Volume 3 - CH 16

“Noooo! Ariaaa!”

The scream of the princess echoed in the courtyard.

“T-Too late……!”

Rufaga, who has just arrived, saw the situation and moaned. The hand holding the cane was raised, but Greed knew. Rufaga’s spell will not make it in time when he himself could not be in time.

……There was too much distance.

In front of these three people, the green-haired demon called Verde who held Aria──was probably swallowed by the space and has closed. At that moment, Greed felt Aria’s presence, which he had always felt through the spirits and the bracelet, disappear.

Gently descending into the courtyard, Greed turned to the crack in the corridor. But there was no trace.

Greed then looked up at the second floor of the main residence, where the walls have collapsed and holes have appeared. Azul must have fallen there when he kicked him with force.

But as he had expected, he didn’t feel any sign of him now. Perhaps he disappeared as soon as Verde secured Aria. Their purpose was fulfilled.

“Greed.”

“Where’s the girl? She’s not around.”

“She was kidnapped by the demons……?”

“She is not here…… I can’t sense her anywhere.”

As her presence disappeared, the spirits who had been kept away from the courtyard by the demons returned.

──Aria……!

Search for her presence. Be in sync with the spirits and expand the search range.

But he couldn’t sense her presence. His bracelet did not react either.

──Vanished.

As he scoured the world, he couldn’t feel any fragments of her presence. It is as if she was dead.

At that moment, Greed’s heart was struck by an unprecedented fear and loss.

“Greed is angry.”

“Greed is sad.”

“Greed is scared.”

Although not visible to ordinary people, rich magical power and spiritual power were gathered around Greed.

“My powers . . . are affected……!”

“Suppress it, Greed. This place is no good.”

“Everyone will be involved.”

Some spirits screamed.

──Without her, there is no point in living. The world without her……

Rufaga’s quiet reminder struck him when he almost wanted to surrender to his raging emotions.

“Are you going to destroy this land, Greed? If you do that, you will lose a place for her to return to.”

At those words, Greed closed his eyes.

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end. So please promise me. Do not destroy the things that I cherish.”

Aria’s words crossed his mind. And the promise he made with her.

──A place for her to return to.

Yes, he has not lost her yet. Not yet……

Greed opened his eyes and reduced the level of synchronization with the spirits. This is to prevent the spirits from being affected by his emotions and go on a rampage.

But those feelings were not reflected on Greed’s face.

A corner on the corridor’s floor shone, and Rufus and Renas appeared as if they followed Rufaga.

Until a while ago when the demons were still here──presumably from the vestiges of Verde’s power──due to the magic that interfered with the space that he was controlling, the spirits were repelled and could not approach, and anyone other than Greed could not be magically teleported here.

It seems that the magic that Verde cast at the same time as when he appeared to Aria was broken as soon as he disappeared with Aria.

Rufus and Renas, who were at the ball, defeated the demon beast that had invaded the hall, and after they left the place in the care of Milly and Farah, they came to the courtyard.

In the aftermath of the battle between Greed and Azul, the courtyard and the walls of the main tower and the main residence facing it were damaged.

But what surprised them was not the damages.

Their eyes were on Princess Louise, who covered her face with both hands as she cried, Rufaga, who stared at the space where Aria had disappeared with a sad look, and Greed, who stood frozen in the middle of the courtyard.

“Princess…… Louise.”

Rufus knelt beside the Princess and took her in his arms.

“Aria was, Aria was, the demon……! We only left the ball to change my dress……!”

“Louise, it is not your fault. It is the responsibility of all of us who were late.”

Rufus comforted her, but the Princess’s wails won’t stop.

Renas approached Rufaga and asked.

“……What happened to Aria?”

“Verde abducted her…… We were had this time.”

After a deep sigh, Rufaga pointed to the fallen Albatro magician.

“Renas, you should break the spell on him.”

“Understood.”

Then Rufaga approached Greed, who was motionless at the center of the courtyard, and said quietly.

“Greed, I know you want to chase after her. But it’s not over yet. They don’t have any color, but there are still a lot of monsters in the castle, attacking people. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Indeed. Through the eyes of the returning spirits, various scenes unfolding in the castle were projected in Greed’s mind.

