"Not a bad festival."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind, and when I turned around, it was Father.
The spectators around us, startled, stood up from their seats. The Emperor waved his hand, signaling them to relax.
"Don't worry and enjoy yourselves. I've just come to have a chat with my son."
But I wondered if saying that would really make it okay...
Even if the Emperor moved around casually and seemed approachable, there were always elite guards deployed around him, not to mention that he himself was a naturally born powerhouse.
It wasn't just a matter of social status. In this frontline, crowded with strong individuals from all over the world... his undeniable aura alone was enough to tense up the atmosphere.
Heroes around us instinctively moved away, leaving the seats around me in a wide circle.
And the Emperor, being who he was, didn't care whether others felt uncomfortable or not and leaned close to me. Truly, he lived at his own pace.
"Is it the Glory Knights' turn next?"
"Yes, it is."
"Have you exchanged greetings with Hecate? Weren't you schoolmates?"
"Well, as you know, my memory isn't exactly intact..."
As I awkwardly gestured towards my head, the Emperor let out a relaxed chuckle and then said,
"The Glory Knights... those poor children."
He suddenly uttered such words towards the entering Glory Knights' five members.
I narrowed my eyebrows, puzzled. Calling his own royal guards 'poor'?
"They probably won't last long."
"Won't last long?"
I thought he was talking about the tournament, but he wasn't.
"Exactly what I said. Those knights, who were like my limbs, will soon die. No."
The Emperor continued with words that were hard to comprehend.
"They will soon 'freeze'."
"Freeze?"
As if, like a machine breaking down and stopping. Why would he say that?
"It was Hecate who first requested to be sent to this frontline. And her knights agreed."
"..."
"If it's going to end soon anyway... they wanted to 'freeze' here. So, I brought them, granting that wish."
The Emperor smiled bitterly.
"They were loyal warriors who dedicated their lives to the burden and the empire. How could I not grant them that final request?"
Since I had never encountered the Glory Knights in the game, I knew nothing about them.
So, I urgently added,
"Freeze? What does that mean..."
Whoa!
Just then, a roar of cheers spilled from the audience, cutting off my conversation with the Emperor.
Looking at the arena, the match had already ended.
The Glory Knights' opponents were five young mercenaries.
A team formed by young wizards, spiritists, and warriors who had been active across various frontlines.
Despite their youth, these mercenaries were veterans of monster battles. They were not to be underestimated.
But as soon as the match started, Hecate instantly dashed forward, her wooden sword splitting all of the young mercenaries' wooden weapons in two.
The rest of the Glory Knights didn't even move. Hecate had won all by herself.
"We surrender..."
The young party leader, catching up to the situation a beat too late, said reluctantly, raising both hands, and Hecate smiled sweetly.
"Glory Knights, victory!"
With Aider's declaration of victory, applause and cheers filled the stadium.
"Now, they are no longer my knights. They are under your command."
Hecate smiled modestly, held the hem of her skirt in a curtsy, and then walked lightly out of the arena.
Her movement, like a single blossom, seemed far removed from words like death or freezing.
"So, make sure you send them off well."
But the Emperor said this while sadly watching her back.
"Those poor patriots who dedicated their entire destiny to the empire."
***
After the match ended, a few hours of break were announced before the next match would begin. The arena and the Fake Dragon needed maintenance after all.
I left the arena to talk to Hecate. Where could she be?
‘Ah.’
I found her quickly. Hecate was standing near the reconstruction site of the southern wall. She was with the young mercenaries she had just faced.
"You were amazing, Knight! We couldn't even see your swordsmanship...!"
"How much training do you need to become that strong?"
"Could you please teach us a little? Yes?"
The young mercenaries, not at all daunted by the fact that Hecate was the commander of the Glory Knights, naturally clung to her, bombarding her with questions.
Hecate, looking a bit troubled but still smiling gently, kindly answered each of their questions one by one.
As I was about to wait a bit further away, watching this scene, I noticed something odd.
Creak, creak...
From the construction site right next to us.
They were assembling walls brought from New Terra, when suddenly, a chain of ominous cracking sounds erupted. Sensing something was wrong, I yelled out in panic,
"Wait, danger-"
But it was too late.
Crash! Boom!
Safety harnesses snapped one after another, and the steel framework, twisting altogether, caused the wall being assembled to collapse.
Amidst screams, the giant steel wall fell.
Right towards the young mercenaries.
‘Damn!’
I tried to summon a magic barrier to block it, but my casting speed was too slow to reach in time.
While the warrior mercenaries managed to roll away quickly, the wizard and the spiritist were too slow to avoid it in time.
The two mercenaries hugged each other and shut their eyes tight, and then-
Whish.
They were pushed out.
It was Hecate who grabbed and threw them to safety. She could have easily avoided it herself, but she ran under the falling wall to save the young mercenaries.
Hecate, seeing the mercenaries were safe, gave a relieved smile, and then-
Crash!
She was crushed by the falling wall.
Blood sprayed in all directions. Covered in Hecate's blood, the young mercenaries screamed.
"Ahhh! Ahhhhh!"
"Aaaaah!"
