—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Ugh…”
Activating the Royal Sword was successful.
But the next moment, the Royal Sword triggered an explosive resistance from within the fake princess’s body.
Elsie, still gripping the sword, was flung back and crashed into the wall.
‘I… I have to stay conscious.’
Her head throbbed, and her body felt like it was about to shatter, but she somehow managed to stand up.
She hadn’t finished yet.
She couldn’t lose consciousness here.
She focused her eyes, trying to regain her blurred vision as she rose.
Finally, the scene before her came into focus.
A crater in the floor from the recoil, and a lump of flesh in the middle.
‘That’s…’
Unrecognizable now, but it was the fake princess.
Thanks to the massive explosion of light from within her, she was now a mangled mess of flesh.
But she was still twitching.
The sight was both pathetic and horrific.
Knowing her tragic fate, Elsie even felt a pang of sympathy.
But she had to finish this.
Regardless of her tragic fate, she was a Demon Lord who tried to destroy the world.
Just as Elsie raised the Royal Sword,
as she was about to swing the blade, brimming with power befitting a 5-star holy relic, something unexpected happened.
-Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!
A scream filled the space.
Elsie lost her balance from the shockwave.
Simultaneously, the lump of flesh began to swell, emitting an intense light.
-Ercia La Lodreim ! The real princess!
Giant eyes, bloodshot, glared at Elsie.
-I curse you! I curse your father!
It wasn’t just the eyes that grew.
The mass of flesh expanded enormously, reaching the ceiling of the vast white room.
-And I curse the kingdom! I curse this damned world!
Giant black wings.
A reptilian body covered in hard, black scales.
She felt like she had seen this form in a dream before.
‘What should I do?’
Condensed energy, the manifestation of her curses, gathered around the creature’s mouth.
Elsie, meanwhile, was already suffering the penalties from the expired Awakening Pills.
Her body felt much heavier than usual.
‘If I take that attack head-on in this state, I’ll die.’
But she couldn’t retreat.
Behind her was the barrier protecting the Lodreim kingdom’s barrier stone.
And only someone who activated the Royal Sword could deactivate that powerful barrier.
Deactivate, not destroy. It wasn’t indestructible, but…
“If the 72nd awakens, she will destroy the Lodreim kingdom’s barrier stone first. If that happens, the kingdom’s destruction will be inevitable. So, you absolutely must prevent her awakening.”
Allen’s order to prevent her awakening at all costs.
But the creature before her seemed to have awakened.
Then there was only one option left.
‘I have to prevent her from destroying the barrier.’
The 72nd Demon Lord asked her,
-Do you… want to disappear along with the Lodreim kingdom?
“No, the Lodreim kingdom will not disappear.”
Not as long as she was here.
-Nonsense. Look at the state you’re in.
Indeed, Elsie wasn’t in good shape.
She had used potions to heal her fatal wounds, but the hasty treatment left her body riddled with poorly mended injuries.
Her vision had been blurry since crashing into the wall.
-Do you think you can do anything in that state?
Honestly, she wasn’t sure herself.
But Allen always said,
“You never know until you try.”
-Do as you please. I wouldn’t mind eliminating you along with it.
The energy gathered in the creature’s mouth erupted forward.
Elsie gritted her teeth and thrust the Royal Sword in front of her.
A large barrier of light formed.
‘I will endure.’
Simply blocking wouldn’t improve the situation.
But right now, all she could do was endure.
Even that was incredibly difficult.
Elsie clung to the sword, planted firmly in the ground, bracing against the attack.
If her concentration wavered even slightly, she would be swept away and obliterated.
Yet, she held on, blocking the attack.
As she deflected some of the attack, she saw the barrier behind her flicker, so she expanded the light barrier further.
That meant she had to withstand an even greater attack, consuming even more magic power.
It wouldn’t have been possible without the Royal Sword, a 5-star holy relic.
-I thought I had almost drained all its power…
The 72nd Demon Lord released another wave of energy.
-There’s still power left in that damned sword!
Her mana was already depleted.
The attack began to drain her life force instead.
