Chapter 72: The Bad Ending

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༺ Bad Ending ༻

– Set the mansion on fire as planned, then evacuate. Once again, after setting the mansion on fire, evacuate as soon as possible.

As I listened to the commands from the radio, I couldn't help but curse at the order.

"Oh no! Not on my watch!"

I started running with an urgent expression on my face.

'Are they lacking free will?'

I was concerned about how I should behave according to the situation, but was relieved that I didn't have to disguise my actions if they were being controlled by the system.

– Schwiing!

"Stop! Stop right now!!"

As I charged forward with that thought in mind, I drew my sword and began to slash the numerous assassins in front of me.

"…Ughh!"

After slashing the assassins for such a long time, I was eventually ambushed by an assassin who was approaching me quietly from behind as he stabbed my side.

"Aaarghhh!!"

'Thank god. It doesn't hurt at all.'

The situation was an illusion created by the ordeal, so fortunately, I didn't feel any pain at all. However, my body still reacted and howled in agony when I was stabbed in the side.

"Oh, no…"

As I screamed and staggered back, the assassin who had successfully stabbed me took something out and threw it on the floor. In the next moment, it exploded, giving birth to a raging flame.

– Whoosh!

The flames began to devour every corner of the mansion. As I was in despair watching that situation, the assassin cautiously began approaching me.

– Spark!

"…Everyone, I have to save everyone."

After shooting a silver laser at the assassin, I muttered that under my breath while increasing the pace of my steps.

'What? Why are there still commoners everywhere?'

Originally, most of the commoners had escaped, so only a few students had been trapped on the second floor and in the cellar.

However, during this ordeal, many students were still lying unconscious on the floor of the mansion.

'It was literally the worst-case scenario.'

"Cough! Cough!! Ugh…"

Having re-evaluated the level of the ordeal to 'hell' difficulty, I suddenly realized that I was coughing.

"I… I can still endure… I've been through worse things…"

I glanced at the blood on my hands before lifting the students in front of me and carrying them towards the exit.

And then, the tragedy began.

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"Cough! Cough!! Ugh…"

The entire area was covered in a blanket of smoke.

"Gasp… gasp…"

Poisonous mist made from lunar mana and smoke from the fire covered the Starlight mansion that had stood tall for a millennium.

A girl was desperately crawling on the floor of the mansion, which had been painted vividly with a yellowish shade thanks to the raging flames.

"Not that way."

"…Gasp!"

The girl was crawling in tears, desperately looking for an exit, in order to somehow survive so that her miserable life wouldn't end in such a meaningless way. When someone spoke in a low voice, she took a breath in surprise.

"Cough…! Cough… Cough…"

But at that moment, she inhaled a mixture of poisonous lunar mana and black smoke. The girl tried holding her breath as much as possible, but began struggling with the pain.

"Please… spare me. Please."

The girl, who was suffering from the pain, noticed that the man who had spoken to her was standing right in front of her, and with a tearful face, she began to beg for her life.

"I'm dying… help… please…"

"Sigh…"

The pace she was talking in slowed as she inhaled more of the toxic smoke, but she wanted to survive somehow and desperately begged the man in front of her for help.

"Stay still. If you struggle, it'll be difficult for me to carry you."

I watched the girl struggle before heaving a sigh of relief and stretched out my hand carefully.

– Crack!

"…..!"

But just then, an eerie sound resounded from the chandelier right above the girl as it fell towards her.

"Ahhh…"

When the man who was watching the scene froze, the girl intuitively felt her end was near. Thus, she quietly closed her eyes in acceptance.

In the end, everything she had done was meaningless.

The days when she ran around the market with her one and only older sister and begged for things like crazy.

The day she bought her first book with the money she had saved up in her spare time.

And when she found out that her sister had actually paid for most of the book's cost, she hugged her sister and wept.

She had studied hard ever since, and when she was admitted to Sunrise Academy, she again hugged her sister and shed tears of joy.

The precious memories of her life flashed before her eyes. However, all the blissful memories she shared were all in vain now.

In the end, she would meet a miserable end here.

She would die after being despised and ridiculed by both bystanders on the streets and by the aristocrats after entering the academy.