Milly and Farah were fighting the demon beasts in front of the hall door. Soldiers were wielding their swords to stop the demon beasts that are crowding in the facade in front of the castle from invading the castle. The royal magician Famir was giving instructions to his subordinates. A maid was attacked in the hallway. The servants were fleeing.

It was probably Rufaga who ordered the spirits to fight against the demon beasts and cast the magic of wind and water to protect them. There was also a fire spirit who assisted a magician with his magic.

However, there are still too many demon beasts. At this rate, the damage will be enormous.

“As a hero, you . . . no, we have to deal with this crisis…… you know that, right?”

He heard Rufaga’s words.

──As a hero.

Being a hero was once the meaning of his life. It was the only thing given to him who had nothing.

But now it is different. Now, Aria is the meaning of his life. He decided that he will stay by her side and that she is his reason to live. And yet……

For the first time, Greed wished he wasn’t a hero. If only he could give up everything and think only of her……

When he closed his eyes, several “voices” inevitably roared in his head through the spirits.

“Damn it, this is endless. Even if you slash it, another one will appear!”

“Hold up, there are heroes in this castle right now. They will surely do something about it!”

“Help me, I don't want to die!”

“Hurry up and come here! I’ve made a simple barrier to this building right now!”

“What are the heroes doing? Please do something quickly.”

“Help, help, Hero-sama……!”

A voice calling for help from the hero, an angry voice, an expecting voice, a pleading voice.

He wanted to close his ears. Now that something important is about to be lost, he doesn’t want to hear such voices.

──Aria, you . . . The world without you is meaningless. But……

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end.”

…… Aria, if you want that, I────

Greed opened his eyes and raised his holy sword in the sky.

“Right now, killing the demon beasts is the highest priority. Rufus, you should take the princess back to the hall and tell the King and the Prime Minister what happened. Then……”

Rufaga’s commanding voice halted.

Rufus, who was hugging the princess, and Renas, who was crouching beside Arthur, looked up.

Looking in his direction, they saw Greed raising his holy sword high towards the sky and started to chant.

“Bright light, the light that illuminates in the dark night, gather in my hands and assemble.”

“Greed!?”

Rufus realized Greed’s plan and warned him.

“It is the beginning, it is the lasting wisdom. Flash of Judgement, become a blade and drive them away.”

Greed’s magical power is so enormous that an ordinary wizard will exhaust his magical power at once after activating the spell. Moreover, he can activate the spell by saying the last keywords, omitting the chanting. This is one of the reasons why he is said to be the strongest hero of all time.

Therefore, it shouldn’t have been necessary for him to chant. However, there is only one reason why he dared to cast a spell from the beginning.

That is, to . . . extensively cast the spell to the entire castle.

It is the so-called universal magic──advanced magic that applies the spell over the entire range specified by the caster.

“──Arrow of Light.”

Greed uttered those last words.

A light appeared from the tip of the holy sword, and a ray of light extended high into the sky and penetrated the night sky.

Immediately afterward, a huge sphere of light appeared in the sky, shining over Schwarze’s castle like the sun.

A person who was fighting a demon beast outside involuntarily stopped his hand and looked up at it. Those who were inside the building also ran up to the window and looked up at the sky.

Then it rained…… But it was not water. It was a rain of light.

Long and thin raindrops fell from the huge ball of light and into the ground.

“Rain of light……?”

It slipped through the soldier’s outstretched hand and disappeared into the ground.

It entered the castle unobstructed by the roof, slipped through the walls, and disappeared into the floor.

The light was harmless to humans, buildings, flora, and fauna. But──

“What……?”

The soldiers were amazed at the sight in front of them.

The wild boar-like demon beasts that swarmed at the facade stopped moving as soon as they were hit by the rain of light, and their bodies began to crumble and became sandy mountains.

It happened everywhere in the castle, not just in the facade.

The maid, who was chased by a bear-like demon beast in the corridor of the castle, noticed that the presence that was supposed to be behind her suddenly disappeared, and was amazed when she timidly looked back.

A rain of light fell on the demon beast and rendered it rigidly motionless, and it gradually disappeared from the site where it was hit. In a blink of an eye, the bear lost its form and vanished.

One of the wizards saw the light and muttered.

“This is. . . magic ...?”

