Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Shub’s extensions oppressed Aurelia’s auditory canals, nostrils, and lips.

They probed deeply into her ear, tearing the tympanic membrane to reach the area of auditory processing.

They forced their way inside the holy maiden Aurelia’s skull, heading straight for her mind.

Aurelia desperately clutched the crucifix on her chain. Submerged up to her waist in a crimson-toned current, she lowered her gaze.

“Do you enjoy taking lives?”

“Your crude fantasies will have no effect on me.”

Aurelia answered firmly to the question posed by Dale.

“No, that is not so.”

Flap!

Several scavenger birds took flight, flapping their wings toward the firmament.

“Contemplate with care.”

“What are you trying to suggest?”

At that moment, her own silhouette was projected in the purple-tinted waters.

Covered by the vital fluids of her rivals, wearing golden armor completely splattered with red, she showed a disfigured smirk of pleasure: the true “war maiden.”

The holy figure corrupted by blood.

“Legends describe the Valkyries as beautiful, fascinating, and ruthless beyond compare,” mentioned Dale.

“Do you not hold a grudge against the empire that deprived you of your progenitor?”

“How did you find out about…?”

“Did you not feel joy when the divine message finally granted you the opportunity to take reprisals against the empire?”

“This does not obey my own desires…”

“This crimson current represents the ocean of vital fluid of the opponents you have eliminated,” sentenced Dale. “And the consequence of piling up that purple torrent is precisely this.”

──The courtesan of the empire!

──I never held loyalty to this territory nor its sovereign from the beginning!

──That deceitful woman…!

The reproaches against Aurelia thundered in the surroundings.

Her position as a holy maiden and savior of the homeland was being dismantled completely.

“Did it have any meaning?”

“……”

“The entire territory was consumed by fire, the sovereign fled in an undignified manner using his subjects as protection, and an immeasurable amount of lives were spilled,” added Dale. “All this scenario of suffering is the destiny that you yourself provoked, Aurelia.”

“¡…!”

“The guidance of the divinity, your excessive devotion, and your blind trust dragged this island toward devastation.”

Laments sprouted everywhere. Imperial combatants could be perceived plundering every corner of the island of Britannia.

A true banquet of destruction.

“Ah, ah…”

Aurelia held her breath weakly. The outcome of she who proclaimed herself a mere instrument of the heights.

“Is it not true that this constitutes the true determination of the sister goddesses Sistine, who prioritize piety and forgiveness?” inquired Dale. “The divine message caused the fall of the region, and you voluntarily accepted to be the emissary of destruction.”

Stripping away the validity of every foundation of Aurelia’s existence.

“When you were subjugated by that despicable individual, who offered you their support to get you back on your feet?”

“……”

“Why do the sister goddesses, protectors of piety and forgiveness, keep absolute silence in the midst of this disgrace?”

Questioned Dale.

“What a ruthless deity.”

Aurelia did not utter a word. It was impossible for her to articulate a response.

“However, my nature is different.”

Sentenced Dale.

“I will make your yearnings come true.”

He offered his palm to Aurelia.

“To prevent your sacrifices from concluding in an extermination devoid of purpose.”

“¡…!”

“I will assume the role of your deity.”

Aurelia, mired in weeping and desolation, observed Dale’s extremity.

“Together, we will provoke the fall of the empire.”

A brief pause of indecision occurred. Once that instant was overcome, Aurelia spoke.

“Your attempts at mental manipulation will have no impact on my being.”

“¡…!”

Showing absolute serenity, as if the previous hesitation had been a mirage, she continued speaking. It was Dale who held his breath in astonishment.

“You ordered me to have my own judgment.”

Immersed in the crimson-toned current, the holy maiden Aurelia manifested:

──This is my own determination.

Aurelia’s firmness.

“Cover me with your filaments.”

“……”

“I find myself ready to assimilate my own darkness.”

Aurelia expressed herself with a dignity and firmness corresponding to the investiture of a holy maiden.

“Allow me to offer you my loyalty by my own decision.”

Aurelia bent her knees. The crimson fluid rose until it reached her chin in that purple flow.

“To transform myself into the blade that you wield from the shadows.”

She buried the blade she carried vertically into the surface. The sacred commitment of a warrior.

“I ask that you allow me to act as your instrument under my total consent.”

