READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 115
*Cough!*
Blood gushed from the knight commander’s mouth.
As Lucas pulled the sword from his chest, his body crumpled helplessly to the ground.
The gap in skill between the two was severe enough that it could be decided in just three exchanges.
The source of the Undead Lair Lord Barugore was Lucas.
It was only natural that defeating a knight commander would be a light task.
“Lucas.”
“Yes.”
“…I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, no matter how many times I die and come back. Just because of some pity, you dare to rebel against the empire. You might end up dead.”
Charlotte, who had been watching, agreed with those words.
The public sentiment toward witches escalated to extremes due to herd mentality.
Supporting a witch in the empire was a crime punishable by death. Lucas would surely be aware of that.
Moreover, the hero had the task of protecting the empire.
Even with that burden, Lucas acted according to his beliefs, risking his life.
“Right now, the empire is wrong. I just want to correct it.”
Charlotte bit her lip and gazed at Lucas.
A conviction strong enough to defy the rules of the world and stake one’s life was something she had never seen in her lifetime.
A noble heart that was beyond comprehension.
Charlotte felt a yearning to know more about him.
Having just come to understand Lucas, she wanted to deeply understand Barugore through him.
“I won’t kill you. I owe a debt to Sir Bern. Just pretend you’re dead over there.”
“…Are you planning to kill everyone?”
It was then that the surrounding bushes began to rustle.
Hearing the commotion, Lucas turned his head.
A dozen knights approached, swords raised.
“Change your mind now, Lucas.”
“…”
“I’ll consider it a mistake and let you go. Come back now if you want to live, Lucas.”
Lucas stood silently without responding.
His eyes, filled with compassion, met young Charlotte’s gaze.
It was this moment that prompted Lucas to raise his sword once more.
“It’s not me who should change my mind, but you all.”
Charlotte still couldn’t comprehend such incredible altruism.
What on earth could she mean so much to him?
“Barugore.”
Unbeknownst to herself, Charlotte began to dismantle the barrier of their military and civilian relationship.
Her bond with Lucas transcended mere fate.
So, when the time came to confess her feelings to him, she vowed to share everything she had seen and felt.
That the child he had risked his life to save had grown up like this. That she had returned as a lieutenant, almost like fate.
How would he respond when she spoke those words?
Charlotte knew Barugore well.
Even as an Undead, he was full of sensitivity, dedicating himself wholeheartedly, just as he did in life.
Surely, he would take pride in that.
*Clang!*
The knights charged at Lucas all at once.
Meanwhile, young Charlotte still cradled her mother’s lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably.
Blind to the sacrifice being made right in front of her.
“Not being able to help…”
It was more than a bit disconcerting to be so engulfed by her own sorrow.
Of course, Lucas overwhelmed the knights without any assistance.
There was an enormous gap between the hero Lucas and the knights.
“…”
Charlotte couldn’t shake off the doubts that sprouted inside her.
As far as she knew, Lucas was defeated and captured by the knights afterward, yet there was not a hint of defeat in the Lucas before her now.
Lucas, who was praised as the greatest hero in the empire.
Was it even conceivable for such a man to lose to the knights?
Many variables existed in battle, but that didn’t apply to extraordinary beings.
Was the scene before her merely a fabricated memory?
Charlotte pondered, retracing her thoughts.
How did Lucas end up captured? Was there any third-party intervention outside of the knights? Was the knights’ power beyond expectations?
Her gaze was on Lucas, yet her mind was racing through possibilities.
In the brief moment she was lost in thought, Lucas had already taken down several knights.
He had shown mercy, as they all still drew breath.
Even after subduing the knights, Lucas remained in perfect condition.
Lucas sheathed the Holy Sword and turned his body.
He cautiously approached young Charlotte with careful steps.
“…Ah.”
A memory suddenly resurfaced.
Without realizing it, a whisper escaped her lips.
Could it really be? Charlotte desperately denied it.
At the same time, she hoped Lucas would stop.
She wished nothing would happen that would compel her to deny it further.
“Are you okay?”
Lucas knelt down, matching her eye level.
Fuzzy memories blurred with the scene before her. That made it all come sharply back to mind.
Unable to bear it, Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut.
Yet, the scene remained vividly present. Even covering her ears, she could still hear the surrounding sounds.
She struggled to turn her head, but her body wouldn’t move.
Charlotte found herself trapped, unable to escape the scene.
The young Charlotte, holding her mother’s cold body, lifted her head.
Lucas’s face reflected in her eyes.
Tears brimmed at the corners of Lucas’s eyes. His face was filled with kindness and compassion.
In contrast, the young Charlotte’s face had grown cold. Lost in grief, she failed to recognize Lucas’s kindness.
“…Go away.”
At the words of young Charlotte, Lucas’s hand faltered.
Just for a moment. Lucas, with a bitter smile, reached out again.
“This place is dangerous. I’m trying to save you, at least.”
“…”
Young Charlotte extended her hand to meet his.
