CHAPTER 705: THE PATH OF NO RETURN ( 705 )

But Garius waited.

He didn’t repeat the question.

He didn’t rush him.

He just stared.

Silent.

Unblinking.

A man with infinite patience... until his limits were crossed.

Gilmon’s breath trembled.

"I... failed to stop him," he finally managed to say. "I let Edmund pass through. I didn’t... I didn’t warn anyone. I thought... I thought he could be reasoned with. That maybe... maybe he hadn’t fully turned yet."

Garius’s eyes remained still.

No reaction.

No anger.

Just listening.

Like a judge hearing testimony.

Gilmon’s voice grew hollow. "I... I didn’t act. And because of that... Edmund devoured another Celestial. Gurdan... the Halfling King. His entire army... wiped out. I saw it. I couldn’t even stand when he activated his power. That thing inside him... it’s not human anymore."

Silence again.

Garius closed his eyes.

"I see."

He opened them again.

"But let me ask you, Gilmon..." His tone hardened slightly, making Gilmon feel like his lungs sank. "Why didn’t you come to me?"

Gilmon’s heart stopped for a moment.

"I..."

"You knew where I was," Garius said flatly. "You knew what was coming. You knew I had the power to stop him. And yet... you stayed silent."

"I—"

"You chose to let Edmund run free." Garius took another step forward. "And people died."

Gilmon couldn’t take it anymore.

He bowed his head, forehead pressed to the blanket.

"I know... I know!! I was a coward!! I wanted to believe he could be saved. That maybe the boy I raised was still in there. But he’s gone... I know that now..."

His voice cracked.

"I didn’t call you... because I was afraid. Not of Edmund... but of you."

That made Garius pause.

"...Afraid of me?"

Gilmon trembled.

"Yes. Because if I called you... that meant I was admitting everything I believed in was a lie. That I raised a monster. That all my loyalty... my duty... was wasted."

Garius looked down at him.

"...And now?"

Garius looked down at him, his voice quiet but sharp as cold steel.

"You had one job, Gilmon."

Gilmon’s throat tightened.

"You had your responsibility, to ensure Edmund didn’t fall into corruption. To watch over him, not just as a general, but as someone who knew him before he wore a crown."

He took another slow step forward, the tension in the room thickening.

"I told you. I told both you and Arnold. If things ever got out of hand, if anything went beyond your control, you were to come find me. Immediately."

Gilmon’s eyes widened, but Garius wasn’t finished.

"And guess what?"

His voice dropped even lower.

"Arnold is gone."

Gilmon froze.

"He wasn’t Arnold anymore," Garius continued. "He was one of the Celestial Guides. Disguised. Manipulating everything from inside."

"W-What...?"

"I don’t even know where the real Arnold is now. The one we knew, who stood beside us when we were just kids training at the noble school. Maybe dead. Maybe imprisoned somewhere. "

He leaned slightly forward, gaze sharp as a knife.

"You were supposed to make sure Edmund stayed on the right path."

"And yet... what happened?"

Silence.

"He’s not just corrupted. He’s dangerous. He’s taken in the Celestial power... and willingly become a vessel. All for power. And you—" he pointed directly at Gilmon "—you didn’t stop him when you still could."

Gilmon’s lips trembled. His whole body shook.

"I—I thought..."

"You hesitated."

Garius turned away, slowly pacing.

"You’re one of the strongest warriors the Human Kingdom ever produced. You had the strength. You had the access. You knew him better than anyone else. But you let emotions cloud your judgment."

He turned back.

"And now? People are dead. Entire kingdoms are collapsing. Do you think an apology will undo that?"

Gilmon clenched his fists, trying not to break.

"No," he whispered. "It won’t. But I’ll do anything. Give me a mission. I’ll take any punishment. Just... let me try to fix it."

Garius stared at him in silence.

A long, heavy silence filled the room.

Then Garius spoke, his tone final and unshakable.

"...No. Your role is over."

Gilmon looked up, disbelief clear on his face, lips parted.

"The thing you should do now... is rest."

Garius began walking away, each step heavy with weight.

"Rest—and watch. Watch the consequences of your decisions unfold."

He reached the doorway, then stopped. Without turning, he cast a sharp, piercing glance over his shoulder.

His voice lowered to a cold, low growl.

"Now? I no longer have a choice."

Gilmon froze in place.

"If it were up to me... I don’t believe Edmund can be saved anymore."

His words sent a chill down Gilmon’s spine.

"But I’ve handed the choice to my youngest."

Garius turned his head slightly, just enough to let his eyes pierce into Gilmon’s soul.

"It’s Javier’s mission now. His judgment. His will."

"If the decision were mine alone?"

Garius’s voice became a whisper.

"Edmund would already be dead."

Garius walked out, the door shutting behind him.

Leaving Gilmon alone in a silence.

Garius walked slowly down the long stone corridor of the healing facility.

Behind him followed Alf, silent and composed.

Erinnette, sharp-eyed and tense.

Hesbeirn, jaw tight with unease.

"My lord?" Alf finally spoke.

"Yes, Alf?" Garius replied without slowing down.

"...Are you sure?"

"About killing Edmund?" Garius asked steadily.

"Yes. I’m sure."

He paused in the middle of the hall and turned slightly, his gaze drifting over the three who had followed him since their youth.

"You were all with me," he said quietly, "when we fought the first celestial, remember?"

They nodded, grim memories flashing in their minds.

"And those weren’t even stage one," Garius continued. "Just raw, unbound fragments. Not vessels. Not fused. And yet, look what they did. How they twisted everything around them. How hard we struggled to contain even one."

"But Edmund... he’s reached stage five. That’s no longer a celestial infestation."

"That’s possession," Garius said sharply.

He glanced sideways.

"Gumarak was lucky. Javier stopped him just in time and sealed the celestial inside his body before it could fully consume him. But if he had hesitated..."

He shook his head.

"If he let it devour him, like Gurdan did, there would be no redemption. No reversal. Only execution."

A long silence followed.

"Celestials..." Garius exhaled slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"...They’re not like curses. Not diseases. They’re worse."

"They’re a living catastrophe. A walking disaster that infects not just the body—but ambition, dreams, love, purpose. Once it takes root, it eats your soul from the inside. Slowly, until only madness remains."

He looked forward and kept walking.

"There’s no ’cure’ once it reaches stage five. Only containment—or destruction."

"Then," Erinnette asked softly, "what will you do if Javier fails?"

Garius hesitated briefly, then answered in a quiet, clear voice.

"Then I’ll bury Edmund with my own hands."

( End Of Chapter )