516

Episode 516: Finally here. (2)

Giselle looked closely at Erhard's face. It was the first time she had seen it in person, even in her previous life.

Of course, I've seen it countless times in portrait form. A middle-aged face with a kind smile.

So I couldn't believe what the other person said.

"You are… the Duke of Delphine?"

He was so young. At best, he looked like he was in his early 30s.

It was a well-known fact that the Duke of Delphine was the same age as the Marquis of Branford. The two had even attended the same academy in their youth.

But what a young appearance.

Duke Delphine has not learned the Mana method or magic. Even if he had, he would have to be of incredible skill to maintain his youthfulness to that extent.

Erhard nodded, still smiling softly.

"I am the Duke of Delphine. You seem surprised at my appearance."

"… … ."

Jiselle twisted the corners of her mouth. She didn't like the composure she displayed even when the enemy was right in front of her.

'Is it a substitute? It's too… … for that.'

He was so relaxed and elegant even in his smallest movements. It wasn't the kind of gesture that a clumsy stuntman could make out.

His looks may have also played a part in that atmosphere. He was the Duke of Delphine, who was called the most handsome man in the kingdom during his youth.

Indeed, it seemed that even Ricardo, the most handsome man in Ferdium, would have to bow out in front of him.

That kind of appearance is uncommon. Finally, Jiselle took a deep breath and asked.

"Yes, let's say you're the Duke of Delphine. Why did you stay? You should have had plenty of time to escape."

Erhard nodded obediently.

"I was going to leave, but I wanted to see you just once."

"me?"

"I wanted to see how great a person he is that he can ruin our work like this."

Jiselle laughed ferociously.

"Were you curious enough to risk your life for that?"

Erhard simply sat down with a smile. He elegantly picked up a glass of wine from the small table next to him.

Then, funny enough, a man who appeared to be a butler brought a small table and chair in front of Giselle.

Soon some refreshments and drinks were placed on the table.

"… … ."

Jiselle snorted and sat down, intending to listen in on what they were talking about.

Knights lined up around him. They filled the Hall of Glory and even the corridors.

At this point, it was obvious that the duke would run away. Jiselle decided to wait a little longer to see what her opponent would do.

Erhard, who had moistened his mouth with wine, slowly opened his mouth.

"After I realized my 'mission,' I had a dream every day. It was a really vivid dream. That dream continued every day."

"… … ."

"No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a prophecy. Everything really came true as I had dreamed. It was as if God had given me a revelation. Since I knew the future, I could leisurely wait for the results."

Jiselle crossed her arms. She couldn't understand what was happening when he suddenly started talking about dreams.

Nevertheless, Erhard continued speaking as if he was talking to himself.

"In the end, I took over the kingdom as the 'revelation' had said. After that, I continued to move toward my goal. That is, until the 'devil' showed up."

"… … ."

"That demon was so strong. It was terrifying. No army in this kingdom could stop it. It was like a shapeless cloud of death."

"… … ."

"But in the end, we stopped that demon. With the sacrifice of countless heroes. So I could move towards my goal again. Just a little bit more, just a little bit more. Even if it was a dream."

"Are you waiting for me just to tell me about your dog dream?"

"Would you like to hear a little more? It's not unrelated to you either."

Erhard smiled faintly. Giselle shrugged her shoulders, letting out a hollow laugh.

"One day, my dream suddenly changed. Everything was going according to my dream, but then suddenly my dream started to change."

"… … ."

"The dream eventually turned into chaos. It was so chaotic that I couldn't tell where it started and where it ended. The revelations I received also became a mess, with time and space mixed up irregularly."

Erhard's face was slightly flushed. He seemed to be very interested in the current situation.

"… … ."

"Even the 'Devil' has reappeared. It was when you first appeared on the Southern Front. The Devil has begun to overwhelm everything I have, just like before."

"… … ."

"So I looked back at the past. When did my dreams, which had been like a revelation, become chaotic?"

Giselle didn't say anything. She just glared at Erhard, her eyes widening.

For some reason, I found his story very annoying.

Erhard smiled and said to Giselle.

"It was when you stopped Earl Digald's attack and took Fenris. From then on, the dreams began to show me the past again."

"… … ."

"When you killed Count Cavaldi, when you killed Count Desmond, when you killed Marquis Rodrik… … each time, the chaos grew worse."

Erhard leaned forward a little more, as if he wanted to get a closer look at Giselle.

After a while, he said with a joyful laugh.

"So I was sure. Giselle Ferdium, you are the demon. You were my nemesis. You were the demon that blocked my path."

Giselle did not answer and glared at Ernhard. The Duke, not expecting an answer, continued speaking immediately.

"From the moment I realized that, I stopped dreaming. Revelation no longer comes down, and the future is now unknown to anyone. You are the one who ruined everything."

Erhard stood up with a smile. He wanted to see Giselle to see if his prediction was correct.

Jiselle also stood up and drew her sword.

"That was an interesting story. I enjoyed listening to it."

It might have sounded crazy to others, but since Jiselle herself was a regressor, she couldn't just dismiss that story as the nonsense of a madman.

It seemed as if some mysterious force was at work on Erhard, just like on himself.

I don't know about Erhard... ...but the story he told was very similar to his past life.

Jiselle said, pointing her sword at Ernhard.

"You're going to die today anyway, so you don't have to worry about the future or anything."

Erhard looked at Giselle quietly and then opened his mouth. His eyes were sparkling with madness.

"As expected, you know something. This isn't the reaction of an ordinary person."

"… … ."

"Yes, it's okay that I know you are my nemesis. Seeing it in person like this makes me feel more certain. My mind feels clearer."

"There is no way to escape."

