300 - Father
What was fired from the silver gun was a blue bullet—a bullet made of magic.
By pulling the trigger, I used the Seventh Head's skill [Warp] to leap over the magic shield my father had prepared and pierce through his armor. I blew a hole slightly below his solar plexus.
As my father wavered and let go of his saber, the battlefield grew quiet, and the sound of the saber hitting the ground echoed. Fighting still continued in the distance, but it was gradually falling silent.
My father slowly collapsed onto his back, touching his own body with his left hand to confirm the blood—.
"...I see. I lost... to my father... and to you, Lyell."
My father said this while looking at me. I didn't know how he was seeing me. Perhaps he was overlapping my image, holding a gun, with that of the Seventh Head.
I returned the gun to the orb, slid the handgun in my left hand into the holster at my lower back, and walked toward my father while still gripping the orb.
Then—.
"M-Maisel-sama!"
Bale Landburg was in a panic. Information from the surroundings gathered through the Valkyries. Because I was using the skill, the surrounding terrain and the positions of allies and enemies were displayed in my mind.
The Valkyries were spreading the news of my victory across the battlefield, and the fact that we had won was becoming known. However, knights and soldiers like the excited Bale began to move.
"Get back!"
Whether Bale had used a skill or not, he attempted to approach me with rapid movements. Aria stopped him using a skill.
"I told you not to get in the way!"
As word spread that skills could be used, Miranda did not remain silent either.
"Now I can get serious... Look, get back or you'll die!"
She released wires from the fingers of both hands, binding and slicing through them. By the time the battlefield became noisy again, I had reached my father.
I knelt down and looked at the face of my father, who was pressing the hole in his body with his hand. He had lost a massive amount of blood, and his skin was blacker than blue. His face was stained with the dust of the battlefield, and he seemed to find even moving painful.
However, he had a look of relief on his face.
"...I wonder why. Right now, I feel liberated."
"Yes."
"Lyell... how old are you now?"
"I turn seventeen this year."
I left home around spring. Thinking of that, it has been nearly two years since I went outside. Many things happened. It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like it happened in the blink of an eye...
"...I see. Seventeen. Then I must let you experience your first battle... Wait, did I buy you a horse? I must prepare your equipment... I must have it made immediately... And the arrangements for a bride... No, was your fiancée Novem? I can't seem to remember well."
Whether his memory was clouded or he had forgotten everything up until now... my father was looking at me as his son. I felt tears nearly falling. However, as he reached out to me, he saw the blood on his left hand.
"...This is not a dream. I see, I lost."
I nodded to my father, who was coughing up blood. Then, I grasped the outstretched right hand with both of mine.
"...I am sorry, Father. I had no other choice! ...I am an inadequate son... I am sorry."
Then, my father steadied his breathing and closed his eyes. He was smiling slightly.
"What are you saying. Despite causing so much trouble, you still call me father. I was the inadequate one. But it seems I'm done for. My body won't move. I want to apologize. To you... there are many things I want to tell you..."
My father coughed up blood, and the dry soil of the ground absorbed it. As he coughed, and as I gripped my father's right hand tightly, the orb began to glow.
"T-There are things I want to tell you. But right now, there is something that must be done... L-Lyell... r-raise the shout of victory. You have defeated me. Deliver the finishing blow to me. And... stop Celes. She is also my daughter. Of the Walt family... cough!"
I nodded to my father, who could no longer speak after coughing up blood. And then, I spoke.
"Please rest assured. I will definitely stop her. So..."
I didn't know what to say. But my father was smiling.
"Ah... sorry. I'll go on ahead and let my father scold me. You come slowly later. As for Celes... when she comes to this side, scold her harshly..."
My father took one last breath and stopped moving. I stood up and gripped the orb.
"Maisel Wolt has been slain by I, Lyell Wolt! Cease combat immediately and surrender!"
Then, the orb emitted a blue light. The Third Head inside the orb spoke.
'Is this—an Anti-Skill? No, it's different.'
As particles of blue light rained down upon the battlefield, the enemy soldiers they touched suddenly collapsed. Bale, who had been fighting Aria, stood frozen in place with wide eyes. While holding his weapon, he looked toward me.
"...Lyell-sama."
—The left wing.
