The howl of beasts echoed unpleasantly.
Several knights were holding onto the Moon Deer.
“Stay still…!”
They were in the process of removing an ice spear lodged in the Moon Deer’s rear.
Seemingly unable to bear it, it thrashed and cried out.
“What a temper that thing has…!”
Several strong men clung to it and struggled to pull out the spear.
Blood gushed out.
They hurriedly tried to staunch the bleeding.
“Kiiing….”
Yuel walked unsteadily while crying pitifully.
Having been hit by an ice spear in the rear, he limped.
He approached someone lying down and gently licked their face.
It was Judas.
His face was pale, and he lay unconscious.
Gale checked his wounds.
“What kind of madness do you have to do to puncture a cheek? It’s a mortal wound if we’re off by even a little…. Fortunately, the wounds on his face aren’t serious, so he’ll heal quickly. The problem is the internal damage. It’s deplorably severe. Was he like this when you brought him in?”
“…Yes.”
Richard answered instead.
While Judas was rampaging solo, a small unit of knights under Eliya was conducting a diversion operation.
They helped to ensure that all power didn’t concentrate on only Judas.
Richard, Lindell, Dyke, Hermis, Shylock.
Those five entered the battlefield and caused chaos among the enemy.
They were also the ones who brought Judas back.
During their movement, they discovered the limping Yuel, who led them to Judas.
“Severe blood loss, and the heartbeat is too faint. This is impossible….”
No one could guarantee his life.
Even without saying that, everyone present understood.
If it were Eliya’s magic, there might be a glimmer of hope.
They urgently sent Argon for him, but he hadn’t returned yet.
Hermis knelt beside him, blankly.
Shylock reported in his stead.
“Including the Captain of the Royal Guards, there were 11 royal guards nearby, 20 royal knights, about 30 imperial soldiers, and 3 from the Royal Wizard Order. That’s the number of corpses left where Judas had collapsed.”
Gawain heard the report.
“That’s only at that spot, but if you count how many he killed while wandering solo, it’ll be even more.”
The cream of the imperial guard had been nearly halved.
Only Judas achieved that.
It was too great an accomplishment for a single individual and, in terms of numbers, a significant gain for the price of a single life.
However, no one here could accept it that way.
“You fool….”
Richard sat down next to Judas and muttered weakly.
“Look at you, thinking you’re some hotshot…. Treating your seniors like fools….”
Gale continued while disinfecting.
“We’ll do emergency treatment right away, but if the lady doesn’t arrive, we need to get a priest or something. Has anyone gone out?”
Lindell, sitting nearby, jumped up.
“I’ll go.”
“Are you sure you can bring back someone more than decent? Do you have confidence?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“It would have been a bit better if Bolse were okay….”
“Bolse collapsed from exhaustion earlier.”
Eliya’s mansion did not particularly have a priest dedicated to treatment.
Its owner, Eliya, was already a transcendent wizard.
But at this moment, that Eliya was absent.
Bolse collapsed after emptying himself, filling the vacuum left by the wizard of the myth age.
From the start of the battle, he had been using magic from afar to control the enemy, and after it ended, he treated the wounded.
“Let’s hurry up and set off. The enemy is retreating, but just in case, take one more person with you….”
As Gawain was giving orders, the gazes of the people turned one by one.
Someone was approaching barefoot from the main building of the mansion.
The precarious swaying made it look like they might fall any moment.
Eliya was rushing over.
She truly collapsed next to Judas as she arrived.
“Ah….”
With hands trembling seriously, she touched Judas.
Her eyes could not stay still in one place.
Looking at his face, then his wounds.
Then she saw Yuel crouched next to Judas.
He also had a large wound on his rear.
Seemingly in agony, he was gasping for breath.
“Ah…. Ugh….”
Eliya sobbed as her chin trembled.
Her hands felt lost.
She needed to heal Judas’s wounds but had no way of knowing if the doctor’s treatment was sufficient.
She couldn’t even remember how to check that.
“Yu, Judas…. I, I’m here…. I….”
Gale, quietly watching from the side, spoke up carefully.
He gently urged her.
“Miss. Miss.”
Eliya’s desperate eyes looked at Gale.
“I’ve completed the disinfection of the periphery and inspected for foreign substances. Both Judas and Yuel are fine. All you need to do is heal them. Do you understand?”
Eliya nodded eagerly.
Then she immediately used magic.
She brought her hands close to Judas’s wounds.
Golden flames surged out, wrapping around his injuries.
It looked entirely different from the known healing magic.
Visually, it appeared as if he were being burned by fire.
But when Eliya pulled her hands away, the flames that healed were clean flesh.
Eliya promptly used the same healing magic on Yuel.
The hole in his rear filled with pink flesh.
Shylock approached Eliya and informed her of the sequence of events.
Eliya held Judas’s hand silently.
As she listened to the story, it became increasingly hard to contain her rising emotions.
Eventually, she collapsed onto Judas’s chest and let out a scream-like cry.
“Ugh…! Aaaah—!”
Despite being so hated and hearing harsh words, Judas didn’t run away.
He steadied the panicked allies due to her absence and faced the enemy.
He fought gallantly in the heart of the enemy camp at the cost of his life.
Thanks to that, they drove the enemy away without significant damage.
To say they drove them away would be more accurate; actually, the enemy accomplished their objectives and then retreated after all.
In conclusion, while the enemy achieved what they wanted, the truth that Judas had done brilliantly remained unchanged.
“Ugh…! Uhh—!”
It could be quite the mess.
Perhaps it was Judas’s spite.
Because she had said such things, Judas ended up like this.
Otherwise, it might have been revenge for his death.
She had spoken so many harsh words.