When Milly and Farah rushed into the courtyard, they saw Rufus and Rufaga’s changing expressions as they stopped Greed.

“Greed, it’s unreasonable!”

“No matter how powerful your magical power is, it’s not inexhaustible! If you continue to release it over such a wide area──”

However, ignoring all their advice, Greed continued to release his magical power.

“I knew it. It really is Greed’s magic.”

Milly said, frowning.

Of course, the two, who came from the hall through the corridor where the demon beasts roamed, were aware of the magic.

Looking around the courtyard, Farah noticed someone missing and called out.

“…… Aria……”

“Too late. When we came, it was already after she was abducted by a colored demon……”

Renas said resentfully while he was releasing the spell applied on Albatro’s magician.

“I see……”

Farah’s head drooped. If only they can prevent the collapse of the world. If only Greed was not encumbered by Princess Tiana. If only everyone acted quickly…… No, if only Aria had one of her comrades in the first place.

Waves of regret rushed in one after another. But the one who felt it most is probably Greed.

Farah thought as she watched over Greed, who continued to release his magical power.

──Soon, that time came.

An earth spirit came and told Rufaga, Renas, and Greed.

“The demon beasts are no longer in the castle. They all vanished.”

Renas shouted.

“Greed, did you hear it? Enough, enough!”

Perhaps hearing the voice, the light stopped shining from the tip of the sacred sword. At the same time, the rain of light stopped.

All the people who noticed it looked up, and they saw the huge sphere of light that was shining brightly like the sun above the castle rapidly contracted──and eventually disappeared.

……The darkness of the night and the silence were restored to the castle of Schwarze.

Greed remained expressionless and lowered the hand that was holding the holy sword. Everyone was relieved to see it and thought about the future.

Things have settled, but it’s not over. Not only the barrier was completely destroyed, but the damages to the castle by the demon beasts were enormous. They will inevitably be held back for a while.

Most probably, Greed would want to rush out of the castle to find Aria right away……

“The problems are surely piled up.”

Rufaga muttered.

──Clonk!

The sound of metal colliding with something hard echoed in the courtyard. Looking at the source of the sound, the party gaped in astonishment.

……The sacred sword fell from Greed’s hand and was lying on the cobblestones.

In front of his stunned comrades, Greed’s body trembled and fell to his knees.

Then──he closed his eyes, muttering something, and fell to the ground, motionless.

“Greed!!”

Rufaga, Milly, and Farah ran up to him.

──It was the moment when Greed, the hero who was considered to be the strongest in history and boasted a series of victories, knelt for the first time.

* * *

Greed’s bracelet, which had fallen to the ground, unknowingly tinged with a faint light.

Through the bracelet, the whispers of two people who are far away were delivered to each other.

──Aria! I will definitely save you. Even at the expense of my life, I promise you!

──Yes, Greed-sama. I will wait. I believe in you……

“Noooo! Ariaaa!”

The scream of the princess echoed in the courtyard.

“T-Too late……!”

Rufaga, who has just arrived, saw the situation and moaned. The hand holding the cane was raised, but Greed knew. Rufaga’s spell will not make it in time when he himself could not be in time.

……There was too much distance.

In front of these three people, the green-haired demon called Verde who held Aria──was probably swallowed by the space and has closed. At that moment, Greed felt Aria’s presence, which he had always felt through the spirits and the bracelet, disappear.

Gently descending into the courtyard, Greed turned to the crack in the corridor. But there was no trace.

Greed then looked up at the second floor of the main residence, where the walls have collapsed and holes have appeared. Azul must have fallen there when he kicked him with force.

But as he had expected, he didn’t feel any sign of him now. Perhaps he disappeared as soon as Verde secured Aria. Their purpose was fulfilled.

“Greed.”

“Where’s the girl? She’s not around.”

“She was kidnapped by the demons……?”

“She is not here…… I can’t sense her anywhere.”

As her presence disappeared, the spirits who had been kept away from the courtyard by the demons returned.

──Aria……!

Search for her presence. Be in sync with the spirits and expand the search range.

But he couldn’t sense her presence. His bracelet did not react either.

──Vanished.

As he scoured the world, he couldn’t feel any fragments of her presence. It is as if she was dead.

At that moment, Greed’s heart was struck by an unprecedented fear and loss.

