Chapter 176: Resolve to Die, Reason to Live (13)
“Let go! I said let go!” I cried and shouted, but Abel wouldn’t budge.
He soon arrived at the portal and Michael spoke as if he was waiting, “You made a wise decision, Childe.”
Abel’s body was shaking. He seemed to be crying. I raised my head and shouted, not even aware how hurt my tilted neck was.
“You bastard! Damn you Ignis! You are not even a human! What was that? Not intending on stepping on someone’s grave? And this is what you do? I will kill you!”
“I said the grave of you, my sibling, duchess. I never said grave of someone else.”
“You damn bastard! You aren’t even a human!”
“It will all be resolved as long as we kill Gaionia. Don’t you worry, we will be successful no matter what.”
“Shut your mouth! Put me down, Abel!”
Though I struggled like crazy, Abel’s grasp around me only got tighter.
“Is everyone ready?” Michael asked the rest of them in an indifferent voice.
How could he do this? Has everyone truly turned insane?
Michael, Abel and Roxa…
They really all agreed on leaving on our own with Azar left behind?
“Please!”
“Er, Grand priest.”
At that moment, Roxa’s voice cut in.
“What is it?”
“Sorry ter interrupt when there’s no time ter lose, but er… I dinna get ter have my las’ farewell with da firehog. Can I hurry an’ return in a minute?”
What?
Hearing his words, I felt ominous all of a sudden.
“N-no.”
“Go on then. Childe, hold on to her tight so that she doesn’t try anything funny.”
“…”
“T-thank ye. I will be right back.”
“R-Roxa…”
“Hey you punk! Hol’up for a minute!” Shouting at Azar, Roxa slipped right past me.
In that instant I recalled the ‘future’ where Roxa wasn’t there.
‘No.’
Even as I saw his back getting smaller and smaller among the monsters, I wasn’t able to do anything.
* * *
‘Hades Louvremont, tis my lifelong burden ter have wound up with him! Indeed!’
Roxa Tribolt thought.
“Is it true that being on the altar would keep one safe?”
“Since the duchess has already said such things, there would be no point in lying. Just as the duchess said, we cannot be so sure.”
Looking at Azar’s grave face, he seemed already torn.
‘Is dat madman truly considering whether or not he should enter wot may be his deathbed?!’
Knowing Azar, he would.
He fell on his knees for siblings who aren’t even his by blood, he even sacrificed his arm without a second thought for him, who would quarrel with him every time they met.
‘I truly canna understand him.’
No, the one I don’t understand the most is,
‘Dat man, Hades Louvremont!’
And he wondered what on earth he dived into the pits of hell for, and it was apparently to undo a curse they say.
A curse that wasn’t even about him.
‘Wasna him da coldest demon in dis world?’
He recalled Aisha’s back, running towards the altar saying she would rather be left behind herself, that she could bear to see anyone else die.
It was probably for her sake.
‘Hya… Love is indeed a grand thing.’
Just how many people were getting caught up in collateral damage by the so-called love?
Roxa blamed his own fate for being intertwined with Hades and sighed.
“Er…”
At that moment, the little priestess who was being hesitant tugged at Michael’s sleeve.
“I must be the least worthless compared to the knight or magician. I will stay behind.”
“Now, dat’s goin’ too far!”
“He’s right, that cannot happen.”
Roxa freaked out as he said no, Michael also shook his head.
“The one person who has to survive among all of us here, is you, Priestess Deborah. As someone ‘who does not believe in god,’ you are the only being who can harm Gaionia’s heart.”
“Huh, huh? M-me?”
“Ah, of course I’m not asking you to slay Gaionia yourself. I’m sure His Grace Louvremont will succeed. But still, as a precaution to whatever the situation may bring, you must stand before Gaionia, no matter what.”
Seeing Michael’s smiling face, Roxa had goosebumps.
The reason why he was keeping Deborah alive wasn’t because she was a poor little kid, but because she was ‘necessary.’
‘A person can be so different from how they look. How scary…’
Michael urged on, seeming to have realized how torn Azar was.
“Even if we search further, there are no other ways. This place is designed to have one person left behind. We don’t know if those things will attack the offering or not, but it would be for the best to leave behind someone strong enough to hold on as long as possible. Wouldn’t that be the childe at the moment?”
“Are you crazy? I’m sure the duchess would love to go on and leave the childe behind.”
“Actually, you don’t need to worry much about the duchess.”
“What?”
“It’s not that difficult to carry one powerless woman and run to the portal.”
“That’s crazy…”
“Come to think of it, the childe would be a great fit. He wouldn’t even die.”
“Look here! Have you lost your mind?!”
Seeing Michael turning his step back as if to go persuade Abel, Azar held him back, enraged.
Seeing them, Roxa let out a sigh.
It seemed that the Grand priest was intending on pushing Azar to the edge and making him stay behind.
And that foolish Azar would be pissed off at the mention of Abel…
‘Ugh, wot’s all dis then…’
Pitiful Aisha and Deborah, offering to die,
Michael who coldly announces one of them must be discarded.
‘If I think level-headed, tis certain dat da Grand priest is needed ter see da end o’ dis rough road of Orcus.’
Though truly a fearsome man, he was the right person to lead the weak hearted members.
