Kairen was dead.
And so, Katria must not look back.
She clenched her eyes shut and started running.
That damned human city—Bondales.
Its filthy alleyways blurred past her.
And for so reason, visions of her holand, Kehlin, began to overlay the scene.
She was sick of it.
Which was why she missed it so much.
The thought ca without warning.
Why was she here?
How did things end up like this?
Her brother had vanished one day without a trace.
Then ca the letter from him—light in tone, cheerful.
She had thought it was the start of a joyous, exciting journey—
But now, at the end of that journey, she had nothing.
Her beloved younger brother.
Her respected Kairen.
And even her old self.
"Ah...!"
Suddenly, both her vision and her thoughts ca to a halt.
Sothing tripped her.
Slice.
And then sothing slashed at her ankle.
"Kyaaaah!!!"
The scream of a dark elf ripped through the slums of the human city.
Katria scrambled on the ground and flipped over.
And there—she saw her attacker.
"...!"
Not what she expected.
It wasn’t a human, but a fellow dark elf.
They extended not a hand, but a blade toward her as they spoke.
"Hand over the Hand of Verdandes, miss."
And just like that—Katria understood.
Why she was here.
How it had co to this.
...Just how foolish her blind hatred for humans had been.
***
[Thread Title: So I’m in the middle of that fate quest with this dark elf chick Katria, and I got questions]
Post: So why did her brother even leave Kehlin, which is a nice place to live, and go to the human world?
Surely it wasn’t just to get enslaved or sothing after discovering his “true self”?
Reply: His girlfriend talked him into it.
[OP]: What, did she say “I think you’re super sexy with chains and whips on your neck”?
Reply: Hey, what the hell man
Reply: Nah, more like “I think you’re so hot when you help free an ancient demon~”
Reply: Kella, the demon cultist, seduced him to help her unseal the demon that the Sahila family had locked away
[OP]: What does making him a slave have to do with unsealing a demon though?
Do demons get extra juiced up when they see a dark elf guy in chains or sothing? Wtf
Reply: To simplify
Sealing demons? Needs regular maintenance.
Guess who’s magically linked to the seal? Katria.
= If Katria breaks, the seal breaks.
[OP]: Oh ffs lol
[OP]: You an that’s what this is??
[OP]: Katria breaks ntally = Demon unsealed
So they kidnapped her brother to ss with her on purpose??
Reply: Yep. Also, he had the demon’s Sealing Stone Part 2 with him.
[OP]: So all the shit humans gave Katria was because of that too?
Reply: Half of it, yeah. That was Kella’s cult ssing with her.
[OP]: Half?
Reply: Kella be like: “Wait, they weren’t my guys though?”
Reply: Just... the world sucks, bro
***
[Thread Title: This fate quest is actually insane]
Post: I got used to the whole “That person you killed was secretly innocent and suffering” trope,
but this quest went full ghost pepper concentrate on us.
Like:
“That person you killed? Actually a tragic victim.
And the guy you helped? Yeah he’s about to go slaughter hundreds of innocents using your help.
Thanks for playing! 😘🔥”
Isn’t that, like... a bit much?
Even a franchise like You Died Tonkatsu wouldn’t go this far unless it beca You Died, Chef Sir.
Reply: They didn’t have to remind us of Katria’s tragic fate the mont we enter Kehlin
Reply: “Thanks. You killed her knight Kairen, so we could abduct Katria with zero resistance, torture her, and unleash a demon on Kehlin. Big ups.”
[OP]: Wasn’t she supposed to be so psycho dark elf who attacks innocent people??
Reply: “Innocent people” = slave traders who sold her brother, and nobles who drugged and abused him before tossing him out
Reply: “Psycho dark elf” = soone who got revenge on people who hurt her brother
[OP]: AAAAAAAAAA
──────────
Like clouds blotting out the sky—
A yellow cloud of sand engulfed Kehlin.
Then, a thunderclap.
A deafening roar carried across the city on the storm.
—Bow your heads before the mountain of sand that veils the sun, you insects.
—The true master of this desert has returned.
The storm left behind chaos and sand, covering the entire city.
The night of the desert had fallen.
[Region: Kehlin]
──────────
"Ugh."
Lisir grimaced.
ltas looked over at him in concern.
"What is it, Lisir?"
"It’s just... kind of loud."
"You an the demon’s voice!? That’s terrible news! Let warn you—never listen to them! That entity is not sothing a mortal mind can endure! Let your guard down for even a mont, and it will corrupt you with madness! Worse still, it will try to deceive you in every way it can! So, absolutely—when speaking to that thing, consult first! Tell everything it says, and we’ll discuss how to respond!"
