Chapter 422 – Outlet

000

“Ugh… Ugh…”

When Justina came to her senses her, it took a long time for her to stand up even after opening her eyes because her body her did not have enough strength and her head her was heavy.

What she remembers is how her body changed after she handed over her perfect crystal to Ishtal.

Merca tried to give Cleon an antidote.

“…Woke up.”

Adamant’s head, Cadley, looks at Justina.

She was looking at Justina, who was lying on her sofa her, with a pipe in her mouth.

Justina put her hand her to her forehead her, looked around her-saw that the bed Cleon had been lying on was gone, and opened her mouth.

“Cleon…?”

“That guy has already gone to the ground. Seeing as the commotion has subsided a bit… It seems that he succeeded in stopping Princess Amelia. The ground is already a mess.”

“Is it…”

Justina sighs and looks down at her own hand her.

After the crystal of her perfection she had slipped away, there was still a sense of incongruity that her own body her had fully settled into a woman.

She said yes, but it didn’t mean she was quite immobile.

When it comes to combat… She’s a bit insecure, though.

Justina stood up from her seat her, holding the Mistil Thein lying next to her.

“Then, I’ll go too.”

“I don’t intend to stop it, but… I won’t be able to meet Cleon. He’ll be trying to get out of this capital by now.”

At Cadley’s words, Justina looks at her.

“…Even if I can’t meet Cleon, I still have work to do. That doesn’t change even now that the Crystal of Perfection is gone. It’s to help people in trouble.”

“I see,” Cadley replied briefly.

With Justina staggering steps, she walks towards the lift.

The mistiltein she held in her hand felt a bit heavy to Justina, whose body had changed.

She’s been through a lot, though she thinks she’s grown up in her own way.

Eventually, she felt like she was back on track.

‘No.’

However, Justina thinks.

Her body is heavy, her movements slowed down, but that does n’t change the depths of her mind her.

Whatever she becomes, whatever she becomes, she holds to her own convictions and does good as her warrior her.

Now that she can’t keep up with Cleon, she does what is possible for herself.

Justina loaded her body her into her elevator to head to her own battlefield.

001

“His Highness His Cassius. Your Majesty has regained consciousness. … He wants you to bring His Highness His.”

The doctor who was in Lucius’s room to treat him comes out and calls Cassius.

“I get it.”

Cassius, who had been waiting for a report from Drake, felt a bit uncomfortable at the words of such meaning, but followed the call of his father, the king, and headed to the king’s bedchamber.

His own father his, Lucius, had collapsed and been carried into bed several times before.

Since he was still a little over 50 years old, he seemed to be over 60 on the outside, and his aging body his could not be said to be in good condition even empty words.

However, each time, he tried to keep an eye on his father himself, but the king had ordered the crown prince not to enter his chambers.

“Father. This is Lucius.”

“…Come in.”

A voice like scraping metal could be heard from inside.

It was much weaker than his usual voice of his, and it was the voice of an old man.

When Cassius opens the door in front of him and goes inside, his father, Lucius, is sitting with his back on the bed.

And-

“…Sir Sethos? Why did you…”

“He is what I called. Close the door and come closer.”

Cassius approaches Lucius, feeling a sense of incongruity in the fact that Setos Tromeya had arrived in this bedroom before him.

“…How are you feeling?”

To Cassius, his father, Lucius Chaldearis, was a man with many incomprehensible parts.

The King of Heroes who led the war to victory.

It was an opportunity to show the power of the kingdom to all the countries on the continent, and thanks to this, the kingdom was able to solidify its position as the leader in relations with the great nations.

After that, it must be his achievement that brought peace to the continent by joining forces with his subjects his.

However, after that, many unpleasant things happened.

Assassins were appointed to purify his servants and nobles, and if necessary, even civilians were buried in darkness.

Since the number of aristocrats was reduced in the war, it was allowed to secretly trade aristocratic status for money, so upstart aristocrats from merchants like Wood Knocker could run amok.

In addition, by using Amelia as a scapegoat, he even managed to manipulate the public sentiment by gathering the people’s malice in one place.

I respect him, but on the other hand, I will never be like him.

Cassius thought so.

Also, Lucius looks at Cassius, who is approaching him, and sees the mask he is wearing on his face.

“Hehe… That’s a cool mask.”

