Whoosh—
A purple ripple, the gate, pulsated.
Nausea welled up, a wave of dizziness threatening to make me lose my lunch.
The disorientation from the gate was no joke, especially since I’d just woken up from being knocked out.
Ugh—
I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat and glanced around.
Thousands of demons marched out from the gate, a relentless tide of darkness.
Crete had poured every last coin from the Bares treasury into opening this gate.
“So that’s why he was so stingy with expenses when I entered Sytan…”
Crete had been saving every penny for this moment.
For this invasion of the Human Realm.
That thought alone twisted my stomach into knots.
“The war has finally begun…”
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
There was no stopping this.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t escape this predetermined fate.
I remembered the words I had spoken to Miriam, back when I had visited the Temple of Gluttony.
“What do you mean, ‘turn the tables’?”
I had declared that I would flip this world on its head, rejecting Miriam’s claim that I was nothing more than a piece on a chessboard.
But what was I now?
A mere firefly facing the overwhelming sun that was the shackles of fate.
My feeble light wouldn’t even register against the sun’s scorching flames.
All that remained was a crushing sense of helplessness and despair.
What could I possibly do?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Demons marched forward, their hands gripping an assortment of weapons.
Watching them, all I could do was swallow my dry, bitter saliva.
Could I stop them?
No, impossible.
There was no way.
…With vacant eyes, I watched the soldiers advance, each fueled by their own brand of fury.
Though I merely walked amongst them, their combined might pressed down on me.
One thing was certain.
Nothing could stop them.
The glass had already begun its descent towards the cold, hard floor.
The outcome was inevitable.
Even if someone tried to catch it, they would fumble and fail, leaving the glass to shatter upon impact.
Shards would fly, leaving behind irreparable wounds on those nearby.
…There was only one thing I could do here.
“So that’s what it was.”
It dawned on me then, what Crete truly desired, what drove him to protect me despite his suspicions.
Crete, you…
I straightened my back and fell into step with the Bares soldiers.
How long had we been marching?
“I see the exit!”
A booming voice rang out from the front.
The end of the gate.
A soldier had spotted it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The soldiers surged forward, their pace quickening.
I followed, a sense of dread clinging to me like a shroud.
But I pressed on.
Rene.
I had to talk to her.
And if I could…
I had to get her out of this war.
…Whether she would listen to me was another matter entirely.
And so, I marched alongside thousands of soldiers, through the gate leading to the Human Realm.
The gate’s exit shimmered as I stepped through.
Whoosh—
And then, I was standing on the other side.
My eyes widened at the sight that greeted me.
In the distance, I saw it—Nina’s castle, the very place where our battle with the Bares was destined to unfold.
I remembered what I had written about the Nina family in my novel.
[ The Nina family is protected by the sword.
The sword—what a noble sound it held.
Like a towering spire, they were noble and sharp, inspiring awe in all who beheld them.
‘The sword that pursues justice,’ their motto rang true, for the Nina family’s prestige was evident at a glance.
A place where a sturdy castle stood, radiating a sharp, imposing aura.
That was Nina.’ ]
The Nina family.
Atop their castle stood a statue of a knight, wielding a colossal iron sword.
It was so massive that its silhouette was clear even from this distance.
It seemed the gate had opened in a forest near the Nina estate.
“…This is where the Sword Saint and the protagonist live.”
A strange feeling washed over me.
Every time I saw something I had written about, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder.
The Nina family.
A place where many of the key players in my story resided.
And the protagonist, too, was here.
Of course, we wouldn’t be encountering them at this point in time.
They were currently enrolled in the Imperial Academy, far from here.
Fortunately, this meant we only had to deal with the Sword Saint, not the protagonist.
However, the Sword Saint alone was more than enough to spell doom for Crete.
I had written about the Sword Saint’s strength, but I had never witnessed it firsthand.
Therefore, I had no idea how powerful they truly were.
One thing was for sure, though: they were stronger than Crete, who had defeated me with ease.
“…Though, I was caught off guard when Crete attacked me. I wasn’t able to fight at my full potential.”
Even if I had used everything I had, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat him.
