Julien tentatively extended his arm, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Astion... what are you implying. Our priority must be helping Deneb...."
Astion shook his head slowly, his expression grim.
"It would be a kinder fate if we perished here together. That seal requires more than just Deneb's passing."
"What?"
"I don't possess the full details... but there is clearly a secondary toll. That is why you are unable to give me a straight answer, isn't it?"
"..."
Julien shifted his gaze toward Arterion.
A price beyond a life? A fate worse than death?
He placed his trust in Astion's intuition. After all, Arterion had been suspiciously vague when discussing the fate of the previous Saintess.
What was the true intent of that dragon?
Arterion's features had hardened into a mask of cold detachment. In a frigid tone, he finally spoke.
"You are a truly exhausting specimen."
Astion let out a low, guttural growl in response.
"Quit stalling and give us the truth. What actually happened to the Saintess who came before?"
"..."
"Nothing? No pathetic justification left to offer?"
"..."
"Every one of us can sense your deception. Speak plainly. If it isn't death, what is the cost?"
"..."
"If you do not explain yourself this instant, I will take Deneb's life myself. Since you intend to destroy her anyway, it makes no difference if the blade is mine."
Astion was dead serious, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his dagger with desperate strength.
As a mage, Astion possessed a vast library of esoteric knowledge and forbidden spells.
Among those records were descriptions of states of being so agonizing that death was considered a mercy.
Observing Arterion's evasive behavior, he had deduced that the sacrifice involved a toll far more sinister than simple mortality.
"Deneb, please forgive me. I don't want to lose you. But this is a mercy compared to being used for that seal. I will end it now, and then we will all fall fighting these monsters."
"Ah, Astion...."
Astion bit his lip, unable to stop the tears from falling.
Watching him, Deneb found herself speechless. She shared his growing dread regarding Arterion's omissions.
Arterion realized the time for half-truths had passed. In truth, there was no longer any way to mask the reality.
As long as dragons ruled the narrative, a Saintess who refused the calling could never have found a peaceful existence.
Finally, Arterion spoke in a flat, emotionless drone.
"She ended her own life."
Expecting such an answer, Astion moved further back, shielding Deneb as he pressed further.
"...Why?"
"For the reason you stated: because death was the better option."
"..."
"She was a Saintess who turned her back on the world. She could not live in joy, nor could she remain hidden. Suicide was the only exit she could find."
"What is the actual price of the seal?"
"The soul."
"What?"
"The physical form of the Saintess perishes here. However, her soul is claimed by this place."
Astion's eyes stretched wide in horror. Julien and Deneb reacted with identical shock.
Arterion's icy explanation continued.
"The soul of the Saintess is bound to this location until the world itself breathes its last, long after eons have slipped away. For a duration indistinguishable from eternity, she must remain to contain the miasma of the Demon God."
"..."
"It is a burden only a Saintess can bear. She exists forever as the living conduit that keeps the Demonic Realm imprisoned."
"D-Do you actually think that is acceptable?"
"It is perfectly logical. Using the energy of the Sacred Stone, she holds back the Demon God's corruption. She is, in essence, a goddess manifested in the mortal plane. It is the eternal conflict between divinity and the Demon God."
"Shut your mouth... you delusional monster...."
Deneb's soul would be denied the heavens of the goddesses, trapped in this spot for all time.
It was a sentence far more cruel than any execution.
Deneb began to shake, the color draining from her cheeks.
Had it been a simple matter of dying, she would have surrendered her life with a smile to save humanity. That was her nature.
But to be tethered to a seal until the end of time.
She couldn't even grasp the scale of such a span. How could she endure being isolated in the dark for those infinite years?
Regardless of her title or her devotion to the world.
She was paralyzed by terror. She lacked the resolve to face a solitude that neared eternity.
Arterion's form began to drift upward into the air. Simultaneously, the dragons in human guises moved to encircle the Julien Mercenary Corps.
Though few in number, they were dragons. If they struck together, no human present would survive the encounter.
Peering down at Astion and Deneb, Arterion remarked:
"They say the previous Saintess was a distant woman. She desired to save the world, but she formed no bonds and offered no love. She had no anchors to this life."
"..."
"Because of that isolation, she could forsake the world without hesitation. Even she felt fear. It is a human trait."
"..."
"However, the situation has changed. Saintess Deneb, you are surrounded by companions. You even harbor love for another, do you not?"
"..."
"That brings me comfort. Because it gives you a point of vulnerability."
"..."
"We cannot initiate the seal by force. You must choose. However, if you decline...."
In that heartbeat, a murderous aura began to radiate from Arterion's gaze.
"I take back my threat of killing your comrades. Instead, I will keep them in a state between life and death, subjecting them to perpetual agony."
Deneb reeled at the threat.
If she said no, those she cared for would endure eternal hell.
In a cracked, trembling voice, Deneb cried out.
"T-The goddess would never permit this! How can you inflict such horror on the innocent?"
"How quaint. We were created for the sole purpose of the war against the Demonic Realm. Fulfilling our primary directive is not a sin; it is our nature."
The logic of a dragon was an alien thing to humans, utterly incompatible with their morality.
Astion, his eyes wet with tears, clenched his teeth.
"Y-You are heartless. Is this— is this the reward for someone who bled for this world?"
"No other path exists."
"T-The goddess would never have sanctioned this. She wouldn't have designed something so monstrous."
