Chapter 549

After the occupation of Serendia, the Allied forces' camp was a strange mix of excitement and joy for their victory, and despair and sadness for their fallen comrades. The Allied forces had to stop not only to rest for the winter, but also to identify the bodies and give them proper funerals. However, many bodies, including that of Delphin Izard, were not found. Ellen and Saviole Tanah, as well as Heinrich and the elite soldiers of the Allied forces, who had left to secure the safety of Serendia, were finally able to return. Louise von Schwarze had to deal with monsters and had only just returned from her Master Class. She told Heinrich to rest, but he asked if he could check on his friends. Louise hesitated but eventually agreed. She had a lot of responsibilities as a commander, especially after killing the two brothers herself. There were confirmed deaths, such as Delphin Izard and Cardina Ein, but there were also those who had not returned and were presumed dead, such as Ard de Gritys. Adriana and Ludina, along with the third-year students who had been waiting for their long-absent classmate, could only cry when they found out that Ard had died.

"He'll come back! He might be in another camp! Why do you think he's dead? He might not be!"

"Ludina... please..."

Ludina shed tears of hatred for the world, and Adriana also cried, holding Ludina tightly, unable to contain her suppressed sobs.

Adriana couldn't accept Ard's death and had left the temple for a while. But she couldn't help but feel that Ard was not only a precious friend but also a comrade. They were devastated by his death.

The Royal Class was small, and most of the combatants were highly skilled, so there were no more casualties or missing persons than that. It was inevitable that casualties would occur among the lower grades. The first-year students had already lost three people in this war, and with Cardina Ein's death in this battle, they now had the fewest numbers among all grades.

Because the Royal Class was small, the death of anyone was inevitably more devastating. Under the leadership of the teachers and priests, a funeral was held. The bodies of Delphin Izard and Ard de Gritys, except for Cardina Ein, could not be found. Ludwig knew that Delphin's body could not be found the moment he saw her die. Finding Delphin's torn body was even more horrific. Delphin, who had awakened the rare power of Elemental Magic, the only power in the world, had met a senseless death. That was how anyone on this battlefield could not be safe. Some were crying in the midst of someone's death, feeling a strange fate that they might someday face that death themselves. Ludwig, with his right arm wrapped in bandages, was staring blankly at the funeral. Scarlet was also sobbing, watching the funeral without a body. Christina and Louis Ancton were trying to comfort Scarlet, who was breathing heavily and unable to breathe properly. Scarlet was as miserable as Ludwig. Although the process was that Scarlet saved Ludwig first, she jumped in to save herself when Ludwig fainted and lost his arm, and finally, even Delphin lost his life. It was inevitable that Scarlet blamed herself for everything. Scarlet couldn't overcome her guilt and even went so far as to strangle herself in her room until Ellen sensed it and rushed in to stop her. That's right. There are people who can't fight because they're dead. There are also people who can't fight anymore because they've suffered irreparable injuries. Ludwig was the latter. Ludwig, who had lost his arm, was staring blankly at the empty funeral. Delphin Izard. He was Ludwig's first friend, along with Ryan Cesore. Ludwig was staring blankly at the funeral with empty eyes. Delphin Izard was one of Ludwig's closest friends, along with Ryan Cesore. Ludwig couldn't help but feel that his weakness had caused Delphin's death. Ludwig's right arm was now gone, and he couldn't do everything he used to do. He wondered if he would be able to fight again. He remembered a quote he had heard before, "Saying you did your best is just an excuse for losing. But I did my best, so I'll do better next time. Isn't that just creating a place to run away for the loser?" He realized that the culprit behind all of this was his own weakness. "I used to be able to say that I respected him. The day I asked for guidance because I thought I would lose in the tournament, the Demon King said that. Ludwig doesn't know whether the Demon King was hiding his strength or not. Revenge for all of this is not his. There are too many people who are better than him in the world. Killing monsters was the only thing allowed and possible, but he lost Delphin and his right arm because he couldn't even do that. The Demon King is a hateful existence, and if possible, he hopes for a chance for revenge, but he doesn't even hope for that. He hates the Demon King. But that quote from back then is as true as not making excuses for losing. He lost his arm, but he still has his left arm. He lost Delphin, but if he gives up here, he will lose someone else and fall into another sense of powerlessness. Ludwig takes his eyes off the funeral and stands up from his seat. Then he heads towards his weapon and grips his sword with his left hand. It was a strange feeling. His body balance was off without his right arm. He doesn't know if he can fight with just his left arm. 'Yes...' He didn't need to say that he would try. 'Reinhardt.' Ludwig, who held the sword awkwardly with his left hand, points the sword at the air. He had returned with that mindset. Someone like me. I can do it. This is all I can do. He had regressed to the mindset of the past that only wanted small satisfaction in front of too much despair and fearful beings. That's why he was weak. He knew that he couldn't be as strong as his mindset, but with a small mindset, he could only gain small strength. Then, he needs to have a bigger mindset. Different from before. Even if the result is already determined, he needs to think that he can do everything. The culprit of all this. The symbol of all this sadness, hatred, and despair. He even gave up on all the thoughts because he thought it was Ellen's role. He lost his right arm and only has his left arm, but Ludwig is determined. He may not be able to be the Demon King's opponent. He may not be able to reach the one who became a being in the sky. According to the words from back then that said to make a determination for victory, not an excuse for defeat, that is impossible with excuses prepared for defeat. No, it's not even defeat. He doesn't even think he can fight, so it's an excuse for running away. He abandons such excuses, such cowardice, and resignation. 'I...' While recalling the Demon King's words. 'No.' While recalling the Demon King's teachings. 'I will...' Ludwig makes a determination. 'Kill you.'" The moment Ludwig vowed not to give up, gripping his sword with his left hand and turning away from the funeral, Ellen sat in the barracks feeling the weight of the deaths of her peers and seniors. Despite the military's declaration of a great victory, Ellen couldn't understand what victory truly meant when faced with the tragedy that lay behind it. She couldn't bear to watch the funeral, not because she was afraid of feeling the deaths of her peers, but because she felt responsible for their deaths. The guilt weighed heavily on her, and she even saw Scarlet attempting to take her own life out of guilt for the deaths of Delphin and Ludwig. Ellen stopped Scarlet, but realized that she too was struggling with suicidal thoughts due to her overwhelming sense of guilt. "I wish I was never born. If I wasn't born, none of this would have happened. Maybe my existence itself is wrong. 'If only I...if only I didn't exist...' " Despite stopping Scarlet from attempting suicide, Ellen was alone in the barracks, constantly blaming herself. As the war intensified, the guilt only deepened. The news of the Royal Class through Sarkagar was shocking. Ard, who had a conflict with Ellen at the beginning of the semester, went missing and was presumed dead. First-year student Cardina Ein died, Delphin Isard died, and Ludwig lost his right arm. Ellen couldn't help but feel the weight of someone's death and a fatal injury due to variables. She wondered if Ludwig could also die in battle or if he had become irrelevant to the story. She questioned if she had taken too much from him by possessing Alspringer.