Episode 176
Elonia and Lucius were immediately stopped as soon as they left the room.
“Sarah!”
“Your Highness!?”
Sarah and the maids were surrounded by phantoms in the hallway.
Elonia immediately swung her rapier, rescuing the maids. Lucius used his divine power to completely dispel the mist Elonia had scattered.
“Is everyone okay? Are you hurt?”
“We’re fine, Your Highness! What about you?!”
“We’re fine.”
The maids were relieved, but only for a moment. They knew Elonia was going to confront the one responsible for this chaos.
Elonia spoke to the maids, her face serious.
“Just because the dead have returned doesn’t mean you should believe they’ve been resurrected, understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
They couldn’t stop Elonia. So, the least they could do was not hold her back.
With the maids’ affirmation, Elonia entrusted the Imperial Princess’s Palace to them and headed towards the Main Palace with Lucius.
Sarah watched Elonia until she was completely out of sight.
Then she turned to the maids. They all shared the same determined expression.
“Get your tools, everyone.”
“Yes!”
“Is a curling iron a weapon?”
“…”
Sarah pondered Canaria’s question for a moment. Probably.
Sarah and the maids retrieved their respective “weapons” – a ceremonial sword, a curling iron, a fork, a silver tray – and gathered back in the hallway. Just as they were hoping the disgusting corpses wouldn’t reappear,
Heavy footsteps echoed from the distance.
Gulp. They swallowed nervously.
As the footsteps rounded the corner, about to reveal their owner,
“Now!”
“Haaah!”
At Sarah’s command, the maids charged forward with their makeshift weapons.
However.
“W-wait a minute!”
“Kyaa, kyaaak!”
“!”
Familiar voices made the maids freeze mid-attack.
Sarah asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Sir Ricardo, Lady Ethan… Lady Garnethia?”
It was Elonia’s three closest confidants. They had almost attacked their allies instead of the enemy.
Ethan nodded, looking strangely relieved.
“We came right away because we were worried, but it seems our concern was unnecessary.”
“Haha…”
The maids blushed, scratching their cheeks awkwardly in embarrassment. Sarah suddenly noticed the familiar box in Garnethia’s hands and asked.
“By the way, that box is…”
“W-well, Sir Ricardo said it was important to Her Highness. A keepsake from the late Empress…”
“Yes, that’s right, but…”
Why did Garnethia have it now?
Ricardo quickly explained Sarah’s unspoken question.
“This box, it’s been rattling constantly since earlier. We need to deliver it to Her Highness. Where is she?”
“Her Highness went to the Main Palace.”
“Damn, we should have come sooner…”
Garnethia fidgeted nervously at Ricardo’s muttering. She was the reason they were delayed.
Ethan placed a large hand reassuringly on Garnethia’s shoulder and asked.
“Did she go with Young Master Luneus?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…We must go to the Main Palace.”
Ethan and Garnethia didn’t know what the box contained, but Ricardo’s reaction told them it was crucial to resolving the current situation.
Garnethia, without hesitation, held out the box to Ricardo with both hands.
“Lady Garnethia?”
Ricardo looked at her, puzzled. Garnethia clenched her fists and pushed Ricardo’s back.
“In this situation where magic is useless, Sir Ricardo is the fastest way to reach the Main Palace. Please deliver this to Her Highness…!”
Ricardo hesitated. Garnethia was right, but Ethan was the only one here who could fight properly.
If he left, wouldn’t the maids and Garnethia be in danger?
However, his concerned gaze only seemed to irritate Ethan.
Ethan frowned sharply, her pride clearly wounded.
“I may hold the same rank as you now, but I was the Captain of the Tite Knights. I can protect them. Go.”
Ricardo stared blankly at Ethan. Ethan tilted her chin up, as if asking if he doubted her words. An incredulous laugh escaped Ricardo’s lips.
She was just as prideful now as when they first met.
‘Well, that’s why she’s reliable. She has the skills to back it up.’
Come to think of it, when they first met, he had spent a lot of time figuring out how to sneak Her Highness out to the academy without Ethan noticing.
Ricardo placed his hands on his hips and ran a hand through his hair roughly. He had wasted time with unnecessary worries.
He grinned broadly and took the box from Garnethia.
“See you all later.”
The path to the Main Palace was also swarming with phantoms.
Flash—
Lucius moved forward, firing blasts of divine power. None of the phantoms resembled anyone Elonia knew. Which meant—
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Lucius nodded stoically. It wasn’t a lie.
“It seems not only fond memories manifest. There were a few faces I’d rather not see.”
Come to think of it, Sarah and the maids hadn’t panicked like Llewellyn earlier.
Variables were unwelcome. Lucius, understanding this fully, immediately quickened his pace.
As they approached the Main Palace, the number of phantoms increased.
[Wooo, Urrghh!]
The overlapping groans of the corpses assaulted Elonia and Lucius’s ears.
Whether they could wield weapons or not, they reached out with stiff arms, lunging towards Elonia and Lucius. More seemed to cling specifically to Lucius.
Flash!
“Lucius!”
“I’m fine!”
[Aaaah—!]
