I am the Monarch

Chapter 221 — Amaranth (21)

Chapter 221: Amaranth (21)

He thought it was strange from the start.

No, he thought that something was wrong.

Changing the direction while heading from the Rinse Kingdom’s Northwest to the capital, Miller, and again towards the Infec Region where the Longfort Castle was located, the more the journey continued, it became hard to meet the kingdom’s citizens.

Even if they did moved extremely furtively to avoid unfortunate events that might exist, to not meet people to this extent was incomprehensibly difficult.

Even more so, they couldn’t meet a single citizen when they neared the Infec Region and openly visited a village.

The entire village was literally emptied out.

‘I thought they might have fled because of war.’

Abel Raimos, who uphold the guard mission of Princess Katy Rinse, formed a bitter smile.

That wasn’t only his own thought.

Katy and the other knights too had the same thought as him.

But their such thoughts were shattered to pieces the moment they entered the Infec Region.

Hex dolls of bizarre and gruesome looks had appeared in front of their eyes.

Princess Katy’s party, who had defeated the hex dolls at the end of a fierce battle, focused on collecting information a step late.

And finally, they were able to encounter the official announcements published with Count Roan Lancephil’s name.

< The Estia Imperial Army Mills Voisa is leading is violating the kingdom’s North! >

< Kallum Rinse has allied with Lukan Diez and are blazing the kingdom’s South to the ground! >

< Simon Rinse is kidnapping the citizens together with the hexers and are making them into hex dolls! >

The stories of the first and the second announcements too were surprising, but they weren’t comparable to the third.

They didn’t believe it at first.

But the hex dolls and the gruesome sights they came to see while traveling across the Infec Region, and the rumors of Roan and Simon’s battles that were heard turned the inside of their heads complicated.

The more the time passed, the certainty that said it absolutely couldn’t be changed to a doubt that whispered perhaps.

But only one person, Katy at least believed Simon to the end.

“There’s no way big brother would do that. Something must be wrong.”

Voice full of certainty.

“I’ll personally check with my own eyes.”

Ultimately, Katy and the numerous knights including Abel gave up furtive traveling, obtained horses and a carriage, and quickly traveled towards the Longfort Castle.

And the one rumor that they came to hear during so.

It was the story that Roan and Simon’s grand battle would unfolding at the west of the Longfort Castle.

Katy and the Abel party quickly changed direction and headed towards the rumor’s battlefield.

Two days that they raced disregarding night and day. They were finally able to arrive at the terrible and horrendous battlefield.

Ironically at the very moment Simon began to rampage.

“I, it can’t be……’

Katy couldn’t believe the sight that spread before her eyes.

Two group that were each waging a fierce battle.

Count Lancephil House’s flag on the one side, and the Rinse Monarch’s flag symbolizing Simon on one side fluttered.

‘The rumors were true.’

Abel and the knights’ faces stiffly solidified.

‘Of all things, hexers!’

The nobles and knights held repulsion towards the hexers by birth.

They despaired at the truth that Simon whom they trusted and followed had hold hands with the hexers.

At that moment.

“Big brother! Where are you! Big brother!”

Katy abruptly shouted.

Her sharp voice brushed the battlefield and spread.

Abel, who was dropping his head at the confused heart, became shocked and waved his hand.

“P, Princess! Please be quiet! We could receive the enemy army’s attack if not careful!”

Rapidly spat out words.

Katy, who was wildly shouting, asked in a calmly sunken voice.

“Enemy army? Who amongst them is the enemy?”

From a view, a simply too easy a question.

But no one including Abel could answer with peace of heart.

“That is……”

A perplexed expression.

Katy spoke with an expression full of certainty.

“I trust big brother. I also trust Count Lancephil This is definitely because something had gone wrong or a misunderstanding. I……”

Her gaze once again turned towards below the hill.

“Will turn everything back to normal.”

She then inhaled deeply, and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Big brother! Count Lancephil!”

A small wave arose on the battlefield quieted from the Pienville Mana Technique.

The wave reached even Roan and Simon who were facing each other.

Roan, even while guarding against Simon, quietly looked at Katy.

