Episode 235 The Temple of the Abyss – Clash (1)
On an altar with several shining golden crystals.
Queen Esiliste Liliane de Francia was quietly kneeling over it and praying.
Lewis stared blankly at the sight of her silver hair turning golden in the light of the crystals.
As expected, I was slowly losing my sense of reality at the sight of a saint being a saint…
“Ugh, it’s a waste, it’s a waste. “If I get paid, how much will it all be worth…!”
Hearing the Mage Tower’s voice, he suddenly regained his sense of reality and spoke with an absurd expression on his face.
“Isn’t it the Magic Tower’s fault that the door is like this, Master? Of course we have to compensate for something-”
“Why is that the Magic Tower’s responsibility! “It’s the fault of the idiots who were tricked by the devil!”
Louis’ heart was pounding, so he quickly turned his head to see if someone had heard him, and then whispered softly to the magic tower lord.
“Please calm down, Master. In the end, isn’t this something we all want to do together? In any case, you have to win the Magic Tower to obtain the devils’ skills.”
“Eh, tsk. Still, if you sold that, how much would the research cost be? The Count of Aquitaine is also quite small. Even though he has a lot of money, he steals things like that…”
‘…You realize that the Count of Aquitaine is my sister, right?’
Lewis swallowed again the words that had risen to his throat and averted his gaze with a face like that of an old man who had lived the rest of the world.
Am I crazy? What good does it have to be a disciple of such a snob…
“Oh.”
And at that moment, light burst out.
“Oh oh….”
The light emanating from the Queen of Saints soared up to the sky and cleared away the purple fog that was covering the high sky.
The pillar of light soon faded away, but the remnants of light scattered like powder of light covered the entire camp.
As the sun shines from beyond the fog that the pillar of light has cleared through the powder of light, the queen, with her long golden hair flowing, slowly stands up and puts on her hood.
No one could take their eyes off that slow movement.
Lewis too.
And the very next moment.
“omg…!”
“Wow?”
Countless butterflies flew from all over the camp.
“What is this?”
“Where have you been hiding?”
The butterflies, which were of various colors but had black dots in common, fluttered and covered the sky as if they had been scalded by fire, and soon flew beyond the camp as if running away.
“Is this done now, Her Majesty?”
“yes. “At least for the time being, the demons will not be able to torment the soldiers from within.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
A conversation between the Marquis de Lafayette and the Queen could be heard, secretly mixed with magic so that it could be easily heard by the soldiers.
In a daze, Louis suddenly realized that most of the soldiers were kneeling in their seats and paying respects to the queen.
“Wow, that’s amazing. I think I would have achieved greater success if I had become a wizard instead of a saint. “It’s a waste of talent.”
And it was only after hearing the Mage Tower’s grumbling voice that I suddenly came to my senses.
“…Please don’t say things like that around the Revolutionary Army or the Holy Knights, Master.”
“I was excited. Just wait and see. “I will put the pride of the Magic Tower on the line and show you a scene even worse than that!”
The owner of the Magic Tower, the most intelligent and wise man among mankind.
The words spoken by the protagonist of that brilliant description are probably not empty words.
Probably not, but….
Louis sighed as if the ground was sinking.
It would have been nice if the teacher’s humanity was half of his magical ability.
* * *
Damien de Mirbeau was looking at the soldiers lined up with a slightly confused expression.
The queen did not speak empty words, and the soldiers no longer appealed to dreams.
That terrible dream.
A terrible nightmare that whispers that there is no reason to fight demons and not to die pointlessly.
He could not do anything for the soldiers, who were collapsing in vain, putting the pride he had built up as a commander in vain.
The queen was able to solve it like this.
“I’m so fucking helpless.”
Damien scratched his head.
Even he suffered from dreams.
And that’s why it looks like that.
“Don’t worry too much, Commander Mirbo.”
Damien scratched his head and turned his head when he heard a voice from next to him.
“Your Excellency is fighting well at the front as a role model for a commander. Her Majesty the Queen will also trust you.”
The queen? no way.
Damien laughed.
From the first time we met, she was a crazy girl who wielded a whip made of divine power, but she suddenly became that kind of person.
“Ah ahhh….”
Damien was in pain, holding his head with both hands.
“…Why are you doing this, Your Excellency?”
“No, I just feel a little embarrassed.”
“…?”
