The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 102.2

Chapter 102.2: Falling Stars of Spring (1)

Caterina’s eyes narrowed.

The reason why a witch’s power was called a ‘miracle’ was that, within the confines of their traits and attributes, they could indeed achieve feats worthy of the term.

However, this was something far beyond a ‘miracle,’ bordering on the realm of the inconceivable.

As Chloe, oblivious to the weight of her words, smiled brightly, Edmund continued.

“She can’t see everything. She can only see the future of those connected to her. Like me or Cain.”

《Well, it’s just the two of them, actually.》

Knowing the future of only two individuals when the wind blew was a ‘miracle’ within the realm of comprehension.

《And I can only see it through ‘dreams.’ That’s why I exist like this.》

Caterina understood immediately.

“So you truly are a being who ‘sees’ the future.”

Chloe’s power to foresee the future, despite its immense power, was bound by several conditions.

First, it required the presence of wind.

Second, it was limited to Edmund and Cain.

Third, it was only the ‘dreams’ of the future, the glimpses Chloe had seen using her ‘miracle,’ that the Chloe of the past could access.

“That’s why you can’t dream.”

A witch, Chloe, who cannot ‘dream’ of her own ‘future’ when she closes her eyes and falls asleep.

《Precisely!》

Chloe’s translucent form flickered for a moment, becoming even fainter.

Then, it returned to its original state, repeating the process. She seemed so precarious, as if she could vanish at any given moment.

The witch who saw Cain’s future.

Caterina finally understood why Edmund had proclaimed Cain as the Hero.

Thump—

However, this was no reason for her to waver.

“I have also seen the future. It was a ‘future’ and a revelation bestowed upon me by the Holy Crown.”

It was not the future whispered by a mere heretical witch, but a vision shown by the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn,’ a testament to the existence of God.

Chloe nodded as if she had known all along, a faint smile gracing her lips.

《The last future I saw was the moment my son killed the ‘ordinary Demon King.’》

Rumble—

Thunder roared from afar.

The flames within the temple flickered, and Caterina’s gaze trembled along with them.

“How can I dissuade you from such thoughts? Even when witnessing the same scene, interpretations can differ greatly depending on—”

《The moment he kills Abel in Henerali-fe.》

“……”

Caterina’s eyes narrowed.

Words that should never have left Chloe’s mouth had just slipped out—a description of the very scene revealed by ‘Autumn.’

Chloe enunciated each syllable clearly, as if to emphasize her point.

《My son will kill the Demon King there.》

Ruuuuuumble—!

The thunderclap grew louder.

The shadows that enveloped Caterina’s face deepened, while Edmund simply remained silent, his gaze fixed on the south.

🔹🔹🔹

“We’ve reached the ‘Barrier of the Great Forest’!”

The Airian Northern Expeditionary Force advanced northward with unstoppable momentum.

While some expeditions in the past had been forced to turn back after confirming the existence of the barrier that enveloped the ‘Deep Forest,’ it was now possible to reach it in half a day.

Whoosh—

A small plain stretched out beside the black currents of the Elivagar River.

Olivia raised high the flag that symbolized the commander-in-chief and shouted,

“Wizards, to the front!”

Based on information Marquis Ross had received from the elder who had betrayed his own kind, the Magic Tower had devised a spell to neutralize the ‘Barrier of the Great Forest.’

“How long will it take?”

Olivia settled into a chair that had been brought for her and addressed the senior wizard.

He was an old man with white beard and eyebrows, and he looked up at the barrier with unfamiliar eyes.

“The barrier is far larger than our calculations had anticipated. Complete neutralization is impossible.”

“…”

Olivia remained silent.

However, the senior wizard realized that he had said something wrong by the rapidly chilling glint in her eyes and the weapon she was holding in her hand.

Out of habit, he reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his robe sleeve.

But then he remembered he was clad in leather armor, which clung tightly to his skin due to the forest’s humidity. Resigned, he used the back of his hand to wipe the perspiration from his brow and continued,

“However, we can create an opening large enough for us to pass through within three hours.”

Clank—

Only then did Olivia release her grip on the weapon.

Seeing her, Marquis McLoud nodded as if he liked it, and Marquis Ross just looked at the forest.

As if the ‘Deep Forest’ held something he desperately desired.

“All troops, take this opportunity to rest. Wizards, dismantle the ‘Barrier of the Great Forest’ with haste, and we shall advance the moment it is breached.”

“Yes, Lord Olivia.”

The knight orders, led by the two marquises, established a perimeter and fortified their positions, on guard against potential interference from the elves.

Marquis McLoud, who had kept his distance to maintain Olivia’s authority, approached her.

“My child.”

“This is a battlefield, Lord Marquis McLoud.”

Olivia, who was usually quite affable, responded stiffly, as if she was tense or perhaps believed she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

Marquis McLoud shook his head.

“If you act that way, it will only make everyone else more anxious. It’s one thing if it were a swift battle, but in a prolonged conflict with an uncertain duration, such behavior is unwise.”

Olivia exhaled deeply.

The throne she had yearned for was within her grasp.

Recognizing the value of Marquis McLoud’s advice, she loosened her tense posture.

“……Understood.”

Marquis McLoud moved closer to Olivia and whispered in a low voice,

“Keep a close eye on Marquis Ross.”

“……?”

“Something’s off. He’s always been an odd one, but ever since we entered the forest, he’s been acting even stranger. He didn’t even bother bringing the ‘Pseudo-Grand Magic Barrier’ this time, even though it’s supposed to be standard equipment for any expedition.”

It was McLoud’s intuition at play.

The Heatherward Ross he knew would have been boasting about his accomplishments, rallying his knights, or engaging in similar self-aggrandizing behavior.

However, the current Heatherward seemed preoccupied, as if his mind was elsewhere, and he remained curiously passive. Even the knights under his command seemed disheartened.

Olivia glanced at the hemispherical ‘Barrier of the Great Forest,’ shrouded in gray mist, and replied,

“Marquis Ross’s only value lies in his ability to break through that barrier. If need be, we can simply use our own forces to overrun the ‘Deep Forest.’”

Marquis McLoud and Princess Olivia had prepared for every possible scenario.

And that included the possibility of Marquis Ross’s betrayal.

Fortunately, the barrier’s neutralization fell under the jurisdiction of the Magic Tower. Even if Ross were to betray them, the most he could do was to turn his knights against them.

They had calculated everything up to that point.

However, Marquis McLoud’s intuition continued to nag at him, suggesting there was more to it than met the eye.

But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

All they could do was rest and ensure they were in peak condition.

“Let’s just watch for now.”

“I suppose that’s all we can do. This whole situation just doesn’t sit right with me.”

And so, as they rested, the wizards from the Magic Tower busied themselves with the task of dismantling the gray barrier.

The elves, who they had expected to launch an attack, were nowhere to be seen.

Thanks to their absence, the wizards were able to complete their work swiftly. With Olivia at the forefront, the expeditionary force assembled in formation before the barrier.

“Now then, I shall create an opening.”

The senior wizard gathered his mana.

Fwoosh!

In that instant, the gray barrier parted, unleashing a dense fog that obscured everything beyond arm’s reach.

And from within the depths of that fog.

Hundreds of emerald eyes gazed back at the approaching expeditionary force.

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