Chapter 144. The Last Lingering Attachment of Life
The moment he tried to discard his lingering attachment to life and let go of everything. The voice he had desperately wanted to hear echoed in his mind.
'Don't get hurt and come back.'
The promise they made before parting.
Herdin, who had been pointing a dagger at his own heart, faltered at the suddenly remembered voice.
Not a single promise he made with her had been kept.
Neither the promise from his past life to attend Asiel's birthday, nor the promise to grant her a divorce once the Empress Palace incident was resolved.
He believed it was all for her sake.
That even if he was late for Asiel's birthday, it would be better to resolve everything first before going.
That staying by his side would be better than divorcing him and becoming another noble's second wife.
Now he knows.
What you wanted was not such things.
It was merely my selfishness, forced upon you under the pretext of loving you.
Herdin twisted the dagger aimed at his heart and stabbed his own palm instead.
Consciousness returned along with pain as if his hand might fall off. His eyes, which had been growing hazy from the erosion of mana, regained their sharp focus.
Herdin endured the pain and clenched his teeth.
He didn't want to become her guilt. Therefore, no matter what, he had to return.
Even though he had already missed too much, to keep his promise with her at least now.
You were the last lingering attachment of my life.
Herdin advanced, casting wide-area magic at the magical beasts blocking his path. The hand that had been stabbed with the dagger stung as it rubbed against the reins, but he paid it no mind.
Every time he used large-scale magic, his consciousness would momentarily be eroded and return again. Herdin bit his hand and dug at the wound with the dagger.
'……Blair.'
With only the single-minded determination to return to her.
Countless magical beasts attacked them, and fell to Herdin's attacks. The more they fell, the more self-inflicted wounds he accumulated.
As the pain repeated, the lingering attachment to life he thought he had discarded grew clearer.
I don't want to die.
I want to see you. Again, you……
By the time he had stabbed his left arm so much that the pain no longer registered as pain, his consciousness was growing hazy from blood loss rather than mana.
Another magical beast appeared before him.
'Just a little more.'
Herdin gritted his teeth, desperately trying to hold onto his fading consciousness. And just as he was about to use magic and wound himself again—
His vision flashed, and brilliant light erupted from the earth around him.
The magical beast, struck by the light with nowhere to escape, shrieked and thrashed. At the same time, the wounds covering Herdin's body were healed.
'……Divine power?'
Gerard was dead, and Miella had been bound and knocked unconscious, loaded onto the carriage.
Then who?
As if answering that question, a swift shadow appeared and carved out the magical beast's core, destroying it.
Herdin's eyes widened as he recognized the face.
"You……?"
"Please avoid using your power as much as possible. If Your Excellency goes on a rampage, the Madame will be in danger."
"How do you know that?"
Herdin asked, then immediately followed up as if he had some idea.
"Did you meet Blair?"
"This hardly seems like the best timing to explain in detail. However, there is one thing I can say for certain."
Mikhail added.
"At least for this moment, I am your ally, Your Excellency."
Herdin looked at him as if asking what he meant, but more magical beasts approached from behind them. Seeing that, Mikhail spoke.
"Let's hide and talk for now."
Herdin's group and Mikhail hid behind a collapsed building to avoid the magical beasts.
Herdin looked at his left arm, which had been covered in wounds. Blood that hadn't yet clotted was still wet, but the wounds were completely healed.
'I thought he wasn't an ordinary bartender ever since I received the report from Calringto, but I never expected him to have divine power as well.'
Then, Mikhail asked Herdin.
"Is the Pope dead?"
Instead of answering, Herdin stared at Mikhail. He seemed to know something for certain.
"Yes. He's dead."
"Did you confirm the body?"
"If someone can survive having their head cut off, they wouldn't be human."
At Herdin's words, Mikhail's expression hardened.
That meant even though Gerard was dead, the imprint between Herdin and Blair remained.
'Still, since the one who induced the rampage is dead, there's almost no chance of a rampage even if we don't remove the imprint.'
The problem was surviving this place, which had become a pandemonium of magical beasts.
"This is purely my speculation, but I believe the magical beasts gathered like this because that man schemed something before he died."
"A plausible theory. The magical beasts appeared after the Pope died. But if magic was what called them, it should have stopped since that man died."
The two fell into thought. After pondering for a moment, Mikhail spoke first.
"I've heard that black mages who have trained in dark magic for a long time have mana from another world mixed into their bodies, making them similar to magical beasts."
"They become similar to magical beasts?"
"Of course, outwardly they appear human, but their physical composition becomes similar to magical beasts. I suspect the magical beasts recognize him as one of their own and are agitated by his death."
Herdin found a flaw in Mikhail's reasoning.
Magical beasts, with a few exceptions, do not become agitated even by the death of their own kin. That meant so many magical beasts wouldn't mobilize over the death of a mere human black mage.
