The scouting forces of Eliya captured unusual movements.
To summarize, this is the situation.
Cain and Levi from the Bevel Family were marching their army straight towards Eliya’s Mansion.
There was no intention of flanking or hiding; it was a straightforward advance.
They were completely disregarding supplies and repairs, opting for a head-on collision.
It seemed they were prepared for a complete war of attrition.
This was all due to the figure of Eliya.
She was a user of long-distance teleportation capable of covering days’ worth of distance in an instant.
And she didn’t travel alone.
If she wished, she could teleport dozens of people and their supplies all at once.
No wizard on the continent could do that.
Even Balak couldn’t manage it.
To travel far, he had to go alone, and if not, the distance drastically reduced.
Eliya was an asymmetrical power.
Because of that, typical strategies and tactics were rendered useless.
The only thing they could bank on was Eliya accumulating fatigue.
And in recent days, due to me, Eliya had been absent for a long time.
It was reasonable to conclude that she was tired and resting, so they moved urgently.
“Duke Balak is also following behind Levi and Cain along with the Black Spot. It appears that Balak has fallen behind, likely because those two acted on their own.”
“What about the imperial army?”
“They seem to be barely keeping up, even later than Balak.”
“Looks like those hotheaded brats are pretty angry, judging by how recklessly they’re moving without internal coordination.”
In a makeshift conference room converted from the mansion’s living room.
Eliya began to tap the table.
A habit she had when deep in thought.
“So there’s no imperial army…. Miguel?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Send a peace treaty envoy to the royal palace.”
Eliya continued to explain.
“No matter how they treated me, our goals ultimately align. The annihilation of the Bevel Family. I don’t care if the empire monopolizes power on the continent after that. After all, they won’t be able to touch me anyway. So, how about I give them a heads-up to sign a peace treaty after we wipe out the Bevels?”
Miguel quickly took notes.
“There may be backlash from the anti-imperialist factions that followed me before, but if we dangle a few rewards as bait, they’ll keep quiet. They didn’t join this war for the truly equal rights of humanity. A little calculation, and they’ll see which side benefits them more.”
Eliya glanced up at me.
A soft smile spread across her previously cold face.
When she spoke to others again, her expression returned to neutral.
“At this point, the outside forces should have been able to discern the consequences of touching me. There’s no need to drag on this war any longer.”
This was a conversation I had with Eliya before entering the conference room.
She was determined to end the war as soon as possible.
Embarrassingly, it was all because of me.
After erasing the Bevel Family, she simply wanted to spend time peacefully with me.
For that, I decided to overlook the fact that the royal family wanted to kill her.
The empire was attempting to eliminate Eliya in collaboration with the Bevels and the Molsin Church to prevent power from consolidating around her.
But Eliya chose to annihilate the Bevels and hand over the power to the royal family.
She wanted to maintain her own land and power to some extent, while still remaining somewhat independent.
She didn’t want to get embroiled in further disputes and steal time away from me.
“I’ll convey that.”
“It could very well be our last battle.”
A few more discussions followed.
There wasn’t anything that particularly caught my attention, so I kept remembering just the necessary points while verifying the traits.
A complete moon.
This time, it wasn’t just the name that changed.
[Complete Moon.]
– The stitched-together moon has been completed as a sun.
– The moon can only shine when there is a sun, and only the moon can perfectly illuminate the sun with its light.
– The owner can draw magic power from the sun’s power.
– Always possesses complete immunity to all fire.
‘What… a lot has been added.’
In short, I was now safe from Eliya.
No more risking getting burned.
Another notable fact was that I had complete immunity to fire.
‘Must be because it’s a trait completed by the sun?’
Whatever the case, I would soon head into war.
Being immune to something is nothing short of a boon.
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
The second tragedy.
Eliya, with a tearful face, showering me with flames.
Eliya’s comedy.
Me, seemingly injured and wrapped in bandages, collapsed.
‘…No way. It can’t be.’
I was being overly optimistic, likely because of the next memory that surfaced.
Me lying down.