“Greed is angry.”

“Greed is sad.”

“Greed is scared.”

Although not visible to ordinary people, rich magical power and spiritual power were gathered around Greed.

“My powers . . . are affected……!”

“Suppress it, Greed. This place is no good.”

“Everyone will be involved.”

Some spirits screamed.

──Without her, there is no point in living. The world without her……

Rufaga’s quiet reminder struck him when he almost wanted to surrender to his raging emotions.

“Are you going to destroy this land, Greed? If you do that, you will lose a place for her to return to.”

At those words, Greed closed his eyes.

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end. So please promise me. Do not destroy the things that I cherish.”

Aria’s words crossed his mind. And the promise he made with her.

──A place for her to return to.

Yes, he has not lost her yet. Not yet……

Greed opened his eyes and reduced the level of synchronization with the spirits. This is to prevent the spirits from being affected by his emotions and go on a rampage.

But those feelings were not reflected on Greed’s face.

A corner on the corridor’s floor shone, and Rufus and Renas appeared as if they followed Rufaga.

Until a while ago when the demons were still here──presumably from the vestiges of Verde’s power──due to the magic that interfered with the space that he was controlling, the spirits were repelled and could not approach, and anyone other than Greed could not be magically teleported here.

It seems that the magic that Verde cast at the same time as when he appeared to Aria was broken as soon as he disappeared with Aria.

Rufus and Renas, who were at the ball, defeated the demon beast that had invaded the hall, and after they left the place in the care of Milly and Farah, they came to the courtyard.

In the aftermath of the battle between Greed and Azul, the courtyard and the walls of the main tower and the main residence facing it were damaged.

But what surprised them was not the damages.

Their eyes were on Princess Louise, who covered her face with both hands as she cried, Rufaga, who stared at the space where Aria had disappeared with a sad look, and Greed, who stood frozen in the middle of the courtyard.

“Princess…… Louise.”

Rufus knelt beside the Princess and took her in his arms.

“Aria was, Aria was, the demon……! We only left the ball to change my dress……!”

“Louise, it is not your fault. It is the responsibility of all of us who were late.”

Rufus comforted her, but the Princess’s wails won’t stop.

Renas approached Rufaga and asked.

“……What happened to Aria?”

“Verde abducted her…… We were had this time.”

After a deep sigh, Rufaga pointed to the fallen Albatro magician.

“Renas, you should break the spell on him.”

“Understood.”

Then Rufaga approached Greed, who was motionless at the center of the courtyard, and said quietly.

“Greed, I know you want to chase after her. But it’s not over yet. They don’t have any color, but there are still a lot of monsters in the castle, attacking people. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Indeed. Through the eyes of the returning spirits, various scenes unfolding in the castle were projected in Greed’s mind.

Milly and Farah were fighting the demon beasts in front of the hall door. Soldiers were wielding their swords to stop the demon beasts that are crowding in the facade in front of the castle from invading the castle. The royal magician Famir was giving instructions to his subordinates. A maid was attacked in the hallway. The servants were fleeing.

It was probably Rufaga who ordered the spirits to fight against the demon beasts and cast the magic of wind and water to protect them. There was also a fire spirit who assisted a magician with his magic.

However, there are still too many demon beasts. At this rate, the damage will be enormous.

“As a hero, you . . . no, we have to deal with this crisis…… you know that, right?”

He heard Rufaga’s words.

──As a hero.

Being a hero was once the meaning of his life. It was the only thing given to him who had nothing.

But now it is different. Now, Aria is the meaning of his life. He decided that he will stay by her side and that she is his reason to live. And yet……

For the first time, Greed wished he wasn’t a hero. If only he could give up everything and think only of her……

When he closed his eyes, several “voices” inevitably roared in his head through the spirits.

“Damn it, this is endless. Even if you slash it, another one will appear!”

“Hold up, there are heroes in this castle right now. They will surely do something about it!”

“Help me, I don't want to die!”

“Hurry up and come here! I’ve made a simple barrier to this building right now!”

“What are the heroes doing? Please do something quickly.”

“Help, help, Hero-sama……!”

A voice calling for help from the hero, an angry voice, an expecting voice, a pleading voice.

