Chapter 187
Ed Subjugation Battle (10)
– ‘Taylor. ‘He’s the main character.’
– ‘No matter how difficult and arduous it seems right now… the day will come when you will overcome it all and see the light.’
A night full of stars.
These are the words Ayla whispered to Taily, who was covered in wounds, as they sat side by side behind the barn.
Even though it was just words of comfort, Tailly herself knew very well how much help it gave her.
– ‘Heroes are cool and beautiful because they have overcome arduous trials.’
– ‘So, all of these arduous trials and pains facing Tailly are just ingredients for the glory to shine when Tailly overcomes them all.’
However, contrary to what I thought was only verbal consolation… Ayla Tris was sincere.
Ayla was sincerely rooting for Tailie to overcome all the hardships and move forward.
– ‘They say it’s usually darkest before the sun rises.’
The cool air of the night, when grasshoppers cry, sits between the boy and the girl.
– ‘So, we must never forget that the current reality is dark. Taily. You are the main character of your life. You will get through it all.’
– It’s
raining heavily. The night is still dark.
Cabin camp in the northern forest.
A blond-haired boy stands amidst the rain that beats down on his body.
As if wondering what was wrong with the cold raindrops, as if wondering what was wrong with the darkness of the dark night.
The man who stands like a holy saint and relaxes his hand holding the dagger is… Ed Rothtaylor.
He looks at Ayla and says something with his mouth open.
─What can I say? Ordeals don’t always come only to the protagonist.
Rather, there are more people in the world who cannot live the life of a protagonist.
The stage of the world is too large and there are too many characters to embrace everyone as the main character.
That’s why, whether it’s Ayla, Ed, or anyone else… we end up living the life of a supporting character.
Even to such people, harsh trials come equally.
Whether you are kicked out of the Academy and lead a wild life in the forest, trying to find your place in the flow of life-threatening scenarios, or gritting your teeth and enduring criticism in Sylvania, where you have no allies.
Unlike those who live the life of a protagonist who hopes that there will be light at the end of the ordeal.
It is a world full of people who just grit their teeth and endure, not even sure whether there will be light or darkness at the end.
That is the life of Ed Rosstaylor, who stands upright on the stage at the end of Act 5.
Yenica Palover Glast Lucy Mayril Crepin Rosstaylor Sylvania Robester.
The ending of those in charge of the end of the stage he saw in
It was the lives of the supporting actors engraved in those two eyes.
Leading and supporting characters, heroes and villains.
Ayla also knew from the beginning that the world could not be divided in such a shallow way.
However, if you stay in a dark room and listen to the news going on in the world, you will know. It is also a well-known fact that there are people who inevitably lead the life of a leading man.
It goes without saying, but there are more supporting characters in the world than protagonists.
There are many more people who continue the flow of the story so that the stage can move on to the next act and reach its conclusion intact.
This is a story about writers who live ordinary lives that are far from extraordinary.
That’s why Ed always makes eye contact with them.
A strong alchemist with a passion for learning, a blood-drunk sword spirit, a guardian of the plains, a weak-hearted spiritist, and a strong-willed elementalist.
The life of the supporting characters is Ed’s life, and it is our life that must endure all kinds of trials without any promise…
Ayla vaguely felt it…
“The Holy Changryong Bellbroke will be resurrected.”
Standing solemnly in the rain, Ed Ross Taylor’s shoulders seemed heavier than expected.
“He’s the only one who can kill it.”
*With a loud noise, the collapsed remains of the Elte Store building washed up in the store’s front yard.
Elvira, who forcibly dragged Clevius, who was having a hard time even holding his own, to a safe place, swept away the rainwater running down his face.
“This… this is getting bigger than I thought…” He
laid Clevius’ body down under the tree in the front yard of the store and was squeezing out the water from his head.
“Is it okay to make a fuss like this?”
“The owner of the building was Lortel in the first place. Senior Ed probably did it because he had a way to fix it.”
As Elvira frowned and sighed heavily, Ziggs came out from the remains of the building, shaking off his clothes. Looking at the way he naturally responds to Elvira’s words, he appears to be fine.
There don’t seem to be any serious injuries, and it doesn’t look like he fought that hard to begin with.
Unlike Elvira, who really gritted her teeth and fought with all her might, she didn’t seem to be struggling, so she opened her half-moon eyes and looked at Ziggs.
“What’s wrong, Ziggs? You look fine. Tailly seemed ready to run out and destroy everything.”
“It seems like he was holding on to the last bit of reason. Whatever it was, he didn’t seem to want to cut down someone he knew.”
Ziggs, too, was wet from the rain and rolled up his bangs. Perhaps because of his hair stuck to the rain, he looked much calmer than usual.
“Actually, he probably didn’t care much about us. He just wanted to run out and save Ayla right away. Elvira, are you hurt?”
“It wasn’t much. The more you push him into a corner, the stronger he becomes… I didn’t feel it when I heard it, but after seeing it right in front of me, I could nod my head.”
Elvira leaned against the tree trunk and shivered a little as if it were cold.
