Chapter 742
That evening.
Bahila Front, Holy Federation Headquarters.
Israfil wrote a letter on the spot and tied it to a divine pigeon, sending it off. It arrived immediately at the Bahila Front headquarters.
“Your Excellency the Archbishop!”
The letter was delivered straight to the front’s commander-in-chief, the Archbishop, who broke the seal and began to read its contents.
“Who sent the letter?”
A man in the same room, resting his chin on his hand, asked. The Archbishop narrowed his eyes with a curious expression.
“It is from an officer by the name of Israfil.”
“I have heard of her. That strategist who accompanies the Saint of Miracles, yes? What does she say?”
“Let’s see.”
The Archbishop read the letter slowly.
“A letter of concern for the Saint? Hoho!”
“……?”
“Unauthorized desertion of duty without reporting to central command, a tryst with a man at the site of desertion, and yet all of this is not the fault of Saint Anna, but rather the instigation of one called Rena, whom she took in as her attendant? Hahahahaha!”
The Archbishop burst out laughing, as though he were watching his granddaughters playing. The man with him also chuckled along.
“An amusing report indeed.”
“So Saint Anna has such a side to her as well, hm! I have been so worried, seeing her only ever follow orders like a machine, but clearly I was worried for nothing.”
The Archbishop stroked his beard, his face briefly darkening.
“My own daughter too, with that damned man…”
“Please, stop talking about your daughter.”
The man quickly cut him off and continued.
“In any case. Regardless of severity, this is a formal report submitted by an officer, and it is true that a Saint, who must set an example for the masses, must be held accountable. The command has a duty to take appropriate measures.”
“Enough. There’s no need to make a fuss.”
The Archbishop waved his hand.
“This war has dragged on for nearly a hundred years. From lowly laymen to high priests, everyone’s discontent and fatigue is at their limit. If we tighten the reins too much, the faithful won’t be able to breathe.”
“Then, what will you do?”
“Send someone to bring the Saint here. But there is no need for interrogation. Later, I will go down personally and speak with her. If I explain gently, she will understand.”
That was the end of the discussion. The Archbishop intended to handle the matter quietly, with just a private talk with Anna.
But.
“……”
The man who had been speaking with the Archbishop quietly slipped outside and picked up a communication crystal.
“This is Bahila Feif Headquarters. Respond.”
Chzzzt!
Amid the noisy static, a faint voice echoed from the crystal.
-What is it?
“A variable has occurred. An unexpected meeting between Yona and Anna is taking place. History is trying to return to its original course.”
Chzzzt!
-Troublesome. Is this because of the one Neftis sent?
“I don’t know the cause. But by circumstance, one called ‘Rena’ is suspicious.”
-Very well. I will go myself. Wait for me.
The man slowly lowered his head.
“For the Executioners.”
-For the Executioners.
* * *
Time passed, and Richard and Anna returned across the sea to the orphanage.
Since the kiss, the two had become somewhat awkward with each other.
Anna especially could not even properly look into Richard’s eyes out of embarrassment.
‘I’ll die at this rate.’
Meanwhile, Richard was showing symptoms of mana depletion.
Spirit magic, unlike a knight’s ‘aura’ or a mage’s ‘pure magic’, was a technique gradually disappearing from the continent. Naturally, this was because compared to Darkness or Holiness, its efficiency was poor.
Just to travel across the sea with two spirit dragons, even Yona, a legion commander and the greatest talent of the Dark Alliance, had to expend considerable inner power.
And yet.
“It was so, so fun.”
If it was for the smile before his eyes, what did mana matter now?
Richard thought that perhaps he could even gladly throw away his life.
“Were you uncomfortable in any way?”
“No!”
“That is a relief. Now, before the head of orphanage notices, let’s return to our lodgings.”
The two held hands and walked side by side through the garden.
The dormitory was only ten minutes away.
Yet Richard thought, he wished this short walk through the garden would never end.
“Richard, you might be right.”
Suddenly Anna said so.
“When was the last time I did something by my own will? When was the last time I made a decision just as I wished, as my heart led me? Perhaps this is the first time.”
“…Ayla.”
She smiled bashfully.
“But even if it was only once that I went astray, today, in my life of endless repetition, was the most special and radiant day.”
Richard’s expression grew a little more serious.
“Today is not the end. Keep challenging yourself.”
“Yes?”
“Even in small, trivial things, little by little. Show yourself that you are the master of your life. Don’t let others shake your choices. Do what Ayla wants to do.”
Anna’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Thank you, Richard. But don’t you have any worries of your own? I feel guilty, like I’m the only one hearing good words.”
“Worries, hm.”
Richard stared blankly at the sky for a moment.
“My worries are the exact opposite of Ayla’s.”
“What kind?”
“As a child, I too lived a life bound by family, forced on me. Then I ran away. Since then, maybe out of compensation or revenge, I lived recklessly, doing whatever I pleased.”
He closed his eyes.
“You’d think living that way, I’d crash hard at least once. Strangely, luck favored me. The world seemed easy. I thought the entire world was a stage for me, and as long as I acted on my whims, everything went smoothly. But then—”
Richard let his arms drop.
“Suddenly, I looked back, and all I saw was emptiness.”
“Ah.”
“I cannot hold myself steady on anything. Even when I work hard, I soon grow bored and look for something else that seems fun, and living like that, I suddenly realized I had nothing precious left. At my age, I already feel regret.”
“Is that so? Then.”
Anna smiled warmly and held Richard’s hand tightly.
“You must find a place to rest your heart.”
“A place to rest my heart?”
