〈 Chapter 204 〉 Schurz (3）

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Snowflake Vision.

It was a technique that reproduced the memories of snowflakes that Schurz had attached in advance.

In the recreated form of the snowflake, Freira was moving vividly.

“Strayed from the plan… what exactly is that so-called brilliant plan?”

Her fierce questioning of the High Priest was unsettling for those who knew the High Priest’s true nature.

However, the High Priest in the snowflake seemed oddly gentle.

“Calm down, Freira. Surely, you can understand my intentions.”

She stepped down from her place and stood right in front of Freira.

“We are likely the only two remaining of the First Humanity. So, I hope you can understand my judgment.”

Freira’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean…”

In response, the High Priest asked her.

“Do you really want to know? About my plan. I won’t pressure you, of course. I just hope you’ll empathize with it.”

Freira seemed to hesitate for a moment.

After all, the High Priest’s words were very vague.

Nevertheless, she was already somewhat invested.

“You said First Humanity? Is it true you are of the same race as me?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“How can I trust that?”

The High Priest lifted her veil slightly to reveal her face.

It was at an angle only Freira could see.

“Now, do you believe me? I am of the same race as you.”

Whatever she looked like, Freira seemed to accept that the High Priest was indeed of the same race as her.

Or perhaps she wanted to accept it.

For she had been searching tirelessly for someone of her kind.

“I… want to know.”
“Alright.”

With her answer, the High Priest bowed her head toward Freira.

Then she began to whisper.

“…”

Her voice was so soft that only a member of the First Humanity would understand.

However, Freira’s expression changed moment by moment.

She was momentarily infused with anger, then flustered.

Then came disdain.

“You…!”
“Why are you upset? Is my thought so strange?”
“You’re completely insane. Empathize? Don’t talk nonsense.”

She turned to leave the room.

But at that moment, her body froze.

“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Let go. You said you wouldn’t pressure me.”
“Yes, I’m not pressuring you. I merely said my proposal isn’t finished yet.”
“A proposal? It’s not worth—”

At that moment, the High Priest’s sword touched her back.

“Then wouldn’t that make it worth listening to?”
“You said you wouldn’t pressure me…”
“No, it’s not pressure. If you don’t want to hear my proposal, you simply need to forfeit your life.”

Of course, from a common sense perspective, that indeed sounded like pressure.

But in the High Priest’s warped sense of reasoning, it didn’t seem to be the case.

“You’re utterly mad.”
“Well, I’m not sure. So, what’s your answer?”
“…What’s the proposal?”

Then the High Priest spoke.

“You’ll form a contract with me and become an Apostle. That way, I’ll share my power with you.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then you can simply give up your life.”

At those words, she began to ponder.

Seeing her deep in thought, the High Priest said, almost in frustration.

“Why are you thinking so hard? One side means death, while the other offers power and a chance to share my will.”

But Freira… shook her head.

“Yeah, I guess it can’t be called pressure.”

She turned back around and said.

“Kill me. After all, death is something I’ve always been waiting for.”
“Hmmm, why is that? I thought it was an easy choice.”

Once again she raised her sword, aiming at Freira’s heart.

But Freira’s expression didn’t change at all.

“You’re serious.”

“…”

“So disappointing. Then I’ll have to force it…”

Just as the High Priest tried to touch Freira’s forehead with her left hand while lowering the sword.

Bam!

In that instant, Freira somehow moved forward.

And…

“I don’t know what foolishness you were trying to pull…”

She stabbed her own chest onto the sword.

“It’s not such a bad death.”

She was smiling for some reason.

And that smile was clearly aimed at someone.

Allen Pleuk.

She chose death over becoming an Apostle and cooperating with the High Priest, all for the sake of Allen Pleuk.

“A death that isn’t so bad…”

The High Priest tilted her head.

“Well, I at least understand that it’s a meaningless death.”

She said while pulling the sword out from Freira.

“Of course, there’s nothing meaningful to begin with. Not life, nor death.”

In that moment, all the snowflakes scattered and disappeared in an instant.

It meant only one thing.

“As expected.”

The quiet anger that had been simmering in Schurz’s eyes was now blazing fiercely.

Until now, he had only confirmed death due to the melting snowflake he had attached to her, but now there was no uncertainty about who caused it.