“Honestly, I thought it would end with you, Ziggs.”
“I was confused too. When did Clevious come?”
“I don’t know. Why did this stupid idiot end up here…”
Elvira glanced at the unconscious Clevius out of the corner of her eye and sighed without finishing her sentence. It seemed like he didn’t really want to argue with Clevius.
Ziggs laughed when he saw that.
This person and that person, if you look at their true feelings, they are all weak in the end.
“I really don’t know. I did join in, but how are we going to handle this whole thing?”
“Anyway, all the big things we have to do have been completed, so let’s prepare to withdraw. Are you going to the Ofilis Building?”
“Yeah, well. But… what about Senior Yenika and Senior Tracyana?”
When you look at the Elte Chamber of Commerce building, you will automatically click your tongue.
The cutting edge that divides that huge building is so clean that anyone can see it as if it had been cut with a knife.
The sight of a building being cut by a knife. Will I ever have another chance to see this strange sight?
No matter how much of a descendant of the swordsman he was, I could never have imagined that he would deliver a sword strike that could cut through such a range with this much power.
The power of Taylor, who was cornered in a corner, to somehow resist fate… was something that even two people who had experienced many hardships could not guess.
“Senior Tracyana is taking care of the employees of the store. It looks like she used protection magic herself because she didn’t want to have any casualties.”
“No matter what, you’re trustworthy.”
“I came to help too. You and Clevius are injured, so there is no need to participate in the cleanup.”
From Ziggs’ perspective, Clevious’s intrusion was an unexpected variable.
Originally, there was no plan to corner Taily to this extent. However, I can only hold out my tongue at Tailley’s will to overcome even this and run away.
As Elvira nodded and completely leaned against the tree trunk, Ziggs looked around a few times and said,
“But… senior Yenika…? He’s not here either?”
*-
Ayla’s pupils tremble greatly in the pouring rain.
I thought about what I said for a moment and then stuttered without even thinking about calming down my trembling eyes.
“What…? Seongchangryong… resurrection…? The seal on Great Sage Sylvania is being released…”
It’s a story like a thunderbolt in a dry sky.
Even if someone catches you on the street and tells you to run away because the whole area will be devastated soon… they just look at you with confused eyes.
It’s a situation where I can’t even provide a basis for how I know that fact. It may be natural to first suspect that you have lost your mind.
To begin with, I didn’t expect anyone to believe me if I told them.
Ayla remained silent for a long time, unable to say anything. Since I was in no position to criticize her, I just stared at her.
[ Master Ed…! ]
It was at that time.
Suddenly, a bat came flying out of the forest and landed on my shoulder.
“Mug?”
The fire on Mug’s body was burning brightly, despite the pouring rain.
After becoming a lieutenant spirit, he was hardly affected by the climate.
Mug, whose body had become quite bulky, clung to my ear and whispered something.
I nodded, drew out my magic power, and sent the mug flying again. Then the mug was quietly reverse summoned and disappeared.
It is difficult to bring out almost any magical power in the body. I wanted to minimize the magical power consumed to maintain the spirit.
“They say Taily is coming.”
“I beg your pardon…?”
“It looks like the Elte Trading Company has been cleared out. Contrary to plan, it seems like not everything has been breached.”
When I said that, Ayla’s pupils trembled widely again.
Are they really coming through all of that? That fact is hard to believe.
No matter how much Ayla had always believed in and relied on Tailley, she never thought she would overcome and break through that level of wall.
Same goes for me.
I thought that no matter how much the fate of the protagonist was born, there was a limit. I didn’t receive an accurate report on the situation at Elte Trading Company, so I don’t know for sure, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
“They’ll hit the camp soon.”
“So… you’re fighting Taily?”
“Don’t worry. It won’t happen like you think.”
I lightly tried to raise my body’s magic power. I can’t even produce 1/10th of the output I normally produce.
Physically, it is difficult because a slight fever remains in the body. My body felt heavy due to the rain.
“I can’t beat Taily right now anyway. There are too many restrictions on my body right now.”
“Then why did you… in the first place…!”
“Didn’t I tell you all from the beginning? I have always been consistent.”
From the first time I made plans with Ayla, I have always been honest about my goals.
“I just want to check his specs.”
There are at least a few things you need to have in order to catch a bellbroke without damage.
The most important thing is that Tailly’s swordsmanship, which will deal the final blow to Velbroke, has grown properly. To be precise, it is a space-cutting heart sword that implements a sacred sword, a dragon slayer sword, and a sword. You have to learn it up to this point.
And in order to reduce casualties as much as possible during Bellbroke’s resurrection, as many forces as possible must be involved in the subjugation battle. Preparation becomes easier when there is systematic movement of a large-scale punitive force.
The Imperial Knights, the Elte Chamber of Commerce, the mercenaries, the Apostles of the Holy Emperor, and even members of the empire’s influential families… all must be made to participate in the punitive force, whether by political means or through trade.
In addition… only by securing the keepsakes left behind by Sylvania Robester will the ‘minimum condition’ to be able to catch Bell Broke without casualties be met.