Cassius, taken aback by such a sudden statement, touched his mask.

Beneath it was a face distorted by the erosion of another dimension.

Lucius should know that too.

“The great sage, Sophia… That woman must have predicted that you would be a candidate for the ‘vessel’ and entrusted her with protection.

“…Father!?”

At his words his, Cassius hurriedly tried to get away from Lucius.

What he is talking about, obviously, is about ‘Adam’… ‘The father of all’.

Cassius tried to raise his body like that for a moment, chin! And someone grabbed him from behind.

“Your Majesty’s words are not over yet. Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

When Cassius hurriedly looked back, there was a figure wearing an animal mask.

Cassius knew that the being wearing a gray robe and wearing an owl mask was a member of the Exiled Church.

He immediately tries to get out of the place with magic, but Cassius’ magic power disappears from the part touched by the man’s hand his, and he feels power draining from his body his.

“Kuh…”

“Don’t be impatient. Cassius. You are already a being like us.”

“What… What are you talking about… Did your father also have his mind controlled by Adam!”

“Hmm? Ah… That’s what you think.”

When Lucius talks like that to the Exiled Church that captured Cassius, he nods.

And when the Exiled Church waves its hand…

Lucius’ appearance changes. No, to be precise, the illusion hanging over Lucius had been removed.

“…!”

Cassius couldn’t keep his mouth shut when he saw Lucius’ figure.

There, a man with the appearance of a young man who looked exactly like himself was sitting on the bed.

It was the same as the young Lucius he had only seen in portraits before.

“Casius… I am the king of a country, even if I am not perfect. Since ancient times, kings have been revered as those who exist closest to the gods. I only made a deal with him.”

Lucius’s voice was also younger than before.

“This indestructible body was acquired as a result of that transaction. He said that he would open a paradise for humans that would never decline. With this kingdom at the center.”

The moment Cassius tries to say something, his voice goes silent as if it has been erased by something invisible.

“Most of the human beings in this world are his offspring… They have a bit of his being mixed into them. So, instinctively, you can’t go against him. Subconsciously, you hate those who go against his will. For example… The dark horse clan, mutants like Amelia.”

“…!”

At the words of Lucius, the man of the Church of Exile spoke.

“Don’t you know? Cassius-sama is already, little by little, becoming obedient to his will. You seem to think it’s your own will… But the reality is different.”

“The things you did as soon as you returned from the other dimension… All of that to protect Amelia…?”

Lucius reaches out and places his hand on Cassius’s head.

Rather than his father his stroking his son’s head, it’s as if the pastor is trying to baptize a believer.

It was to press hard on the head from above.

“You did a good job. Cassius. Thanks to you, Amelia lost her place in this kingdom. The Saint Princess, a disturbing being, disappeared. Ah, at the same time, that ‘reincarnated person’ as well.”

Cassius’s pupils his shook greatly.

The mental barrier that had been protecting him for a bit was about to crumble.

“Princess Amelia, who has lost her ground, will not be able to return to the capital without haste even if the ‘ritual’ begins. Now, it can be said that there is nothing left to disturb us in this capital.”

“But there is no need to despair, Cassius. You did not fail. As a vessel for the ‘Father of all’… ‘Adam’, you did the best job.”

Blood flowed from Cassius’ mouth his.

It was the result of biting one’s own lower lip out of resentment, helplessness, and despair.

“I will baptize you. Now, you will become a new shepherd who will establish his kingdom on this land with us.”

Lucius takes out a ring he was wearing and forcibly puts it on Cassius’s finger his.

At that moment, Cassius’ mind was covered by something, and he collapsed on the spot.

“I look forward to when you wake up again, Cassius.”

Lucius looked at Cassius proudly, then looked at Setos.

“Setos. Track down the dark giants and destroy them all.”

“I will obey your command. Your Majesty.”

When Setos said so, the owl mask of the Exiled Church spoke.

“The Father of all will want a more perfect bowl. Lord Setos. How is the preparation of the ‘plate’ going?”

“… Of course. It’s going smoothly. If my son can be his vessel his. There would be no greater honor than this. To be able to participate in the ceremony.”

At his words, Lucius also nodded in satisfaction.

“We have to match the number of holy swords. Figure out the number of warriors who have holy swords in the kingdom and call them to the royal capital under an appropriate pretext. Of course, your nephew Aruru Tromeiya will also participate.”