‘Perhaps if it’s Princess Katy, could she stop Simon’s rampage?’

Like how Aily Rinse stopped his own rampage.

A tinge of hope.

‘No. Rather, accelerating the rampage even……’’

When his thoughts had reached about that point.

Paat!

Suddenly with a gust, Simon who was near disappeared.

No, he was racing, incredibly face enough to be felt as having disappeared.

Towards the place Katy was standing.

“Damn it”

Roan unconsciously spat out a curse.

The reason he was this desperate.

‘It absolutely isn’t an amiable mood!’

The thing exuding out of Simon was an intense killing intent.

Roan pulled up the heat and sent them to his legs.

It was to chase after Simon.

At that moment, Travias’s voice rang inside his head.

[Wait! Are you trying to chase after that monster right now?]

‘Obviously.’

Roan shortly nodded his head.

[Absolutely no! That guy! The thing that monster learned is Pienville Mana Technique! Damn it. To think I’ve completely forgot about that horrible aura!]

Travias flustered.

[You can’t face the Pienville Mana Technique’s evil mana with your level right now. It’s death the instant you attack!]

The inside of his head echoed.

Roan pressed his forehead with his left hand and creased his forehead.

‘I understand what you mean. But……’

His eyes chased Simon’s back.

He, even while running towards Katy, was carelessly swinging his sword and butchering soldiers.

Roan deeply breathed in, then kicked off the ground.

His body leaned forwards, then his image turned faint.

‘I can’t leave him like this.’

He had to reach a conclusion.

The instant he were to lose him here, it was obvious that a hellscape would unfold.

It was something that he had already experienced in the last life.

‘I don’t want to experience it ever again.’

Roan quickly chased after Simon’s back.

[You idiot!]

Travias shouted as if frustrated.

A sound of deep sigh echoed within his head.

Then soon and seemingly as if it couldn’t be helped, he spoke in a quiet voice.

[Roan. Listen carefully. If you fight like this, you will lose your life at the Pienville Evil Mana.]

The voice was serious.

[The Pienvillle Evil Mana can’t be opposed with a normal method.]

Suddenly, Roan’s eyes twinkled and shone a light.

‘Can’t be opposed with a normal method? That means there’s another special method?’

[Yeah. There is one method.]

Roan, while still chasing after Simon’s back, asked.

‘What is that method?’

The answer was without hesitation.

[Come to Vertex if you want to hear it.]

‘To Vertex?’

[You just need to focus on your mana hole. If it’s your level right now, opening the Vertex’s door isn’t hard.]

‘No, that’s not what I’m worrying about.’

Roan’s gaze continued towards Simon’s back, no, to be exact, towards the soldiers around him and Katy and the knights located on top of the hill.

‘Who will protect those people if I were to enter into Vertex?’

At those words, Travias let out a short exclamation as if absurd.

[Huh. You really are excessively hopeless.]

But for some reason, he was a bit more likable because so.

Roan once again kicked off the ground.

It was the resolve to bet his life and step out onto a duel.

At that moment.

[It’ll be fine for a moment, so don’t worry and come inside the Vertex.]

‘For a moment……?’

Roan creased his forehead.

Travias’s excited voice echoed in his head.

[Look at the hill’s west.]

Roan’s gaze naturally flowed towards the west.

Abruptly, his eyes twinkled and shone with light.

Simultaneously, the tips of his mouth slightly went up.

That wasn’t all.

Even the speed that was fiercely chasing Simon’s back slowly decreased.

Roan, without a hint of hesitation, turned his steps towards the formation the Lancephil Legion’s middle main army was located in.

He had given up chasing Simon.

Roan, the instant he reached the safe place, sat down comfortably, closed his eyes, and made ready to enter the Vertex.

[Your trust is stunning.]

Travias spoke as if surprised.

Roan faintly smiled and nodded his head.

‘Of course. Since that guy is the best spearman of the continent.’

The instant his words finished, he focused his mind on his mana hole.

Simultaneously, the tightly closed door of Vertex fully opened up.

Roan moved his steps inside the door without hesitation.

The entire world turned quiet and dark again.

Meanwhile, Simon struck away the pouncing soldiers and raced on top of the hill.

