〈 Episode 265 〉 Reality and Ideals (2)
* * *
The implementation of the operation is one day away.
While the knights were busy preparing to march into Berta Gorge, Rania was in a field far away from the barracks. A wide open field.
There were piles of stones scattered across the field, and Rania was sitting on one of them. She clenched her chin as the wind blew.
Rania van Trias.
The wise man who hid his identity is now so uncomfortable that he is even depressed. Rania’s eyes looking at her fields are somehow empty.
“······.”
If anyone who knew Rania was to see Rania so silent, they would open their eyes wide and express surprise.
“You are here.”
There is someone who talks to her.
Rania turned her head at the voice ringing in her ears. There is Galahal who came across the field. Gala Hal, who met Rania’s eyes, gasped for a moment.
“···What’s going on?”
“Nothing happened.”
It seemed as if he was telling me not to ask any more questions.
Galahal was about to say something, but then closed his mouth. After a moment of silence, what he brought up was a different topic.
“I’ve been teaching Chloe for the past few days.”
Rania nodded.
This was something that had already been discussed with Galahal.
‘To blossom the nature of stars.’
Originally, it was the nature of a star to bloom only after receiving the star weapon and becoming sufficiently familiar with it… but I thought it might be possible with Chloe.
Even before the trials, he had used starlight, and he already possessed the star weapon in the form of Seongryu (??).
“result?”
“It didn’t bloom. But, I think I got a vague idea.”
Galahal said.
“Simple but effective. “It’s not something that has conditions like Destel or me… it’s the same type as Kyle.”
Destel is an imitation.
Galahal is a house.
‘It’s the nature of riding on conditions and stages.’
Unlike Kyle, which can attack with overwhelming power no matter where it is thrown, the Starlight operated by Destel and Galahal had somewhat strict conditions.
“It looks like Kyle’s?”
It was good news.
Rania asked a question, and Galahal trailed off, touching his chin.
“yes. “From what I guess…”
After a brief pause, Galahal spoke.
“It’s amplification.”
“···Amplification?”
“The output is overwhelming compared to the starlight we have. “I’ve heard that you have a unique constitution, but honestly, I’m a bit surprised.”
Galahal laughed bitterly.
“In terms of output alone, it far exceeds me. “I might be able to compete with Kyle.”
The total amount of stars is fixed.
It was surprising to Rania, who knew that it was distributed among four warriors.
‘I thought the output was strange, but…’
I didn’t expect it to be that much.
In any case, it was good news, so Rania smiled faintly. However, even that smile seems awkward to Galahal. Because his expression was different from usual.
“Rania.”
In the end, Galahal asked Rania a question.
“What did you hear from Destel?”
“I heard.”
Rania answered while resting her chin.
“A bastard who doesn’t know anything is muttering something…”
The tone of speech is fierce.
The voice is sharp, but the heat in the voice fades away after a while.
“It’s not that it’s wrong, but I can’t bear to say that it’s wrong, so I’m annoyed by that.”
Rania turned her head and looked at Galahal.
The bluish eyes contain complex emotions.
“What do you think of Destel?”
“You mean Destel?”
Galahal said, “Hmm,” and crossed his arms.
“well. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”
“···Destel really hates you.”
“haha. Things got a bit uncomfortable between us. This is unavoidable. “Because he did it in front of everyone.”
With all the knights watching, Galahal punched Destel in the face. He screamed as he grabbed Destel by the collar without resistance.
“Please cancel.”
“Meaningless, meaningless, words that insult the knights who died here today. “I told you to cancel, Destel.”
It was because I couldn’t bear it.
Galahal could not stand by and watch as the deaths of his comrades were humiliated and the shadows fell on the knights’ faces.
But, that is that and this is this.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Again, I don’t have a bad opinion of Destel. “At that time and there… Destel made a mistake, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t understand it.”
Galahal let out a short breath.
“It’s probably natural to be scared and feel worthless. “You have to be careful when you say that out loud.”
Rania, who had been silent, spoke.
“Destel has changed since then.”
Rania knows.
“I take sacrifice lightly, and unlike before, I don’t dream of high places. You try to settle for the present and stop moving forward. “Even though I can, I don’t do it.”
I’m not just talking about Destel.
I can do it, but I don’t.
He has to do it, but he doesn’t want to do it.
Suddenly, Rania gritted her teeth.
“You stopped. “I did that…”
“Rania.”
Galahal quietly called Rania’s name.
“I’m not saying that Destel is right. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, it is not something that cannot be understood. “As long as you don’t give up.”
“that···.”
“Don’t people have their own ways?”
Everyone has their own way.
Rania bit her lip at Galahal’s words. Because I understood that he was not just talking about Destel.
“I live with the idea of retirement as a habit, and although I seem to take sacrifice lightly, I am also thinking about Destel. Trying to find some answer. Knowing that, I don’t hate Destel.”
“…are you trying to find an answer?”
“Why would he still remain on the battlefield? “The reason why the Knight Commander kept Destel on the battlefield and why he treats her emotionally is because he knows that fact.”
It was Rania’s first time hearing this story.
“I can’t say it’s right.”
but.
“It’s something you can’t just blame for being wrong.”
Looking at it objectively, Destel is not a person worthy of being called a hero.
Sometimes they force you to make sacrifices and you hide like a coward. He is afraid of death and does not take the lead. Meanwhile, he sometimes preaches to others, pretending to know something.
He is a contradictory character.
Although it is contradictory.
“Isn’t that what humans are?”
That’s why we are human.
“Everyone can’t always look forward and run. “Sometimes you stop, sometimes you get lost… sometimes you get frustrated and step back.”
Because it’s not perfect.