And crucially, Mikhail's hypothesis couldn't explain why the magic persisted even after Gerard's death.
'A body like a magical beast……'
Herdin assumed Gerard was not human but a magical beast, and recalled the characteristics of the magical beasts he had slain so far.
He had seen magical beasts countless times in the North. Surely there had to be a way to break through this situation within those characteristics.
After formulating various hypotheses, Herdin seemed to think of something and asked Mikhail.
"Can you cover me? With your divine power."
Mikhail looked at him with questioning eyes.
"If he's become like a magical beast, then the Pope would have a core too. Then the reason so many magical beasts gathered here roughly adds up."
"What connection does the core have with the magical beasts gathering?"
"Magical beasts sometimes eat other beasts' cores to grow stronger. If he was a black mage of the Pope's caliber, his core would possess strong power as well."
Drawn by that power, the magical beasts came to Nerha to claim the core. It was a deduction only Herdin, who knew the physiology of magical beasts well, could make.
"Among the higher-tier magical beasts that use magic, there are some that maintain their magic even after death through their core. The Pope is probably maintaining the imprint on the same principle."
"……If we think of it that way, this entire situation makes sense."
"That's why we need to destroy it before the magical beasts can consume it."
It would be problematic if a magical beast that absorbed Gerard's power appeared. Fortunately, seeing as the magical beasts were still swarming, it seemed none had claimed the core yet.
Only then did Mikhail nod as if he finally understood Herdin's plan.
"There's no time to hesitate. Let's go."
"If my hypothesis is correct, there will be far stronger and more numerous magical beasts swarming there than here. Are you prepared?"
"If I didn't have that much resolve, I wouldn't have come this far."
Mikhail was the one who felt the greatest sense of responsibility for this incident above anyone else.
Only by cleaning up this incident with his own hands could he forgive the blood of the one he hated flowing through his veins.
Just as Herdin and Mikhail were about to set their plan in motion, Rus and the knights of Delmark who had been listening interjected.
"Your Excellency, we will join as well."
"Our lives are on the line too, we can't just stand by, can we?"
Herdin stared at them before readily accepting.
"Well, it'd be good to have more bait for those things too."
"Don't tell me you're planning to throw us as bait?"
Rus and the knights recoiled and grumbled.
Mikhail quietly observed Herdin skillfully issuing tactical orders to them.
He had healed the external wounds with divine power, but couldn't restore the blood and stamina already lost. Judging from his torn clothes and the wounds they implied, simply standing must be a struggle for him right now.
But seeing him hide it so flawlessly and endure, Mikhail thought he was a born leader.
Seeing him like that, he could somewhat understand why Gerard had hated Kashion and Herdin who resembled him so intensely.
* * *
Having devised their plan, Herdin's group arrived at the site of the decisive battle with Gerard, avoiding conflict with the magical beasts as much as possible.
Just as Herdin had predicted, powerful magical beasts were swarming there.
The magical beasts were fighting among themselves to claim the core. It was a favorable situation for Herdin's group.
"When I get close, use your divine power to temporarily block their vision. In that opening, I'll destroy the core."
"Understood."
"And after I destroy the core, you take down the magical beasts."
If they failed to find and destroy the core in that window, the magical beasts would recover their vision and discover Herdin right before them, attacking all at once.
If that happened, Herdin's only option to avoid a rampage would be one thing. Suicide.
Therefore, there was only one chance.
Understanding the instructions, Mikhail and the knights nodded.
Herdin created footholds with magic and closed in on the magical beasts in an instant.
"Grrrr!"
The moment the magical beasts, who had been fighting among themselves, noticed his presence, Mikhail cast divine magic. Instantly, the surroundings were engulfed in light.
'Don't get hurt and come back.'
Recalling that voice, Herdin leaped into the light.
* * *
At that same time, Blair was still in the forest where she had met Mikhail. Because the imprint had reacted and mana resonance had begun, she was anxious about moving anywhere.
Above all, in this state, the thought of leaving Herdin behind and crossing the border was unbearably unsettling.
The maid watched Blair, who was leaning quietly against the carriage, with anxious eyes.
"Madam, are you alright?"
"……I'm fine. I just feel a bit strange."
Mana resonance drained her mana but didn't cause pain. It was just that the sensation of something leaving her body wasn't particularly pleasant.
Blair felt her rapidly beating heart and sighed. This feeling was unpleasant, but she could endure it any number of times.
As long as Herdin returned safely.
Blair was anxiously fidgeting with her fingertips, wishing for his safe return, when—
'The mana…….'
The mana resonance stopped.
Startled, Blair looked down at her collarbone, and saw the magic circle that had been glowing with a vivid red light gradually fading.
Blair's eyes began to waver greatly at the sight.
The mana resonance stopping meant either the dark magic connecting the imprint had been broken, or…… the other party of the imprint had disappeared.