Chapter 18: You Still Have To Die.
"Huff... Huff..."
I took in several, deep breaths as the adrenaline within me slowly abbed away.
"...."
Taking in the view of my surroundings- from the carnage, to the splintered bones and rumpled organs.
I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
Then-
"Huuu..."
My gaze snapped to my surroundings.
The battlefield was littered with the mangled corpses of the larvae and-
Zzzzrr~
A cold glint flashed across my eyes.
It was finally time to give the treacherous bastard just what he deserves.
My gaze flicked to Anarzel who sat on the blood-soaked ground, his chest heaving up and down as the adrenaline within him, moments prior, slowly ebbed away.
Step...
Step...
Each step I took sent tremors rippling through his chest
Standing before Anarzel, I coldly glanced at him.
"If it isn't the treacherous bastard," I said, taking one step towards him, the pounding of his chest echoing in my ears. "So... have you decided?"
".....?!"
Anarzel grimaced. "Decided on what?"
Now on his feet, his resolute gaze lingered on me, each second in the stifling silence sent dread rippling through him.
***
...He knew it had already come to this. All his efforts to stop Roselle from escaping had all come to naught. And now-
Thump... Thump...
One of them had to come out of here-
"On how you want to die..."
Alive.
Klaus said word for word, each word radiating intense killing intent.
But,
"Haa..." Anarzel simply smiled. "You know something?"
"...."
Klaus scowled.
Anarzel continued anyway, seemingly speaking to himself, than to anyone else.
"I always had high hopes. In fact, I was filled with the highest expectations," he said with a weak smile. "Ever since we were just mere kids, you displayed astonishing potential, and everyone expected so much from you Roselle. And us- we were just mere extras in your grand story."
"Hahahaha," Anarzel laughed, the sound raw and hoarse in the stifling silence. "I-It was almost as if you were the main character of some fictional story, and w-we were just mere fillers."
"....?!"
Klaus said nothing, his nonchalant gaze boring a chilling hole through Anarzel.
A light, hollow laugh escaped Anarzel's lips, the pain in his chest intensifying with each word. "The time of awakening eventually came and like no one would expect of us, o-of me. I awakened the highest esper talent of our generation. You know... from that moment, I thought everything would change."
"Haa..." A weak smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "At that moment, I thought everyone would finally look up to me. But that never happened. They all still looked up to you. They all still adored you."
Despite the heavy feeling pressing down on his chest, his smile grew brighter. "Even with your weak talent- you showed me just why they all respected you. You proved that your wits and brain were by far, the most dangerous weapons in your possession."
"So... I followed you Roselle. Even as the empire crumbled under your reign. I never left you. I always followed you."
Drip-! Drip-!
Tears came freely now, his eyes eerily red as the pain in his chest intensified multiple fold. "I always did."
"But, at that moment, I had to choose," he said, his voice cracking.
"I had to pick Roselle," he said weakly as tears gushed out uncontrollably. "I had to pick between you or... my wife and daughters."
"I had to..." he repeated, his voice growing weaker with each word.
Trembling~
And with-
Clench!
Tightly clenched hands, his knees showed signs of buckling as a quiet sob broke out of his chest.
***
Indeed, months before the battle began with the Napoleon Empire, Anarzel's wife and daughters went missing.
The empire did everything in its prowess to find them. To get them back. But, it was all to no avail. All their search ended up in dead ends. It was almost as if his daughters and wife had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. But who would have thought...
They were all taken as captives by Napoleon.
Subconsciously, a smile tugged at the corner of my lips as the memories of the war flashed across my mind.
The nonchalance Napoleon displayed in the battle to Anarzel ordering for a retreat to his non commitment to the battle.
Everything was starting to make sense.
It all now made sense.
But even then-
Zzzrrrr~
My cold gaze still lingered on him.
And my words... remain unchanged.
Taking a step forward, "You still have to die, Anarzel." I calmly said.
"Haa..." A light smile crept up his face.
Guess it still came to this.
His gaze flicked towards me, his eyes growing moist. "There's no need for that Roselle."
".....?!"
"I just want you to know I've always respected and admired you- as much as I'd been jealous of you." his weak smile seemed to illuminate the darkness clouding his heart, if only for a single moment. "If you do eventually get strong enough. I do hope that you save Mia and my daughters. And-"
He broke off, tears streaking down the corner of his face as a terrifying pain pierced right through his heart.
"T-tell them that I'm sorry."
And just then-
No....!
My eyes widened.
"Bastard!" I surged forward in an instant. But-
Puchi-!
I was still a second late.
He collapsed in my arms, a weak smile still adorning his face even in his last moments.
"I'm sorry Emperor... I'm sorry..." his voice cracked as he spoke, tears streaming down his eyes.
In that moment, I felt his pain and the various conflicting emotions warring within him.
The loyalty he held towards Roselle to the love he held for his family. They all came together to form the current Anarzel.
They all came together to give birth to what he'd become.