The one holding back the troublesome Foxuz family was Novem of the same Foxuz family. Holding a staff and shaping it into a great scythe, she faced my father and brother.
She had been dealing with the two who had charged in, but she looked up at the raining particles of blue light. Novem touched the blue light dancing down like snow with her right hand and squeezed it.
"...Lyell-sama, this must be painful for you,"
Novem murmured sadly.
The Valkyries beside Novem reported the current situation to her.
"Novem-san, the enemy is being neutralized. It seems this light is related... Also, some have begun to surrender. However, the majority seem unable to understand the current situation."
Novem looked up at the sky.
It was the same for my father Gerard and my brother Elbert, who were facing her with weapons in hand. Gerard spoke.
"...Has Maisel-sama passed?"
"Father."
Gerard took off his helmet and placed the blade of his sword against his own neck.
"It is enough. I have served the previous head and Maisel-sama. The current head of the house shall take responsibility. That is all. You surrender and follow Lyell-sama's instructions. Whether it be execution or joining his subordinates, act as a member of the Foxuz family."
Elbert nodded while looking down. Then, he sheathed his sword and threw it to Novem.
"Novem... I surrender."
Novem did not direct the kindness she showed Lyell toward her family. She took her brother's sword in her right hand and simply nodded. Then, she looked toward her father.
"I leave the matter of my brother to Lyell-sama. Do you have any last words?"
Then, her father Gerard laughed. It seemed he wasn't afraid of dying now; rather, he had thoughts regarding his daughter.
"Ahahaha, Novem... you really are honest. Your family is dying. Try to look a little sad. Lyell-sama might find it unpleasant."
Being told this, Novem replied.
"I will do so when I am by Lyell-sama's side."
Then, Gerard slit his own throat, and blood spurted out. Finally—.
"Either way... with this, the role of the Foxuz family is also..."
Near the tents of the main camp.
Riding on a porter's wagon parked there, I watched the soldiers surrendering. Every one of them had an expression of disbelief.
With the orb hanging from my neck, I checked with the Third Head.
"I wonder what happened. I thought we would end up fighting like that, but suddenly light overflowed from the orb... and then it rained down on the battlefield."
Recalling the scene from a moment ago, I asked the Third Head. Right now, there was no one around me. No, they wouldn't approach.
They were tactfully guarding me from a short distance away.
'I'm completely clueless, I suppose? Well, this might be the power of the orb. After all, the one who created this blue orb was the powerful Septem. An existence beyond even Agrissa. If this were possible, I wonder if it's too greedy to wish it happened sooner? ...However, it might be the influence of Maisel-kun's skill. I can't say for certain. Honestly, Mireia-chan would be useful at a time like this.'
The Third Head answered me with jokes mixed in, but I felt he was being considerate. I, who was trying to hide my tear-streaked, swollen eyes from everyone, forced a smile.
"That's certainly true."
'Lyell, I know you want to cry, but endure it just a little longer. Sorry, but your current position is that kind of position. However, I'll make some time later. Then, we can go back to how things were. I'm sure you'll be even busier from now on.'
From the orb, from which I used to hear voices to the point of being noisy, I could now only hear the voice of the Third Head. I found myself feeling lonely about that.
"...Third Head, was Father liberated from Celes at the end?"
'Yes. I believe he was liberated. Even so, for the means of liberating those who were charmed to be killing them... Also, Maisel-kun gave some kind of influence to the orb. Thanks to that, we gained a means to liberate the charmed crowd. Things just don't go as planned, do they?'
If possible, I wanted to have obtained that before I had to kill my father with these hands.
"...What should I do about Mother?"
'I think even if you liberate her, she will be punished. It depends on Lyell, but considering the future, it might be harsh. Those around you will definitely demand a heavy punishment. If you are lenient, people will think Lyell is soft. Well, it's better not to do things like torture. They'll wonder if you'd really go that far with family.'
"It's difficult."
'It is. It's difficult. In this world, maintaining balance is truly difficult. Well, that's just how it is, so Lyell must learn his own way of balancing things. To be honest, from here on, it's an unknown world for me. Incidentally, there is no such thing as an absolute correct answer.'
I wanted to take some time and organize my heart.
If this were an opponent I hated, it might have been easier. However, in the Seventh Head's memories, I was truly loved. I was able to know that. I could, but... that only made me sadder.
