LTTH C61

Chapter 61

“…!”

Too fast.

Not even an hour had passed—probably less—when despair struck without warning. Hansol’s body, suspended in midair, suddenly dropped.

The wind tore past him. He barely had time to register the cold before his balance collapsed completely. He struggled to stabilize himself, but controlling your body while falling was far harder than he’d imagined.

…Isaac really is amazing.

For the first time, Hansol truly admired the knight’s physical ability—how effortlessly he had landed earlier. It was pointless envy, but envy all the same.

Would he crash? Maybe it would be fine. The Sanctuary was still active.

Thoughts flashed and vanished as the ground rushed up to meet him. Then—his fall slowed.

“Fly!”

A voice like salvation reached him. Strength surged through Hansol’s curled body. He spread his limbs just before impact and hit the ground safely—if awkwardly.

“Hansol! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“You’re not injured?!”

Two faces crowded into his vision, their worry almost overwhelming.

“I’m fine. I think I’m fine… so why is this so embarrassing…?”

It wasn’t just that they were holding him by his arms and legs like he’d been tossed aside—though that certainly didn’t help.

“…Thank you.”

He was alive. That alone was worth gratitude.

Hansol hid his flushed face, murmured his thanks, and planted his feet firmly on the ground. His heart was still pounding. When he looked up, the Guardian was still standing—but its lower body was dissolving into silver dust. And Berthel, who had fled earlier, was coming back.

Damn it.

“Hansol! Over here!”

Even now, Kassie raised a shield around him. The translucent blue barrier protected Hansol—but it was too small to cover Kassie himself.

…His mana is almost gone.

Hansol wanted to pull a mana potion from his inventory, but Kassie wasn’t the only one in trouble.

They all were. Isaac, Kassie, and Hansol himself were exhausted and injured.

“Kassie. You know, right?”

“…Of course.”

Despite their condition, Isaac and Kassie exchanged a look—silent, determined. It was solemn, almost heroic.

Hansol didn’t have time to admire it.

He grabbed both of them and turned them toward the rear.

Advent was gone. The Guardian would disappear soon too. Berthel couldn’t be fought anymore.

They had to run. Now.

“Run! Both of you!”

Would they make it to the building before Berthel caught them? Hansol didn’t know. But Isaac and Kassie didn’t hesitate—and neither could he.

Please. Just hold on a little longer.

He willed the thought toward the Guardian, already dust to the waist, and dragged Isaac and Kassie forward. But even with his determination, he quickly fell behind, pulled along by their stronger strides.

How long had they been running?

The Guardian has been unsummoned.

…Shit.

Their last lifeline snapped.

Sweat-soaked, Hansol felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced back.

Berthel was close—closer than ever. His monstrous form loomed, eyes gleaming with hunger.

Damn it.

The distance was shrinking too fast. Hansol forced his legs to move, pounding the ground with everything he had left.

[Heh-heh.]

The grotesque laughter echoed right behind him.

No matter how fast they ran, Berthel would reach them before the building. Fear crushed his chest. Hansol squeezed his eyes shut.

If only I hadn’t purified them.
If only I’d let Britain fall completely.
Better to live in misery than die at all.

“Hansol! Don’t slow down!”

Kassie urged him forward, keeping pace at his side. But Hansol’s legs were already giving out.

So this is it…
Just when life was starting to feel livable again.

He bit his lip until he tasted blood. Rage and despair surged—

Then—

An intruder has been detected within the Minor Sanctuary.
Do you wish to remove it?

“…What?”

The message flooded his vision.

An intruder has been detected within the Minor Sanctuary.
Do you wish to remove it?

Again. And again.

“Hansol!!”

An intruder has been detected within the Minor Sanctuary.
Do you wish to remove it?

Accepted.

Hansol collapsed.

His body hit the ground, powerless—but the system moved on its own. Windows flashed like alarms, overlapping, ringing, until the decision was made without him.

When did you start acting on your own?

“Hansol! Get up!”

“If you can’t, get on my back!”

Isaac and Kassie reached him instantly, trying to lift him.

But Hansol wasn’t looking at them.

The white building—the orb at its peak was spinning. Faster and faster.

You’re really going to remove him…?

Doubt flickered—

Then a beam of light shot down from the orb like something out of a movie.

Its target was unmistakable.

Berthel.

“Isaac, Kassie—down!”

Hansol reacted on instinct, wrapping his arms around them and throwing them all to the ground.

“Ghh—!”

They tumbled across the dirt, pain dulled by the Sanctuary’s protection.

A low hum filled the air.

Hansol looked back.

The beam had narrowly missed them—and pierced straight through Berthel.

…Holy shit.

[You—damn you.]

A massive hole gaped in Berthel’s torso. He was still speaking, but the wound didn’t regenerate. Instead, his body began to collapse outward, cracking and crumbling.

The system had promised to remove him.

And it had kept its word.

“My god…”

Dust-covered, Isaac and Kassie pushed themselves up, staring between the orb, Berthel’s disintegrating body, and Hansol.

“For the record, I didn’t do anything. Seriously.”

He spoke quickly, but their expressions remained skeptical.

“…Hansol. What are you?”

“Are you… actually a god?”

This time, Hansol snapped.

“I didn’t do anything! The system did it—on its own!”

I’m innocent. This is entirely the system’s fault.

But Kassie’s eyes only narrowed.

“Hansol, you have to tell us. What is that building? Really?”

“…It’s the system. Not me.”

“So you’re saying the system built that thing—and then conveniently killed Berthel for us?”

…Yes. Exactly that.

“And you expect us to believe you?”

His frustration boiled over. If only he could show them his system windows—like Kassie once had—but he had no idea how.

“Hansol. You’re a healer, right?”

They doubted even that now.

“Yes. Obviously.”

[Heh. The system… how long do you think it’ll stay on your side?]

What does that mean?

Even as Kassie questioned him, Berthel’s voice rang in his ears.

Half his body floated there, ghostlike. The threat was gone—but his words lingered.

He knows about the system?

“…What do you mean?”

[Why would I explain anything to someone who’s about to die?]

As if on cue, his body shattered completely, scattering into dust.

“Don’t say that and disappear—wait!”

[Think about it forever.]

Hansol reached out, grasping only empty air. Berthel’s laughter echoed faintly, then faded.

Should I have let him live?

No.

If Berthel had survived, Hansol wouldn’t be standing here.

Still, the unease remained.

“The system was never on our side.”

“You’re right. At best, it gave us just enough to fight back. Calling it an ally is generous.”

Their words calmed him—slightly.

“…Yes. The system was never on our side.”

No matter how helpful it seemed lately, Hansol couldn’t forget the truth.

It was the source of everything.

Berthel has been defeated. Rewards will be distributed according to contribution.
Calculating rewards…
Associated item [Berthel’s Laboratory Key] has been deleted.

The messages felt like excuses—cold and mechanical.

But at the confirmation of Berthel’s defeat, Hansol finally relaxed.

It was over.

“…We survived.”

“…Yeah.”

Above them, the sky was clear again—blue and white blending peacefully.

Hansol met Kassie’s eyes.

They smiled.

“Trusting you was the right choice, Hansol.”

They had lived.

And Britain—like them—had been given another tomorrow.