Chapter 125
It’s time to end this.
The strength drained from the hands that had been gripping my body in response to my question. Lucy’s complexion changed multiple times. Unlike her usual self, who rarely showed emotion, there was a clear sign of confusion on her face.
Doubt soon turned into certainty.
As her hands fell away, I felt the sharp sting of scratching again around the tattoo on my thigh.
“You… you’re really Lucy, right?”
She didn’t answer. Silence settled between us. Lucy, her blue eyes turned to the sea, simply stared at me. It felt as though even the flow of air had stopped.
Clink.
A metallic sound broke the silence that had hung between Lucy and me. I ran to the window.
The fight between Adrian and Jerop had escalated further. Even facing the empire’s strongest knight, the Pope did not falter at all.
It didn’t make sense.
Against my desperate hope, the Pope was the one pushing Jerop back. Jerop’s body shook violently, his breathing faltering. The Pope swung his sword.
‘Jerop!’
I pressed my hands over my mouth to keep from shouting, fearing it would distract him.
Jerop parried the Pope’s sword with Esther and stepped back. The force was strong enough to move the floor. His body wavered.
In an instant, the Pope’s blade narrowly grazed Jerop’s nape. Strands of hair near his ear fluttered. The hair, which had turned a deep violet, fell away from Jerop’s body and became silver again.
Jerop bent low and thrust his sword toward the Pope, who parried it. The speed, the force—everything about their duel was astonishingly even.
Watching a duel in person was far more terrifying than reading about it in books. If that sword had hit his neck… he would have been seriously injured. My chest tightened, and my heart felt like it would burst.
It was a sight almost too painful to witness.
Please. Please. I whispered the words with all my hope.
“Miss.”
Lucy quietly called me.
“You have to go. You have to trust me.”
I stared at her eyes, searching for the truth within them. Her face was difficult to read. I still couldn’t shake my doubts about whether this was truly the Lucy I knew. I hesitated, taking a few steps back from her.
Huff.
I heard a short grunt from Jerop. My attention shifted from Lucy in front of me to Jerop below.
The slash of his sword cut through the air and flew toward Adrian. Although he tried to dodge quickly, the sword’s speed was so great that this time it struck the Pope. Dust swirled around them.
As the dust cleared, Adrian grabbed one of his arms. A sleeve of his clerical robe had been ripped long and ragged, revealing a blackened arm underneath.
It was scorched. I leaned closer to the window to get a better look.
The Pope looked up at me after noticing the exposed arm.
“Not there, here.”
Jerop, who had been silent until now, spoke. Taking advantage of the Pope’s momentary lapse, Jerop struck at his nape. The Pope nearly got hurt but didn’t even blink. He sidestepped slightly, his stance faltering for just a moment.
Jerop didn’t miss the opportunity. He slashed at the Pope’s side.
He’s winning.
Hope surged at Jerop’s swift movements, almost too fast to follow with my eyes.
Clang.
The Pope deflected the blade with his blackened hand.
Unbelievable.
Esther was a sword capable of cutting through anything. It could slice through humans and even beasts. And yet, the Pope stopped it with his hand.
How did he stop it?
Unlike me, Jerop didn’t waver. He reset his stance. Instead of aiming at the Pope’s arm, he leapt powerfully at another spot. The blade came flying again.
This time, the Pope grabbed Esther itself and threw it along with Jerop. Jerop, pushed to the corner, almost fell but steadied himself with both legs.
“Miss. This…”
While my eyes remained glued to the duel, Lucy withdrew a document from her arms. It had a golden border and bore the emperor’s seal.
I hurriedly read it. Though the situation was urgent and I couldn’t read every detail, some words stood out.
“Divine decree… and abdication.”
“This is the Emperor’s edict.”
It stated that the divine decree had been manipulated. The Pope was to be removed along with several high priests. The document also included a warning that the temple would no longer interfere. It contained orders for the Crown Prince’s restraint as well.
The Emperor had sided with Jerop Dycus.
“How… could this happen?”
How could a nation that believed in God abandon the Pope?
