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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
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The battlefield was completely dyed crimson with blood of unknown origin.
Severely damaged and collapsed vegetation stretched in lines, and a strange heat lingered in various places across the land, blackened with blood and flesh.
And now.
A wave of monsters surged forward.
The monster horde, like a massive surging black wave, advanced, making the battlefield rumble, yet the number of humans opposing this monstrous force was incredibly small.
The human contingent holding their ground against the horde numbered only a handful, barely forty or so.
Even the various objects set up to halt the monster advance were now useless against the continuous waves of creatures.
"..."
"..."
Nevertheless, the officers and soldiers holding their positions did not waver. There was no fear, hesitation, indecision, or any unstable emotion suggesting a loss of will in their eyes.
This was because a being who commanded a faith stronger than their own, no, an absolute trust, was with them on the battlefield.
A rustle.
A lukewarm wind, heated by the battlefield, blew and enveloped a woman.
Standing several steps ahead of everyone else. The blue-haired woman held her ground alone.
As her blue hair faintly fluttered in the wind, some gazed at her with eyes full of admiration, while others regarded her with calm expressions.
Her alias: Apostle Executioner.
With Anastasia, the linchpin of the Western Front, standing beside them, they felt a sense of pride just by being able to stand on the battlefield with her.
...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Boom!
The fierce sounds of clashes with monsters echoed endlessly.
Growl...
The monsters' pained roars resounded without end, and occasionally, sounds that seemed to be from officers and soldiers also rang out, but these were extremely few compared to the monsters.
In the center of that fierce battlefield.
A woman with deep blue hair stood alone.
Her dignified posture, standing tall on the blood-stained ground, possessed a brilliant beauty that seemed out of place with the battlefield's grimness.
However, the overwhelming aura emanating from her instantly engulfed the entire area around the battlefield.
She, more often called by her alias the Apostle Executioner, completely dominated the battlefield.
The blue gem-sword in her hand was a magic-engineering product, like a treasure whose ownership was 'confirmed' for her.
Swish!
With a single swing, as if cleaving space itself, the battlefield's spatial fabric momentarily warped.
A 'supernatural phenomenon' that some would find hard to believe even after witnessing it directly unfolded across a wide area.
Thud. Thump, thud-thump!
The majority of monsters surging towards her instantly collapsed to the ground, as if they were a single hive-mind.
Then, suddenly, a massive drake from the sky swooped down as if to crush her.
—!
With a clear cutting sound that echoed, the drake's body was instantly split in half and collapsed.
Even being on the same battlefield, some officers and soldiers couldn't even see the moment she swung her sword.
All they saw was a massive spray of blood erupting from the cleaved drake's enormous body,
Thump! Thump!
And monsters perishing in rapid succession, crushed beneath the drake's massive form—a testament to Anastasia's overwhelming divine power.
Anastasia's expression, as her blue hair slowly became stained with blood, remained utterly calm.
As if she was simply observing a perfectly ordinary reality...
...
Click.
Anastasia returned to her quarters after spending several hours on the battlefield.
Rustle, rustle.
As if accustomed to it, she picked up the pristine white towel prepared at the entrance and began to wipe her body.
After meticulously wiping off the sticky and congealed blood mixed on her body, she slowly began to remove her officer's uniform, which was now so crimson it was impossible to discern its original color.
Rustle, rustle.
Soon, Anastasia, now a pristine naked form, suddenly found her gaze drawn to her hands. Bloodstains that wouldn't easily wash off, no matter how much she wiped with the towel.
Her hands, most exposed to the blood, couldn't be cleaned by wiping. The stubbornly caked-on blood would only come off with a thorough wash.
And it wasn't just her hands. After running a hand through her hair, which felt strangely sticky with blood, Anastasia headed straight for the shower.
—!
As soon as she entered the shower, she activated the magic crystal, and immediately, a stream of warm water began to pour down.
Shhhhwaaa—
"..."
The warm stream of water beat against her chilled body. At the same time, a vacant sigh escaped her as the steady sound of the water echoed in her ears.
"Haa."
It was as if the strange heat that had filled her body while on the battlefield was finally escaping her lips.
The tension that had permeated her entire body began to release, and her rigid mind could finally relax a little. As she swept her sticky hair back, a pang of loneliness inadvertently surfaced.
While wondering how much warmth her chilled body would need to regain its original temperature, a part of her heart felt empty.
More than her body being cold... her heart felt even lonelier now.
And so, her younger sister's face suddenly came to mind again.
A cold face beneath blue hair, different from her own. Yet, a sister so adorable, who, though clumsy at expressing emotions, had tried in every way to show her affection.
"How many years has it been since I last saw Glacia?"
As she idly thought about it, she realized a long time had passed.
By time, it had already been three years. The last time she saw Glacia, when she graduated from the academy, was already... three years ago.
A faint laugh escaped her as she stared blankly at the pouring water.
"I really am... a terrible sister."
Three years was a very long time.
She believed she had provided Glacia with ample support, as much as she could, but despite that, Glacia had to live alone at a young age.
At an age when she must have longed for her family's embrace. As her older sister, she should have spent time with her. But she couldn't.
