42 – Escape from the wedding hall
The attack on the emperor’s wedding was the result of a combination of various misfortunes.
This is a banquet hall guarded by hero-level knights and semi-hero-level knights. As various barrier magics were installed to prepare for attacks, it was difficult for such a threat to occur.
It’s just that the forces targeting the emperor’s wedding were not at a ‘tolerable’ level.
The resistance fighters, who claimed to be ‘descendants of a kingdom destroyed by the empire’, had a ‘history’. They have learned about the structure of the empire through long-term consultations, and have succeeded in penetrating deep into the capital by breaking through various security loopholes. It was only possible to use all their might to break through, and there was no room for safe return, but these people lived solely for the sake of completing revenge. He was to die here with the emperor.
The ‘devil worshipers’ were ‘unexpected’. They were equipped with many lethal measures that could not be censored using existing security measures. At the point when they entered the capital with the help of the nobles who were assisting the warlocks, most of the security measures protecting the empire were simply ineffective.
In addition, there were several forces entangled with political interests and some raiders entangled with personal grudges. As a result, the personnel deployed to protect the emperor were dispersed.
Again, decisively.
About half of the personnel guarding the banquet hall were on guard against ‘escape from the inside’ rather than ‘being attacked from the outside in’. By order of the emperor and no one else.
This was the entire story of the banquet hall attack.
If things continued like this, there was a risk that the emperor would be attacked… The emperor was also not simply a powerless leader.
Noble blood flows through her. This was the blood of a great hero who had been promised ‘half the world’ by her goddess. She had the ability to protect herself from the explosion.
In a mess where you can’t even see an inch ahead due to dust and debris.
The emperor opened his mouth. It was a word containing the power of ‘promise’ that only the emperor could use.
“I command in the name of the Emperor. The guardians of the Empire’s authority must gather here at the banquet hall to keep their promises.”
The emperor took emergency measures and used magic to blow away the dust and remove the remains of the collapsed ceiling.
The target is the place where Plum was standing. Although it was pushed back a little by the explosion that occurred in the center of the platform aimed at the emperor, it would not have flown too far. There was a high possibility that it was buried under rubble.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Plum’s arm was found sticking out from among the pile of rubble.
An amount of blood was flowing out from under the wreckage, making it difficult to guarantee survival.
The debris was quickly removed from the surrounding area. There was nothing below the arms.
Only an arm torn as if it had been crushed by rubble, a few scattered pieces of flesh, and blood soaking the floor showed that ‘someone’ was here.
The emperor stood with his arms raised for a long time, dumbfounded.
*
“It hurts a little.”
『Hi-?! Is it Rain?! How are you alive?!』
“I’m alive because I’m not dead.”
『You just got caught in an explosion and died!』
One arm was cut off, the body was slightly crushed, and the skull was slightly cracked. But he didn’t die.
It will take some time to play, though. Is this the first time I’ve been damaged this badly since I was attacked by a hero during the Four Heavenly Kings?
At that time, it was fortunate that the hero did not properly confirm the kill. Honestly, I think it was a bit of a gamble.
“This much will be better if you apply saliva.”
『It can’t be like that, right?!』
If I was going to die from injuries like this in the first place, I wouldn’t be alive yet.
How harshly that old man treated me. This is why you need to retire quickly.
『Rain isn’t something like undead, is it? It turns out she was a Dullahan or a Death Knight?』
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“That can’t be possible.”
『But how can you be so fine!』
“Well…? Actually, I don’t know much.”
I can only guess that it is probably similar to a racial trait.
In fact, for convenience, they were collectively referred to as ‘half-human, half-horse’, but half-human, half-horse was not a name for one specific race.
‘Half-human, half-demon’ is a mixture of humans and demons.
Here, ‘humanity’ includes numerous races ranging from humans to high elves, and there are also numerous races of demons ranging from the demon dragons to the mountain tribes.
Among them, there may not be many species capable of interbreeding, but even so, there were too many cases to simply group them as ‘half-human, half-horse’.
Of course, most half-human, half-horse creatures are ridiculously weak. That is not a problem that can be solved by mixing high-ranking races such as the Demon Dragon.
This is because the various characteristics of humans and demons share energy with each other. The stronger the race, the greater the tendency to be antagonized in that way.
『Then it’s like regenerative power… ?』
“Hmm, it’s a little different.”
It does regenerate to its original state over time, but it is not a tremendous ability like ‘super regeneration’. It takes several months to several years to regenerate a damaged area. The time could be greatly reduced by using secondary elements such as potions, but that was basically it.
