Chapter 342 : Ice Coffin

Meanwhile, at Rid's place.

I was somewhat surprised to see Chloe bowing before me.

"I'm sorry, Rid. I tried to kill you earlier. To be honest, I really wasn't thinking clearly at the time. That’s why I immediately tried to kill you without a second thought. I am truly sorry," Chloe said as she bowed.

"There's no need to apologize, Chloe. You weren't entirely at fault; if I were in your position, I might have done the same thing," I said.

"But..." Chloe began.

"Anyway, you don't need to apologize. It's better if we just forget about what happened earlier," I said.

"...Alright," Chloe replied.

Chloe straightened up. Then, after she had apologized to me, Charles approached.

"Rid, I’d like to ask for your help," Charles said.

"What kind of help, Charles?" I asked.

"Please help me freeze my father's body," Charles said.

"Freeze your father's body?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Yes. I’m leaving this place soon, and you and Chloe will likely be leaving as well. If we all go, there won't be anyone left to watch over my father's remains. I’m afraid his body will deteriorate further if left unguarded. The reason I’m asking you to freeze it is that, once the situation regarding the attack on the academy is resolved, I want to give him a proper burial. I don't want his body to decay any further before then," Charles explained.

Hearing Charles's words, Chloe looked sad again.

"Brother..." Chloe said.

After Charles made his request, I fell silent for a few moments, looking at him. Then, I responded to his request.

"Alright, I'll freeze your father's body," I said.

I then walked over to King Albert's body. His head, which had previously been severed, had been reattached and placed back in its original position by Charles and Chloe; his right arm had been reattached as well. I then extended my right hand toward the king's body.

~Ice Magic: Ice Coffin~

King Albert's body began to freeze slowly. Before long, it was completely frozen, encased within a thick, rectangular block of ice. After freezing the body, I turned to Charles and spoke.

"I've frozen your father's body, Charles," I said.

"Thank you, Rid," Charles replied.

Charles and Chloe then walked toward the frozen body. It seemed they wanted to pay their final respects to their father, so I stepped away to avoid disturbing them. Shortly after, they returned to where I was standing.

"Where will you go from here, Rid?" Charles asked.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Before this labyrinth appeared, I was with Miss Violetta and Miss Karina; I might go look for them. Then again, I could go somewhere else, I haven't decided yet. What about you, Charles? You mentioned earlier that you wanted to leave this place, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, I want to go find Lord Remy. I want to ask him for an explanation," Charles said.

I remained expressionless in response to his words.

"Lord Duke Remy, huh? Did you decide to seek him out after hearing what I said earlier?" I asked.

"Yes, after hearing what you said earlier, especially after finding out that Princess Amelia had turned into a demon, I was very sure that Lord Remy was the one who had turned out father into a demon. Apart from that, he was definitely also the main mastermind who planned the murder of the entire San Lucia family and her mother. I had to look for him and ask for an explanation from him," said Charles.

When Charles said that, I felt a murderous aura coming from Charles.

"If you want to go and meet Lord Remy, then I will also go with you. I also want to know whether he is the one who turned our father into a demon or not. If he is the one who changed our father, then I will not hesitate to kill him," said Chloe.

I also felt the murderous aura coming from Chloe. It seemed like the two of them really wanted to kill Duke Remy if Duke Remy was proven to have turned King Albert into a demon.

"Ok, Chloe. You can go with me," said Charles.

"If you two intend to go see Lord Remy, I will come along. There is something I need to verify with him, something concerning the person who attacked my village and slaughtered its inhabitants. If Lord Remy is connected to that attacker, then the time has come for me to fulfill a promise I made to them," I said.

-

Back on the ground floor of the academy's central building.

Several knights and students looked on in shock toward the building's exit. They were witnessing Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet being impaled by Duke Remy’s elongated hands. Duke Louis had been pierced in the torso, in the area between his chest and abdomen just as Duchess Arlet had been moments before. She, too, had been impaled in that same mid-section. The ice that had previously sealed the wound was shattered, as Duke Remy had driven his hand into the very same spot again.

"H-how is this happening? Lord Louis and Lady Arlet have been attacked by that creature. S-shouldn't we be helping them?"

"I-I want to help them, but look at that thing. There are so many writhing tree trunks surrounding it. They’ll attack anyone who gets close. B-besides, that creature looks incredibly dangerous," said some of the knights watching the scene unfold.

They didn't seem to realize that the creature impaling Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet was actually Duke Remy. That was understandable, of course; Duke Remy’s entire body even his face was completely shrouded in black tree trunks. It was only natural that they failed to recognize him.

Meanwhile, having successfully impaled both Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet with his hands, Duke Remy proceeded to pull their skewered bodies closer to himself.

"My attack accuracy has been terrible again. I intended to pierce both your hearts, yet my thrusts kept missing and striking the lower part of your chests instead. Oh well, it doesn't matter; this time, my attack won't miss," said Duke Remy.

The twisting tree branches surrounding Duke Remy were aimed at Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet, who were still impaled by Duke Remy's hands. The writhing branches appeared poised to strike and pierce the bodies of Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet.

"Goodbye, Lord Louis, Lady Arlet," said Duke Remy.

The tree branches instantly shot toward Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet.

~Lightning Sword Art: Lightning Speed ​​Slash~

However, before the branches could strike Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet, someone severed Duke Remy's hands with incredible speed. Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet fell to the ground after the hands impaling them were cut off. As they fell, someone caught them and carried them away from Duke Remy. Duke Remy looked slightly startled upon realizing his hands had been severed.

"My hands were suddenly severed. There is only one person in this kingdom capable of cutting down an enemy with such speed," said Duke Remy.

Duke Remy then looked toward Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet, who were being carried by someone.

"So, it really was you, Sir Oliver," said Duke Remy.

The person who had severed Duke Remy's hands and rescued Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet turned out to be Commander Oliver. Moments later, Duke Remy's severed hands suddenly regenerated to their original state. He then extended his hands once more to attack Commander Oliver. Commander Oliver appeared aware of Duke Remy's attempt to strike him. He then spoke.

"Now it is your turn, Your Majesty," said Commander Oliver.

No sooner had Commander Oliver spoken than Duke Remy who had been extending his arms suddenly collapsed, crashing onto the floor beneath him. He lay sprawled there, seemingly unable to move his body. The arms that had previously been stretching out to pursue Commander Oliver now lay motionless against the floor as well.

"I cannot move; it feels as though I am being crushed by an immense weight. This power... there is no mistake... this is *her* power," Duke Remy said.

Meanwhile, as Duke Remy lay immobilized on the floor, a figure was seen floating down through the shattered ceiling, clutching a magic staff. That figure was Queen Kayana.

-To be continued