Chapter 610: Maidenly Heart vs. Chivalrous Spirit

“Ngh, kuh…”

Letting out a pained breath, Selis realized that her consciousness had cut out for a brief moment, and that the limit of her magical energy had finally arrived.

The moment that massive explosion of fire-attribute magic occurred—as if the sun itself had fallen—Selis’s divine protection cut off completely. Concurrently, she had lost consciousness… and upon opening her eyes, the scene that greeted her was one of absolute despair.

At the center of the crater lay Falquius, charred black.

Kai, having lost both arms and with his abdomen heavily torn open, was sinking into a sea of blood and entrails.

Rudra lay crucified upon the roof of the chalk-white castle, his heart pierced by a pitch-black spear.

Every single one of them was an exceptionally skilled swordsman. She had come to understand their capabilities over the course of their journey, and during the battle against Lily, they had displayed power beyond her imagination.

And yet, this was the result. Defeat. A wretched defeat, to the absolute highest degree.

She would not call it heartless or cruel. In the world of combat, might was everything. Lily was simply stronger. That was all there was to it.

“—Should I say ‘nice to meet you’ to you, I wonder.”

Even so, seeing her descend before her eyes like an angel, completely unblemished and beautiful, what entered Selis’s chest was neither a humble willingness to gracefully accept defeat, nor the frustration of falling short—it was pure terror.

“Uh, ah…”

Her inability to form a voice was not merely due to the extreme exhaustion of draining her magical energy. She felt as though she were being crushed under the overwhelming aura of Lily’s magical energy, which showed absolutely no sign of waning even after such a fierce battle.

“But I already know about you, Selis an Arclight.”

Lily had heard that she could share Kurono’s field of vision. In other words, from the moment they first met at the Selene Colosseum, to their walks through the streets of Avalon, every single moment she had spent with Kurono had been monitored by this girl.

Ultimately, how had she reflected in Lily’s eyes?

No, to someone possessing such overwhelming power, someone like herself—who was merely hyped up as a genius at the academy—was an existence completely unworthy of notice. This reality, where they had challenged her four-against-one and been shattered, proved the absolute, isolated gap in strength above all else.

“Ufufu, please do not wear such a frightened expression. I am not some starved, man-eating dragon, you know.”

If a dragon had been her opponent, how much better would that have been? There were times when being eaten to death without a word was a happier outcome. Because humans possessed intellect, they could hold the power over life and death and derive enjoyment from it.

“Kuh… Kill me…”

She had challenged a match with the intent to kill on both sides, and she had lost. She was prepared.

Yes, she possessed the resolve to die gracefully… but demanding that an eighteen-year-old maiden resolve herself to be played with and tortured to death was far too cruel.

“My, my, the Knights of Avalon certainly give up quickly. That will not do; it is precisely at times like these that you must keep a strong heart.”

As if seeing right through Selis’s inner thoughts, Lily scoffed.

“Kai, Falquius, and Rudra are all still alive. Whether they draw their last breaths like this or manage to miraculously survive depends entirely on you.”

“What do you intend to make me do?”

With the lives of her comrades held as hostages, she had no choice but to comply. Every single one of them had sustained fatal injuries that would normally render them completely beyond saving, but Lily would be capable of tethering their lives.

“Nothing in particular; you simply need to take them and return home.”

“Absurd… Why would you do such a thing—”

“Ah, come to think of it, was your purpose the rescue of Nel? Very well then, I shall return Nel to you as well.”

This time, Selis was left completely speechless.

“Unbelievable? Yet, I believe there is already sufficient reason to believe me. After all, I have not killed anyone yet.”

When put that way, it was exactly as she said.

From Lily’s perspective, both Fiona’s group and her own were nothing more than enemies whose deaths were a given. She had fought using her own power without using them as shields or hostages. There shouldn’t have been a single advantage to capturing them alive.

Yet, everyone who had fallen to her remained alive. Because Lily had allowed them to live. Yes, she had a reason for wanting to keep her adversaries alive.

“Why…”

“Humans are beings who, at times, place greater importance upon the process rather than the result—moving forward, I am going to the future together with Kurono. Whether that is one hundred years or one thousand years from now, I have not quite decided yet.”

Selis was aware of the *Cocytus Rift*, where time was frozen. Just like in Sparda, the same thing existed within the royal castle of Avalon. Among the national treasures, many ancient relics remained in pristine condition precisely because they had been preserved there. Nel’s *White-Winged Scales* was one of them.

