Carlisle sat in the returning Royal Capital Earth Dragon Carriage, the rapidly passing scenery unable to attract his attention, his gaze remaining fixed in the direction of Roswaal's domain.
He did not want to return to the Royal Capital now, but under Subaru's repeated persuasion and Rem's words to him, "Carlisle is already exhausted, please return to the Royal Capital to rest. Rem will protect Subaru and everyone in the Mansion."
Moreover, both factions had just formed a friendly alliance, and it would be too ungrateful for Carlisle to immediately refuse the goodwill of the opposing lord who was sharing the honor.
He sighed softly. His rationality told him to trust his companions. Julius's strength was beyond doubt, Felix's healing magic was unparalleled, and Wilhelm was a battle hardened Sword Demon. Furthermore, Subaru had already grown strong enough to stand on her own.
"Is sir Knight worried?"
Crusch's clear and cool voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Looking up, the valiant Royal Selection candidate sat opposite him, her amber eyes carrying an understanding expression.
Carlisle subconsciously wanted to deny it, but before he could speak, his thoughts had already been seen through by her.
"I can understand." Crusch nodded slightly. "After all, the opponent is an Archbishop of Sin. But please believe that Felix and Wilhelm will surely succeed."
Her tone carried unquestionable firmness, the confidence of someone seasoned in battle.
Carlisle managed a strained smile. "Thank you for your concern. Actually... I have already decided to trust them."
He paused, his gaze drifting back to the scenery outside. "It is just..."
"It is just a knight's instinct at work?" Crusch continued, a knowing smile appearing on her lips. "I completely understand the desire to personally protect those who are important."
Carlisle was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "You have seen through me."
"Do not mind it." Crusch shook her head. "This sense of responsibility is precisely why you are called the Perfect Knight. However..."
She paused briefly. "Sometimes, trusting your companions is also a responsibility. Especially when that companion has already proven herself through action, is that not so?"
Carlisle thought of Subaru waving goodbye to him in the morning light, and Rem's resolute eyes.
"You are right." His tense shoulders relaxed. "I was too stubborn."
Crusch nodded with satisfaction. "Then after returning to the Royal Capital, please enjoy this hard won honor. After all..."
A hint of cunning flashed in her eyes. "To have a knight second only to the Sword Saint accompany us is a great honor for our faction, is it not?"
Carlisle could not help but chuckle. "Lady Crusch flatters me."
As the Earth Dragon Carriage moved forward, he took one last look at the distant horizon. Although his worries had not completely faded, the conviction in his heart had solidified.
Trust them, just as they had always trusted him.
"Lady Crusch! Enemy attack!"
The soldier driving the Carriage suddenly shouted a heart wrenching warning, his voice filled with undisguised terror. Carlisle and Crusch simultaneously looked ahead, and the sight before them instantly tensed every muscle in their bodies.
With a tremendous roar, the road ahead had already turned into a living hell.
The entire Carriage convoy had been cut in half. The front few Carriages looked as if they had been torn apart by some invisible and immense force. Wooden carriage fragments and metal parts lay scattered everywhere, mixing with blood to form grotesque patterns in the dust. Several incomplete corpses lay scattered in pools of blood. One soldier's upper body still held a sword wielding posture, yet his lower body was nowhere to be seen.
Crusch stared intently at the slender figure standing in the middle of the road. It was a white haired, pale skinned woman, strikingly conspicuous against the desolate backdrop. Her golden pupils carried a condescending disdain, and her pure white attire remained spotless on the blood soaked battlefield. The teardrop shaped ornaments on her earlobes shimmered with a cold light under the sun.
"My soldiers... heroes of the White Whale subjugation..."
Crusch's nails dug deeply into her palms, while Carlisle felt a chilling coldness crawl up his spine. The woman merely stood there casually, yet instinctively gave off an unprecedented sense of danger.
"What should we do, Lady Crusch?!"
The soldier driving the Dragon Carriage spoke with a trembling voice, the veins on his hands bulging as he gripped the reins. Crusch took a deep breath, the grief in her eyes instantly transforming into towering rage.
"Run her over!"
