Clutching my beloved sword, I rode in the night carriage heading towards the Andraus territory after leaving the mansion.
Closing my eyes, I can vividly recall the day I met Lord Ouga at the arena.
Lord Ouga had the eyes I so adored
Eyes brimming with a strong resolve to pursue his dreams.
He had sought me out, needing me.
But more than that, I’ve recently realized that I was the foolish one, drawn to the strength of those eyes.
“I wonder what Lord Ouga is doing now…”
He is a man of remarkable intellect, far beyond my reach.
He may have already noticed my absence by now.
Especially the scene of me handing him that letter earlier today.
I believe Lord Ouga saw through my lie back then.
I had claimed the letter was for everyone, when it was not.
So Lord Ouga, without voicing it, was trying to retain me by giving me a letter of gratitude.
The question he had started with, [Will you continue to be my sword?], was likely because he fully understood what I was about to do.
“…The memories with you are precious treasures to me.”
But… That’s precisely why I’ve decided not to involve him in this battle.
I carefully folded the letter Lord Ouga gave me and tucked it into my pocket, replacing it with another letter.
It had only three lines written on it – information about a location and the instruction to come alone, with the signature of Juke-Andraus.
What I’m about to do is to avenge my personal grudge.
I’m going to kill that man to demonstrate my, no, our justice.
Lord Ouga has the potential to become the [Saint] who will save the world.
A maid like me, who has been branded as a noble killer, cannot be permitted to serve such a person.
“…Juke-Andraus…”
Seeing the name written on the letter, I gritted my teeth.
The noble who had expelled me from the Holy Knight Order…
And the ultimate evil that must be slain in this world.
“I will definitely defeat your enemy, Captain Lily…!”
No matter how much time passed,
the past that had completely changed my life on that fateful day never faded.
The rage from the bottom of my heart was revived.
“Excellent work as always, Vice-Captain Ragnica!”
“Ah, I’m sure Captain Lily will be satisfied with this. Everyone worked hard too.”
“Then can we look forward to the Vice-Captain’s treat today?!”
“Sure. But first, you’ll have to complete today’s training menu.”
“Aww~!”
Grumbling came from behind, but they weren’t genuinely angry.
They were the squad members I had personally trained – a bunch with strong resolve. I pride myself on not having any weaklings among them.
I had been promoted to command my own squad, and we were returning from an expedition to hunt nearby magical beasts.
I had thought that the familiar flow of time would continue as always, upon returning to the Holy Knight Order’s headquarters with my adorable subordinates.
“Alright, let’s quickly file the report. For the sake of… the… fun time…?”
But the barracks, the floor, the walls, the ceiling – everything was dyed in red.
“Wh-What is this…?”
“Blood…?”
The squad members behind me were also stunned, their faces paling.
Realizing that losing composure would be the worst thing, I shouted orders in a commanding voice.
“All units, draw your swords! Those with little combat experience, head to the royal palace and report! The rest, search in pairs! If you find the culprit, raise the alarm! Scatter!”
“Understood!!”
The squad members, having regained their composure just in time, dispersed according to the instructions.
I too, went to inspect the barracks alone.
The scene was a true hellscape.
The dormitories, the training grounds, the dining hall.
The corpses of the Holy Knights were strewn about in numerous locations.
And I spotted a lone figure moving among them.
I doubted my own eyes.
“Wh-What are you doing…?”
I wanted to believe this was just a bad dream, that I was still lying in my bed.
But the quickening of my heartbeat, the stench of blood – they all told me this was reality.
“What are you doing, Captain Lily?!”
The movement stopped, and she turned towards me with a stiff, doll-like motion.
The blood-stained silver hair had lost its luster.
The skin, a mix of dull white and reddish-brown, had dried.
Most of all, the deep crimson eyes I had adored had lost all their vitality.
The ones who killed the Holy Knights, the ones slashing them without expression, were the very person everyone had admired.
“–Ugh!”
“…………”
I kicked off the ground, instantly closing the distance to parry the Captain’s sword.
It was as heavy as always!
“Captain! Answer me! Why would you do such a horrible thing?!”
“…………”
“Why…?!”
But no matter how much I questioned her, the Captain’s words never came.