Looking at the *Tyrant’s Armor Maximilian*, which stood completely frozen and white like a snow statue right in the middle of the front garden, it was clear that it had been placed under that exact same time-freezing magic.

It was precisely because of this that they had altered their strategy to Plan B, where they would act as Lily’s opponents.

“When he awakens, Kurono will hate me… But Kurono will forgive me. He will absolutely forgive me eventually.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, after tearing everything away from Kurono! How shameless… Are you saying you are keeping us alive solely for something like that, just so Kurono might forgive you a fraction of a moment sooner?!”

Considering the deep relationship between Kurono and Lily, it was true that even if he awakened in a future where he had lost everything, Kurono might end up forgiving her.

And at such a time, the impression given would be entirely different if Lily had slaughtered Fiona and everyone close to Kurono, compared to conveying that they had lived out their natural lifespans in this era.

The result—Kurono losing everyone besides Lily—remained identical. However, if the past process differed—whether his precious people were brutally murdered or if they continued to walk through the remainder of their lives… given that the ‘result’ of the future was unchangeable, it made sense that from Kurono’s perspective, he would place absolute importance on the already departed ‘process.’

“Yes, exactly. What a worthless, shallow piece of trickery. And yet, when the time comes that I am completely alone with Kurono, I simply do not know how long I will be able to endure, or if I can bear the time until Kurono forgives me… Fufu, I lack the confidence.”

How thoroughly adorable the bashful fairy princess appeared.

The more beautiful and lovely that figure was, the more hideous her hidden inner heart felt.

“Therefore, you all bear the obligation to continue living in this era. So that Kurono will come to love me a fraction of a moment sooner.”

As a woman, hearing Lily’s cunning excuse—which could hardly even be called a strategy—caused an anger that made her blood boil to well up within her.

Don’t be ridiculous, don’t be ridiculous, don’t be ridiculous!

Love was supposed to be something far more straightforward, honest, pure, and noble. Much less if she intended to stand beside Kurono—

“How about it? It is not a bad proposition, is it?”

And yet, the reasoning of a knight accepted Lily’s offer in its entirety.

Human lives were on the line. And not just any lives. Among them was the royalty she was meant to serve, the princess of Avalon: Nel Julius Elroad.

In the first place, she had journeyed to such a dangerous location and fought such a terrifying monster for her sake. If she could not rescue her here, it would all be meaningless.

“Now, take your comrades and Nel, and return to Avalon. After that… let us see, please ensure you keep a tight leash on that foolish princess who nearly lost her life over a worthless romance.”

She didn’t need to be told. Upon successfully rescuing Nel and bringing her back, she would have to explain the entirety of the circumstances to the King and everyone else. And once that came to light, even if it meant restricting her freedom to some degree, Princess Nel, an invaluable existence, would undoubtedly be placed under protection.

She would never again be able to head into a dungeon to save Kurono.

She would likely be hated for it.

But that was fine. She had fought a battle that allowed her to think that such an outcome was perfectly acceptable.

“Kuh…”

They had lost. They had been defeated.

Retreating here was the correct answer. Beyond this, there was nothing more she could do. Any further resistance was merely a useless struggle. If she foolishly resisted and allowed herself to be killed by Lily, it would be nothing short of a pointless death.

Acknowledging this, Selis finally nodded.

“Understood. I shall take everyone and withdraw.”

“A wise decision.”

As if celebrating how wonderful a resolution through dialogue was, Lily’s smile burst forth.

“I thank you for your lenient treatment.”

“It is fine. I do feel a slight amount of sympathy for you, after all.”

They were casual words.

Yet, they caught awkwardly in her mind.

“…Sympathy, you say?”

Where within her was there any room for Lily to feel sympathy? What did she know about her?

The question that surfaced in Selis’s mind was correct. Her face, name, and combat capabilities were known, but nothing else. After all, this was their first meeting.

“You have a fiancé, do you not?”

There was no reason to be surprised by how she knew that. It was information of a degree that would become instantly apparent if one desired to look into it.

“Yes, certainly, I possess a fiancé, but what of it?”

“Because it is quite pitiful, is it not?”

Genuine sympathy was embedded within those words. From the bottom of her heart, Lily pitied her.

It was infuriating.

With a single phrase, the quiet heart of Selis the knight was thrown into turbulence.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what is supposedly pitiful about it. Given that I was born as a noblewoman, having my marriage partner decided for me is a matter of course.”