Anything was fine.
It was okay to be angry.
He could get up, hit her, and curse at her.
As long as he could just get up and live, she could accept anything.
If only she had trusted him.
If she had responded a bit more rationally, this would have never happened.
“Ugh—!”
She thought she had lost him but he was actually right beside her.
Yet she didn’t know that and lost him before her eyes.
Eliya was skeptical about the possibility of Maria waking up.
Yet now, she was about to lose again.
Eliya desperately wished.
For the first time in her life, she prayed to the sun.
Please let this person wake up.
Everything else could be taken.
Whether it was her powers or her life, she could give it all.
If she had to die, she would be willing to do that.
But please, don’t take this color.
She prayed and prayed.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, faint as if it would stop at any moment.
Eliya pressed her face closer to hear that sound clearer and louder.
In that state, Gale, as a physician, had to say something.
“Although the wounds have healed, I can’t guarantee he will wake up. As you know, healing magic can’t fully restore the internal organs, and Judas’s internal condition is severe.”
One glimmer of hope was that Eliya’s healing magic was different from what was known.
It wasn’t a clear hope.
They couldn’t just keep hoping.
It wasn’t just the internals that were problematic.
Due to excessive fighting, fatigue was accumulating in Judas’s body.
His mind was also at its limit.
The magic circuit was overloaded, and it wouldn’t be strange if he had already fainted due to his wounds.
“If things go wrong, he might remain alive but….”
He might not awaken.
He could be stuck living as a vegetable.
Gale couldn’t bring himself to say that, but Eliya understood already.
“Ugh…!”
Little hands gripped the ground.
In a bid to escape from pain, she inflicted pain on her body.
Her nails pierced the skin and bled as she squeezed tightly.
Gale couldn’t propose that he would treat the remaining wounded.
Yuel, suffering, gently nuzzled Eliya’s face.
“Ugh, ugh…!”
The more that happened, the more Eliya only suffered.
Gawain sat across from Eliya, with Judas between them.
After waiting a moment, he spoke in a low, resonant voice.
“Lady Eliya.”
“Ugh…!”
“Lady Eliya. For Judas’s sake, please listen to me for a moment.”
Eliya, who had been in anguish, slowly raised her head.
“There are still many wounded left, even though there are no fatalities. With your power, you can heal them all quickly. I can’t dare to say I understand what kind of distress that is, but I can grasp it partially.”
“…….”
“The enemy can’t be guaranteed to retreat and not return. We must quickly reorganize our troops and prepare for defense while watching the enemy’s movements. Judas has worked hard to protect our allies. Please, help a little so that this child’s efforts aren’t in vain.”
Gawain bowed respectfully.
“I beg you.”
Seeing that humble attitude, Eliya wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
And she slowly nodded.
“Thank you.”
After that, they brought the wounded one after another in front of Eliya.
She stayed still in her place.
Once she healed one, they automatically switched to the next wounded person.
Though weak, she didn’t stop what she had to do.
However, during the healing process, she didn’t leave Judas’s side.
With one hand, she held onto Judas’s hand tightly to keep it steady.
Next to her, Yuel curled up.
Despite the unexpected ambush, Eliya’s side ended up with decent results.
Two serious injuries: Judas, Maria.
Only two casualties.
One might even consider it a negligible outcome.
Yet those two were everything to Eliya.
*
“Your Majesty the Emperor. I have brought the Sun Symbol.”
“This is that….”
Emperor Johan received the Sun Symbol from Geist.
An artifact known to grant any miracle.
Despite its fame, it looked rather shabby.
It resembled a worn-out statue with faded light.
In its current state, it had no functionality at all.
To use it, certain conditions needed to be met.
And the emperor knew the conditions needed to activate the Sun Symbol.
“Well done.”
“Thank you.”
“What became of Eliya? She hasn’t followed right away?”
“She seems to have regained her wits but still hasn’t overcome the shock.”
“Just as I thought.”
Johan nodded with satisfaction.
“It is indeed a fortunate thing for us. The greatest hindrance to our plan, Eliya, has collapsed on her own.”
“I’ll instruct to keep watch on Eliya, just in case.”
“Please do.”
“However, I regret to inform you that we lost many members of the royal guard, including the Captain, as well as the imperial troops. They had an unforeseen trump card on their side.”
“Hmm…. Truly regrettable. However, sacrifices for the greater good are unavoidable. Besides, we’ll easily acquire such capable figures now.”
“Indeed, your words are wise.”
“Rather, we must hurry. Before Eliya stands up and chases us down.”
Johan’s green irises glimmered as he gazed at the Sun Symbol.
Shining with ambition and hope.
“I will become the master of the new world.”
“Your Majesty can certainly achieve that.”
“The rotten era ends here.”
Johan stood up, his cloak billowing behind him.
“I’m going to the catacombs.”
Before the sun and moon illuminated this land, the world was filled entirely with starlight.
From time to time, pieces of stars fell to the ground, these star fragments granted power beyond order.
Those star fragments were required to activate the Sun Symbol, and the only remaining one was hidden in the catacombs.
Johan gathered his armaments.
A colossal silver spear.
An artifact known as the God-killing spear.
He was the emperor, the pope of the Sun Church, and a powerful paladin.
Although overshadowed by Balak’s glamorous magic.
He was once a figure of the battlefield.
The catacombs were guarded by both the magic tower and the royal palace, but they could eliminate everyone.
Once the new era arrived, trivial deaths would be forgotten.
The Evil God of Emptiness sealed by the primal existence.
Johan’s goal was to imperfectly resurrect that evil god, using it as a means to dominate the world.
Thus, he would rule this world as the apostle of the malevolent god.
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