Vol. 1 - Ch. 311 - Oath

"Bzzzzzzt!"

I had unleashed my wind magic at the King just as it tried to escape away when I felt my heart taking a leap all of sudden. 

Overcoming even my mana, a ferocious surge of mana exuded out of my body. 

Perhaps it was due to Jeu's support magic, but...... the boost I could feel was just a different beast from when we had practiced together in the academy. And the even more bizarre aspect was there wasn't a slightest hint of rejection. It was as if... it was my own mana, and the power it packed was downright horrifying.

The raging gale howled forth and easily trapped the King, disrupting its dynamic force completely.

Beelzebubble thrashed wildly, half-panicked, desperately flailing its wings and magic as it tried to escape my wind’s restraints.

“Yo—u a—ren't esc—aping!!!"

It took me the entirety of my being to put reign on the baffling amount of mana as I trapped the King. 

As the King plummeted straight down, volley after volley of arrows—accelerated by my wind magic and loosed in rapid succession by Kiana-san—pierced into its body.

With an intense abhor smouldering in its crimson gaze, it began construction of a massive, murky-purple water magic.

“…I'll block it, Dante. You make sure you finish it.”

“Roger.”

The King fell closer and closer. And yet… despite the spell already being complete, it stubbornly refused to fire it.

“…Don’t tell me—”

“Attention, Dante.”

“…I know.”

Perhaps the possibility of suicidal attack had crossed his mind, Dante shifted ever so slightly but Master promptly controlled him. 

After several seconds of hesitation that felt like an eternity, the King suddenly unleashed the enormous purple water projectile.

In the very next instant, Master—who had been waiting in a position just slightly off its line of fire—kicked off the ground, Body Strengthening magic pushed to its absolute limit.

“Haaa!”

Taking this chance as if the world depended on this one single strike, Master faced the magic with flawless timing and angle, and swung with all every strength of his being, barely deflecting its trajectory away from the tower rooftop.

With flawless timing and angle—there was no other chance—he met the spell head-on and swung with all his might, barely deflecting its trajectory away from the tower rooftop.

The voiceless King came crashing down.

Its hatred-filled crimson eyes locked straight onto me—

—and then, Dante-san, who had been quietly charging the magic with his greatsword held low, unleashed a strike like a raging demon at the King as it fell seconds later, severing its right wing clean off at the base.

I couldn’t help but let out a breath of awe at the sight of their coordination.

They made it look easy, but cleaving a monster that possessed the calamitical level of mana in a single stroke was anything but ordinary.

Dante-san was one of the top elite even in the knight order when it came to proficiency in Body Strengthening magic. As far as I could figure it out, he must have unleashed the layers of his charging mana into an instantaneous burst, reaching devastating firepower.

And above all, the sheer mastery my Master displayed despite facing a magic of horrifying might, and even defending against it with a calmness and deadly precision, could only be described as a miracle. 

To be frank, I might not be as surprised. The two were one of the giants shouldering Yuglia's ace. I should have known better than anyone they would only double down and never let the same error repeat against after the King dodged them earlier. 

Having lost momentum, the King tumbled off the tower and, flapping its remaining left wing, tried to flee—scraping and rolling along the ground toward the edge of the holy land.

“Don’t let it get away, Dante! Kiana-san, support us!”

“ “Yes, sir!” ”

Just as Master and Dante moved to press the attack, the King suddenly froze.

“Uh-huh, can’t have you bail on us, O' Dear Majesty.”

It was Parth-san. He had somehow already circled ahead, and stood in the middle of King's escape route.

In that brief breath of time, Master, Dante-san, and Kiana-san caught up, with Justin-san arriving just a moment later. As if they'd planned all along, the five knights formed a perfect encirclement.

With one wing gone and slammed to the ground, the King struggled for a short while but against the seamless coordination of the five Knights, it was swiftly slain.

◆◆◆

As soon the brilliance of life extinguished from the eyes of the King of Flies, its minions scampered to escape.

Perhaps, given enough time, another king would be born among them.

At long last, the ashen veil draped over the sky of Lunazert slipped away, and the morning sun rose into a paling sky.

'Ah, it was finally over,' any ounce of strength, to no one's surprise, slipped out of my body as I watched the King brought to its execution from the rooftop and sank down where I stood.

