Love Letter From The Future

Chapter 271: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (64)

It was a sight hard to believe even when seen with one's own eyes.

A man was charging forward on his own.

Countless Flesh Globs blocked his path. Every time that happened, blood burst forth, tracing a path of fresh blood.

Crushing, smashing and sometimes leaping over.

Despite clearing countless obstacles as he advanced,he never slowed down.

It was too impressive a feat to be that of a mere swordsman.

Even for those who had reached the level of Expert, there were limits.

Unless they were monsters known as 'Masters,' an individual could not stand against an army. This was because physical strength and mana had their limits.

However, there was something fundamentally different about that man's actions.

All living beings possess an instinct for self-preservation.

This was no different even for a martial artist who had reached the peak. In fact, the higher their position, the better they knew how to protect themselves.

Thus, it was impossible for an individual to face an army.

It was something that could only be done by dodging and counter attacking blows coming from all directions. Just to keep one's body intact required an extreme expenditure of mental power.

However, the way that man fought seemed as if he was eager to push himself to his very limits.

It was as if he didn't care what happened to his own body.

Blood oozed from the scratches and torn wounds.

His clothes had long since been reduced to tatters, and his entire body was so covered in blood that it was impossible to discern where he had been injured.

The skilled individuals in the evacuation procession all maintained their silence.

By enhancing their eyesight, they could achieve superhuman vision. They were all simultaneously watching the man's charge.

Of course, there were some who were impressed by his desperate struggle.

However, the majority felt the exact opposite.

"Fucking crazy…"

It was unclear whether the sound was one of admiration or lamentation.

Reynold uttered a curse for the first time in a while. The sight before him was enough to make him doubt his own eyesight.

Is he sane?

This question was shared not only by Reynold but by everyone watching the man's actions.

A battle was not something where the outcome could be decided by resolve or will alone.

If the world were that easy, everyone would be writing their own heroic tales.

In critical moments, the difference in mental strength could sometimes determine life or death. After all, battles between skilled fighters often hinged on the slimmest of margins.

However the enemy the man had to face was not human.

It was a monster straight out of legends, and there wasn't just one enemy.

Soon, the resurrected corpses would rise again.

This meant an army of corpses, including the Flesh Globs, would form. It was by no means something one could face alone.

It was tantamount to a suicide attempt.

If it had been someone else, Reynold might have been mocking their recklessness. But the problem was that the foolish man happened to be Ian.

He immediately looked around.

As the skilled individuals leading the procession stopped, the refugees also halted, murmuring among themselves.

All they could see was the the blood spreading in the distance.

Yet, they quickly grasped the general situation.

The atmosphere had been so somber.

Someone was attempting an impossible feat.

Among the refugees who realised this, voices emerged, speculating on the identity of the unfortunate challenger.

Unbeknownst to them, the Second Young Master whom they adored dearly, was running towards his peril.

It was fortunate that the refugees didn't recognize the man's identity.

Unlike them, those who realised who he was reacted immediately.

"Master!"

It was a cry of desperation.

The source of the voice was none other than Elsie, who had been accompanying Reynold.

She was already stomping her feet with her eyes wide open.

As if poised to dash out at any moment.

Reynold, as if expecting this, tightly shut his eyes.

The situation was no different elsewhere.

"Ian!"

The Saintess even shook off Yuren's grip on her arm, who was holding onto her, and stepped forward.

Yuren also placed his hand on his forehead, as if he had a headache.

An anxious look was apparent in the Saintess's expression.

She was glancing around furtively, seeming to want to run out right then.

Celine even grabbed her sword, ready to dash off.

The one who stopped them was Arthur, the Imperial Administrator.

"...Stop!"

The women who had been hesitating stopped in their tracks.

As their attention turned to him, Arthur spoke in a bitter voice.

"Are you all out of your mind? Surely, you don't intend to join that fight, do you?"

"No, but master is out there right now...!"

"He'll be back soon enough."

There was certainty in Arthur's words.

And certainty tends to add persuasiveness.

The group's attention momentarily turned to him.

"Young Master Ian is not a fool either. Right now, for whatever reason, he's charging at that monster, but..."

As Arthur spoke, he subtly shifted his gaze somewhere else.

A colossal body, towering over tens of metres, was stomping around.

The monster seemed to welcome the challenger's presence.

Its head, composed of hundreds, if not thousands, of faces, erupted into maniacal laughter all at once.

A flash of intense fear crossed Arthur's eyes.

The mere sight of that grotesque creature instilled terror in the living.

It was an instinctual reaction.

