Chapter 674
Viviana sank down with a sigh after laying Philia to rest. Such a gentle, kind soul—wasn’t her fate unbearably cruel?
As Viviana rubbed her forehead in sympathy, her gaze caught a small foot quietly approaching. It was Roel. She pulled the child into a warm embrace and whispered softly.
“Roel, don’t worry so much. Your mother has just fallen asleep.”
“Madam, could you come here for a moment?”
“Hm? What is it?”
Roel gently moved Viviana away from the door and glanced around cautiously, as if Philia mustn’t overhear. Kneeling down, Viviana met Roel’s eyes and bit her dry lips. In all the time they’d spent together, Roel had never addressed her like this before. Something important was coming. Viviana’s hands trembled with tension.
“I have something to tell you.”
“…What did you see?”
What Roel had seen—how could it be put into words? The child hesitated, then spoke plainly.
“I must return to the Great Desert.”
“The Great Desert? You mean the land of Cheollyeo?”
“If I don’t go, the bloodline of Cheollyeo will be lost to the world forever. For the sake of my tribe, I have to go back and be with them.”
“But Roel, right now—”
“I know the war is raging. I know it’s fiercer than the central command realizes, and that tragic things are happening. And my father has already…”
Roel’s breath caught sharply. Struggling to keep his emotions in check, he finished quietly.
“…He has become a star. The brightest one in the black night sky.”
“…!”
Viviana covered her mouth, then almost reflexively pulled Roel into a tight hug. Had the child witnessed his father’s death with his own eyes? If so, what a heartbreaking burden for such a young soul.
“Please, Madam. Send me back to the Great Desert. When the central command sends reinforcements to Hielro, please tell Lord Romandro to include me. This isn’t for me—it’s for Bariel and the Great Desert.”
“Oh, Roel… you poor thing.”
“And one more thing.”
Roel glanced toward the room where Philia slept.
“My mother must never, ever go to Hielro. I have to go alone.”
“Alone? Roel, Philia won’t allow that.”
“That’s why I’m asking you.”
“Goodness…”
From Philia’s perspective, her husband and both children would be in Hielro while she remained alone in the capital, safe. Could she bear that? And more than anything, Roel was still so young. Unlike Ian or Nersarn, he lacked the strength to protect himself. Philia would surely worry and oppose this.
“If possible, please persuade your mother. If not, send me secretly. If you truly care for me like Viviana does.”
“Roel, no matter how much I care for you, I’m sorry—I can’t help you that far. Before anything, I am Philia’s closest friend. I could never—”
“Yes. You are her closest friend before you are my mother. That’s why you must send me alone.”
“Why? I—”
“If she goes to Hielro, she will die.”
The chill in his voice made Viviana startle and fall silent. Roel steadied himself and continued.
“My mother cannot return to the Hielro territory. That is what’s best for her. Viviana, as her closest friend, you want her peace. And as my mother, you understand a child’s love for their parent.”
What had the child seen? Viviana sank down, staring into Roel’s emerald eyes. Was the world he saw through those beautiful green eyes so cruel and terrible?
“Please, I beg you,” Roel said, grasping Viviana’s hand. “I want to protect my mother. Someday, when the Great Desert’s power is restored, I believe we can meet again. Madam, please help me.”
Viviana hesitated, unable to answer at first. But then she nodded.
“First, I’ll inform Lord Romandro. If the palace agrees, maybe this can be resolved.”
As Viviana went inside to gather her cloak, Roel stood quietly waiting.
At that moment, Vivi cautiously descended the stairs and took Roel’s hand. She sensed something was wrong.
“Roel, are you okay?”
“…Vivi.”
Roel brushed Vivi’s hair back and gave a sad smile. My small, beloved friend. The time to part has truly come. He kissed her cheek softly.
“Goodbye, Vivi. Take care. Whenever you see the sunlight, you might think of me.”
“Roel…”
Their farewell was brief. Viviana soon returned, briskly approaching.
“Roel, let’s go. We need to find a carriage to the palace.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Mom.”
“Shh, Vivi. Keep the house safe. I’ll be back soon from the palace. If anything happens, tell Mini, okay?”
With a kiss on her daughter’s forehead, Vivi watched as the two hurriedly left the estate.
Outside the window, a small hand peeked out and waved, but Vivi couldn’t see it clearly—it was too far away.
BOOM! CRASH!
With a thunderous roar and a burst of smoke, the arquebus shook violently. The soldiers holding it were pushed backward by the force.
Bullets fired at incredible speed hurtled toward Ian and Hale. One grazed Ian’s side, another flew straight at Hale. Instinctively, Hale raised a protective barrier.
SHRIEK!
The moment the bullets struck, Hale sensed the shield’s surface crack. It was too late to regenerate it.
BOOM!
An explosion detonated right before Hale’s face, sending him flying backward.
Startled, Ian turned to follow him, only to see a bullet explode midair where it had passed by.
BOOM! CRASH!