‘Wot sins have I committed ter be put in dis…?’
Anyways, this was all Hades’ fault. Roxa let out a sigh and fidgeted at his bulging pocket. Discarding the heavy parcel with only insignificant ability potions left, he brought with him just one vial.
Though he told Abel there was only one, in truth there were two. A potion of wishes, made by collecting the will of humans when they unleash mana for the first time. The potency of the potion that he couldn’t be so sure of, was proven by Abel.
‘I hope this helps.’
Roxa was torn but secretly drank up the potions looking at the two of them continuing to fight. And feeling the strange mana unlike his own element whirling in his body, he prayed with his eyes closed tight.
‘Al o’ us will move on ter da next gate safe an’ sound!’
‘Open up, da portal!’
But nothing had happened.
‘Er, then… at least undo da sealing on our mana!’
No effect either. The mana was still restricted just as it was the moment they entered the trial.
‘As expected…’ Roxa looked around with fear in his eyes.
Even the potion that grants a wish was of no use, that was how tightly ‘trial’ of Orcus was designed. A wish that is against the rule of the trial cannot be activated.
If Abel wished to ‘allow him to use his ability’, nothing would have happened, since mana couldn’t be used within the trials.
‘Within da rules o’ trial… well then wot else is there fer me to wish for?!’
The answer, none.
They could never escape this place without a person being sacrificed.
‘Me days…’
He felt the power of the potion swirling in his body, but a kind of wish he could make without breaking the law of the trial was…
Even after that, he wished for many other things with his wit that may allow all of them to escape safe and sound, but it was all in vain.
“Would you be alright?”
“Don’t act like you care. Just make sure you catch that Gaionia or whatever.”
“Thank you.”
The moment Roxa escaped his deep thoughts, Azar made a move as if their conversation had reached a conclusion.
Startled, Roxa ran to Azar and grabbed at his arm.
“Wot, wot are ye planning on doin’?”
“What do you mean what. We have no time to lose, we can’t be sitting around here forever.”
“No, hey! Hey! Ye firehog!”
Azar let go of Roxa holding him back and started to walk towards the steps with no hesitation.
* * *
“Hey, I said what are you doing standing dumbfounded? What did you come here for?”
Recalling Azar’s back as he went to die without a moment’s hesitation, Roxa left his thoughts in a hurry at the pressing voice.
“I’ll say, fer reals. Why did I come?”
“What? Are you mad?”
He came to Azar to say his last goodbye to Azar, but in truth he wasn’t really here to say goodbye.
‘Have I indeed gon’ mad?’
Roxa gave out a hollow laugh staring at the worn out altar.
“Get a move on. Did you not hear what the Grand priest said back there? That stupid lord of ours went to slay a god without a weapon. That sword the childe was carrying, you must deliver that to him at once.”
“Aye, I know. I came ter say goodbye since death is near.”
“Ha, very funny.”
Beside Roxa who was staring at the altar dumbfounded, Azar took out his sword and waved it around. He seemed to be warming up to go against hundreds of magical beasts after sending the others safely to the next gate. ‘Going against’ them was an optimistic way of putting it. There was no way he could survive amidst monsters who won’t die even after being cut down.
“Ey, Firehog.”
“What.”
“I’m only saying dis since da time o’ death is near, but forget about ol’ da thoughtless things I’ve said.”
“Forget it. I’m at fault too, not knowing what your situation was like.”
“Er, the duchess has told me she would give me a blank check.”
Azar narrowed the gap between his eyes at the random topic.
“You are talking money at a time like this?”
“I’ll hand it over ter ye, make sure ter feed something nice ter ye siblings.”
“…What?”
Roxa, facing Azar, slowly walked backwards up the altar.
Noticing something strange, Azar froze.
“What are you…”
“Ye, and His Grace, have a family ter protect…”
“Hey.”
There was no time to catch him.
Roxa turned around and landed his hand on the altar, hopping on.
“Hey, you punk! What are you doing?!”
“Though I wished fer a foxy wife an’ children like bunnies… For now I dinna have any. I have nothing ter protect.”
“Shoot! Get off of there!” Azar shouted with startled bloodshot eyes.
As he was about to step up the Altar in a hurry, the altar with an offering placed on it blasted red light, the monsters wandering around with no purpose all glared their eyes at once.
Roxa smiled looking down at Azar from the Altar.
“Doncha die.”
The next moment, as he was reaching out to Roxa, Azar’s body was moved to the front of the portal in an instant.
“What is…”
Azar turned around slowly.
The rest of them who had stepped past the open portal were staring at him with widened eyes.
“What is this!”
“Childe!”
Swiftly realizing the situation, Michael shouted, and Azar’s body was caught by Abel as he was about to run towards the altar once more.
Swoosh-
His body lost losing balance from a great force catching him off guard, making him lean backwards.
With a sensation of being sucked in somewhere, Azar’s body went beyond the portal at once.
Blam-!
The monsters who were about to attack couldn’t come beyond the portal.
As if there is an invisible wall. they lost interest at once when they faced the limit.
Instead…
Gleaming their red eyes, they all turned around towards the altar where Roxa was.
“No!”
That was the end of it. The portal closed shut before Azar’s eyes.