"Hecate, Hecate is...!"
Rushing forward, I assembled a flag and plunged it into the ground.
Swoosh!
The magic barrier I summoned rose from the ground, lifting the fallen steel wall.
Under such circumstances, there was no way someone could have survived.
Though I knew it, thinking I still had to recover the body, I exerted all my strength to move the wall, and then-
"...?"
I was faced with a scene I couldn't understand.
There, Hecate was... being 'reassembled.'
Blood that had sprayed in all directions gathered back to one place, and flesh and bone fragments swirled together to form a shape.
And then, as if mixing clay figures indifferently, they blended together-
Whisk- thud.
And over it, bandages wrapped around.
Old, bloodstained magical bandages engraved with runes wrapped around her body like a mummy.
Her hat, white dress, and red shoes, all torn to shreds without a trace left.
Yet, despite that, the reassembled her stood there, dazed, for a moment.
And we, witnessing this spectacle, couldn't regain our senses and just stared at her, stunned.
"...Ah."
Hecate, regaining her senses a beat late, asked with a pale face,
"Is everyone okay?"
"...Uh."
The young mercenaries, pale with shock, staggered back,
"Ahhh, ahhhhhh-!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"A monster, it's a monster...!"
And ran away screaming.
Hecate watched the young mercenaries fleeing with a vacant look and then grimaced, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry for showing you such a gruesome sight, Your Highness."
She bowed slightly to me, her body stiff.
Sizzle...
As the sunlight touched her skin, now fully exposed without her hat, it made a burning sound.
Hecate picked up a parasol lying nearby and opened it, stopping her cheeks from scorching.
I stuttered for a while before I could finally ask,
"Are you, okay?"
That was the only question I could manage to ask.
Then, Hecate smiled faintly.
"I'm fine. And no one was hurt. Isn't that what matters?"
"..."
"I'll explain everything later."
Hecate, brushing off the ash from her cheek, grimaced and bowed to me again.
"I wouldn't want Lucas to see me like this."
I couldn't respond, and Hecate trudged off towards the city.
Frozen in place, I muttered bitterly,
"What, have they done."
The Emperor slowly approached from behind me. I asked, not hiding my anger,
"What have you... done to them?!"
"These are the Glory Knights."
The Emperor calmly, yet with a hint of compassion, whispered,
"The darkness of the empire, the shadow of the empire, the evil spirits of the empire."
"..."
"The knights who never lose. The knights who cannot die. Yes."
At the Emperor's next words, I clenched my eyes shut.
"The greatest... monsters, created by our empire."
***
The heads of the production guilds knelt before me.
I had originally ordered them to halt construction on the walls during the festival and take a rest. However, the guild refused.
The reason was not only that there was only a month left until the next defense battle but also that they couldn't leave the walls brought from New Terra unassembled for over three days.
They were in the midst of crucial assembly work and couldn't afford to delay the construction.
Therefore, the construction continued during the festival, leading to this incident.
Using the magic construction technology of the Lake Kingdom to bind the walls, but the walls from New Terra were enchanted with magic that repelled other magics, making the work unusually difficult due to this resistance.
Despite the tight schedule and utmost caution... in the end.
"..."
Looking around at the guild leaders waiting for their punishment, I sighed.
There were no casualties. But.
Can this truly be considered a situation with no casualties?
The young mercenaries almost died. If not for Hecate's sacrifice, at least two would have died.
And Hecate...
"...Sigh."
I took a deep breath and looked back at the guild leaders, soaked in sweat and guilt, unable to meet my gaze.
But was it right to chastise them for an accident that resulted in no deaths, especially when they were working through the festival and their holidays?
Who pushed them to this extent?
Wasn't it me...
"...I will not issue a punishment. Instead."
I waved my hand.
"After completing the safety inspection, stop the work where possible and take a rest until tomorrow. Let all workers rest during the festival."
"Your Highness...!"
"This does not overlook the accident. It's merely suspending enforcement. If another accident occurs, I will impose a penalty including for this incident."
I nodded slightly.
"There's certainly some fault on my part for pushing you all too hard."
"No, Your Highness! We chose to give up our festival and holiday!"
"You are warriors too. If you are to fight, you need to rest."
The workers building the walls are also warriors guarding this frontline.
No matter how tight the schedule, managing their condition is also my responsibility.
"Rest, forget, and take a break. I will apologize to Knight Hecate separately."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
"Secure more space around the construction site and further guard against any possible safety accidents."
The guild leaders bowed repeatedly to me and exited the office. I sighed and looked out the window.
The bright afternoon in Crossroad was still festive.
There was a minor accident, but no casualties - that's what was announced. It was the Emperor who made this announcement.
"Hecate was looking forward to this festival."
The Emperor, sitting on a sofa in the corner of the office, casually murmured,
"For her, this might be the last festival she enjoys in her life. If the mood of the festival is dampened by something related to her, she would undoubtedly be sad."
"...Please explain, Father."
"What do you want to know?"
"Why the Glory Knights have become like this. And."
I looked straight at the Emperor.
"What do you want to achieve by entrusting them to me?"
--TL Notes--
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