“Whether it be a place, an organization, a person, or a memory, create somewhere you can return to. Somewhere you can lay down your weary heart, where you need pay no cost nor worry, where you can simply stay as long as you wish.”
“……”
Richard gazed blankly at Anna’s face.
A place to someday return.
A place to rest his weary heart.
A place where he could stay, without worry or cost.
Since leaving his family and homeland, Richard had never had such a thing. Everything was only a stepping stone to be used and discarded for his own growth.
He had never even conceived the idea that he might need such a place.
It was as though fresh air had finally rushed into his clogged mind.
"Thank you for the good advice, Ayla."
"I'm glad if it helped."
It didn’t feel like they had walked very far, yet the lodging was already visible up ahead.
'Damn.'
He didn’t want it to end.
If a demon were to appear before Richard right now and ask, “Would you sell your soul for ten more minutes of distance from the lodging?” he would gladly agree.
He wanted to talk with her more.
He wanted to be with her, even for just a few more seconds.
But mercilessly, their steps brought them right to the destination.
"......."
"......."
The moment of parting.
An awkward silence lingered between them in front of the lodging.
"Richard."
"Yes."
"You told me, right? That even in small, trivial things—I should try doing as I wish, little by little?"
"Yes, I did."
"I'm going to put it into practice now."
Saying that, Anna rose slightly on her toes and gently kissed Richard on the cheek.
'!'
Richard felt his thoughts freeze.
His mind turned blank white, and the world melted around him like sweet sugar.
Her cheeks flushed red like apples. Anna, flustered, turned her gaze aside with an embarrassed smile, then met his eyes again and gave a little laugh.
Richard realized, with absolute certainty.
I am madly in love with that radiant being standing before me.
"Then, I’ll go."
Anna smiled with her hands folded behind her back.
"See you tomorrow, Richard."
"......Yes."
Richard absentmindedly stroked his cheek, wearing a dazed grin. He waved until she disappeared inside the lodging.
"......."
Only then did Richard’s body sense something wrong.
'What is this? This aura…'
A chill crept down his spine. Watching Anna walk away, he shouted—
"Ayla! Get down!"
"?"
Beside Anna, darkness surged upward, forming claws. Richard dashed forward and swung his arm.
Kwa-jijijik!
The darkness shattered against his forearm.
"R-Richard? What’s happening?"
Standing protectively before Anna, Richard scanned the surroundings sharply.
He had been so focused on her that he had noticed too late.
As his senses expanded, he detected the foreign energy and at the same time realized that the lit lodging was strangely silent.
"This is…"
Gul-lung—
Gul-lung gul-lung—
Something was rising from the pitch-black darkness. Richard instantly prepared himself and spoke.
"Spirits of Darkness."
"What?"
Richard was dumbfounded.
In this age, spiritists were rare to begin with—but not just any attribute… spirits of darkness?
"Come forth."
He too summoned two low-rank fire spirits. As the spirits spewed flames from their mouths, the spirits of darkness warily retreated.
"Now! This way!"
Richard wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulders and ran. In moments, they reached the lodging and he kicked the door open.
—Ki-ki-ki-ki-ki!
—Ge-ge-ge-geuk!
The spirits of darkness had already occupied the interior.
Fortunately, the children were nowhere to be seen. It didn’t look like anyone had been killed.
'Did the watchdog sense the spirit assault and evacuate them? Well done.'
"Richard!"
A spirit of darkness lunged, tearing apart the fire spirit he had summoned.
Richard hurriedly spread his arms, trying to form a defensive magic circle.
'Urgh! My mana!'
He had spent too much power earlier summoning the spirit dragon; the magic circle wouldn’t form.
Jjjeooook!
At that instant, Richard doubted his own eyes. Ash-gray hair fluttered as Anna dashed forward like lightning, kicking the spirit of darkness away with the heel of her boot.
Taak!
Landing lightly, she struck down surrounding spirits with dazzling martial arts. Her movements were flawless, without a single wasted motion.
"A-Ayla?"
Crack!
She drove her elbow through a spirit, destroying it. Then, belatedly, she covered her mouth with her hand, cheeks flushing red.
"Ahaha, was that a bit too rough?"
‘……Magnificent.’
Even in this situation, Richard found himself falling deeper for her. Then, realizing this was no time for such thoughts, he slapped his own forehead.
"There must be children fleeing nearby! Let’s follow them, quickly!"
"Yes!"
Together, the two kicked aside one spirit each and sprinted onward.
* * *
At the same time.
Simon and Lete, protecting the orphans, were frantically cutting down the spirits of darkness while carving out an escape route. Behind them, the children, the head, and volunteers followed with terrified faces.
Thankfully, some of the volunteers were retired soldiers or at least knew how to wield a sword.
"A-a-amazing…"
But even among them, the ones shining brightest were Simon and Lete. Their breaths and movements aligned perfectly. They struck enemies with synchronized kicks, sometimes back-to-back, cutting foes as if they were one.
"What the hell is going on all of a sudden?"
Simon smashed down a spirit with his elbow and turned to Lete.
"Do you have any idea, Lete?"
"I do, sir."
Lete shattered a spirit with a spinning kick, then continued.
"It must be the work of the Executioners. They must have found out we’re here and are trying to interfere."
"...So they’ve discovered us already?"
They had prepared for the day the Executioners would learn of them.
But for it to happen this soon? Too soon.
They had only met Richard and Anna twice so far.
"The only ones who know we’re volunteering here are you, me, Father, and Mother."
"I don’t know where the leak came from."
Then Simon suddenly halted, lowering his stance as his gaze sharpened behind him. Lete blinked.
"Huh? What is it?"
Simon crouched further.
"...Someone’s coming this way."
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