The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 39: Losing His Loved One

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

All of a sudden, the fireball split into two in front of the magicians. Realizing that she was unharmed, Niss raised her head in puzzlement and saw that Fern was right in front of them with the Sword in the Stone in his hands. After the fireball crashed into the sword, it split into two and flew past all of them.

“The Sword in the Stone?” Hol was surprised. “All of you are honestly beyond my expectation.” After he finished speaking, he formed another fireball above his palm. 

Despite having parried the attack, the fireball had burned Fern’s clothes, which now hung loosely on his body. His arms and hands were charred as well. 

A moment later, the fireball hit right into the blade once again. Hol seemed to have intentionally allowed Fern to counter the attack, so he didn’t change the trajectory of the fireball. The impact forced Fern to take a step back, but he persevered and straightened up. For the second time, the fireball scorched and charred him.

“Fern, no! You’ll be burned to death! Run now!” Niss shouted from behind him as her tears raced down her face. 

Not replying to her, Fern remained standing in front of the magicians with the sword in his hands, as though he was a statue.

After the fireball disappeared, a burnt smell permeated the air. Fern didn’t move a muscle at all. 

“Fern…” Niss was convulsing with tears while Rae looked at him with eyes that were filled with despair.

“I didn’t expect that you could parry two fireballs.” Hol was amazed by the mercenary’s strength. “But I don’t think you’ll be able to withstand the third one.” Upon finishing his words, he formed a fireball on his palm for the third time.

***

Stan snatched the Sword in the Stone from Fern and stood in front of him. “I’ll replace you from here!”

Without uttering a word, Fern looked fixedly at the front.

Just then, the shouting of Doylans could be heard from behind. Diaz managed to catch up to them. The scouts sprinted out of the forest first, followed by Diaz and a group of heavily armed knights.

“Since they’ve arrived…” Hol paused and put out the fireball on his palm. “I’ll let them settle it on their own.”

Seeing that Hol had stopped attacking, Stan put the sword back into Fern’s hands. However, Fern’s posture still never changed as he fell backward.

“Fern!” Stan hurriedly supported his weight and gently placed him on the ground. 

Closing his eyes, Fern uttered with difficulty, “Are Niss and Rae alright?”

“We’re all fine, Fern…” Niss crawled toward him. “Fern, hang in there. I’ll heal you now.”

“Don’t be silly. You can’t even stand now, so how are you going to heal me with your magic?” Fern had wanted to raise his hand to stop her, but a sharp pain from his burnt hands washed over him, causing him to shriek. 

Just then, a girl dashed toward him and fished out a jar before applying the ointment on his wounds. “This is the ointment we’ll use when we get hurt. It may not heal his burns, but it’ll definitely alleviate his pain.”

Fern opened his eyes and realized that the girl was Kaya.

“Sorry, Kaya. I couldn’t bring you to a safe place.” Fern’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

Kaya stopped what she was doing and looked into his eyes. “Fern, you’ve done your best. No one could have done better than you did.” After she finished speaking, she went on applying the ointment on his wounds. “Maybe this is our fate. Since we’ve tried our best, we’ll let fate take charge from now on.”

After Kaya was done with putting the ointment on Fern’s wounds, the Doylans reached them. 

Having run for a long time, Diaz panted as he said, “Not bad, Miles. You managed to fool us and diverted half of my manpower. If I hadn’t informed Hol to help me out, I wouldn’t have been able to catch you.”

The Doylan soldiers are indeed well-trained. Even the heavily armored knights could run across the forest at full speed. As a nobleman, Diaz could also follow the soldiers closely. Even though they were enemies, Fern still couldn’t help but be awed by their strength. 

“Diaz, I know what your intentions are. Why can’t you give us a chance to live? We can swear that we won’t tell anyone what has happened today.” Miles wasn’t willing to give up any chance to save themselves.