He wanted to close his ears. Now that something important is about to be lost, he doesn’t want to hear such voices.

──Aria, you . . . The world without you is meaningless. But……

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end.”

…… Aria, if you want that, I────

Greed opened his eyes and raised his holy sword in the sky.

“Right now, killing the demon beasts is the highest priority. Rufus, you should take the princess back to the hall and tell the King and the Prime Minister what happened. Then……”

Rufaga’s commanding voice halted.

Rufus, who was hugging the princess, and Renas, who was crouching beside Arthur, looked up.

Looking in his direction, they saw Greed raising his holy sword high towards the sky and started to chant.

“Bright light, the light that illuminates in the dark night, gather in my hands and assemble.”

“Greed!?”

Rufus realized Greed’s plan and warned him.

“It is the beginning, it is the lasting wisdom. Flash of Judgement, become a blade and drive them away.”

Greed’s magical power is so enormous that an ordinary wizard will exhaust his magical power at once after activating the spell. Moreover, he can activate the spell by saying the last keywords, omitting the chanting. This is one of the reasons why he is said to be the strongest hero of all time.

Therefore, it shouldn’t have been necessary for him to chant. However, there is only one reason why he dared to cast a spell from the beginning.

That is, to . . . extensively cast the spell to the entire castle.

It is the so-called universal magic──advanced magic that applies the spell over the entire range specified by the caster.

“──Arrow of Light.”

Greed uttered those last words.

A light appeared from the tip of the holy sword, and a ray of light extended high into the sky and penetrated the night sky.

Immediately afterward, a huge sphere of light appeared in the sky, shining over Schwarze’s castle like the sun.

A person who was fighting a demon beast outside involuntarily stopped his hand and looked up at it. Those who were inside the building also ran up to the window and looked up at the sky.

Then it rained…… But it was not water. It was a rain of light.

Long and thin raindrops fell from the huge ball of light and into the ground.

“Rain of light……?”

It slipped through the soldier’s outstretched hand and disappeared into the ground.

It entered the castle unobstructed by the roof, slipped through the walls, and disappeared into the floor.

The light was harmless to humans, buildings, flora, and fauna. But──

“What……?”

The soldiers were amazed at the sight in front of them.

The wild boar-like demon beasts that swarmed at the facade stopped moving as soon as they were hit by the rain of light, and their bodies began to crumble and became sandy mountains.

It happened everywhere in the castle, not just in the facade.

The maid, who was chased by a bear-like demon beast in the corridor of the castle, noticed that the presence that was supposed to be behind her suddenly disappeared, and was amazed when she timidly looked back.

A rain of light fell on the demon beast and rendered it rigidly motionless, and it gradually disappeared from the site where it was hit. In a blink of an eye, the bear lost its form and vanished.

One of the wizards saw the light and muttered.

“This is. . . magic ...?”

When Milly and Farah rushed into the courtyard, they saw Rufus and Rufaga’s changing expressions as they stopped Greed.

“Greed, it’s unreasonable!”

“No matter how powerful your magical power is, it’s not inexhaustible! If you continue to release it over such a wide area──”

However, ignoring all their advice, Greed continued to release his magical power.

“I knew it. It really is Greed’s magic.”

Milly said, frowning.

Of course, the two, who came from the hall through the corridor where the demon beasts roamed, were aware of the magic.

Looking around the courtyard, Farah noticed someone missing and called out.

“…… Aria……”

“Too late. When we came, it was already after she was abducted by a colored demon……”

Renas said resentfully while he was releasing the spell applied on Albatro’s magician.

“I see……”

Farah’s head drooped. If only they can prevent the collapse of the world. If only Greed was not encumbered by Princess Tiana. If only everyone acted quickly…… No, if only Aria had one of her comrades in the first place.

Waves of regret rushed in one after another. But the one who felt it most is probably Greed.

Farah thought as she watched over Greed, who continued to release his magical power.

──Soon, that time came.

An earth spirit came and told Rufaga, Renas, and Greed.

“The demon beasts are no longer in the castle. They all vanished.”

Renas shouted.

“Greed, did you hear it? Enough, enough!”

Perhaps hearing the voice, the light stopped shining from the tip of the sacred sword. At the same time, the rain of light stopped.

