Chapter 145:Final Battle.

After the state ceremony meeting, on the way out of the Imperial Palace.

“Yo, Yohan…!”

Someone called his name.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Yohan turned around.

“Your Highness the Princess.”

It was Laryana. She was catching her breath, as if she had run in a hurry. Only after finally composing herself did she speak.

“…..I heard the Archmage requested a duel.”

“I was just discussing that at the state ceremony meeting.”

“You’re not going to accept, are you? It’s too much of a gamble.”

“…”

At her question, Yohan didn’t answer immediately but gazed intently at her. Laryana’s golden eyes trembled noticeably. She looked fearful. And genuinely worried.

Yohan smiled faintly.

“There are times when one must. That time is now.”

He couldn’t run.

Nor did he want to.

He couldn’t forgive the man who had targeted not only himself and Francia, but even his father-in-law. Rage still surged within him. His emotions were so intense that he only appeared calm.

“…Since your mind is made up, I won’t try to stop you.”

Laryana looked up at Yohan with difficulty. Her eyes were moist. Her appearance was both endearing and pitiful.

She wished he wouldn’t go, but she couldn’t stop him. She was neither Yohan’s lover nor anything else, so she had no right to say such a thing.

But-

“…Please, come back alive.”

She wanted to convey at least this much.

“And I hope you won’t be hurt.”

She wanted to say.

“Yohan, you are…”

Laryana whispered quietly. Her voice was filled with earnestness.

“The first man I’ve ever truly, genuinely loved.”

She lowered her head.

Suppressing the emotions that threatened to burst forth, Laryana met Yohan’s gaze. She hoped that Yohan would recognize her true feelings.

“…Is that so.”

Yohan closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

He thought she had completely moved on after being rejected, but that wasn’t the case at all. Laryana had merely been pretending to be okay. She still hadn’t forgotten him.

Time would soon solve the problem. It usually takes time for people to accept things.

“…Thank you for your concern.”

Yohan slowly raised his hand. But he hesitated just before it touched her cheek. He wasn’t someone who could stay by her side.

He smiled and withdrew his hand.

“But nothing that Your Highness the Princess should worry about will happen.”

Yohan bent down, meeting her teary-eyed gaze. And he smiled faintly.

“Because I will win.”

“Really…”

Laryana stopped speaking and bit her lip. It pained her that she couldn’t take a step closer to him here, when it might be the last time.

The only thing she could say was—

“I’ll believe in you.”

She could only trust him.

“Very well.”

Satisfied with her answer, Yohan placed a handkerchief in Laryana’s hand and slowly straightened up.

“I must be going now. As you know, I have quite a few things to do.”

“…Yes.”

Yohan walked past her.

Laryana could only watch Yohan’s back as he left the Imperial Palace.

*    *    *

Duke Rahardt’s mansion in the Imperial Capital.

Yohan said to Francia,

“The date for the duel has been set.”

The date for the duel with the Archmage had been set.

Francia listened intently to Yohan’s words. No answer was needed now. Nor was worry. She also wanted the Archmage to die.

“It’s four days from now, in the Cramel Wastelands between the Magic Tower and the Empire.”

The Cramel Wastelands.

Barren and infertile land that no one sought out, an uncultivated land.

That was where the decisive battle would take place.

“How are you feeling…?”

Francia asked cautiously.

“I’m in top condition. I couldn’t be better.”

Perhaps because of the adrenaline rushing through his head, his senses had been unusually sharp lately. He could face the Archmage right away if he had to.

“Then I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The Archmage has suffered a critical injury.”

“…A critical injury?”

Yohan tilted his head.

“Is it from the wound he sustained in the fight with the Duke?”

“Yes. The wound must be deep.”

Francia was certain. He still hadn’t been able to heal the wound. That was because Gladius Luminus was the light of judgment that burned away the sins of its target.

No matter how strong the Archmage was, as the strongest of the Transcendent, it would be difficult for him to suppress that flame. It was the strongest artifact created by a Celestial Mage, after all.

That was why Francia hadn’t tried to stop Yohan from dueling. He could win on his own.

“…That greatly increases my chances of winning.”

“Yes, and it’s not just any critical injury.”

“Then?”

“His Magical Power will continue to be consumed, as if he’s been poisoned.”

Yohan narrowed his eyes.

The Archmage, Rain Adriche, was strong.

Frankly speaking, he was overwhelming. Although they were both Transcendent mages, there was a clear difference in their levels. However, if he was suffering from a critical injury like poison, he could definitely win.

No, he could win.

Francia asked.

“But have you told Rudella yet?”

“Not yet. But she probably knows.”

The news that had spread throughout the world was that the Archmage had requested a duel with Duke Rahardt. It hadn’t yet been announced that he had accepted. There was no need to create anxiety.

But Rudella would have already realized it. She knew that Yohan couldn’t refuse the duel, even if it was a clearly dangerous situation.

