Chapter 75
We decided to travel on foot. The horses were too scared to ride because of the torn sky and the falling lava rocks. Lucas and I pulled our hoods down low and stepped out of the imperial palace.
Once we crossed the barely intact gates of the imperial palace, the cityscape was much worse than during the last monster attack.
“It’s almost like a state of war…”
Lucas muttered in a pained voice. I, too, gazed at the scene with a gloomy expression.
Buildings were lined up in ruins. Smoke was rising from everywhere, and wails of despair echoed from all directions.
“My child, my child. Please, open your eyes.”
“Mother! Father!”
“The shop I’ve worked my whole life for…”
Mothers desperately calling their dead children, children crying out for their parents, people lost and devastated by the collapsed buildings, and Kaiden, who had fallen while trying to save me.
I muttered without realizing it.
“…If only I were a little stronger…”
If only I had been stronger, everything would have been okay.
The sounds of people crying were agonizing.
“Marion!”
[Marion!]
I heard a ringing in my ears, and my body swayed. Lucas, startled, grabbed me to steady me. Bled flapped his wings helplessly, unable to decide what to do.
“I-I’m sorry.”
I was so flustered. My strength had drained from my body, and I couldn’t stand properly.
Lucas, noticing, guided me into an alley where there were no people around. He found a sturdy wooden box lying on the ground and gently helped me sit on it.
“Are you alright?”
He crouched in front of me and asked. I felt embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. We still have a long way to go…”
I couldn’t even understand why I was acting like this. It wasn’t even cold, but my body was filled with an eerie chill, and I was trembling lightly. Bled wrapped his small arms around my neck.
Lucas, who had been staring at me quietly, spoke slowly.
“Marion, don’t feel guilty.”
“…What?”
Was I feeling guilty?
I was confused and couldn’t even respond properly when he looked at me with pity.
“I heard what you mumbled earlier. Marion, you are strong.”
“Ah…”
He heard that.
Lucas carefully took my hand. The warmth from his hand spread through mine.
“…When you said you would face the Demon Lord, I couldn’t understand why you would go this far. Like the Duke said, you two are Swordmasters, you could have escaped and lived.”
He was talking about the moment when the Demon Lord descended and Kaiden urged me to run. It wasn’t long ago, but it felt like it had happened ages ago.
“But… you said that nobles who eat delicious bread have a responsibility, and you wanted to die honorably.”
Lucas gave a small smile.
“That image made my heart tremble.”
I widened my eyes.
“Marion.”
He looked at me with steady eyes.
“A person who has accepted death cannot be weak.”
“……”
My insides heated up.
“You are stronger than anyone, noble, and beautiful.”
“…Thank you.”
I forced a smile, trying not to show my embarrassment.
It was comforting. In this hopeless situation, I felt grateful to Lucas for recognizing me and affirming my worth.
Through the alley, I could see the main street. Children were running and laughing innocently. Bright, carefree voices echoed between the people.
Yes. We still have a long way to go. Though things had become difficult, I would face the Demon Lord once again, with the resolve to die, for Kaiden and for all the people here.
“That’s why I must have started to like you.”
“…What?”
I slowly looked at him. He was smiling gently, watching me.
“I like you, Marion. Just in case, I want to make a proper confession.”
It wasn’t a mistake. He, Prince Lucas, was confessing his love to me.
“Uh… th-there…”
I stammered, unable to find my words. My mind went completely blank.
Oblivious to my confusion, Lucas continued speaking, his words casual as if they didn’t matter.
“I like everything about you — your strength, your genuine nature, and even your childlike side.”
“Ah, n-no, wait, Your Highness.”
Unable to hold myself back, I interrupted him. I quickly pulled my hand out of his grasp. But Lucas didn’t stop.
“Should I say everything I want to? I respect you, Marion, and I love you.”
“I-I already have someone I’m going to marry!”
I sprang to my feet in a panic and shouted, and he slowly stood up as well.
“Yeah, but I don’t care.”
He was relentless. I flushed bright red and stammered, and Lucas burst into laughter.
“I just want you to know that someone here loves and respects you.”
What was I supposed to say? Didn’t Lucas like Stella? In the original story, those two ended up getting married… My head was spinning.
Flustered and overwhelmed, I didn’t know how to respond, but Lucas, with a playful look on his face, spoke.
“If you ever get tired of the Duke, you can come to me.”
“No, that’s not going to happen.”
I answered reflexively, and he chuckled.
“You’re as sharp as ever. Are you feeling better now?”
“Ah…”
Now that I thought about it, I could feel my strength returning. Did Lucas say all that on purpose…?
“I’m serious.”
“……”
“Shall we go now?”
I pressed my lips together tightly and could only nod in response.
The journey to the Duke’s residence with Lucas felt awkward, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. He acted as if he had never confessed to me, just like he usually did.
No matter what his feelings were, I felt a sense of relief. Lucas was such a good person, but I had already decided that it had to be Kaiden.
The people at the Duke’s residence were safe. The mansion was so vast that there were lava rocks scattered everywhere, but there weren’t many injured.
Thanks to the Duke, who had been in charge, the casualties were remarkably low.
However, because of the Duke’s age, as soon as the sky cleared, he relaxed and fell ill.
“ Duke, are you alright?”
I asked, worried. He immediately tried to get up from the bed.
“I’m fine! Why do you keep trying to make me lie down?”
“You collapsed from dizziness earlier! The doctor said you need absolute rest!”
His wife, yelling at him as though she would not yield, forcibly laid the former Duke back down. I looked at her in surprise. Her spirit was as strong as any elder who had led the Valtestein family for decades.
Finally, the former Duke, giving in, spoke from his lying position.
“But why hasn’t Kaiden come to see this old man? What’s going on?”
He had come.
I swallowed hard and looked at Lucas. Because of his confession earlier, I didn’t want to face him, but he was the only one I could rely on here.
Lucas met my gaze and gave me a subtle nod. The Duke squinted his eyes as he looked at us.
“Are you two…?”
“ Duke, the Demon Lord has descended.”
“What?!”
He jumped up immediately, and this time, not even his wife could stop him. He probably hadn’t been able to fathom such an absurd situation.
I looked around the room.
His wife and the Duke’s assistant, Krenki, were staring at us in shock. The former Duke also had his mouth wide open, and Lucas stood with a serious expression.
The people here were trustworthy.
I swallowed again and began to explain everything that had happened at the imperial palace.
Once the Duke heard all the details, he murmured sadly.
“Kaiden, that boy…”
Hearing that his only grandson had been taken hostage by the Demon Lord must have been unbearable for such a seasoned old man.
I lowered my head in shame.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault. Lift your head.”
I hesitated but slowly raised my head. The Duke reached out and gently patted my head.
“You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you?”
“……”
I felt like I was about to cry.
I had tried to hold it back while telling the story, but seeing the former Duke now, I felt so guilty, thinking about Kaiden, and everything seemed like a mess.
“Now is not the time to cry, child. After we save Kaiden and the empire, that’s when you can shed tears of joy.”
The Duke comforted me.
Yes, this wasn’t the time to cry. I took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
“By the way, you pretended to be the Demon Lord’s daughter?”
My tears vanished instantly.
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