“… What is your request in exchange?”

“The eradication of the empire.”

Aurelia asserted. Dale nodded without emitting a sound.

Once again, a territory was subjugated.

Hostilities concluded.

Despite having suffered the loss of practically half of his troops, with the descendant of the holy knight under captivity and a critical landscape that demanded the surrender of numerous war resources…

Under the directives of the “Black Prince,” the royal seat of Reims was taken by the empire’s hosts.

It constituted an unthinkable triumph.

Publicly, Charles VII suffered capital punishment on the charge of treason to the imperial crown, and his remains were exhibited in the public space.

Likewise, a session was organized to dictate the future of the “holy maiden Aurelia.”

Some time later, the high commands of the imperial army gathered in Burgundy.

After securing the military triumph, they met with the purpose of resolving the details following the conflict in the insular territory.

Fortunately, there were few who demanded the demise of the holy maiden. For his part, the holy knight, blinded by his own fixation, only hungered for one outcome.

“Aurelia’s supposed divine condition represents a direct offense toward the cult of the goddess Sistine.”

The holy knight, covering his base instincts, manifested:

“I request that you grant me the power to make her pay for her audacity.”

Without gesticulating in a derogatory manner nor showing superiority, contrary to his customs, he expressed himself with the submission appropriate before a superior. The essential element of the empire’s triumph, conditioned by a geass of subordination.

“Is your goal to outrage her in order to engender a successor?”

“Nothing would dash the ‘divine condition of the holy maiden’ more forcefully than stripping her of her chastity.”

“Well, so that’s how it is?”

Dale expressed between his teeth, showing indifference.

“Do you share that position, Cardinal Nikolai?”

“In accordance with the regulations of the faith… the loss of chastity by a ‘holy maiden’ who had the divine message constitutes undeniable evidence that it was a falsehood.”

Cardinal Nikolai, belonging to the cult of the goddess Sistine, showed his agreement with a movement of his head.

“According to the precepts, chastity is essential when the sister goddesses designate a ‘woman’ for their service.”

The countenance of the Count of Brandenburg showed satisfaction.

“Just as you describe.”

The holy knight stood up and raised the tone of his voice.

“Therefore, as someone in charge of demystifying her holy condition, there is no individual with greater right than I, possessor of the holy blade.”

Effecting a desperate effort to appropriate the holy maiden.

“Well, well, how do you intend to snatch her purity with such a reduced instrument?”

Lady Scarlet emitted a laugh with disdain, downplaying it.

“Will you not end up guarding the holy maiden’s chastity with suspicion?”

“Effectively.”

Dale nodded his head, demonstrating that he foresaw that reaction. It was not a jocose comment nor a disparagement.

“As the ideal person to strip the holy maiden of sanctity…”

With total formality and frankness.

“I too have doubts about the ‘volume’ of the Count of Brandenburg.”

“I agree fully.”

Nothing is more ridiculous than attempting to validate the dogmas of a faith with seriousness. However, the relevance of the cult of the goddess Sistine in this environment was not a minor issue.

Covering from the religious institution, which still maintained prerogatives in the empire, to the holy maiden who unified the insurgents under the protection of the sister goddesses.

“I will take charge.”

Determined Dale.

“I will guard the holy maiden as a hostage of the Saxony dynasty to strip her of her divine condition.”

“¡…!”

“Well, what a surprise.”

Lady Scarlet let out a guffaw, visibly entertained.

“Certainly, the true character of a man cannot be determined by his external features.”

The holy knight’s gesticulation turned rigid. A massive grievance and dishonor, added to the fear of seeing his possession of the holy maiden frustrated.

“How dare you, how are you capable of…!”

Suddenly, an uncontrolled blast of energy began to manifest in the environment.

The holy knight’s features were disfigured until they resembled those of a wild creature.

“Did you overlook it?”

Mentioned Dale maintaining the distance.

“The totality of the war planning and the ‘management of the prisoners’ are regulated by a geass.”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…!”

The holy knight let out a loud laugh.

“It is true, you are correct.”

After calming his laughter, the holy knight added:

“However, hostilities have concluded.”

There were no longer motives to remain subordinate to the geass.

“Transfer the holy maiden to my domains immediately, heir of Saxony.”

And that enclosure was besieged by rivals on its entire perimeter.

