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CHAPTER 212: THE EYES OF DETERMINATION

CHAPTER 212: THE EYES OF DETERMINATION

~ Aun’s Point of View ~

The day Ruzarc and Fernando headed for the Forbidden Library, we, the members of “Black Bolt”, were in the core room of the Phantom Castle.

The reason for that was that I was worried about Ruzarc.

Initially, I had proposed that Ruzarc be accompanied by at least one guard, but Ruzarc’s strong desire to go to the Forbidden Library alone overrode my request right away. I had met with Kinu beforehand and read that there was no hostility left in Fernando, but I just couldn’t trust him so easily, as he was someone who had masterminded such a huge incident and coup at the same time.

It was not that I doubted Kinu’s skills, but for some reason I felt really uneasy about this. Was it because of my personality, or was it because I felt like I was actually overlooking something important here……?

If Ruzarc had not been teleported to this core room, nothing would have happened…… but bad premonitions often turn out to be the correct ones. Because a few hours later, Ruzarc appeared alone in a panic and was transported to the core room of the Phantom Castle.

However, the words he spoke were far from what I had imagined.

「Aun! My Brother is in danger! We have to go back and help him! Quickly!!」

「Wait, wait, wait! Just calm down, Ruzarc! What happened!?」

「Bloody Joseph broke into the Forbidden Library! Brother was seriously injured while shielding me from danger! We have to go and help him! Quickly!!!

In an instant, I remembered something I had overlooked in that entire conversation.

Bloody Joseph, the man whose memory had been sunk deep into my mind as I frantically tried to deal with Fernando’s scheme. After the battle with Nelphie, I thought he had just left the royal capital for good, but…… it seems that was a big mistake on my end.

If what Ruzarc was saying was accurate, then Fernando was not the kind of person I thought he was, but an older Brother who prioritized Ruzarc over himself and was able to protect him in an instant when push came to shove. And now Fernando was facing off against Joseph alone, with serious injuries to boot.

In that case, there was only one course of action we could take here. We needed to immediately go to the Forbidden Library to rescue Fernando.

However, if that was to happen, Ruzarc would most likely say that he would come with us right back. But, to put it bluntly, taking him to the Forbidden Library would be a complete and utter hindrance. Ruzarc was still shaken up and was unable to calm himself down.

It also seemed like the other members were thinking the same thing as I did.

「Hmm, we will stay here and watch over e watching Ruzarc. Aun, you go there and help Fernando right away.」

Cinque and Drake nodded at Kinu’s words. Then Nelphie added more.

「I will go and accompany Aun. It was my fault that Joseph got away, after all.」

If we were to confront Joseph, I had thought about bringing Nelphie along, who had fought against him before, along with me. And there was no need to worry about Ruzarc if the other three could handle him and protect him.

「Alright then. I will leave Ruzarc to you.」

With that being said, I teleported to the Alrain Dungeon and headed for the royal castle at full speed. In the city of the royal capital, I used a Double Buff to boost my Agility and moved along the rooftops. I also used the Air Dance to fly over the main streets and run in a straight line. And so, about ten minutes after Ruzarc had teleported back to the Phantom Castle, I arrived in front of the Forbidden Library.

The moment I turned the knob on the door, the heavy smell of something burning hit my nose at full force.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I slammed the door open. Books scattered around were bursting into flames as if they had been blown away by something, and the whole room was filled with orange flames.

Judging by the situation, something must have exploded inside of the Forbidden Library.

And at the end of the room, Fernando, with burn wounds all over his body, was lying face down in a pool of blood.

「Oi! Fernando!」

I called out to him, shaking him by the shoulders, but Fernando did not reply. I immediately performed an appraisal on him, but he had already died.

I turned Fernando onto his back and saw a long mark on his neck where he had been slashed with a sharp blade. It was a deep cut that made it easy to imagine that it was a fatal blow.

「Aun, Joseph has already disappeared from this room……」

「…… I see.」

「What about Prince Fernando?」

「It looks like we were too late……」

I clenched my mouth as I spoke those words, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

Nelphie was pretending to be calm and composed, but her expression was full of regret. She was probably regretting letting Joseph escape the last time they confronted each other.

But that was not really Nelphie’s fault. Rather, all of Nelphie’s decisions and actions at that time were correct. Otherwise, we might not have been able to stop the coup from happening.

I suddenly looked over and saw Fernando’s hands, clenched tightly as if he was trying to protect something from the explosion. I opened his fingers and found a small ring resting on top of his hand.

「What is this ring……?」

「Aun, the fire is spreading quickly. It’s time for us to escape from here.」

「Yeah, I know, but the Forbidden Library is……」

「There was probably a barrier placed around the room using a Magical Tool. The books will burn, but the fire won’t spread to the outside.」

I certainly did not imagine the inside of this room would be like this until I opened the door. But the moment I turned the doorknob, I could detect the smell, so the barrier was probably still functioning without any problems.

「Well then, shall we use the Return Teleportation?」

「What about Fernando?」

「If you touch a dead creature, you can use the Return Teleport to transport it back into the dungeon together with us. Let’s take him back with us. I don’t want to just leave him here.」

「…… Alright.」

And then, I picked up Fernando’s body and returned to the Phantom Castle.

Then the view changed to where Ruzarc was waiting for us, and his eyes widened as he saw our return.

「A-Ahh, Aun…… B-Brother……!?」

「…… I’m sorry. I couldn’t make it in time to save him.」

「Ah!! Ugh…… Ugh……!!」

After hearing what I said, Ruzarc turned his face to the floor to hide the pained expression on his face.

Even though we had not lost anything in this coup, there was something that stabbed me deep to the heart.

We had met as enemies, and I could not fully trust him until just a few minutes ago, but in the end, he protected his younger brother Ruzarc as his “Older Brother,” and gave his life away.

The many tactics Ferdinand has implemented have taught me that if it was not for the sake of my goals, I must make decisions even if it means setting aside my emotions. I don’t think I can imitate that in the least, and I will probably continue to prioritize my emotions in the future.

However, when I am truly forced to make a choice…… I want to remember Fernando, so that I can make a decision I will not regret, like he did.

Ruzarc, the next King of the Alto Kingdom, has probably come to the same conclusion.

When Ruzarc looked up and our eyes met, I could sense a strong determination beaming in his eyes, in contrast to the single tear running down his cheek.