Chapter 52: Paris (2)
The blood and carnage was nauseating.
The bodies of brave knights were minced into pieces beneath rains of arrows and the ballistic b.a.l.l.s of destructive cannons. Their mad roars filled the skies as they charged toward their deaths. They seemed to be filled with courage and a sacrificial will, it was the kind of thing that brought a man and his family honor in any era. But Leonel… Just found the scene to be sad to look upon.
What were they fighting for? Their country, of course. Maybe on a deeper layer, it was for their G.o.d. But was it worth it?
Leonel wasn"t the kind of person who looked down on others for their faith. He was questioning more so if their G.o.d even wanted this.
Leonel shook his head. "It isn"t that they believe their G.o.d wants this… It"s that they"re being manipulated into believing so by those they trust the most…"
Before this, Leonel still had a hard time blaming Joan. Even though her actions almost led to his death, he had always been a forgiving person. Since he was still standing here, there was no harm, right? In that case, there was still a chance at mending their friends.h.i.+p.
Many would call this sort of mentality foolish. And if they did, Leonel wouldn"t argue with them. He too found it to be foolish. But, this was just his nature.
However, after seeing this scene, the last wisp of understanding he had for Joan vanished. Whatever reasons she had no longer mattered to him. She knew how devastating her actions would be, yet she carried them out anyway.
How many innocent people would die today? A few thousand? More than that?
Leonel had always heard that the wars of the past were child"s play compared to wars during and following World War I. But, even if these death counts couldn"t compare to the millions who lost their lives during those pyrrhic monstrosities, reading numbers from a textbook and witnessing it for yourself were two completely different experiences.
It was… unforgivable.
"I can"t keep letting them die like this while I do nothing but stand here and watch."
"Aina…" Leoenel looked over with an apologetic smile at the dainty fairy that stood by his side.
She was much different from the Aina that had always been in his heart. She wasn"t wearing her usual long flowing dress, the kind that clung to her curves with the slightest gust of wind. Instead, she wore a black military uniform densely packed with pockets.
Her hair wasn"t as perfectly groomed, gently waving like the descent of a calm waterfall. Instead, it was quite tangled. Some of it even stuck to her delicate face with the help of her beads of sweat.
Even her usual elegant demeanor was nowhere to be seen. The ma.s.sive, murderous ax on her back was too good at crus.h.i.+ng such thoughts…
However, Leoenl found that he liked her even more now than he had in the past. Maybe it couldn"t even be simply explained as "like" anymore even if he wasn"t sure how to express it. All he could say was that the way Aina looked… Simply didn"t matter to him anymore.
"I"ve already said it." Aina said calmly without looking in his direction. "Don"t change."
Her words seemed to have nothing to do with the situation. Even Leonel was confused by what she was saying. When had she…
Leonel"s gaze flashed with a bit of realization and he looked away from Aina"s side profile and looked back toward the violent battle.
"Aina."
Hearing Leonel"s voice, Aina trembled slightly. She knew well that Leonel had an exceptionally kind side to him, but there was another side that was full of resolve. It was that side of him that stood in battle against thousands of Englishmen and refused to let her go. It was that side this voice was from…
"I don"t know enough about the relations.h.i.+p between you and your family. But, I do know that you"ve been avoiding me due to it. However…"
Leonel grinned wildly. "You just said it yourself. You asked me not to change. So you tell me, do you think I would let the woman I like face such a thing on her own? Or is it that my Aina wants to take back her words?"
AIna was stunned stiff. Leonel had confessed to her 521 times. She didn"t need anyone to keep count for her, she knew the number herself. She should have gotten used to it by now. However, it had been over a year now since the last time she had heard him say such things. She had almost forgotten how it felt.
A moment later, her face flushed a blazing shade of red. It seemed like she would leak a fountain of blood if she was poked just once.
Usually she would run away, but where would she run now? She couldn"t leave Leonel behind in such a dangerous situation.
After a while, she was so stifled that she stomped her foot against the ground, causing it to tremble and crack.
Leonel"s lip twitched. He had almost forgotten that this pet.i.te fairy before him was such a monster.
Taking a deep breath, Leonel looked back toward the battlefield and those fluttering emotions in his heart faded. He knew how foolish his next actions would be. Originally, he should have waited for maybe even a few days of battle to pa.s.s by, only then would both sides be damaged enough for his plan to work perfectly.
But… he just couldn"t stand by and watch these valiant men die while he knew they were just puppets on the strings of another. If he really did allow them to suffer for his own designs… How would he be any different from Joan?
"Let"s go."
Leonel shot forward, Aina, who had regained her composure following closely behind him.
In an instant, they had arrived on the battlefield and were immediately noticed by Joan and the two men on the castle walls, causing all three of their expressions to change violently.
In what seemed like a flash, Leonel and Aina crossed the defensive line of the tall wooden towers, entering a no-man"s-land filled with French corpses.
"For France!"
Leonel roared as countless arrows rained down toward him.
His left arm flicked upward, causing his small s.h.i.+eld to explode in size. Before it, the rain of arrows was no different from harmless water droplets. Both he and Aina were completely unharmed.
In the blink of an eye, two unknowns had made it to the city walls.
"Aina!"
Aina nodded and pulled her ma.s.sive ax her back while taking a rope from one of her pockets with her free hand.
Leonel leapt into the air. He didn"t need to look back to feel the violent winds of Aina"s ax slamming toward him. But, she obviously wasn"t attacking him.
The flat of her blade boomed against the soles of his feet as she tossed the rope in her opposite hand into the air.
Under the shocked gazes of the two armies, Leonel made it to the top of the castle and swung his ma.s.sive s.h.i.+eld, sending tens of Englishmen flying.
He looked back, finding the rope Aina had thrown up snaking through the skies and grabbing it without hesitation. He grasped it with both hands and pulled up with all his might, sending her to the top of the wall with one swift motion.
Leonel retracted his s.h.i.+eld and pulled his spear from his back and brandished it against his body with one arm.
He felt Aina"s delicate back press against his own as she brandished her own weapon.
Like this, the two faced swaths of enemies on both sides. Yet, Leonel"s handsome face carried a wild grin while Aina"s beautiful lips curled into a slight smile.
A rare moment of silence descended onto the battlefield before the roaring cheers of the French resounded.