There is only one place the information could have leaked from.
Count Pyton’s betrayal.
“There’s no reason behind fearing death. Veil Pyton. He had already been selected as someone who was meant to die eventually. If it’s you now, you probably understand what that means.”
“……”
I had expected as much.
Emperor Abraham is a man whose conviction to protect the Empire cannot be denied.
And for such a man to be creating things that would eventually eat away at the Empire from within….it wasn’t hard to foresee the outcome.
Exactly as Tillis had argued in the past.
Abraham intends to gather criminals and evildoers together and wipe them out all at once.
And Count Pyton would surely be among those targets.
There can be no exceptions.
Especially for someone like Pyton, who likely consulted on all those criminal activities, there would be even less reason to keep him alive.
Count Pyton must have known that this was the role he was playing. Still, rather than dying immediately, he must have chosen to survive….even if it meant loyalty.
That’s what it meant to stand against the Emperor.
“So Veil Pyton merely acted out of a desire to live. Johan Damus, would you condemn him for that?”
“I would. Absolutely. I’m in danger right now, how could I not?”
He sold me out because he wanted to live?
I can understand that. If I were in his position, I might have done the same.
Of course, unlike Veil Pyton, I’d at least try to keep certain lines uncrossed.
In any case, I could understand the reason of “wanting to live”.
But understanding and forgiveness are two different things.
“……”
I quietly raised my hand.
Now that our information had leaked, the chances of needing to prepare for battle were high.
“Will you fight, Johan Damus? I have no intention of opposing you.”
“You say that while bringing an army like this?”
“The same could be said of you.”
“……”
When he puts it that way, I don’t really have a rebuttal.
“Johan Damus, didn’t you want to talk with me? Or were you merely planning to set a trap and strike me?”
I lowered my raised hand.
At that, the knights who had been waiting for my command in full combat readiness relaxed, if only slightly.
It’s still too early for a fight.
Although I can no longer gain the upper hand, it doesn’t mean the opportunity is gone.
“It seems like my friends are connected to your side. Do you happen to know them?”
“Friends… who are you referring to? Ollie Vanilla? Raven? Or perhaps Robeno? It could also be Milone or Sepina.”
“……”
I ground my teeth.
There is no organization that has recruited as many Cradle students as Under Chain.
Bringing the dead back to life.
That sweet temptation is inevitably fatal to Cradle students who have lost friends and fallen into despair.
I couldn’t tell whether he was deliberately provoking me by listing them one by one or if he was simply reciting names he knew without a second thought.
Now is not the time to get angry. Even if I’m mocked and looked down on, as long as I can achieve what I want, that’s enough.
Go ahead. Mock me all you like.
“Ollie and Raven.”
“I see.”
Faust nodded calmly again. Every single movement of his felt stiff, like that of a corpse. Not just his actions, but even his emotions.
“If it’s them, then they are indeed part of Under Chain. Is there some issue with them?”
“Please release them.”
“Johan Damus, none of the members of Under Chain are oppressed. Every one of them made their own choice.”
“You’re saying they came to you of their own accord? That’s not it, is it? You approached them first, didn’t you?”
“I won’t deny that. However, the choice was entirely theirs.”
“I don’t know about that. If the leader of a terrorist organization suddenly appeared before them, wouldn’t they follow you out of fear?”
“That’s a fair point.”
Faust nodded calmly.
Even though the conversation hadn’t gone on for long, dealing with him was extremely exhausting.
How should I put it? It felt like talking to a rock.
It was as if every emotion I poured out simply scattered meaninglessly.
“Then, Johan Damus. If, as you claim, I am oppressing them and keeping them captive—”
Clink—
Faust stepped forward.
It was only a single, short step, but the presence behind that movement was overwhelming.
The moment he moved, it felt as if the world itself had shifted.
Because of the countless chains connected to him. It was a single step from someone bearing the weight of thousands alone.
“And what do I gain from releasing them?”
“…You won’t make an enemy out of me.”
“Do you believe you are worth that much and that much of a risk?”
At first glance, it sounded like mockery.
But the Great Sage’s eyes remained indifferent, and his tone was flat.
“Yes.”
I affirmed it.
I had always been someone who ran from threats, but this time was different.
Everything here was something I had led, thought through, and carried out myself.
This wasn’t a plan where I supported someone else. I was at the center of it.
Of course, I was bluffing too.
I had to elevate my own value so that the opponent would see me as a threat.
“In that case, that would be troublesome. I have no desire to make you my enemy.”
“……”
“I have interest in the magic you will complete. I also have no intention of overlooking what you’ve accomplished. So turning you into an enemy would mean accepting a loss on my end as well.”
As expected, Faust finds me troublesome. Even if I’m actually weak, my track record so far is anything but ordinary.
Whenever major terrorist organizations collapsed, I was always there.
It feels like more and more people are overestimating me. It makes things harder, but for now, I have no choice but to rely on that false reputation.
“Then let’s do this.”
Clink—
Faust raised his hand. Then, from behind him, someone slowly stepped forward.
Their face was hidden beneath a hood, but I recognized who it was instantly.
My expression hardened.
“I still believe I never forced them.”