Despite knowing she couldn’t stop it, she reached out anyway. The tips of her fingers trembled with uncertainty.
Please don’t do this. Desperate thoughts circled in her mind.
*Thump!*
Young Charlotte’s hand touched Lucas first.
Blood spilled from Lucas’s neck. The magic, sharpened like a dagger, pierced through.
“Die.”
No, this is a fabricated memory. I didn’t do this.
It was strange for memories to resurface like this.
Charlotte kept lying to herself. She clung to her sanity, however she could.
It was said to be a trauma reproduction, and she had no recollection of what happened afterward.
So, this was surely Hermit’s doing.
She had to overcome this with sheer mental will, Charlotte desperately denied her reality.
*Rumble—*
In an instant, the area shook violently.
The air shimmered around young Charlotte as dark magic erupted.
Lucas stepped back, clutching his throat.
“Magic overrun! Everyone, get out! Leave that witch to die alone!”
The knight commander shouted.
The fallen knights struggled to escape the area with all their strength.
Magic overrun was like a flame sticking to dry kindling.
Even a small amount of magic could grow uncontrollably if it went into overrun.
It was commonly known as the mage’s last stand.
Once faced with it, nine times out of ten, a magician wouldn’t survive.
Without external help, one had no choice but to die, and to save someone, one would have to risk their life.
Naturally, only young Charlotte and Lucas remained on the scene.
Lucas stood dumbfounded, watching her.
Even though he must have tried to kill her, Lucas’s expression hadn’t changed at all.
He still looked upon Charlotte with compassion and pity.
“…No.”
Magic overrun? She had no memory of this either. So this was a fabricated memory.
…How did Lucas end up being subdued by the knights? Also, why did a portion of her memory seem severed?
If Lucas had been caught in the magic overrun and she lost her memory as a result of the fallout…
“No…”
That couldn’t be. It was orchestrated to break her mental resolve.
Charlotte bit her lips until they bled.
Rustle. A presence emerged from the bushes.
From there, her aunt Selina was watching the scene with a look of horror.
“…Auntie.”
Lucas, who had been standing still, took a step forward, heading toward the magic overrun Charlotte.
That was the last thing she saw before her vision went dark.
***
[Lv. 90 (MAX!)]
Looking at my level, I pondered.
With the deep pink shade, it felt like it was saying my likability was maxed out, yet I wasn’t sure if that was actually the case.
How could liking someone increase when I was unconscious?
“Uh…?”
At that moment, a brief sound escaped from Hermit.
I could have ignored it, but my uneasy premonitions were hardly ever wrong.
“Did something go wrong?”
“…”
After a silence, Hermit struggled to speak.
“What should I say? The resistance seems unusually strong. Um, should I call it a rebound in this case?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This is my first time with this so I’m not sure… Uh, normally, the way it goes is that you endure. Those three did too, but you’re not just enduring. You’re rebounding.”
Charlotte was a level 90 sorceress with immense power.
So was that the reason? But Hermit wouldn’t lack the insight to consider that.
A sense of foreboding coiled within her, and Charlotte’s expression gradually darkened.
“Let’s stop for now! It could lead to a big problem!”
“A big problem?”
“I’m not really sure, but… It could even lead to a magic overrun…”
The notion of having a magic overrun while unconscious was unsettling.
Emotional upheavals could spur rampant magic, and if even 1% of it slipped beyond control, an accident known as a magic overrun would occur.
In gaming terms, it was an unspoken agreement to eliminate a runaway magic caster before collateral damage spread to the surroundings.
It was an incident that rarely happened under normal circumstances.
Was it conceivable for someone like Charlotte, who was no beginner, to experience a magic overrun while unconscious?
“What did you just say?”
It was Cecilia who reacted.
For some reason, her expression had darkened, which was uncharacteristic of her.
“Y-yeah? You mean, magic overrun?”
“…Magic overrun.”
Cecilia turned her gaze to Charlotte, glaring at her.
“Stop it for now.”
It was hard to fathom that Charlotte of all people could face a magic overrun.
Nonetheless, they instructed her to halt. Hermit would know better than me.
Hermit urgently withdrew his hands and collected the interfering magic.
Charlotte’s eyebrows twitched for a moment, and then her eyes slowly opened.
“…”
Charlotte glanced around and then spoke up.
“Where is my aunt?”
Referring to Selina.
Selina was currently growing labyrinthine plants in the upper realms.
Yet, out of nowhere, why was she asking about Selina?
As I looked at her in confusion, Charlotte quietly opened her mouth.
“…I need to ask that person a question.”
Charlotte attempted to rise her upper body.
Thud!
In an instant, she was shoved back to the ground.
Cecilia pressed down on her shoulder with her knee, a Moonlight Sword aimed at Charlotte’s throat, the weapon appearing seemingly from nowhere.
She couldn’t follow the rapid sequence of events with her mind.
“Is this your doing?”
A dark murderous intent underscored Cecilia’s voice.