Having her fiancé decided by her parents was just as natural as the gravity she manipulated. It was the common sense of noble society, an arrangement she had never even thought to question.

“Is that so? Being forced to marry someone I do not even love is something I would absolutely refuse.”

That was the argument of a commoner who bore no responsibilities or shackles, the romantic viewpoint of the vulgar. It was nothing more than childish selfishness.

She grew even more infuriated.

Do not doubt it. Do not deny it. The romance of a noble—of myself.

“Do you have someone you love? A first love? Have you ever confessed? Have you ever been rejected? Has your heart ever throbbed with the thought of how wonderful a person someone is?”

No, no, there was no such thing.

If she had to stretch the definition, she had rejected female students who had overcome with emotion confessed to her numerous times. In every instance, she had logically lectured them on the weight of noble responsibility, reducing them to tears, though they ultimately accepted it.

It was hardly a proper romantic history.

But that was fine.

It was supposed to be fine, so why was she this infuriated?

“If you have never experienced it even once, then that is an exceedingly pitiful thing. To be able to consider marriage to someone you do not even love as a matter of course is terribly, terribly pitiful—after all, it means you have not even been able to meet the partner of destiny to whom you could dedicate your love.”

“Absurd, that is nothing but worthless nonsense.”

Emotion crept into her voice. It trembled slightly.

“Ah, just as I thought, you truly are pitiful. After all, you cannot even fire back with the words: ‘I love my fiancé.'”

“!? ”

That was it; even if it were a lie, she should have declared exactly that.

Pitiful because her fiancé was decided for her? Don’t be ridiculous, she loved that fiancé from the bottom of her heart, so an arrangement this convenient was rare to come by. She could immerse herself in a sense of superiority that looked down upon the men and women of the world who fretted over likes and dislikes case by case.

She should have laughed it off and insisted upon that.

“A boring man.”

“N-No…”

“Weak, uninteresting, mismatched, inappropriate—altogether, I do not perceive an ounce of charm in him as a man.”

“You’re wrong! I don’t feel that way—”

“Then, do you love him? That boy. Can you swear before God that the feelings you hold toward him constitute your true love?”

She had no complaints.

What she felt toward her fiancé, the young boy Lute, was entirely that.

She had no complaints whatsoever. He was an opponent she had known well since childhood. He was a good, kind, and considerate boy. His face was androgynously cute, and he never neglected his daily training, refusing to rely solely on the unique talent of the Magic Eye that he normally sealed behind glasses. His talent and efforts had borne fruit, allowing him to attain a level of strength as a knight that was well above average. It was only natural that such a boy would be popular.

And above all else, Lute adored Selis. Whether it was respect, admiration, or genuine romantic affection. Whichever it was, there was no mistake that he directed a powerful goodwill toward her.

An engagement partner who possessed character, appearance, capabilities, and feelings to this extent was an extreme rarity. Everyone married while harboring some form of dissatisfaction beneath an unceasing public smile, putting in the effort to construct a harmonious household for the sake of their family.

And surely, before one knew it, that would transform into genuine love—into familial love—

“I… I…”

Enviable.

Since when had she begun to think that?

The co-educational Imperial Academy. In an educational institution where boys and girls of age gathered, there was no shortage of romantic rumors. The engagement between Selis and Lute must have been one of the massive topics among them.

Back then, it was still fine. *I’ll just make both of them my mistresses! I’m going to elope with him!* Even when hearing rumors of such conclusions, she hadn’t particularly felt anything inside. The only thing she found enviable was the optimistic emotion that paid no heed to the consequences. She merely thought that if she could become that foolish, she might be able to enjoy her academy life a bit more.

Enviable.

When she had clearly thought that… was after Princess Nel had returned.

No, to be precise, it was likely when she learned the true identity of the man Nel had set her heart upon.

Ah, I see; it makes sense that she would fall for him.

Kurono was a man who allowed her to honestly accept that conclusion.

“…able.”

Enviable.

She envied Princess Nel, who was completely infatuated with Kurono.

I love him. I love him. I love him. Her figure—loving, desiring, and seeking him to a maddening degree—looked somewhat like a ridiculous, clumsy clown… and yet, she shone as a woman. Solely for the sake of the man she loved. Nel, wishing single-mindedly for nothing but that, was pure, righteous, and beautiful in her form as a maiden in love.

“…Enviable.”

Enviable. And radiant.

Nel, who sought love. Furthermore, Lily, who went even beyond that.

