Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy

I was lucky.

Thankfully It wasn’t too late.

Due to the...Let’s say, shocking affair between Ariel and Rachel, my mind was on high alert. So I could notice a distressed Lumia pacing by the window, and leaving the lodging.

While she could simply go into a night walk, her behavior was suspicious, since she stayed rooted in place for a long time after leaving the lodging.

So, after entrusting Ariel and Rachel to Rendler, I followed her.

“Are you okay?”

If I had been even a minute late, Lumia would have been caught by those disgusting tentacles.

I don’t know why that bastard is here, or how he lured Lumia, but for now, I reached out my hand to the collapsed Lumia.

“Yes.”

Lumia’s eyes clouded for a moment before she took my hand with a bright smile.

That smile shone so brightly that it seemed to drive away the darkness and corruption of our surroundings.

Perhaps she had finally met the helping hand she desperately longed for during the Academy days.

Lumia’s smile seemed to display how much she had wished for a single hand to lift her up after 4 monsters tortured her.

Seeing this, an overwhelming desire surged in my heart.

I was now a man with a mission.

It felt like this was an opportunity to finally repay all the debts the Original Elden incurred.

As if to not let go of Lumia’s hand, I held it a little more tightly and helped her up.

“Lumia-!!”

“Your Grace-!!”

Then, I handed Lumia over to my disobedient companions who ignored my instructions and followed me here.

Ariel was the first to arrive, and she immediately glomped Lumia’s body, checking over her well-being.

Of course, she screamed as soon as she looked at Deron.

“Eek-! What’s that-?!”

It’s no exaggeration to say that Deron looked like a walking corpse.

Countless black blood vessels bulged and writhed over his face like worms. His eyes turned completely black, and black blotches popped over his skin.

Honestly, I almost couldn’t recognize him. Deron looked exactly like a ‘User being consumed by black magic’ that Anna described to me.

The bastard’s black eyes turned to me.

It was ironic that even though his pupils were gone and unfocused, I could tell the direction of his gaze.

“You know. I never liked you, Elden Raphelion.”

“Preaching to the choir here, Deron.”

“......You imprudent mutt. You are just a dog, who doesn’t know its place. Don’t you know that a dog shouldn’t bark at their owner?”

“Funny, you see, from my point of view, you’re the one who doesn’t know your place. Just surrender. Even you are not stupid enough to gamble on a fight with no chance of winning, are you?”

“Aren’t you the stupid one for trying to fight me? You have no chance of winning!”

“......”

Ah, I get it, seems like after being consumed by black magic, his retort skill received a (De)buff.

Well, from what I could remember, he was always a bastard with a venomous tongue.

Anyway.

I tried bluffing my way into making him surrender, but my persuasion skills were too low-level.

Honestly, if this was ordinary magic, I had the confidence to put him down. But for a 6-month-old Transmigrator like me, fighting a Black Magic User would be a significant challenge.

I was simply too lacking in knowledge to devise a method to counter him.

The only one I could rely on was Rachel, who had experienced a black magic explosion before.

Still confronting the bastard, I murmured quietly.

“Rachel.”

“Ugh...Yes?”

“You said you’ve dealt with black magic before, right?”

“It would be more accurate to say he dealt with me, but yes.”

“What should be the best course of action here?”

I wanted to know the strategy with the highest possibility of success, but Rachel’s answer left me completely dumbfounded.

“I know a strategy that fits perfectly in the current situation.”

Here it comes...

“Tell me! What is it?”

“We run away.”

“Ah?”

“Full retreat. It’s clear that the odds are against us.”

......For the [Purple Knight] who always charged into the battlefields to say a retreat was our only option...

It means that a Black Magic-User that reached this stage of corruption is either difficult to deal with or impossible to deal with, one of the two.

The only problem here is that if we, the front lines retreat now, something very bad could occur.

If we run away, our rear units,

That is Lumia, Ariel, and Rendler will be in danger.

So, even with the odds against us, we couldn’t run away.

“That’s not like you to suggest such a strategy.”

“From what I can see, My Lord, his corruption is already quite severe. I must prioritize your health, and right now a full retreat is a better way to do it...”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

I looked at Rachel,

Despite the crisis we faced, her voice lacked that familiar rigid tone, being more relaxed and warm.

Then, she smiled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be by your side.”

Those words were more reassuring than having an entire army at my disposal.

I gripped my sword with a smirk.

Rachel also raised her sword following me, and the tips of our swords pointed toward Deron.

However, Rachel spoke again while aiming her sword.

“I just have a single request.”

“Name it.”

“I know this isn’t proper...But after this fight...Could you treat me not just as your bodyguard...But as a woman too? I-I’m not saying I’ll quit being your bodyguard, just that...”

“Rachel.”

“Y-yes?”

Hearing my serious tone, Rachel looked at me with wide eyes.

This woman is the person whom I’ve been with the longest ever since being transmigrated.

We took the first steps together when I set out to declare my forfeiture to Gelwood.

Of course, at first, it was difficult to approach her, and Rachel also didn’t see me as more than an employer, but as we went through the Grand Ducal Betrothal, the contempt and wariness in her eyes towards me disappeared, and by the end, the wall between us had lowered to the point of sharing drinks, and now we’ve become close friends who care for each other.

Rachel, who always did her best for me and provided more than just ‘guarding’, was one of the most precious people to me, and the Culinary Journey would have been impossible without her enthusiastic teachings.

