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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The imperial palace had never burned before. Whether invaded by foreign enemies or during rebellions, had its thick, magically reinforced walls ever been breached and burned like this?
Some said it was the resurrection of the Four Dragons. Others said the Goddess of the Moon was angered, that the imperial family was cursed.
Miragen didn’t deny either. The resurrection of the Four Dragons, the curse on the imperial family, both were true.
Her escape from the imperial palace had been a near miracle. She had made a scene, demanding to be let out in a frenzy after hearing of Robert’s death.
Miragen, gently rubbing her aching chest, quietly looked out of the carriage.
“If it weren’t for the Church’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to escape. I’m eternally grateful.”
“There’s no need for thanks. The Saint relayed the message, so please express your gratitude to her directly when you arrive in the North.”
She had realized long ago that her brother was no longer the person he used to be. Recalling Robert’s memories had played a significant role.
The Kaitel she had seen there had been undeniably strange. She would have been a fool not to notice.
She had a headache.
Even though she didn’t believe Robert was truly dead, if the rumors were true… She had repeatedly considered contacting him but had stopped herself each time.
He was probably alive. She simply believed that he was alive.
“Regarding the current occupant of the imperial palace-”
The person she was facing was the Pope himself. The moon-worshipping Church had decided to evacuate to the North.
Since the Saint was already there, the Church hadn’t hesitated.
The Pope cautiously asked about the being residing within the Crown Prince.
It seemed like it was no longer trying to hide itself. Miragen sighed softly, nodded, and answered.
“It’s probably the Four Dragons. It would take that much power to create the flames that burned down the imperial palace.”
Although the capital had never been breached, there had been several rebellions. But the imperial palace had remained intact because of the magical barrier protecting it.
The fact that it had been breached meant that the protective barrier created by the Goddess of the Moon had been broken.
Who else could do such a thing but the Four Dragons?
“Hmm…”
The Pope sighed quietly, but nothing changed. There was only one solution to this situation. Defeat the Four Dragons.
But how? With the Goddess’s power weakened, he couldn’t be certain of anything.
Their best hope was Robert Taylor, but the Church, not fully aware of his power, couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“There were probably demons among the subjugation force this time. Robert said so, so we’ll have a better idea of the situation when we reach the North.”
“I pray that everything goes well, but…”
Everyone in the carriage knew that the chances of that were slim.
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“We have to march directly to the capital. We don’t have much time left.”
He was aware that the energy of the artifact embedded in his chest, or rather, its influence on him, had intensified.
Adele nodded in agreement. Adriana also knew that his words, though dangerous, weren’t wrong.
The Four Dragons would definitely be resurrected. They might have already been.
Three days had passed since he woke up, so he couldn’t stay here any longer using rest as an excuse.
They would use the portal in the Moon Tower to travel, but the soldiers’ movement would be delayed as much as possible.
He, Adele, Adriana, and the adjutants would move first, and the soldiers would follow later to the capital to handle the aftermath.
He had discussed this beforehand, so those who wanted to leave had already left.
The remaining people were all prepared for the final battle with the Four Dragons. They had to prepare.
Adele and Adriana didn’t seem to object to his actions.
The problem was Miragen, but that had been somewhat resolved by the urgent report he received yesterday.
“Her Highness is coming this way, right?”
“That’s right. I contacted the Pope earlier.”
The Church in the capital coming this way was a positive sign.
Did the label of “rebel” even matter anymore?
But the Church was important for how the people would perceive them. It was funny that he was already thinking about the future after defeating the Four Dragons.
What else could he do?
If he couldn’t defeat the Four Dragons, there would be nothing left. No survivors, nothing to hold onto.
They would be taking a big step towards the apocalypse.
So, it was best to think positively. It was his role to defeat the Four Dragons. Dealing with the remaining demons was also his duty.
The only consolation was that fighting the demons wouldn’t be as difficult as before.
The enlightenment he had gained from meeting the Goddess of the Moon and his time in the mindscape had definitely taken him a step further.
He was incomparable to his past self, who had simply boasted about reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
He felt confident that he could finish off the Minotaur in one blow if they met again.
Of course, it was a feeling only he could perceive, and Adele and Adriana’s gazes held a considerable amount of worry.
It would be easy to alleviate their concerns with a few words. But if he stayed silent, he didn’t know what might happen, so he spoke slowly in the quiet room after the others had left.
“Aren’t you worrying too much? Anyone would think I’m about to die.”
“It’s natural to worry. You already died once. And… in front of me.”
He was speechless.
He smiled faintly and gently placed his hand on Adele’s shoulder, about to blame herself again.
