It was a very well-executed day, reflecting Lorenz's temperament and his sharp desires. The sword that Sen wielded pierced Lorenz's chest precisely, striking the very spot where Belial's heart had been, a location she had heard described countless times.
"…."
Sen slowly let go of her sword, stumbling back a step. With trembling fists clenched, she stared at Lorenz's face until the very end.
And finally, then.
Tick.
From the tiny gap in the stopped time, the sound of the world flowing again emerged.
It was a moment that felt very fleeting. I quickly raised my head and looked for Sen and Lorenz. Sen stood upright. She looked precarious, but she was firmly on the ground, unshaken by any wind. Her face was harder than ever. I seemed to know why. If people have something to protect, they become stronger.
On the contrary, Lorenz's body collapsed into the white snow, neither too slow nor too fast. His knees touched first, then his head bowed, and finally his body fell completely down. The red blood that began where he fell flowed past Sen and reached Kyle's feet.
Kyle then moved. He went straight to Lorenz and confirmed that he was dead. The surroundings were quiet, and only the sound of snow falling from the sky could be heard. After looking at Lorenz for a while, Kyle straightened his back. Then he shouted loudly to the people who had followed Lorenz to the North.
"The Emperor is dead."
In one short sentence, the entire situation was resolved. All the soldiers who had followed Lorenz lost their fighting spirit.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender. Blake does not harm those who surrender."
At that voice, half of the soldiers put down their swords without hesitation, and the other half hesitated for a moment, looking at each other. At that moment, Sen, who had come to her senses, raised her sword high and shouted, "Don't trust Lorenz Serena Meinhardt! The Emperor cursed the former emperor and sacrificed the people of Meinhardt as magical sacrifices for his own personal desires! The proof is in Blake Castle!"
A cracked and hoarse voice continued, "The pride you have held is only an illusion! We have not prepared for rebellion, and we have not even found the consciousness of preaching Belial!"
It was just a meaningless fight. Even if they died as insignificant beings, no one would praise their courage. The strength drained from the bodies of the soldiers who realized the reality. It was even more so when they saw those who had put down their weapons before him obediently follow to the castle.
Kyle said solemnly, "Take the prisoners to the dungeon. Secure their identity, and give them food and water. Those who need treatment are confined separately and appropriate measures are taken. Strictly monitor, but do not torture. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"The remaining personnel will collect the corpses. We will hold a funeral all at once tomorrow!"
"I accept the order of His Highness the Grand Duke!"
I watched the situation quietly. On the field where darkness gradually fell, the survivors were sorting out the tragedy caused solely by people. Kyle also ordered Lorenz's body to be recovered, and then picked up the soldier who was close to me. It was an infinitely serious face.
I won.
And survived.
The tension relaxed, and a sense of reality returned. My body trembled, and pain surged.
"Shu."
Before I knew it, Kyle was close and carefully wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "I'm glad you're safe. I'll take care of the arrangements, so go in advance with Sen."
"It's okay."
Instead of answering, Kyle smiled bitterly. He carefully raised my left arm. My hands, trembling uncontrollably, came into view. "Thanks to you, I was able to safely defend the North. So, you can go back and rest now."
"Conveyed…"
His bloody appearance was particularly painful. I could see cuts on his shoulders, the nape of his neck, and his cheeks. His hands were soaked with blood that he didn't know whose it was, and there wasn't a part that wasn't red.
I blurted out and opened the item shop. Without looking at the list for long, I put 'pine nuts and painkillers and persimmon rolls' in my mouth. Soon, the pain subsided, and the trembling ceased. Then, I bought a 'soft ointment in a walnut shell' and applied it to his cheek.
"What is this? I might get hurt."
"You have no face. I thought I would be worried, so I tried to hurt myself as little as possible."
Kyle smiled slightly and accepted my touch. Then he put his hand on my hand holding the ointment container, took a little bit of the contents, and rubbed my forehead.
"My shoulder needs to go to the doctor right away. Sen will guide you."
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out behind us. "I'll take care of you." It was James. He was holding a large sack, a faint blue light leaking from the less closed entrance.
