Chapter 131

With a dry, metallic clatter, a sword was tossed before Harold’s eyes. It was a weapon he was all too familiar with—the life-draining blade Justus had once forced upon him.

At the same moment, the chains binding him fell away.

"Take up the sword, Harold."

Justus held every conceivable advantage. Under such circumstances, being told to arm himself felt like the prelude to a disaster. Still, Harold knew he wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving this without a weapon. Justus might not have intended to kill him yet, but if it served his research into astral bodies, the man wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over whether Harold kept his limbs or not.

Fighting the unnatural sluggishness that weighed down his limbs, Harold gripped the hilt and forced himself to his feet. There was only one exit: the door Cody and the others had entered through. To escape this encirclement, he would have to cut his way through them.

Harold took a combat stance, spitting out a curse.

"How foolish of you to cast aside your advantage..."

"It is no matter. I expect you to resist with everything you have."

Harold wondered just how much of this the man had calculated. Justus possessed a terrifying presence, an aura of a final boss that seemed poised to outmaneuver even someone like Harold, who possessed knowledge of the original story.

But now was not the time to shrink back. If he couldn’t break through here, he would never grasp a future where he escaped his death flags.

(Even so, what the hell am I supposed to do here...?)

Even if he managed to defeat the version of Justus currently inhabiting Sarah’s body, she was merely a fragment of the man's divided consciousness. For all he knew, Justus’s mind might be shared among everyone in the room except for himself.

Simply put, he was facing people brainwashed by Justus. Knowing that, Harold couldn't bring himself to cut them down.

His priority had to be escape. The problem was identifying where he was.

Judging by the texture of the walls and ceiling, the architecture resembled the research facility deep within the mine, but the chances of that place surviving the monster rampage in Burston were slim. Based on Justus’s tone, Harold had been unconscious for a significant amount of time; it was only natural to assume he had been moved.

(This place looks far too modern... Modern? Wait, could it be...?)

Structures that could be described as "modern" were virtually non-existent in the world of Brave Hearts. The only exception was the Astral Research Institute, the pinnacle of the world's scientific advancement.

However, there was one other place. Harold searched his memories for artifacts that shared this sleek, artificial texture.

Then it clicked.

(Am I inside the aerial fortress...?!)

The Star Children, architects of the ancient civilization, had long since vanished from the planet. The aerial fortress they were said to have left behind was a construct distinct even from the other ruins of their era.

The game hadn't delved into the specifics, treating it as a mysterious "black box," but the atmosphere and design had always felt completely separate from the rest of the world's aesthetic.

If this was indeed the interior of the fortress, it was likely still enshrined deep underground. Once it took flight, a portion of the planet's core—the Stellar Memory—would be exposed, signaling the beginning of the story's climax.

In the game’s cutscenes, the fortress had uprooted the earth and shattered mountains as it ascended. Realistically, one would expect the fortress itself to be pulverized by the pressure, but it had remained utterly unscathed—a true "anything goes" piece of technology. It was a classic trope for ancient game civilizations, but it was still an absurd out-of-place artifact.

"Ah, I forgot to mention one thing. If you wish for them to live, I suggest you defeat them thoroughly."

"...What are you getting at?"

"Their lives are in my hands. That will remain the case unless you can resolve their astral body erosion—or, to use a term you might find more familiar, their brainwashed state."

Harold didn't know the exact mechanics of "astral body erosion," but he had no intention of actually fighting Cody and the others. His plan had been to focus entirely on evasion and regrouping.

Justus, however, had read his mind. He was implicitly threatening to kill them if Harold tried to run. Whether it was a bluff or not didn't matter; it was exactly the kind of thing Justus was capable of.

"Truly, your lack of taste is enough to make me retch."

The man knew exactly where to strike to cause Harold the most grief.

