Chapter 92

"Ugh...!"

"......"

In front of Lewis's neck, a small barrier had been deployed.

This barrier was barely stopping Noah's sword.

Even so, the trembling sword tip had slightly pierced the choker, and dark blood began to flow from the wound.

Claudia was shocked and asked Noah,

"Noah... Why?"

Noah, who had ordered Lewis not to move, had turned against his command and pointed his sword at Lewis.

Noah had never violated such a clear order before, except when Claudia was in danger.

"It's not like I'm in danger now..."

"..."

Even though Claudia had spoken out of genuine confusion, Noah remained silent, his brows furrowed.

His gaze was fixed on his own sword tip and the barrier Lewis was trying to hold back.

"...Noah, you should understand this feeling..."

"..."

Lewis, lifting his trembling hand, grabbed the blade of the sword that had been stopped just before it reached him.

"While Adelheit is still alive, we need to make sure this doesn't happen again..."

"......"

"...You too... You won't have to fear losing Adelheit anymore..."

"..."

The barrier creaked as it prevented the choker from being destroyed.

Noah, gripping the sword with both hands, was using all his strength to break the barrier, causing his arms and the sword to tremble.

Then, Noah spoke.

"...What a joke..."

"..."

Noah's voice was filled with deep anger.

His quiet fury was so intense that even Claudia was taken aback. Noah spoke to Lewis, as if engraving each word:

"Indeed, I am afraid. -- If Her Highness has something worth protecting, even at the cost of her own life, she would choose it in this life as well."

"...Noah..."

Even when Claudia called his name, Noah did not even lift his head.

"I am the same as you. If I lose Her Highness, I won't be able to live a normal life again. I know I will distance myself from everything in the world and live in despair."

"...Then... why...?"

"...Even so!"

As if brushing off Lewis's words, Noah exhaled sharply.

"...What I fear more than my own despair is Her Highness falling into despair."

"...!"

Lewis's eyes widened in surprise.

"No matter how dark my life becomes, no matter how I can't live a normal life again, it doesn't matter as long as Her Highness is not like that. If she can smile in satisfaction, I don't care what despair befalls me. -- It's not enough for Her Highness to just be alive."

"...That's..."

Blood continued to flow from Lewis's hand, which was gripping the sword, and from the slight wound on his neck.

"I am not like you."

While thrusting his sword into Lewis's barrier, Noah said:

"...Don't lump me in with you...!"

"...You...!!"

The light from the barrier intensified. From Lewis's cracked skin, a black mist rose like snakes.

"You don't know what true despair is...!!"

"Ugh...!"

At the moment the mist was about to entangle Noah,

"---!"

The barrier protecting Lewis's neck shattered with a crack.

"...Eh...?"

The sword tip pierced the choker, and Lewis's eyes widened. Noah, holding the sword, also gasped in surprise.

Because Claudia's small hands were overlapping with Noah's hand holding the sword.

"Adelheit...?"

"...Thank you, Noah."

The barrier was broken by the magic power Claudia infused into Noah's sword.

"As Noah worried, it is very difficult for me to kill a disciple. ...But I cannot turn away from the role of putting Siwell to his final rest."

"...Ah..."

Black blood overflowed from Siwell's mouth as he tried to speak.

The choker emitted a murky light and pulsed as if in pain. The black mist snakes that had emerged from Lewis's body writhed on the snow.

"I cannot forgive what you have done. I will fulfill my responsibility as a teacher."

"Adelheit... Adelheit...!"

"After five hundred years of obsession, this is the only ending. ...I'm sorry, Siwell, for leaving you behind."

Without touching Lewis's weakly extended hand, she knelt and touched his cheek.

"I didn't want to hate you. I just wanted to love you. But why...?"

"...You are the only disciple I have ever killed myself."

"!"

She narrowed her eyes and gently, gently told him:

"You are doing something very terrible. So please, don't forgive me. Don't feel guilty about hating me. Just sleep."

"Adelheit...?"

"I will never forget that I killed you."

As she said this, Lewis's face contorted.

"You are still terrible. ...Very cunning and cruel."

Lewis grabbed Claudia's hand with his own and looked up at her, squinting as if dazzled.

"...But, you are my light..."

Just as he whispered, a crack appeared in the silver choker.

"!!"

An immense amount of magic power overflowed, raging like a gust of wind.

The ground shook violently, and Noah instinctively shielded Claudia, who had closed her eyes.

"Damn, this magic power..."

"...It's the backlash from Siwell binding his soul to his body."

While being held in Noah's arms, Claudia clutched his coat.

Looking back, Lewis's body was beginning to crumble like a broken ice statue.

"There is no soul in that body anymore. Instead, all the magic power and curses are being released and wreaking havoc."

"Can we contain it without causing damage?"

"To prevent that, we had tea inside this barrier, and Karlheinz is outside, already reinforcing and repairing the barrier upon sensing the abnormality inside."

The sky was blue, but lightning-like flashes were beginning to streak across it. Karlheinz was probably sealing the cracks in the barrier that covered this space.

"Let's escape. We'll teleport."

"...Yes. Thank you."

After nodding to Noah's words, Claudia tried to turn back to Lewis one last time.

She wanted to burn the image of Lewis, whom she had killed, into her memory. She felt it was unforgivable not to do so, but at that moment,

"Her Highness!"

"!"

She was tightly embraced, preventing her from moving.

"...Noah"

"Is his soul not in that body?"

Upon hearing this, she slightly widened her eyes.

"If that's the case, even more so. -- There's no need for you to see such a painful scene, as if punishing yourself."

"..."

Claudia slowly closed her eyes.

Then, she tightly embraced Noah in return.

"Let's teleport. We need to help Karlheinz."

"...Yes."

While being enveloped in a warm light, she silently chanted in her heart:

(I pray for your happiness in the future where you are reborn.)

It was not a spell.

Even if she was once called a legendary witch, she couldn't perform such a great magic. Despite her helplessness, Claudia decided to continue her wish.