'Sister… I'm sorry…'

The last memory that flashed through her mind was her job at the new orphanage in the capital, and her beloved older sister. As she watched the chandelier nearing her face, she muttered to herself.

'I couldn't keep our promise…'

"Get down!!"

"Huh!?"

Surprised at the man's shout, the girl turned her crestfallen eyes towards him, only to see him rushing towards her and eventually tackle her.

– Crash!

"Aargh…!"

At the next moment, the horrific sound of the chandelier shattering and the man's agonizing screams mingled together to create a dreadful cacophony.

"…Huh?"

The girl, who was staring blankly at the scene she couldn't fathom, suddenly realized that the man, whose arms were wrapped around her, was trembling.

"Hey… are you alright… huh?"

The kind-hearted girl put her hand on the quivering man and inquired, but immediately she was taken aback.

It was because her tongue, which had been frozen due to the poison, was now free.

"Who are you? And how…"

When the girl realized that the mana glistening from his body was surrounding her, she looked at him with a puzzled gaze and asked more questions.

"…Get out of here. Go."

But her question was ignored by the man as he answered in an icy voice.

"B-But… the smoke… and what about you?"

"…Don't make me repeat myself."

Then the man grabbed her hand and forced her up. The girl then began looking around her with a bewildered expression on her face.

It was because the poison of the smoke, which had been strangling her until now, had disappeared, and a refreshing feeling circulated within her body.

"T-Thank you—Heup!"

The girl was about to express her gratitude to her savior, but she was shocked to see the man staggering away.

"Uhhh…"

Blood streamed down from countless different wounds etched on his mangled body.

The clothes he was wearing were tattered and had lost their purpose a long time ago.

"U-Uh…"

Thanks to that, his bare skin could be seen clearly. Skin riddled with burns and gruesome wounds.

However, those burns and wounds were covered in blood and ashes, which helped disguise the extent of his injuries.

"You have to leave… this place will collapse soon."

"B-But… yo-you can't move…"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, just go."

Upon hearing that, the girl looked at the face of the man who had saved her.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you going?"

"Ah, yes…"

Even though his clothes were torn to rags, and he only wore a mask to hide his face, why did he seem familiar?

"…Damn it."

"Heugh!"

As she trudged away while staring blankly at the masked man, the ceiling collapsed and the fiery wooden planks began to crumble.

"Get down."

The man tackled the girl down and shielded her curled-up body.

– Schwing! Slash!!

"Ughh!"

Having secured the girl's safety, the man drew his sword and began slashing the wooden planks, falling towards them.

One. Two. Three.

The man who had been knocking the planks aside suddenly groaned.

"Ughh!"

"Wh-What's wrong?"

"…It's nothing."

Although the man claimed it was nothing, the girl could hear the tremor in his voice.

"…..!"

The girl gently lifted her head and noticed a piece of a wood plank embedded in the man's leg who had been protecting her.

"…Get up. We have to move."

Nevertheless, the man stood up with a calm expression and started to lead the girl outside.

"Fu… Ha… puff…"

After walking for what felt like an eternity, the girl was finally able to make it outside.

"Um… sir…"

As the relief that she was alive surged over her, she vomited out the waste that had accumulated in her body and breathed in the fresh air.

"Thank you… Thank you so much… Huh?"

However, the man who was next to her just a moment ago had already started heading back towards the mansion.

"W-Wait a minute!!"

The girl, who was looking around with a bewildered expression on her face, began to talk after she quickly stepped in front of the man who was about to enter the burning estate again.

"Why do you want to go back in? We barely escaped…!"

"…There are still children left on the second floor."

"What are you talking about!? Are you planning on saving all those children—"

"Move."

The girl, who was trying to stop the man with an absurd look, fell to the floor after the man had shoved her aside. She then watched his fading back in a daze as he went back into the mansion.

"A-Arianne? Where are you going?"

"Back in. To help that man."

When Arianne, whose defense magic spell had already been shattered, tried to follow the man, the girl screamed urgently.

"Don't overdo it, and please save that man! He is my savior…"

"That man is not only your savior."

"Huh?"

To the girl who tilted her head when she heard those words, Arianne spoke.

"He is the savior of all these children behind me."

"…..!"