“Because I am weak, because I know weakness, because I know fear.”
Because we are weak, running away, and afraid.
“Nevertheless, I want to overcome it.”
Nevertheless, to face forward.
“Isn’t he human?”
It’s human.
Galahar smiled as he said that.
“This is my favorite sentence. “This is a sentence left by Ganur, the hero of salvation.”
Galahar scratched the back of his neck as if embarrassed.
“Sometimes we may wander and stagnate… but won’t we move forward someday? As long as you yourself desire it.”
“···It’s an ideal theory.”
“Yes, that’s right. “I also know that the reality is not so easy and there are a lot of people who retreat and then stop altogether.”
Still, said Galahal.
“I believe it. “There will be a day when all that suffering will come to light.”
That is Galahal’s belief.
A belief that does not give way even in the face of reality.
Galahal’s eyes shine as he speaks of his beliefs. The eyes filled with platinum starlight are the eyes of a warrior.
“The day will come when we will see the light.”
Rania, who was thinking about those words, sighed and laughed.
“That’s a good thing.”
Rania took a long breath.
My concerns are still not resolved, and my mind is still complicated. But I couldn’t stay depressed forever.
“Thank you, Galahal.”
Rania said after coming down from the rock.
“Thanks to you, I feel a bit more comfortable.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
Rania shook the dust off her clothes.
I brushed away my flowing hair, closed my eyes, and then opened them. Her eyes sparkled blue.
“······.”
While looking at that.
“Rania.”
Galahal opened his mouth.
“Once this operation is over.”
Rania sees Galahal.
Galahal sees a different person in Rania.
“I would like to meet Raniel.”
“Do you think your thoughts have been organized?”
“Yes, funny enough, talking to you helped me organize my thoughts. And above all…”
Galahal laughed bitterly.
“Raniel, it seems like that friend needs counseling too.”
···Need consultation? I?
This was the moment when Rania blinked her eyes blankly. In the end, Galahal burst out laughing uncontrollably and spoke.
“With a face like that, wouldn’t you say you need counseling?”
“···what?”
“Then I guess that’s what it is.”
“Hey, wait a minute. “What did you just say…”
“We’ll talk again later.”
Galahal said with a mischievous smile.
“Raniel.”
Rania widened her eyes.
Immediately afterwards, regardless of what Rania said or not, Galahal waved his hand and left. After staring at her back for a while, Rania muttered absentmindedly.
“···what.”
Of course you knew.
Now that she realized that fact, the first thing Rania did was to stutter the words she had said in front of Galahal. In order to prevent an incident like the last time in Kelhalm from repeating itself.
Fortunately, I don’t have any history of getting gold paint on my face.
Inwardly relieved at that fact… Rania pressed her eyebrows together.
“It’s strange, why do I keep getting caught…”
I hid it because I said I would hide it, but why?
Everyone knows the answer.
It was an answer that only she knew.
2.
Bertha Canyon annihilation battle.
A place where Belial, the black dragon who reigned as a disaster for hundreds of years, finally fell at the hands of mankind. Therefore, this place is considered a symbol of victory.
Although it has become the land of the Demon King’s army only now that the front lines have retreated, it is also a place where humanity’s hope once sprouted.
Numerous knights gathered there.
As instructed, the knights maintain their formation and march toward the canyon. Some march forward across the plains, while others prepare to descend by throwing ropes from both sides of the canyon.
Raid, and annihilation.
This is the key word of this operation.
For the operation, Destel had been steadily spreading bait for several months. Now is the time to harvest what you have sown.
“Initiate.”
The operation begins with the sound of Destel.
In an instant, he begins to beat down the demon lord’s army that came upon him. Gathered here are knights who had enough to eat on the Eastern Front. I know how to deal with Dragon Bone Soldiers and how to deal with Necromancers.
Numerous knights move as one body.
『Maintain your ranks!』
『Be calm, quick, but calm!』
『Make sure to explode your head! Damn necromancers don’t survive until their heads explode!』
The operation proceeds smoothly.
Despite signs of successful operation popping up here and there, Destel just observed the situation with an expressionless expression. So far, things are going as expected.
Destel had been planning this operation for a long time.
He repeated the reconnaissance and recalculated several times to see if he had missed anything. Destel trusts the answer that comes after calculation. He did not overextend the front line by changing knights for no reason.
‘It’s only now.’
So, you have to be sure.
Destel’s eyes move quickly. Before she knew it, a platinum-colored coat was wrapped around her shoulders.
Shroud (？？), or sacred clothing.
Starlight surrounds Destel’s entire body, and eventually gathers into his field of vision. Destel’s pupils dilate.
The one he is imitating is Efta, a warrior called a great archer. Efta’s talent, which is said to allow him to see beyond a thousand miles, resides in Destel’s body.
In an instant, the expanded field of view provides a wide view of the battlefield.
Destel, who was checking the battlefield with bloodshot eyes, frowned. What comes into view is an obvious variable. Soon, an electric sound rings loudly in Destel’s ears.
『————, Encounter!』
『———Arbitrary, ———!』
The voice being heard is confusing.
Although it is confusing, the sound has one meaning. It means that a variable has occurred. Destel narrowed his eyebrows.
No matter how carefully you plan.
Even if you have a plan that is close to perfect.
This is the magic scene (？？).
A place where all kinds of unpredictable variables are rampant.
Because Destel knows that, he is not embarrassed. There is no way we would not have prepared for when a variable occurred. A strategy for him is also prepared.
“We will proceed.”
Destel raised his hand.
A situation where an unexpected variable occurs, a situation where one variable can ruin the entire operation. In such situations, there was always only one method for Destel to choose.
An electric sound rang out.
* * *
fantasy,