The figure of Lily, standing still with her red butterfly wings spread wide, was terrifying and sinister. However, when she thought of how that form had transformed solely out of her desire for a single man named Kurono, it reflected so brilliantly that she couldn’t help but find it radiant.

Yes, because this very Lily was the existence that objectified the power of love.

“Enviable, it is enviable… You, all of you who can become so infatuated with love, I envy you so.”

She would admit it.

Selis an Arclight could not help but envy the maidens who lived for love. She absolutely detested herself for being engaged to a man she did not even love.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Ah, indeed.

She wanted to experience love, she wanted to love, she wanted to feel destiny.

What a wonderful experience that must be. How sweet that feeling must be.

She wanted to try living for a burning love herself. She wanted to try carrying through a love severe enough to turn the entire world into an enemy.

If she had met Kurono sooner—sooner than Nel, before Lily—she too—

“You truly, from the bottom of your heart, love him, don’t you.”

“Yes, I love Kurono.”

“In that case, why do you make Kurono suffer?”

She understood Lily’s feelings. They were both women. It was impossible not to empathize.

Therefore, this was nothing more than an accusation under the guise of sound logic.

“If you love him, why do you not grant Kurono’s wish?”

There was no way Kurono could possibly desire something like this. He had simply been content with Lily being by his side.

“Lily, you are nothing but a loser. Failing to confess of your own accord, allowing your friend Fiona to get ahead of you, and therefore erasing everything else to make Kurono yours alone—hmph, the concept of a coward who didn’t even enter the match from the start!”

Her own romantic experience fell short even when compared to such a coward.

That jealousy caused Selis to utter an uncharacteristically provocative line. Once she started speaking, she couldn’t stop.

“You love Kurono? A lie. You love nothing but yourself. Trampling over his feelings, tearing everything away from him, and calling it love. Don’t make me laugh; such a thing isn’t love, it is pure ego!”

Despite possessing power of this magnitude, what she was doing was a childish game of monopolization. If she caused him to lose everything, the result would simply be ‘you and me.’ A thoroughly unrealistic concept.

However, because Lily possessed the power to turn that into reality, she had brought about this massive disaster, and it was on the very verge of being realized right now.

“What you possess is not love, but merely an ugly desire to have Kurono. Damaging, stealing, and trampling solely for the sake of your own desire—you are identical to a vulgar thief… No, because you justify it with the beautiful word of ‘love,’ you are an even more malicious, absolute worst kind of villain.”

Love was supposed to be something far more gentle and warm. An existence upon which a smile would naturally surface when touched.

And yet, Lily’s love caused Kurono to fret and suffer to this extent.

In that case, it was not love, but merely a sin.

“Sin must be punished. Evil must be judged—”

A passion she could not quite comprehend coursed through Selis. That emotion transformed into a slight, yet distinct power, driving Selis’s body forward.

Clutched within her right hand was still her wind saber, as light as a feather.

“—And destroying evil is the duty of a knight!”

A single slash—no, a single thrust.

The tip of the blade was astonishingly fast and sharp, unleashed from Selis’s hand, which was completely exhausted from a lack of magical energy.

“I have changed my mind. I shall resist until the very end. Even if this life expires, I cannot yield to evil.”

The single strike of the knight of justice, sure enough, thrust into Lily’s throat.

It struck with an ease that surprised even herself. Without being obstructed by a barrier, the blade reached Lily’s neck completely unhindered.

“Even so—”

And yet, it was merely a fraction. Selis’s saber had stabbed only a few millimeters into her—a distance far from a fatal wound.

The fresh blood surfacing upon Lily’s pristine, jade-like skin amounted to a single drop… nothing more than a single trail of a droplet of blood flowing down.

What had stopped the saber was Lily’s right hand. She had caught it with her bare hand just like that.

“Even so, I want Kurono.”

A red light flashed; in the next instant, Selis’s saber shattered into countless fragments.

“I know. I know that, a matter like that.”

With her magical energy exhausted and her weapon lost, Selis—having unleashed that strike with the absolute last remnants of her strength—no longer possessed even the willpower to stand. This time, her limbs truly failed to move, leaving her capable of nothing but lying prostrate and looking up.

“An unforgivable, massive sin; because I understood that, I did nothing. I could do nothing.”

A smile failed to surface on Lily’s face.

Despite having brought a completely weakened, solitary knight to her knees where she crawled, her expression remained cold, severe, and alert, as if she could afford no composure.