In the original story, Charles de Meyers’ time as Crown Prince was mentioned very briefly. I vaguely remembered the image of him sitting on the high throne—a father who looked exactly like his son.
“The Duke swapped my leash for your safety.”
The last line declared that Diane Heist, the one involved in the decree, would personally prove her innocence at the imperial palace.
How far had Jerop Dycus prepared all this?
“To deliver all this, you’re needed. You must go to the palace.”
Would he be okay?
The fight below intensified. The ground shook from the force of their strikes.
The once-blue garden had been forcibly dug up, revealing brown soil scattered around, yet the area around the building I stood in remained untouched, as if protected by a barrier.
Jerop Dycus had orchestrated it.
Sometimes, I felt his eyes on me even when he didn’t speak. He focused on me even while clashing swords.
What Jerop wanted most was my safety.
Just as I wished for your happiness.
“Lucy.”
“Trust me and go. Step aside, for the Duke’s sake. Fight freely. The reason I was able to come here…”
Lucy explained everything in detail. I was finally certain. Her gaze was full of worry. The Lucy in front of me was truly the one I knew. How she got here no longer mattered.
“No. Okay. Alright. Lucy.”
I nodded and packed the original story and the Red Book into my bag to join her. My presence here would only hinder him.
I would show both books to the Emperor.
“Let’s go.”
We had to move as quickly as possible while he was occupied.
Jerop Dycus swept his sword downward once more. Though he had never seemed to neglect training, his opponent, who outwardly appeared weak, was far too strong.
Pope Adrian.
Each time the sword struck, I realized painfully:
He was not human.
It had been a long time since I’d seen such an intense clash. Defeat seemed impossible. Even against dozens or hundreds of enemies, Jerop would not lose.
Jerop gave a sharp, calculating smile. Diane and Lucy had finally disappeared from the window. That was enough. He glanced at the empty window and gripped his sword again.
He unleashed a willpower unlike anything before. All hidden strength was now open. His hair rose into the air with the energy, defying gravity. Not just his irises, but his entire eyes glowed red. The veins on his nape bulged.
“It’s time to end this.”
If the opponent wasn’t human, then he too could no longer be human.
With my beloved safely aside, Jerop no longer needed to hold back. His eyes went almost feral.
The Pope, oddly, smiled. He seemed to enjoy it.
Jerop poured his power into Esther. The sword, responsive to its master, sparkled brilliantly as it absorbed all his force.
Jerop Dycus was one of the strongest swordsmen among the Dukes. He wielded his blade with unmistakably superior strength.
Fast, precise, and targeting only the heart.
Adrian was sent flying backward from the force of the blade. Deflecting a sword with one’s hand was only possible when strength was similar. The Pope’s once-straight body flailed under the force, like a cloth beaten with a rod.
The Pope, dressed in white robes, crashed into the wall. No injuries, and he immediately stood back up. His white clothing was now covered in dirt.
With each strike, the shock traveled from Jerop’s fingertips through the Pope.
Gradually, Jerop gained the upper hand, pushing him against the wall. The Pope only defended with his hands and stepped back.
An obvious opening appeared. Jerop noticed weaknesses in the Pope that had never been revealed: his desperately guarded nape and chest were gradually exposed. This was Jerop Dycus, who had even faced beasts.
Every living being inevitably has weak points.
Finally, Jerop poured all his strength into Esther and drove the sword into the Pope’s heart. The sensation of cutting flesh and breaking bones, impossible for a swordsman to miss, was vivid. Blood would soon gush out.
The opponent had been strong, but the end was the same.
However…
It was different.
“You must not be careless.”
Adrian, who had remained silent until now, laughed. The wound in his heart closed with the sword still embedded. Esther was buried within.
Adrian’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. His teeth jutted out at odd angles.
Alongside him, Jerop felt burning pain in his side. It quickly became damp there. Diane’s perfectly tailored uniform cushioned him. I remembered her gentle smile as she buttoned it up.
The reinforced sword had pierced Jerop Dycus’ side.
“I didn’t want to ruin my own work with my own hands.”