After pulling himself together, Diaz snorted. “Do you think I’ll put my country at risk by letting you go? If any one of you exposed this secret, our plan would be ruined, and our country’s reputation would be destroyed.”

After passing Fern to Kaya, Stan got up and shuffled toward Diaz. Kaya placed Fern’s head on her lap so that he could take a rest comfortably.

***

“You’re wrong, Diaz. The reputation of Doyle isn’t earned this way.” Stan said loudly, interrupting Diaz and Miles’s conversation.

Doubtfully, Diaz turned to Stan. “Who are you? Are you a mercenary from the Black Crows? No, it seems that you’re also a Doylan.”

“Yes, I’m a Doylan. My name is Stan Blake.” Stan straightened up fearlessly.

“Good, Stan. If you’re willing to come to our side, I can choose to forgive you.” Diaz raised his sword and pointed at him.

“Stop being stubborn, Diaz. Your action is embarrassing our country.” Stan said righteously. 

“It seems that you’ve been with these weak people for too long, so you’ve also become feeble,” Diaz scoffed. “Some sacrifices are necessary for saving Wallis from the threat of the Dark Tide. Don’t you understand it?”

“No one has the right to kill anyone even in the name of righteousness.” Stan pulled out his sword and raised it to his face level with both hands as his eyes were filled with determination. “I swear on the knight’s honor that I’ll always defend the real righteousness.”

Diaz snorted and looked at him in disdain. “What an obstinate man. If Wallis were destroyed by the Dark Tide, all the things you wanted to defend would vanish, and your beliefs would become useless.”

Stan stared back at him in a steadfast manner. “As knights, what we defend is our faith rather than anything or anyone. Even if the entire world were destroyed, my faith would stay.”

Diaz guffawed. “How ridiculous. If you’re so eager to go to hell, then I’ll grant your wish.”

He then waved his hand, whereupon a knight stepped forward. “You’ll kill him on my behalf.”

The knight walked up to Stan and pulled out his sword, readying himself for the battle. The knight appeared to be even younger than Stan, and his blonde hair was also shorter.

“I have never expected that I’d fight with my fellow countryman, nor is it my wish to do so. If you’re still true to the knight’s faith, then please put down your sword now.” Stan looked fixedly at the knight. 

The knight didn’t put down his sword, nor did he make a move as the two of them fell into a stalemate.

Behind the knight, Diaz became agitated. “What are you waiting for? Kill him now! Don’t you want your title anymore?”

With a helpless gaze, the knight charged toward Stan, who raised his sword to parry the attack as their swords clanged together.

***

“Sorry, I have no choice.” The knight withdrew his sword and made another move.

The two swords once again clanged together as Stan stared into his eyes and said, “You’re wrong. Just follow your heart, and you’ll never be left with no choice.” Upon finishing his words, he exerted more force with his hands and pushed the knight away. Following that, he launched himself at him and made several strikes rapidly. 

The knight parried Stan’s attack with difficulty. Eventually, his sword was sent flying away as Stan’s sword was right before his eyes. He closed his eyes and waited for his final moment.

“You already know that I won’t kill you.” Stan retracted his sword and returned to his original position as he tried to keep his companions safe.

One more knight emerged from the formation and stood before Stan. Not every Doylan was as conscientious as the knight just now as they still intended to kill Stan. The following battle proved to be difficult for Stan. He suffered some injuries on his body, but the contest turned out to be a draw. 

Stan’s left leg and right hand had been wounded by his opponent. His left leg could no longer support his weight, so he had no choice but to fall on one knee. His entire body trembled in pain, but he still obstinately tried to defend his companions. 

The other knight wasn’t in a better condition either. His left shoulder had been injured by Stan, so he couldn’t even lift his left hand. As he single-handedly raised his heavy sword, he panted in exhaustion. 

Stan struggled to get up by trying to support his weight with only his right leg. “Come on. It’s time to end the battle. For honor! For Doyle!”

