Cheonmae and Parco.
In truth, the two of them had been building a bold plan: secretly break through the outer wall and conduct reconnaissance inside. But the plan was never meant to happen—they ran into a massive force moving toward the estate.
— I’ve got a bad feeling... For now, we follow them.
— ...Yeah.
And, just as expected, their instincts did not fail them. Cheonmae and Parco instantly lost their composure when they saw the unbelievable sight before them.
— ...Gunther.
Parco’s voice trembled violently. They already knew Gunther had been brainwashed.
But somewhere deep inside, he had involuntarily believed. That guy always shattered every obstacle in the craziest ways possible. Maybe Gunther had still found some miraculous way out? Maybe he would solve everything with the Magnificences and greet them with a wide grin?
Yet what unfolded before Parco’s eyes was the exact opposite of what he had hoped for. The sinister aura pouring off him said the stage of the brainwashing had sunk even deeper.
Before them stood a figure wrapped in flame and steel. Militiamen without even proper equipment let out cries full of despair. For a moment Parco’s mind clouded over, and he shook his head sharply to come back to himself.
At that moment.
Creeeak!
The sound of a massive bowstring being drawn snapped Parco back to his senses. He hurriedly looked at Cheonmae.
— S-Senior!
— ...Don’t panic. I’m not about to put an arrow through that idiot’s skull.
Cheonmae’s voice was icy, and her sharp azure eyes were already locked onto the target.
An archer’s eyes are special. Even in weather like this, she could clearly distinguish the two figures standing atop the wall. Two girls who looked like black-haired twins, but the energy of one of them was incomparably stronger.
“A chance to shoot a Magnificence, then...”
For some reason, the target seemed strangely exposed. Cheonmae’s fingers gripping the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) string tensed harder.
Cheonmae had fought Luthien for a long time, so she knew the traits of every Magnificence better than anyone else. The Magnificence of Repose possessed absurdly powerful mental abilities, but her physical parameters lagged far behind.
“If luck is on my side... I can kill her.”
At the very least, she could inflict a mortal wound. Then even the brainwashing ability would crack. After all, Noonday Arrow was a technique carrying immense evil-banishing force.
— Fuuuuh...
The arc of the massive bow bent and twisted. Cheonmae’s heavy breathing merged with the whistle of the wind. She had always been far removed from tension, but right now she could distinctly feel cold sweat running down her spine.
This was responsibility. The responsibility of the senior.
Cheonmae had seen at a glance how much effort Remesia had put into subjugating Gunther.
She must have thought she had hit the jackpot. He was a special guy. Which meant if they did not strike her right now, Gunther’s mind might never be freed.
And that meant that soon, she herself might have to kill him. Gunther possessed a vast amount of Night Raven’s top-secret information. She did not want to see the first rescue group, which was surely already racing here aboard the Black Cloud, transformed into a liquidation squad.
“Please.”
A word she had forgotten long ago quietly revived in Cheonmae’s heart.
The maximum-charge strike she had fired in the battle against Albino was impossible right now. If the enemy noticed even a hint and hid, it would all be over.
“Please!”
Her concentration reached its peak. The silhouette of the target, which had seemed like a dot, suddenly enlarged sharply, as though it had been pulled directly before her eyes. A girl whose face was frozen in extreme astonishment for some reason. Hatred flared in Cheonmae’s eyes.
“Die!!!!”
BA-A-A-A-A-A-AAM!
The string was released. The arrow, filled with the power of noonday, carved a golden trail through the air and crossed the battlefield.
.
.
.
And then one silhouette took the shot upon itself. The roar and steam scattered. Seeing the identity of the interference, Cheonmae let out a hollow sigh.
— Already...
***
Utter chaos reigned atop the wall. A monstrous shockwave shook the stone floor, the railing half-collapsed, showering the lower levels with fragments. The superheated air was so hot it felt as though it could boil skin alive. Remesia curled into herself, exhaling raggedly.
— W-what was that!
Her eyes darted rapidly around. Rem, who had been thrown away by the shockwave. The devastation all around. Only belatedly did the holy knights and priests she had kept at a distance begin running toward her.
— U-uh...
At the center of this hell, pure terror flooded her.
The terror that her life had nearly been snuffed out that easily.
Of course, the moment the arrow was fired she had managed to erect a defensive barrier. But that alone would have been catastrophically insufficient. The Noonday Arrow that struck the wall possessed enough force to pierce through defenses instantly. Even if she had not died, she would certainly have suffered horrifying injuries.
There was only one reason she remained unharmed.
The being that had stepped in front of her.
Remesia, trembling all over, whispered the name.
— G-Gunther...
She did not know. She truly did not understand. Why had he, who only moments ago had been desperately resisting the brainwashing, suddenly leapt onto the wall and shielded her from the shot?
— Y-you... you saved me?
As she involuntarily reached out, Remesia saw the state he was in.
— ......
Gunther’s condition was miserable. Though he had unleashed Scarlet Flame while simultaneously activating the maximum level of Eyes of the Tyrant to block the shot, his opponent had been Cheonmae. Even if it had not been a full-power strike, an attack like that could never be taken without consequence.