Giselle Darby had a puzzled look on her face, but Damien couldn’t say anything.
‘After all, the succubus that appeared in the damn dream was the queen. ‘Damn it!’
Damien sighed, opened his eyes, and asked.
“Hey Dabi. “Who were you?”
Giselle just laughed lightly.
“hey. “Your superior asks, are you just laughing it off?”
“It was my sister.”
“….”
Damien kept his mouth shut.
After an awkward silence, Giselle spoke.
“I’m fine, Commander.”
“Do you think anyone would even feel sorry? This master of defense is a lion on a battlefield without blood or tears. This is an insignificant staff member! …You’re openly ridiculing me. “It’s too much to trust the Count of Aquitaine, really.”
Giselle laughed even harder when she heard that.
“…Maybe my staff went crazy from a nightmare?”
“No, Commander. “It may be a little late, but the Count of Aquitaine is not protecting me.”
“what?”
Damien narrowed his eyes and asked, recalling Louis D’Aquitaine, who always hovered near Giselle.
“You want me to believe that now?”
But Giselle only smiled lightly.
It was definitely quite clever for the succubus to take on her sister’s form.
At the same time, it made Giselle angry.
If it weren’t for what she went through, she might have been shaken.
Giselle quietly closed her eyes and recalled the wedding of the Count of Aquitaine, which had already taken place several years ago.
-Congratulations on your wedding, Your Excellency, Count of Aquitaine.
-…Thank you for attending, Lt. Col. Giselle Darby.
Christine Dakiten, who looked quite surprised, did not say sorry.
Rather, it seemed like he thought he shouldn’t show that kind of attitude.
So instead of interrogating Giselle, she asked something else.
-Count of Aquitaine. Do you remember your sister’s name?
-…Ellen.
The expression and voice that Christine Dakiten showed the moment she said the name in response to a sudden question.
The feelings contained therein that I have not yet been able to erase.
That was enough for her.
Ellen Darby is not just someone who was used and forgotten by nobles.
Because she is a proud and loving older sister who made her and her family where they are today.
Those demons know Giselle’s entire past.
I couldn’t read the entire inner psychology.
That convinced Giselle.
Giselle slowly opened her eyes and spoke strongly.
“We can win, Excellency Commander Mirbo.”
Damien looked like he was wondering what this was talking about and answered.
“Hey, just be the commander yourself.”
Giselle smiled softly with her own trust in her superior, who, despite her regrets, would do her best once thrown into battle – and then
turned her attention to the queen who was stepping in front of the soldiers.
* * *
Just one day after being freed from the nightmare.
It was only one night at most, but it was enough time for the soldiers, who had lost their will to fight while immersed in dreams pleading with their families and loved ones, to regain some sense of reason.
Nevertheless, Eris also read the fear of the soldiers who were afraid of the mighty drone army and were not sure whether they could win.
There is also hope that perhaps we can safely return to our homeland without fighting and end things like this.
Eris slowly climbed to the podium.
-What if I were to become your sponsor?
-sponsor?
First meeting with Pierre de Lafayette.
The conversation I had when I was avoiding him, wary that he was just one of those nobles, but then I got tired of his persistence and thought it would be better to bump into him than to avoid him forever.
-What about the military?
-If you want, I guarantee that you will not be required to serve in the military.
Eris was so dumbfounded that she laughed without realizing it.
I didn’t lie. Because he never once asked her to join the army.
Instead, they made Eris call herself a servant.
Even now, he asked Eris to help him push the hesitating soldiers across the battlefield and lead them to the grave.
Eris stood on the podium and looked at the countless soldiers of the Allied Powers.
The revolutionary army of Francia, whom she loved so hard to protect. And foreign soldiers who were once her enemies but now come to fight alongside her.
The expressions on all of their faces.
Awe, tension, anticipation, fear, earnestness, doubt.
Each and every one of those faces with countless emotions was engraved in Eris’s violet eyes.
Would stories like demons being untrustworthy enemies or the future of humanity be relatable to them?
Human life is short and fleeting.
Eris, who remembers her past life in which she lived a hard life but died in vain due to a conspiracy, feels this more than anyone else.
Maybe even if they accept the peace they promised now, nothing will happen until their generation.
The soldiers standing here right now might be happier to go home and enjoy their daily lives with their families in peace that will one day be destroyed, rather than fighting here.