What desperation it was. Yet, every effort was worth it to transcend this calamity. The sense of fulfilment unwittingly brought a smile to my face as I turned aro—

"Phew… looks like we pulled it off, Jeu...... Jeuri-san?”

I froze in shock.

"Indeed. You did it just as I knew, Allen-san! You're amazing!"

No, that's not the point though?

“…Th-that choker around your neck… why does it look like that?”

The magic stone set into the choker clasped around Jeu’s neck was glowing with an ominous light.

No matter how I looked at it, it was definitely due to an 'Oath' taking its place that I heard about.

When I asked, half-dreading the answer, Jeu blinked in mild confusion, then chuckled softly, just as she always did.

“Choker...? Ah. You mean the oath, Allen-san.”

She said it as casually as if she were talking about the weather.

"...W-what oath did you take, and to whom?"

"Hehe. It's a promise to myself. And what it is... It's a secret."

She sure was enjoying it, huh. I could feel an intense resolve dwelling in her eyes, but frankly It somehow made me restless, so I asked, just to be safe.

"......I-It can be taken off, right? I mean, once we're back to the capital."

"Hmm, who knows? I certainly do not mind it though."

She tilted her head slightly, as if it were someone else’s problem entirely.

No, no, no…

Noticing my bafflement at her sheer nonchalance, Jeu chuckled softly.

"Fufu. Then again, just thinking the choker was put on by that person appalled me. So yes, I'll have a proper specialist remove it once we're back in the capital. Of course, the 'lifelong oath' I made to myself rely not on any flimsy artifact like choker."

She said it with a perfectly innocent smile and gave a playful wink.

W-w-what did she mean lifelong?! No, no she must be joking. Riiiiight?!

◆

Several hundred meters northeast of the inner sanctum of Lunazert stood a massive rock known as the Sealing Stone of Serpent.

Legend held that long ago, a saint had used that stone to seal away a monstrous snake.

Not long after Allen and the others finished subjugating the King of Flies—

The stone slid off with a grinding noise, and three men emerged from within. 

It was Cornal, and his two subordinates, who had vanished from the Tower. 

Cornal—who had vanished from the tower at some point—and his two attendants.

"...It's certainly something to subjugate the King of Flies with inadequate preparation. They made it easy for us."

Cornal was thoroughly flabbergasted at the outcome as he murmured.

“Indeed. Most astonishing of all was that boy’s wind magic. Despite the sealing mana chains shackling him, he brought down Dolittle, and even dragged the King from its sky throne. We must relay this information to our comrades."

“Ever since the Rising Dragon Cup, our brethrens all around the world has been turning all the stones to find anything over that boy. The information would undoubtedly have them bow to you, Cornal-sama."

Despite the flattery, Cornal’s expression remained bitter.

“…The price we paid was far too steep.”

The plan had been shoddy from the start. Cornal had intended to abort it the moment even a single seam began to fray.

And yet, events had unfolded in an eerily perfect way as he hoped. He had believed the trap was flawless, that the prey was completely ensnared. But the prey somehow managed to bring them down at their strongest. 

As Cornal muttered weakly, looking utterly drained, his subordinates spoke up hesitantly.

“W-well… a small loss in the face of a greater cause, surely.”

“That’s exactly right. That man called Red was just guessing when he rudely claimed you were nothing more than a cash cow for the organization, but you are, beyond any doubt—”

“Who’s there?!”

Cornal abruptly cut his aide off and raised his staff.

At the same instant, something came flying from the direction he’d turned his staff.

One of the subordinate instantly stepped in front of Cornal and reflexively slashed the projectile out of the air.

“Crap—!”

It was a Dorian fruit. An overpowering stench exploded outward the moment it was split open, flooding the area.

“G—gah…!”

As his two subordinates groaned and collapsed, Cornal hurriedly wrapped himself in holy magic, barely managing to stay conscious.

“…An accomplice of his, I suppose. How did you figure this place?”

Cornal asked, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

The child pointed toward the exit of the hidden passage they had just used. 

"It's the Sealing Stone of Serpent. Flies were hovering around it until a while ago, and there were traces of it being moved from earlier. You must have moved it to affirm the passageway, didn't you? An escape route if the situation ever turns wrong in Holy Land, I presume."

