CHAPTER 6.5 - II -

 

**Madelaine**

 

There was great consternation at the defensive walls of the Holy Palatial Gardens, when we saw the growing darkness from the distance, towards the direction of Huirot and Gebrei in Savoy.  The paladins with me, as well as their squires and other levies from the villages in my territory, couldn’t help but fear what they were witnessing, for it was their first time to see such a horrible sight.  I could feel their concerns too…

 

And, same as them, I’m worried as well.  If I remember, Kuro, with the coalition army, was fighting in that region.

 

“…”

 

“Maddie…” Lily said nothing other than my name, but I could see within her that she wanted to help Kuro.  However, it was Kuro himself who told us to stay put, until the opportunity comes to send reinforcements.  He didn’t want me to fight until the last minute…

 

“Let’s wait a bit more…” I told Lily, “I promised to trust Kuro this time.”

 

“Yes…”

 

But just in case we needed to move, I already donned my armor and equipped my weapons.

 

After all, the women of Nerfes never surrender.  They fight and die.

 

“!!!”

 

Something then caught my attention.  It was a red-haired man, with a wind spell to his feet, gliding in our direction.  He seemed dirty and exhausted; despite that, he kept on going, though his mana was about to give out from his continuous use of magic to his feet.

 

“Maddie!” Lily cried out, “That’s one of Kuro’s men!”

 

With no time to waste, I flew to meet him halfway, and he almost collapsed in my arms.  Good thing the man could still support himself with his weapon, for he looked heavy.

 

“Y-Your Ho…Holiness!” the man said, “I’m…Tarasca.”

 

“Please stay calm, I’ll heal you!”

 

At once I chanted a spell that cured his light injuries and immediately restored his stamina.  And then, I gave his water through my magic.

 

“Thank you, Your Holiness,” he told me.

 

“Tarasca, is it?”

 

“Yes, Your Holiness, and I’m from Sir Kuro’s army.”

 

“How are things going?”

 

“Your Holiness, please hurry.” Tarasca pleaded, “They need help, right now.”

 

I never wasted time.  I quickly chanted a teleportation spell to Gebrei.  Only then when I arrived I realized I forgot to bring my army with me…

 

“…”

 

Maddie, don’t be stupid.  Please think before you act.

 

 

**Kuro**

 

I don’t know, but at the moment, my vision seemed focused only on Seirna.  I’m aware of the hordes of undead surrounding me, however, my goal was to kill the Saint of the Flame…

 

…even if I die here!

 

I swung the butt of my matchlock down, intending to crush her head, but she parried my attack with her hands.  Seirna never let her guard down, for she quickly uttered a spell to counter me.  Luckily, I drew my dagger in time and interrupted her chant as she evaded my melee.

 

“Nice move, Fist of the North Lands!” she commented, “And to think, only three seasons ago, you’re a pathetic, goody-two-shoes fellow!”

 

“I’m never good!” I replied as I thrust my dagger to her, “I only try to be one!”

 

“Heh!  Just like that stupid saint!” Seirna laughed mockingly, “She’s always saying ‘peace’ but the more she does what she thinks is good, the nearer humanity comes to its demise!”

 

“What do you know about her dreams?”

 

“Well, what do you know about Lord Gauis’ will?”

 

“!!!”  Seirna used an underhanded attack that caught me off-guard, and so my matchlock was separated from my hand.  I tried to fight her with my dagger, but her zombies restrained me…though they never attempted to bite me.

 

“I won’t let them eat you…just yet.” she gently caressed my face, as if saying that she had the power over my life, “I’ll try to convince you to come to my side the second time, for I want to have your talents in keeping this world in a good working order…”

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“Come on, Kuro.  I’m doing this for humanity’s benefit.” Seirna explained, “You could only read the history, but I was there when the Human-Demon War happened, and it was terrible.”

 

I only let Seirna speak, for I was looking for my chance to escape.

 

“You won’t be able to escape, so don’t even try it.” she read my mind, “Moving on, with so many deaths among the humans in that war, Lord Gaius wanted to destroy the demons…”

 

“Then why didn’t he do it?”

 

“That accursed hero, Cassandra David, thwarted him!”

 

Cassandra David.  That human hero…I’ve encountered her name for quite some time now.  From the looks of it, she had a great role in the history of this world…

 

“Oh, you do not know how much harm she did to Chersea!” Seirna added, “Yet, you support her ideals, through that Saint, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth!”

 

“Well, what you did to this undead around us is proof that you’re someone I don’t want to work with.”

 

“Really?  You’re too stubborn, Kuro.  I only did this to help humanity, through wars, you know.  You’ve seen it yourself as well; the technologies in your world, most of them were brought forth by conflicts.”  Seirna explained, “Can’t you understand that?  The more conflicts this world has, the greater its potential to grow will be!”

 

“But what about the lives that you killed?” hearing her say it like that caused the anger I bottled up within me to explode, “Are you saying that they deserve to die for human species?”

 

Seirna didn’t answer that question of mine.  Instead, much to my shock, I saw her eyes filled with sadness, “Look, Kuro, I only wanted to do Lord Gaius’ will for humankind, and that is, for them to prosper.  I don’t intend to become a murderer…”

 

“Then why you—”

 

“But, if it becomes my reason to exist, then I don’t mind becoming one.  Do you even know, Kuro, that the demons could do an even more detestable curse than this undead of mine?  I saw it with my own two eyes!  Almost half of humanity back then was slaughtered because of their own undead curse!”

 

“And you’re trying to repeat it?  What made you better than them?”

 

“I AM better than them!  Consider this undead as training for humanity in their upcoming war against the demons.” Seirna added, “It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but of ‘when’.  And Madelaine has rendered your race weak and tolerant.  But I’m telling you, the world isn’t as forgiving as she wanted to make it become!”

 

“Not only do you want to make war on a peaceful race, but you also wanted to cause the destruction of another by cursing them!”

 

“If the humans didn’t even escape something like this, then men do not deserve the will of Lord Gaius!”

 

“You and your god are both crazy, Seirna!”

 

“Who isn’t?” she countered, “Anyway, as much as I wanted you to join me, it’s a pity that in the end, you’d rather remain naïve and stupid.”

 

“Well…” I smirked, “Don’t you know?  I swore my faithfulness to that lonely Nerfes girl that loved me even when I got nothing and I’m at my worst.  Love makes people stupid, indeed!”

 

“You’ll definitely regret this—”

 

“!!!”

 

At that point, just as when Seirna was about to order her undead hordes to kill me, a bright light suddenly shone and temporarily blinded me.  I couldn’t make out of the Saint of the Flame and her creatures, but I felt that their grip loosened, and I heard a scream.

 

A few seconds later, the light disappeared.  However, in front of me was the beautiful, silver-haired girl with silvery-blue eyes, her sword drawn and she was dressed in a shining silver armor…

 

“Maddie!”

 

“Thank goodness I came right on time!” she smiled, “I heard that line of yours and well…I love you too!”

 

Wait, that’s your concern?

 

“How dare you show your face to me, Madelaine Rubinforth?” it was Seirna, enraged but could not get near her, “You’re a traitor to Lord Gaius!”

 

“I’m a traitor to no one, Seirna.” Maddie answered her, “Just like you, I wanted what’s best for humanity, though not through your ways!”

 

“Aaaaarrrrgggghhh!!!” Seirna wasted no time in drawing her sword and attacking Maddie.  However, the Human Saint closely parried her attack.

 

“Come, Kuro, let’s escape from here!” Maddie took my hand and uttered the teleportation spell.  At once, the dark surroundings became white, and we disappeared to safety.