All the people who noticed it looked up, and they saw the huge sphere of light that was shining brightly like the sun above the castle rapidly contracted──and eventually disappeared.

……The darkness of the night and the silence were restored to the castle of Schwarze.

Greed remained expressionless and lowered the hand that was holding the holy sword. Everyone was relieved to see it and thought about the future.

Things have settled, but it’s not over. Not only the barrier was completely destroyed, but the damages to the castle by the demon beasts were enormous. They will inevitably be held back for a while.

Most probably, Greed would want to rush out of the castle to find Aria right away……

“The problems are surely piled up.”

Rufaga muttered.

──Clonk!

The sound of metal colliding with something hard echoed in the courtyard. Looking at the source of the sound, the party gaped in astonishment.

……The sacred sword fell from Greed’s hand and was lying on the cobblestones.

In front of his stunned comrades, Greed’s body trembled and fell to his knees.

Then──he closed his eyes, muttering something, and fell to the ground, motionless.

“Greed!!”

Rufaga, Milly, and Farah ran up to him.

──It was the moment when Greed, the hero who was considered to be the strongest in history and boasted a series of victories, knelt for the first time.

* * *

Greed’s bracelet, which had fallen to the ground, unknowingly tinged with a faint light.

Through the bracelet, the whispers of two people who are far away were delivered to each other.

──Aria! I will definitely save you. Even at the expense of my life, I promise you!

──Yes, Greed-sama. I will wait. I believe in you……

“Noooo! Ariaaa!”

The scream of the princess echoed in the courtyard.

“T-Too late……!”

Rufaga, who has just arrived, saw the situation and moaned. The hand holding the cane was raised, but Greed knew. Rufaga’s spell will not make it in time when he himself could not be in time.

……There was too much distance.

In front of these three people, the green-haired demon called Verde who held Aria──was probably swallowed by the space and has closed. At that moment, Greed felt Aria’s presence, which he had always felt through the spirits and the bracelet, disappear.

Gently descending into the courtyard, Greed turned to the crack in the corridor. But there was no trace.

Greed then looked up at the second floor of the main residence, where the walls have collapsed and holes have appeared. Azul must have fallen there when he kicked him with force.

But as he had expected, he didn’t feel any sign of him now. Perhaps he disappeared as soon as Verde secured Aria. Their purpose was fulfilled.

“Greed.”

“Where’s the girl? She’s not around.”

“She was kidnapped by the demons……?”

“She is not here…… I can’t sense her anywhere.”

As her presence disappeared, the spirits who had been kept away from the courtyard by the demons returned.

──Aria……!

Search for her presence. Be in sync with the spirits and expand the search range.

But he couldn’t sense her presence. His bracelet did not react either.

──Vanished.

As he scoured the world, he couldn’t feel any fragments of her presence. It is as if she was dead.

At that moment, Greed’s heart was struck by an unprecedented fear and loss.

“Greed is angry.”

“Greed is sad.”

“Greed is scared.”

Although not visible to ordinary people, rich magical power and spiritual power were gathered around Greed.

“My powers . . . are affected……!”

“Suppress it, Greed. This place is no good.”

“Everyone will be involved.”

Some spirits screamed.

──Without her, there is no point in living. The world without her……

Rufaga’s quiet reminder struck him when he almost wanted to surrender to his raging emotions.

“Are you going to destroy this land, Greed? If you do that, you will lose a place for her to return to.”

At those words, Greed closed his eyes.

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end. So please promise me. Do not destroy the things that I cherish.”

Aria’s words crossed his mind. And the promise he made with her.

──A place for her to return to.

Yes, he has not lost her yet. Not yet……

Greed opened his eyes and reduced the level of synchronization with the spirits. This is to prevent the spirits from being affected by his emotions and go on a rampage.

But those feelings were not reflected on Greed’s face.

A corner on the corridor’s floor shone, and Rufus and Renas appeared as if they followed Rufaga.

Until a while ago when the demons were still here──presumably from the vestiges of Verde’s power──due to the magic that interfered with the space that he was controlling, the spirits were repelled and could not approach, and anyone other than Greed could not be magically teleported here.

It seems that the magic that Verde cast at the same time as when he appeared to Aria was broken as soon as he disappeared with Aria.

