Chapter 192 …
The second explosion died down quickly, but the fire that had already caught did not go out so easily.
Like a massive funeral pyre, enormous flames roared as they burned the corpses of the demonic beasts as firewood. A blonde woman with a silver revolver hanging at her side walked barefoot with the fire behind her.
The flames that shot up toward the sky burned behind her head like a halo. Crimson light spread across the once-dark surroundings.
People held their breath, their faces dyed red by the firelight. The place that had been filled with monstrous screams was now silent.
Lilieta paid little attention to the people whose expressions were mixed with awe, shock, and fear. When rescuing civilians, she saw those kinds of expressions every day, so she was used to them.
All her attention was focused on Reinhardt, who had lost consciousness with severe injuries. She hurried over and knelt beside her second brother, whom Leonhardt was holding.
“How is he?”
“I—I’m not sure if I’m doing this right…”
Leonhardt answered haltingly. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to look back at her as he desperately poured the newly awakened aura into his blood-soaked younger brother.
Lilieta immediately realized that her eldest brother had awakened as a transfer-type healer when she saw him transferring aura. But she neither showed surprise nor questioned him about it.
Reinhardt’s condition—his blood surging out—was far more urgent.
With a pale face, she examined the hole in Reinhardt’s abdomen that looked as though it might close but hadn’t yet, then raised her head.
“Is there a priest who can help?”
“Ah, yes! Th—the priest is here!”
A priest who responded with strangely forceful enthusiasm rushed forward in a panic and began pouring divine power into Reinhardt.
Only after watching Reinhardt’s wound begin to heal at a clearly visible speed did Rita finally let out a breath.
If it’s treated immediately like this, he won’t be in danger. He’ll need to recuperate for a while though…
After wiping away her cold sweat, she finally spoke to Leonhardt.
“Leon, when did you take the oath?”
“J-just… just now.”
“So it was that dangerous. Tell me the details later.”
Usually calm, he was completely overwhelmed—facing a brutal battlefield for the first time, his brother’s fatal wound, and the pressure of having to heal him with aura he wasn’t used to.
Rita left him to focus on healing Reinhardt with the priest and stood up.
Right next to them she saw the Duchess sobbing loudly, while the Duke stood pale, grinding his teeth. She walked over and embraced them both.
“Mom, Dad.”
“Lili…”
“Brother Rih will be alright. He fought bravely and survived, and he’s being treated now. It’s going to be okay.”
“Ahh…”
The Duchess gasped and hugged her tightly, as if she might crush her. The Duke grabbed Rita’s hand with trembling fingers.
While patting her mother’s back and holding her father’s hand, Lilieta noticed the Empress approaching.
“Lady Laskail.”
Empress Ophelia called out to her but remained silent for a moment.
Her pupils were wide like those of a startled cat as her gaze wandered between the still-burning flames and Lilieta.
Finally, as if she had barely found the words to say, the Empress spoke.
“Th-thank you… thank you.”
“It was nothing. It was simply what I had to do.”
Rita answered calmly and looked around.
She saw an imperial guard knight clutching the body of a fallen comrade who had turned into a demonic beast and weeping. Beyond the barricade piled with beast corpses, she saw nobles who had urinated themselves or fainted foaming at the mouth.
Some people looked at her with a mixture of fear and admiration. Others clung to each other and sobbed in relief that they had survived.
Some appeared to have just become Oath-bearers, looking battered but slightly better than half-dead, their faces filled with reverence. Others were tending to them or worrying helplessly.
Among them were Annemarie, soaked in tears, and Lavinia, who stood in a daze.
Lilieta did not know exactly what had happened here.
But she could tell that the people had not simply cowered helplessly or run away—they had tried to gather their courage and fight.
That was why they had managed to endure this long.
More than a hundred demonic beasts had rushed in, and yet for a group of civilians to remain this safe was practically a miracle.
But Rita did not say it was a miracle, nor that they were lucky or amazing. Someone had died, and others were weeping over their bodies. She could not say such things.
Later.
Her gaze briefly lingered on Lavinia’s wounded hand still tightly gripping a gun, then moved to Lindsey, who stood there covered in blood and looking blank.
At Rita’s glance, the amethyst-eyed girl snapped back to her senses and hurried over.
