Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 95

The week-long recovery mission had come to an end. The ruins weren’t completely cleaned up, but the immediate fires had been extinguished, and Verotanis’s task force would rest for two days before heading to their next assignment.

 

“We knew the call for help wasn’t far away, but we didn’t expect it to be so soon,” he says.

 

“Still, we’re on our way back to Verotanis, so let’s be strong.”

 

The tired strangers shoveled sloppy meals into their mouths. One boy with black circles under his eyes grumbled.

 

“When are they going to start practicing combat? I’m supposed to be a knight, not helping with recovery efforts.”

 

“There’s no shortage of knights here.”

 

Allen nudged the boy with an elbow to get his attention.

 

“Even if we are knights, we’re still in the dreaded apprenticeship level, and it doesn’t make sense to put us in the field right away.”

 

“Hmph. That’s true.”

 

Allen nodded at his mild admission, then looked back at Lucian.

 

“Lucian, in that spirit, would you like to challenge me to a duel?”

 

“No.”

 

“Eek!”

 

In truth, it was Allen who was fuming. It was partly because he hadn’t been able to do his daily training due to the recovery work, but more than that, it was the difference in talent that was evident even in the most menial of tasks that had spurred him on.

 

“Lucian can use an auror, so the scope of what he can do is different.”

 

Even the simple task of repairing ruins had different roles depending on their stats. Where Allen’s job was to move heavy boulders or chop down fallen timbers, Lucian would cut rocks and cut the remains of buildings.

 

The School of Magic was no different. The work was done first, and on the fifth day, Allen was sent out to support the shoreline.

 

“I can’t believe Cordelia’s pushing back the ocean, but Felix, he’s building a dike, and they’re monsters!”

 

Allen’s role seemed so insignificant in comparison to his demi-human peers.

 

“And Eileen, with a wave of her hand, she’s restoring dead plants and reclaiming the land, and they’re all the same!”

 

Tacky, tacky, tacky.

 

Pouting his lips, Allen timidly stretched his middle finger under the table. Meanwhile, he wasn’t the only one shocked by the other’s performance.

 

“That was amazing.”

 

Eileen thought back to the collaboration she’d seen the day before between Felix and Cordelia. Under Cordelia’s command, Felix had built an elaborate dike in no time at all, drawing in water spirits and boulders the size of houses to gather the ocean like sheep.

 

The image of Bella, carrying a large load at once a few days ago, loomed over her back. She thought of a lost future where she was the youngest matriarch.

 

‘The way you live your life may change, but your talent remains the same.’

 

The first day of the restoration. She had first witnessed a young Felix slaying Forss in the lost past, thanks to Eileen’s intervention, and had since seen the missing scenes told intermittently from Felix’s point of view.

 

‘It’s like the first time I met Cordelia.’

 

Eileen’s face softened slightly as she recalled what had happened to Felix after he’d exterminated Forss in the original flow.

 

Like a rampage, Felix had extinguished all life in the mansion and walked aimlessly away from its deathly aura. Instinctively, he took to the forest paths like a man avoiding a human, and didn’t stop walking even when his flimsy shoes came off and stained the soles of his feet red.

 

He walked for ten days and ten nights.

 

The sudden manifestation of the child’s magic made it impossible for him to die, no matter how exhausted he was. Even when the Count was destroyed, no pursuer appeared.

 

It was Rosalia who stood in the way of the child who seemed to walk forever.

 

“Your feet are covered in blood, you must be hurting.

 

“……”

 

A woman with hair redder than the blood on Felix’s feet knelt down in front of him and asked, “Why don’t you come with me? The stars are worried about you, and I’m worried about you, too.”

 

Felix obediently took Rosalia’s hand. He had already come from Hell, so he had no reason to be reluctant. Taking his skinny hand in hers, Rosalia furrowed her brow.

 

“Someone has tampered with your heart. It’s full of death. It’s been gathered and popped on purpose, and the road is ruined.”

 

Rosalia, who had been rambling on incoherently, clapped her hands.

 

“But don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

 

With that, Felix, who had been staring blankly at her smiling wryly, collapsed into Rosalia’s arms. His body felt strangely relaxed and drowsy.

 

“Ugh, ,my strength is garbage, can I use some lightweight magic on you?!”

 

Rosalia said something more, but Felix’s eyelids felt like a thousand muscles, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open. And so, in her arms, he made his way to the tower, where he lost her.

 

 

***

 

 

“…Master?”

