When it was finally over, Leona couldn’t help but just collapse with both of her knees on the snow, with the weight of that battle finally lifted off her shoulders there was only a deep sigh of relief. Though said relief was also brief as she looked at Elizabeth.

“Was… was Phoebe alive when you got her to the pod?”

“You should see for yourself, young lady.” Leona swallowed dry before taking the assassin’s hand in order to stand up. “Let’s go, what we accomplished here today is nothing short of a miracle.”

They were about to leave when the tactician noticed Krieg simply staring at the snow.

“Krieg?”

When she called him he turned to look at her and motioned with his left hand for her to approach him.

“Just tell me that I’m not seeing things.”

Upon approaching him, towards the ground she noticed the rest of a squirming piece of flesh as it tried to piece itself together to the severed head that was cut in half.

“By the goddess…”

Even after all of what they went through, the scientist's head was regenerating itself with the help of a strange dark red energy that seemed to hold the severed head in place as its flesh was commanded like a puppet to regenerate.

“I should be the one to finish this-”

As the knight raised his greatsword, Leona simply barred his way with her left arm.

“Let me do it Krieg, at least I’ll make amends this way for what he caused to Phoebe.” She took a deep breath and as the sharp cold air entered her lungs she calmly chanted. “Flames of destruction heed my call, flow through time and await thy end, Delayed Fire Blast!” A fiery blue orb of fire remained floating on top of the squirming flesh. She then turned around without taking a second glance. “Come on, let’s head back.”

It was a short walk back to the pod and the effect of the warm drink was already wearing off in all of them, which made the cold even more prominent.

“You people gave it hell!” Jill had a smirk on her face as she welcomed the party. “We saw it all from here, too bad our guns aren’t on the same level as Arthur’s here.”

“I’m glad… you’re all okay…” Despite shooting only three bullets, Arthur’s overall complexion seemed worse than normal as he was leaning against the entrance. “I’ll go rest for a bit…”

He stepped inside and sat on the far seat and quickly fell asleep.

“Where is Phoebe?”

Leona asked as soon as she climbed the ramp to the hatch.

“She’s resting now.” Jill answered as she stepped to the side in order for the three outside to enter. “I’m glad Elizabeth brought her here when she did, any longer and she wouldn’t have survived.”

Though doubtless she was telling the truth, Leona couldn’t help but feel her chest tighten, Phoebe did so much for her in the short span of time they met, yet the tactician was yet to thank her for everything.

“Phoebe?!”

The moment Leona stepped inside she noticed Hank and Henry disassembling the large rifle Arthur was using, on the right side laying on the seats with a blanket on top of her was the high elf.

“Nnngh… cease your shouting Princess.”

The high elf had a weak smile on her face and once their eyes met Leona couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Oh Phoebe!” She tightly hugged her whilst attempting to hold her cries but instead she just kept hiccuping. “I’m- I’m glad you’re alive…! When I heard something had happened to you, I couldn’t-”

“All is well Princess.” She said while patting her back. “Though, I much rather have come back in one piece rather than missing a pair of legs.”

Leona gave her some space as she looked towards her lower body and indeed, where should have been her legs there was just cloth curving over where her thighs were.

“I… I’m sorry, if only I came sooner… then you might have-”

Phoebe shook her head slowly.

“It’s not your fault. If anything it all falls on me for being caught.” She used her elbow to sit up against her seat. “So, how did you manage to kill that abomination? I was unconscious until just now, thanks to Elizabeth’s aid.”

“Unconscious?”

“Would you rather have her feel pain while we treated her?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A female voice came from the entrance, the assassin just climbed up the pod and sat on the left side of the hatch.

“No, I’m more curious how you did so.”

“Poison.” Elizabeth answered nonchalantly. “I am an assassin you know.”

“Poison huh?” Leona looked at Phoebe, however she couldn’t see anything wrong with her. “No side effects then I presume?”

“Just feeling a bit lethargic.”

The high elf answered.

“Worry not, I wouldn’t save her just to kill her later.” Elizabeth said with a tired voice. “She did help my son at one point so I’m just repaying the favor.”

Leona couldn’t tear her eyes away from Phoebe’s lower body, a deep feeling of guilt plagued her heart.

“Princess, don’t feel sorry for me.” Despite the grim situation, Phoebe mustered a smile on her face. “To be fairly honest, I didn’t think you’d come to save me in the first place. So let’s call it even.”

“I…” Leona looked down to the floor. Indeed, if it was any other time she would have considered abandoning her if her father’s life was on the line, but now that she had no family left it struck her just how important it was to have trustworthy people at her side. “That might have been the case before, but not anymore. All of you are like family to me, I will not abandon any of you.” She smiled before slowly closing her eyes. “Phoebe…?”