Black smoke faintly spewed out from his entire body.

Paat!

He kicked off the ground, soared into the air, then lightly twisted his body.

As if a bird, he gracefully flew and landed on top of the hilltop.

Chk.

A landing light and gentle like a feature.

Simon showed his coal-black teeth and brightly smiled.

The black eyes without any white bizarrely twinkled.

The place his gaze touched.

The one in front of his nose was Katy.

“O, older brother……”

Although Simon’s appearance was monstrous, Katy could recognize him in an instant.

She approached a step forwards and extended her hand.

White and thin fingers moved towards Simon’s face.

“P, Princess!”

Abel and the knights called Katy with completely tense expressions.

But Katy showed no reaction at all.

Large teardrops were hewed on her large eyes.

A feeling as if they would immediately drop and fall down.

“Why, why did it became like this…… why…… for what……”

Resentment, worry, sadness……

Regretful feelings rode her voice and flowed.

Simon still bizarrely and horrifyingly smiled and stared at Katy.

Ssss.

His head tilted obliquely.

A look as if closely analyzing Katy in front of his eyes.

‘I, is he okay?’

‘Does he recognize the Princess?’

‘That that horrible look is just what……’

The knights including Abel held their breaths and stared at Simon and Katy.

Katy gently wrapped Simon’s face with both her hands.

“Big brother. Let’s stop. Let’s give up throne or power or all that, and just live happily together.”

Her heart tore when she tried to look at Simon’s changed look.

This was all because of the throne.

Katy thought so.

At that moment, Simon’s head that obliquely tilted returned to its place.

At the same time, his eyes widely opened and the mouth that was fully smiling widened even bizarrely.

An expression as if he would immediately swallow Katy.

That feeling was absolutely not wrong.

“Gua?”

Simon, together with a monstrous sound, extended his left hand and gripped Katy’s neck.

Even though it was a greatly relaxed and slow movement, it was a kind of movement that she strangely couldn’t block or dodge.

“Kuuk.”

Katy, at the feeling that closed in her throat, threw up a painful sound.

“P, Princess!”

“Your majesty! Please let go of that hand!”

Abel and the knights became greatly shocked and raced towards Simon.

An instinctive movement.

At that moment, Simon lightly shook his right hand.

The black smoke drew a curve along the tip of the hand and scattered.

“Um?”

“Eh?”

The knights that were racing paused at the horrifying feeling.

At that moment.

Paat!

Streams of blood fountained out along their shoulders and knees.

The limbs that were strongly attached fell apart gruesomely.

“Uaaack!”

“Uak!”

The knights screamed at the extreme pain that followed a step behind and fell.

No, they crumbled down.

With a single wave of hand, the knights that represented the kingdom fell down with their limbs sliced off.

“Kuuk. Bi, bi, big brother……”

Katy stared at Simon with redly bloodied eyes.

Sorrowful eyes.

“It’s me. Katy. Big brother’s one and only little…… ggruk.”

Her words couldn’t quite continue.

Simon’s fingered pressed into Katy’s neck.

Roan’s rampage and Simon’s rampage definitely were different.

The existence called Aily to Roan and the existence called Katy to Simon were also different.

Even though Roan answered to Aily’s call, Simon did not answer to Katy’s call.

“Kegek.”

Simon flickered his black tongue and pulled out his sword with his right hand.

Sseureng.

It was the brilliant famed sword that here and there lost edges from the bout with Roan.

Simon, with the sword raised up high, let out a bizarre laugh.

“Kekeke.”

An expression as if this moment was truly exciting.

Katy, with her teeth clenched, widely opened her eyes even while her breath was blocked and the sight in front of her eyes were dizzy.

It was to hold, to the final moment, the sight of her big brother, Simon’s appearance in her eyes.

“Big brother……”

A voice expired of all strength.

“Is already dead.”

A voice expired of even her heart.

Katy, only after standing in front of death, realized that Simon too had already died.

“Kek.”

Simon let out a bizarre laugher and directly slashed down the sword he raised.

A movement that would cut Katy’s body longly.

The moment of death.

Even so, Katy didn’t close her eyes.

At that moment.

Spat! Kkaang!

