Chapter 74
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Around evening, Yuurai passed through the Northern Forest and spotted the town of Grimoire. The Lord's Castle, which should have been visible even from afar, was nowhere to be seen.
The outer walls remained, but what was inside was unknown. Yuurai was seized by anxiety. At the very least, something had clearly happened that was enough to destroy the Lord's Castle.
"Eh, wha, what? What happened...? Is everyone safe...?"
Claire lightly tapped the back of the stunned Yuurai.
"Yuurai. You can't just stand there spacing out. The enemy might still be nearby, so stay alert."
"Ah, uh, yeah..."
Claire drew her sword and kept watch on the surroundings.
Yuurai also looked around, but couldn't spot any sign of enemies.
"Lipia. Is there anything nearby?"
"...I don't think so."
"Maybe the enemy already left..."
Just in case, Yuurai deployed countless Blades of Darkness around them. Unlike a barrier, there were gaps, but it was better than doing nothing.
"...We can't just stay still. Let's go back to the town. I want to know if everyone's safe."
She also created three Skeleton Horses, and they rode them back to Grimoire.
"...The town is... devastated."
The buildings near the outer wall were intact. However, the rest were either half-destroyed or completely collapsed.
"...It used to be such a beautiful town."
More than anger toward whoever destroyed the town, a sense of emptiness overwhelmed her.
"Yuurai. Let's assess the situation first."
At Claire's prompting, Yuurai nodded and headed toward the Lord's Castle.
Near the collapsed castle stood Ceres. Though her burns looked painful, she didn't seem to care.
Upon spotting Yuurai and the others, Ceres casually waved her hand.
"Ceres! What happened!? Is everyone safe!?"
"We were attacked by what seemed to be Angels. They've already left. The ones who died were Aquell and three others, plus seven of Gilka's subordinates. As you can see, the castle and about half the buildings were destroyed. Gilka is seriously injured but alive. The others have only minor injuries."
"Gilka is seriously injured!? Where is she!?"
"In that house over there. Gilka's subordinates should be gathered there."
"Got it, thanks!"
Yuurai rushed the Skeleton Horse forward and hurried to that house. She pushed through Gilka's subordinates and entered.
In a room on the second floor, someone with severe burns was lying on a bed.
"Gilka... is that you?"
The figure was far removed from the Gilka she normally saw. Her body was covered with clothes, but her face was burned beyond recognition. Her glossy black hair and beautiful skin were gone without a trace. Where her eyes should have been were just hollow holes.
"Gilka..."
Shaken, Yuurai couldn't move properly. She staggered to the bed and knelt beside Gilka.
"Gilka, you're alive... right?"
"She's okay. She's definitely alive. She's breathing, and her heart is beating. She just hasn't woken up yet..."
Hearing Deena's voice, Yuurai turned her gaze toward her. She had been so focused on Gilka that she hadn't noticed Deena was there. Burn marks were visible on Deena's body as well.
Deena was the only one in the room. Gilka's subordinates were waiting outside.
"Why did this happen...? You said Angels came...?"
"Yeah... Five figures in silver armor with wings were floating in the sky. Ceres said they were probably affiliated with the Church. From what I saw, the castle was suddenly attacked. It was an incredibly intense light, and Ceres said it was probably a type of Holy Magic. The castle and central buildings collapsed, and Gilka suffered deep wounds... Ragvela, Jeevy, and I happened to be with Ceres, so thanks to her defensive magic, we only got these minor injuries. But Gilka was alone outside, so she took a direct hit... It was even worse right after the attack, but she's recovered a lot since then... Also, I heard Aquell and the others died... and some of Gilka's subordinates too... Fia seems to be safe, but I don't know where she is..."
"...I see. So those Angels came to kill me. A surprise attack, huh."
"Seems like it. Ceres said maybe Aquell was mistaken for the Demon King and got attacked."
"...How do you even mistake me for Aquell?"
"Ceres said maybe whoever's controlling the Angels couldn't give them detailed instructions. Maybe it was something vague like 'eliminate anything with an evil presence in this town.'"
"...How sloppy. If they were only targeting me, fine. But to hurt everyone else too..."
"...From the Church's perspective, maybe they didn't care. As long as they're allies of the Demon King, it doesn't matter how many die..."
As she understood the situation, anger began to swell within Yuurai.
Her precious people could have died.
Gilka had only barely survived.
Deena and the others were only alive because Ceres happened to be there. Without her, they might have died.
There was no doubt that the lives of those she cherished had been threatened.
"...Honestly, I don't care about Aquell and the others. I feel a little bad they became my stand-ins, but that's it. The death of Gilka's subordinates is a bit sad. ...Anyway, I can't forgive those who try to take away what's precious to me."
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill...
Black emotions filled Yuurai.
"Eek."
Deena let out a small scream.
Yuurai wanted to suppress her emotions, but couldn't control them well.
Once born, the negative emotions only raged on.
"Yuurai. Calm down."
"Yuurai! No!"
Claire and Lipia held Yuurai tightly in their arms.
Their voices and gentle warmth slightly eased the emotional explosion.
"Claire... Lipia..."
"None of your precious people have died yet. You can always rebuild the castle and town someday. Don't let the darkness consume you and destroy everything."
"Yuurai... We're all still alive... It's okay..."
Lipia's body was trembling. Realizing she had scared her, Yuurai felt a pang of guilt through her remaining calm.
And so, she gradually suppressed the overflowing urge to destroy. Even knowing it would be easier to just give in, she never let herself be completely consumed.
(...Calm down. Calm down. I haven't lost anything yet. The castle doesn't matter. Things can be rebuilt. Gilka is alive. Deena and the others are alive. It's okay. It's okay...)
Desperately trying to control herself, Yuurai regained her composure.
She took a deep breath and relaxed her body.
"...Sorry. I kind of lost it."
"I'm glad you calmed down."
"Yeah... I'm glad..."
Claire and Lipia also let out quiet sighs.
"Thank you, both of you. For staying by my side."
"I've decided to stay with you, Yuurai."
"Me too, always together."
"Thanks. ...I'm okay now, so you can let go."
"...I'm still worried. Let's stay like this a bit longer."
"Okay."
"...Um, really, I'm fine now?"
"Still worried."
"I think we should keep holding you."
"Ah, I see..."
Yuurai had calmed down, but now Claire and Lipia were acting a little strange. It seemed like some weird switch had been flipped. They hugged Yuurai even tighter.
(Well, I'll just let them do what they want. Consider it a thank-you. Things could've gone bad without them...)
Depending on the situation, maybe she had become someone who couldn't control her emotions alone. That thought made Yuurai a little uneasy.
She felt reassured with the two of them around, but also feared she might have become someone who couldn't live properly without them.
(But maybe that's okay. Let's live together in harmony. And I'll definitely protect them... Not just the two of them...)
With that vow, Yuurai looked at Gilka.
She also considered Gilka an irreplaceable and precious companion.
She wanted her to wake up soon. To smile and say, "Man, that was rough."
That was what Yuurai wished for.
Even after most of her wounds were healed by Lipia's magic, Gilka still didn't wake up.