His right arm had been completely twisted and hung at an unnatural angle. The shattered bones of his shoulder were digging into the armor from inside. Because the shockwave of the arrow had rippled through his entire body, it seemed his internal organs had been turned into pulp. Something hot surged up from deep in his chest.
The warm, salty taste of blood. A monstrous pain that even the brainwashing could not fully dull. Swallowing the blood, Gunther thought:
“...At least I got through it.”
It was not fatal. Even so, it had been luck. If Cheonmae’s arrow had not arrived at exactly the right time, his mind would have completely collapsed by now.
Gunther recalled the last few minutes, which felt hazy. At that moment, he realized something else about himself.
“To think I’m this stubborn... completely incapable of compromise...”
He had tried to convince himself this was sacrificing the small for the great. That he would make up for it later, that it was not a loss, that from the standpoint of efficiency this was the correct choice—he had repeated that to himself endlessly.
But the moment innocent people he had to kill stood before him... every one of those arguments went dark.
Gunther had always been the kind of person who dragged the reality in front of him into view and faced it head-on. There had never been room in his nature for cowardly escape or self-deception.
[Blessing of Marien gives you strength]
In the end, when he came back to himself, he “resisted” the brainwashing for the first time.
But it was not some noble or heroic act.
It was simply horrifying.
The sensation of suffocating in the deep sea and being forced to dive even deeper. Like dying of thirst while dry desert sand was shoved into your mouth.
The feeling that he had to personally destroy his own survival instinct.
If he had endured just a little longer, his mind truly would have shattered into pieces.
And he never would have returned.
[Alphonse of Red Street folds his arms across his chest with a rare expression of anger]
[King of Ninety-Nine Defeats looks at you with a thoughtful expression]
[Drug-Addicted Saint sheds tears at the sight of your suffering]
“...Isn’t that nice?”
If he could, he would have smiled faintly.
Behind the visor of his helmet. In his hazy vision he saw the reinforcements retreating, carrying the wounded. Cheonmae was somewhere nearby. She would surely cover them.
Yes, the battle was over. Even Remesia would not send him back onto the battlefield in this state.
— You...
Right on time, Remesia’s voice was heard. Gunther’s mangled body turned toward her on its own...
— Stand still.
The confused voice reached Gunther’s ears as he froze in an awkward pose.
— ...Why did you protect me? You were resisting so desperately just moments ago.
— ......
Remesia was mistaken.
More precisely, he had escaped into the concept of “protection.”
“The result is the same... but the intent is different.”
Because Gunther had already seen Noonday Arrow before, he was familiar with the warning signs and mana fluctuations of the skill. So the moment he noticed Cheonmae preparing the shot, he concentrated every nerve on the thought: “I must protect.”
For Gunther’s nature, “protecting” was far more comfortable than killing and harming. And by the very structure of the brainwashing, an act directed toward protecting the subject of the brainwashing—Remesia—was the most natural and fitting thing possible.
In that brief instant he formed a hypothesis.
What if he embraced the thought of protecting Remesia? With high probability, the brainwashing would interpret that action as “loyalty.” And then the force of the suggestion trying to crush his spirit would recede.
And the calculation had been correct. The brainwashing instantly recognized him as an “obedient protector,” and in that short interval Gunther was able to seize hold of his consciousness and keep it.
In other words, he had protected Remesia not for her sake, but because he chose it as the most efficient way not to break himself. Nothing more.
“Good, it worked out. It worked out, but...”
There was only one problem.
Gunther collapsed to the ground, thinking:
“...What am I supposed to do about the others now?”
Cheonmae’s misunderstanding was obvious. She would surely conclude that the brainwashing had reached its peak.
“By now reinforcements from Border City should also be on the way...”
Would they assemble a Gunther Extermination Squad?
Even he could not predict what his comrades would choose. Especially in his current state... that was beyond him. Gunther spat out a clot of blood.
“Seriously... her brute strength is insane.”
His vision began to fade.
And the last thing he saw in that flickering darkness was, surprisingly, Remesia’s face. She had run over and was looking down at him.
How should he put it.
...She had a very strange expression.
***
The dark room was steeped in a faint fragrance. The walls, the table, the windowsills—everything was lined with small aromatic candles. All of them gave off scents that promoted peace and calm.
At the center of the room, a black-haired girl lay on the bed.
She did not seem to be sleeping. Her breathing occasionally turned uneven, as though some thoughts were tormenting her.
...And at that moment.
The crystal sphere on the table began to vibrate in a low hum.
— ......
Normally, Remesia would have rushed to answer at once.
This was the most anticipated time of day, after all. To respond instantly to “His” call was only natural.
But today.
For the first time, she moved a little slowly.
— ...Ha.
Letting out a light sigh, she touched the crystal sphere.
U-u-u-u-u-un...
On the other side of its surface, a middle-aged man appeared.
Narrow slit-like eyes and a dry face. For those before whom he had no need to pretend kindness, he always kept an expressionless face.
— G-good morning, Masiu.
[I will soon depart for the border. How is the target’s brainwashing progressing? Is everything proceeding smoothly?]
Remesia unconsciously swallowed.
— Everything is going well, don’t worry.