With a sound of splitting the air, a long spear appeared in front of Katy’s eyes.

A spearhead made of a shabby piece of metal perfectly blocked Simon’s worn-out blade.

“Ke?”

Simon crescently smiled and turned his head following the spear.

Katy too turned her head and searched for the spear’s owner.

“Ah……”

Instantly, a quiet exclamation flowed out.

The young man standing as he held the end of the spear.

The young man of truly easygoing appearance was Pierce whom they had separated with not so long ago because their paths were different.

Pierce cheerfully smiled as he looked at Katy, then slightly lowered his head.

Then he shortly twisted the wrist holding the spear and bounced off Simon’s sword.

Chang!

A metallic sound noisily rang.

“Hey. Cavity mister. It’ll be better for you to let that hand go. If you don’t want it cut off.”

Pierce playfully spat out the words and directly swung his spear.

A quick movement.

The spearhead danced and drew down towards Simon’s left arm.

“Kkea?”

Simon, still cheerily smiling, quickly let go of Katy and stepped back.

But he wasn’t simply stepping back.

He hurled the longsword gripped on his right hand towards Katy.

Spat!

With a sharp sound of splitting the air, the blade split the air as if to pierce through Katy.

Pierce quickly darted and widely swung his spear.

The spearhead that was hitting the ground soared up as if bounced and then shortly struck Simon’s longsword perfectly.

Kkaang!

Heavy metallic sound hit the ears.

“Take good care of your weapon on your own!”

A casual joke that completely didn’t match the serious situation.

Pierce’s personality certainly changed.

This was all because of Viscount Reil Baker.

No, it wasn’t something that could simply be thought so.

Since, even though he received Reil’s teachings also in the last life, this drastic a personality change didn’t occur.

The bounced off sword directly flew towards Simon’s head.

“Keke.”

Simon happily laughed, then extended his hand towards the flying sword.

From a view, a truly stupid act.

It was obvious that his wrist would be cut off on the sharp edge.

But Simon dexterously twisted his wrist, then lightly snatched the flying longsword.

An incredible technique.

Pierce, who was watching, lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re good at taking care of your things. Take a good care of it from now on too.”

Casually spitting out a humorless joke, he then headed towards Katy.

As if something like Simon wasn’t even on his mind.

“Princess. Are you okay?”

“……”

Katy had no answer.

She flopped down as if crumbling and silently shed tears.

‘Uum.’

Abruptly, Pierce’s heart loudly pitched.

‘Why is it like this……’

It was a strange event.

Every time he met Katy, an incomprehensible emotion rolled.

‘Khm.’

He diligently coughed and calmed his heart.

Pierce awkwardly smiled and raised his thumb.

“A little, please wait just a little. I’ll finish it soon.”

He spun his spear around and glared at Simon.

Simon was bizarrely laughing and incoherently waving his sword around this way and that.

“Hey. Cavity mister. I’m a bit busy right now, so let’s finish it quick. No?”

Pierce still hadn’t grasp Simon’s identity.

But reasonably, who would think that a monster of hideous look whose eyes, teeth, lips and nails were all black was the Rinse Kingdom’s king Simon.

Pierce posed a salute and aimed at Simon with the spearhead.

“Now, then come at……”

The moment his words reached about that point.

“Kek!”

Simon kicked off the ground with a scream.

An abrupt attack.

Paat!

A sharp sound of shattering the air hit the ears.

Even though a person was moving, an intense sound of air splitting apart exploded out as if a sword was cutting through the space.

“Hph!”

Pierce gasped.

He knew that the opponent in front of his eyes was an unusual expert, but his level was exceeding his expectation.

Chang! Chajang! Chang! Chang!

Together with the sound of metal, a grand ferocious combat began.

Simon spewed out the Pienville’s evil mana as he wished and swung his longsword.

Pierce blocked all of his attacks with truly odd and complicated spearmanship.

“Kuuk.”

A foul groan leaked between the breathlessly continuing exchange.

The owner of the groan was Pierce.

He, who was the best spearman of the continent and was called the Spear God in the last life, also struggled in facing Simon who just began to rampage.

‘Did I exit the mountains too early!’

