Chapter Seventy-Two
A short while earlier.
On the outskirts of the royal capital.
A man, with sharp, hawk-like eyes narrowed, skillfully dodged a barrage of attacks, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. He faced a woman, both of them drenched in blood, relentlessly swinging their swords.
And the man—Oliver, the ‘Magician Hunter’—screamed her name, radiating a torrent of rage and killing intent.
“Bernadette!!!”
Had he lost himself to rage? Consumed by fury, his usual sharp attacks were nowhere to be seen.
The Oliver who had overwhelmed Julius that night wasn’t there.
However, he was still the ‘Collector,’ wielding countless magic abilities. Even lacking composure, he was a formidable opponent, and unlike Julius, every single one of his attacks was meant to kill. Therefore, a moment’s carelessness could be fatal.
“…Why…”
A single, low, furious murmur accompanied a wide swing.
“Why are you on the side of those bastards…? Why are you acting like a noble’s dog!? …And more importantly. Why did you abandon my brother back then!? Answer me, Bernadette!!!”
Oliver’s words, veins bulging in his face, didn’t end there.
“Weren’t you his best friend? Weren’t you family? But why, why did you side with the nobles? Why did you leave him to die? Why did my brother have to die? Why… are you still in the Knights Order?”
That’s what he wanted to ask. His gaze, filled with despair, showed how desperately he wanted to ask that. And that must have been why Oliver was cooperating with Alstead, who was using the alias Amses. No, perhaps it was why he was susceptible to the mental manipulation magic.
“I respected you. Until the moment… I was told my brother had died!!!”
It was a complete fabrication. But Bernadette didn’t deny it. She simply endured the onslaught that felt like a storm.
Was it because she acknowledged her guilt? Or was it because she had heard about that night’s events from Ryuuzas? She simply remained silent.
However, did that silence only fuel Oliver’s rage? His anger swelled, and a roar of resentment echoed.
The clash of sparks continued, twice, thrice, and—
“I couldn’t save your brother. That’s the truth. That’s the only undeniable truth.”
Bernadette replied in a flat voice.
“And I believe this is… the greatest atonement I can offer.”
“Atonement…?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m still clinging to the Knights Order, even now, unsightly as it may be.”
Had his anger reached its peak?
A roar, so loud it made me wonder where he was getting the power from, echoed like a tremor.
“Is that your answer? Is that what you truly believe? You’re saying you exist to protect those filthy nobles who belong to a Knights Order that can’t even protect a single commoner, who pinned all the blame on one member, insulted him, belittled him, and protected their own peace!? I understand. Then… then I’ll kill them all!! I’ll destroy everything!!”
Therefore, Oliver selectively justified killing.
His reason was simply to carry out the will of his deceased brother, who had wished to protect the weak who couldn’t fight.
And now, Oliver, who had earned the infamy of a magician killer, saw through her true feelings, it seemed.
Bernadette smiled for the first time.
“You haven’t changed.”
There was no mockery in her words. No hostility. No despair. It was a voice filled with pure affection and kindness.
“You were fighting for the sake of the people? Yes, that’s just like you. And you intended to kill me in the end?”
As befitting the Knight Commander, Bernadette’s combat abilities were outstanding, even among the Knights. It was rumored that she was one of the top five in the kingdom. Therefore, even for Oliver, with his ‘Collector’ ability, she would be a formidable opponent.
Perhaps even formidable enough that he would have to steal the abilities of every single magician who had ever belonged to the Knights Order to win.
“Indeed, if that’s the case, considering everything that has happened, I wouldn’t have minded being killed by you…”
The “perhaps” in her words was a rejection. Therefore, Oliver’s veins bulged, as if asking if she would cling to life so shamelessly, so disgracefully.
“But I can’t accept that. Unfortunately, I’ve decided to cling to this position of Knight Commander, unsightly as it may be. Because that’s… the only atonement I can offer.”
She mentioned atonement again.
It was directed towards Oliver’s brother. Even without her saying it, Oliver understood. He understood, and his body trembled. As if asking, how dare you say that.
But only for a moment.
“The reason I’m acting as a dog for the nobles and royalty hasn’t changed since the day we lost Bermuda. I’m here so that the death of a member—of family—will never be insulted again. So, even if it’s a request from Bermuda’s younger brother, I can’t grant you that.”
Oliver froze at Bernadette’s sincere words. As if to say, her words were too unexpected.
“Originally, I thought we should just disband the powerless Knights Order, which can’t even protect anyone properly. But some of the nobles and royalty wouldn’t allow it. Even if I resigned from this position, they would just appoint a replacement Knight Commander. Someone under the thumb of those filthy nobles. So I deliberately remained in the Knights Order. I had no choice but to remain.”
…Though Zenoah wanted to leave me, she added.
And Oliver was the most surprised by those words.
“Because I had to protect it. This city, in place of Bermuda, that hopelessly good-natured fool.”
Suddenly, the sky was covered by something black. It was monsters. The limited ‘Perception Obstruction’ was lifted, revealing them.
An uncountable number of monsters. A vast variety of species. It made me wonder where they had gathered so many.
However, Bernadette didn’t seem particularly surprised by the change.
She looked as if she had known something was there all along.
“Alstead intends to kill even the commoners.”
“Kill… the commoners?”
