Chapter 698

Anna and Louis came to an unreachable place. Their relationship ended with the disappearance of the Gradias Empire. Although Berthus is wanted, Anna and Louis are not. All information related to Immortal is buried under the surface, so Louis and Anna are not wanted. However, it seemed that both of them had disappeared from the world. Anna and Berthus' promise was to kill Christina. Berthus wanted to die but couldn't. After Anna and Louis disappeared, they found Berthus and Tana hiding in the present time. However, they couldn't be happy about the reunion. The Shanael and Gradias Imperial Wizards were disbanded by the Emperor before the empire disappeared. The whereabouts of the wizards were up to them after the last battle in Diane. Some may have found their own way, while others may have lived somewhere hiding their past. Some of them have entrusted themselves to the new empire that has passed a lot of time, and some have entrusted themselves to the half-demon forces of the human autonomous territory. Most of the wizards of the Shanael and the Imperial Wizards disappeared. Anna is gathering these scattered wizards and Shanael to create a society like the Black Order or Kantus Magna. Berthus is surprised and asks why she is doing this, but Anna doesn't give a clear answer. "People who couldn't be incorporated into the new empire are scattered. There are too many people who have things they can do but are just hiding and wasting away. It's a loss for humanity...no, for people."

"Some of those people are just waiting to die in hopeless and futureless autonomous regions. It's meaningless."

"There are more things we can do together than scattered. I've gathered them for now."

"There will be a lot we can do. We can even exterminate monsters that are out of reach of people."

"Like the Black Order, we can do things that the new empire can't do in secret."

"But in most cases, we will be bystanders if it's not something that everyone needs."

"In our generation, we will create this organization and pass on our work to the next generation."

"It's best if we don't have anything to do, but there may be a moment when we are needed. I've gathered people."

"That's all."

"I don't care about whether this is right or wrong."

"I did my best, just like you did yours."

Powerful individuals are stronger when they are together than when they are scattered.

That's why the use of their power is not yet specific, but it's too wasteful for those people to live scattered in the night with so much they can do.

Anna has gathered them.

The Black Order disappeared.

But a new Black Order has been created.

The knights and wizards of the disappeared empire become a secret society for the new empire.

Talk of what's right or wrong is meaningless.

Just like Berthus ran away.

Anna did something too.

Berthus was surprised, but he didn't feel angry.

When the empire disappeared, the Emperor's authority over Shanael and the Imperial Wizards also disappeared.

It was their choice to gather with Anna.

He's just curious now.

"So, why did you come?"

What do you want from someone who has chosen the life of a fugitive and abandoned everything?

Anna's expression cannot be read, but Berthus thinks he knows what she's going to say.

"There's not enough justification."

"...Justification?"

"Yeah, justification."

Anna says quietly.

"Most of the scattered people are still following you. They think that quietly living under the new empire is following your will, most of them being loyalists of a country that no longer exists."

"Some of those people have agreed to join us, but there are more who refuse to join us because they consider it going against your will to form a group like this."

"We know where they are, but there are many people who don't want to join us."

As expected, it was what he thought she would say.

"If I join you, I can unite them all, right?"

"Yeah, and Tana Kyung is here too."

A new organization has been created.

But Anna de Gerna has no justification or qualification.

There are those who share their intentions, but there are more who refuse to join because Berthus's last order was silence.

The Emperor of the disappeared empire.

And the knights of that Emperor. "If the two of us join forces, we can easily absorb all those who hesitate to join. If we reorganize Shanael and the Imperial Mage Corps, we will become a tremendous force. Even now, they are already called the 'Kessha' and have a considerable amount of power, but if Berthus joins, as someone who has both the justification and qualification to be in the Kessha, it will be easy to gather the scattered people. Calling loyalists of the fallen empire as a single mage and calling them as an emperor of the fallen empire are different dimensions. 'And I don't think I'm suited for this. Louis is the same.' Anna has created a new power, but she doesn't consider it hers. 'I don't just want cooperation. I don't need you just for the sake of justification.' '...We trust your judgment.' 'A lot has gone wrong, but I think you did your best in your own way. And the fact that it wasn't the worst choice is being proven by the world today.' 'Lead us.' Anna is not trying to create a Kessha. She came to offer it to the Emperor of the fallen empire. It may be necessary someday. She gathered people who were too valuable to bury and people who could do something else besides burying them. Anna's role is to gather scattered people. She came to ask Berthus to take care of the rest. And she wanted to remain as one of the Kessha members. Berthus stares at Anna with a stern expression. 'To become the leader of the Kessha...?' 'Yes. We believe in your judgment.' '...' 'You ran away, but you can't wear another crown that you made for yourself.' 'That's just cowardly and pathetic.' " "I have no right to anything since the moment I abandoned all my responsibilities and ran away."