Snappily exiting out of the Grain Mountains thinking this much skill was enough felt slightly regrettable.

He hadn’t predicted that a swordsman with such a monstrous skill could possibly exist.

No, this was just a monster.

‘If only I completed the spearmanship……’

The spearmanship he couldn’t quite complete because he hurried climbing down from the mountains.

If only he had perfectly made its quintessence his own, facing the monster before his eyes would have been a little easier.

Kkaang! Kkaang! Kkaaang!

Heavy metallic sounds ranged the battlefield one after another.

The exchange turned even fiercer the longer the time passed.

“Keke! Keek!”

Simon, seemingly happy from having met a match, let out bizarre laughs one after another.

On the other hand, Pierce felt like dying the longer the time passed.

“Damn it! Just what is this monster!”

An exasperation ultimately burst out.

At that moment, Katy, who was still collapsed on the ground chased Simon with a dazed gaze and murmured.

“That man…… he’s my big brother. No, he was someone who was my big brother.”

A pitiful voice.

Pierce, who was listening, widely goggled his eyes.

“Big brother? By big brother you mean King Simon Rinse?!”

Though shocked, there was no tremble in his spear swing.

“Just how did this happen?”

They were words simultaneously asking the two people, Simon and Katy.

“Ke?”

Simon let out a weird sound instead of an answer.

“I don’t know either.”

And Katy’s answer was of no help.

Of course, Pierce didn’t wish for an answer either.

He clenched his teeth.

‘If this monstrous guy is King Simon, then……’

He was Roan’s enemy either way.

Pierce too had checked the announcement published in Roan Lancephil’s name a moment late.

He was also able to discover that Roan was subjugating Simon and the hexers a moment afterwards.

He, right afterwards, had headed towards the Infec Region.

And because his luck was good, no, because his luck was bad, he had arrived at the site of the grand battle right after Simon’s rampage.

“Princess.”

Pierce blocked Simon’s attacks and glanced aside at Katy.

The gaze that met very shortly with Katy.

Complicated feelings tangled.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to put your big brother, no, the person who was your big brother to sleep.”

Although it was a roundabout expression, it in short meant killing Simon.

A dark light crossed across Katy’s face.

But she did not openly oppose nor turn frantic.

She merely looked at Pierce and Simon with even more pitiful and sadder eyes than before.

‘Hhm.’

Pierce swallowed a groan.

They were eyes he simply couldn’t bear.

But even so, his resolve did not shake.

For him, there was something more important than the kingdom, more than the king, more than the princess.

‘Sir Count Lancephil’s enemy is my enemy. Only that.’

Pierce deeply breathed in and inserted mana into the hand gripping the spear.

Although it was yet an incomplete spearmanship, he could at least imitate the final form.

‘To catch this monster with just an imitation……’

He first had to set a perfect board.

‘I’ll make you flail.’

The tips of Pierce’s mouth slightly went up.

His spearhead soon moved as if dancing.

Kkang! Kkakang! Kkakang!

A fierce exchange once again unfolded.

In truth, it was truly an incredible thing when thought of carefully.

Pierce, without having learned an evidently impressive mana technique, was fighting equally with the Pienville Evil Mana.

He was filling the lacking parts with the incomplete spearmanship he personally created and trained.

Here, shining improvisations were added.

Pierce, he was clearly a genius.

Chang! Kkang! Kkakang! Chang!

The more the time flowed, the metallic noises complicatedly rang out like the sounds of musical instruments.

Simultaneously, the battle that unfolded equally slowly flowed towards Simon’s advantage.

Pierce very slowly and minutely began to be pushed back.

“Kuk.”

Grunts that popped out from time to time.

Pierce’s arms and thighs were full of wounds.

Thin cuts appeared even along his cheeks and neck.

“Keke! Keke!”

Simon’s pressure slowly turned fiercer the more Pierce was pushed back.

No, he slowly rioted more like a mad man.

Madness.

Simon’s swordsmanship was almost like a dance soaked in madness.

He thrilled even more as he stared at Pierce shrinking in front of him.

Possibly because of that, his movement swinging and retrieving the sword slowly became bigger.