Then, the Third Head spoke.
'At times like this, rely on women. Women can be stronger in these situations, and above all, there are plenty of such girls around Lyell.'
To the Third Head speaking in his usual light tone, I shot back.
"There are too many, so no matter who I rely on, it'll cause friction. Honestly, whose fault is this anyway?"
'Oh, you've grown a backbone.'
The Third Head laughed. He laughed, and in his own way, he was comforting me.
—Baldor had come to where Bale, now a prisoner, was.
Unlike the soldiers who had their weapons taken and were gathered in one place, Bale was in a position of responsibility. When Baldor showed his face, Bale was alone.
He was inside a prepared iron cage, sitting with straight posture.
"...You've come. You've helped me, Baldor."
"Uncle. I believe Lyell-sama will come here soon. Please tell him everything then."
Bale had a tired expression, but his eyes were serious.
"I can't afford to say I have no face to meet him now. However, promise me a few things."
"...Within the scope of what I can do."
Bale looked at his nephew Baldor and smiled slightly.
"I will take responsibility. If I don't, I will only hold Lyell-sama back. Execution is most desirable. However, I ask for lenient punishment for the others. And... as a man of the Landburg family, you shall serve Lyell-sama from now on. My brother likely sent you to Lyell-sama's side with that intention, right?"
Baldor nodded while looking at his uncle Bale.
"...Yes. I have brought nearly three hundred soldiers from my home."
Bale laughed.
"As expected of my brother. He's different from me. Yes... a great difference indeed."
To Bale, who looked down regretfully, Baldor asked.
"Uncle, what was happening at the Walt family estate? Did you not think it was unnatural to treat Lyell-sama coldly?"
Bale answered truthfully.
"...It's nothing more than an excuse, but I thought it was right. No, I was moving as I was told. I didn't even have doubts. That Celes-sama was the one suited for the Walt family... thinking about it now, I can't even explain to myself why I tried to make Celes-sama the head. In truth, even I had expectations for Lyell-sama. There were many such people. Truly... we had expectations."
Baldor had also seen the dead soldiers of Banseime who were captivated by Celes. And even though his own relative had been liberated from such a Celes and was speaking to him like this, there had been no means to save them. After all, the world would not believe such a story.
"Uncle, if you change your name and serve Lyell-sama as a single knight—"
"I have my pride. Besides, it's better to have more attendants for Maisel-sama. The head of the Foxuz family also committed suicide. Once I have fulfilled my responsibility, I will follow him."
His resolve seemed fixed, and Baldor could not persuade him any further—.
—Inside the orb, The Room of the Round Table.
There were only two seats and a door behind them. Of the eight seats, six had been lost, and silver weapons now floated in those places.
'The First Generation's greatsword—the Second Generation's bow—the Fourth Generation's dagger—the Fifth Generation's Chain Sword—the Sixth Generation's halberd—and the Seventh Generation's gun, huh. I wonder if my sword looks inferior?'
Even as he muttered such soliloquies, there were no replies now. The Third Head thought.
(How ironic. That I, the only one of the Walt family to die in battle, am the one to remain until the end in this place. It would have been easier if I had disappeared sooner.)
However, each had their meaning. Now, the Third Head could feel that too. The First Generation brought change to Lyell's heart. The Second Generation made Lyell's heart strong. The Sixth Generation taught Lyell how to behave on the battlefield and the art of political maneuvering, and the Fourth Generation mainly handled internal affairs—the Fifth Generation gave Lyell feelings. And the Seventh Generation gave Lyell the fact that he was loved.
'The only thing I can leave behind is really just a skill... Honestly, the people around me expect things on their own, it's a nuisance.'
After the Second Generation disappeared. There were times they discussed who would be the last to remain inside the orb. But in the end, based on the difficulty of the skills, it was decided to be either the Third Head or the Seventh Head.
'There's almost nothing left to teach. I wonder if it's okay to just hand over the skill and be done with it?'
Even as he made his usual jokes, no one answered.
In The Room of the Round Table, only silver weapons floated.
'...I suppose it's not allowed to want to see things through to the end. But since I was entrusted with the end, I hope I can leave something behind.'
Not with his usual aloof attitude, the Third Head's true feelings leaked out.