In the end, Ollie stepped forward, passing the Great Sage.
The Great Sage did not stop or restrain her.
Rather, he slightly shifted his body as if to let her pass.
“So, if you can persuade them, I will swear not to interfere in any way.”
“……”
Ollie went to Faust of her own accord. Honestly, I knew from the moment I first heard it that it wasn’t a lie.
But I also know that, given Ollie’s situation at the time, she had no other choice.
“Ollie.”
“Mr. Johan……”
“Let’s go back. It’s not too late yet.”
“……”
“I heard everything from Yuna. Even so, it’s okay. You haven’t crossed the line yet. You only thought you had. Your ability was different from what you believed. Yuna confirmed it by copying your power.”
Ollie lowered her head deeply.
She’s hesitating. That means, at the very least, she’s considering coming back.
What I need to do is clear away every obstacle in front of her so she can return.
“I’m already a dark mage. I’m basically a criminal now.”
“It’s fine. I can cover for at least one person like you. You just need to come back like before.”
She only needs to return to being an ordinary student, someone who focuses on her studies and carries a slight inferiority complex.
It’s not too late for her yet.
“Mr. Johan.”
At that moment, Ollie’s cold voice echoed gloomily.
“Then what about Raven?”
“……”
From the darkness, a single Death Knight slowly revealed its form.
At that sight, I had no choice but to shut my eyes tightly for a moment.
Tattered armor. Pale skin. A head half torn away.
It was Raven, preserved exactly as he had been at the moment of his death.
“Can Raven go back?”
“That’s……”
“I thought so. It’s impossible. No matter how hard you try, you can’t change society’s conventions.”
The dead must not be brought back to life.
The undead are beings that defile the dead. Destroying them is rather a form of respect for the deceased. The negative perception rooted in the very word “death” has given rise to such common beliefs.
Raven cannot return.
No matter how hard I try, he will be rejected by people.
And Raven’s very existence can only be harmful to others.
An undead, especially a high-ranking one like a Death Knight, is practically a collection of curses that makes those around it sick just by existing.
Raven must be destroyed.
The dead are the dead.
“Haha……”
Ollie let out a hollow laugh.
No… maybe it was a laugh at my own helplessness.
“I can’t go back.”
“……”
“You know why without me having to explain, right? My friends are waiting for me? That I can return because I haven’t crossed the line? Did you say that what I’ve done can be covered up by you?”
Grit—!
The sound of teeth grinding could be heard.
“All of that….those are things you can’t do for Raven! If I abandon him, who lost everything because of me… then I won’t be able to forgive myself!”
“……”
Yeah, I understand.
I ended up understanding.
I couldn’t bring myself to deny the emotions Ollie was feeling right now.
Because I was the same.
Because I still carry the sorrow and pain from back then in a corner of my heart.
I couldn’t tell someone else to do what I myself failed to do.
“You don’t know. There’s no way you could know. How could you possibly understand how deep my despair is?”
From Ollie, I could see my past self.
The version of me that was dying alone in a small, lonely room.
“I know. I know that the sadness and pain I feel aren’t that significant to other people.”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words at the sight of Ollie sneering as she spoke the exact same words I once had.
A dilemma I still haven’t escaped.
Even now, when I’ve come to accept the past and can look back on it as a memory, I still can’t forget the pain from that time.
“That’s why I just want to break free. I want to run away.”
“Ha……”
Through Ollie, I come to realize a side of myself I didn’t even know.
I come to understand what kind of choice I made back then.
What should I say? How am I supposed to persuade Ollie?
I can’t just stand by and watch her leave like this. Because I once reached the same conclusion as her, I know.
I know what lies at the end of this path.
So I have to stop her.
But how?
How have I lived until now? How should I even explain that?
Things that are too vague to put into words.
“If it’s just empty words and appearances, I can say as much as I want. But I know.
In that kind of state, no matter what you say, it won’t be heard. I was the same.”
“Ollie.”
“Stop.”
At that moment, Faust who had been standing back the whole time stepped forward once more.
Naturally positioning himself between Ollie and me, Faust looked straight at me with calm eyes.
“Johan Damus. I’m sure I told you before. Not everyone can be as strong as you. Some people simply can’t endure it.”
“……”
“You can’t force that on them.”
“……I’m not so sure.”
Because he suddenly intervened, my mind instead became calmer.
In the past, I died alone in a small room.
But in my final moments, I clearly regretted dying that way.
“Sometimes, more forceful methods are necessary.”
I think to myself.
If only there had been someone back then who dragged me out, even by force.
Someone who would have forced open that tightly shut door.
“Not everyone can be strong. There must have been people who couldn’t endure it.”
Things might have turned out differently.
If someone had warmly embraced me as I curled up alone in the cold, that alone would have been enough for me not to lose the will to live.
“But people can become strong. Even if they can’t endure it, they still have to endure.”
So I deliberately raised my sword.
“If you don’t even try to treat a wound just because it hurts, it will only fester further.”
You might fail.
But if you don’t even try, you won’t even get the chance to fail.
“Even if Ollie has given up, I haven’t given up yet.”
“I see.”
And so, I challenged an absolute being far beyond what I could handle.
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