The mouth of Pierce who was cornered into defense going slightly up was that very moment.

‘Alright. The board is set.’

The perfect board for a single chance.

Pierce purposely excited Simon so that he would create an opening himself.

To perfectly thrust in the final blow.

“Kuk!”

A groan leaked out once again.

Of course, not all of this was an act.

As the actual exchanges kept continued, Pierce was slowly pushed into defense.

The Pienville Mana Technique was that overwhelming and the pressure of the rampaging Simon was chillingly effective.

At that moment.

“Keek!”

Simon raised his sword up high and pounced directly towards Pierce.

‘Alright. This much is good.’

Pierce, who was being pushed back, inwardly cheered and dizzily moved his feet.

Simultaneously, Simon’s sword fell above his head.

At instant.

Paat!

Pierce disappeared with a pop.

Pbat!

The place he appeared again was Simon’s left.

“Now sleep.”

Pierce quietly shouted and widely moved his spearhead.

The final move of the incomplete spearmanship.

It was the moment it first drew a line in the world.

At that moment.

“Ke?”

Simon widely smiled with a bizarre sound.

A completely unexpected look.

Instead of Pierce who turned and moved to his left, he was glaring at the completely empty front.

At that end, one woman sat.

Katy Rinse.

Simon, instead of Pierce who unfolded a fierce exchange until now, showed interest at Katy.

He, Ignoring Pierce’s attack, threw the sword he held towards Katy.

“Sheet!”

The one flustered was Pierce.

He hadn’t think that Simon would possibly showed interest not at him in a fierce fight like this but at a third party.

Pierce, who was preparing the final strike, halted his breath.

‘Simon will die if I stab the spear here. But Princess Katy too will simultaneously die.’

The entire world slowed down.

Though it was a very short amount of time, tens, ten thousands of problems stormed within Pierce’s head.

They were all same problem.

‘Should I save her? Should I not?’

If it was the usual, no, if she wasn’t Princess Katy, it was a problem he never would have deliberated.

‘I won’t save her.’

He definitely would have answered so.

But strangely, he couldn’t turn his head on Katy.

That was the so from the first meeting.

A feeling as if he knew her since long ago.

Pierce’s eyes turned towards Katy.

‘Ah……’

The light in Katy’s eyes pierced his heart.

A sorrowful light that already accepted her death.

Pierce tightly clenched his teeth.

‘There’s no need for an answer to a problem to be always the correct one.’

He forcibly twisted his wrist.

The mana within his body wildly twisted.

The spearhead changed its direction and aimed at the flying longsword.

‘Since even a wrong answer is an answer.’

Pierce chose his answer to the problem.

Simultaneously, Pierce’s spear disappeared from his grasp.

At that instant.

Kkaaang!

With an incredible metallic sound, Simon’s longsword that cut through the air and flew shattered into pieces.

A situation one couldn’t possibly understand how.

“Ke?”

That was also the same for Simon.

Katy who had felt death too blinked her large eyes with a confused look.

Suddenly.

“Cough.”

Pierce threw up blood with a deep cough.

In his grasp, the spear that certainly had disappeared was grasped once again.

Literally strange as requiem singing ghost.

Pierce widen his distance with Simon as he calmed the boiling mana in his body.

He slowly moved his feet and headed to Katy’s side.

Thankfully, Simon was of a state distracted by the longsword shattered to pieces.

“Cough.”

Pierce once again threw up a deep cough.

Katy only then realized.

‘It was him. He saved me. Again, again, and again……’

Her gaze became warmer.

“Are you okay?”

She worriedly asked.

Pierce deeply breathed in as he nodded his head.

“Yes. I’m fine. But……”

A bitter smile hanged on his mouth.

“I think it’ll be difficult to fight again.”

An incomplete spearmanship, and its final move.

While trying to imitate something he hadn’t even completed, he forcibly changed its direction at the last moment.

As its backlash, the mana in his body greatly boiled and his mana road received a large wound.

Although it was more than likely treatable if he were to recuperated, there was no leisure to do so right now.

Because the monster before their eyes, Simon, was approaching as he monstrously smiled.

“Keke.”

He quickly lost interest in the shattered longsword.