Her sword merely swung, as if that was the only response she had.
“Ugh… Raa…!”
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I continued to withstand the Captain’s sword, nearly being pushed back, but I desperately kept up the clash.
The person in front of me was like a living corpse.
Could there truly be a human exuding such an aura of death?
All the brilliance that had formed Lily Shane-Spride had dimmed.
Was she under the influence of some kind of magic…?
But I’ve never heard of a magic that can control a person… And it’s unthinkable that the Captain would be afflicted by such a dangerous spell.
“Answer me, Captain! Did you really kill all our precious comrades?!”
“…………”
“Ugh–?!”
The front kick that came in lieu of a response struck my abdomen, and I was kicked away, rolling to put distance between us before quickly standing up again.
“…So that’s your answer, is it.”
“……………!”
Just like the soldiers killed in the barracks, Captain Lily intends to kill me.
It’s up to me to make the decision.
She’s no longer the Lily Shane-Spride that we admired.
I readjust my sword stance and face the monster standing before me.
“…I have no choice.”
Against her who is seriously trying to kill me, I don’t have the luxury of holding back my full strength.
To prevent any further casualties, I have to kill her here.
Even if Captain Lily was in my position, she would have made the same choice.
Above all, I can’t let her tarnish the admiration and memories the other soldiers have of her.
It’s only right that I alone bear this pain.
I’ll definitely settle this in the next strike.
I take a deep breath. Tightening my grip on the hilt.
Lowering the sword to hip level, I take a defensive stance with my left side facing her.
It’s a counter-focused form that I would never normally use.
But I can’t sense any rationality from her now. There’s no fear in the sword she wields. All of her previous feelings and experience have completely disappeared from her attacks.
“…You don’t deserve to call yourself Lily Shane-Spride.”
That’s why this form will land. Against a madness-consumed monster!
“Come at me!”
“……………!”
She’s certainly fast in her bursts of power and sword swings.
But it’s just a wild, brute-force attack relying on her specs.
It’s not worthy of being called “swordsmanship”.
“──【Bee Sting Perforation】”
I watch the monster’s slash aimed at my head until the last moment – evading by sliding my body inwards.
With the reduced distance, the strike’s power is diminished, only leaving a small wound on my shoulder.
And then, like swatting a dancing butterfly, I thrust my sword with perfect precision into her chest.
“Aaaaaahhh!!”
The sensation of piercing flesh that I’ve experienced many times before, breaking through bone.
The agonizing seconds it takes to withdraw the sword were the most painful of my life.
The captain’s sword clatters to the ground.
The strength leaving her body, the captain collapses to the ground under gravity.
“Haah… Haah…”
“……Chris.”
“!? Captain Lily!”
Running over, I’m called by name in a faint voice that doesn’t sound like hers at all.
But her eyes have returned to the ones I love,
not the soulless monster from before.
“…You see? I told you, didn’t I? That you would one day surpass me, Chris.”
“D-Don’t talk! Stop the bleeding immediately…! Someone! Anybody who can use [Healing], come over here at once…!”
“The promise… you remember? My sword… I’m giving it to you…”
Saying that, Captain Lily takes my hand and has me grasp the sheath at her waist.
There lies her beloved sword, the very soul of her as a holy knight. Even in this heinous act, it seems she never unsheathed that blade.
“I haven’t won! Not even once against the true you! So that sword still belongs to the captain!”
I desperately press my own jacket against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
I desperately presses down on the wound, and can’t afford to lose any more blood. ……
The hand placed on my head has no warmth. It doesn’t move.
I’ve come to accept and understand that she is slipping away.
“…Chris. …At the very end… my… wish…”
The words are now barely audible, barely comprehensible.
“…Thank you… Chris. …I’m glad… it was you…”
“…Captain? Captain…!”
I call out, but there’s no response.
Her eyes have lost the luster they held before.
No… She can’t be dead…! This is just like earlier! Yes, just like earlier, she’ll be-!
“Vice-Captain Ragnica! I’ll take over!”
“Ah.”
The subordinate who had come over pushes me aside, taking turns casting magic on Captain Lily.
But no matter how much magic they used, the captain never spoke again.
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