She was probably waiting for him to tell her himself.

“Then you should go to Rudella right away. She’ll be waiting.”

“I suppose I should.”

Yohan smiled awkwardly and kissed Francia on the forehead, then smiled faintly.

“I’ll be back.”

“…Yes.”

He left the room and headed to the detached residence where Rudella was staying.

Rudella was living in the detached residence. It wasn’t discrimination because she was a concubine. It was a space created to accommodate her as a pregnant woman in a sensitive period.

In other words, a detached residence just for her.

Of course, she had been living in the main residence until now.

“Welcome, Duke Rahardt.”

As he entered the detached residence, the servants smiled faintly and bowed their heads. Yohan waved his hand appropriately and headed

to the study where Rudella was.

The current time was afternoon, between lunch and dinner.

Rudella was always reading a book at this time, so he knew where to find her.

As he entered the study on the first floor, he saw Rudella sitting in a chair, reading a book.

“Hmm, it’s Yohan.”

Having recognized him by his footsteps alone, Rudella turned around with a warm smile. Her belly had begun to swell as time passed.

“What’s the matter? It’s rare for you to visit at this hour.”

Thud.

Rudella closed the book and met Yohan’s gaze. Her smile deepened.

“It’s about Yohan Jr.”

“Yohan Jr., you say?”

Yohan sat down at the table. Then he gently stroked her hand that was placed on top.

“You’ve heard the recent news, I’m sure.”

“…About the duel with the Archmage?”

“Yes.”

Yohan nodded and continued.

“I’m thinking of accepting the duel that the Archmage requested. In fact, I’ve already accepted it, and the date has been set.”

He had accepted without even telling her. He was worried that she would be angry. He hadn’t told Rudella about the situation as it unfolded.

But he couldn’t help it.

He didn’t want to worry her, as she was pregnant.

“…I see.”

Rudella’s expression hardened for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and nodded slowly. Her lips, which were always smiling, were now pursed in a straight line.

“I can understand, since it was a situation where you had no choice but to accept. Not only did he attack the Imperial Capital and the Princess, but Duke Ferbache has also fallen into a coma.”

Yohan blinked.

She knew too much.

“…That’s not public information, is it?”

“I have ways of knowing everything.”

Rudella chuckled. He wondered where she got her information from.

“But if there are any more Yohan Jr. matters like this in the future, I hope you’ll tell me and make the decision. Of course, I hope there won’t

be any, but you never know what might happen.”

Her hand, which had been showing its back, was turned over. Her fingers intertwined with Rudella’s.

“Still, thank you for telling me, even if it’s late.”

“Sorry, I thought you already knew.”

“Knowing and hearing it directly from Yohan are two different things.”

Rudella smiled lightly and gripped Yohan’s intertwined hand even tighter.

“Yohan’s child and I will be waiting, so go and win.”

“…Yes.”

Yohan’s expression hardened.

Determination was written all over his face.

Yes, he couldn’t lose. Francia, Rudella, and his child were waiting for him.

“By the way, I think it’s about time we came up with a nickname for the baby… what do you think?”

Rudella asked.

At the sudden question, Yohan stroked his chin.

“A nickname…”

A nickname.

A name that parents temporarily give to their child before it is born, during the fetal stage.

Giving a nickname was essential. It not only helped with the fetus’s brain development and health, but also with being recognized as a person. Even if it didn’t, it could form a bond with the parents.

After much deliberation, Yohan replied.

“I think Lua would be good.”

“Lua? What does it mean?”

“In Runic Script, it means ‘moon.’ The moon is what comes to mind when I think of Rudella.”

The night he first recognized Rudella as a woman.

It was a night when the moon shone softly on the ground.

“Oh, I think that’s good.”

Whether she was satisfied with the name or not, Rudella smiled as she stroked her slightly swollen belly. And she called out the nickname.

“Lua… the moon that Yohan thinks of when he thinks of me, it’s so beautiful.”

Her eyes curved softly. Yohan looked at her and reaffirmed his determination.

He would definitely return.

Francia, Rudella, his child, and Rudbeckia would all be waiting for him.

*    *    *

The main gate of the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Guard Knights, the Special Task Force, public officials, and inspectors.

Representatives from the organizations that protected the Empire came out to see him off.

“To Duke Rahardt… salute!”

Clang!

Numerous swords and spears were raised in unison. The sunlight reflected off the blades filled the area in front of the Imperial Palace.

“Come back safely, Minister Rahardt.”

Descartes Rogino, who was now the Crown Prince, looked at Yohan with a determined expression. He was also nervous. The fate of the Empire would depend on the outcome of this battle.

Yohan took a deep breath and widened his eyes.

“I will win.”

The Archmage, Rain Adriche.

The one who dared to harm the people who would become his family.

The option of letting him live did not exist.