Chapter 318: Faith (2)
HPEICory smirked slyly. His ugly face twisted even further.jtH
m81eN“Thank you for trusting me. As expected, Your Highness…”x7MVULj
5df“There’s no time for conversation.”oQgSN
mW2“Y-yes, yes!”acX8
Hszt“Lead me already.”E7FrLS
qC7“This way.”mhyN
9i9Cory hurriedly ran off toward somewhere. It was in the opposite direction of the front where Cedric was.1tkHOK
HYvWmSXYuri hesitated for a moment, but soon began to follow Cory.pNdUtem
yT5HBAt that moment, someone shouted.sDm
LoszE“Where do you think you’re going?!”xStn
SlUZHLaurent appeared, staggering as he ran.iDsACb
sR0AHe had been said to have lost consciousness after Cedric incapacitated him, but it seemed he had come to.SV1WwFm
fsLze7ZHe fixed his gaze on Yuri.bjD4Vd2
Wyw“You still trust that guy?”MeNwUTi
Uv0QP9a“Si-sir Laurent…”s6WN
fg5DyGWith an aura as if ready to cut Cory in two, Yuri stepped between them.fpyc5m
f831“Laurent. Calm down.”8qeSLoR
g7rGK“That guy can’t be trusted.”4HkCZxG
zYQfYuri shot back bluntly.9CTH7
4kK“And you, who stabbed me with a sword, have the right to talk?”k0T
8iW0Nu“That was an accident.”5sYhuI
hERaTH“Sure, whatever you say. So calm down for now. There’s no time to argue.”qidBtH
Ax6bj8“Yuri Briol.”UIIHJ
JN9dkLaurent grabbed Yuri by the shoulder.ODF
XgOkc“Don’t let yourself be deceived.”DItWtOv
cwroclQ“Understood, so let go.”zY8j
HF4“You…”9lfzbPj
8CccFrom the damage he had taken from Cedric, Laurent’s body was not in normal condition.iuO
kvgHe was squeezing the arm holding Yuri when, suddenly, he clutched his abdomen and bent over.LZx
BsrZRYuri took the chance to brush Laurent’s arm away.sZ9VsC
rqZXrC“Laurent, I’ll see you later.”bOs
piBKVO“Yuri Briol…!”Aq3R1
Gvs4“There’s no time to waste.”RZKwsss
GQLxRd“Following that guy is a waste of time. No, it’s worse than that. Do you plan to walk straight into a trap?”twy
q36Z“I told you I’m not.”lIIE
QBgbzLaurent glared at him.RhZL
6wLuAV0Cory, nervously watching the two, seized a moment of silence to grab Yuri’s tunic and shake it.qBgWB5X
14vJ5e“L-let’s go quickly, Your Highness.”M4Cair
cKEZuWhen Laurent tried to reach for him again, Cory squeezed his eyes shut and shoved him.2vZOZQV
ff9PtM“Ugh!”URCF
QUFlz“S-sorry, Sir Laurent!”yFh4
EHeAnd immediately after, he pulled Yuri.IkMqouB
RNFag4“L-let’s go quickly.”KJZc
UeGlUB“All right.”vaYLmVb
SO9“Yuri Briol!”KC2O
PS7L4mw“Calm down, calm down.”kzJ
MJ26FCThe two slipped away from Laurent and ran toward the old Zveta camp.dyjxG
GG5Behind them, the groans of dying soldiers echoed.SIb
ifQE1Yuri looked back.RgxhRb8
7sbyZlCedric had probably also seen Yuri with Cory, but did nothing to stop them.Vd5aG
d9YDm“Cedric hasn’t reacted.”3CBFMA
quDdL4M“Huh?”NNL
hQ6b“He must have seen us together, and yet let us go.”L2FF
oFkL9Jb“I-it’s because…”MqgRr
IRMEXCory spoke between breaths.Zfl8
bn6dlv“I-I tricked Cedric. He thinks I’m on his side.”tFClf
tLAIS“Oh, really?”4K7
bTPgPVB“Y-yes…”YuB0Gac
PVGEYuri was about to keep questioning, but Cory shook his head firmly.uN322Oa
owSqqSr“N-not now, there’s no time. Come on, Your Highness.”jz0
WkiIaL“All right.”wRQlgJL
0C1They passed the remains of a collapsed tower and continued on. Soon, Cory manipulated a hidden mechanism under the ground, revealing an underground entrance.nZb