"So even if someone in this world offers me any rights or power, I have no intention of accepting or being able to accept them."

"Because the moment I abandoned everything, it was already over."

He abandoned his responsibilities.

And chose the life of a fugitive.

So now there is no right for me in my life.

That's fair.

That was Berthus' conclusion to his decision to flee.

"So I have no responsibility, no rights, and no desire for any honor in the future."

"Just surviving."

"That's all I have to do."

Berthus tightly grips Tana's hand, which is slightly held by Tana.

Tana is surprised and moves her body when Berthus grips her hand tightly.

"I'm sorry, Anna."

"I have no intention of saying whether it's right or wrong, and I don't want any rights or responsibilities for it."

"That's something you made, regardless of my will."

"Then, its rightful owner should be you, not me."

Is it criticism that something you made with your own hands should be passed on to someone else's hands?

Or is it a statement that what you did is your own achievement, so the glory and responsibility should be yours?

I just know that Berthus doesn't want to wear another crown that he made for himself.

You made a non-existent crown, so wear it yourself.

Anna and Louis are silent, of course.

"I thought you would say that."

Without blaming or attacking, Anna quietly tilts her head as if she knew the ending of this conversation before it even started.

"But are you satisfied with this?"

Anna points to the quiet snowy village.

Quiet and unremarkable.

Just a small village that is only cold.

Just this much.

Is this your rest?

"Too much."

"...."

Berthus answers briefly.

"Let's go back, Louis."

"....Okay."

Louis Ancton bows his head quietly towards Berthus and Tana.

Anna turns around without saying a word.

That was the end of the reunion.

* * *

Anna de Gerna became the owner of a new faction.

It would have been Anna's plan to create that faction and entrust Berthus with command.

But Berthus did not accept it.

Anna knew it was meaningless to force it on Berthus, who had no will.

So she quietly went back.

So now Anna has to think about what to do with the new faction.

How to lead them in any way.

While resolving and eliminating internal noise and conflicting opinions.

No matter how, they must be led.

The guests who were looking for outsiders in the village where there was no reason for guests to come quietly returned.

There was no commotion, but Berthus and Tana's expressions were frozen.

Anna and Louis went back.

However, someone already knew their location.

So it's impossible for others not to find out about this result. It is unknown what other faction members will say to Anna and Louis, who returned with this result. Although the two have now returned quietly, they may come back later. And at that time, there was no guarantee that they could persuade anyone with words. "We have to leave." "......Yes, probably." Tana looks at Berthus with a sad expression. They have to leave, even if it means not causing harm to this village. There is no place for a fugitive to stay for the rest of their life. They can't stay here for long. Eventually, this place can be reached by someone. So they have to leave again on a long road where they don't even know where to go. The only thing they can do is to disappear as quickly and quietly as possible so that they don't get hurt, for the kindness that this village has shown them until now. On the way back to the village outskirts, there was a huge shadow waiting for Tana and Berthus in the snow-covered street. "......Village Chief." The village chief who promised to help them was waiting for them. "So, who were the guests?" As always, the village chief asks with a sly smile. "An old friend...". "A friend. That's good." The village chief laughs. In the snow-covered village, the sound of the village chief's hearty laughter echoes faintly, while in the distant hall where the feast is taking place, the sound of people's voices can be heard. With the village chief guessing, Berthus is speechless. During the long time he has been here, no one, including the village chief, has ever asked him that question. "......I can't say there isn't any." "Yeah, that's right." How could there be no story for someone who had to come all the way beyond civilization? And there are guests who are looking for him even though he has come all the way beyond civilization, so how could there be no story? The village chief puts his hand on Berthus's shoulder. With the thick arm of the village chief on his shoulder, Tana watches him with a slightly uneasy expression. "Then." "......?" "Then there must be a story in this village too, right?" There must be a story for those who fled beyond civilization. There can't be a village beyond civilization without a story. "We don't know who you are." "......" "But." The village chief grabs Berthus's shoulder and points to the village. "Just like you didn't ask, we didn't ask either." Berthus and Tana know that this is a strange village, but they didn't ask. The villagers didn't ask them either. "We don't know who you are." "......" "But." The village chief grabs Berthus's shoulder and points to the village. "Just like you didn't ask, we didn't ask either." Berthus and Tana don't know what this village is. But they want to repay the kindness and goodwill of the villagers and not cause harm, so they want to leave the village. It's because they think of them as neighbors. They don't necessarily have to know each other's stories to accept and understand each other. The moment they arrived here, crossing the snow-covered mountains with Berthus carrying the unconscious Tana. "People accepted Tana and Berthus as neighbors without asking for a reason. They understood Tana's desperation and urgency. 'This village can exist because we know the obvious fact that we have to live close together when it's cold.' People have to live close together to survive in the cold. This is such a community. 'Even if this village is small, lacks food, and has harsh weather...' The village chief laughs. 'Can't we accommodate one handsome young man and one pretty old lady whose eyes are suspiciously beautiful?' '...!' -Hahahaha! The village chief laughs as if the world is leaving, and both Berthus and Tana turn pale. Where is this place? Who is this place? Who is the village chief? They don't know anything. In the end, just like the village chief has never asked anything, Berthus also doesn't ask anything. The village chief says, 'So you don't have to leave.' Berthus and Tana felt as if they had received the grace of God. '...Yes, village chief.' So they just answered like that. * * * Tana and Berthus returned home. Anna and Louis came to visit. And they found out that they had been staying in a village whose location they didn't know. 'Where is this...?' They had been curious until now, but now this space began to feel like a mystery. 'I don't know.' The village chief didn't tell them not to leave. He said they didn't have to leave. Berthus and Tana were reassured that the village chief would continue to embrace them as he had done so far. A chance came, and Berthus refused it. Whether it was right or wrong, it would never be known. They decided to live as fugitives and received someone's protection. So this unnamed village in the wilderness. Life here will be left to Berthus and Tana. 'Do I know who I am...?' 'I'm not sure.' The village chief knew long before that Tana was much older than she appeared. Are other villagers like that? If the villagers knew and still made fun of her, isn't their character very bad? Tana was both embarrassed and indignant, biting her lip. They decided to stay in this village. If they were honest, their hearts were shaken. Is there another chance? An unexpected position. Just imagining sitting in a place someone else had created could plan decades of work. But. All of those imaginations collapsed at once. Tana's trembling fingertips, full of anxiety. Everything disappeared the moment it touched his hand. A desperate will not to let it happen was conveyed through that tremble. It's not my place anymore." Something that can no longer be mine.