Eliya, with her eyes closed, leaning in to kiss me.
The scents, warmth, and breath from that moment…
‘Stop!’
Watching Eliya from the side in the midst of a meeting, I struggled to shake off those unpleasant thoughts.
*
“Judas!”
“Hey! Judas is here!”
“Judas-!”
As soon as I stepped out of the mansion, several guards rushed over.
Only Dillon, the Captain of the Royal Guards, was present in the meeting room.
“Hey you-!”
“Ugh-!”
Richard charged at me and tackled me in a hug.
“You bastard, you…! You really, uh…!”
“Yes, yes. It’s been a while, so I’m glad to see you too.”
“I swear, you…!”
“Are you crying?”
“Crying? No way….”
Richard hurriedly backed away, turning his back to me.
I’ve seen him cry before.
…Feeling a bit guilty now.
“Judas.”
Lindell looked at me and smiled weakly.
“I thought you were dead.”
“Um….”
“The lady said no, but I thought it was just because she was exhausted and mistaken….”
He seemed like he wanted to say more but extended his hand to me.
A handshake request.
“It’s good to see you again like this.”
I briefly hesitated before firmly grabbing his hand.
I know it’s shameless, but I couldn’t let the atmosphere die down.
Everyone welcomed me with smiles, so I should smile too.
Just then, Dillon patted me on the shoulder.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome.”
“That guy is really something, huh!”
Richard yelled out, still with his back turned.
“He’s just not honest, that’s the issue.”
“That guy will probably be like this for life.”
Gauss and Esmo teased from the side.
Jerry chimed in.
“But to the sister-in-law….”
“Shut up!”
Richard shouted, striding towards me.
He roughly hugged me again and patted my back.
“…Welcome back, you bastard.”
I chuckled and returned the pat.
“Yes. I’m back.”
I decided not to bring up any apologies for worrying them.
*
Eliya fastened a necklace around my neck.
An artifact that allows me to teleport to Eliya at any time, or for Eliya to find me.
I had left it behind.
‘Her face is close….’
I subtly turned my head to check her expression.
It was full of concern.
I could guess why she was worried.
“I will fight too.”
“No. It’s dangerous. You need to stay in the cage.”
“A cage?”
“…Ah, no. I meant to rest safely in the mansion.”
It was a bit unsettling, but let’s move on.
“Cain and Levi are at the front, and Balak is also following closely behind, right? I can’t let you go out alone.”
“It’s dangerous. I’m worried, so you can’t.”
“On the contrary, I can’t rest easy knowing you’re not safe.”
“Who’s worried about whom….”
Even while grumbling, her lips subtly curled up.
“And you said you wanted to end the war quickly so you could be with me again. I also have those feelings… to some extent….”
As I spoke, I grew shy.
Unintentionally trailing off, I averted my gaze.
Eliya also blushed, burying her face.
“And if it gets dangerous, I’ll send a signal with the necklace. I promise.”
“Sigh… this stubbornness….”
Finally resigning, Eliya let out a deep sigh.
“If it’s dangerous, you have to call for me. It’s a promise.”
Eliya pulled on the necklace and leaned in closer.
With a determined gaze as if to extract my promise, she looked straight into my eyes.
“I promise.”
“…Alright.”
This isn’t reckless.
I don’t know exactly how strong the opponent is.
But my new magic power around Eliya kept rising.
[Magic Power: 101.0]
With this amount, I could stand a chance against the captain of the royal guards.
Once Eliya had finished adjusting the necklace, she slowly leaned against me.
It felt just right.
I also gently wrapped my arm around Eliya’s small shoulders.
Warm.
“Lastly, let me check one more time. You will really fight?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Can you promise not to get hurt?”
“Hmm…. I can’t guarantee that….”
“You hesitated. That won’t do.”
“I will be as cautious and attentive as possible.”
To my determined answer, Eliya seemed to resign and said.
“How can I possibly defeat you…? You won’t die on me.”
“…Understood.”
Eliya has devoted her entire life to annihilating the Bevel Family.
She cannot afford to die beforehand.