“Master.”
“You worked hard, Lindsey. It must have been tough.”
Lindsey bit her lower lip tightly instead of answering right away.
Was the world her master came from like this every day?
Was this the true nature of the disaster approaching this world?
Had she overexerted herself because of that explosion just now…?
There were so many things she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
Rita didn’t wait for her reply and continued with a bitter smile.
“But let’s endure a little longer. This situation isn’t over yet.”
“Is there something you want me to do?”
“Yes.”
At the quick-witted Lindsey’s question, Rita nodded and gently removed the Duchess, who was clinging to her.
“L-Lili?”
“It’s alright, just a moment… Lindsey, could you find me some shoes first? Since this is the training ground, the imperial guards probably have some.”
Lindsey glanced down at Lilieta’s bare feet, roughly wrapped in cloth, then moved without another word.
While she spoke with the captain of the guard and rummaged through a cabinet mixed into the barricade, Rita took out her communicator and sent a short message to Ollie.
Magic Bullet: Suppression of demonic beasts in the imperial palace complete. Requesting situation report.
Text quickly appeared on the mirror-like surface.
Saint has joined Sage. Battle in the plaza is stable.
Witch discovered traces of a beast and is pursuing. Rescue possible.
Ghost still not responding.
The messages that had filled the surface quickly disappeared, and another communication arrived immediately.
Last aerial reconnaissance familiar report sent 5 minutes ago. Please rescue Ghost.
She quickly scribbled a reply on the mirror.
Magic Bullet: Confirmed.
Imperial palace magic circle requires repair. Requesting standard-level mage spell formula.
Soon complex words and formulas rapidly filled the screen.
“Master, I borrowed some boots. The size should be close enough.”
“Thanks.”
Rita removed the blood-stained cloth from her feet and put on the boots Lindsey brought. Then she handed the mirror, now packed with text, over to her.
“Lindsey, take this and work with the mages to restore the magic circle here.”
“Huh?”
“It’s Ollie’s spell formula. If you show it to them, the mages will know what to do.”
“But if you hand over your communicator like this—”
“I’ll be fine. My replacement is coming.”
From the direction she nodded toward, a softly glowing blue bird was flying in. Recognizing it as Isaiah’s familiar, Lindsey nodded and took the mirror.
“Understood.”
“If anything happens, contact Ollie with that.”
“Yes.”
After sending Lindsey off toward the mages, Rita turned back to the somewhat bewildered Empress.
“Your Majesty.”
“Y-yes?”
“Once the magic circle is repaired, this will be the safest place. There are many injured, so please organize the people here.”
“Th-then what about you, Lady?”
“I will go finish resolving the situation.”
Suddenly, the small-framed young lady seemed unimaginably large to the Empress.
The person who had solved a hopeless situation the moment she arrived was now calmly saying she would go resolve another one. The flames near the collapsed wall were still burning.
This achievement would surely remain in history.
The Crown Prince truly was fortunate. How had he found someone like her?
“I understand.”
After replying with a pleased smile, Ophelia asked casually,
“By the way, where is the Crown Prince?”
“……”
Lilieta fell silent.
The chaotic sights she had unwillingly witnessed surged up like a rising tide. She remembered the dragon made of black thorns, weeping tears of blood from its hollow eye sockets.
It felt like a horrible nightmare. Even now it didn’t feel real. A bitter taste seemed to rise in the back of her throat.
She bit the inside of her cheek to regain her composure and finally forced out the words.
“We… briefly got separated. I’ll be back soon, so please stay safe, Your Majesty.”
“That is what I should be telling you, Lady.”
“Lili?”
The Duchess called out anxiously. Lilieta turned back, hugged her mother tightly once more, then stepped away.
“I’ll be back.”
“W-where are you going in a situation like this?”
“There’s somewhere that needs me.”
“Ah…”
Can’t you stay? Rih is hurt like that…
The words rose to the Duchess’s throat.
But she remembered the twilight that had burned away hell here just moments ago. She remembered the expressions on the people’s faces as they looked at her daughter walking toward them through the flames—as if they were looking at a savior.
Don’t go, Lili.
The Duchess swallowed the words she wanted to say more than anything and spoke different ones instead.
“…Come back safely. Safely.”