Arthur swallowed hard and continued speaking.

"...He'll realise the reality soon enough."

"And if he doesn't?"

Immediately came the Saintess's sharp retort.

The usually benevolent woman changed as soon as her beloved man was involved.

Her light pink eyes now even had a chilling glint in them.

She asked Arthur again.

"What if he doesn't give up and keeps fighting?"

"That's unlikely. Where would there be a reason to risk one's life in a fight with no chance of winning?"

Arthur continued, almost pleading.

"Instead, we should secure an escape route to ensure Young Master Ian's safety when he retreats. I'm not suggesting we abandon him, but that we should move more efficiently."

"...But Ian Oppa isn't that kind of person."

It was an abruptly spoken sentence.

Arthur's gaze followed the speaker. There, black hair was fluttering.

It was Celine.

Among those with a say here, she was the one who knew Ian best.

"Right now, Ian Oppa looks serious... When he's like that, no one can stop him."

"How can you be so sure?"

Of course, Arthur didn't easily fall for Celine's words.

He wanted to leave this place immediately.

In fact, if Ian hadn't been the holder of the Dragonblood Script, he might have suggested abandoning him and fleeing.

He was a desk bound scholar, not a man with grand ambitions or an unshakeable heart.

He was just an ordinary administrator.

It was difficult for him to maintain composure in such a crisis situation.

"Miss Haster, can you clearly see Young Master Ian right now?"

"T-That I can't, but..."

Celine's face flushed with shame, and she lowered her head.

Among the group, she was the only one who seemed unable to see Ian.

It was because her skills were still not sufficient to detect him.

Feeling as if her shortcomings were being exposed to everyone, Celine lowered her gaze.

Unlike Celine, who suddenly became depressed, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

"No matter how close you are, it's hard to understand Sir Ian's feelings from this distance. Rather, if we need to ask for an opinion... Sir Reynold."

Reynold's indifferent eyes turned towards Arthur.

He was a powerful figure who reached the level of Archmage.

Naturally, he could observe Ian's struggle in detail from here.

While Elsie and the Saintess could only capture a rough outline, it was different for him. His eyes could vividly catch even Ian's determined expression.

If the power Saintess possessed had been mana instead of holy power, it might have been different.

However, the Saintess was specialised in healing and support, her own power was not strong. Even now, she was barely able to detect Ian by relying on sense enhancement magic.

Reynold thoughtfully cast his gaze.

By then, Ian had already closed the distance to the Corpse Giant to less than half of what it initially was.

No matter how one looked, it didn't seem like he intended to give up halfway.

But there was something peculiar about it.

Could he be aiming for something?

It was an excessively reckless way to fight, but even so, his face didn’t show the desperation of someone ready to throw away their life.

Reynold pondered deeply at this moment.

Should I trust Ian’s strategy or not?

If he chose the former, it was right to mobilise all forces immediately.

Conversely, if he chose the latter, it would be correct to side with Arthur at this point.

If it goes on like this, Ian will surely die.

Reynold wasn't enough of a bad person to watch a young man with a bright future die.

But more than that, he had been weathered by all sorts of storms of time.

Hope and determination were too old-fashioned concepts for him.

They had been forgotten along with the woman he had once truly loved.

And most importantly, Reynold was a member of the Rinella family.

Count Rinella would never want to deploy valuable forces at this point in time.

Upholding the will of the Head of the Family was the duty of a noble.

Even if it meant adding a slight lie to do so.

With a bitter inward smile, he said,

"...It looks like he's confronting it out of sheer stubbornness. He's already showing signs of hesitation. It would be better to dispatch a few elites to secure an escape route."

What if he doesn't return even after securing an escape route?

That was irrelevant.

He was a man who lost his territory and whose family was entangled with the Dark Order.

Though his skills were commendable, if he insisted on committing suicide, the Rinella family had no reason to bear the loss.

At Reynold's statement, the women showed a sign of softening a little.

Unlike Arthur, Reynold, a seasoned veteran, appeared trustworthy even at a glance.

However, it didn't take long for the atmosphere to change again.

Woooooooooo-!

The Corpse Giant, which had been moving slowly until just now, suddenly began to sprint.

Dozens of Flesh Globs were crushed under its feet, but the Corpse Giant didn't care at all.

It simply ran and ran, stopping right in front of Ian.

And then its enormous fist plunged into the ground.

It was a scene comparable to a meteor impact.

The group's eyes widened instantly.

"....Master!"

Along with Elsie's wail, the world shook with a thunderous boom.

The man was facing off a legendary monster by himself.