But Elsie didn’t retreat.
‘Even if I disappear, it doesn’t matter.’
As long as she could protect the kingdom.
She could sacrifice herself.
That would be the ultimate revenge.
Of course, she wanted to kill the hateful Knight Commander.
And if possible, the fake princess too.
But the best way to take revenge on them all was to become the king and protect the kingdom they tried to steal.
Still…
She didn’t want to disappear.
Allen would be lonely if she was gone.
But she had asked Yuseora for a favor, just in case.
To comfort Allen if she didn’t return.
She had taught Yuseora how to comfort him, so she would do well.
She believed Yuseora could do it, even though she was clumsy in many ways.
‘This is… my limit.’
She could barely see now.
She was simply blocking the attacks with the Royal Sword, relying solely on her grip.
The next attack would likely be her last.
-You…!
Fortunately, her opponent also seemed to be reaching her limit.
Her voice was filled with exhaustion.
Even with her awakening, she couldn’t fully recover from the damage caused by the explosion within her from the Royal Sword.
And she hadn’t moved from her spot, only releasing energy from her mouth.
‘Nameless King.’
Elsie mustered her last ounce of strength to block the final attack, and thought of the Nameless King.
The one who sacrificed herself to protect the kingdom.
‘Were you happy?’
Of course, there was no answer.
But one thing was certain.
Though sad to leave, Elsie was happy, in her own way.
‘Thank you, Allen.’
Without him, she wouldn’t have had any happy memories.
Sacrificing herself to protect the kingdom wouldn’t have been possible either.
So she was content.
She had received a love she didn’t deserve.
She had experienced happiness thanks to him.
Therefore, now…
At that moment,
“Sky Splitter!”
A familiar skill name.
But it wasn’t Yuseora’s voice.
It was the voice she longed to hear.
“Allen?”
Through her blurry vision, she saw his sword shattering from Overload.
It was his beloved sword, Gravitus Replicant, the one she had playfully envied.
He negated the 72nd Demon Lord’s attack with that strike, rolled away from the impact, and landed beside Elsie.
“Elsie!”
Tears streamed down her face.
She knew it wasn’t the time to cry, but she couldn’t help it.
Her already blurred vision was now filled with tears.
“Allen…”
“Sorry, I was delayed defeating the one upstairs. I could have come sooner if I were stronger.”
“Al…”
She wanted to say she was okay.
But her emotions overwhelmed her, and the words wouldn’t come out.
She only felt Allen’s hand gently stroking her head.
“Elsie, rest now.”
His hand reached for the Royal Sword she was gripping tightly.
“Your job is done. Let go of the sword.”
But her hand remained frozen around the hilt.
It wasn’t over yet.
She could still block one more attack.
“Elsie, you’re already far past your limit. You’ll die if you continue.”
It was alright to die.
She was happy, because she was able to see Allen in her final moments.
So…
“Allen, run.”
“Elsie?”
“You have to survive. The Central Sea Islands are still in danger.”
She could die happily.
“Gwen, Yuseora, they all need you. And back in your hometown, the innkeeper and Weiss are waiting for you.”
Allen, who was awaited by so many people, couldn’t die.
She, on the other hand, was alone now.
She already knew that her father had died during the coup three years ago.
So, if she could save Allen with her life, it would be worthwhile.
“Elsie.”
Allen’s warm hand enveloped hers.
“What did I tell you?”
“…Not to be consumed by anger?”
But why was he bringing that up now?
“Yes, but it’s not just anger you shouldn’t be consumed by.”
His hand was warm.
The warmth spread from her hand, gradually warming her body.
Her emotions began to calm down.
“Even positive emotions like joy or love can cloud your judgment if they become excessive.”
“But what does that have to do with…”
“You told me yourself. That we’re all human. That how I feel about you is no different from how you feel about me.”
At that moment, her hand began to loosen its grip.
“Yes, you taught me that.”
He took the sword from Elsie’s hand, gripping it with both hands.
“From here on, I’ll prove it.”
He raised the Royal Sword.
“That you don’t need to die.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
