The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“…S-See you later.”

He couldn’t tell how Adriana had been affected by what had just happened, but judging by her blushing, she didn’t seem to regret it, at least. It was rather awkward to see someone who had been so approachable suddenly act like this. He chuckled, watching Adriana repeatedly touch her lips as if she didn’t know what to do with her mouth.

“I won’t take too long. It’s better for me to finish quickly, if possible. It shouldn’t take more than a week, at most.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He glanced at Adriana, who was now properly meeting his gaze, gently stroked her cheek, and replied that he understood. The atmosphere was quite different from yesterday. If there had been a line, they had completely crossed it, and the slight awkwardness that had existed between them had vanished completely. All that remained was to join the Crown Prince’s army. He had heard that Cain was the vanguard, so he needed to arrive quickly and confirm.

He didn’t intend to keep them waiting long. Hoping that he could return to the Moon Tower with Adele next time, he gazed at Adriana, who had placed her hands over his.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“They’re coming in large numbers.”

Adele muttered quietly, watching the pale dust cloud. Treason? It was a ridiculous accusation, even after hearing it again. She didn’t know how desperate they were to find a reason to kill her, but thinking back, it seemed the Crown Prince hadn’t liked her very much from the beginning. The reason she had been able to prepare in advance was because of her past memories.

Adele’s eyes narrowed as she thought of Robert, who wasn’t here this time, unlike before. She could roughly guess what he was thinking. Had he been by the Crown Prince’s side all this time, pretending to be his confidant to save her?

“He can’t possibly not know that he died.”

After all, Robert had experienced more deaths than she had. He was tight-lipped and hadn’t told her everything, but Adele didn’t believe that Robert had only died twice. If he had, he wouldn’t have looked at the other women with such longing.

She wanted to lock him up somewhere, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, annoyed that he was using her feelings so skillfully. He had sent a letter saying he wouldn’t be able to contact her for a while after he went to the capital, and now she understood why he had made that bet last time. It was his way of saying he would definitely save her.

“What are you going to do? Will you… fight back?”

Adele looked at Lotus’s face, smiled wryly, and sighed. The accusation of treason wasn’t good for the morale of the troops. It would be strange if they could bravely fight against the imperial army, who were declaring that her actions were treasonous and that they would execute her the moment she was captured.

Fighting back was a given. But if they fought like this, defeat was certain. She knew that the masked man in front of her was Kaitel’s subordinate, but it would be foolish to clash head-on with an opponent whose power she didn’t know. Besides-

“Robert Taylor has appeared at the east gate!”

“Betrayal!”

Adele pressed her hand to her forehead, seeing the wavering morale of her troops, but that didn’t mean a miracle would happen to reverse this unfavorable situation. She knew why Robert had come. But she couldn’t let on that she knew. Robert would be waiting for her response.

She hadn’t realized it when he was on her side, but now that he was her enemy, Robert was more troublesome than anyone else. He had defeated the Minotaur? Where else in the world would there be a swordsman who could single-handedly defeat a demon from a book? Adele couldn’t even imagine it. But she couldn’t just give up. If she fought back, there would be casualties, but if she didn’t, the entire plan would be ruined.

Adele gripped the sword at her waist and stood up quietly. When her adjutants looked at her, Adele walked towards the door, slowly looked around, and spoke.

“You will defend against the imperial army here as much as possible. If you fight aggressively, they’ll use it against you, so fight defensively in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances. Minimize casualties.”

“Then the east-”

“I’ll go.”

She had only one sword left after giving one to Robert. She wondered if he had brought that sword this time. Adele, recalling the sword Robert had wielded at the Full Moon Festival, gazed into the void for a moment, then exhaled softly and drew on her mana. Her adjutants’ expressions hardened as mana leaked out with each step she took.

The power she emanated now was far greater than when she had first received the title of Grand Duke, so much so that they felt intimidated just being near her. It was possible because she was a naturally talented woman. The Grand Duke, who had unified the North single-handedly, had dozens of tales of her prowess, like cutting down hundreds of barbarians while riding a single wolf. There had been a woman who was called an army all by herself, even without any support troops. Why else would the nation have tried to control her by granting her the title of Grand Duke?

When she reached the shaking gate, Adele looked at the soldiers holding onto it and quietly moved forward. As light as the wind, she arrived in the midst of the crowd and looked at the gate with an impassive expression. Robert was beyond this gate. Probably appearing as if he had betrayed her, but with a hidden dagger in his heart.