It was then that the girl realized that the students who had gathered behind her were staring blankly at the mansion door where the man had just entered.

Although they were coughing, vomiting, burned or injured, they were all alive because of that man.

"…Please take care of my unconscious friend Irina. She passed out while fighting alongside me."

Arianne then entered the mansion, entrusting her friend to the girl behind her, who watched with a blank expression on her face.

'There are no fatalities yet… So… if we just save the people on the second floor…'

Then Arianne, who was looking at the lunar mana, the poisonous gas mingled with black smoke, and the fire that grew more intense over time, paused for a moment.

"By the way… who is that man?"

Arianne, who had been thinking about the identity of the person who had been saving the students, muttered in a low voice.

"…It's a face I've seen somewhere."

There was a time when the masked man, who saved them from being killed by a considerably skilled assassin, had his mask torn for a bit because of the assassin's attacks.

"No way…"

The silver eyes she saw then were quite familiar to Arianne and to all the other students.

"…Could that be Frey?"

Arianne, who said that, quickly smirked and headed to the second floor.

Even the world ending would be a more believable story than Frey saving the commoners.

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"I… It's all my fault… It's all…"

"Please. Please, at least take this child out. I have no hope."

""....""

The masked man and Arianne looked at the situation unfolding in front of them with blank expressions.

In front of them was Lulu, who had fallen into a state of severe self-loathing, a girl who had collapsed after ingesting too much smoke, and Alice, who had her legs crushed under a wooden pillar, painting the picture of total chaos.

"…You take that suicidal girl out. I'll take care of these two girls."

"A-Alright."

After thinking for a moment, the masked man gave an order, and Arianne quickly nodded and ran out of the mansion while carrying Lulu, who had been crying until then.

"Thank you for your help."

Then Alice, who was watching the scene, bowed her head, thanked the man, and continued speaking with a trembling voice.

"I'm stuck under this pillar and can't get out. So, at least take the child next to me…"

"Ugh…"

"…Eh?"

But when the masked man tried to lift the blazing pillar that was crushing her legs, Alice spoke with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Don't do this. If you take me with you, it will be too late. The flames are already in front of us…"

"Stay quiet. It will be quite painful."

"Yes? What… GAH!"

However, when the masked man who cut her off mid-sentence lifted the pillar and threw it away, Alice closed her eyes tightly upon feeling an excruciating pain in her legs.

"Do you still have the strength to hold on to me? Get on my back. We have to get out of here."

As the man in her mask muttered while looking at her, Alice shook her head slowly and answered.

"No, I don't deserve to get out of this place."

"What do you mean?"

"I was the reason behind this assassination squad…"

After saying that, Alice sighed, while the masked man, who momentarily froze, forcibly lifted her up and said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I, uh! I…"

"Say it."

After saying that, the masked man also lifted the girl who was lying next to her and was about to leave the room.

After hesitating for a moment, Alice sighed and opened her mouth.

"…I'm a secret spy of the Moonlight family."

"Oh."

When the masked man clicked his tongue at those words, Alice sighed and said.

"Of course, I'm not an assassin, just an informant."

"I see."

"I don't know who you are, but seeing that you are saving people… Just saying this is enough to give you a rough idea how horrible a person I am. So, just leave me here…"

"…Well, I guess I'll have to listen a little more to decide whether to leave you or not."

As the masked man said that and continued walking down the hallway to escape the flames, Alice sighed and continued speaking in a trembling voice.

"I was planning to assassinate Frey while continuing to pass information to Her Highness, the Imperial Princess. But the captain of the assassin squad must have been unsatisfied with me."

"What do you mean?"

When the masked man asked, Alice answered with a trembling voice.

"For some reason, he thought I was leaking information. So, he secretly ordered Frey to be killed."

"But?"

"It failed because Frey had been throwing away his food for the past few days. So today, while I was forced to prepare to kill him with my own hands, the enraged secret Lord of the Moonlight Family, dispatched an assassination squad."

"…Then, that's the secret Lord's fault. Not yours."

When the masked man who was listening to that said in an absurd voice, Alice responded with tears in her eyes.

