At first, I thought I had misheard.
The sound mingled with the rain, making it all the more likely. Had my hearing not become unusually sharp, I would have passed it by without a thought.
*Thud!*
“It’s not a mistake, is it?”
Something was definitely making a loud noise. Peering outside with a puzzled expression, I saw the door of the adjacent building open and Xenon abruptly stick his head out.
“Oh? Lady Anelli? Were you there?”
Xenon, who looked at me with startled eyes, then glanced around.
“Then where on earth has that knight gone?”
“Samuel left his post?”
“Yes. I sent him to fetch you, Lady Anelli, but he wasn’t coming back, so I came out to check and…”
*Thud!*
Another loud rumble echoed. This time, it was a bit louder, and it seemed Xenon and a few Dullahans had noticed it too.
I couldn’t tell which direction the sound came from. One more time, and I might be able to pinpoint it.
Staring intently into the pitch-black darkness beyond, I suddenly realized Pallides was nowhere to be seen.
Now that I think of it…
‘The day Pallides first met Samuel.’
I recalled Pallides, who had shown intense hostility toward Samuel. Even while remembering nothing, Pallides had declared Samuel a dangerous man.
“Mori.”
[Yes, yes!]
“Did Pallides die here?”
Though phrased as a question, I was inwardly almost certain. Mori looked at me with wavering eyes and stammered a reply.
[Yes…]
I took a deep breath.
*Crash! Bang!*
This time, I could finally pinpoint the direction the sound was coming from.
* * *
The rain-soaked ground was utterly unsuitable for fighting.
Moreover, the dark surroundings and the debris of ruins underfoot all hindered combat. Every environmental factor was significantly worse than in the past.
But such things posed no problem for Pallides.
Thinking that after the long wait, she had gained at least one thing, Pallides smiled coldly.
*Clang!*
Pallides’s sword, having deflected her opponent’s blade, twisted in a diagonal line, aiming for the nape of his neck.
There was not a hint of hesitation in the sharp force that cleaved the air. However, Samuel, who swiftly ducked, defended with his sword and took a large step back.
Samuel’s body, moving hastily, stepped on slippery mud and debris, momentarily faltering.
Pallides did not miss that opening and swung her sword again.
*Clang! Clang!*
Following the successive clashing of blades, sharp noises assaulted the ears. Samuel, who had staggered briefly, was somehow managing to block the relentless onslaught.
But he was being pushed back, step by step. Pallides gritted her teeth and glared fiercely.
*Thwack!*
The sword swung with all her might missed its target and struck a nearby wooden crate with a dull thud. So forceful was the swing that the crate splintered into a pitiful state.
Samuel, who had leaped back well outside the sword’s reach, calmly adjusted his stance.
“Ha…”
Pallides, breathing roughly as she glared at Samuel, muttered in a nervous voice.
“You don’t actually believe you can defeat me without using divine power, do you?”
Samuel did not answer Pallides’s question. He simply watched her attacks quietly, sword in hand.
He didn’t look particularly careless or as if he was looking down on her.
But it was clear he had no intention of taking the offensive.
That was what soured Pallides’s mood. That damned traitor, not even doing his best, focusing solely on defense.
“Fine, let’s see how long you can keep up that composure.”
Just like in the past, he was deceiving her, and the other knights, and the Captain.
As if he alone was swept up in righteous feelings.
“Just die!”
With a sound of tearing air, the blade menacingly split the void. Attacks that had become faster and stronger traced irregular trajectories, ceaselessly continuing.
*Grind!*
And finally, the moment a dark energy flickered along Pallides’s blade, the tightly locked blades tilted to one side.
Just as Samuel tried to right his wobbling sword, Pallides kicked him hard in the shin.
Samuel grimaced as his leg was caught against the hard armor.
Simultaneously, Pallides twisted her upright sword and thrust the tip in one swift motion.
*Thud!*
The blade, skillfully slipping between the armor plates, was driven halfway in.
“Kgh!”
Samuel, who had been purely defensive until now, swung his sword properly for the first time. He pulled out the sword Pallides had thrust in one swift motion and evaded the attack.
Having barely created distance from Pallides, Samuel pressed down hard on his shoulder area with one hand. Thick blood welled up between his fingers.
The scent of blood mixed into the surroundings already filled with the damp smell of water.
Pallides gave him no respite and swung her sword again. Samuel chose to leap back further rather than engage in attack and defense.
“…Are you still not satisfied?”
Samuel asked in a low voice, gritting his teeth as if enduring pain.
Pallides, who had been about to charge to finally cut off his breath, faltered at his words.
“Ha, what did you say?”
The murderous intent in Pallides’s eyes grew steadily thicker.
“Satisfied?”