“You killed Freira…”

His anger no longer remained hidden.

“She should have been the one I killed!”

In the snowflake vision, Freira had wished to live.

Perhaps it was thanks to Allen Pleuk.

Yet still, she chose death.

Only for the sake of Allen Pleuk.

Now she had developed a desire to live, but she accepted death with a sort of joy.

However…

“There could have been a way for her to die happier!”

He could not accept such a death.

Although he hadn’t found a way for her to die happily, perhaps Allen Pleuk could have.

But it was already too late.

She was dead, and there was no way to turn back.

It brought him a sense of loss, and that loss turned into anger.

In front of him stood only… revenge.

“High Priest!”

His fury began to swirl like a sharp blizzard.

The tremor in his voice remained, but that tremor transformed into a powerful force, no longer uncertain.

With a voice so cold that it seemed to freeze everything, he declared.

“I will definitely kill you!”

At the same time, transparent ice shards began to sprout from his shoulders.

Wings.

They were transparent wings that matched the name of the Relic.

Releasing his full power as a Saint-level Hero, Schurz charged at the High Priest.

“Apostles!”

Of course, the High Priest wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

“Kill those three.”

*

“Damn…!”

Hailen arrived as quickly as possible.

But chaos had already erupted.

“Everyone, evacuate to the Lake of Hero Academy!”

“Please evacuate quickly!”

Hailen was in turmoil.

Seeing that, Luel on my back said.

“We’re already late, aren’t we?”

The current scenery resembled the situation she had seen during the third trial.

Although, it seemed there wasn’t as much loss of life as back then.

“Run fast!”

“Get out of the way!”

Shouts and screams echoed.

“Mom!”

The cries of children who lost their parents in the chaos.

The source of the current disaster was clear.

Church Headquarters.

Already, several gigantic icebergs were rising there.

At least it seemed that the battle hadn’t ended yet.

Even now, tremendous roars and vibrations were felt.

‘We have to hurry.’

I couldn’t let anyone die like this.

Of course, it might be okay for Mr. Schurz if he could kill the High Priest for now.

But even if he killed the High Priest, I couldn’t allow her to just die, especially since she might hold clues about the seal in the face of the inevitable destruction.

Conversely, if Mr. Schurz were to die, it would prove the High Priest’s formidable combat power, and we would lose someone who could have been an important asset.

If that happened, it would become even harder to stop the High Priest, separate from the scheduled destruction.

This was, in a way, the worst situation possible.

Yet, I still had to do my best.

If I could somehow intervene before the fight ended…

“Allen.”

“Luel?”

She seemed to gather her thoughts before hesitating and then said.

“To be honest, in the current situation where the fight has already started… running in there isn’t such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Even if you managed to deal effective damage to the 8th-ranked Karkel, that inside is where the stronger beasts rampage. If you go in like this, aside from Ms. Gwen, the rest will get caught in the whale fight.”

That was true.

Moreover, Ms. Gwen had already expended a lot of energy subjugating the Demon Kings; we didn’t have suitable combat power.

However…

“But you know I’m not the type to back off just because you tell me to.”

“No, if the Water Sage genuinely tried to dissuade me…”

“I don’t really want to dissuade you.”

What was this sudden turn of events?

Just a moment ago, she was all about jamming reality into me.

“We decided to go on an adventure. There’s no way in my knowledge to prevent the destruction of this world.”

“True?”

“So I don’t want to just follow you based on your actions, which are limited to your knowledge. I want to see you try to slip into the whale fight, even in such a situation.”

It sounded somewhat disrespectful, but I couldn’t help but chuckle as she seemed to understand and know me so well.

But I still felt the need to defend myself.

“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want to do it this way either. Most of it was unavoidable…”

“The criteria for that ‘unavoidable’ is a problem. No matter how much a partner is trapped, you wouldn’t utter the phrase ‘it can’t be helped’ when facing a Saint-level Hero.”

I had nothing to say to that.

“Anyway, it looks like I have no choice but to go in again.”

“Yes, that’s just like you.”

It might sound sarcastic if you heard it carelessly, but I knew what it meant.

It meant she acknowledged me.

‘Wind’s Power.’

I wrapped my feet in the Wind’s Power and accelerated further.

*