FSFSLU 62

chapter 62

Maybe it’s because I don’t see her often.

Isabelle’s expression is incredibly striking.

Even just seeing her through the glass window makes my chest ache.

The first time Isabelle received the holy mark was during the undead parade, a major event in the middle of The Long Story. Using that mark, she saved countless lives.

Even so, Isabelle couldn’t simply feel joy.

There’s a line she said in The Long Story:

“If only I had received the holy mark just a little sooner…”

It’s true that she sometimes looks foolish, but the regret and sorrow she endured aren’t much different from other returning protagonists in other works.

The thing Isabelle was happiest about when starting the second cycle was the belief that this time, she could save the people who had died.

Yet, despite beginning the second cycle and struggling so much, the “dark fantasy” core of The Long Story seems unwilling to change.

“……”

Since becoming an angel, I’ve lost some aspects of being human—my masculinity, my appetite, things like that.

My fear of death is similar. A normal human would panic and flee at the sight of death, but I don’t feel that strong a resistance anymore.

Still, seeing that massive golem rise inside the protective barrier, even through the glass reflecting Isabelle… my knees tremble. And with everyone running in the opposite direction, I feel the urge to shout at Isabelle to run immediately.

“Your expression doesn’t look good.”

Yuga’s voice was calm. I snapped my head toward her.

She looks at the emotions I’m feeling as if she’s never experienced them herself.

Well, she’s not human—she’s a magical sword. No wonder.

“What are you going to do? Your master is searching for you.”

“……”

Getting angry at Yuga now would be pointless. But isn’t it a bit much for her to deliberately rattle me when she clearly knows how I feel?

Sigh.

What should I do?

Let’s consider the possibilities. What if Isabelle removes the barrier? The three massive golems stationed on the eastern, western, and southern walls will immediately march in.

And if I just stay here? The steel golem inside the barrier will wreak havoc.

Isabelle’s holy protective barrier blocks attacks from outside, but it doesn’t let anyone inside break through at will. According to The Long Story, breaking out of a holy protective barrier requires power strong enough to counteract the barrier’s divine backlash.

In other words, Isabelle could end up throwing citizens and the steel golem into the arena.

Damn it.

Is there no way to pull just that golem out while keeping the barrier intact?

Teleportation magic? No, teleporting such a massive magical creature is nearly impossible.

Once that golem finishes merging, it’ll start moving toward the city center. Even now, a lure spell atop the spire is pulling it. If that spell ends, the steel golem might invade another town entirely.

Wait a second.

If I do this right… maybe it could work.

Then suddenly—

“Ah!”

I startled without realizing it.

Was it luck? Or does believing in people really have power?

The mismatched pieces clicked perfectly.

“Agent Isabelle! Run!”

“Ah, miss! You’re still here! There’s a patient!”

Bishop Evan of Casteltina Church, who had run off to help the wounded.

And Denk, carrying the unconscious Konas, running toward Isabelle.

Seeing them, I finally saw a way to resolve this situation.

Of course, it was a plan full of holes, barely holding together.

But right now, it seemed like the only option.

So…

I displayed a quest in Isabelle’s mind.

[Quest Activated]

[Relay all messages from Smiel to Lize, Denk, and Evan without omission. (0/1)]

Then…

I bit my lip.

I knew it wasn’t a perfect plan, and I had already spotted a crucial flaw.

Isabelle didn’t know, but I could partially see the battlefield through the glass. I knew the other massive golems hadn’t been destroyed—or even half-destroyed. Lister, who could’ve destroyed a massive golem, had recoiled upon seeing its infinite regeneration.

Even if this plan looks plausible, what if the steel golem reunites after being destroyed? Then what?

No, there is a way.

I looked at Yuga, who returned my gaze with a disapproving expression and sighed.

“Yes, it’s possible. The essence of magic swords is chaos. I specialize in breaking and interfering.”

As expected.

The golem can move and recombine, which means the power maintaining its fusion is strong.

But if I use the chaotic essence of a magic sword—cut the golem with it—it might not be able to recombine. Yuga confirmed my suspicion.

Then only one problem remains.

In a city with thousands of residents, publicly swinging a magic sword with Isabelle… is this really the right choice for the future?

To be honest, I could just let the citizens die. Isabelle has the means to protect herself.

I could save only Lize and Denk, maybe even Lister, and flee before the city is destroyed. No one could blame Isabelle—after all, she’s already saved countless citizens.

All the work would be done. No reputation would be harmed. Running away seems like the best choice.

Damn.

The obvious answer, fitting for a returning protagonist, is right in front of me.

But I don’t want to force Isabelle into it.

So…

“……”

I sent her the last two quests.

