Chapter 342
“That guy dares…! Don’t you dare call the name of the Hero like that!”
A particularly young male Hero among the direct troops shouted.
He was one of the newcomers who had just donned the Hero’s name tag and was admiring Alicia.
“Alicia! There’s no need to talk to that scum! Let’s just kill him right away!”
“Exactly! That author is a butcher who destroyed the Academia and killed over hundreds of thousands of people! Talking to him will only dirty our ears!”
Most of them, including him, bore animosity toward Vargan.
They were all talented individuals full of passion, having entered under Alicia’s leadership at Arbol Frutal.
Vargan shrugged, realizing once again that Arbol Frutal had slipped from his grasp.
“Can’t argue with that. So, Alicia, do you want to kill me?”
“…….”
“Why are you so quiet? Have you forgotten your master’s face after four years?”
“How dare you say that to Alicia…! I will kill you…! Finn?”
The rookie Hero was about to step forward angrily in response to Vargan’s statement. Finn stretched out his arm to stop him.
“Alicia hasn’t given any orders yet. We’ll move only after she commands us.”
“But… that criminal…”
“The opponent is a powerhouse who wiped out the Zero Risk and First Risk squads. No matter how weakened, it’s not wise to act recklessly.”
“…I understand.”
In theory, all Heroes were equal, but in practice, there was a clear hierarchy.
Finn, a sub-Hero and ranked among the top-tier Heroes, along with the Hero Alicia, were figures that newcomers couldn’t treat carelessly.
Ignoring the rookie Hero’s bravado, Vargan checked the time.
The appearance of the direct troops was a bit later than expected. By now, Diphelia would have moved according to the messages.
“…It’s an honor to have such great interest shown in me, but is that really okay?”
Vargan gestured toward Yggdrasil, clearly visible from afar. The massive trunk of the giant divine tree was currently harboring core members of the Church.
“Saint Sylvester and Helion, the sword of the Holy Emperor, are dead. Currently, the core members guarding the Holy Emperor are Alicia and Finn. And now, on top of that, they brought everyone from Arbol Frutal, so the guards over there must be quite thin.”
“The guards over there seem to be quite lacking, don’t you think?”
In response to Vargan’s words, an overly enthusiastic rookie hero replied.
“Such pathetic threats won’t work! We’ve already confirmed the destruction of the Zero Risk Squad and the collapse of the Goddess Church’s forces due to your incomprehensible actions. The situation has become a threat to the Holy Emperor already…!”
“How foolish. I’m not talking about external issues; I mean ‘inside’.”
“Inside?”
The rookie hero frowned at Vargan’s cryptic statement. Just then, as if they had timed it perfectly, the communication familiars from Machenia began to sound the alarm.
—Urgent communication! Urgent communication!
—Members of the new faction, including Saint Diphelia, remaining in the Darek Union, have staged a coup!
—I repeat! Members of the new faction, including Saint Diphelia, have staged a coup!
—Currently, the Holy Emperor is surrounded in a refuge! The direct troops must return immediately to suppress the new faction! I repeat, the direct troops must…!
The rookie heroes listening to the communication couldn’t believe their ears.
No matter how much there were conflicts between the old faction and the new faction, a coup by the saint…!
It seemed much more realistic that Vargan was manipulating the communication familiars with some scheme.
However.
“…Looks like it might be true.”
Machenia checked the condition of the familiars, sweating coldly as they spoke.
The familiars showed no signs of interference from any mana or curses, and the communicator was confirmed to be a member of the old faction.
In other words, for some reason and under some justification, the saint, who was supposed to avoid the use of force, had drawn her sword.
“T-this can’t be happening….”
The overzealous rookie hero clearly showed signs of confusion.
The confident stance they had towards Vargan vanished, and they anxiously looked at Finn and Alicia for guidance.
At this, Finn fell into thought briefly before realizing something and gave a slight smile.
That tiny and discreet smile was almost imperceptible, known only to someone like Vargan.
“There’s no helping it. Everyone except for Alicia will return to the Union immediately.”
“W-wait a moment, Finn… why exclude Alicia…? What’s the reason for that order?”
“All decisions will be made by me and Alicia, who are responsible for the field, and we don’t have the luxury of chatting long at the moment. But if you need an explanation, we can talk while moving.”
“…Ugh.”
At Finn’s resolute decision, the rookie hero shut their mouth and followed orders.
Just before they were about to retreat, Finn casually exchanged a glance with Vargan.
The man who had shown immeasurable grace to him.
And the man who had committed an unforgivable sin.
For someone like him, showing a simplified farewell while suppressing complicated feelings was the utmost courtesy that a junior hero like Finn could offer.
Swish—.
Machenia dismissed the familiars surrounding Vargan, and the direct troops followed Finn.
Thus, only Vargan and Alicia remained in the forest.
“…….”
An unbearable silence hung between them.
While maintaining her silence, Alicia didn’t lower her guard, making sure Vargan couldn’t escape recklessly by intentionally revealing her presence.
“If you have nothing to say, then just send me off. As you can see, my condition is not at its best. Immediate treatment is urgently needed.”
