The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 71

You know, camellia flowers bloom three times. Once on the tree, once when they fall to the ground, and once in the heart of the person who sees them fall. They say it looks that way because the entire flower falls off intact.

But, you know, I feel sorry for camellias. Even after their necks are ripped off completely, they still bloom, unaware they’ve been abandoned by the tree. Why are you smiling? Are you treating me like a child again? But it’s true. I really do pity their death.

***

When Leon forced his eyelids open, he saw a ceiling adorned with high-quality decorations. Retracing his memory, he remembered reaching beyond the barrier.

It was long after he had wiped out all the Bahamuts in the vicinity that he dragged his torn body to reach the military’s erected barrier. He had reported his actions, dragging his immobile legs along the way. He had demanded treatment from the shocked Holy Knights. Naturally, the wounds would heal on their own, but setting and securing the bones was far more efficient. The church, which esteemed sacrifice as a virtue, had generously provided him with a bed.

Even though he was exhausted enough to die, pain wouldn’t let him lose consciousness. As he received treatment, Leon learned about the situation in Kart. As expected, the Pope and the Emperor had abandoned northern Kart as soon as the landslide began. The barrier was hastily constructed from the debris of buildings, stretching horizontally from the central Imperial Palace to the Papal residence, protecting half of Kart.

“But don’t worry too much. Rescue operations are well underway. You don’t think the only ruling forces in Kart are the church and the palace, do you?”

Heinz, who had come to see Leon, tried to offer hope. It seemed he thought Leon’s lifeless eyes were filled with concern for the refugees. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but the reason was different. Leon didn’t care about managing the disaster. Like a madman, his thoughts were solely on the woman he hadn’t saved—the woman who was now frozen in the twilight.

As memories of that twilight and echoes of the bells filled his ears, Leon slowly closed and reopened his eyes.

“The ruling forces in Kart—you mean the nobles?”

“Yes. Among the nobles in the Holy City, many have learned duty before corruption. The majority of the nobles south of the Winter River, including the Marquis of Kaltenze and the Count of Wittelsbach, have willingly opened their warehouses and taken the lead in relief efforts.”

Heinz spoke of these noble deeds with the demeanor of a proud nobleman.

If this prosperous land depended only on two men, then Kaisenmeer would have collapsed long ago. Leon recalled the reliable nobles and knights he had met while preparing for the Bahamut invasion.

Humans may be weak, but humanity is strong. It’s dangerous to think you’re fighting alone, like the protagonist of a story. Stories never surpass reality. There is no tragedy that ends alone—there are countless unseen people fighting in the shadows.

“Of course, your contribution is the greatest. They say there isn’t a single Bahamut in the areas being cleared. Your skills are truly impressive—that sort of massacre… Your reputation among the soldiers is now…”

Leon half-listened to Heinz while looking out the window. The half-collapsed Blasen and the devastated city were a dismal sight.

Bahamut knows no fear. If they had all left the ruins, it wasn’t Leon’s doing—it was Veronica’s. They were truly looking for her. Either they found her dangerous, or…

No, that couldn’t be. Leon mercilessly dismissed the thoughts he had. He had never read or heard of any record from any monastery on the continent that spoke of God dwelling in a human.

“Anyway, that’s the situation outside. Do you have any other questions or things you want to know?”

“I’d like to hear about Oscar Berg.”

Leon spoke as if out of obligation. In truth, he wasn’t particularly interested in Oscar or the woman named Hannah. He was merely asking because Veronica might want to know.

“Oscar Berg?”

Heinz had a momentary expression of not knowing who that was before saying, “Ah,” with a furrowed brow.

“Well, with so many refugees, I don’t know the status of the city guard. I’ll find out if he made it past the barrier.”

“You must have a lot to take care of; you’d better be on your way.”

It seemed Heinz had only just realized that Leon wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Heinz scratched his head as he looked at Leon, leaning against the bedside.

“Ah, I see I’ve been disturbing someone who wants to rest. Oh, can you lie down by yourself?”

“Why, do you want to lie down with me?”

“……”

“Get out. I’m not an old man.”

After joking, Leon let out a chuckle and turned his head away from Heinz’s words urging him to recover.

After a moment, when the door closed, the room returned to silence. Leon held his breath, trying to make the silence even more complete. However, he could still hear the sound of bones mending and muscles in his organs healing, like the noise of insects scratching. He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding, then raised his good hand to cover his eyes.