It wasn’t particularly true that the wound healed quickly.
If I were to be honest, I guess it would be immunity to death due to excessive bleeding.
Any other characteristic features… Even though part of his body was missing, he was able to move ‘somehow’. Even if a nerve or spinal cord was severed, there were no restrictions on muscle movement. This part is similar to the undead.
So I have no idea what race my parents in this world were.
I was just thinking that they were a slightly unusual race. Compared to his ability to survive, his physical ability was ridiculously low.
In some ways, is it similar to the Sanwa tribe? Although there are no slug-like elements.
『Rain is really unique….』
“Listen a lot.”
『My head hurts. Because it’s a sword, it doesn’t have a head!』
Anyway, I have to run away quickly like this.
If the bridegroom died due to an attack, the emperor’s honor would not be affected. Since it was before the ceremony was over, I wouldn’t be labeled as a widow.
『Rain is really… As a man, this is the worst.』
Sharp’s habitual slander was ignored.
I need to evacuate to a safe house somewhere like this and recover for a few months….
─”Holy sword, tear everything down.”
“Hike?!”
A familiar golden force passed through my back. Was the warrior at the wedding hall?
The robes, which were once pure white but now turned dark red due to being soaked in blood, fell to the floor. There was nothing I could do about it since my arm was blown off and tattered to begin with.
It’s a bit embarrassing to take your top off in public….
『I don’t even think about it because I look like a corpse….』
“Did you usually think like that…?”
『Ah. No, that’s what Lane showed me!』
From next time, I will have to put the sharpener away somewhere when I change clothes.
*
The warrior could not come to his senses.
To be precise, I couldn’t maintain my sanity from the moment ‘rainy weather’ came out in the groom’s waiting room.
I think there was someone who wanted to say something about the rain.
For some reason, my hair has turned white.
It was not strange for Ucheon to get married. Even if the opponent is the emperor… It wasn’t a matter for him to say anything.
There were a few questionable points along the way, but in the end, it wasn’t something he cared about.
It was enough for me to just say thank you. He had to say thank you, that he had done him a favor that could not be repaid. That would have been all.
The moment you see Ucheon wearing a white robe.
I can’t explain it in words… I felt empty. If the benefactor was getting married, it would definitely be something to celebrate.
I felt like something sticky and black was seeping through my veins under my feet. I felt frustrated, as if each of my blood vessels was clogged and my heart was filled with black water. It was difficult for her to breathe. So I took a deep breath, but for some reason I forgot how to breathe and stopped breathing again.
Could it be that the emperor threatened rain? He had that thought too.
However, Ucheon, who came out of the groom’s waiting room, did not look like he was being forced to do something. Although he had a dumb expression for a moment, as if he had no sense of reality, he was smiling gently as he looked at the emperor.
Then… Ucheon probably means that she and the emperor really love each other and are getting married.
We had to congratulate the two people. Since he came as a representative of the Holy Kingdom, he had to congratulate the emperor’s marriage, and since he was a recipient of Wu Cheon’s favor, he had to congratulate him on Yu Cheon’s marriage. I had to smile brightly, applaud, and congratulate the couple on their marriage.
Can I do it? I do not know.
I couldn’t even guess what kind of expression I was making right now. It probably wasn’t a smile.
His hand went up to the handle of the holy sword.
I came down again.
Once again, like before, disillusionment with myself reared its head.
The officiant recited the marriage vows.
The moment when Woo Cheon opened his mouth.
─Bang!
With the sound of something exploding, the walls and ceiling of the banquet hall collapsed, covering the surrounding area with debris and dust.
I took out the holy sword. I felt the power of the devil.
People’s lives were in danger, but for some reason I felt relieved. Right now, I just wanted to swing the holy sword without thinking about anything.
Just like before.
Just like the time when we lived according to the will of those who sacrificed.
I just wanted to clear my head and pursue my duties.
Now, I no longer think that the only thing I am allowed to do is revenge. Woocheon taught me about peace and relaxation.
However, in this chaos, I feel an inevitable sense of comfort.
Why?
Perhaps revenge and memorial service were just excuses. The grand words of fate and the plausible words of duty may have all been nothing more than excuses.
I was a person who felt more comfortable with slaughter than with peace. That was all.
I turned my back on the direction where the rain was. The power of the devil was felt at the entrance of the banquet hall.
“Goddess, give me the strength to cut down everything─”
And then, I swung the holy sword with all my might. There was no need to worry about other visitors as the warrior’s power would only cut down ‘what was wrong’.
“─Holy sword, tear everything down.”