Rufus and Renas, who were at the ball, defeated the demon beast that had invaded the hall, and after they left the place in the care of Milly and Farah, they came to the courtyard.

In the aftermath of the battle between Greed and Azul, the courtyard and the walls of the main tower and the main residence facing it were damaged.

But what surprised them was not the damages.

Their eyes were on Princess Louise, who covered her face with both hands as she cried, Rufaga, who stared at the space where Aria had disappeared with a sad look, and Greed, who stood frozen in the middle of the courtyard.

“Princess…… Louise.”

Rufus knelt beside the Princess and took her in his arms.

“Aria was, Aria was, the demon……! We only left the ball to change my dress……!”

“Louise, it is not your fault. It is the responsibility of all of us who were late.”

Rufus comforted her, but the Princess’s wails won’t stop.

Renas approached Rufaga and asked.

“……What happened to Aria?”

“Verde abducted her…… We were had this time.”

After a deep sigh, Rufaga pointed to the fallen Albatro magician.

“Renas, you should break the spell on him.”

“Understood.”

Then Rufaga approached Greed, who was motionless at the center of the courtyard, and said quietly.

“Greed, I know you want to chase after her. But it’s not over yet. They don’t have any color, but there are still a lot of monsters in the castle, attacking people. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Indeed. Through the eyes of the returning spirits, various scenes unfolding in the castle were projected in Greed’s mind.

Milly and Farah were fighting the demon beasts in front of the hall door. Soldiers were wielding their swords to stop the demon beasts that are crowding in the facade in front of the castle from invading the castle. The royal magician Famir was giving instructions to his subordinates. A maid was attacked in the hallway. The servants were fleeing.

It was probably Rufaga who ordered the spirits to fight against the demon beasts and cast the magic of wind and water to protect them. There was also a fire spirit who assisted a magician with his magic.

However, there are still too many demon beasts. At this rate, the damage will be enormous.

“As a hero, you . . . no, we have to deal with this crisis…… you know that, right?”

He heard Rufaga’s words.

──As a hero.

Being a hero was once the meaning of his life. It was the only thing given to him who had nothing.

But now it is different. Now, Aria is the meaning of his life. He decided that he will stay by her side and that she is his reason to live. And yet……

For the first time, Greed wished he wasn’t a hero. If only he could give up everything and think only of her……

When he closed his eyes, several “voices” inevitably roared in his head through the spirits.

“Damn it, this is endless. Even if you slash it, another one will appear!”

“Hold up, there are heroes in this castle right now. They will surely do something about it!”

“Help me, I don't want to die!”

“Hurry up and come here! I’ve made a simple barrier to this building right now!”

“What are the heroes doing? Please do something quickly.”

“Help, help, Hero-sama……!”

A voice calling for help from the hero, an angry voice, an expecting voice, a pleading voice.

He wanted to close his ears. Now that something important is about to be lost, he doesn’t want to hear such voices.

──Aria, you . . . The world without you is meaningless. But……

“I want you to be a hero who protects the world until the end.”

…… Aria, if you want that, I────

Greed opened his eyes and raised his holy sword in the sky.

“Right now, killing the demon beasts is the highest priority. Rufus, you should take the princess back to the hall and tell the King and the Prime Minister what happened. Then……”

Rufaga’s commanding voice halted.

Rufus, who was hugging the princess, and Renas, who was crouching beside Arthur, looked up.

Looking in his direction, they saw Greed raising his holy sword high towards the sky and started to chant.

“Bright light, the light that illuminates in the dark night, gather in my hands and assemble.”

“Greed!?”

Rufus realized Greed’s plan and warned him.

“It is the beginning, it is the lasting wisdom. Flash of Judgement, become a blade and drive them away.”

Greed’s magical power is so enormous that an ordinary wizard will exhaust his magical power at once after activating the spell. Moreover, he can activate the spell by saying the last keywords, omitting the chanting. This is one of the reasons why he is said to be the strongest hero of all time.

Therefore, it shouldn’t have been necessary for him to chant. However, there is only one reason why he dared to cast a spell from the beginning.

That is, to . . . extensively cast the spell to the entire castle.

It is the so-called universal magic──advanced magic that applies the spell over the entire range specified by the caster.

“──Arrow of Light.”

Greed uttered those last words.

