Chapter 118

Chapter 118

It was over. Guardian Angel Z357 was gone, and the Voidgod was exiled back into the Fractured Realm. Now, it was just Ar’elith and I standing here in the middle of the devastated mountain range illuminated by the orange light of dawn.

Or— his name was Arthur now. He was the Lich King once, but not anymore. He shook his head before bowing his head.

“Thank you,” he said softly as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “For giving me a chance to right my wrongs.”

I rolled my eyes as I took a step back. “Thank me later. Let’s just get out of here first... I really hope Z isn’t going to quit on me when I get back.”

“Right.” Arthur shuffled his feet, slightly confused, but not questioning me.

“Come on, give me your hand. I’ll carry you back to Wolfwater. Although... you’re pretty weak as you are right now, so I’ll take it slow.”

I proffered him a hand, and he took a step forward. I narrowed my eyes as he drew closer. And I stopped him, shaking my head.

“But before that—” I said as I gestured at him. “You need to put on some clothes.”

Arthur blinked. Then he looked down at himself, before his eyes went wide.

“Oh.”

He flushed, covering his crotch as he shifted back. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out an extra pair of pants from my Bag of Holding.

“Here, wear this.”

“S-sorry,” he said as he quickly moved to put on the pants. It was too tight for him, but it was better than nothing. “I didn’t even realize I was...”

“It’s fine,” I snorted. “Now let’s get going.”

—--

“There she is!” Noele exclaimed as she saw the figure zipping through the sky.

Saros and Garron looked up and narrowed their eyes. The two adventurers got to their feet as Amelia descended down into the forest. Noele had been standing the entire time, waiting for her mentor to return.

She had seen Guardian Angel Z357 pass over the landscape about half an hour ago, so she already knew that Amelia was on the way. But she didn’t expect to see her mentor arrive with a stranger in her arms.

“Amelia— who’s that?” The blonde girl blinked.

She stared at the disheveled man. He was half-naked— all he wore was a pair of ripped pants. His skin was deathly pale, and his hair was dirty blond. He was probably ten to fifteen years older than Noele, but he had an oddly wizened visage. Like his brown eyes were black and hollow.

Saros frowned. “Where’d you pick this hobo up from?”

“Is it over?” Garron asked, shaking his head as he ignored the gnome’s rude question. “Did you win?”

“Yeah, everything should be fine for now,” Amelia said as she waved a hand dismissively. “Come on, let’s get back to Wolfwater.”

She took a step forward, urging the three adventurers forward as the disheveled blond man shifted back. He averted his gaze, and she proffered a hand expectantly. Saros and Garron shrugged and approached her.

But Noele narrowed her eyes. She saw the way her mentor avoided the question. She noticed the uncomfortable look on the stranger’s face. So she pressed the question.

“Wait, Amelia... who is this? Where did he come from?”

Saros and Garron glanced back at the blonde girl. She looked past them, staring at Amelia. It was a simple question. The brown-haired woman could have answered it with a single sentence. And yet, she hesitated.

“I, for one, agree with Amelia,” Garron said as he strode up to the blonde girl. She turned to face him as he looked towards the former Lich King. “As he is right now, Arthur is harmless. He can’t hurt anyone. But he can help others. And that’s all that matters, right?”

“I...” Noele opened her mouth. But she stopped herself. She glanced between her mentor and the Steel Tank, before looking back towards Arthur.

The former Lich King looked like he was about to avert his gaze, but he steeled himself at the last moment. He looked the blonde girl directly in the eyes and nodded. She lowered her head and sighed.

“I still think it’s a bad idea,” she finally said. “And I cannot agree with this. But... fine.”

Noele acquiesced as she closed her eyes. She remembered all the stories her sister had told her about the First Lich King as a child— it was horrible. And yet, it happened so long ago, it was hard for her to fully contextualize the true terror of his atrocities. Only he knew what he had done, and that was why he asked for this.

The blonde girl sighed as she glanced at Amelia. “It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway...”

Arthur nodded as he took a step forward. He placed a hand on his chest, giving Noele a grateful look. “I understand how you feel. And I know that nothing I do will never be enough to make up for the atrocities I have committed. So thank you— for letting me do this.”

“I’m not doing this for you,” Noele snorted as she turned away from him. “Let me make it clear— I do not like you. I do not approve of this. So do not try and befriend me. Because I will not reciprocate you.”

“...right.” Arthur backed up as he lowered his head. “I understand.”

And Amelia clapped her hands together as she swept her gaze over the group. “Alright, now that that’s settled— let’s head back!”

She paused as she watched Noele, Garron, Saros, and Arthur approach her. She placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head.

“And remember: no screaming.”

“...no,” Noele said simply. “I will scream as much as I want after what you’ve done.”

Amelia snorted, and the blonde girl chuckled. And with that, they took off, returning to Wolfwater.

—--

“Thank you, Melissa. You are dismissed.”

Kallistus Kal waved a hand, and Melissa swept back. She smiled as she bowed low.

“Of course, my liege. I will send scouts to investigate the Breve Mountain Range, then I will contact them immediately.”

With that, she took her leave. He watched her go as the large double doors slammed shut behind her. The [Hero King] was left alone in the dimly lit throne room. He sat there as he closed his eyes.

And he tried to sense the source of power that had been so overwhelming just a few hours ago. But it was gone. It had surged to such an extreme level for a brief moment— one that eclipsed anything he could comprehend— before vanishing in an instant.

There was still some traces of the Void’s essence left in the air. However, it was such a minute amount that it was practically nothing. Especially compared to the extremity it had reached seconds before it dissipated.

Melissa hadn’t noticed it— none of the [High Mages] in his court detected it. Of course not. They weren’t touched by the Void. They could not possibly parse its power. But they had noticed a bright light shining from the Breve Mountain Range.

Kallistus knew that the fight was over. Nothing remained of that power. However, he still sent scouts to investigate it just in case he could find anything that would be useful to him. He especially wanted to know what it was there that dispelled the Void.

He had his suspicions. He believed that it was very likely to be the Guardian Angel. But he needed confirmation to be sure. Because if the angel was truly capable of overcoming such power...

The [Hero King] needed to make preparations. He needed to concoct a plan for his inevitable second meeting with the Guardian Angel. And once that was settled, he’d finally be able to freely study the limits of the Void’s power.

And then with it, Kallistus Kal would seize its power to return back to his world.

But for now, he made his preparations. He schemed. He readied a trap.