With the exception of Cody, neutralizing the others wouldn't be particularly difficult. However, "neutralizing" them meant using the life-draining sword’s power on every single person here, just as he had with Finnegan and Ventus. In short, Justus was baiting Harold into using the sword.

Despite seeing the trap, Harold couldn't bring himself to abandon them. And to make matters worse, he had to do all this while dealing with a powerhouse like Cody.

Harold let out a heavy breath that was halfway between a sigh and a focused intake of air.

(This is going to be a real pain in the neck...)

---

The town of Burston was a ruin, no better off than Travis.

The main gate was so thoroughly destroyed that they had to take a detour just to enter the perimeter. The buildings were in a state of near-total collapse from the monster invasion, but the most jarring sight was the massive crater. Peering into the sinkhole, which was dozens of meters across, one could see the remains of houses buried under tons of earth.

Piles of charred monster carcasses were stacked throughout the streets. It was a testament to the efficiency of the responders that they were already managing the cleanup alongside the evacuation.

Nevertheless, it was clear that reconstruction would take years—if it happened at all. While the scale of the damage in Travis was broader, the severity in Burston felt more profound.

It was nothing short of a miracle that there were no fatalities.

"...No, it wasn't a miracle."

Erika whispered to herself. This result wasn't luck; it was the fruit of the collective labor of everyone who had worked to save the town, Harold included.

To ensure the safety of the people, Harold had stood as the sole rearguard against an army of monsters, ensuring not a single civilian was lost. He had been swallowed by the collapse as the price for his heroism, but Erika had come this far believing with every fiber of her being that he was still alive.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Vincent returned to the group after finishing his briefing with the knights stationed in the town. He was accompanied by two knights she didn't recognize and a man whose rugged gear marked him as a mercenary.

"The situation is largely as Erika-san reported. No casualties among the residents, the Order, or the mercenary group Harold employed."

"And those who were late to evacuate?"

"None found so far. We're currently cross-referencing the resident ledger at the shelters to be certain."

With no deaths, no missing persons, and no critical injuries, the immediate crisis of human life was over. From here, the recovery would be a matter for the administration, the local lord, and the Kingdom's coffers.

"Regarding the search for Harold, we found the people who were with him until the moment he disappeared."

"Are they the ones?"

"Yes. They fought alongside him in this town until the very end. Let’s hear what they have to say and organize our next move."

Following Vincent, they were led to a makeshift shack. Inside, there were only a few benches and a single table; crates and bags had been shoved into the corners to make room. It was likely a field office the vanguard had been using, but it served well enough for a quiet conversation.

"Tell them what you told me. Sid."

"Yes, sir!"

The young knight named Sid spoke up clearly, recounting the events.

"I was assigned to evacuation duty. During the process, a couple realized their child might have run back into the town."

"Why did they think the child went back?"

"They said the child might have gone to retrieve a forgotten stuffed animal."

A young child, oblivious to the mortal peril approaching, slipping away from their parents for a toy. It was a heartbreakingly plausible scenario.

"I went back in with Aileen and a few others to search. We met Keith-san near the town entrance."

"I was working for the Master," the mercenary named Keith interjected. "I had a small crew left in town. Between us and the knights, there were maybe ten of us total."

"When we reached the center of town, we found Harold. He was protecting the child, holding off a swarm of monsters by himself..."

"The moment he saw us, he handed the child over and told us to run."

Erika felt a pang in her chest. Prioritizing others, placing himself in the path of greatest danger—it was quintessentially Harold.

"The Frieri members took the kid and ran for the shelters with the other knights as guards. The three of us stayed behind to help the Master."

Erika admired their courage. Whether it was knightly duty or mercenary loyalty, staying behind in that chaos required immense resolve.

"Well, it was ninety percent the Master doing the work. I don't think it mattered much whether we were there or not," Keith said with a self-deprecating smirk. "The Master held the line against the main force, and we just picked off the ones that leaked through. We did everything we could to keep them from breaking out of the town."

