"……."
Ivar Lodbrok looked down at the corpse.
Countless emotions welled up and sank within his purple irises. Ivar quickly sorted through them. He had merely done his duty, and he would face countless such tasks in the future. There was no need to indulge in sentiment.
"Behead him and display the head at the military camp. Do not forget to apply the preservation magic. When we make our triumphal return to the Imperial Capital, this traitor's head will be placed at the very front."
"Yes."
The non-commissioned officer bowed his head respectfully.
Ivar's interrogation had left a deep impression on the Royal Guard. It had been precise, hitting only the key points without wasting unnecessary time. The fact that Ivar himself had executed the traitor was an additional merit. Mercenaries, by nature, despised those who feared blood. In that regard, Ivar Lodbrok had demonstrated his resolve.
"Lord Lodbrok. Lord Barbatos is……."
"How improper. Not 'Lord,' but 'criminal.' She has committed treason."
Ivar cut him off firmly, his voice sharp as a blade.
"Watch your titles. It is, after all, the verdict of the court delivered by Lord Dantalion."
"I-I apologize."
"My Lord has ordered that the criminal be brought inside. I will handle it. You, however, should remain here on standby, just in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
"Yes."
Ivar lifted Barbatos's dismembered body with both hands. As the Royal Guard bowed deeply, Ivar entered the tent. Upon stepping inside the tent, encircled with various protective magics, a sudden silence enveloped the space.
"……."
Ivar seated Barbatos in a chair. He then brought a washbasin from a corner of the tent and carefully wiped her face. It was a courtesy befitting his beloved lord's lover. Ivar knew all too well how much his lord truly cherished Barbatos…….
'But for what?'
The cloth wiped away the bloodstains from Barbatos's face. With each wipe, the white fabric became increasingly dyed red. As Ivar rinsed the cloth in the basin, a crimson liquid, like paint, slowly dispersed through the water.
'She had lived her life with the singular purpose of eradicating every Demon Lord in this world. Now, only Dantalion held any meaning for her. She had cast herself aside for Dantalion's sake — and now she was supposed to come back to herself?'
Ivar bit his lip.
She was suddenly overwhelmed by a vast loneliness. It was the very loneliness she had once been accustomed to but had managed to forget for a while. It was as though she had been cast adrift on an endless ocean, with no hope of ever reaching land — not even the slim hope that the ship she was steering would sink.
"...Mm."
A groan slipped from Barbatos's lips.
Ivar stopped his hand and took a step back from the chair. A moment later, Barbatos gazed forward with heavy, drowsy eyes. The potion had left her gaze weak and unfocused. She furrowed her brow and let her eyes drift shut once more.
"Tch..."
The moment she regained a sliver of awareness, she spat out a curse. Having a muddled head was, in itself, a blow to Barbatos's pride. She had let out a groan, and the resulting reverberation had rattled her entire skull.
"I'm gonna end up a full-blown vegetable at this rate, damn it..."
Her head throbbed with pulsing waves of pain, as if someone were kneading her brain with their bare hands. Barbatos endured the searing headache and strained to focus her gaze straight ahead. It took a full ten minutes just to manage that.
"I greet Lady Barbatos."
Ivar grasped the hem of her skirt on both sides and bowed at the waist. Keeping her voice as low as possible for Barbatos's sake, she spoke with deliberate softness. Barbatos's expression soured further.
"And where the hell did you crawl out from?"
"I am Ivar Lodbrok, in service to Lord Dantalion. It is my honor to welcome the esteemed Lady Barbatos."
"Ah, that Vampire?"
Barbatos's face twisted into a scowl. Her headache spiked again. Just imagining how many potions were sloshing around inside her body was terrifying. If she were to spill her own blood right now and feed it to someone, they would probably be delirious for an entire day.
"Shut the hell up. I can't even get a read on the situation, and you're what — what, are you one of them too? Another crazy bitch?"
"Lady Barbatos was rescued from the Republic's intelligence division. This is a camp of the Habsburg Empire's military — Lord Dantalion's personal tent."
"..."
Ivar said nothing more, but that was enough. Barbatos grasped nearly everything. The proof was plain on her face — the expression that had been twisted in pain went utterly blank in an instant.
"So that's how it is. Dantalion won."
Barbatos murmured quietly. She was utterly dispassionate, and yet because of that, emotions that could not be captured by a single nuance flowed out exactly as they were. She understood that words, in the end, could only offer a certain implication — and in times like these, she chose silence instead.
"Well. It's got to be better than dying at the hands of the human race. That bastard Dantalion — if he kills me, he'll be haunted by hallucinations for the rest of his life, won't he? So I might as well die quietly. Even in death, I'll get to torment him. That alone makes life worthwhile."
Her tone was playful, but there was no color whatsoever in her expression or her voice. Barbatos was the very embodiment of grayscale.
"So then. When are you going to kill me? I'd really rather not see Dantalion's ugly mug before I go."
"……."
Ivar Lodbrok closed her eyes. She was no Demon Lord. She had never possessed any talent for reading the emotions of others. And yet, despite all that, Ivar Lodbrok could grasp with perfect clarity the emotion held by the girl standing before her.
"Lord Dantalion has… always carried a will on his person."
"Hm?"
"He was always prepared for every contingency. He left behind a single word for those dear to him — those bonds he cherished. Among them, he treasured Lady Barbatos above all others."
Ivar produced a letter from inside her coat.
"It is something that should not be carelessly revealed, but I wished to show it to you of my own volition, Lady Barbatos."
She unfolded the letter so that Barbatos could read it comfortably.