[After completing the above two quests, create a barrier enclosing only the golems and yourself. (0/1)]

[Cast all possible blessings upon yourself and wait for Smiel’s descent. (0/1)]

Isabelle continues focusing on surrounding the city with the barrier.

Yet I think she noticed the quests I sent.

I thought I heard a small voice respond.

“Thank you, Smiel.”

I chuckled and stood up.

There’s nothing more I can do now. If Isabelle doesn’t follow my instructions, Smiel’s descent won’t matter.

All I can do now is ensure that when the descent happens, she can act without hesitation.

Only practice remains.

Yet holding the sword and looking at Yuga, her expression was strange.

It wasn’t the tired, disdainful, or bored look I was used to… what was that expression?

It seemed to ask, “I don’t understand,” or perhaps she was strangely intrigued.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…I thought you wouldn’t hesitate for your goal.”

“Why?”

“Why? Aren’t you supposed to have a conscience, angel? You acted like you’d do anything to stop the Demon King’s resurrection.”

Did I? Or did Yuga just see me as an angel in that light?

“I thought you’d tell your master to run.”

“Why would I? There are too many to protect.”

“…Huh.”

Yuga shook her head and looked straight at me.

“Loosen the restrictions a bit.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“To practice.”

A violet spark flashed in Yuga’s eyes. She looked even more excited than before.

“You haven’t forgotten that I can become anything, have you?”

“Oh, you don’t mean…”

“I’ll become a golem. About this size. Practice with me.”

Is that your sense of aesthetics, Yuga? Confusing.

Even though we’ve been together since Isabelle drew her sword, I still don’t fully understand Yuga’s mindset.

She seems to just do whatever she wants.

I slightly loosened the restrictions as Yuga wanted. Soon, she transformed into a massive golem, like the one I saw through the glass earlier. It was terrifying, as if it could engulf the entire unique space.

Wow… still terrifying.

I almost wanted to beg her to return to her beautiful human form.

“Now… Angel?”

Her low, booming voice echoed through the space.

Yuga looked down at me from sixty meters above, saying in a terrifying tone:

“Try me.”

Denk, carrying the unconscious Konas, ran breathlessly toward Isabelle. But soon he panicked. Isabelle wasn’t telling him to flee—she was telling him to resolve the situation.

“Miss, are you serious?”

Unlike Isabelle, Denk, resting against the Casteltina walls, had witnessed the spire disassembling into a steel golem.

It was a truly unprecedented, terrifying sight.

But Isabelle was determined to move forward.

He wanted to stop her. A naive young lady was about to cause chaos again; stopping her seemed the only way.

So, when they heard her recite her plan as if reading from a script while shooting a pillar of light into the sky, they were surprised but ultimately decided to follow her.

Thus… the beginning of that absurd, massive plan fell to Evan.

He received Isabelle’s Angelus Rod and slowly approached her.

Facing Isabelle, he placed the Angelus Rod atop the pillar of light she raised with her hands.

Then—

Bang!

He drove the Angelus Rod into the ground, taking on Isabelle’s protective barrier.

Isabelle’s plan was clear. Her divine power and the cross she distributed using Lize were intact. Entrusting the barrier to Evan allowed Isabelle to rush into battle with Lize.

“Evan, can you do it?”

“Yes, this much…!”

Isabelle smiled slightly and tapped her knees, signaling Lize to mount. Lize sighed and lifted her.

“I understand the plan, but why are you fighting the golem directly?”

“If I don’t fight, the golem will recombine even if destroyed!”

Lize sighed deeply and followed Isabelle’s instructions, carrying her.

And they ran.

“Wow, sister! Let’s go!”

“Shut up…”

Evan didn’t glance at them. Maintaining the holy barrier demanded his full attention.

Thanks to Isabelle transferring the holy power into the Angelus Rod, his burden was lessened, but it was still exhausting.

‘How can the agent maintain this and still converse so calmly?’

From now on, he must never release the barrier until the signal.

For that, he poured all his holy power into the Angelus Rod.

Lize carried Isabelle toward the golem while Evan maintained the barrier.

Denk placed the unconscious Konas on the crate Lize had been using and hurried toward the spire.

But it seemed too late. Young mages were already pouring down the spire.

“…!”

Exactly what Isabelle feared was happening.

If the mages released the lure magic, the golem would run amok. So, they were supposed to stay no matter what—even if the golem came near the spire.

But fear overtook them; they forgot their duty and fled.

Denk noticed something strange.

Before the defense, Denk had counted six mages assigned to lure the golem.

Now only five had fled.

As Denk hesitated, they had already gotten far away, perhaps using magic to speed their escape.

It was do-or-die. Denk prayed the remaining mage was still at the spire.

And there she was.