Lucius orders Setos to move Cassius to his room.

“Your Majesty. What do you plan to do with the clan of the dark horse who escaped?”

When Setos picks Cassius up and leaves the room, the owl mask asks a question.

“If it’s alive, the dark giant will try to use it. If it’s kept alive, it’ll be worth that much… It’s a guy who was thrown into a gap in another dimension and brought back with strange beings. The only thing that can be dealt with so easily If not, look for a little more opportunity.”

“…That’s a wise decision. If that’s the case, I’ll make preparations too.”

After the owl mask said that, it once again puts the old king’s image on Lucius’ body as before.

And, if you open the dimensional door and disappear on the spot.

Lucius, who remained in the king’s bedchamber, let out a low laugh.

002

Rattle! When I heard that, the doorway that appeared in the ground was wide open.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! This time it’s outside the royal road!”

Beatrix was the first to get out of the doorway and looked around, seeing the walls of the royal capital standing firmly in the distance.

After that, Quon, Cleon, and Sasha go up the stairs.

It was a sigh.

Thanks to joining Quon, Amelia and Lilim’s wounds have been healed to some extent, but there is still no relief.

“Okay. I’ll pass the coordinates to Layla.”

“You don’t have to.”

The next moment, a portal appeared right next to Cleon, and Layla appeared with her wand in hand.

… She was covered in ashes all over her body her, and her proud red hair her was in a dark state at best.

“Lyla!? Are you okay!?”

When Beatrix approached such Layla, Layla let out her sigh and let out her wry smile.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. There are no serious injuries.”

Lila moves her body her as if to reassure her overprotective friend her.

Seeing this, Quon and Sasha also let out a sigh of relief.

“More than that, Cleon. What are you going to do now? Probably, I can’t go back to Elesia either. Even if I cross the border of the royal capital… The border checkpoint has already been contacted… I want to use the portal, but I can’t If they move at the same time, they will definitely be caught.”

“…”

Cleon nods her head at her words her and ponders for a moment.

At that time, Cleon could see in the distance a procession of wagons approaching this way.

“Wagons…? All checkpoints in the royal capital must have been sealed…”

When Lila tilts her head and expresses her question, Cleon guesses.

“You mean you got out before being locked down?”

“Oh, that carriage…”

At that time, only Beatrix could recognize the owner by looking at the decoration of the carriage.

“This is the carriage I rode with Miss Riomes!”

“Then… Is it a carriage from the Eastern Kingdom?”

Cleon momentarily pondered whether he should use Ariadne once again to hide underground, but he felt a little reassured by Beatrix’s words her.

And in the meantime, a man got out of a carriage that was one step bigger than the other carriages that had reached the place where Cleon was.

“It’s just as Riomes said. He said he could feel your presence from here. Is it the attraction of the ‘imprint’ that the child was talking about?”

“…Beauty Painter.”

The lord of the East, and the father of Riomes. And, the warrior whom Cassius trusted.

Appearing in a huge carriage befitting his enormous body his, he looked down at Cleon while saying the name of Riomes.

“Are you going to ride?”

“…”

It took Cleon a moment to understand the intent of the beauty dyer’s question.

“Our wagons can pass through without being checked at the checkpoint due to diplomatic privilege. Besides, kingdoms don’t come often to the East. I think it’s the best place to hide.”

“Are we going to the East too!?”

Sasha vocalizes in surprise, but Lila puts her hand on her chin, thinks for a moment, then nods her head.

“Yeah. That might be good. If it’s the only way to get out of the kingdom, it’s out of their reach.”

“But… Then wouldn’t the Eastern countries be harmed as well?”

When Quon talks cautiously, Mi Flamegong looks at him and shakes his head.

“I don’t know what that means. I just want to welcome the instructor and her colleagues at her at the school the girl was indebted to her as her guests her.”

“…Thank you. Beauty Painter.”

When Cleon bowed his head and greeted him, the hairdresser stroked his beard her.

“Then hurry up and get on the carriage.

Saying so, the party divides into separate wagons and gets on.

Beatrix was in Riomes’s carriage, and Quon, Sasha, and Layla were in the carriage of the beautiful dyer’s wife.

With the unconscious Amelia in his arms her, Cleon climbed into the huge carriage that the Beauty Painter was riding.