Flames streaked across the sky like a shower of tiny, beautiful fireworks. Ian, Hale, and the mages all recognized the ominous energy behind the blaze.
“Captain Hale! Captain!”
“Ian! That’s magic!”
The familiar power emanating from the gunpowder—these flames spread wildly, igniting themselves repeatedly. Each explosion was as powerful and threatening as the first bullet fired.
BOOM! CRASH! CRASH!
The area around Hale, hit directly by the blasts, was engulfed in thick smoke. His condition was unclear.
‘Accuracy is down, but the blast radius and power are significant, with secondary explosions. The shield was broken…’
And the strong traces of magic—there was no doubt these weapons involved Eastern mages.
‘A hundred years ago, early arquebuses weren’t like this. So why now?’
This future was clearly different from what Ian knew. Like Shatima’s return, this was a divergence from the original history. But Ian couldn’t immediately tell what caused it.
“Ugh, cough…”
“Hale, are you alright? Don’t block head-on—deflect the attacks at an angle. This doesn’t seem like a sustained assault.”
Hale emerged from the smoke. Thankfully, he wasn’t badly injured, but the flames clinging to his coat were troubling.
“Yes, the smoke is thick, so be careful. But these flames won’t go out. Definitely not ordinary.”
“It’s magic. Eastern mage magic.”
As the embers sizzled and burned deeper, Hale tore off his coat.
Below, smoke was already rising over Luswena’s golden reed fields. Sparks from the explosions had caught the wind and were spreading.
“Your Highness!”
“Those bastards!”
“The reed fields—the ones tied to Luswena’s history—are burning! Oh no, oh no!”
Watching this, Elderet felt his neck stiffen again. Whether it was Tolrun or Havan, they had waged war too recklessly on foreign soil. Regardless of victory or defeat, Luswena would bear a heavy burden.
They had faced this once before in the Klipoford War, but then it was Luswena’s own land, so they hadn’t grasped the full gravity.
“Dragon! Hurry!”
They needed to contact Havan quickly to prevent further reckless destruction.
But to face Havan, there was one obstacle—
“Damn it! You bastards!”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Swoosh!
Bariel’s mages.
They swiftly snatched the dragons flying toward the World Tree and hurled them to the ground, crushing dozens of soldiers beneath. Their screams echoed in the chaos.
Erica, watching through a telescope, raised her hand again.
“Bring the next round of bullets.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Plain fire-element bullets weren’t enough. Soldiers carried the ammunition in pairs and reloaded with practiced skill.
Meanwhile, the first to reach Havan’s camp was Beric.
“Out of the way!”
With a single swing of his sword, soldiers fell like paper dolls—but there were too many. To make matters worse, one of the four arquebuses aimed at the sky tilted toward Beric’s side.
They knew friendly casualties were inevitable, but there was no other choice. If it meant taking down the magic swordsman.
“Aim!”
“Aim—!”
“Clear the path! Get out of the way!”
“Move! The bomb’s about to go off!”
The soldiers parted left and right, avoiding Beric.
In an instant, a clear path opened up, and Beric’s eyes caught sight of the inner lines of the Hawan army’s camp. There, aligned perfectly in a straight line, were the deep, round holes left by the arquebus shots.
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
Kraaaang!
A bullet hurtled straight at Beric.
Gripping his sword tightly, Beric steadied his stance. As long as it had a physical form, he could cut through it—right? A flying metal ball was nothing more than something to be sliced in half!
It was a plan no ordinary human could even imagine, but Beric raised his blade with confidence.
He saw it clearly—the iron ball, about the size of a human head, speeding toward him. With all his might, he swung his magic greatsword—
Shing!
The bullet split cleanly in two.
“Ha!”
Just as expected!
“See? Nothing to it—”
But the bullet, now split and veering past Beric’s side, suddenly twisted its trajectory unnaturally and rejoined into a whole again.
Then, as if fired anew, it came hurtling toward the back of Beric’s head.
“…!”
Boom! Boom!
A powerful explosion shook the earth. Ian and Hale both furrowed their brows simultaneously.
“…”
“Beric!”
New bullets fired in quick succession, heading straight for the two of them. Hale stopped mid-flight and planted his feet, clenching both fists.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
“Ian, I’ve got your back!”
[Color Rod].
From his grip, a massive, flat rod of magic materialized. Just as the bullet struck, Ian dodged downward, barely avoiding it, and Hale took the hit instead.
Vwoom!
Kuguuuuh!
Hale swung the magic rod, colliding with the bullet.
Instead of bouncing off, the bullet halted midair. Two forces locked in a tense standoff. Hale strained to push the bullet away.
With a fierce shout, Hale swung his arm wide, and the bullet retraced its path, flying back toward the Hawan army.
Sshhk!
“…!”
Erika’s eyes widened in surprise. Fortunately, the returning bullet exploded high in the sky, and the soldiers barely managed to drop low, avoiding the slicing wind.
Hale slung the magic rod over his shoulder and nodded with satisfaction.
“…That was a nice hit.”