So even if Crete and I joined forces, it was uncertain whether we could beat the Sword Saint.
In fact, the odds were stacked heavily against us.
Could we really survive this?
Just as I was about to sigh,
“You came too, I see.”
“….!”
A voice from beside me sent chills down my spine.
I turned, and my eyes met Crete’s cold gaze.
He stared at me with the same indifferent eyes as always.
What should I do?
My mind raced with possibilities.
This was my chance to escape, to abandon the Bares family once and for all.
But if I did, everything I had done so far would be for nothing.
And in the worst-case scenario…
I pushed the unwelcome thoughts away. I had to focus.
“Yes, I was worried about my lady, so I followed.”
I chose to face the situation head-on, gambling on Crete’s personality.
He didn’t seem to want to kill me, at least not yet.
Plus, he needed something from me.
His arrogance, I hoped, would keep me alive, for now.
And…
“Hmm, so you’re saying you won’t betray me like you did before.”
“…That’s correct. I will cooperate with you, Master, now that I’m here. In return, I ask that you allow me to stay by my lady’s side.”
“I never revoked your position.”
“Does that mean…”
“You have my permission. Go to my daughter.”
My prediction was spot on.
Crete didn’t kill me.
Instead, he simply ordered me to protect Rene, his voice as indifferent as ever.
It was then that I realized how serious he was about this war.
Crete… in that short amount of time, he had already calculated whether my presence here would be a help or a hindrance.
And he must have concluded that I wasn’t entirely useless.
In a way, it was a relief.
If Rene tried to avoid me, I could always use Crete’s orders as an excuse to stay by her side.
“Then, I’ll go and see my lady.”
“Do as you please.”
Crete granted me permission with surprising ease.
I knew why he was acting this way, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
After all, this was the same man who had tried to kill me just moments ago, before he read my mind.
Still, it was unnerving to stay in his presence any longer, so I quickly made my way through the crowd.
“Excuse me.”
I searched desperately for Rene among the thousands of soldiers.
It was like trying to find a single grain of sand on a vast beach.
To make matters worse, the soldiers were busy setting up camp, adding to the chaos and confusion.
There was one small mercy, however.
“Rene’s appearance is quite striking.”
It shouldn’t take too long to find her, at least.
Unless she wasn’t here at all.
I had seen Rene’s face just before I jumped into the gate.
The group she was with should be somewhere around here…
I continued walking, my eyes scanning the crowd.
Then, I stopped dead in my tracks.
“My lady.”
“…Why are you here?”
Rene stared at me, her eyes as cold as ice.
I approached her, my heart pounding in my chest.
“My lady, this place is dangerous.”
I grabbed her wrist, my grip firm.
I couldn’t let her go, not now. If I did, she might disappear forever.
I tightened my grip, fear lending me strength.
“…You’re hurting me.”
Rene winced, her brows furrowed in pain.
I immediately regretted my actions.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
She rubbed her wrist, her expression pained.
Guilt gnawed at me.
This was all wrong.
Rene shouldn’t be here.
“My lady, we can still escape from this place.”
“How?”
“I know of a gate. We can use it to escape.”
My words were firm, resolute.
There was one option, a single lifeline in this dire situation.
In the Sword Saint’s territory, I had written about a gate that led to the Demon Realm.
It was a one-time use gate that the protagonist and their companions would use later in the story.
But for now, it remained unopened, untouched.
“No.”
“….Excuse me?”
“I’m not going.”
Her rejection was swift and decisive.
But I refused to give up.
Not yet.
“It’s not far from here. We can make it if we leave now…”
“I said no. Go by yourself if you want to leave so badly.”
“My lady!”
“Don’t raise your voice at me.”
Rene’s eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched tight.
I flinched, taking an instinctive step back.
What was going on?
Rene, why?
I knew I should reason with her, but her stubbornness made it impossible to even begin.
All I could do was…
“…Very well, my lady. Then I will stay by your side.”
“…”
I stood by Rene’s side, fear twisting my insides.
There was no avoiding it now.
War was inevitable.
And then, a single sentence uttered in a hushed voice, sent ripples of unease through the ranks of thousands.
“The humans… they’re entering the castle.”
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