Could she buy him enough time? She wondered if she could fit into the picture he was painting, but she knew she didn’t have time for such concerns. Adele cut down the mana seeping through the gate, chuckled softly, and moved her lips.

“Open the gate.”

“But-”

“Should I open it myself?”

The soldiers retreated at her command, and a faint light shone through the slowly opening gate. She felt as if her whole body was being cut by blades just from sensing it from afar. A power far more intense than before, a mana so overwhelming it was difficult to even face. Adele, drawing on all her mana, gazed intently beyond the faint light.

“It’s been so long, I almost didn’t recognize you. You seem to have lost some weight.”

“…Have you been well?”

“I haven’t. Because someone didn’t contact me for months and didn’t even show their face. And this is the second time, so I really wanted to know what was going on in their head.”

Robert’s lips curved into a smile at Adele’s voice, and Adele frowned and stared at him. She sensed a different atmosphere from before. It was closer to a woman’s intuition than her usual sixth sense, but the unease she usually felt when looking at Robert… was a little different now.

“Did you sleep with the Princess?”

“It’s not like that.”

“You look like you’re in love. I almost threw my sword at you.”

When she had a rough idea, Adele couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. She thought it was the Princess, but it was the Saint, huh? She had tested the waters just in case, and his eyes wavered. Robert was particularly bad at lying to her. His eyes always flickered when he was hiding something, and Adele gritted her teeth, noticing the subtle movement.

“…Well, Robert. I’ll commend you for making me angry.”

She didn’t mind that he hadn’t contacted her. She mostly understood why he had contacted her in that way. But she couldn’t forgive the fact that something else had happened in the meantime. He had said he had hoped she would fight back with all her might. It was fortunate that he had thought that way. Now, she could finally be truly angry at Robert.

Whoosh-

Flames, burning more brilliantly than usual, engulfed Adele’s body. Mana stemmed from a person’s emotions. She couldn’t use her full strength when she was depressed or sad, and she became faster and lighter when she was happy. Naturally, she was at her strongest when she was angry. The mana that burned like flames disappeared quickly, but it exerted a power stronger than at any other time.

It was a power that even created the illusion that the surrounding space was distorting. The snow-covered ground melted, and light flickered in Adele’s eyes as she glared at Robert. It was too much to call it a misunderstanding, considering what he had done with Adriana, and Robert, smiling wryly, had no choice but to draw his sword.

He had thought it would be best to clash head-on with all their might, but he wasn’t sure whether to consider this a good thing or a bad thing.

“I always thought… that something like this might happen someday.”

“…Sorry-”

“I’m not saying this because I want to hear an apology. I’m just saying… I was too late.”

It was too late for regrets. While she hadn’t been aware, the foxes had already taken their seats, so those seats couldn’t be as clean as before. But Robert… Adele’s eyes turned cold as she recalled her memories, and at the same time, her mana began to surge even more fiercely. It was a power that even Robert couldn’t ignore now.

🚨 Important Notice 🚨

---

); }

Would she have been by his side if she had grabbed Robert a little sooner? Would things have been different if she had forced him to become her adjutant when he first came to the North? Adele shook her head at the distracting thoughts that grew stronger as she tried to erase her regrets and charged forward, stomping on the ground. Crash- Faster than the wind, the speed of a swordsman who had drawn on all their mana was no longer comparable to the wind.

Clang-

Robert lightly parried the blow, and their eyes met between their swords. Countless emotions flashed through their eyes in that brief moment, and the emotions that had flared up simultaneously began to subside. But their swords didn’t stop.

Irritation, jealousy, anger, envy. The swords, infused with those complex emotions, created new emotions with each clash. She swung her sword to release her own emotions, and to properly complete the plan he had envisioned, but the emotions that melted away in their shared gaze were enough to make her forget her anger for a moment.

“It seems I’ve made you angry after such a long time, I apologize.”

Robert, wielding his sword with a composure different from before, said so as their swords rained down on each other. Adele frowned, averted her gaze slightly, and casually deflected his sword. She was annoyed, but at the same time, she was also happy to see him after so long. This made her feel like she was the one who had lost.

But she could clearly see one intention in his eyes.

Adele smiled faintly at his will to save her, no matter what.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

[Translator Notes]

[Your Text Here]

---