Chapter 44
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Just before Emma arrived at the castle gate, an overwhelmingly evil magical energy surged from within the town.
(How repulsive... Just being near it makes me nauseous... Don't tell me that Monster is the one emitting it...?)
She had a bad feeling. It was as if a sealed evil god had been unleashed.
(Most likely, the dark faction did something before we got here... And at the very least, the assassination of Dark Lich failed...)
Emma and Vin arrived at the gate and dismounted their horses.
The double doors of the gate remained open, making it easy to enter. However, both of them stopped just outside the town.
Vin spoke with a trembling voice.
"E-Emma! L-let's turn back, okay? I have a really bad feeling about going any further..."
"Vin... I understand how you feel. Beyond here lies a creature beyond imagination. If you choose to turn back, I won't stop you. But... I'm going. I was entrusted with this sword by the commander."
Emma drew the Divine Sword of Exorcism from its sheath.
"...You're really going?"
"I am."
"I see..."
Vin hesitated. But only for a moment.
"...Sorry. My cowardice got the better of me. I'm coming too."
"I see. ...This might not be much comfort, but... if we die, we'll probably die together."
"That's the best comfort a man could ask for."
The two of them passed through the gate.
"Ugh... What is this...?"
A grotesque purple mass squirmed. It glistened like blood-soaked raw flesh and emitted a foul stench.
"Emma. Now's not the time to worry about that thing. Look at the stairs."
Inside the gate, there was a staircase leading up to the top of the wall. At the top stood Dark Lich, cloaked in dark, evil magic.
In her small arms, she seemed to be holding Claire. Though it was hard to tell, as her head was missing.
"...Claire."
It seemed the dark faction had succeeded in subjugating Claire. That was one accomplishment. But at the same time, they had awakened a wicked monster.
Emma and Vin ran up the stairs.
They reached the top of the wall. Ideally, they would've taken down Dark Lich right then and there, but her overwhelming magical pressure made it impossible to get close. Also, Vin's Presence Block had worn off at some point—likely due to being overwhelmed by Dark Lich's power.
"...The Saint's protection, huh. It's a bit troublesome, but with Spell Word, I could probably kill her. Still, since I have the chance, maybe I'll..."
A bad feeling crept over her.
Emma realized she was about to use the same magic that had destroyed the town of Grimoire—or perhaps something even worse.
"Wait! What are you trying to do!?"
"...Hm?"
Dark Lich, who had been gazing down at the world below, slowly turned around.
Her eyes were dyed black. Just meeting her gaze sent a shiver down Emma's spine, like insects crawling all over her body.
"...You're Emma, right?"
"...Yeah, that's right."
"I see. Claire told me a lot about you. You were the only girl her age in the Holy Knight Order, so naturally, you became friends and spent a lot of time together, right?"
"Yeah... that's right."
"Even after becoming an Undead, Claire still called you her friend. What about you? Have you stopped caring about Claire?"
"...Of course not. Even if she became an Undead, Claire is still my irreplaceable friend."
"I see. I'm glad to hear that. I'm going to bring Claire back to life, so why don't you tell her that yourself? I'll spare your life."
"W-what? Claire is already dead... isn't she? You're saying you'll bring her back?"
A headless corpse. Even an Undead would die if its head were completely destroyed.
"I'll bring her back with my magic."
"...Resurrection magic? That's supposed to be a myth..."
"Oh, really? Well, it'd be a problem if the dead could come back so easily... Anyway, you all came to kill me, didn't you? I'll let Emma go, but... I won't show mercy to the other one. Are you really planning to fight me? If you don't get in my way... I'll kill you quickly and painlessly. If you do, I'll make you end up like that one down there. Got it?"
"...You mean that purple thing?"
"Yeah. That one."
"...What did you do?"
"I just cast a curse that says 'Suffer like death.' Probably won't kill him, but he'll feel like he's dying forever."
"...How could you..."
Previously, Dark Lich had used magic that inflicted pain only on the mind. This time, it seemed to affect the body as well. That was the impression Emma got.
If that were the case, Emma could imagine the suffering. The kind of torment that made one believe death was the only salvation.
Emma forgot she was facing Dark Lich and looked down at the purple mass below.
She tried to use magic to at least end that suffering.
"Don't. They're the ones who made me angry."
"Ugh...!"
Emma could no longer use magic, nor move her body. With just Dark Lich's words, everything had been sealed.
The difference in power was overwhelming. It was like fighting a god.
"You stay quiet and watch. Now, you. Are you going to get in my way? Or die peacefully?"
Vin gasped.
Then Vin's head fell. His body collapsed.
"...Dying here might be the better option."
At some point, Bandit Gilka had approached. It wasn't because she used the Stealth skill that they hadn't noticed her... probably.
Emma had been so focused on Dark Lich that she hadn't noticed her presence. Vin was likely the same.
"Yuurai-sama, I'm sorry. I killed him."
"Ah, it's fine. Thanks for going out of your way."
"I'll do anything for you, Yuurai-sama."
"I'll be counting on you from now on. Well then, since Emma can't move anymore... let's do it."
"...Just one suggestion. If we spare the Saint, I think the revived Claire would be happy."
"That makes sense. The Saint stands out, so I guess I'll do that."
"W-wait...!"
Emma tried to slay Dark Lich with the Divine Sword of Exorcism. Even a monster beyond reason might be defeated with a divine sword. But since she couldn't move at all, the sword was useless.
"Shut up. I'm done waiting. ...Demon Summoning sounds tempting, but I don't really want to wreck this land... Yeah, this is the best choice. Uro. And then—Chain of Death."
The world was dyed black.