Jill approached the high elf and after taking a closer look on her she turned to the tactician.

“She must have exhausted herself. A good night’s rest is in order for her.” The soldier stood up and headed to the front of the pod after seeing Krieg climb up and take his seat beside Leona. “Everyone’s here, let’s go home.”

“Aye, aye.”

Henry turned to check if everyone was sitting and after doing so he released the breaks and they began to move after a strange rumble shook the pod. Leona felt a sense of accomplishment, her body was heavy as the exhaustion hit her all at once after realizing she had done it, by putting an end to Jakob’s evil deeds she could finally move on. Laying back comfortably against her seat she decided to close her eyes for a brief but well earned respite.

Looking at his liege’s relaxed expression made a faint smile curl up Krieg’s face, he grabbed the worn leather scabbard and sheathed the greatsword before setting it beside him.Upon crossing his arms he closed his eyes as well for some rest.

‘Rest up well Princess. You certainly deserved it.’

It would take a few hours before they could arrive at the capital. Meanwhile at the barracks overlooking the capital’s gates, Olivia was accompanied by Athena as they further interrogated Oliver.

“So, let me get this straight.” The inventor asked the elf with a very serious expression on her face. “You collaborated with Jakob for monetary gain and in order to be rewarded he asked you to make use of brigands to capture illegal merchants that came to Londria in order for him to use them as experiments?” Oliver nodded once. “By the goddess…”

“What bothers me is the reason behind it all.” Olivia glanced briefly at Athena and then back to him. “Why would you go to such lengths for someone you so deeply hated?”

“...you wouldn’t understand.” He replied with a sad expression on his face as he looked down towards his shackled wrists. “Jakob, he was beyond ruthless and I knew what he was capable of to get his hands on what he wanted. More than anything I wanted to protect you.”

He looked up, his eyes meeting with Athena’s.

“You can’t possibly be serious.” Her clenching fist quickly found its way to the surface of the wooden table as he nodded. “You must be insane! You sacrificed all those people, ended so many lives, brought those families down to the brink of despair as an excuse to save me?!”

“What else could I have done?! He knew you!” Oliver seemed clearly distressed. “Once he told me he would take your father’s schematics for himself I thought only to be a jest, I thought he wouldn’t but you witnessed what he did with your own eyes-!”

“I heard enough.” Olivia interrupted. “We’ll save this for later. Death might not be in order for you, but I will make absolutely sure you spend the rest of your days in this prison.”

“I… I understand.”

Athena shook her head in disappointment and sighed before heading towards the reinforced metal door behind her.

“I thought I knew you, Oliver.” She said it without looking at him. “I thought you might have been the one that would stand by my side until the very end. But I was wrong.”

After she left the room Oliver stared down at his hands.

“I’m sorry Athena…”

Outside the interrogation room, Athena looked through the window and noticed a crowd forming by the front gates.

“Did something happen?”

She asked one of the guards that were just outside the barracks.

“Our heroes returned.” The man spoke with some enthusiasm in his voice. “We are finally free from that death angel.”

Her first reflex was to sprint towards the gate, Olivia came out just in time to see the lieutenant run to greet them. The captain smiled before slowly making her way there as well.

The pod stopped by the front gates and many of the townsfolk that were present when they fought against the death angel at the tower were there now to congratulate the party that just got back from hunting it down.

Screams of joy could be heard even before Leona stepped outside, but once she did alongside the knight the multitude of people flocked to her showering the tactician with praise.

“Thank you so much, miss!”

“You avenged my father!”

“We are finally free thanks to you!”

Although she didn’t do it for them the cries of joy made her feel accomplished for what she had done and indeed it was no easy feat to defeat a death angel, much less so while managing to protect someone on the brink of death.

“I- it was thanks to everyone that was with me.”

Leona tried to tell them but the sheer roaring of the crowd was enough to muffle her voice and as she was about to be swarmed by the townsfolk Krieg lifted her up on his shoulder which was enough to tower above the large group of people.

“Make way! Make way! We have someone that needs to rest!”

Jill was dispersing the people that were in front of the pod’s exit so they could carry Phoebe out of the pod. With Hank’s and Henry’s help they were able to get the high elf out as they passed by Athena who ran straight to the pod’s entrance.

“Art!”

She shouted the moment she stepped inside and as he was just about to stand up, Arthur noticed his sister looking at him.

“Sis… we did it.”

He smiled weakly and as he was about to collapse, Athena desperately held him, but after hearing his soft breathing against her hair she smiled.

“You did great Art…” She was trying her best to hold back the tears as she held him tight in her arms. “Welcome home, brother.”