C6szyI5Beyond a long staircase that disappeared into darkness, nothing could be seen.g5q
m0OZRJ“Let’s go.”aWh
GLyG“Yes.”Ibf4ki
XjAWHy8“….”uXs
TR0“….”ApHuw
2Ubqr“Aren’t you going?”teac
jMLTi“I-it’s dark… and I don’t see well.”gwu
ef42“Oh, really?”HXDG
6vr1“Yes…”d3Hbyk
BZMXUAT“Then I’ll go first.”axKb
BUBm7TrYuri had already surpassed human limits, so using his mana method to pierce the darkness wasn’t difficult.1oKhes
dbJThe two of them descended the stairs.4qdVN
4YDIrMc“This…”AV8P3NV
VXWbApaYuri was stunned by what he saw.4Fy
H6ohGxHe never would have imagined such a massive space existed underground.MWe5
f0YHuIn the royal palace of Briol there had been a training yard for Fiore, but he had never seen a place so tall and vast.y29Xy8j
T4BU96Although they had descended a long way, it was all on a single level. From the extremely high ceiling, a mysterious light shone faintly.xhYwv
CFjL6l“What is this place?”b5H
pXisot“An underground palace. In the future it will be an underground city.”AjM7
YONThe dim lighting cast shadows over Cory’s face, making it hard for Yuri to see his expression.DAkSHG
pppTt“Cory.”mvUTAt
twz0“Yes?”zH6vcc6
KGSJ“Then, where is Cedric’s main body?”7kEl
xv2dmzCory pointed in a direction.eoXgFPJ
b1RYuri’s gaze followed that line until he saw a fortified structure at the center of that endless space.FKp
TLq“First, we have to go there.”146
yBEN7Py“Understood.”OqTNvy
AgL2The influence of the black magic was so strong that just being in the air made his skin burn.yPWFV
FfGUYuri wrapped his body in mana to protect himself and ran alongside Cory toward the fortress.MwjsO7U
caqIRVThe silence was broken only by Cory’s ragged breathing. Though there was no sun, there was an ecosystem underground.uz3br
Q5KPtj5Trees and grass grew, and sometimes birds flew.tQE8CR
wACOn the ground were geometric lines that could not have formed naturally, as if someone had drawn them to mark something.O0Xg
FkBy“What are those lines?”2uB6vY
7zQ9“T-they’re for the city… Following those lines, streets will be made and buildings will be built…”ypONIU
XVY0u3“A planned city, then?”tUe
mTWEl“Y-yes…”AW6
znIb2Yuri smiled wryly. It seemed Cedric was quite confident in his victory.9bwqTmK
frSsEThe destination was getting closer.H5qFGga
y8dN1D7Up close, the fortress was larger than any castle he had ever seen.lvk0
anDcNT“Are we there?”xbd3l
IX4eTDg“Y-yes… huff… huff…”NCmwtB
LHe0bCory raised his hand, pointing at the gate, the structure, and higher up, the towers.tr0LG6
ZMgfK“That’s it.”7CUl
0SA7VQH“Mm?”7IPL
3Nh5“That…”IZsNh
6KtiAbove the fortress, something hung that illuminated the entire underground like a small sun.ngxiOFz
Y0yCory pointed at it.ddgdSD
Hj9UQ“That’s Cedric’s main body. He’s sealed his power inside there.”UbhcM
U8bsfoRIt was far too high.rG8tdk
cBSYuri looked at it, feeling a momentary heaviness.n5gL
b9C0amIt was as if he had been ordered to cut a star from the night sky.N77u
bkOxF24“So it has to be destroyed…”c0dMx
SGzb2pYuri gripped Guilty tightly.niC1ZX
QvuRqZCThat was the very source of the underground ecosystem. The power Cedric had gathered by sacrificing countless human lives was so immense that a single person could not handle it.F1yPq01
qeXhBut it had to be done.U7GJVz4