"No… it's my fault. Because of my immaturity, provoking the secret Lord of the Moonlight Family, and repeatedly failing to assassinate him… everyone is at risk…"

"Strange. How did they even notice that the information is being leaked? Serena's work should have been perfect…"

"…Look, so please drop me now. I don't deserve to get out of here."

After hearing her words, the masked man muttered to himself for a moment. However, when Alice spoke with a determined look on her face, he replied with a smirk.

"Fine, if you manage to get out of here, you must confess. That's how you will pay for your sins."

"N, no… Then the Moonlight family… Ah."

When Alice, who was replying to the man with a grim look on her face, saw the situation unfolding in front of her, she began to spit out curses.

"Fuck."

And it was the same with the masked man.

This was because the entrance, which had been intact until now, was now blocked by collapsed trees and pillars.

"Heuup!!"

– Schwiiing!

The man, who was silently watching the scene, soon closed his eyes and drew his sword. He then swung it with all his might.

"W-What!?"

Then, the sparkling mana slashed through the poisonous fog and cleaved past the obstacles. Alice, who witnessed that scene, slowly turned her head and looked at the man.

"You… who are you?"

"…You don't need to know."

The masked man replied briefly and began to slowly move forward.

"Damn… I'm running out of life force now… I don't think there are any more people inside…"

Eventually, the masked man who came out of the exit laid down the rescued women in the yard and took a deep breath.

"Wait, where is the Saintess? Where is the Saintess?"

"…Lady Ferloche! Are you there!?"

But at that moment, urgent voices that were looking for Ferloche resounded from behind. Upon hearing those voices, the masked man stood up with a shocked expression on his face.

"You guys! What're you talking about!?"

"So… We were lying low in the cellar, and we escaped thanks to Lady Ferloche…"

"But now, I can't find Lady Ferloche! She said she would follow us soon and told us to go ahead…"

"Fuck!!"

Hearing that, the masked man hurriedly began to look around.

"Arianne! Where's Arianne!"

"She was hit by a burning pillar when she came out earlier… she survived because of her defensive magic, but she lost consciousness after inhaling too much smoke…"

"…No, she mustn't die. If she dies, it's game over. No no no."

The masked man, who was muttering in panic upon hearing those words, immediately muttered to the student next to him with a resolute expression.

"My will is in a secret pocket inside my bag."

"Huh?"

"I'm telling you just in case…"

And the next moment, the masked man jumped into the mansion that had turned into hell.

"H-Hey!!"

– Ruuuumble!!

"…Ah."

Then the next moment, the Starlight mansion began to collapse.

It was the moment when the historically significant monument that had been passed down for a thousand years ceased to exist.

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The next morning,

"Lady Ferloche!!"

Someone was frantically searching through the Starlight family mansion, which was no longer plagued by the poisonous fog.

"Lady Ferloche! Where are you!! Lady Ferloche!!"

"Princess."

"Lady Ferloche!!!"

"…Please stop denying reality already."

Despite the protests of the investigative team, knights dispatched from the Imperial family, and the students who were involved in the incident, Clana still searched through the remains of the building until her hands bled. She then heard Isolet's icy voice from the side and froze on the spot.

"Lady Ferloche is dead. Thanks to your cunning antics."

"Ahhh…"

Clana, who had a blank expression on her face after hearing that, plopped on the rubble and burst into tears.

"I, I… I just…"

"…There's a sign of life here!"

"…!"

However, when the mage dispatched from the Magic Tower urgently shouted, Clana rushed to the place and began digging through the wreckage.

"It's the cellar! If it's here, definitely!!"

Eventually, she found the entrance to the cellar, and with a hopeful look, she smashed the door with solar mana and walked inside.

"La-Lady Fe-Ferloche….!! You're alive…"

Clana, who found Ferloche alive inside, ran to her with tears in her eyes, but …

"…Uh?"

"Why… Why the hell are you not coming back to life… Why…"

Soon after, she found Ferloche holding someone in tears, frozen on the spot.

"T-This… how did this happen?"

"Wake up… Get up…"

Before long, Clana inquired in a trembling voice, but Ferloche ignored her and continued muttering with tears in her eyes.

"I was wrong… Please… Frey…"

In her arms remained Frey Raon Starlight's cold corpse.

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02