CH 35

I’m not the kind of guy who breaks promises, not by nature.

Chrono looked at the beautiful cut left in the tower as he sliced Lionel in two in front of him and for a moment kept that silence ……

“… Then, it’s almost for me to–”

“–could you please wait?”

The crisp voice of Princess Celestia was heard in Crono’s ears, who looked as if she didn’t care and should go home now.

“What’s wrong?”

Although inwardly he was a little frightened by the subject of the tower’s compensation, Crono faced Celestia with a smile as calm as a demon king.

It’s unknown if it was because nervous, but he fiddled with the sword in his hand…at a speed that eyes couldn’t keep up with.

“The opportunity that I have obviously been waiting for for a long time has finally arrived. I will never let go of this opportunity. It’s finally the time. At last ……”

She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her chest as if she was savoring the words.

“…… So, please allow me to fulfil the promise I made then.”

“Oh, I see”

(What exactly is this promise?)

Although he was inwardly searching for clues that were completely untraceable, he maintained a straightforward expression on the surface.

Chrono was prepared to try the trick going along with her words while trying to get her to tell him what the promise was.

“You remember that. I’m glad.” (Chrono)

“It’s impossible to forget. Because since then …… my life has been decided.”

(Seriously, what promise does she mean!!”)

Then, leaving Crono, who had forced himself not to make a surprised sound, to one side, Celestia raised her sword.

It was like a knight who had made a vow.

“Everything is for this day … that I’ve been honing myself with all my heart. I’m going to put everything I’ve got on the line and face His Majesty the Demon King.”

“Ah, hmmmm. Alright…”

Hearing those words of Celestia, Chrono, on the other hand, …… she should be talking about having carried out training or something like that, he thought.

It can’t be wrong.

After all, it was to bring down the demon king who was the country’s greatest enemy, so it shouldn’t be too much to say that it was her goal in life.

“All right, then, let’s do it.”

He waited in a natural way, without any motivation, try not to rush.

“Yes. You should not have much time to spare. So allow me to give it my all from the start – ………… ha!!!”

Celestia took her steps at a faster pace than Asura.

Looking at that flash, was this girl really human?

Crono couldn’t help but think so.

The sound of swords clashing echoed continuously.

“Haaaaa!”

“……”

Sparks continued to fly between Chrono and Celestia.

It was almost like a starry sky.

The black and silver swords seemed to disappear, and the two moved their arms unseen as they collided in a supersonic clash.

Crono thought as he stood motionless and took Celestia’s fierce sword strike.

Seriously, is this girl really human?

Not to mention her speed and skill, the swordplay and timing of each blow was well thought out. To put it bluntly, it’s abnormal.

“Haaaa!!”

“Kuh!!”

Since it could be used as a bit of practice, Chrono began to pirouettes.

“Hahahahaahaha…!!”

As expected, Crono felt very happy once he was spinning. He was adjusting his sword so as not to touch Celestia, while switching it from the forehand to the backhand and back again, performing a magnificent sword dance.

“Gah…”

Even Celestia couldn’t keep up with it, she darted backwards and retreated.

But after a quick adjustment of her breathing –

“–!!”

“Wow.”

Crono couldn’t help but smack his lips.

Although it wasn’t complete, she did reproduce the initial version of the “Magic Condensation Method” that Crono had created, injecting magic power into the front end of her sword and then making a thrust.

And, comnined with some kind of magic, several blades of magic power were also directed at Chrono at the same time.

The stances were like a meteor shower, and they were heading straight for Crono.

However.

“Huh?”

“Nice work.”

Behind Celestia, who was in a stabbing position, Crono spoke deeply.

Just like the first time they met, he was behind Celestia without realizing it.

“I didn’t expect you have reached this level of …… growth.”

Perhaps it was because he knew Celestia of the past that Chrono could not help but think so.

“It really has become quite outstanding.”

“……”

He stroked Celestia’s frozen head while praising her in a slightly shaky voice.

While the temperature difference between them was maintained, the sound of several footsteps approaching was suddenly heard.

“Come on, over here!”

Hakuto and the others, boldly running towards the source of the magic that was reminiscent of the word destruction.

“Who is that !?”

Erika, who had come along with the soldiers, felt as if her blood had frozen.

In front of that sight was a horrible, horrible sword tinted with a thick, dark colour that could not be summed up by the word horror.

The amount of magic that had been poured into it was unimaginable.

“It seems to be time. Well, I should probably go, too.”

And with that, he isolated his breath and quickly left the place.