My prediction was mistaken.
“Because you’re here.”
“…….”
“Stay here as my place to return. If you do, I can defeat anyone.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Eliya slowly withdrew.
Her fingertips brushed against my fingers with longing.
“The words I didn’t get to say last time… I’ll say them when you return, so don’t get hurt.”
“…Understood.”
Even without holding her, it still felt like I was embraced by her warmth.
The lingering warmth stayed in my heart.
“And as for the specific ambush strategy….”
*
Cain rode at the front.
Leading all of his troops in a march.
Even if it was a reawakening of the mythic age, Eliya was still human.
She couldn’t help but grow weary.
And this was precisely that moment.
A golden opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
He frequently checked with the hired wizards.
“Is the magic disruption barrier operational?”
“Yes. It’s in perfect condition.”
Eliya’s most terrifying magic was teleportation.
She would appear in the blink of an eye, unleashing a barrage of magic before fleeing.
A tactic hardly fair.
To counter this, Cain and Levi hired a multitude of wizards.
Wizards capable of deploying magic disruption barriers.
This way, no matter how skilled a wizard was, they couldn’t approach via teleportation.
Even though their side could not use magic, they could bear the disadvantage.
If that was the price to pay to counter Eliya’s magic.
‘We’ll proceed and seize the mansion. No matter how accomplished she may be, in the end, she’s just an individual. Without a stronghold and base, she will fall quickly.’
As he thought about the future, something glimmered in the far sky.
‘…What is that?’
It twinkled again and then vanished.
The wizard flinched in surprise.
“Te, Teleport reaction!”
“Up there?”
A teleportation that had surpassed the barrier’s range.
But it was too high.
If it fell, the person would die.
‘Why would someone do such a thing…?’
A strange sense of unease.
A chilling sensation crept slowly down his spine.
An irrational anxiety welled up in him, making him feel like he needed to get away immediately.
“Something is falling!”
Someone shouted in horror.
From the spot where the light had just twinkled, a massive object was plummeting.
Straight towards Cain’s formation.
It was neither magic nor a simple projectile.
It was just a gigantic, heavy object that had moved skyward.
Amidst that fall, something extraterrestrial was mixed within.
Something shining ivory, like a comet.
The light of a fragment of the moon, descending like a shooting star.
It was a human, poised as if to pierce with a sword.
“Is that a, person?!”
“Everyone, take cover! It’s going to collide!”
Rocks and trees rained down upon the ground like hailstones.
-Boom, kaboom-!
The formation lost its order, scattering chaotically.
Several were crushed under the fallen debris.
At the center of it all.
-BANG!
A person landed.
Dust swirled up, and amidst the cloud, a knight emerged.
Pointing his ivory-glowing sword clearly at his target.
Cain recognized him immediately by his gear alone.
The one who safely descended, assisted by wind magic, following Eliya’s teleportation.
Judas looked ahead.
Right in front of him stood a target.
Golden hair and red eyes.
Seemingly extraordinary in every way.
The direct first-born of the Bevel Family, Cain de Bevel.
‘…?’
Upon seeing him, Judas felt a stabbing pain surge in his heart.
Wearing black armor.
With a blazing sun embossed on his chest.
The armor of the Bevel Family’s covert unit, the Black Spot.
Once a member of the Black Spot, Cain took pride in that era, which is why he still wore the armor.
This was Judas’s first look at the armor of the Black Spot.
Yet somehow, it felt uncomfortably familiar.
In a most unpleasant way….
-BANG!
He deflected a bolt that flew at him with his shield.
Even though he knew there was no time to wallow in unpleasant feelings, he found it hard to calm down.
Cain, still mounted, drew his sword.
The blade glinted in the moonlight.
And blood surged forth.
Even though blood did not spray, Judas envisioned such a scene.
Cain pointed his sword towards Judas.
“Surround him. Let’s encircle and kill him.”
Surrounded by enemies.
Many had perished under the falling objects, yet many remained alive.
Through it all, Judas’s gaze remained fixed on Cain.
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