NOVEL NEXT Chapter 293
Chel’s vision suddenly began to blur.
Even a simple stab wound was fatal, but in this case, it was as if he’d been pierced through the abdomen with a sword imbued with crimson flame that literally melted his armor.
And with the wound being scorched by fire—just staying alive was nothing short of a miracle.
He felt like he was about to lose consciousness, but Chel knew all too well what losing consciousness meant right now: death.
He couldn’t perish this way, so meaningless and futile.
At the very least, he had to know what the man who killed him was thinking.
Looking up at Sir Swoen, Chel clenched his teeth and mustered every ounce of strength to mutter,
“Swoen… you bastard… when…?”
How could I not detect someone sneaking up on me?
Before Chel could even voice his suspicion, Swoen’s voice cut in again,
“It wasn’t because you’re stupid and didn’t notice. You simply fell into a trap I prepared to lower your vigilance.”
“What… are you talking about…”
“Didn’t you hear that loud explosion? Surely you did.”
Swoen said this while planting his rapier into the ground.
Then—
A distant sound of an explosion echoed.
“These siege weapons… or rather, models of siege weapons, can be used from quite a distance. Our soldiers had already retreated from around them. All part of the plan.”
Siege weapons… they were decoys?
Realizing this only now, Chel understood how quickly things had unraveled, though it was far too late to change anything.
“You… you’re a mage… aren’t you?”
“No, not exactly. There’s more to it, but frankly, I doubt you’ll live long enough for me to explain everything.”
“As long as our soldiers feared encountering mages and stayed cautious, we were confident they’d fall into our trap. You bought it hook, line, and sinker. Too consumed by hatred to notice what Lady Iren was really doing. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’ve… been tricked… huh…”
Exactly. The reason Chel could chase after Iren was because everyone believed a mage would be on the battlefield.
“And besides, I knew from the start you wouldn’t resort to a siege.”
“…What…?”
“You feared mages, didn’t you? You wanted to avoid dying pointlessly.”
“You… how do you know that?”
“I just know everything.”
“…”
Swoen sighed briefly, saying,
“I never tell people this, but since you’re about to die anyway…”
It was true. With such a fatal wound to the abdomen, Chel wouldn’t last much longer. Even if he somehow survived, capture would surely lead to execution. He held no hope of mercy from Serpina.
“You… know everything…”
“Yes. Ultimately, you failed to deal any significant blow to our army. And furthermore…”
At that moment, Swoen’s empty gray eyes ignited with fiery intensity.
“…for attempting to kill Lady Iren, you will die here. I can forgive many things, but not that.”
So that’s it…
The subtle hostility in Swoen’s words finally made sense—it stemmed from his feelings for Iren.
Strangely, after hearing those words, Chel felt not anger or despair, but a profound sense of peace.
“Death… I’ve already… accepted it.”
“I always thought I’d die on the battlefield… I came into this war expecting to die…”
If the siege weapons were all elaborate fakes, then Chel hadn’t inflicted any real damage. Leading his troops in what amounted to a grand suicidal charge against overwhelming odds was all he managed to achieve.
Recalling Swoen’s claim of knowing everything, Chel instead remembered Lin’s rapid decline after losing Swoen.
When you lose someone like him…
“Lin… that’s why… she fell apart… because she lost you.”
—
Chel finally understood why he felt no rage, only calmness. Though defeated, his opponent wasn’t unworthy.
What he feared most wasn’t losing to a worthy rival on the battlefield—it was dying meaninglessly, falling victim to some absurd twist of fate.
But if it had to be someone like this…
Maybe it was inevitable.
“The moment you betrayed our army… it marked the end of Brance’s forces…”
“…”
“One last thing… whatever your reasons may be… don’t work for someone like Serpina…”
“That’s…!”
Before Swoen could retort angrily,
“…Sir Swoen…”
Reika interrupted, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
“He’s gone…”
—
“…”
“Sir Chel seems to have passed away…”
Only after Reika spoke did Swoen realize there was no light left in Chel’s eyes. No breath. His heart had stopped, yet blood still flowed from his body.
—
We won.
Again, reality matched the prediction.
Yet instead of relief, a heavy weight pressed down on my chest.
“Work against Lady Serpina? What does he know?”
Who is he to judge? He knows nothing about Lady Serpina, nothing about her rise to power…
Just then, someone placed their hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Lady Iren, having dismounted her horse.
“Calm down, Swoen. It’s over.”
“…”
There’s no point in raging and desecrating a dead man.
“Forgive me, Lady Iren.”
“No need. I understand your thoughts.”
Lady Iren gazed at Chel’s lifeless face.
“Serpina was the driving force behind Brance’s army back then. A hated enemy, yes, but also the reason for our morale. We believed ours was the only nation capable of stopping her, and that pride fueled us.”
Perhaps lost in thought, her purple eyes flickered momentarily.
From Lady Iren’s perspective, this must feel like crossing swords with a former comrade-in-arms, watching him die before her eyes. Even though he tried to kill her, the complexity of emotions must weigh heavily on her mind.
“Well, it wasn’t unique to Brance. Eishias’ army felt the same, and likely every other nation too… defeating Serpina was a shared goal. Everyone hated her. Back then, so did I, and all the commoners, all the vassals.”
“But…!”
Instead of me, Reika voiced her disagreement.
“We know better…! Lady Serpina… our Lord… she’s kind and gentle…! So… it’s okay. As long as there are people who understand her… maybe…”
Seeing Reika’s hesitant expression reminded me how unnecessarily tense I’d made the atmosphere.
I exhaled softly and gave her a light nod.
“Sorry for causing trouble. This happens often.”
“Not at all. You stand closest to our Lord, don’t you? It’s natural to feel conflicted.”
Better to change the subject.
“Still, what a monstrous man.”
“Hmm. If we’d faced each other one-on-one without my plan, I might have lost.”
“Is he really that strong? Chel?”
“Brance’s greatest swordsman wasn’t an empty title. Likely, only a handful across the continent could match him.”
“So that’s how strong he was…”
Though weakened significantly thanks to Irian’s earlier orders, recalling what might’ve happened if the ambush failed still sent chills down my spine. But everything worked out, so that’s that.
“Was he the strongest person you’ve ever met, Lady Iren?”
“Huh? No, not at all.”
“Someone stronger?”
She tilted her head curiously at my question.
“Strange that you, of all people, should ask this.”
“Me?”
And then, from her lips—
A name I never expected.
“Lady Luna.”
“…What???”
“What’s so surprising? Lady Luna’s martial arts surpass human limits. I could feel it just sparring with her a few times. Though we never fought to the end, I suspect she might be comparable… perhaps even stronger than Chel in his prime.”
“Lady Luna is THAT strong???”
“…You had no idea?”
“Yes.”
That delicate, compassionate woman—a martial god?
Of course, I knew she was physically strong. She carried me effortlessly during our forced march to Jeilrant Castle.
But I never imagined she was on par with someone like Chel…
Come to think of it…
Given how much all the vassals hate Lady Serpna, and considering how Lady Luna must feel having lost her sister…
“Is this… really okay?”
Not that my worries would change anything.
Still…
Since it’s Lady Luna, who trusts me, it’ll probably be fine.
With that thought, I moved on from gathering Chel’s remains and relocated.
—
Deprived of their commander, Chel’s forces predictably lost their fighting spirit and surrendered.
We easily occupied the vacant Alcanwood Castle without much resistance.
And with the yellow flag of Serpina’s army flying high above Alcanwood Castle—
Chel’s forces vanished into history, their legacy erased forever.