At her command, the Earth Dragon let out a deafening roar, and the heavy Carriage shot forward toward the white clad woman like an arrow released from a bow. Carlisle stared at her, only to find that not only did she not dodge, she instead revealed a playful smile, her golden eyes gleaming with a cat and mouse amusement.
"Murak!"
At the critical moment, Carlisle quickly cast gravity magic. Ripples of magic instantly enveloped the entire carriage. With a soft shift, he, Crusch, and all the soldiers were lifted away from the Carriage by the spell. Almost at the same instant.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the sky as the sturdy Dragon Carriage was torn apart like fragile paper. Wooden splinters and metal fragments scattered violently, carving deep grooves into the ground. When the smoke cleared, the white clad woman still stood in place, not even a single corner of her clothes damaged.
"I mean..."
She spread her hands helplessly, her tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "Can you not behave like this? You try to run me over when I have not even done anything. Honestly, is that something a person should do?"
Crusch landed steadily on the ground, her eyes burning with cold fury as she slowly drew her sword.
"How dare you slaughter my retainers like this! Who are you?!"
The white clad woman tilted her head, her silvery white hair gently swaying in the wind. "I see, I see. So you do not know me. But I know you. After all, you are a candidate for the next monarch."
"Enough talk!" Crusch snapped, her sword tip pointing directly at her throat. "Answer my question. One more word and I will kill you."
Facing this blatant threat, the woman merely sighed softly. "That is rather harsh..." She idly played with the ornament on her ear. "But without such domineering resolve, you probably could not bear the heavy burden of this country, could you? Although I cannot understand that feeling."
"I said, enough talk!"
Crusch no longer hesitated. Her longsword slashed forward, releasing a sharp blade of sword aura that tore through the air and split the ground beneath it. The force of this strike was enough to cleave a boulder in half.
However.
The sword aura abruptly halted in front of the woman, as if it had struck an invisible barrier. With a crisp shattering sound, the attack dissolved into countless particles of light and vanished.
"This...!"
Crusch's hand trembled slightly. Carlisle also stared in shock, the unease in his heart growing heavier. The woman had not even moved a single step.
"Ano saaa..."
The white clad woman suddenly stretched her words, her previously playful expression instantly turning grim. Her golden pupils narrowed dangerously, and a suffocating pressure spread outward from her. Carlisle instinctively moved to shield Crusch behind him.
"Attacking someone who is speaking with interest..." Her voice became sharper with every word. "What kind of upbringing did you have? You are clearly infringing upon my right to speak."
Before she finished speaking, Carlisle's vision blurred.
Swish!
A slicing sound cut through the stillness, too fast for even an afterimage to remain. By the time Carlisle reacted, Crusch's right arm had already been severed, flying high into the air as blood erupted like a fountain from the wound, tracing a vivid arc.
"Lady Crusch!"
Carlisle rushed forward, catching her staggering body. He immediately pressed his palm against the wound, activating healing magic that enveloped the injury.
"Felix..." Crusch's face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.
Carlisle lifted his gaze and stared at the white clad woman. This was the first time in his life he had felt such an overwhelming sense of danger. This seemingly delicate woman was undoubtedly the most dangerous existence he had ever encountered.
At that moment, a frenzied voice echoed from the wreckage.
"No matter how much I eat, I cannot get full!"
Accompanied by a chilling tone, a small figure emerged from the burning remains of the Dragon Carriage. It was a boy who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, with knee length dark brown hair as tangled as weeds, and tattered clothing stained with grime. Most disturbing was the constant chewing motion of his mouth and the drool that continuously dripped from its corners.
"Eat... chew... gnaw... chomp..." His blood stained bare feet left footprints among the scattered remains. "Bite... tear... crush... gluttony!"
"Thank you for the meal..."
Carlisle gently placed Crusch against a relatively intact piece of carriage debris, then stood up, his longsword gleaming coldly under the sunlight.
"Who exactly are you two?!"
The filthy boy bowed exaggeratedly, his eyes gleaming with madness through the gaps in his tangled hair.
"Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Gluttony, Ley Batenkaitos."
The white clad woman performed an elegant curtsy, the ornaments on her ears swaying lightly.
"Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Greed, Regulus Corneas."
Note- Yes, Regulus is female.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.