The letter was densely filled with words Dantalion had written to his many lovers. The handwriting had a haphazard quality to it, and Barbatos felt a pang of longing. It was Dantalion's handwriting. Infinitely clumsy and unkind letters.
"Barbatos is my most loyal and faithful friend."
"All the love and fellowship that my life has permitted, I dedicate to her."
The letter began thus.
"Barbatos. You have a fragile side to you, and it worries me. Once I'm gone, you'll surely put on a brave face while falling to pieces inside. The specific list of catastrophes you will undoubtedly bring upon yourself is as follows, and I expect you to follow my prescription to the letter."
"First. Do not worry about anything I may have failed to do for you. You have always shown me more love and understanding than I deserved. I guarantee this."
"Second. Do not worry that perhaps you could have prevented my death. Just as your life is entirely your own, my death is entirely mine. Respect my ownership. You, of all people, will understand what that means."
"Third. This may seem like an utterly pointless bit of nagging, but do not, under any circumstances, suddenly renounce your carnal desires out of some misguided notion of preserving your chastity for my sake. That would be placing an unfair burden on a woman who is already dead. I must insist. Respect the dead."
For a moment, Barbatos was at a loss for words.
She understood at once what meaning lay within the letter. A last will and testament addressed to one's lover. Ordinarily, it would have been filled with desperate efforts to convey her feelings — that she loved him, that she was glad to have met him, that she would remember him forever.
Yet in Dantalion's letter, there was not a single phrase that even hinted at love.
"……You colossal, hopeless idiot."
The corners of Barbatos's lips curved weakly upward.
In the past, she might not have recognized the true meaning behind the letter. But now that she knew Dantalion's secret, she could see it clearly. He had been tormented by the specters of everyone he had killed. Which meant that, more than anything else, he loathed the thought of anyone suffering on account of his death.
Forget me and live.
Do not grieve because of someone like me.
Dantalion's last will had been written for that purpose alone. In that letter — which seemed as though he wished to erase his own very existence from eternity — Barbatos could do nothing but seethe with quiet fury and sorrow.
"……."
Barbatos was once again swept up by an unbearable longing.
She wanted to live alongside Dantalion. It didn't matter if he wasn't the Demon Lord. Even now, with the entire Plains Faction having been purged, Barbatos simply could not bring herself to hate him. If anything, her feelings for him had only grown more desperate, and she was willing to sacrifice anything to save him.
All she wanted was to stay by his side.
"You said his name was Ivar… Could I, at the very end… see Dantalion one last time…?"
Barbatos spoke with an anguished expression.
She had already been rejected by Dantalion once. And yet she could not shake the thought — but perhaps, just perhaps… If she pleaded more desperately, he might grant her request. If she cast aside every last shred of her pride, and begged like a dog… perhaps that fragile boy of hers would yield to her plea.
"……."
"I know it's an unreasonable request. Just tell him that I want to see his face one last time before I go. That's all. If you do, he'll grant the request. He won't refuse."
Barbatos had made up her mind. She would throw away her pride for Dantalion.
She was terrified of dying without him. It was impossible to die peacefully while carrying this emotion. No matter what, she would leave behind nothing but regrets. Barbatos would rather fight to the bitter end than accept a life full of regret.
"……."
Ivar Lodbrok's expression hadn't changed.
Her face looked exactly the same as when Barbatos had murmured moments ago. So many emotions had welled up that they'd burst her heart, and in doing so, her expression had gone blank. It took a long while before Ivar Lodbrok finally parted her lips.
"I'm sorry, but that's impossible."
"……Please. Don't think of it as doing it for me—think of it as doing it for Dantalion. I mean it. That guy, if you leave him like this, he'll die. You were watching right beside me, so you must have seen it. You can't just leave Dantalion alone……."
"It's impossible."
"Please……."
Barbatos twisted her body and tumbled from the chair. Despite having no limbs, she somehow crawled forward and pressed her lips to the top of Ivar's foot. Ivar had always known just how proud a Demon Lord Barbatos was, and her actions filled her with unbearable pain.
"Did I not just tell you it's impossible?!"
At last, Ivar lost her composure.
"No matter how many times you ask me, I can't do it! This isn't my decision to make. Do you understand? You've already been cut off from ever seeing Lord Dantalion again! This is final!"
"You could at least pass along one word for me……huh? Just one word. If you just tell him that I want to see him……."
"How many times—how many times do I have to say it! Lord Dantalion is―――."
Ivar screamed, her face twisted with fury.
For one moment, her voice caught in her throat. The sound echoed inside her mouth. She clenched her teeth, packing in her anger, her sorrow, and above all her pain, and let it pour out like a desperate shriek.
"Lord Dantalion is already dead……!"
============================= Afterword ==============================
[Reader Replies]
NineBreaker// Luke is actually the victim here.
YoppleEatsFromTheShellFirst// She never got to be with the person she truly loved, not even once.
Omicron// Yes. It was all Ivar Lodbrok's decision.
CurtisAxel// Since she's a Saint, dying a virgin is actually something to be proud of, isn't it?(...)
ginrneves// We're charging ahead at full speed.
AnneBarb// I only use a computer, so I couldn't catch the app errors. Though I do get errors on PC sometimes too.
Oreuri// It'll be decided soon.
SuCheonCheonSa// Yes, in every sense of the word, we're going in a straight line.
GuJeGyeongJeHak// It'll probably show up in the next chapter.
UwaaakUwaaak// Honestly, for Luke, this is him really trying his hardest.(...)
Sorry for being late today.
I had an unusually bad headache today, so it took me a while to write. ;ㅅ;