Just as Ariel, who allowed me to dream of pursuing a Culinary journey, and Rendler, who followed me despite his old age, are dear to me, Rachel is equally dear.

So, I conveyed my feelings as best as I could.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

While short, my words carried my sincerity.

Rachel, understanding what was contained in those words, smiled tenderly.

Then, her face morphed into her usual mask as she glared at Deron.

Maybe because of the promise that after this fight ends she would be treated as a ‘woman’, her fighting spirit was overflowing.

Or maybe she’s just happy to find someone she can beat up to her heart’s content?

“Go, Elden! Crush the creep to pieces-!”

“If he lays a finger on Lord Elden or Rachel, this old man will wack him with my cane-!”

Huh-.

With Ariel and Rendler’s support, I ignited my mana and willed it towards my sword, entering a combat stance.

In order to cleanse the Karma of the past.

To wash away past sins.

And...To rewrite a new future.

“Let’s go, Rachel.”

“Yes.”

We charged toward Deron Caelid, the last remaining Villain in this Tragic Romance Fantasy.

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**

Boom-!

“Ugh! Fucking hell...!”

The battle raged as one would expect.

No matter how much a person relies on Black Magic, it would be challenging to beat all odds when the disparity between opponents is extremely large.

Also, this wasn’t an honorable duel, where a one-on-one fight occurred. This was a vicious fight to subdue a vicious criminal, a monster in human flesh.

Moreover, It seemed that lightning had a good affinity against Black Magic since I was dealing a lot of damage with just a little mana usage.

The problem was.

“How do we prevent him from going Berserk?”

Once the User’s corruption begins, it’s only natural for it to lead to going berserk.

And if the energy reaches a peak that the User’s body can’t contain, it will explode.

I knew this much from what I heard from Anna, but I hadn’t heard about how to prevent the explosion.

After all, who would have guessed that Deron Caelid would show up again, and become a Black Magic user of all things?

That’s why I asked Rachel, but she had no ideas as well.

“......What if we cut off his head?”

“If the only thing still suppressing the Black Magic is his reason, won’t that make him go berserk instantly?”

“You have a point. Then should we try carving out his heart?”

“Is that possible?”

“No.”

While we were having a private conversation, the bastard’s condition gradually began to worsen.

To the point where even the breath he exhaled was emitting black smoke.

The only fortunate thing was that he referred to Lumia as the ‘last sacrifice’.

So he probably lacks the power to cause an explosion.

However, with his current state, going Berserk is a matter of time.

For an explosion to occur, the Black Magic must break through the limit the User’s body can handle.

Best case scenario, even if he’s corrupted already, if his power is lacking, he won’t explode.

However, just as I thought about this...

A large bird flew by, and immediately after, the budding hope in my heart was squashed.

Crunch-!

The bastard snatched the bird with his tentacles.

As soon as I realized what was about to happen, I rushed at him, but Deron was faster.

He absorbed the bird’s life.

The bird, only skin and bones at this point, plummeted to the floor.

“...Damn it.”

“Hahahaha-! I was going to get my fill with that whore...But you gave me no choice~”

The black smoke around him intensified before being absorbed.

Just like the seawater would recede before a tsunami, he seemed to be preparing for something huge, and shortly after, a black flame-like fire rose from the bastard’s black eyes.

An unmistakable sign of an explosion.

The bastard ignited a black flame in one hand and opened his mouth.

“Tsk-! It’s a shame I can’t wipe out the Southern part of the Grand Duchy...But this much should be enough to take all of you with me, kekekeke-!”

As the black magic consumed him, Deron’s only remaining thought must have been vengeance.

“You all should be honored! After all, everyone here will follow this Deron Caelid into the afterlife.”

Since it was too late to try to suppress him, I tried to conjure a barrier, but then I remembered the vast frozen lake behind the warehouse.

If it’s there...!

An explosion happens when compressed pressure is released in an instant.

But, if the water can absorb some of that pressure, the damage caused by the explosion could be minimized.

“Kuh heh heh... Heh heh... Ha ha ha!”

Black and corrupted mana spewed from every orifice of his body like steam.

“Die! Everyone will die! Kyahahahahaha-!”

Even if I unfurl a barrier, I don’t know if it can withstand the explosive power, or how long it can last.

I also don’t know how much damage it will cause to the people around.

The best choice is to submerge the bastard and minimize the explosion.

So I retracted the barrier I was about to unfurl.

“M-My Lord?”

I smiled at Rachel, who called me out with surprised eyes,

“This is the only way.”

Right after finishing my words, I tried to rush to embrace the bastard and head towards the frozen lake.

However.

Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from above the warehouse.

“Hm, you all did a wonderful job.”

When I looked up, I saw someone sitting on the roof support of the warehouse, watching us and laughing as if it were an amusing spectacle.

“Got you.”

The figure took out a wand and chanted,

“El, Keslisder, Lapunsinis.”

All of a sudden, a blue mana barrier enveloped Deron.

“Kuh-heuk? Wh-What is this!”

The bastard tried to lash out against the barrier, but nothing he did even scratched it.

Kwang-!

Boom-!

“Fuck! What the hell is this!!”

In the meantime, his body expanded, entering an unstable stage just before the explosion.

Kwang-!

Bang-!

Despite trashing about, Deron couldn’t do a thing against the barrier.

He was completely trapped.

Shortly after, the person who was perched on the support lightly leaped and landed in front of us.

The figure brushed her red hair and smiled at us.

“...Anna Ventria?”

It was her.

What’s going on?

There wasn’t a single mana detection device in this area.

“How...?”