a2UAxrlYuri took a breath and pushed his core to its limit.IFpuEZY
SphkMana surged, wrapping his body with the energy of The Cut of the soul and the heart.UkhNX
mflHis vision entered a bright white world, and his senses expanded to encompass everything.UjBk
RsQWHe began to release his power.j96GW
wWdNVaSIn that instant, he was literally giving everything he had.CJac0g
QL9Bathed in radiant light, Yuri looked at Cory.87LNWb
ceF4zWH“Cory.”0R7
RsEm“Y-yes?”7XcTJU
jFshsBkBefore the battle, he had something to say to him.XZpDF
vopBXGB“That day…”I6TjF
i8TepRThe moment Yuri opened his mouth, an overwhelming force descended on his head like lightning.sCOmq
H6uzpAYuri rolled across the ground.WA3
Da01If he hadn’t reacted instantly, he would have died on the spot. Such was the impact that it shook the very place he stood.0nOZ
B81Yuri raised his head.gul
htUwCThe core Cory had pointed to had attacked him. While keeping Guilty ready, he heard a voice.aZsXtJ0
G8ro9[Hello, Yuri.]Izp06
5Q8OCedric, in a blurry form, descended in front of him. He wore a faint smile.VS3o
L5p[And good job, Cory.]ftZaGZs
v5uThe moment those words left his mouth, Yuri looked behind him.Ulm9
cDEoThere was Cory, his hood fallen from the impact, smiling faintly.iyVvf
hDDpk***dJINm
Cz9Wofh“Krgh…”tbR5p
IGjwmtLaurent gritted his teeth as he watched Yuri and Cory move away.Fx1
2PF“Yuri Briol…”nhHyxf
DDhpI2sHe recalled the past.ekx
6BWlShDWhen he had seen Cory grotesquely transformed, Cory had smiled in satisfaction.5Cmujq
SDbikOnly someone with a twisted heart would show such a strange reaction.irfd
gCwpV1That man, who enjoyed following him even when everyone rejected him for becoming so monstrous, was naturally the type to support Cedric, who sought to destroy the world and create a new order.K4Dy
HYx31And yet, Yuri Briol naively trusted Cory.APyEb5E
s6H6dLaurent wanted to run over and grab that man by the throat right then and there. But his body had yet to fully recover and he couldn’t move as he wanted.DFASQsd
1EXws“Damn it!”OWLLu
imeM31SWhile he cursed and lamented, several knights controlled by Cedric approached.b121fr9
VrBD5CLaurent swung his sword, and a stream of cutting energy lashed them like a whip. The knights fell.arwS
dLQu37FBut the number of enemies only kept growing. In that state, he couldn’t face them for long.ErHDp0b
OzL0j“Huff…”eFmP
Zj6DHe turned his gaze away.kbK
arrEwnWhile Yuri was gone, the front lines had fallen into great chaos.BSpEqf1
MYLJQCedric, constantly changing position, was single-handedly destabilizing the entire Anti-Imperial Alliance.SVK
kuCThe situation was bad.larqE
BEfWhile catching his breath with his sword in hand, Laurent sensed someone approaching from behind.JVH2bX
O55“Laurent.”PwPPvG
aG5LwIt was Jared, seemingly already recovered.ZyCnx
Kp9G“I came to help you.”hpY
00ZN8Laurent shook his head.pKL
mk3“No need.”D363v
4DvLb51“Among those who were controlled by Cedric, we should help each other.”F8MC4t
LtDV0DO“Don’t help me—go and stop Yuri Briol.”1ulUe
NmSaFJp“His Highness?”dpxiBDX
FLtD“That man right now…”YnszKW
rq94WLaurent explained what had happened. But Jared only shrugged.Qnjt
eOIDONo“Why are you so worried?”SVM
57fSqvf“What?”UrcVYX
OtLI“It could be that Cory is telling the truth.”BncP0QR