"He held the line? Harold did that alone?"

Rainer asked the question before he could stop himself. Having survived the nightmare in Travis, he found the idea of one man stopping a tide of monsters almost impossible to process.

"Yes. It sounds like a tall tale, but he was facing hundreds of them on his own."

"...No, I believe you. I know exactly how strong that guy is."

Rainer sat with his fists clenched tight on his knees. Erika couldn't begin to guess the depth of the emotions swirling in his heart. He was here carrying his own complex burdens, far beyond what words could convey.

"We were holding out as best we could, but..."

Sid, who had been speaking fluidly, suddenly hesitated. He wasn't falling silent; he was struggling to find the right words.

"What happened next... we don't fully understand it ourselves. I think even telling you will only cause confusion."

"That doesn't matter. Please, tell us everything."

"Right. We were holding our ground when the signal flare for the completed evacuation went up. To buy us a window to retreat, Harold unleashed a barrage of high-level magic. He wiped out the entire swarm in an instant."

Erika knew Harold was a capable mage, but his primary strength had always been his blinding speed and swordsmanship. To hear that he possessed the raw power to incinerate an entire army of monsters only added to the mystery of his true depth.

"That gave us our opening. But just as we were about to pull out, a girl called out to us."

"A girl...?"

The word felt entirely out of place in such a violent context. Erika’s gaze sharpened.

"Yes. She asked where we were going. When we turned around, she was just... standing there, in the middle of the monsters."

Sid described how she seemed to be leading the creatures. It was a grotesque image. It was little wonder that even Harold had frozen in confusion.

"And then... I don't know why, but Harold called that girl 'Justus Freund'."

The air in the room turned cold at the mention of that name. To hear it now only raised more impossible questions. Why would Harold call a young girl Justus? Was it truly him? If so, why that form? There were no answers to be found in the shack.

"What happened after that?"

"Harold screamed at us to run. It was the first time I'd seen him look truly cornered. The moment he shouted, I just... I started running for the gate."

Erika found it hard to imagine Harold looking desperate. But even he had limits when faced with the inexplicable. She remembered him coming to the Sumeragi estate years ago looking haunted. She remembered him weeping alone eight years ago. She had known for a long time that while Harold was strong and appeared invincible, he lived with the same human vulnerabilities as anyone else.

She had wanted to be his support, yet her own weakness had nearly driven her to give up on that dream. If not for Lifa, she wouldn't even be standing here today.

"As he told us to run, Harold charged at the girl. A split second later, there was a massive explosion. When the dust cleared, the ground had given way, and Harold was gone..."

"That explosion was a trap the Master had set," Keith added. "It was supposed to bring down the gate and the stone walls to block the monsters after we were clear. Whether it was a fluke or the enemy triggered it on purpose, it went off early."

"I see..."

Erika now understood the situation far better than she had from Yuno's brief report. The reality was more dire than she had feared. But her resolve remained unshaken.

"Lord Harold possesses knowledge we do not. Following his orders was the right decision... though I know words of comfort do little to ease the heart."

"Eh?"

"You regret it, don't you? In that moment, you turned your back on him."

Sid and the others stiffened. Erika knew that pain intimately. To want to stand by him, only to be forced away by your own lack of power, leaving him to shoulder the burden alone—it was a galling, pathetic feeling.

But unless they took that pain and used it to fuel their next step, they would never catch up to him.

"Even if Lord Harold does not wish for it, I want to be someone who can support him. I refuse to let him be alone. More than anything... I wish to be by his side."

Her words were heavy with more than just affection or romance; they were weighted with a life's worth of resolve. Everyone in the room felt the sheer gravity of her intent. Her wisteria eyes were clear, devoid of even a shadow of a doubt.

"I do not know what dangers await us. But I will save Lord Harold. I ask you all—knowing full well the risks—please, lend me your strength for his rescue."

In that moment, there was no one present who could have possibly said no.