“That won’t happen again. Shall we make a promise, just in case?”
He took Adele’s hand and linked their pinkies, and Adele, startled, tried to pull away. Of course, he didn’t let her.
He stopped her from withdrawing her finger and gently intertwined it with his, and only then did her hand relax.
Adele frowned slightly, staring at their linked fingers.
She wouldn’t like it, of course. She knew better than anyone that a forced promise like this had no effect. But he wanted to do it anyway.
It would give him motivation. It was his way of solidifying his resolve.
“…This won’t bring back the dead.”
“Grand Duchess.”
Adriana chided her, and Adele finally sighed and looked at him. He remembered the first time they met. In this life, that is.
Back then, he had only seen interest in her eyes, but now, seeing only worry, he found it quite amusing.
He gently stroked her cheek, and she tilted her head like a puppy, making him burst into laughter.
Who else would know that the Grand Duchess could act like this?
If he had more time, if he had more leeway, he would have said more, made a more reliable promise.
As he let go of her hand, Adele seemed to understand what he was about to do.
The shadow that had momentarily fallen over her expression disappeared quickly. He had to leave.
To the imperial capital, to defeat the Four Dragons.
It would be nice if he could meet Miragen and go together. He suddenly turned his head towards the presence he felt from afar.
Miragen and the Pope were definitely coming this way.
He didn’t sense any danger around him, so he could just leave and face the Four Dragons.
“It would be better to leave together, but-”
“It’s better for me to go alone. I don’t think the Four Dragons will appear from the beginning anyway.”
The Four Dragons would send the demons they controlled first, and only then would they reveal themselves.
He had already wasted a lot of time.
The imperial capital might be completely destroyed. If he wanted to save even a few people… it was better for him to go first.
He gripped the sword Miragen had given him, and the blue blade was revealed.
It was definitely different. With this, he wouldn’t be defeated by the demons.
Adriana and Adele looked at him. He knew how they felt as they sent him off.
That’s why he would definitely return alive. He wouldn’t die. He was tired of dying over and over again.
“I’ll be back.”
Step.
He took a particularly heavy step forward. No one answered.
Perhaps because they were afraid their emotions would burst forth if they spoke, he also remained silent.
He walked through the silence, past the soldiers who looked at him, down the quiet hallway.
There was no one waiting at the portal Adriana had used. Perhaps it was because she had come alone.
With the entire Church having passed through, no one knew when the portal would collapse. He looked at the portal, shimmering with blue light, and closed his eyes.
He would arrive in the imperial capital as soon as he passed through, and he would have to head straight to the imperial palace and deal with the demons.
He refined his plan in his mind.
The plan he had been thinking about since he was in the mindscape, the things he could do with the level he had reached.
By the time he opened his eyes, his pounding heart had calmed down.
He took a deep breath. He stepped forward and threw himself into the portal, his mind cold and clear.
And when he opened his eyes…
He was in the basement of the Church. A space he had visited with Adriana once.
Fragments of a broken rosary were scattered in a corner.
He knelt down and touched them, and a familiar feeling welled up. Had Adriana used this?
He chuckled softly and put the fragments in his pocket. He would think of it as a talisman. He could do anything to calm his mind before the battle.
His hand, fiddling with his sword, trembled slightly.
“It’s okay.”
Everything would be alright in the end. There would be no more tragedies in the future.
Hadn’t the hundred lives he had repeated, the tragedies he had experienced, all been orchestrated by the Four Dragons?
The path he was walking now was to erase all of that. He repeated “it’s okay” several times, and his senses seemed to sharpen.
He heard something.
The sound of something burning. He emerged from the basement, and twilight greeted him.
It was late enough to be considered night, but the sun, refusing to set, devoured the moonlight.
The starlit darkness disappeared, and only the blood-red sky remained.
He looked at the burning flames, the completely ruined Church, and drew his sword.
“…One hundred and one.”
He had wanted to die. He had resolved to die to end everything completely.
Hadn’t everything he had wished for been for eternal rest? His lips twisted into a natural smile.
He had believed that death was the only way to end life as a comedy. He had always walked towards death.
Now, it was different.
He wished to live, he had too many people to protect. He could no longer choose death for himself alone.
If his past self, the one who had just regressed, saw him now, wouldn’t he say that living was a tragedy?
The light emanating from his drawn sword stretched towards the sky.
The radiance covered the red sky, momentarily restoring its blue hue.
It was a signal to the Four Dragons that he had arrived. They would surely know now that he had returned alive.
One hundred tragedies.
They were all just pieces needed for a single ending. It was time to move forward.
Towards his, or rather, their… 101st ending.
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