Chapter 60
Episode 23: The Light of Hope Appears
The strength of the kingdom’s soldiers was overwhelming…
「We can’t hold out any longer… Retreat to the second fortress! Stratos and I will cover the rear, Cantera, secure the retreat route to the fortress!」
「Selen-sama, you’re the captain, so please go ahead. I can handle the rear alone.」
「If the rear falls, the entire unit will collapse. The two of us will stop them for sure!」
Although Selen’s unit was made up of elite imperial soldiers, they were no match for the demon soldiers one-on-one. Selen, being the only one capable of fighting back, prioritized taking down the demon soldiers, but due to their overwhelming numbers, she eventually ran out of magic and had to retreat to recover.
「Selen-sama, the safety of the fortress has been secured. Please enter the gates quickly!」
「Stratos, let’s hurry into the fortress!」
They managed to retreat to the fortress, but… out of the 50 soldiers in Selen’s unit, only 15 remained, leaving them with no strength to continue fighting the kingdom’s forces.
「Selen-sama, we will form a barrier and hold them off. Please return to the imperial capital!」
「I will remain here with my unit.」
The soldiers urged Selen to return to the capital, but when she refused, Cantera pleaded with her.
「Selen-sama, you must return to the imperial capital and report the situation to Prince Slaine. You are the one with the highest chance of making it back. Please, for the sake of protecting our homeland, return!」
「Cantera… I understand. I will depart for the capital immediately!」
「Stratos and I will clear a path.」
「Yes, I’m counting on you…」
As the soldiers prepared to clear a path for Selen to return to the capital, the fortress gate was destroyed by the kingdom’s forces…
「You’ve given me quite the trouble… Making me use the power of the Commander of the Royal Knights… Hey, you lot! Kill all the men and bring the women to me! I’ll ravage them until they die!」
「That man… there’s no way… If it comes to that, I’ll end my life before he can violate me…」
Facing an overwhelmingly powerful demon, Selen lost her will to fight. She decided she would take her own life rather than suffer the humiliation, but the commander noticed her intentions and stopped her.
「I won’t let you die, I said I’d ravage you until death, didn’t I? Now, let’s get started right in front of your comrades! (laughs)」
「N-noooo!」
Just as the commander reached for Selen’s armor to strip her, a light of hope appeared!
『Slash!』
The commander’s arm was severed.
「Gaaaaaaah! My arm!」
「You have no right to touch someone like her with those filthy hands! Are you ready to pay for this, you worthless demon?」
Hearing that familiar voice, tears of relief welled up in Selen’s eyes…
「Ce-Celestia… Why are you…」
「My heart told me to come and save my 《《lifelong friend》》♪ Just wait a bit, I’ll take care of this quickly!」
Leaving those words behind, Celestia rushed toward the commander.
「Are all the ones here in this fortress demons?」
「Guh, yes, but with this many, you don’t stand a chance!」
「It’s not a problem♪ I, Celestia Z. Silvania, command thee—O power of divine justice, Raphael, pass judgment upon the demons who stand against my friends!」
The light of judgment rained down from Raphael, wiping out the demons that had infiltrated the fortress. The commander desperately resisted until the end, but in the end, Celestia’s twin spears cut him down, erasing him from existence.
–
Episode 24: The Non-Intervention Pact
「Celestia!」
With tears welling up in her eyes, Selen-sama ran toward me, her voice breaking as she embraced me tightly.
「Selen-sama, your soldiers are watching you (laughs).」
「I don’t care… I… I thought it was all over… that I’d never see you again, Celestia…」
「It’s okay now. Everything’s fine♪」
As I gently embraced Selen-sama to calm her down, two others approached us.
「Celestia, you saved us… We couldn’t handle the demons ourselves (sweat).」
「Cantera! You dodged their attacks well. You fought hard♪」
「Celestia… I’ve been forgiven.」
「Yes, keep doing your best for the empire from now on♪」
With the demons inside the fortress wiped out, I sealed the broken gate using earth magic. Selen’s unit had been reduced to ten soldiers, including the three of us, and everyone was severely injured, so I administered emergency treatment.
「〚Area: Recovery〛! Now everyone should be able to move.」
「Healing everyone at once… Celestia, your magic never ceases to amaze me (sweat).」
「It’s not a full recovery, but it saves time (laughs).」
「Celestia, will you fight alongside us against the kingdom’s army?」
「I have a condition for joining. I want the empire to promise not to interfere with me. I don’t want my existence to be exploited (sweat).」
「Alright, I’ll make sure to get a guarantee from both my father and Slaine. Will that be acceptable?」
「Yes, then I’ll make a pact to support the fight against the kingdom’s army. I’m counting on you, Selen-sama!」
With that, we shook hands, and from the next day, we began planning the counteroffensive against the kingdom’s forces.
That night, I spent time in the same room as Selen-sama for the first time in a while, and we talked about many things.
「You’ve matured, but your heart is still the same as before, which reassures me♪」
「Selen-sama, you may look different now, but your personality hasn’t changed at all, so it’s the same for you (laughs).」
「Do you have any strategies for tomorrow?」
「I’m going to head to the areas where the imperial soldiers have completely withdrawn and summon my familiars to crush the kingdom’s army. Once we reclaim the areas they took, I’ll need you to help rebuild them.」
「Isn’t that too much of a burden on you?」
「Rebuilding the bases isn’t something I can do. It’s about having the right people in the right places! I’ll keep reclaiming the land, and Selen, you can work with the imperial soldiers to rebuild the bases.」
「Understood. I’ll be relying on you a lot, but… I’ll leave it in your hands, Celestia.」
With our plan settled, we decided to get a good night’s sleep to prepare for the next day.
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