And she had heard the news of Glacia's academy admission just a few days ago.
Also, that Glacia had been granted the unique trait 'Guidance of Wind,' and had been assigned to the A1 class, considered the highest class within the academy, excluding royalty.
Even as she watched the sticky bloodstains wash away from her body under the slowly drenching water... her heart was stirred.
"...Three years."
Most officers take a period of rest after serving on the battlefield for about one to two years.
Simply standing on the battlefield day after day exhausted both mind and body, and time for recovery was essential.
Yet. She had ignored that and had been on the battlefield for nearly three years. She had dedicated herself that much to the Empire.
Naturally, she had already received several offers. The conferment ceremony for her title, earned through her military achievements, had been quite delayed, and there were many other things, including medals, awaiting her upon her return to the Empire.
She couldn't count how many times her superiors had recently told her she could take a rest.
"..."
Objectively speaking, she was in a position where it could be said she had accumulated significant military achievements.
In fact, far from anyone raising an objection to her resting, many people wished for her to take a break.
Shhhhwaaa—
Even as she stood under the warm stream of water, her brows furrowed for a moment.
But.
"...Why is this?"
Lately, a feeling she could only describe as unease or a sense of crisis kept rising within her.
There was no reason for this feeling, no basis for it at all.
Yet, she had a strange intuition that she shouldn't leave this battlefield.
This unease and sense of crisis seemed to constantly push her, preventing her from leaving the battlefield.
"..."
Then, gently placing a hand on her chest and contemplating, she eventually nodded.
"Even if it's short, let's rest."
The emptiness that now filled a corner of her heart. She believed she absolutely had to refill it somehow.
Even if her body could endure and her mind could persevere, the hollow loneliness she felt was impossible to fill.
This would slowly gnaw at her spirit.
She wanted to take this opportunity to return to the Empire, attend to her postponed duties, and at the same time, meet Glacia and get some proper rest.
As an officer, visiting the academy was possible. More than anything else, she wanted to see Glacia.
Her adorable sister would surely have grown up upright.
She had no doubt that her heart, worn down from standing on the battlefield, would also be filled with warm comfort upon seeing Glacia.
...
Thus, Anastasia, surrendering her body to the warm stream of water, harbored a small hope.
For her reunion with Glacia, which would happen after so long.
***
—C1 Class Lecture Hall.
"Everyone worked hard listening to the lecture today."
Kali, standing at the podium, declared the end of the afternoon lecture.
Immediately after, students one by one rose from their seats and headed out of the lecture hall. Their expressions were generally bright, as Kali's usual coldness had lightened somewhat.
However. One student remained in his seat, not getting up.
"Well then, Han Cheon-seong. You'll suffer again today."
When David smirked and spoke, Cheon-seong nodded blankly.
"...Right. You train too."
Even as he replied, he felt strange.
Lately, being publicly called by Kali had become frequent, to the point where this situation itself was becoming familiar.
—Student Han Cheon-seong, follow the instructor after class.
Before ending the lecture, Kali had suddenly, as if it were a matter of course, spoken.
He also had something to discuss with Kali regarding the training room, so the summons was actually welcome, with nothing to object to.
However, being called out in 'public' felt truly odd.
The other students leaving the lecture hall now. Their fleeting glances towards him as they departed were evidence enough.
"..."
"He's really going through a lot, isn't he?"
"Yeah, I know..."
The students' eyes all seemed to hold pity, sympathy, and even mourning for him. He found it difficult to explain, so he just accepted it calmly.
'Being with Kali isn't bad at all, though.'
Because Kali treated students so coldly during lectures, everyone misunderstood him that way.
It was also awkward to say out loud that Kali wasn't cold outside of lectures and was surprisingly kind. Since other students had never seen that side of Kali, anything he said wouldn't truly resonate with them...
Rustle.
He slowly rose as well. Kali seemed to be in a pretty good mood today.
Throughout the lecture, her coldness had diminished, and she hadn't given him any sharp glances. It seemed her conversation with Adelia had gone quite well.
Step.
As he walked towards Kali, he refined his thoughts.
'I'll probably have to sacrifice one day on the weekend, right?'
Constantly moving around with Kali on weekdays might look a bit strange to others.
"Student Han Cheon-seong."
"Yes, Instructor."
"Today, your time. Is it fine?"
As Kali looked at him and asked lightly, he nodded, following her lead.
"Yes, it's fine."
The moment he replied.
He... belatedly remembered.
He must have been so preoccupied that he had completely forgotten.
'Today's the day I'm meeting Glacia...'
He awkwardly smiled and immediately corrected himself.
"Ah. I think I'll be available until 6 PM."
"Oh? 6 PM. That should be just right."
As Kali nodded at his words and immediately began to walk, he had to widen his eyes in surprise to match her pace.
'Why?'
Why was Glacia standing in front of their lecture hall right now? He couldn't understand it for a moment.
The days he was supposed to meet her twice a week were Tuesday and Sunday.
And since Tuesday had lectures, he remembered they had agreed to meet at 6 PM.
"Han Cheon-seong."