“That *Seal Serpent Rock*. Flies were swarming around it earlier, and there were signs it had been moved recently. You checked it beforehand, didn’t you? An escape route for abandoning the holy land if things went south.”

As Coco picked up another fruit he’d prepared and held it ready, Cornal edged backward.

It wasn't an impromptu move. Coco had crushed a paralytic poison herb and stuffed it into his nostrils, completely killing his sense of smell.

“What the hell is this stench?!”

“Guh—do not let go of your consciousness! Move slowly!”

Shouts from what sounded like Leverance family's knights, clearly in pursuit, echoed from the hidden passage the three men had just emerged from.

Still retreating step by step, Cornal addressed the boy.

“…Your name, child.”

“…Coconial Canardia. And my words of advice, too. You should really stop making an enemy of Allen.”

“That clan, hm… I see. Very well. I’ll remember that name.”

Cornal did not respond to Coco’s warning. Leaving his two fallen attendants behind, he vanished into the forest at his back.

◆

The massive front doors of the Tower of Genesis—long sealed shut—opened from the inside. 

The ancient door, ever only opened for the candidates during their acceptance or completion of trail, held deep symbolic meaning to those who lived in this Holy Land.

"Brother Ren! Big sister!"

At Rina’s cry, every gaze snapped toward the doors. 

Allen emerged out, however not in the triumphant figure one might expect of the hero who had just slain the King of Flies. His gait was staggering, and a scowl covered his face. Jeu was after him, watching his back with a profound and serene smile like Goddess Hariti.

"...Ack."

"Ah! Are you all right, Allen-san?”

"I will carry the wand for you, Big sister."

Allen staggered so badly that even managing the three short steps was a struggle. Jue instinctively reached out to steady him, and Rina quickly took the staff from Jue’s hands.

““Ooooooohhh…!!””

For some reason, the holy knights and priests let out low groans, and one by one—without anyone prompting them—they began to drop to their knees.

The reason was obvious.

That tableau—the hero who had faced unimaginable trials, the praying saint who had sworn with a choker to support him for life, and the attendant said to have served the saint alone—perfectly mirrored *The Oath*, the famous painting depicting the Hydrangea family’s founding myth.

When he finally got a grip on himself, the sight of hundreds of people kneeling like sinners petrified Allen. 

From somewhere, the familiar voices of the morning prayer began to rise, and in an instant, they spread. The prayer swelled like a raging tide, rolling through the plaza with overwhelming force.

After standing there in stunned silence for a while, Allen finally tilted his head back, covered his eyes with his right hand, and burst into maniac laughter.

“…Kukuku… —HYAHAHAHA!” 

No matter how you looked at it, he resembled a thoroughly unhinged villain. And yet, the prayers did not stop.

If anything, the more Allen laughed, the more his sheer eccentric act deepened the awe and fear in the crowd's hearts.

On that day—

The morning prayer that echoed through the pure and sacred land was filled with an unprecedented sense of unity, and with fervent wishes for peace and order in the world.

With that day as a new slate, the Holy Land—and the Neo-Starlight Teaching—would surely be reborn anew. 

The premonion echoed within everyone's heart.

◆

“…Kukuku… —HYAHAHAHA!” 

Jue burned the sight of Allen’s laughing profile into her memory.

Despite having accomplished a deed of historic magnitude, despite being openly revered by the paladins and high priests of the Neo-Starlight faith who had gathered here from all over the world, the face hidden behind his hand looked almost… twisted with sorrow.

A storm of emotion surged violently within Jue, and without thinking, she reached up and touched the choker at her throat.

—Say, Allen-san… Just what are you fighting against?

I see the act you sometimes put on—of a “tragic human who fell into darkness, was exploited by demons, and then discarded like a filthy rag”. What meaning does it truly hold?

I doubt you would ever tell me, don't you? 

It maybe your kindness to keep it confide within yourself. And it indeed feels lonely... but. 

I also took an oath. 

What you're silently protecting behind you, I will be there to protect it alongside. Even if the world bares its fangs on you, I, Jeuri Leverance, will never leave your side. 

—It's my oath, to my first love. 

“…Kukuku… —HYAHAHAHA! Hyaha......... let's leave.” 

Allen spilled out in a tired tone. Jeu replied with a beaming smile.

"Of course!"

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