“Otherwise, not even your position as heir of Saxony will guarantee you leaving this site alive.”

Sentenced the individual with rough features. Lady Scarlet kept a distant silence.

“Well, is that how it is?”

Despite the holy knight’s warnings, Dale’s countenance remained astonishingly unalterable.

“Do you maintain that hostilities have concluded?”

He only extracted a couple of items from his garments.

Two documents.

“Unfortunately, the military conflict has not finished yet.”

One corresponded to a text validated by Dale under the condition of “maximum person in charge of the imperial hosts” and the remaining one possessed the monarchical stamp of the sovereign Charles VII of the Kingdom of Britannia.

“This represents the ‘indefinite cease-fire pact’ ratified between our imperial crown and the Kingdom of Britannia.”

An indefinite cease-fire pact.

“¡……!”

The wild creature’s features reflected bewilderment.

“Beyond the triumph that the imperial hosts boast of with so much pride, until this document is formally invalidated…”

──The military conflict remains in force.

“Before the solemnity of the sacred oath, I maintain that it will not come to an end until it is resolved completely.”

Dale emitted a subtle laugh of disdain. The leader with beast features, unable to break the sacred oath, manifested his discontent by shouting.

“How dare you pose such an absurdity…!”

“It does not constitute any absurdity.”

It was Nikolai, the cardinal, who intervened urgently. High-ranking member of the White Tower and cardinal of the Sistine Church, he operated in the same way as an instrument of Dale, conditioned by the Geass of Absolute Obedience.

“According to the religious statutes that govern the Geass… Lord Dale’s statements are correct.”

“Are you choosing to turn your back on the Empire at this moment?”

Fully aware of the impact of his determinations.

“There is no reason for anxiety.”

Dale downplayed the matter with a gesture accompanied by a smile.

“This document will be rendered useless in the instant that I arrive without setbacks to the lands of the Duchy of Saxony.”

“¡…!”

“The elimination of the document will count with the validation of Cardinal Nikolai, in the same way as the dissolution of the Geass.”

Detailed Dale.

“The task of stripping the Holy Maiden of her divine condition will likewise be effected under the gaze of Cardinal Nikolai…”

“¡…!”

The backing of a cardinal of the Sistine Church possesses notorious relevance.

That occasion, in the hall of records of the underworld, the Geass of Absolute Obedience was imposed upon Dale’s instrument. The security measure established for critical scenarios was finally bearing fruit.

“The Holy Knight can remain calm.”

Upon realizing the situation, the Holy Knight found himself trapped in a trap with no escape. And it was not a barrier that could be torn down through the use of brute force.

“Lord Dale is back!”

“The champion of the conflict on the island of Britannia has returned!”

Bearing a novel denomination that echoed the relevance and fame of the “Black Prince.”

“Cardinal Nikolai…”

The champion of the Empire addressed the cleric from the interior of the vehicle that was moving in the direction of the duchy’s territory.

“Communicate my determinations to the Empire and to the Holy Knight textually as I indicate them to you.”

To the individual located in front of him.

“The ‘indefinite truce pact’ agreed with Charles VII is null and void.”

He showed the two documents he carried so that they would serve as general evidence.

“Likewise, the divine condition of the Holy Maiden has been revoked and, subsequent to a ‘pertinent legal process’ in the territory of Saxony, her execution was carried out by fire.”

“However, none of that has happened yet!”

“Has it not happened?”

Dale tilted his face slightly showing a disdainful smile.

“It seems to me that the cardinal’s feelings suggest a different reality.”

“¡…!”

Upon listening to the comments, Cardinal Nikolai’s features showed rigidity. The Holy Knight did not constitute the only individual immobilized in that net devoid of exits.

Immersed in such a situation, Cardinal Nikolai lowered his gaze, remaining silent.

The attempt at emancipation of the island of Britannia concluded in an absolute failure.

The Holy Maiden likewise suffered the loss of her divine investiture upon being stripped of her purity and, after facing a judgment in accordance with the law, was executed on the charge of witchcraft.

In the frozen landscapes of Saxony, her existence was reduced to mere residues of fire, the fallen leader of redemption.

This constituted the final testimony referring to the Holy Maiden, according to what was manifested by Nikolai, cardinal of the Sistine Church.

Chapter 82