“Ah… ah…”

A female mage sat, sobbing, sustaining a magical orb in her hand.

Jane.

“Oh? You’re back…!”

Jane spun to see Denk, realized he wasn’t a mage, and nearly wailed.

Then Denk understood.

The six mages from Wictina were tasked with luring the golem. But the steel golem inside the barrier was unexpected.

Five fled, leaving Jane, unable to stop the spell or escape, crying here.

Jane, seeing Denk, wept with a flushed face.

“You… take me with you…”

“…What?”

“That golem… it’s coming for me… I’m scared…”

Her trembling voice held no pride or confidence.

Seeing this, Denk became angry.

He knew the six mages had a reason to be together. Yet five had irresponsibly left Jane to handle everything.

After witnessing Konas’ struggles in defense and clashing with cowardly guards like Trevor, Denk’s anger boiled over.

He bit his lip, swallowing a curse.

“What did you say?”

Jane asked in a frightened voice. Denk glanced at her and walked toward the stairs leading down.

“I’m not scolding you. Focus on the spell.”

“But… I said take me with you!”

“If you stop, everyone here will die. You know that.”

Jane inhaled sharply. True. That’s why she couldn’t leave.

“Hold it a little longer. Strong people are dealing with the golem.”

“How… how can they handle that…?”

“I’ll take responsibility. Just maintain your spell. You can look away if it’s hard.”

Denk left, disappearing down the stairs. Jane steadied her breath and peered cautiously.

She thought she made eye contact with the golem.

Golems have no eyes, but they can sense objects. They always move toward the direction their head points.

So Jane felt the golem moving toward her.

If she maintained the spell, the steel golem would track her until completely destroyed. She had to throw it away immediately. No matter the mission, no matter the value of others’ lives—her life mattered most.

Yet Jane couldn’t abandon the spell.

She glanced down.

At the hut that morning, a small priest atop a large woman had rushed toward the golem. Jane had seen it.

She didn’t want to see it.

Had she only seen fleeing people, she could’ve excused herself. But she saw someone advancing.

“……”

Jane wiped her tear-stained eyes with her free hand.

And with furious eyes, she thought of the hateful faces of the five mages who had fled.

She would trust them. She would trust the small priest who ran into danger while everyone else fled. She would trust all combatants.

She would maintain the lure spell, divert the golem’s attention, let the combatants destroy it, and lead them to victory.

‘I’ll throw those bastards who abandoned me in prison.’

Hatred can sometimes be a powerful motivator.

Jane understood this and poured even more magic into the orb with her blazing eyes.

In the city center, Isabelle, Lize, Denk, and Evan explained and executed their plan.

Someone was listening.

“……”

With exceptional senses, Galtan caught several details from their shouts:

The massive golems were blocked, but a 60-meter steel golem appeared along the Casteltina walls inside the barrier.

The unique angel who had helped Isabelle find the holy sword gave new instructions.

Following those instructions required rushing toward the steel golem immediately.

Breath quickened. Heart pounded. Why?

Was it fear the golem would advance? Fear of dying in the hut?

No.

It was the voice.

“As long as you wish to possess the holy sword, my words will bind you.”

The voice he’d heard at the Dragon’s Lair on the day the Galtan Knights fell.

Etched deep in his mind. An unyielding decree.

Why did it come to mind now?

He realized why.

He wanted to leave the hut.

For the first time since beginning his seclusion. Why now? Why resist the decree?

Perhaps it was…

“Wow, sister! Let’s go!”

Isabelle’s cheerful cry outside the hut.

She followed the angel’s instructions; that’s why she’s called an agent. But she didn’t just follow blindly. She had acted on her own judgment in teaching Galtan about the holy sword.

Once he heard Isabelle’s shout through his extrasensory perception, he longed for his past self.

And so he first attempted to resist the decree.

“As long as I wish to possess the holy sword, I’m trapped?”

“Then I can leave now.”

“I will no longer be trapped. The sword has found its rightful owner through Isabelle. The true owner has appeared; I no longer seek the sword.”

“So your decree can no longer affect me, Karasko!”

Karasko, the dragon known as the White Moon Dragon and the master of the lair the Galtan Knights invaded. For the first time, Galtan defied his decree. He growled, clawed, bit, and tore. His resistance was more a thrashing than anything else. It suited him.

His final act of defiance targeted the hut’s doorknob.

Sunlight poured in as he opened the door, making him squint. A massive dizziness struck.

Still, he gritted his teeth and stepped outside.

Something caught his foot.

He looked down and saw it.

Konas had left a cross in front of the door, capable of transferring Isabelle’s blessings.

‘Konas…’

His eyes burned.

Thinking of the one who had waited outside the door for him made his chest ache.

He picked it up and ran with all his strength.