"A valid observation. This process was a contingency created by the dragons of old, pooling their collective intellect. However, it failed when the previous Saintess took her own life."
"Then search for another way! If we work together, we can find a solution!"
"Futility. There is no alternative. This is the only method ever unearthed after centuries of exhaustive study."
Astion realized that words were now useless.
The dragons were committed to sacrificing Deneb at any cost. The Empire, the elves, and the dwarves—all had turned their backs on them.
Hardening his heart, he moved to pull the blade across Deneb's throat.
For her own protection, Deneb had to die right here. Yet, his hand shook so violently he could not complete the motion.
'Ghislain... what am I supposed to do?'
How would Ghislain handle this? How would he break this deadlock?
He wasn't sure of much, but one thing was certain.
Ghislain would never have surrendered Deneb. Nor would Ghislain have ended her life.
Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Astion took a steadying breath. His voice suddenly rang out with newfound clarity.
"Julien."
"..."
"We are protecting Deneb. We will fight these traitors to the bitter end."
"Understood."
Kwooooooaaaah!
With a calm affirmation, Julien ignited his internal power. It felt as though the very atmosphere was being drawn into his core.
Taking a firm stance, Julien fixed his eyes on Arterion. His blade hummed with a lethality that threatened to cleave the heavens.
Lionel raised his heavy shield, his expression set in stone.
He felt a profound sense of betrayal toward his home, the Empire he had served, for participating in such a scheme.
Glancing at Porisco, Lionel spoke:
"The goddess will never turn a blind eye to this."
"..."
"And the Empire will eventually answer for this treachery."
Entering a combat stance, Lionel watched the 'enemies' with a predator's focus.
He felt a strange surge of gratitude that he had abandoned the pursuit group to remain here.
Protecting the Saintess was the duty he, the First Servant, was born to die for.
Tyron flashed a jagged grin as he scanned the room.
"We mercenaries don't drop our loyalties so easily. We went out of our way to save your hides, and now you want to murder our friend?"
Initially, he had felt a moment of doubt. But after hearing the truth, he knew no decent human could stand by.
The former leader of the Ironclad Lion Corps had reached the level of a superhuman under the banner of the Julien Mercenary Corps.
If they engaged dragons, death was a certainty. He made his peace with it.
"Well, it's a bit of a shame, but I've had a good run. A mercenary who helped save the world—that's a hell of a story."
Tyron laughed with genuine contentment. From a noble's lapdog to a legendary hero—he could ask for little more.
Osvald, who usually looked for the nearest exit, finally looked resigned.
"Ah... I was supposed to lead a revolution...."
He had stumbled his way into becoming a superhuman. Once the war was won, he had dreamed of seizing some small, forgotten kingdom to start his own uprising.
But looking around, this room was clearly his final destination. He feared death, but the opposition had crossed a line he couldn't ignore.
"Leaving Sister Deneb trapped in here by herself forever is just wrong. That's too dark and too lonely for anyone."
Deneb had been one of the few to show him real kindness. She was a cornerstone of the world's survival.
Osvald couldn't stomach the thought of her being condemned to eternal misery.
Falling in battle was preferable.
"Yeah, to hell with it. If this isn't a revolution, I don't know what is."
Osvald gripped his massive hammer and stepped into the fray.
Since his end was near, he intended to fight with a brilliance he had never before shown.
The rest of the mercenaries also prepared to die. If they fought poorly and were captured, the dragons would make their ends far more painful.
Observing this, Arterion let out a mocking sneer.
"The war has made you arrogant. To think you would dare challenge dragons."
Even with the strength of heroes, they faced eight dragons. Their combined power would be enough to erase everyone in the room.
Arterion extended a hand and commanded:
"Seize the Saintess. Kill anyone who continues to resist. Many of her friends remain outside. Keep the hero alive if possible, but break him so he can no longer fight."
The moment the order fell, the dragons surged toward Deneb.
Shielding Deneb, Astion retreated and roared,
"Julien! Hold them back!"
Lifting his blade toward the ceiling, Julien replied,
"Astion, take Deneb and escape. Inform the others."
Kyle, Marika, and Ereneth were still hunting the Apostles. If they could regroup, they might stand a chance against the dragons.
Andrew and Leo would undoubtedly stand with them. Others who were indebted to the Julien Mercenary Corps might also offer aid.
Naturally, many others would call for the Saintess's sacrifice. The Empire and various kingdoms would hunt them like animals.
It would mean the start of another war. Countless would perish, and the world would spiral back into chaos.
But in that moment, it didn't matter.
This broken world—he no longer cared what happened to it.
He had never chased the titles of Hero or Saintess. Even the grand goal of world salvation felt hollow now.
'Ghislain... what advice would you give me now?'
— Even if it results in the deaths of many.
'A lot of people are going to die.'
— If you believe your path is the righteous one.
'But I cannot let Deneb be sacrificed.'
— I trust that you will walk the correct path.
'This is the choice I make.'
Staring down the incoming dragons, Julien finally spoke.
"...I am not going to save the world."
Kwooooooaaaah!
His sword erupted into a blinding, radiant light. It was a brilliance born from an unbreakable resolve and a soul that refused to yield.
"I am going to..."
Julien's voice was steady and clear.
"save the woman I love."
Flash!
In that split second, his blade tore through the fabric of the world.