“Ah, wait a minute…”

“Celestia-sama!”

The cold sweating Hakuto and the others were shivering in the cold air as they ran towards Celestia.

Even though the tower was about to collapse, the sense of justice that filled their hearts made them do so.

“……”

“Anee-sama, is everything alright? What the hell was that black figure just now? He seemed to have put his hand on Anee-sama’s head. ……”

Seeing Celestia, who was holding her drawn sword tightly and whose breath was unprecedentedly disturbed, had a flushed expression on her face as if she had been exercising intensely, Erika was very worried about what had happened.

“…… Ah ……, there’s nothing. It’s dangerous here, so let’s take refuge outside for now.”

Slowly adjusting her rapid breathing, she once again gave Erica her usual smile.

“That’s good ……. Let’s go then …… guys!!!”

A look of reassurance appeared on her face, and then she cast a reproachful glance and words at Hakuto and Oswald, who were captivated by the s3xy look of the fiery Celestia, and even the soldiers who had followed her.

“Ah, I’m sorry ……”

“We lost in thought for a moment…”

Together with the flushed men that apologized from the heart, Celestia and the others hurriedly left the tower to take refuge.

“……”

“What’s wrong with you, Ane-sama? Come quickly.”

Celestia, who was looking up at the top of the tower, seemed a little frustrated.

“…… eh.”

“……?”

Although she usually didn’t quite understand what her sister was thinking, today she was particularly difficult to understand, and Erika cocked her head a little suspiciously.

♢♢♢

The Royal Castle that towers over the Royal Capital.

It was a magnificent building befitting the authority of a king, but there were two other buildings on the same level as it in the city.

One of them is the headquarters of the Scarlet Chamber of Commerce.

As the largest chamber of commerce in the Kingdom of Light, it is a comprehensive chamber of commerce that deals in everything from weapons to necessities to clothing.

It is a large organisation that even the King himself has to be careful about as it is responsible for a large part of the economy of the Kingdom of Light.

Then, the other one is ……

The headquarters of the Angel Cult, 『Ark Cathedral』.

This huge facility, which receives tourists, worshippers and Angelist who come to pray during the day, has a solemn atmosphere in it now that it is already night, due to that heavy silence.

“……”

The prayer had been going on for three hours, kneeling in front of the huge statue of the ‘White Goddess’.

Seeing the figure who would have been like this until morning if he had left it unattended, the priest spoke up to her.

“…… Archbishop Amanda, I am sorry to speak while you are praying, but may I interrupt you for a moment?”

At the sound of the male priest’s voice, Archbishop Amanda, who was one of only a handful of archbishops in the entire Angel Cult, stood up.

“…… Do you want to talk about Hakuto Yusia?”

“Yes. Why don’t we go and capture the Hero we’ve been hunting for so long.”

Glancing at the white statue of a celestial maiden glowing from the moonlight shining through the stained glass behind ……she turned back.

“Think carefully before you say anything. If the Yusia family are the Hero Ones, then how is it that they have been able to live at ease in the royal capital since a few years ago?”

Amanda, standing in the shadows against the light, looked like she was in her forties, even though she was well past her eighties.

“…no way.”

“Because Hero’s mission is over. I’m afraid …… there’s no need for you to care about that anymore. Wait until Supreme Bishop Benedict returns and then ask him for instructions.”

“I understand.”

To the male priest who gave a salute and quietly left the great sanctuary, she watched his departure with an icy gaze.

Regarding the point made earlier about the Hero Ones and their presence in the royal capital, the absolute and desperate magic that had descended on the royal castle late this afternoon alone could be perceived by those who could.

She also understood once again the reasoning of a veteran priest who had interrupted her earlier.

“……”

Amanda closed her eyes once more.

The loss of Bishop Lionel, who had been her pawn, had pained her greatly, because he was an outstanding man among her pawns in the kingdom of Light.

In addition to this, the followers who had infiltrated the nobles and knights were captured one by one.

At the centre of all this turmoil was ……

“Damn you, Celestia Light ……”

Although there was also the question of a new powerhouse like the Black Knight of Mystery appearing in the midst of all this, it was the same Black Knight that seemed to bring down Narcissus.

But what seemed more important to Amanda was to at least find a way to exclude Celestia from the rest of the Archbishops before the Supreme Bishop of Benedict returned.

Of course, the connection with Angel Cult cannot be noticed.

She already had an idea of what her new pawn would be.

“……”

She knelt again and prayed.

All, for the White Goddess …… and then, for the Supreme Bishop of Benedict.