All delusions about it have disappeared completely.

I left everything behind.

But there is still something left.

There was a refuge where I arrived after running away.

And I didn't arrive there alone.

There is no reason to dream or imagine something new.

I chose the life of a fugitive, and someone was always with me on the run.

So, we should cherish what is left rather than wearing a new crown.

Just spending time with the remaining person and time is enough.

As I told Anna.

It's too much to say that I'm satisfied.

It's too much.

An emperor who lost everything.

The person who remains by the side of the emperor who has become nothing.

With an excessive person.

In an excessive place.

Receiving the protection of an excessive existence.

How can you not feel excessive beyond satisfaction?

Just allowing this excessiveness is sinful.

There is no need to hurt the world by dreaming of something.

"Tana."

"...Yes?"

Tana's eyes are bewildered as Berthus approaches.

It's because it's a look I've never seen before.

"We...."

"...."

Just the hesitant action of approaching is enough for everyone to know.

What he wants to do.

What he wants.

It seems like everyone knows.

"Oh, no... How dare I..."

"Why not?"

"Well... Berthus is much younger than me... and with someone like that..."

Tana stammers as her complexion turns blue. Berthus narrowed his eyes.

"Does that make sense?"

"....Yes?"

"If we're going to live here forever, we have to act like a couple for the rest of our lives."

"Ah."

It's not like that, is it?

"Are you talking about making a fuss in this small town?"

"That's not... not it..."

Berthus sat quietly in front of Tana.

"You asked me to live."

"...Yes."

He fulfilled that request.

That's why he came here.

"Now, can I ask you for one thing?"

"Yes...?"

"I'm tired of hearing that kind of talk."

When will you make it?

When will it be done?

Just that sentence is enough to convey what he's asking for.

"It's not impossible."

They've spent several years together.

Berthus naturally knows that Tana is healthy in many ways.

"I...! I've seen Berthus since he was a baby! How can I...!"

"I don't know about that anymore."

"Uh, uh... You shouldn't... You can't... Please..."

Tana was on the verge of tears.

Because she had no intention of leaving this village, she couldn't force herself to pretend to be a fake couple for the rest of her life.

The words "I love you."

They love each other enough that those words themselves are unnecessary.

There's no reason not to say it. "Just until now, Tana pretended to keep some kind of conscience, and Berthus respected that. But now, Berthus no longer has any respect for Tana. In fact, it's all over. 'I don't know, just stay still.' 'That, that...!' After that, she screamed with her face distorted, just like she did in the hall a moment ago. Every day. A lot. It was a mess."