If it was there, even a chair would be able to lay down Amelia’s small body on her.

“We’ll keep Lilim. … When Amelia opens her eyes, if Lilim is in front of her eyes, then the perpetrator who made her that way is with her.”

“…Ah. That’s right. I’ll ask you.”

At Lyla’s suggestion that it would be better to keep Lilim and Amelia apart, Cleon nodded.

The cause of this incident was none other than Lilim.

Then, when Cleon got on the carriage, he suddenly saw someone sitting in the farthest seat of the carriage and petting the cat.

Neither the cat nor the woman had seen Cleon before.

“The smell of blood…”

Suddenly, when the woman said that, Cleon hurriedly replied.

“…Sorry.”

“Ah. No. I heard the story and knew it. Yes, you are Cleon…? You said you found Bahamut…”

She smiles with her narrow eyes and speaks to Cleon in a sweet voice.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Cleon. My name is Herti. The merchant who leads the Dark Dragon Company is here.”

After receiving her greeting her, Cleon, why was he at Adamant that day, and what was he talking about with Cadley?

She wanted to ask such things, but for now, she decided to keep those words to herself.

It could have been something I didn’t want the beauty dyer next to me to know about.

“Sure. Let’s go.”

When the beauty dyer said that, the carriage started moving again.

As he rattled away from the royal capital, Cleon suddenly remembered the time he was heading here from the academy.

It’s not that far in the past, but it’s to the point where I miss it so much.

When Amelia wakes up

What should she say to her.

Thinking about that, together with the accumulated fatigue.

Cleon lost her mind.

003

“Kuh… Ha… Ha…”

The surroundings of the social club Noble’s Rare had already turned into ruins.

Fortune, the witch who manipulates plants, and Ishtal, the head of Astarothe.

As the battle between the two continued for a long time, the result of stealing and stealing each other’s physical strength and magical power-

“Issue, Tal…”

With a thump, Fortune’s body fell forward.

Exhaustion due to exhaustion of mana. It’s fatal to a wizard, but it’s an unavoidable phenomenon.

However, Ishtal felt more dizzy than that.

‘For me to waste so much time with a woman like this… After all, Sophia must have done something to me. …Shit…!’

Trembling with rage, Ishtar staggers out of the estate of Noble’s Lair and into an alleyway.

A while ago, a pillar of light soared into the sky.

It was probably the power of the holy sword Cleon used.

If so, he would have fled with Amelia, so at least he wouldn’t run into Cleon’s companions now.

‘For now, if I don’t go back to the hideout and recover my body… If I take the lives of a few members of the dark horse’s family, even these wounds…’

With that thought in mind, when I was about to return to the alley.

I hear the footsteps of the shoes that are ticking… Ticking…

Ishtal’s body stopped as if it was blocked by something like a jaw.

It was heard from behind Ishtal, and it was clearly following him.

‘Who is it…!? Could it be that Fortune happened?’

Feeling regret for not finishing properly, Ishtal moves his body in the judgment that he cannot delay this longer.

But next moment.

When he thought that a spark had popped out, it had moved to the front of the alley he was trying to return to.

A battlemaid’s uniform scattered here and there, and wearing black gloves.

With a beautiful single-edged sword in his hand.

With open eyes shining black through disheveled hair.

As if not letting go of the enemy trying to escape, he glared at Ishtal and called out its name her.

“… Ishtal.”

A voice so cold that even breathing freezes, and raised in the deep darkness.

Ishtal had no choice but to back away from the woman who appeared in front of her, shaking her body involuntarily.

“It’s just… We met again 1:1 like this.”

“Lu, Vera…”

Why is she now, in front of her own her…?

“I’ll catch you here… If it’s a magic organ or something… After cutting it… Even if I use a confession… I’ll find out where the dark demon’s clan is hidden… “

In his head full of doubts, Ishtal didn’t listen to Ruba’s words.

And, at that moment, a blue bat swaying and flying between them.

No, a bat-like familiar.

“Florus…? No way, that bitch…!”

Ishtal stained with astonishment.

If so, even this fight, there was a high possibility that Flarous was watching from somewhere.

There is no way to escape.

“Resolve. Astarote’s half-man, half-horse.”

“Florous… Ruberaaaaa!!!”

Ishtal’s angry cries resound.

At that moment, Rubera’s Barisada moved with a flash of light.