"—Kill him!!"
At the Knight Captain's command, the knights and monsters surged forward in unison.
"Nana, get behind me!"
Minato leveled his sword and felled the approaching monsters with a single stroke. Black blood spattered the snow as death rattles tore through the night.
"Aaaah!!"
Screams erupted from every corner of the village. Raging flames. Collapsing houses. Villagers fleeing in mindless panic. In an instant, the tranquility of their home had been replaced by a living hell.
"Help me!" "Nooooo!!" "The children! Someone save the children!"
The desperate wails flooded his ears, one after another.
"Dammit...!"
Minato grit his teeth, parrying a blow and knocking the knight before him backward.
"Why would the Kingdom do this...!"
No one answered. The only response was the clash of steel and the guttural roars of beasts.
"Minato!"
Nana’s healing magic washed over him, mending his wounds. The warm radiance invigorated him, granting him the strength to keep fighting.
"Thank you!"
He offered his gratitude without looking back, swinging his blade and unleashing magic in a relentless rhythm. He cut through monsters, repelled knights with bursts of flame, and pulled lagging villagers to safety.
But there were too many of them.
"Hey, Minato!" "It's no use! There are too many!"
One of the villagers shouted to him, his face masked in blood.
"We’ll buy you some time here!" "Take the carriage and flee to the Royal Capital!" "The King, or the Lord Hero—surely they will set this right!" "We aren't going to let the two of you die here!" "Hurry, or we're all dying for nothing!"
"...!"
Minato bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"But—!" "Please, just go!" another villager pleaded desperately. "If anyone can do it, it's you...! Please, look after Lady Nanalicia!"
Nana reached out, clutching Minato’s sleeve.
"...Minato."
Her eyes were a whirlwind of terror and absolute trust.
"...Alright."
It was an agonizing decision.
"I’ll come back! I promise!"
With that cry, Minato took Nana’s hand. They sprinted through the wall of fire, leaving the village behind. In their wake, the screams and the din of slaughter continued to echo into the night.
◇◆◇
The pursuing knights eventually caught up, destroying their carriage and slaughtering the horses. In a final act of desperate resistance, Minato had set the wreckage and the surrounding trees ablaze to block the road.
Now, the two of them ran down the snow-covered highway on foot. Their breath came in white rags, and their lungs burned with every gasp. Still, they did not stop.
Finally, the Royal Capital Castle Walls loomed in the distance.
"...We made it."
He felt a momentary surge of relief. But it lasted only a second.
"—Halt."
The very next instant, a white-hot agony flared in his midsection.
"...Eh?"
Minato looked down. A single spear had been driven clean through his abdomen.
"Mi—Minato!?"
Nana’s scream pierced the air.
"Wh... why..."
The man gripping the spear was a Royal Capital Soldier. His expression held no hesitation, no doubt.
"Rebel," the man said, his voice like ice. "There is no mercy for those who oppose the Kingdom."
"...!"
Minato’s knees buckled. As he collapsed, people began to swarm from the surroundings.
"It’s the Saint!" "Protect the Lady Saint!" "Rescue her from the Rebel!"
"No!!" Nana shrieked. "Minato isn't a Rebel—!"
But her voice was drowned out. The crowd surged forward, surrounding her and cutting her off from him.
"Let go of me!" "Minato! Minato!!"
She reached out, but her hand fell short. Held fast by soldiers and citizens alike, Nana struggled with every ounce of her strength. Tears tracked through the soot on her cheeks.
"Minato!!"
Her voice grew more distant as they dragged her away. Through the haze of his fading consciousness, the last thing he saw was the crowd closing ranks around her.
"Lady Saint!" "Thank heavens you're safe!"
They spoke as if they were her saviors, even as they moved as one to wall her off. At the center of that throng, Nana continued to wail his name.
"...Na... na..."
He tried to reach out. But his strength was gone. His vision began to sink into an abyssal darkness.
And then, Minato’s consciousness cut off completely.
Utterly bewildered by the madness, he felt nothing but the encroaching spread of despair.