CH 200

Dedicated to my departed friends

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by SoundDestiny

The two apostles who had been unleashed on the kingdom of Zain were defeated.

The “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, the knights of plague and famine, were defeated, and the army of 20,000 dead that they had led was exterminated.

The Kingdom of Zain’s army, led by Raidorl, and the undead army, led by Osman.

The first battle between the two sides ended in victory for the Kingdom of Zain.

“I see……Ruluve and Wilfred are gone”

In the Kingdom of Athena, in the western part of the continent.

The first person to notice the defeat of his comrades was not their master, the witch Osman of earth. It is the knight of death, Zansha, who is also one of the four knights of the apocalypse.

The royal castle where Neferthe once lived. A dark-haired, brown-skinned man stood on the roof of the spire at the top of the castle, his eyes narrowed sadly as he gazed far to the east.

They were four knights in the service of Osman, the Witch of Earth, but they were by no means the most friendly of friends.

Quarrels are common. They even actively compete with each other to win Osman’s favour, especially the bitter “War” and “Famine”.

This relationship has not changed since the time of the “Great Calamity” three hundred years ago. In fact, Zansha thought that it had become even worse after the defeats of the past.

“…..Rest in peace, my brothers, and let us take care of the rest.”

Although their wills and feelings are different, they are still comrades serving the same lord. When Zansha learns of the death of his comrades, there is an empty hole in his heart, and emotions similar to sadness and loneliness well up from the bottom of the hole.

Zansha’s master, Osman, would also soon be aware of their deaths.

But……Zansha was sure of it.

Osman would never be saddened to learn of the death of her apostle. She would not be distressed by the death of a loyal subject whom she had known for hundreds of years.

He doesn’t think it’s heartless. Osman was made that way from the start.

For Osman, the witch of the earth and queen of the land of the dead, death is fair and equal. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Therefore, she accepts the death of her friends and subordinates as a matter of course. There is no sorrow, no tears.

“You’ve realised, Ruluve, that……Osman’s stated aim of [abolishing humanity] is only a superficial one. Wilfred, you didn’t know, Osman doesn’t love us one bit.”

Osman’s goal is the abolition of humanity. As a witch, she must bring humanity to extinction.

However, it is not the true purpose. This is the result of obeying the orders of the Great Mother, the witch of the light – Grasslead. It was not what Osman herself would have wanted.

To begin with…..Osman is ultimately a lazy person.

Osman doesn’t want anything nor does she ask for anything.

Just as the earth accepts everything and death rejects no one,….Osman does not reject people, animals or demons.

“The Queen does not love us. But…… still, a knight should be loyal to their lord.”

Zansha is a knight.

Before he became an apostle – before he was born – he served a monarch of a country and was loyal to him at the risk of his life.

But no matter how much Zansha did, his master did not reciprocate. Zansha was betrayed by the lord he believed in, and was banished from his home with everything he had.

After wandering in the wilderness without a master to serve, Zansha met Osman, one of the……“Six Witches of Doom”.

Like a dog seeking its owner or as a young child seeks its parents.

Zansha has found a new lord in Osman and has been loyal to her for more than 500 years, since the last “Great Calamity” and the one before that.

He has been loyal to her for over 500 years, even though he knows that this does not sit well with him.

“Our loyalty is meaningless. It will never touch the heart of Osman. But I have to give myself to her. Otherwise, I will cease to be a knight.”

Ruluve and Wilfred, who became apostles more than 200 years later than Zansha, chose to become the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to settle their grudges against those in power.

On the other hand, Zansha chose this path only for the purpose of self-affirmation: “Be a knight.”

He needed a lord to remain a knight. That’s all.

“O departed brethren! There is no salvation in the path we are on. There is no cause. But……I mourn for you, my brothers and sisters, and I will carry on your work. I will avenge you.”

Zansha draws his sword from his waist and raises the tip of it to the eastern sky

“I swear on this magical sword that was given to me by the Queen – “Gáe Bolg”. The hero chosen by the holy sword is mine to defeat. Your deaths will give me strength. I will not let your defeats be in vain.”

Zansha said in a quiet tone and prayed for the soul of his late comrade in arms.