Unlike with Julius, it was those words that shattered Oliver’s composure.
He became confused.
His eyes grew vacant.
“His core principle is ‘sacrifice.’ He believes in sacrifice, and he will kill everyone. Everything your brother tried to protect. He’s trying to make an example of the nobles. This, and the roars you hear, are proof of that. This is not a bluff.”
“…That’s… wrong. That’s… not right.”
The clash of swords had stopped, and Oliver, who had been distancing himself from Bernadette as if trying to escape, clutched his head and muttered as if trying to convince himself.
“I don’t mind if you resent me. I know I deserve it. So I’m not blaming you. But are you sure about this, Oliver? Siding with Alstead means destroying everything your brother tried to protect.”
“Shut… up. Shut… up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!!! He understands me. He’s the only one who understands me.”
He swung his sword wildly. He looked like a spoiled child desperately denying an unacceptable truth.
“If he understands you, then why are you under the influence of mental manipulation magic right now?”
It was like saying he couldn’t be trusted. Oliver, as if struggling with a migraine, answered the perfectly reasonable question.
“I… asked him to.”
“You asked him to?”
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to kill you otherwise.”
“…I see. So that’s the reason.”
To remove his compassion. For Oliver, a pacifist who still held some affection for his former comrades in the Knights Order, Alstead’s ability was perfect.
However, perhaps because Bernadette had already spoken with Ryuuzas—
“You don’t want to kill, do you? Us, and those filthy nobles aside, you wouldn’t harm innocent people no matter what.”
She realized it.
That’s why Oliver couldn’t kill Julius that night. He might have had the chance. He had definitely had the upper hand almost the entire time.
However, while he had injured Julius, he hadn’t killed him. He had intended to kill him, but he couldn’t. What Julius had pointed out that night wasn’t a lie or a misunderstanding.
“But Alstead intends to use the ‘tragedy’ of ‘sacrifice’ as a threat, by sacrificing even one of the commoners you wanted to protect. Is that alright with you? Do you agree with that? Do you still call him someone who understands you?”
“I’m telling you it’s not like that…!! He’s… he’s trying to change this world, unlike you!! This twisted world!! He’s someone who understands the pain of having your family taken away unjustly, just like me!! Don’t spout nonsense, Bernadette…!!”
The pain and sorrow of loss.
Oliver insisted that because Alstead knew them, he wouldn’t choose the wrong path. He believed that without a doubt.
And as if to vent his frustration, he charged forward again and swung his sword. Each blow was faster, heavier.
“—‘Gravity Control’—!!!”
He used magic. Bernadette’s feet sank into the ground as she received the abnormally powerful blow with her sword.
Eventually, overpowered, Bernadette was blown backwards.
“‘Accelerate’!!!”
But the attack didn’t end there. Oliver’s rage-filled eyes locked onto the retreating Bernadette, and he used his magic to close the distance again.
“I think I understand how Alstead feels. He wants to punish the nobles. He wants to change something. And when you think that way, it’s easy to believe this method is effective. So I think he’s right. But this choice will only lead to the worst possible outcome. That’s why I think he’s right, but wrong. What’s the point of achieving something at the cost of innocent lives? How is that any different from the nobles you despise?”
“…Shut… up…!!!”
A flash. Their weapons clashed, scattering sparks. Even after being blown back and losing her balance, Bernadette’s skill in blocking the incoming attack was formidable.
“If Bermuda were here, he would definitely stop this. So I will stop it in his place. That’s all.”
“Don’t… you dare… say my brother’s name!!!”
The screeching clash of their weapons intensified. It was an exchange that seemed like it wouldn’t end until either Bernadette or Oliver died—however. A deafening explosion erupted, interrupting them. Screams, beastly growls, and roars followed.
The fight came to an abrupt end due to the intrusion of those sounds.
“Alstead?”
For Oliver, Bernadette’s words were completely untrustworthy. That’s why he hadn’t believed her at all. Although some of her words resonated with him, he hadn’t trusted her. He believed Alstead was right. That he was the only comrade who understood him.
What kind of story had Alstead told him? What had been instilled in the mind of this staunch pacifist?
…The fact that it was a lie was evident from Oliver’s stunned silence.
“What… are you doing? What are you thinking? Alstead.”
Monsters were attacking the city. Attacking people.
They were rampaging among the commoners, who had no means to fight back.
“Those were… meant to punish the nobles, right?”
Why were they attacking the city? Why were they attacking people?
He didn’t understand. Oliver couldn’t comprehend it.
And because of that, the discrepancy between the thoughts in his head and reality caused him the worst headache he had ever experienced.
“No, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!! This is… a mistake. Ah, yes. Alstead’s magic must be going haywire. With this many monsters, it’s possible. I have to help him. I have to help Alstead. I have to help him… the one who saved me.”
He muttered vacantly, his eyes clouded. Was he trying to maintain his sanity somehow? However, to Bernadette, his actions were simply painful to watch.
Oliver’s priority shifted from Bernadette to Alstead. He turned his back on Bernadette, intending to head towards Alstead.
And with a single word, “Accelerate,”
“W-Wait, Oliver!!”
Ignoring Bernadette’s cry, Oliver ran towards Alstead.
[Translator – Vine]
[Proofreader – Lust]
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