“I want him, I want him, I want Kurono, I want him to become my Kurono alone—that desire is certainly a sin, and that wish is an evil thing, but even so, I love him.”

As Lily insisted that her sin was love, Selis’s face distorted with rage.

An ugly justification.

No, that was surely a thirst that ran infinitely deep.

“I envy Sariel, who took Kurono’s first time. I envy Fiona, who became Kurono’s lover. Everything that associates with Kurono is texturally enviable and jealous to me. Her romantic feelings, their friendship—even the hatred he directs toward the Crusade. Because every single one of those constitutes Kurono’s heart, which cannot be obtained by me—by myself alone.”

The origin of the matter was, certainly, the relationship between Kurono and Sariel.

However, once ignited, the flames of jealousy burned extensively without limit, never ceasing to demand the entirety of Kurono.

“This helpless jealousy is my love as well. If I do not love Kurono, I cannot live. If I am not loved by Kurono, I cannot be fulfilled.”

To Lily, living and loving were, by now, synonymous. If she could not love, she had no choice but to die. If she was not loved, she had no choice but to die.

Why had things turned out this way? How had her heart transformed into something this weak and brittle?

“Therefore, this is love. I love Kurono.”

The answers all converged upon ‘I love you.’

“Goodbye, Selis. Your words struck home. You allowed me to remember my initial feelings.”

Having already captured Kurono within the cage of time, she had allowed herself to become a bit too carried away.

Lily reflected upon herself.

From here on. Yes, the world with just her and Kurono was beginning; the real thing started now.

Just as Kurono would fulfill Lily, Lily also had to do her best to fulfill Kurono.

It didn’t matter how much time it took. Even if she failed, the gentle Kurono would forgive her and wait for her.

But she would absolutely make it succeed. It would absolutely go well.

Because that place would already be a paradise for just the two of them.

“Don’t be ridiculous… Kurono will never forgive you.”

“No, Kurono will forgive me.”

“If he were to forgive you and accept you, at that time… it would be when Kurono’s heart dies.”

“No, that is slightly incorrect.”

A smile finally resurfaced upon Lily’s face.

She bore no grudge. With a gentle smile resembling a compassionate mother—to a degree that it could be felt from the bottom of her heart—she aimed her gun barrel at Selis.

“Kurono’s heart will not die; it will be reborn.”

Into the true Kurono, who loves only me, Lily.

“…”

Finally, Selis’s words cut out.

The bullet had already been discharged.

As she had already stated, Lily harbored no murderous intent. The *Shock Buster* cleanly reaped nothing but Selis’s consciousness.

And then, silence arrived.

With this, everything was settled. She had captured Kurono, and she had completely repelled every single one of his comrades. Afterward, she merely needed to finalize preparations and journey into the future.

“Ah, it hurts.”

Before those preparations, she had to heal the small wound Selis had inflicted upon her.

To say she wasn’t shaken by her words would be a lie. She had made up her mind, solidified her resolve, and carried through her forceful measures of love.

However, the tiny amount of guilt residing within Lily had likely permitted Selis’s strike. A trifling wound from which only a single drop of blood spilled. Yet, it emitted a distinct pain.

She would heal it—or rather, erase it.

The guilt that had permitted the wound. As if to completely erase her proper human heart—no, that youthful and weak heart—Lily chanted a healing magic.

“Ah, since the opportunity is here, perhaps I shall have Nel heal it.”

For Lily as a fairy, healing a wound of this degree was a simple task. However, experiencing that healing magic of Nel’s, which was hailed as genius, wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“—Oh.”

However, the magic of healing failed to ignite at her fingertips.

Failing a healing magic this simple? No, there was no way.

In that case, had Nel’s consciousness broken through the illusion and raised a rebellion?

That, too, was slightly incorrect.

“I cannot feel it… The access to *Regalia* has been severed?!”

Realizing this, Lily immediately switched channels to Fiona and Sariel.

The result was identical for both. No signal.

“Could it be—”

Just as she was about to fly toward the castle where they were being held captive to confirm the conclusion she had deduced—

“Lily.”

That voice was the beloved voice she desired to hear most, and simultaneously, the voice she desired to hear least right now—the voice that absolutely should not be heard.

With fluttering black hair and black-and-red heterochromatic eyes. Clad upon the body of a well-trained, large warrior—nay, a berserker—was a fluttering, pitch-black demonic robe.

Quietly, yet majestically, that man walked out from the main gate of the chalk-white castle that served as Lily’s residence.

“—Kurono!!”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

End of Chapter 610