am-books Chapter 191 : Chapter 191
Chapter 191 : Chapter 191
Meanwhile.Malena was leading the 1st Corps and moving with Laura.
The destination was a territory called Galkin on the opposite side of Pefran.
However, it was just the same here that there was no conversation.
Lucien, who was accompanying the 1st Corps, was moving from a distance, and Malena and Laura had originally been on awkward terms.
“…….”
“…….”
A situation where the silence seemed like it would last forever.
It was Laura who spoke first after a long while.
“I didn’t know that the youngest, not you or Leon, would be the first to reach the level of 9-star.”
Malena answered with a hollow laugh at Laura’s words.
“Haha. Indeed. It’s almost a waste that I’ve immersed myself only in training with the resolve to die until now.”
“So what are you going to do now? Are you going to give up the position of the family head?”
“What about you?”
Malena asked Laura back.
At this, Laura hesitated for a moment but slowly opened her mouth.
“I… didn’t think I could become the family head from the beginning. I just didn’t want to fall behind.”
“Behind whom? Me, as expected?”
“…You knew?”
“How could I not know that? I just pretended not to know. Well, at first, I really didn’t know because I was distracted by training.”
“…….”
She had just brought it up because it was too awkward, but they were exchanging deeper stories than she had thought.
Because of that, she was slightly flustered, but she did not want to miss this opportunity.
Like that, Laura asked Malena something she had been wondering about for a long time.
“Why do you want to become strong to that extent? Are you really just crazy about competitive spirit?”
Unexpectedly, Malena wore a bitter smile at Laura’s question.
“!”
Laura was surprised by this because it was a smile she did not expect to see from Malena.
In the meantime, Malena answered Laura’s question.
“What I have pursued until now was not just strength.”
“It wasn’t strength?”
“Right. It’s a story I couldn’t tell anyone because I was afraid it would look too pathetic, but I actually wanted to become stronger than anyone else to fight against it. Against someone who becomes the family head and tries to kill the siblings. Even if that person is anyone.”
“Ah….”
It was so.
When she first learned that she could not avoid the Succession War as long as she was born with the Glockner bloodline.
Malena received a great shock.
Far from wielding the sword she liked so much, she only shed tears silently without being able to move a single hand.
She refused food and drink and sometimes even retched.
After nearly a month had passed like that, Malena finally shook off her bed and stood up.
Pledging that she would become stronger than anyone and somehow stop the fight between siblings.
This was the reason Malena had strived to become strong until now.
The competitive spirit was a side effect gained while pursuing this.
“I used competitive spirit as a shield because I was a bit embarrassed to express my feelings honestly, but I guess I should say that I really ended up burning with competitive spirit somehow. But it is true that thanks to that, I built up combat experience while fighting many strong people. That helped my growth. So I have no regrets.”
“…….”
Laura received a great shock after hearing all of Malena’s story.
Because she had never imagined that Malena would have such an intention until now.
“Then pushing me away back then too….”
“I was just too distracted by becoming strong. I’m sorry, Laura. It’s very late, but I will apologize even now.”
“…….”
Laura, who suddenly received an apology, was at a loss for words.
However, sincerity is bound to get through.
Laura also opened her mouth, which did not open easily, and answered.
“I am the one who is sorry for misunderstanding until now…. Sister.”
Sister.
Malena’s eyes widened this time at the title she was hearing after a long time.
At the same time, a bright smile hung on Malena’s lips.
It was because she was so happy to have become close to Laura again.
In fact, Malena was regretting.
That she could not play with Laura because she was distracted by training back then.
It was understandable, as Leon, whom she thought was her main enemy, also had thoughts that were not very different from hers.
And in the end, it was Roden who reached the level of 9-star first and came closest to the position of family head.
“By the way, surely Leon didn’t also want to become strong to protect the siblings?”
Laura asked, and Malena nodded.
“It’s similar. However, Leon was a bit twisted and thought that the most virtuous person must become the family head to protect everyone. And he thought that it couldn’t be helped if someone got hurt a little in that process.”
“Hurt?”
“It is literally that. Should I say he thinks it’s fine as long as they don’t lose their lives?”
“He’s not a little, but very twisted.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. It’s a relief that Leon didn’t reach the level of 9-star first.”
“My words exactly. Last time, when the youngest collapsed, he tried to harm him saying he would remove a competitor.”
“What? Is he crazy? But how is the youngest fine?”
“Because I stopped him. Hehe.”
Did they say blood is thicker than water?
The two were sharing a conversation intimately before they knew it.