Simon’s gaze again headed towards Katy.

Pierce saw that sight and snickered out a laugh.

“The big brother must really love his sister.”

Katy too made a bitter smile at those words.

With Pierce’s body ruined, the only thing now left was dying.

“I’m sorry.”

Katy passed a word of apology.

Pierce hazily smiled and exhaled a long sigh.

“I want to say those words too.”

An emotionless voice.

Katy asked.

“To whom?”

Pierce, like before, emotionlessly answered.

“To the one I serve.”

“Ah……”

Any more questions weren’t needed.

Katy could know whom that person was.

Meanwhile, Simon reached before their faces.

A black light flowed out along his right hand.

“Khee.”

A queer noise spat out as if to say a final goodbye.

Simon raised his right hand up high.

An explosive situation.

At that moment.

“Stop.”

A cold and chilly voice.

Simultaneously, a crimson shadow fell between Pierce and Simon.

Pierce’s eyes widely opened.

Although covered in crimson helmet, armor, and cloak, he was able to tell who he was just from seeing his back.

“Aaaaah.”

Tears endlessly filled up in his eyes.

“Kuuh. Adjutant Roan. No, Sir Count Lancephil……”

His voice turned wet.

A sound at the verge of tears.

The crimson shadow that impregnably stood slowly turned around.

Below the helmet, crimson eyes flashed and shone with light.

The warrior of crimson armor was Roan Lancephil.

Roan and Pierce’s gazes heatedly mixed.

Suddenly, the tips of Roan’s mouth abruptly turned up high.

A jest-fully smiling look.

“Kuku. Is this guy that very Pierce?”

Although it was definitely Roan’s voice, its speech and contents were unmistakably different than those of the usual Roan.

Pierce greatly panicked.

“Eh? Wha, what does…… it is me. It’s me, sir. I’m Pierce.”

Feeling perhaps Roan may possibly had forgotten him, his heart turned desperate.

Suddenly, Roan’s redly shining eyes dyed with a black light.

“Hmm. To think he would push that brutal Pienville Evil Mana to a corner with an unremarkable level of mana. Impressive.”

Speech that changed once again.

The tips of Pierce’s eyes sharply shook.

‘No. This man isn’t Sir Count Lancephil.’

He could feel it.

The foul sense of unfamiliarity exuding out from Roan.

Pierce fiercely opened his eyes.

“Who are you?”

At the abruptly spat out sound, the one was shocked was Katy.

“What do you mean? This man is that very Sir Count Lancephil.”

“No. This man isn’t Sir Count Lancephil.”

Pierce spoke with a definitive expression and voice.

Roan roundly pursed his lips.

“Oh. How surprising? For him to realize that. I thought the two were separated for quite a long whi……”

The jest-fully continuing words abruptly clipped in the middle.

At the same time, the eyes shining with a black light turned to a brown hue.

“Huu.”

A long sigh flowed out along his mouth.

Instead of a jest-ful smile, a faint smile took place.

“Ah……”

Pierce unconsciously let out a quiet exclamation.

Even though he hadn’t said a single word yet, he could feel it.

“Sir Count Lancephil.”

The words unknowingly spoken out.

The smile hanging on Roan’s mouth deepened.

“Been a while.”

A quiet but gentle and warm voice.

Pierce clenched his teeth.

Forcibly hold back the tears trying to burst out.

Roan lightly tapped Pierce’s shoulder, then turned around to his back.

Simon was before his eyes.

The gentle light in his eyes turned fierce.

“Pierce.”

Quietly calling voice.

Pierce’s gaze planted at Roan’s back.

“Let’s hold the greetings off to later.”

Roan aimed at Simon with the Travias spear.

“The time I can maintain this state is really short, you see.”

Incomprehensible words.

Roan posed a salute and thinly closed his eyes.

“I’ll finish it quick……”

A voice full of confidence.

“So wait a little.”

At that moment.

Paaaaaat!

A blackishly red flame erupted from Roan’s entire body.

No, a blackishly red light soared.

That almost looked like a devil that wore the fires of hell.

< Amaranth (21) > End.

Translator: CSV

Proofreader: Fujimaru