We must ask those people to fight here and die here.
Eris unconsciously placed her hand on her heart.
The feeling of a pounding heart.
Eris’ expression suddenly stiffened under the pressure, and she opened her mouth, grateful for the veil that covered her expression.
“Hello, allied soldiers. “I am Esiliste Liliane de Francia, Queen of the Kingdom of Revolutionary Francia.”
At that time, I didn’t think I’d ever introduce myself like this, but…
Pierre de Lafayette was probably thinking about putting her in this position from the first time they met.
“fraud.”
Eris spoke softly and laughed.
Only then did the pressure go away and Eris felt a little better.
“I’m sure you all know about the Abyss Corporation’s proposal for peace negotiations. “There are also people who are wondering whether it would be better to accept the peace they proposed and return to their hometown as is.”
Although she ascended to the position of queen, she ended up being at the forefront of the war.
Pierre de Lafayette did not simply use her, but made her desire this role for herself.
Eris slowly closed her eyes.
What comes to mind is the vision I saw on the execution platform.
“Four hundred years ago, our ancestors fought against demons. After much blood was shed, the devils made the current proposal. “A sweet proposal to stop war, enjoy peace, and coexist together.”
The descendants of those who fought alongside the saint 400 years ago, and myself standing in front of them 400 years later, called the saint.
Is the uncanny resemblance a coincidence?
“Our ancestors accepted the devils’ offer. Even though I didn’t believe in the devils, I couldn’t make any more sacrifices and I didn’t have the strength to counterattack the devils. We joined hands with the devils who wanted peace and coexistence. And 400 years.”
Eris slowly turned her head and pointed at the swarm of drones in the distance.
“The results are before our eyes now. What’s standing over there is not just a weapon of demons. “They were once living, breathing people like us.”
Eris was silent for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“…I would like to ask you a question. The million people that are before our eyes right now are people who lived like us, and some of them may be your neighbors or family members.
Do you believe that just because the weapons whose very existence is a threat to us all are not moving right now, they are not a threat?
There is evidence before our eyes that there were a million new tragedies that we did not see. How many tragedies have occurred that we do not know about during the 400 years that we turned a blind eye to the coexistence they promoted? “I’m afraid to even imagine it.”
Eris was executed by those she loved and tried to help.
I don’t want to blame them, but that doesn’t mean I’m not angry.
“Now we are facing them on their island. We have the opportunity to fight against them, something that was impossible for our ancestors.
Is this an easy opportunity? 400 years. After 400 years of being deceived by the devils, countless bloodshed, countless wars, damage to the sea and fog, and countless bloodshed!
For the first time! We have a chance to escape the threats and deception of those demons. But are you going to step down and believe the words of those who betrayed our ancestors 400 years ago and deceived us?”
The amount of blood and chaos that I saw leading up to the guillotine.
I saw the war that continued from the civil war.
If you resent it, if you get angry.
To those who manipulated all that tragedy from behind.
“Right behind our backs at this very moment! “Aren’t the bodies of our fallen comrades piled up just for this one chance?”
Everyone in the room flinched at Eris’s angry voice, which they had never heard before.
Even myself.
“Right now at this moment. I am by your side. We face this threat together with you, not from the Queen’s throne, but from this land.
Everyone here. Everyone, including generals and commanders, will risk their lives fighting alongside you.
“You are not standing here on behalf of those who needed the war, as the devils whispered.”
Eris took a deep breath and spoke as if pleading.
“We all know very well how much despair and sacrifice we had to overcome to get to this point.
everyone. Are you going to accept the devil’s offer now and go back to your homeland and say that the sacrifices of those who fell on this earth were worthless?
Have we come to this grave to hand over to the devils the door we opened with our own hands, to return and hope for their mercy, and to give your family a false peace that will never end?
Absolutely not. We must finish what our ancestors could not do, here and now.
Not for ourselves, but to protect the peace and freedom that future generations will enjoy for your families who are praying for you even at this very moment.
So everyone. Please. Not the devils whispering lies on the other side…”
The princess who was running away in fear.
Not a witch who was framed and executed.
“Please join me. If you do so, I swear to God that I will risk everything and stay by your side until the end.”
I hope that the path chosen by one’s own will reaches them.
After finishing speaking, Eris held both hands as if praying.
After a moment of silence that felt like an eternity.
A roar echoed through the earth.