“So aren’t you worried that the youngest reached the level of 9-star?”
“Worried?”
“Yeah. The youngest might try to eliminate us.”
Malena chuckled at Laura’s words.
It was because she could not picture the image of Roden stepping up to kill his siblings at all.
Above all, a more certain reason for trust existed for Malena.
“The youngest would never do that. It is something you can know just by looking at how he embraced Michael, who was the weirdest among us.”
Even more, Roden was a person who knew how to share what was his for a great cause.
It was something that could be known just by seeing him readily passing down the improved training method to those around him and selling the powerful weapons, the Imprinted Weapons, not expensively.
“What about you? What do you think?”
Laura immediately shook her head at Malena’s question and opened her mouth.
“Me too. I also don’t think the youngest will harm the siblings. Rather, what is more important than that would be how to overcome the Family Head’s will to still maintain this evil custom.”
Could he indeed overcome it?
In fact, this was the biggest unknown.
Because for Malena and Laura, this was a difficult task equivalent to fighting and winning against a 10th-circle mage.
However, the two’s conversation could not continue any longer.
The appearance of the Ghoul Unit had come into view before they knew it.
That meant it was time to postpone the conversation and fight.
Sure enough.
Lucien, who was at the back, approached the two people.
“The result of wicked black magic is in sight. It would be best to start the fight immediately.”
Malena and Laura nodded at Lucien’s polite request.
Then Malena issued the command to charge.
“1st Corps! All forces charge!”
Just as the 2nd Corps had done, the 1st Corps also reduced the number of the Ghoul Unit at a very fast speed.
In some respects, it seemed they were disposing of the Ghoul Unit faster than the 2nd Corps.
Lucien’s magic was that powerful in terms of mass destruction.
Also, the teamwork between Malena and Laura was good.
It was because until now, the two had moved separately as if they were different units even when fighting together, but now it was not so.
Although there were some creaky parts, the overall coordination was not bad.
It was so in operating the troops, and it was so in engaging in the fight directly.
Just as the relationship between the two is improving rapidly, their coordination will become even better in the future.
Like that, the 1st Corps’ fight seemed to be finishing smoothly.
Until Yusupa appeared.
Slash.
An ominous sound rang out simultaneously with Yusupa’s appearance.
***
Since the 1st Corps and 2nd Corps were smooth, the 3rd Corps, which had the most powerful military strength, went without saying.
Roden, who had moved to Katao, the castle closest to the capital, succeeded in quickly clearing the Ghoul Unit.
Guignol, who was conducting a defensive battle at Katao Castle, opened the castle gate and approached Roden.
“…You’re late.”
“I received the contact late.”
“…….”
Although Roden spoke as if blaming him, Guignol could not make any reply.
It was because Guignol also knew now.
That not joining the new alliance was a bad move.
Since nearly half of the Certator Kingdom’s territory was devastated by a single wrong choice, it was hard to deny this.
It was enough to break Guignol’s heart, who had wanted to lead the Certator Kingdom and grow it into a nation more powerful than the Mediale Kingdom.
The situation of the Certator Kingdom was that disastrous.
Checking that Guignol’s expression was not good, Roden opened his mouth.
“Although you cannot deny your fault in the occurrence of innocent sacrifices, avoiding the fault is committing an even bigger mistake.”
“…….”
“Contribute your strength somehow in eliminating the 10th-circle mage, the fundamental cause of this situation, and dedicate your life to rebuilding this country. That is the only way to atone.”
“…I understand.”
Guignol was already seriously considering stepping down from the position of the head of the Pugliesi family and living in self-reflection for the rest of his life.
However, he changed his mind after hearing Roden’s words.
Because as Roden said, that would be nothing more than avoiding the fault.
It was always like that.
Committing a wrong was an instant, but atoning was a lifelong matter.
Roden, having finished the conversation with Guignol like that, quietly gazed at the corpses of the ghouls, which were once human, burning along with acrid smoke.
And he thought.
‘Yusupa…. Just how great a sin are you committing.’
It was when Roden was in the middle of thinking this.
Suddenly, the atmosphere vibrated, mana gathered in one place, and a gate opened before his eyes.
Chijijijik! Wooooong!
And Roden could know at once who had opened this gate.
It was Lucien.
As expected, Lucien was standing beyond the gate.
Next to him, Laura was supporting Malena, who had lost her left arm.
‘Malena lost her left arm?’
That meant the 1st Corps had encountered an existence powerful enough to take Malena’s left arm.
As expected, the mage standing loftily in front of the 1st Corps.
The identity of that mage was Yusupa.