Chapter 171

Chapter 171

"So that's what your message meant."

"Exactly. Even if we had managed to craft this weapon, it wouldn't matter anymore.

The Shadow has already merged with this castle.

A physical weapon can't cut down the intangible will of the Shadow."

I instinctively raised the curved blade in my right hand to eye level.

The pure white blade gave off a faint white glow in the dark of night, like something out of a dream.

I'd only just gotten it, yet when I ran my fingers along it, a natural sense of closeness and familiarity washed over me.

As if it had been with me for a long time, carried on me every day, held in my hand.

Every detail of the blade felt strangely familiar.

I'm not a particularly strong person, and I wasn't drawing on my own strength right now.

By all rights, this blade should have felt a bit heavy in my hand.

But......

Strangely enough, whether it was when I'd seized it during the fight earlier, or now as I held it, the weight felt exactly the same.

Not too light, not too heavy. It fit perfectly.

By comparison......

I raised the standard-issue curved blade in my other hand. Without drawing on my power, this one felt a bit heavy.

I focused quietly.

Right. Once I channeled my knight's strength, this ordinary blade would feel almost weightless.

Yet throughout everything, the white blade in my right hand had always felt the same weight to me.

I tried to concentrate, and that ability to see the whole map came back to me.

The standard blade in my left hand now felt light as a feather, while the blade in my right hand remained exactly as it had always been.

Not the slightest change in weight through the whole thing.

I switched off that mental state and came back to myself, noticing that the other two were both staring at me.

"What?" I asked, catching their odd looks.

Youngest Princess started to speak, then hesitated. "You just went into that glowing state again. What's going on with that?"

"It's basically what I look like when I push my power to the limit. When that happens, I seem to get a little...stronger?"

Eldest Princess's expression was complicated — somewhere between happy and a little sad.

"Actually, now that you have this weapon, you already have the power to stand against the Shadow's core. It's just a shame that......"

"Can you purify the corrupted magic circuits?" Youngest Princess asked hopefully. "I saw you purify the corruption here in an instant just now."

I shook my head. "No. I can only purify the Shadow right in front of me. I can't purify the corruption inside the magic circuits. Look down there again — the Shadow's corruption in the crystal lake is already coming back."

Youngest Princess ran to the edge of the platform and looked down, then trudged back looking deflated.

"Eldest Princess, is there any other way?"

Eldest Princess only shook her head and sighed, saying nothing.

"Even with this weapon, there's still no way?"

"I'm sorry, Knight."

Eldest Princess looked calm, with a quiet sense of acceptance — none of the bitterness or helplessness I'd expected.

"You fought your way through everything to come back and see me. I'm truly grateful for that.

But I'm afraid it's already too late.

The Shadow has completely taken over the Salt Castle's magic circuits.

Maybe it was already too late when I had those civilians put to death.

Or even earlier than that.

When I had my final falling out with my sister and pushed ahead with activating the Runic Array on my own, it was already too late then.

A witch as sinful as I has no right to hope for her own salvation.

I buried that redemption with my own hands, in this empty kingdom.

No matter how I struggle, the Shadow will swallow me in the end. That's......

That's......a fitting end for someone like me."

I looked at Eldest Princess and couldn't find anything to say.

Black mist slowly rose from the crystal lake. The pre-dawn night grew darker.

— You came too late, Knight. There is nothing left here to save.

"I'm sorry......" I answered, my feelings tangled.

"Don't be. It's not as if you did anything wrong."

Eldest Princess spoke gently:

"This was always how it was going to end. I made my peace with it long ago."

A heavy silence settled over us.

"What do you mean, too late?" Youngest Princess broke in, her voice anxious. "You still haven't said — how do we actually stop this disaster?"

"......"

"......"

"Why won't either of you say anything?" Youngest Princess's voice was getting frantic.

"Hey, Knight! Say something! You always have ideas — you must have a plan, right?"

What plan? I'm just a first-year student. I don't know the first thing about Runic Arrays or any of this.

I helplessly scratched my head.

"Youngest Princess......why did you come here in the first place?" Eldest Princess turned and asked.

"What? To stop this disaster, obviously. Eldest Princess, you know so much — tell me what to do! Just give me a way forward, and I'll do whatever it takes!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have one." Eldest Princess shook her head.

"Even with the Knight's blade, there's nothing?"

"No."

"Then......what about me?"

"What do you mean? What can you do, Youngest Princess?"

"I can sing!"

She could still smile at a time like this......

I listened to their exchange, feeling helpless.

Wait — right!

Youngest Princess can sing! How did I forget that?

I'd been so focused on getting the blade and solving everything myself that I'd nearly forgotten about the girl standing right next to me.

"Hold on, Eldest Princess!"

"Yes?"

"Could Youngest Princess's ability be useful?"

"What ability?"

"I can sing!" Youngest Princess cut in urgently.

"How lovely." Eldest Princess replied with a smile.

"Don't interrupt!" I turned and covered Youngest Princess's mouth to stop her chattering, then turned back to explain to Eldest Princess:

"Youngest Princess's singing can purify the Shadow. It might not be fast, but it works."

"What?" Eldest Princess blinked. "How exactly does it purify it?"

I turned back to say something to Youngest Princess......

"Why did you bite me!"

I pulled my hand away. Youngest Princess ignored me completely and had already started singing.

The clear, flowing melody rose up from the platform.

Eldest Princess listened quietly, not thinking much of it at first.

But as time went on, the darkness on the crystal platform slowly began to fade.

Eldest Princess's eyes gradually widened, and her expression shifted to something like wonder and joy.

"This is......?"

"Well?" I asked quickly.

Eldest Princess's whole face came alive, and she spoke in a voice more excited than I had ever heard from her:

"There's a way!"