His steps were no longer agile, his breathing had become unstable, and his mind was a mess. With the sword in both hands, Stan dragged himself toward his opponent.

During the battle, the knight hacked his sword on Stan’s right shoulder, which broke his shoulder pad in an instant. Feeling a sharp pain, Stan screamed. However, the knight shrieked louder, for Stan’s sword had penetrated his heart and stuck out from his back. 

In staggering steps, Stan pulled out his sword. The Doylan knight fell on his back as his blood spurted out of his chest and dyed the soil crimson. With his silver armor covered in blood, the knight convulsed until he left for the other world. 

***

Having used up his energy, Stan jabbed the sword into the ground and fell on his knees. He didn’t collapse to the ground because he was holding on to the hilt with his right hand firmly.

“Stan, you’ve killed your fellow countryman. See? You’re not different from us.” Diaz shot a dispassionate look at Stan, who was writhing slightly in pain.

“Don’t you understand, Diaz? I’ve killed him to defend my faith. On the other hand, you’re trying to kill us for your personal greed.” Stan retorted with difficulty. 

“Are you saying that we’re being selfish for trying to save Wallis and the people from the threat of the Dark Tide?” Diaz suddenly shouted, as though he was trying to cover up something.

“Can you really save Wallis by doing this?” Rae shuffled toward them as she had recovered some of her energy. “Are there really no other solutions? Why can’t you collaborate with other kingdoms and use the Sacred Hallow to destroy the Dark Tide?”

“How childish! Do you really understand the politics between the kingdoms?” Diaz swung his cloak with his hand angrily. “The alliance between the kingdom doesn’t last forever as we’re all after our own interests. Today we can fight the Dark Tide together, but tomorrow we might destroy each other for our own interests. Rather than wasting time on such a strife, why don’t we, the Doylans, be the sole owner of the Sacred Hallow and stand out above everyone else? Only without such worries anymore can Doyle lead the war to destroy the Dark Tide!”

“How pathetic! You’re giving up your conscience just to achieve your goal!” Rae retorted him loudly. Her voice was somehow filled with sorrow. 

“It’s pointless for such an argument.” Diaz pulled out his sword and pointed at the kneeling Stan. “Only when Doyle becomes the most powerful force can we save the entire continent.”

Right after he finished speaking, an arrow shot out from behind him and headed for Stan, who remained kneeling with no energy left to evade it. 

“Stan!” Fern and Niss shouted out in despair while Rae widened her eyes in fright. However, none of them had the energy to save him.

***

All of a sudden, a girl appeared right before Stan. Catching a unique whiff of the girl, which Stan was most familiar with, he raised his head in an instant, only to meet with the girl’s frightened eyes. “Stan…” Ril shuddered and collapsed into his embrace.

“Ril!” Stan supported the girl’s weight and looked into her eyes in shock. “Don’t die, Ril! You must live!”

“Stan… I-It’s a shame that I can’t let you protect me any longer.” Her eyes welled up with tears as her blood streamed down from her mouth. “Please… stay alive and protect the girl who deserves your love.”

“Ril, no…” Stan’s eyes were drenched in tears. “You’re the only girl in the world that deserves my protection. Ril…”

Suddenly, blood spurted out from her mouth and dyed the mirror on Stan’s armor red. She quivered and almost couldn’t say anything. “S-Stan, can you… kiss me?” She coughed. 

Looking at her eyes, which could no longer focus, Stan lowered himself and kissed her blood-soaked lips. The metallic tang was in stark contrast with her soft lips. Stan kept kissing her, as though he was afraid that the girl would leave him once he moved away. 

The girl smiled and wanted to raise her hands to hug her man. Unfortunately, she was unable to do that. After a short moment of rapid breathing, her entire body softened, and the spark in her eyes went out. Her faint smile remained on her face.

“No!” Stan hugged her tightly and growled hysterically.

***

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