A bright light erupted from Lucius’s hand, and a phantom Elonia didn’t recognize vanished without a trace.
This cycle repeated, and Lucius’s breathing grew increasingly ragged.
“Haah, haah…”
Elonia watched Lucius anxiously. His face was as pale as before, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
His stamina was clearly running low.
Lucius had never fought like this before. He was inexperienced in managing his power output.
‘I’m trying my best too, but without magic, I’m more of a burden than usual.’
Moreover, unlike her swordsmanship, which was only a temporary measure, Lucius’s divine power could completely neutralize Tristan’s power.
But divine power was, literally, the power of a god. It was too much for a human body.
Even as an apostle, Lucius would collapse from exhaustion if this continued.
‘At this rate, we won’t be able to face Tristan.’
While Lucius was tiring himself out, Tristan was gathering power at the highest point in Ravanta.
Elonia bit her lip, contemplating, then reluctantly advised Lucius.
“Lucius, it’s better to conserve your divine power for now.”
“But—”
“At this rate, you’ll collapse before we even face Tristan.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Lucius seemed unconvinced but eventually nodded heavily.
Just as Elonia, her expression still uneasy, patted Lucius reassuringly,
[Urghh…]
“…!”
They sensed a presence behind them. Without giving them a moment’s rest, a new phantom appeared.
‘Damn it, these bastards are relentless in their torment…!’
Elonia cursed inwardly and turned around, raising her sword.
However.
“…!”
Shockingly bright blond hair and green eyes.
A clear sword mark on the neck, numerous bruises elsewhere.
It was an unfamiliar face, yet one she never wanted to see again.
“Dol…ce…?”
It was Dolce.
This time, the phantom was Dolce. Dolce raised a bloodied arm, pointed at Elonia, and opened his mouth.
[You… Princess…]
His mouth formed the words.
Elonia froze, stunned by the appearance of this unexpected figure.
“Your Highness, it’s dangerous!”
“Elonia!”
A voice called out to Elonia, faster than Lucius could react.
Simultaneously, a blue sword flashed, slicing through Dolce’s phantom, turning it into mist.
Elonia’s eyes widened, a mixture of relief and surprise filling her as she exclaimed.
“D-Dad?!”
It was Artius. Artius, his attire disheveled, his face etched with fear, his voice trembling, asked Elonia.
“Elonia, are you hurt?”
Elonia, momentarily suspecting this might be another phantom, looked into his eyes and quickly shook her head.
“N-no. I’m fine.”
Artius visibly relaxed upon confirming Elonia was unharmed.
Elonia, calming her racing heart, relieved by Artius’s safety, asked.
“When did you get here?”
“As soon as things started happening at the palace.”
She thought he had arrived surprisingly fast. As expected.
Artius turned to Lucius, who looked considerably worse off than Elonia, and expressed his gratitude.
“You were by Elonia’s side, as expected. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I was just doing what needed to be done.”
“Is Tristan still up there?”
“Yes. It seems he’s conserving his strength, minimizing movement.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Both Elonia and Lucius nodded.
In this situation, having another swordsman like Artius was crucial.
It would allow Lucius to conserve his power and potentially defeat either Tristan or Felix faster.
Artius took the lead.
“Let’s go to the observatory. That’s the only way to the spire.”
“Okay.”
The group entered the Main Palace and began running towards the observatory. They cut down the interfering phantoms without hesitation.
Throughout their ascent, no phantoms resembling anyone Elonia knew appeared.
Lucius occasionally wore an uncomfortable expression, and Artius’s face remained grimly set.
Slash!
[Wooo, Arghh…!]
The dead, longed for by the living, appeared as phantoms to torment the living.
The expressions on Llewellyn and Alberich’s faces earlier kept flashing through Elonia’s mind. Her hatred for Felix and Tristan intensified.
Lucius, noticing Elonia’s darkening expression, cautiously called out to her.
“Your Highness.”
Elonia turned to him silently. Lucius, running alongside her, his face flushed, breathing heavily, spoke, his voice steady despite his exertion.
“I won’t say it’s not difficult. But ending this quickly is to our advantage. The longer we drag this out, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.”
Artius added his support.
“Elonia. We’ve experienced allies turning into enemies many times before. Don’t dwell on it.”
The phantoms appearing simultaneously throughout the palace, whether they instilled fear or hope, were serving as fuel for Tristan’s growing faith.
Elonia, knowing this, steeled her resolve and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll focus on moving forward.”
“Yes.”
Lucius offered a faint smile.
Finally, the door to the observatory came into view.
BANG!
Artius and Elonia kicked the heavy door open simultaneously.
“Ha…!”
The observatory was also filled with black mist.
Elonia let out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a curse, utterly fed up.
“Elonia.”
“I know.”
Elonia caught her breath and gripped her sword tightly. However, Artius, who had warned her, suddenly froze, his eyes widening in disbelief as the mist began to take shape.
It wasn’t just Artius. Lucius was also shocked, as was Elonia.
A bloodstained white dress. Disheveled mint-green hair.
Slowly opening eyelids revealed green eyes, devoid of their usual vibrant light.
The phantom that appeared this time was—
“Mom…?”
It was Philemon.