"The North is almost cleared. We collected the nuclei separately. I remember that Ms. Shu said she would use them separately."
It seemed that there would be no more fights, but the more luck the better. I smiled briefly in gratitude and put my hand in the sack.
[Current Holdings: ♣ x 3000]
The luck number was exactly 3000. Coincidentally, it was a figure that allowed me to buy a 'lucky alarm clock'.
'The problem is that I don't know where to use it…'
I wanted to stay by Kyle's side more, but it seemed like he was still caring about me, so I decided to go back to the castle with Sen first. Knox and Lorenz were dead, so Kyle wouldn't be in danger anymore.
[The overdue miracle figures are settled all at once when you want.] [About 33 new notifications.] [About 64 new notifications.] [New Notification…] [Settlement in progress, we are unable to check the estimated time of death of 'Kyle Jane Meinhardt', please wait a moment!]
"Wait, wait!"
I was so busy fighting that I didn't even look at the system window; was it all going to be pushed at once? As I shouted into the air, Sen, who was returning to the castle with me, tilted her head.
"What's going on? Where does it hurt, Shu?"
"…No, that's not the case."
As I stammered, Sen, who sat down in front of the horse and took the reins, smiled faintly. "My shoulder will hurt a lot, but be patient. Let's show it to the doctor right away."
I didn't feel much pain from eating persimmon rolls. I shrugged. "I think you sprained your hand too. Let's treat it together."
Then she took a deep breath. "If you're treating… I'll go to His Highness Belial and get it."
"Huh?"
"I have to tell him. The war is over."
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the horse moving its feet through the silence. Sen's voice was a little shaky.
"You avenged your enemies. This time, too, I received help from you and His Highness. If it weren't for the people of Blake's estate, we might have died horribly on the street… I have to tell you everything. His Highness will be grateful too."
I answered honestly without realizing it. "To that personality?"
"Ahaha. You don't know. If you open your eyes again, people may change. I almost died." Sen got off her horse first and sighed.
"…If luck helps, His Highness may rise one day. My body is all healed. According to the doctor sent by His Highness Kyle, it is most likely a matter of the soul."
When a miracle happens, you can open your eyes. It's not a physical problem. The soul is just asleep.
I remembered a line I saw in the Lucky Corner and stood tall.
[Lucky Alarm Clock | ♣ ×3000 | Awakening the Soul!]
Okay. Now I thought I knew why this thing came to me.
"…Sen." I grabbed her arm and cried out desperately, "Belial, where are you now!"
The blue alarm clock was too small. It looked more like a charm than a clock. I fiddled with the alarm clock, which was as cold as an ice crystal, for a moment, and then placed it lightly on Belial's chest as he exhaled slowly. A pale light appeared on Belial's pale face.
Sen, who had heard all of my actions, knelt down at Belial's bedside with a face that looked like she was about to burst into tears. She clasped Belial's hand tightly with both hands, brought her forehead to it, and whispered earnestly, "Your Highness. Wake up. Shu will wake me up. It can be…"
The small mainspring slowly melted and was absorbed into him.
"…I guess our share of miracles remains." Tears welled up in Sen's eyes.
"Thank you, Shu."
"…."
"You are truly a miracle."
"No."
I flinched, looked down at Belial's trembling eyelids, and whispered softly, "This world was a miracle to me."
[Interim settlement completed.] [A character that was not in the original work, 'Sen', appeared.] [A character who was not in the original work, 'Belial', appeared.] [The estimated time of death of these people cannot be inquired.] [As much as it contributed to the change of the character, it is reflected in the ∞cc¿ figure.]
I wanted to tell Sen: Your life was just a novel, but that's not the case now. You're a great person who can easily get a happy ending even in a novel, so you can be happy even after you get out of the story.
Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with you too.
However, at moments like this, I just stare at her with a smile.
"Thank you."
But that was enough. Sen heard everything I wanted to say in my eyes. She smiled happily, like a princess in a children's book.
Then, a system window appeared between Belial and me, who slowly stood up.
[You can 'choose' the 'ending' of this 'story'.] [If you want.]