Then Erhard took out a small bead from his bosom. It was the 'Orb of Life' that created high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church.

Jiselle saw that and laughed.

"Do you think that would be of any use now?"

Although he himself was unable to move, there were hundreds of high-level knights here. The number of troops besieging the castle was close to 80,000.

There's no guarantee that your body will be able to withstand eating that, and even if you succeed, a half-superhuman would never be able to handle this many people.

Even though he probably knew that, Erhard shook his head leisurely.

"There's no need to rush, Giselle. We've definitely become aware of each other's existence, and that's enough for today."

"Kill the peacock."

At Giselle's command, the knights rushed in. The assassins guarding Ernhardt moved at the same time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the last line of defense protecting the Duke's family, the assassins' skills were excellent.

But the difference in numbers was so great that they could not hold out for long and were swept away in an instant.

The moment the knights who pushed back the assassins turned their swords on Ernhard.

Crispy.

The orb of life in his hand shattered.

Paaaaah!

Black darkness swarmed in, engulfing Ernhardt's body. The knights' swords tried to cut through the darkness, but were blocked by a strange force.

Jiselle frowned at that.

'So that was the way to do it?'

It looked similar to a high-level magic warp portal, but it wasn't magic. Rather, it looked more like a rift opened using people's life force.

'If you have enough life force to create one superhuman, you should be able to connect to other spaces.'

Erhard in his previous life would have used that method to escape from himself.

Of course, I didn't think it would be used often, since it would take at least tens of thousands of lives to make just one jewel.

'There must be a place that has been connected in advance.'

It won't move randomly and dangerously. There must be a designated location.

Perhaps it is the original hiding place of the Salvation Church, or the kingdom where they came to power.

The knights looked at Giselle in confusion. Giselle shook her head and said.

"Okay, there's no need to force it. Everyone, step back."

The darkness was gradually diminishing. Within it, Ernhard's voice could be heard.

"Giselle… … We will meet again soon. I have a duty to carry out the revelation of God… … I will see you at the end of the road."

"Listen carefully, Erhard."

Jiselle said with a ferocious smile towards the diminishing darkness.

"There will be no place for you now. I will find all of you cockroaches and trample them all down. I will make you so scared that you can't even breathe."

Then, Erhard's words were heard along with a small chuckle.

"… … I'm looking forward to it."

With those words, the darkness disappeared. Giselle turned around without any hesitation.

Now this place is finished. If we just eliminate the remnants remaining on the southern front, the Kingdom of Rutania will be united once again.

Giselle said to Count Mowbray.

"Please take care of this for the time being."

"Okay, I understand."

Someone had to stay here. He had to catch the Duke's vassals who had hidden or run away, and he had to take care of the security.

Giselle, who had left this place to Count Mowbray, immediately turned his troops around. Now it was time to finish organizing the southern front.

Once that was done, I had to reorganize the Kingdom of Rutania and help the surrounding kingdoms that were fighting the Salvation Church.

Jiselle took hold of the Black King's reins with a cold expression.

'I will definitely find it and get rid of it.'

It was a shame that Erhard had to run away, but even if he had been killed, it wouldn't be the end. The Salvation Church that had spread across the continent had to be completely eradicated.

But that won't take long either. With the civil war over, the Kingdom of Rutania will once again be reborn as a powerful military power.

Now the remaining Salvation Church will have to face the power led by Jisel.

* * *

Gatros, who had taken command from Cayenne, withdrew his troops for the time being.

"We will take the fortress we fought against before. We just have to wait until Count Balzac arrives."

The Royal Army and the Ferdium Army are moving south. There was no need to engage them and cause further damage.

If we moved to the fortress where we had previously fought the Northern Army, it would be easy to block enemy attacks. All we had to do was wait for Count Balzac to return.

Although Gator was the highest ranking and most powerful man and was given the overall command, he did not know much about military science. That is why he gave each unit commander ample autonomy.

"When the battle starts, move freely from your respective positions and do your best. I trust you. Our goal is to wait for Count Balzac to arrive, so just be faithful to that."

That was a good choice, because the commanders of the Duke's household were all highly capable.

The Delphine army began to retreat slowly, not particularly worried about being pursued.

This was the one who wanted to confront them openly from the beginning. It wasn't like they were noticeably weakened just because Count Balzac was missing.

"There's still some time left before reinforcements arrive. You've been fighting all this time, so there's no need to push yourself too hard. Think of this as an opportunity to rest."

At his command, the Delphian army moved somewhat relaxed. They were confident, as they had that much power.

Amelia carefully observed the Delphine army moving like that from the castle wall. Since it was a large army and also slow, her movements were clearly visible.

Amelia, who had been watching the other person for a while, gestured to the side.

"Did you call?"

Amelia said in a nonchalant voice as Gillian approached.

"Prepare for battle. Move the entire army."

"Right now… … are you talking about?"

Reinforcements had not yet arrived. It was a drastic decision considering that they had been avoiding confrontation up until now.

Amelia ignored Gillian's reaction and continued speaking.

"Yes. I can't guarantee that Giselle will win the fight against Count Balzac. If Giselle loses, we'll be at a disadvantage. Before that happens, we have to get rid of them for sure. At the very least, we have to cut them in half."

No, she wanted to say that Giselle would win, but Gillian kept her mouth shut. Amelia hadn't meant for an argument.

However, I had to hear whether it was certain that they could defeat the enemy's large army.

"What chance of winning… is there?"

At those words, Amelia glanced at Gillian and said.

"If I go out now, that'll happen. Get ready right away."

Amelia, who had given the order, turned her head again. Her eyes caught sight of the Delphine army moving in the distance.

At the same time, a cool smile appeared on Amelia's lips.