The scent of blood spreading through the air was growing stronger. Perhaps the wound was deeper than expected, as the steadily flowing blood was visibly distinct.
Was that why? Pallides easily recalled a scene from the past.
Samuel, who had already cut down two knights and stood before her, had pointed his dripping sword at her.
In every moment their swords clashed, Pallides smelled the blood of her comrades. The blood droplets scattering in the air were all from her comrades.
“It would take more than that for my anger to be satisfied.”
Samuel was not alone. Samuel had led those who followed his birth, and Veladia Castle was trampled by them.
This place was the residential area where those who had regained their freedom under the Captain’s mercy once lived.
Because the Captain wanted to save everyone, Pallides wanted to protect everyone.
But while Pallides was dealing with Samuel, the surroundings turned to ruins, and many who had come here seeking freedom were sacrificed.
“Can’t you see this ruin with your own eyes?”
If he hadn’t betrayed them. If he hadn’t brought enemies to this small paradise the Captain had created.
This place would never have collapsed like this.
Pallides fiercely raised her eyes.
“Even if I tear you to shreds and kill you, my anger won’t be satisfied!”
“The past…”
Samuel, listening to Pallides’s words while dripping blood, slowly parted his lips.
“…is something that has already happened. I am standing here now to deal with that matter.”
“You shameless bastard! If only you hadn’t done such a thing in the first place!”
I’ll tear that mouth apart. I’ll cut his throat and scatter his hot blood everywhere to avenge everyone!
Pallides gripped her sword, filled with rage. Unconsciously, a faint dark energy began to flow from her body.
It resembled the black smoke she emanated when in her Dullahan form.
Pallides took a deep breath. This power surging from deep within her chest grew stronger the more she was consumed by anger.
At this rate, she might soon lose control.
‘But so what?’
If it meant she could execute that traitor, she would accept it willingly…!
“Pallides!”
An urgent call sharply jolted Pallides back to her senses.
As if doused with cold water, Pallides flinched and swiftly turned her head toward the sound.
“…Captain.”
Anelli, who seemed to have run over in haste, was breathing roughly. Other knights were beside her.
Anelli looked at Pallides, then shifted her gaze to Samuel, who was facing her. Anelli’s expression immediately hardened.
Even from a distance and in the dark, she seemed to have noticed Samuel’s injury.
Anelli’s lips moved as if she was about to say something to Samuel, but in the end, she pressed her lips tightly together and shifted her gaze back to Pallides.
“If you’ve regained your head, you should have told me. Acting on your own like this…”
“I don’t want to.”
Pallides spoke the moment Anelli took a step toward her.
“It can’t be, Captain.”
Anelli, who had been trying to calmly soothe Pallides, fell silent for a moment with a subtle expression. Then she soon asked in a composed tone.
“What can’t be, Pallides?”
“Peace.”
Pallides could feel the pitying gazes of the other knights beside Anelli. But Pallides paid them no mind.
They hadn’t regained their heads yet. So they couldn’t possibly understand Pallides’s feelings.
Nor the memories that surged like a tidal wave, and the painful emotions revived because of them.
“Two have already disappeared. In the future, perhaps two or three might attain peace at once. So it can’t be, Captain.”
Suppressing her desperate feelings, Pallides forcefully gripped her sword hilt.
“What do you think he’ll do to the Captain after we’re gone?”
As she roughly raised her sword to point at Samuel, the blood on the blade plopped to the ground.
It was Samuel’s blood, not yet washed away by the rain.
“How can I attain peace alone, leaving a traitor behind? He betrayed the Captain.”
How could she allow such a situation to happen again? The mistake of failing to protect the Captain to the end and making way for that detestable traitor—once was enough.
“Pallides, I was the one who permitted Sir Samuel’s accompaniment.”
“Losing the Captain once is enough.”
At Pallides’s words mixed with resentment, Anelli let out a shallow sigh.
Despite the劝阻 of the surrounding knights, she slowly approached Pallides.
“I allowed Samuel’s accompaniment to help you all regain your heads.”
“That’s…!”
“Pallides, I was curious about your face.”
At the unexpected words, Pallides’s shoulders stiffened rigidly. Anelli, having come right before the dazed Pallides, carefully reached out both hands.
The damp helmet clattered as it was lifted. The view, which had been somehow strangely stifling, opened up, and her head felt very light.
Pallides stared blankly at her own helmet in Anelli’s hands. Then slowly raised her gaze.
“I wanted to look into your eyes.”
Hearing that, her throat tightened. A stinging, bitter sob, unfelt since losing her head, surged from her throat.
Pallides’s cheeks were instantly wet.
“If I must leave your side, Captain. If that is the peace I must meet…”
Pallides paused for a moment, then soon whispered in a small voice.
“I don’t want peace, Captain…”