“Do as you wish. As you can see, my condition is not suited for conversation right now. It’s a dire situation that requires urgent care.”
“…….”
“Well, if your intention is to simply let me die here, then I have no objections.”
Vargan spat with a mocking tone.
Alicia already knew that Vargan’s condition was critical.
The total amount of mana that had always been his driving force was now tightening its grip around his throat, and the excessive loss of blood and irreparable damage were slowly leading him to death.
Sssss….
The trees, tinged with shadows, rustled together in the blowing wind.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the forest. That radiant beam reflected off Alicia’s eyes and skin, making her glow.
“…….”
Alicia’s lips moved, trying to say something. She mentally rehearsed her lines, but it was not easy.
Was talking this difficult?
Even back in the wagon where they first had a conversation, it hadn’t been this hard….
Alicia struggled to contain her emotions along with her mana. She took a slow, shallow breath, steadied herself.
Gradually, the tremors subsided, and she could finally speak.
“… Young Master Vargan.”
A single sentence, filled with Alicia’s deep emotions.
Despite being just one sentence, Vargan felt as if he had received all of Alicia’s feelings in their entirety.
He tried to ignore that emotion and forced a smile.
“To have a hero call the worst criminal in history ‘Young Master’—it seems Yggdrasil truly is in decline.”
“…….”
Alicia met Vargan’s gaze.
She refined her heart as much as she could. Alicia’s delicate voice flowed like a beautiful melody.
“…I have so much I want to say, yet time is sadly short. There are countless questions I want to ask and things I want to hear, but… I first want to dedicate myself fully to my current role.”
Alicia tightened her grip around the sword.
Her neatly arranged brows lifted, showing her resolve.
“Principal criminal Vargan. You have committed countless crimes. Each one an act of utter atrocity that can never be forgiven, posing a great threat and fear to humanity.”
“…….”
“Because of your atrocities, far too many people have shed blood and tears. Even major cities that were set ablaze amount to seven, with 22 small towns brutally destroyed. If we include the villages that vanished without a trace… you can imagine the number.”
“…….”
“Vargan. You are the human who has killed the most people in history and the follower of the Goddess Church who caused the greatest damage to humanity in the shortest time. Thus, as a hero, it is my duty to bring you to death.”
Zhuu—.
Naias’s sword turned red.
It was a red aura that could only be handled by those who had mastered transcendent swordsmanship. However, Alicia infused even greater power into her blade and full body.
Tsuuuuuu—!
The sword trembled, resonating with the atmosphere.
Alicia’s sword and body glowed with Holy Light, driving away the darkness of the forest.
The white armor was the spirit of Helion’s unique spell, Ki (氣魄).
The sublime power residing in Naias was also a unique spell of Helion, further developed into Red Holy Fire (紅聖火) by Alicia.
“What an incredible achievement…”
Vargan marveled at the threatening power that could even kill a Cardinal.
Having faced Helion directly, Vargan could feel firsthand the extent of Alicia’s superior martial prowess.
“At this point, there is no human who surpasses you.”
Even with his head not working properly due to excessive blood loss, Vargan weighed the situation.
If he were to confront Alicia, could he possibly win?
No… it was certainly impossible.
Aside from suffering severe damage, the Glory Ring, which was of inferior quality, was broken, and the Life Essence had become unusable after 6 hours.
Ultimately, Alicia stood at the pinnacle of humanity. It would not be an exaggeration to say Vargan’s life hung by the tip of her sword.
Goooh…
Vargan stirred his mana in response to Alicia’s combat readiness.
Even a tiny amount of mana brought excruciating pain, but he did not lose his bitter smile.
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of dying. If you bring a knife to my throat, I will not just stand by.”
With intent to kill, Vargan prepared to use his unique spell at any moment.
He hesitated to use it due to the high risk of becoming unable to use magic again, but Alicia would easily cut through anything else.
Swoosh, swoosh—!
The mana swirling in the air collided between Vargan and Alicia.
It felt as if the slightest move from either would erupt into a fierce clash.
At that critical moment, Alicia gritted her teeth and yelled.
“Why won’t you say anything until the end! Why!”
Alicia expressed her anger towards Vargan.
Having never raised her voice at him before, she could no longer contain her emotions at the sight of Vargan’s insistence on hiding the truth.
“You say you don’t intend to die? I can’t believe that! If you truly want to survive, wouldn’t it be better to reveal your intentions instead of resisting?”
“Intentions… what do you mean?”
“Young Master! Just because my status is lowly doesn’t mean I’m foolish enough not to think! I already know everything! I know it all!”
“…….”
“Why did you pretend to ‘betray humanity,’ and how much pain have you endured because of that… Why won’t you tell me!”
“I don’t know what nonsense you’ve heard, but I—”
Alicia shook her head fiercely, cutting off Vargan from finishing his thought.
Then, she revealed a truth she had suppressed.
“Just the curse you placed on me alone is enough! You cast the ‘Curse of Enchantment’ to manipulate me…? That’s a lie! That curse was only placed later to disadvantage me in the trial; it wasn’t there from the beginning!”
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