 

Back in the tower, in a ramshackle wooden coffin, a red-haired woman lay.

 

Felix stared blankly at Rosalia, her body clean and unmarked, her robes immaculate, seemingly asleep. Razavel, guarding the coffin beside him, turned her back to Felix and spoke.

 

“It’s not your fault.”

 

Razavel stroked Rosalia’s head slowly with a trembling hand. Caught up in the machinations of the squabbling upper echelons of the tower, the young mage of dazzling promise had fallen. Razavel felt terribly tired as she magically repaired and robed her apprentice, who had been torn apart from head to toe.

 

Rosalia, who had fled to freedom, took the scarred child as her apprentice and returned to the tower herself to repair the child’s broken mana circuitry.

 

“If I hadn’t picked that child up, he’d still be roaming the world like a free comet.”

 

Inwardly, a twenty-something blossomed inside Razavel, blaming Felix, but she knew it was not the child’s fault. She herself had failed to protect Rosalia.

 

‘Who am I to blame if not myself?’

 

Razavel smiled contemplatively, unaware of how quickly Felix was falling apart behind her back, of the way the true killing intent filled him.

 

“You said you’d stay with me…”

 

A small word, barely more than a mutter. The moment the words were uttered, Felix’s heart spewed black smoke once more, thick, cold murderous intent swirling through the circuitry broken on the day of the massacre. The soul of a child, mutilated in one massacre, had been ripped out again.

 

Razavel, catching up, screamed.

 

“It’s not your fault, Felix, calm down!”

 

But Felix was on a rampage that even the power of the Transcendent could not contain. Razavel chewed her lip. If she used her magic to kill Felix, she might be able to restrain him.

 

But Felix was the only thing Rosalia had left.

 

That moment of hesitation opened the door to a confrontation, and no one could have imagined that Felix, now invisible, would blow the Matriarch’s head off.

 

 

***

 

 

“Eileen, are you okay?”

 

“Huh? Huh. I’m fine, I’m just tired, I guess I got a little dazed.”

 

Felix looked at her with concern as Eileen continued to eat and think. Snapping out of her reverie, Eileen forced the corners of her mouth to smile and popped a piece of bread into her mouth.

 

‘In the Lost Tales, Felix was already younger than he is now, when he killed the Matriarch and usurped her power.’

 

The Felix who became the Matriarch was overwhelmingly stronger than the Felix of today, but he was also completely broken.

 

‘He’s not as strong as he was then, but he’s much better now, and Rosalia is safe.’

 

Lucian watched Eileen munching on the bread with slightly moistened eyes, then slid his own piece of bread to her.

 

“Were you hungry?”

 

Cordelia shook her head at the sight. The four of them finished eating and stood up.

 

“Shall we walk a bit?”

 

Eileen, who was leaving the dining room with her hand on her swollen stomach, looked up when she felt a tap at the door.

 

“Laquerta!”

 

Eileen smiled brightly as she recognized her visitor. Laquerta stood there, his hair loosely tied back.

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

It had certainly been a long time. Unlike the recovery teams, the healers hadn’t been allowed out of the wards set aside for them in the refuge. The sheer number of wounded had kept them busy.

 

“How’s your work as a healer going? Did you eat well?”

 

“I ate well, but I heard you’re leaving for the next mission.”

 

“Yes, I see.”

 

Laquerta walked slowly after Eileen.

 

“I can’t go. There are still many patients left.”

 

The area they were being sent to this time was fortunately lightly populated, so there weren’t as many patients to heal, so the Auxiliary students had decided to stay with the Contras.

 

“Yeah, it’s a shame, I wanted to help.”

 

Eileen said with genuine regret. She had thought about creating a spirit garden to help the wounded recover, just as she had helped Theresia recover, but it would take a long time to cultivate a garden that could promote healing.

 

Besides, the imperial family and the temple wanted Eileen, as a contractor of the divine beast, to exterminate demons.

 

“It’s okay. I’m very good at it.”

 

Laquerta shrugged and puffed out his chest. Eileen smirked at the unwarranted compliment.

 

“I’m free today for some reason, so I thought I’d say goodbye early.”

 

“I see. You should be careful, too. Oh, and your hair is loose.”

 

As they were saying goodbye, the braid that held Laquerta’s thick hair in place slipped loose. Eileen caught the braid as it was about to fall to the ground and handed it back to Laquerta.

 

Staring at it, Laquerta’s head snapped up.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You tie it.”