The slightest carelessness, and his thoughts would drift back to her. The repeated vision of her limp neck and her face disappearing into the mucous, over and over again. He replayed dozens of ways in which she could have survived, examining each scenario.

It was meaningless. He hadn’t saved her. His beliefs had driven her to her death. The regret, left unsaid, choked him. It felt like a punishment for not expressing even a drop of emotion—he could barely breathe.

He should’ve at least thanked her for loving someone like him.

Even when he closed his eyes, he remembered the woman who waited for him barefoot outside the inn. She had recklessly approached him with all her strength. Again and again.

Dong, dong, dong. Bells from a nearby belfry announced the opening and closing of the barrier. Another group of refugees was arriving, it seemed. Sound, they say, is the warehouse of memories. The bell opened up his memories wide. He remembered the woman learning the sword for the first time, her face full of joy when she received her armor, and…

The short but long time they had spent together was lodged like a shard in his heart. He remembered the farewells at dawn and the greetings after the twilight had passed. It was the first warmth of affection he had ever felt in his life. He finally understood—she had been trying to become family to him, someone who had never known family. Eating together, sleeping together, sharing the same breath.

That warmth brought him closer to the sun, not realizing his own flesh was cooking, mistakenly believing he was merely using her warmth.

“Does it hurt that much?”

Leon slowly opened his eyes. Veronica sat by his bedside.

Impossible. Even knowing that, he stared at her, captivated. She reached out her hand to his face. As he grabbed her wrist, trying to keep her from leaving, her bewitching face with black hair and red eyes turned into the princess with blonde hair and blue eyes. Reflexively, Leon frowned and let go of her.

“Tears on a fierce face that doesn’t know a single drop of them—it’s quite a sight.”

Johanna smiled brightly without any hint of embarrassment. She looked Leon up and down, seemingly pleased with his battered state.

“If I’d known it was this hard on you, I’d have come sooner.”

Leon returned to his expressionless demeanor, gazing at her. Her demeanor was far too cheerful for the middle of a disaster. She acted as though she had longed for Kart to fall. Twisted nature and sadistic pleasure—he had known their origins from the beginning. He had humored her only because she held Veronica hostage. But Kart had fallen, and he no longer needed to cater to her whims.

“Shouldn’t you comfort His Majesty instead of me?”

A princess without succession rights was an expensive trade commodity. Yet Johanna, already in her thirties and past marriageable age, still hadn’t left the palace. The official reason was that the Emperor of Kaisenmeer cherished his only daughter… but…

“What do you mean by that?”

“Sharing hard times is the price for being ‘favored’ day and night, isn’t it?”

Johanna’s face twisted horribly. Her lips, which had kept her secrets, trembled.

Leon curled his lips into a sneer. This was the true face of noble blood. The Pope and the Knight Commander had raised bastards in the Holy City, and the devout Emperor had committed vile sins.

“How dare you…”

A hand reaching for forbidden fruit—being cast out of paradise was only fitting. Stagnation leads to decay, and Kart had harbored too much prosperity for far too long.

“Do you want to kill me? Go ahead and do it. You can use my sword if you need it.”

Leon coldly provoked her, watching her trembling fist. Johanna’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly, as if realizing something, she let out a sharp laugh.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re so calm—she’s dead, isn’t she?”

“……”

“What a pity. I should’ve torn her apart with my own hands.”

This time, it was Leon’s face that hardened. Johanna’s expression, once warm and gentle, twisted with madness as she leaned closer.

“By the way, Sir Berg, do you know what her final wish was?”

As her lips drew closer, the scent of deep roses filled his nose. Her bright blue eyes widened unnaturally.

“She begged me to whisper in His Majesty’s ear—to migrate to the wilderness.”

“……”

“So what do you think I did?”

Johanna no longer appeared sane. Her eyes were wide, almost as if they might pop out, and she looked utterly deranged.

“I warned you, clearly. That you’d regret walking through that door.”

Her lips, twisted with the corruption of victory, delivered her final words, “Kaisenmeer ends here. This country should have fallen much sooner.”

Johanna straightened her back abruptly, her face returning to its usual calm expression. She smiled smoothly and gave a polite bow.

“Then, I wish you a speedy recovery, Sir Berg. The only thing I can do is pray to God, so I’ll head to the holy sanctuary to offer my prayers.”

The princess turned and walked away, her steps graceful and revolting. The maid standing behind her seemed to want to say something to Leon, but when she met Johanna’s gaze, she quickly bowed her head and opened the door.

It was destruction.