xqU2xM“You trust Cory?”VayEMd
Hnbf9A“No. I trust His Highness.”r7yL
u8dnJe0Laurent glanced at him sideways.UawsVS
JeGLLThe two, shoulder to shoulder, kept cutting down Cedric’s controlled knights without pause.k3TYd2o
DjezvBi“I don’t trust Cory, I trust His Highness who trusts Cory. If he decided to follow him, it’s because it’s the right thing to do.”nvn5
qWLt“Well, you sure trust Yuri a lot.”CFH
vaIANK“That’s right.”NhB
krbD“And you don’t think he could be wrong?”7GHWPa
lwCT“No.”v4X7J
BATh“And if that decision turns out to be a mistake?”5JPlU
mry1JK“Then we’ll accept it.”KsQ3VZA
xk32dsJared smiled with certainty.E57X0q
kkCKr5X“I only trust His Highness.”L8BY
4RGFY3***Cn9RUO
714MThe Zveta prisoner camp was silent.PLiOj
drMWKANothing living remained.RUydTK
VIq5In the massive pit where Cedric had buried people as sacrifices, the corpses were piled in layers.HBjnN
IzHkOJThey had been offered as sacrifices to summon a god from another world, and once used, they began to rot with a blackish tint.aROf48D
JhYkUCVFrom time to time, the distant sounds of the battle between Cedric and the Anti-Imperial Alliance could faintly be heard.d0Bn
DlUSJ2zThen, suddenly—vysmys
9Rz4YvA hand emerged from among the corpses.j0nTCp
OsPg“Krgh…”NLFfH
XEROzAIts owner, with difficulty, pulled her body out and gasped. Forcing her way through the bodies, the Black Knight, Elizabeth, appeared.fBRDd7W
cSPShe was in a pitiful state, but alive, crawling out from that heap of sacrificed corpses.Xpg
o5Esb“Damn it…”Jnhx
A9tHer whole body hurt, and the effects of the black magic had left her in poor condition, but she had to move quickly.CgK
kDibShe stood, leaning against the wall of the pit to try to climb out. Without mana, climbing was difficult.iWOjV
7nJkAt that moment, someone extended a hand to her.29yQJM
WJa“…”IOJgN
3RNa0Elizabeth looked up. A woman was offering her hand.hhs6J
U9JbwMk“Take my hand and climb up.”WBNOrh
kBSi5Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, but accepted it. With help, she managed to climb to the edge of the pit.pGdcEp
yHSOnce out, she saw she wasn’t alone—there were quite a few people gathered there, mostly women.uJt
SlyNF7Panting, she dropped to the ground and looked at the woman who had helped her.VRXun
aXh“What the hell happened here?”gEM
cAmeShe remembered infiltrating Zveta, being discovered, and losing consciousness from some unknown force.lXm
6wyThat was all she knew.zFpjf
zdmySrFrom what she could tell, she had been offered as a sacrifice for black magic, but she didn’t understand why she was still alive.aKRpjt
nV5zThe woman smiled gently.Ew2yIVE
mz6z“You were offered as a sacrifice for black magic.”c15SPvV
E1w33“I know that. But…”3yLXJY
QG4MThen why were she and the others unharmed? Had Cedric made a mistake?cRBKmA9
DGWzHAt that moment, Elizabeth noticed something glowing on the woman’s forehead, like a symbol or a drawing.JdXS7wg
aIcOQsV“Someone helped us.”AHj1IHd
QBXkH4A“Who?”62Jv
R4pqco“I’ll explain it calmly, but first let’s get out of here. What’s your name?”ouvWbL
BTH“…Elizabeth.”gc2
sfX“Elizabeth. Let’s go.”Ktl9ivO
RFzPVUThe woman extended her hand again. Elizabeth took it and stood.kM2
ngwJ“I’m Jane.”yGJ
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