A light appeared from the tip of the holy sword, and a ray of light extended high into the sky and penetrated the night sky.

Immediately afterward, a huge sphere of light appeared in the sky, shining over Schwarze’s castle like the sun.

A person who was fighting a demon beast outside involuntarily stopped his hand and looked up at it. Those who were inside the building also ran up to the window and looked up at the sky.

Then it rained…… But it was not water. It was a rain of light.

Long and thin raindrops fell from the huge ball of light and into the ground.

“Rain of light……?”

It slipped through the soldier’s outstretched hand and disappeared into the ground.

It entered the castle unobstructed by the roof, slipped through the walls, and disappeared into the floor.

The light was harmless to humans, buildings, flora, and fauna. But──

“What……?”

The soldiers were amazed at the sight in front of them.

The wild boar-like demon beasts that swarmed at the facade stopped moving as soon as they were hit by the rain of light, and their bodies began to crumble and became sandy mountains.

It happened everywhere in the castle, not just in the facade.

The maid, who was chased by a bear-like demon beast in the corridor of the castle, noticed that the presence that was supposed to be behind her suddenly disappeared, and was amazed when she timidly looked back.

A rain of light fell on the demon beast and rendered it rigidly motionless, and it gradually disappeared from the site where it was hit. In a blink of an eye, the bear lost its form and vanished.

One of the wizards saw the light and muttered.

“This is. . . magic ...?”

When Milly and Farah rushed into the courtyard, they saw Rufus and Rufaga’s changing expressions as they stopped Greed.

“Greed, it’s unreasonable!”

“No matter how powerful your magical power is, it’s not inexhaustible! If you continue to release it over such a wide area──”

However, ignoring all their advice, Greed continued to release his magical power.

“I knew it. It really is Greed’s magic.”

Milly said, frowning.

Of course, the two, who came from the hall through the corridor where the demon beasts roamed, were aware of the magic.

Looking around the courtyard, Farah noticed someone missing and called out.

“…… Aria……”

“Too late. When we came, it was already after she was abducted by a colored demon……”

Renas said resentfully while he was releasing the spell applied on Albatro’s magician.

“I see……”

Farah’s head drooped. If only they can prevent the collapse of the world. If only Greed was not encumbered by Princess Tiana. If only everyone acted quickly…… No, if only Aria had one of her comrades in the first place.

Waves of regret rushed in one after another. But the one who felt it most is probably Greed.

Farah thought as she watched over Greed, who continued to release his magical power.

──Soon, that time came.

An earth spirit came and told Rufaga, Renas, and Greed.

“The demon beasts are no longer in the castle. They all vanished.”

Renas shouted.

“Greed, did you hear it? Enough, enough!”

Perhaps hearing the voice, the light stopped shining from the tip of the sacred sword. At the same time, the rain of light stopped.

All the people who noticed it looked up, and they saw the huge sphere of light that was shining brightly like the sun above the castle rapidly contracted──and eventually disappeared.

……The darkness of the night and the silence were restored to the castle of Schwarze.

Greed remained expressionless and lowered the hand that was holding the holy sword. Everyone was relieved to see it and thought about the future.

Things have settled, but it’s not over. Not only the barrier was completely destroyed, but the damages to the castle by the demon beasts were enormous. They will inevitably be held back for a while.

Most probably, Greed would want to rush out of the castle to find Aria right away……

“The problems are surely piled up.”

Rufaga muttered.

──Clonk!

The sound of metal colliding with something hard echoed in the courtyard. Looking at the source of the sound, the party gaped in astonishment.

……The sacred sword fell from Greed’s hand and was lying on the cobblestones.

In front of his stunned comrades, Greed’s body trembled and fell to his knees.

Then──he closed his eyes, muttering something, and fell to the ground, motionless.

“Greed!!”

Rufaga, Milly, and Farah ran up to him.

──It was the moment when Greed, the hero who was considered to be the strongest in history and boasted a series of victories, knelt for the first time.

* * *

Greed’s bracelet, which had fallen to the ground, unknowingly tinged with a faint light.

Through the bracelet, the whispers of two people who are far away were delivered to each other.

──Aria! I will definitely save you. Even at the expense of my life, I promise you!

──Yes, Greed-sama. I will wait. I believe in you……