Checking Tailly’s growth is only the first step.
– Quang! Hwaaaaaaaaa!
The sound of kicking the ground using magical power from near the entrance to the North Forest.
Birds fly, making noise, and the noise spreads throughout the forest.
It is the sound of Tailly, who is probably angry to the core, running through the forest to the camp. Now that the sound can be heard directly, it is really close.
Judging by the speed at which the sound was getting closer, we were almost there.
I checked the condition of the dagger, put it in its sheath, and then gathered the magic engineering supplies and various trap-making tools that were scattered around the camp.
I took off my rain-soaked school uniform coat and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. I swept my face from the bottom up to my bangs and wiped away the rainwater.
“What are you…”
Ayla then began.
“What are you carrying?”
A question asked anxiously with wide-open eyes.
He completely packed up the dagger and put it away, gathering magical power at his fingertips.
Unlike usual, the dark red energy blooming is… the power of Aspect magic.
“Are you curious?”
“…”
Then shall I tell you?
He said that and approached Ayla. I slowly opened my mouth as she nodded, looking at me with anxious eyes.
“Listen to me carefully.”
“…”
“It’s just… nothing special.”
“……”
Little by little, the power of the magic power of the Aspect begins to surround Ayla’s body.
Even though it was only a very small amount of magical power, it started to take a toll on my body. Breathing stopped intermittently and cold sweat broke out.
Nevertheless, I grit my teeth and manifest the Aspect Magic ‘Dazzle’. Since my proficiency level is still only level 1, I cannot properly control the consciousness.
It just makes your mind blank for a moment or makes it difficult for you to think. But at this point, that’s enough.
“If you say useless things, things will only get more complicated. Get some rest now.”
-Wheeeeeeeeek!
Soon, I clenched my fist and Ayla lost consciousness.
I had to endure the excruciating pain while frowning for a moment due to the recoil of the Aspect’s magic power.
-Thumping.
Eventually, Ayla’s unconscious body was received. Because of his short stature, he was not very heavy.
He led Ayla and pushed her body towards the wooden shelter. If you put it down here, you will at least be able to avoid the rain.
I roughly covered piles of fur lying around nearby to maintain a reasonable amount of body temperature. I also added more padding to the entrance and checked carefully to prevent rain from seeping in.
After taking care of Ayla, who was completely unconscious, I slowly woke up in the rain.
– The
intermittent pounding and running sound stopped.
After blocking the entrance to the wooden shelter, I stood up… but didn’t bother to look back.
Even without looking back, I could guess who was behind me.
– Kugung thump.
– Shoot.
“You’re here, Taylee McLaure.”
I called his name quietly like that. No answer came back.
I slowly looked back. After seeing the boy at the entrance to the camp, I turned around and stood facing him.
“Ed Rosstaylor.”
A body covered in blood and a completely worn-out prosecutor’s uniform.
Hair that has turned white and eyes that are burning red.
Without further ado, he is the protagonist of ‘Sylvania’s Failed Sword Saint’. Taylor McLaure is right.
The way he glares at me with his burning eyes is full of anger.
I don’t know why, but a sarcastic laugh came out.
“You…”
– Woe!
Before I could say anything, a sword strike came first.
Tailley McLaure has little time on her hands. They rushed in as if even the time to exchange a single word was a waste.
– Kaang!
We try to quickly implement defensive magic, but there are limits to our limited magical power.
Due to the shock from the sword strike, I was pushed towards the bonfire. I was sure I would have blocked it, but I had to collect myself again after rolling on the floor a few times.
“Whoop…”
I get up from the mud. I wipe the mud from my face with my forearm and look back at Tailley through the rain.
The hero of this world raises his eyes, holding a great sword flowing with magnificent magical power.
You can tell just by looking at it. The ‘Deadly Horse’ skill, which corresponds to the critical period of the Sword Saint Ceremony, has been activated. This shows how arduous and difficult the ordeal at Elte Trading Company was.
Tailly, just like Tailly, is in a corner. There is no telling how long the power of the Sword Saint Ceremony will continue.
That side is in complete disrepair, and this side is unable to use magical powers. Ironically, the weight of the scale seems to be just right.
After saying that, I burst into laughter.
“Okay, let’s give it a try.”
I held the dagger backwards and took out a handful of magic engineering supplies in the other hand.
Cabin camp in the rain. I faced Taily like that for a while… and waited for the other person to make a move.
The stage was approaching its finale.
*
“Tell the driver. Let the carriage start.”
When Dune finished explaining, Lucy’s eyes were already in an unusual state.
Princess Fenia and her entourage were watching each other. If the Princess of Persica’s convoy was really mixed up for that reason, then the story goes that Princess Persica used Princess Fenia’s movements for her own tricks.
I had no idea how Princess Fenia would accept this fact.
However, Lucy seemed to like Princess Fenia’s position… and gave instructions to the princess’s coachman as if she were the princess.
“I want to go to camp too.”
Dune looked at Lucy with trembling eyes.
I couldn’t read the emotions on her face as she adjusted her witch’s hat and opened her blank eyes.