut dark magic.”

Erich Briol, upon traveling to the East, absorbed their martial arts and created a completely new method of mana.

Although the details were unknown, one thing was clear. He wanted to forge a sword capable of opposing evil beings.

Thus was born the Cut of the soul and the heart, the sword that cuts mind and soul, and it was entrusted to Yuri.

“I am the third prince of Briol, Yuri Briol. I can eliminate the products of dark magic that exist in Adelein. You can trust me.”

His words carried an implicit purpose. Gert stared with his blood-red eyes in silence for a long while.

His core burned like a flame, and the character 「Destiny」 shone intensely.

Gert spoke.

[Are you a knight?]

“I am.”

[Do you swear an oath?]

“An oath?”

Yuri let out a laugh.

An oath… That had long since lost its meaning. In this world, people made false promises all the time.

Such an old-fashioned knight. Yuri placed a hand on his chest and said,

“Of course. I swear on all the honor I have. In return, I want you to do something for me too.”

Yuri stepped closer. They were within striking distance, but he didn’t care.

He looked into Gert’s eyes and said,

“The being that destroyed Adelein now wants to devour the entire continent. I plan to stop it. So, when I destroy the demon flower, tell me everything you know.”

Gert looked at him without answering. Yuri didn’t press him.

Instead, he patted his shoulder like a comrade.

“Got it?”

Ever since he saw his true form within the soul domain, Yuri no longer saw him as a mere skeleton. He only saw a stubborn knight with a sharp face.

Gert looked at him for a moment, then silently turned and began walking toward the great library. His skeletal figure advancing against the enemy looked tragic and solemn.

He would fight until his soul vanished completely.

Yuri called out to the others.

“We don’t need to fight Gert anymore.”

“But he didn’t say anything, did he?”

“He did.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t see it, but…”

Yuri slung Guilty over his shoulder and looked at the dark tentacles emerging from the great library.

“He winked at me.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go. The beast that destroyed Adelein is in there. Our enemy isn’t Gert. It’s those disgusting tentacles. Now that’s something worth fighting, right?”

“Damn it… after a pile of corpses, now tentacles?”

“Think we’ll make it out alive?”

“Don’t jinx it.”

“This makes it all worth coming to Adelein! Hahahaha!”

“We’ll always follow the prince.”

“We’ll do our best.”

Each one said something. Some grumbled, but no one backed down.

Yuri moved to the front, and the others naturally followed.

As always.

Yuri spoke.

“Don’t die. If anyone dies, I won’t forgive you.”

“And how are you not going to forgive us if we’re dead?”

“If you’re curious, die and find out.”

The great library began to collapse. Tentacles extending radially destroyed the outer walls and revealed their monstrous form.

Above them, a mass of dark red flesh emerged.

At the center was a horrifying mouth exhaling a stream of dark energy.

“Cory. Focus on blocking mental attacks.”

“Yes!”

“Simon, Guinness. Protect him while fighting.”

“Yes!”

“Sir Jose, do what you think is best.”

“Leave it to me!”

“Laurent, Jared.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s do this right.”

“We’ll give it our all.”

“Let’s go all out.”

Cory pulled back and began forming magical seals, while Simon and Guinness guarded him, watching the tentacles. Jose moved to find a weak point.

Laurent and Jared stood beside Yuri.

“Gert is the strongest. Don’t get ahead, just assist him. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“And…”

Everyone raised their swords. There was no time for more orders.

Gert was already charging at the demon flower.

Yuri shouted.

“Let’s fight!”

***

He lay in absolute darkness. With each breath, he exhaled the breath of sulfur.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

Over his yellow pupils, countless characters floated and disappeared.

Finally, one remained glowing in the dark.

「Mandate」

That word began to shine so intensely that it lit up the cavern’s interior.

He tilted his head.

That light wasn’t his. It only reflected a much greater source, like the moon.

So what was the source of that light?

His pupils moved restlessly. And after a moment, his gaze settled on a single point.

His eyes looked beyond the cavern… toward somewhere far away.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

[This… is getting annoying.]