"That’s serious, huh? In that case, should I tell you everything he’s said so far?"
"Yes, please!"
—You hear !? At last!? You can hear my voice!?
"Hm?"
—Excellent! Insect! Bow before the mountain of sand that veils the sun! Answer your new master’s call!
"Hmm...!"
—Did I not tell you to answer !? Hurry!!!
"Hmm?"
—If you don’t respond right now, I’ll see to it that the sand wind grinds your body forever!
You will feel your flesh and organs erode while still alive!
"Hmm...!"
—...Very well! Then just listen!
"Hmm?"
—Release imdiately!
If you don’t, everything you love will be buried and worn away by the sand!
"Hmm...!"
—No, no! I misspoke!
"Hmm?"
—If you release , I will bestow upon you limitless power and glory!
Please!
I beg you!!!
KRAAAAAAGH!!!
You cursed worm!!!
What are you doing to !?
Stop—PLEASE STOP!!!
"..."
"That’s... pretty much the whole conversation. I assu the ‘pathetic begging’ thing is just part of the act?"
"...Poor thing."
"...Wait, ? Did I already fall for sothing!?"
"No, I ant the demon."
"?"
"Demons are also known as Deceivers. They delight in manipulating mortals and watching them squirm."
"So all of that was an act?"
"And yet, demons are also creatures of imnse pride.
Even at the brink of annihilation, they never bow to mortals."
"Wait... then what do you call this guy?"
"Hmm..."
ltas fell into thought.
"Perhaps it’s because of your power—your purification ability."
"You an... it’s so painful to him that even a proud demon ends up begging for release?"
"It’s ridiculous."
"Thought so."
"But you are Lisir, after all."
"?"
"Which is to say—it’s not entirely impossible."
"...What exactly am I to you?"
"You’re Lisir. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a stronger word than that."
With that, ltas returned to thinking.
A nad demon, bound inside a human and suffering.
As said—
The na “Lisir” was explanation enough.
But looked at the other way—
Without that na, nothing about this made sense.
As a scholar, ltas tried to co to a rational conclusion.
"Maybe the texts were exaggerated."
"The texts?"
"Sotis families exaggerate accomplishnts to boost their prestige."
"Oh! So you’re saying, ‘A mighty demon who ruled the desert for centuries’ might’ve really just been a troublemaker who sat on a hill and blocked the road?"
"Exactly. A gap in the records, so to speak."
The two of them nodded at each other in satisfaction.
—Lisir!
—Lisir!?
—Lisir!!!
—...LISIR!!!
Like shedding the primitive mindset of a caveman’s linguistic structure and pursuing rational thought instead, he felt a sweet sensation—as if he'd beco a true intellectual.
“Anyway, what the hell is going on here.”
Just then, the maid Tia stirred in her sleep on the sofa.
“A demon who should be in the far southern desert is inside your body. This is sothing even the three syllables Lisir can’t explain. You sure you don’t have any guesses?”
“Hm... should I ask the one concerned?”
The one concerned—Lisir ant Verdandes.
However, there was soone else who responded to that phrasing—
“I can explain.”
“Hm?”
A third voice cut in.
At so point, the maid Tia had awoken and was looking at them.
“Oh, Tia. You’re up. Are you feeling okay?”
“...”
***
Katria wobbled toward Lisir.
As she carefully reached up to touch his face—
"...!"
She suddenly recoiled in shock.
As if she couldn’t accept that her filth could make contact with sothing as pure as Lisir.
The look in Katria’s eyes as she stared at him was complex.
Too many emotions violently collided on the narrow canvas of her face.
“You’re asking if I’m okay—what about you—”
“Hm?”
“Are you... really okay?”
No. My stomach’s a little off.
Probably because I ate too much of Didoa’s sandwich earlier.
But I kept my smile, so I’m satisfied.
Lisir almost let that usual nonsense slip—but upon seeing her expression, his face turned serious.
He paused, grasped her intent, then answered gently.
“Yeah. I don’t know what you're worried about, but as far as I can tell, there’s nothing wrong with .”
“...”
Katria’s elegant features twisted and crumpled mont by mont.
It was the kind of face one makes when holding back tears—or laughter.
Her lips trembled and flapped, over and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° over.
Thank you.
I’m sorry.
Which should she say?
“I did it.”
That was Katria’s choice.
She began confessing all the things she’d done to Lisir.
Feeding him Clouded Truth.
Forcing him to ingest Saebaekryeon.
Possessing him with a demon.
And that was it.
She didn’t speak of what had been done to them in the human world.
How they’d been treated.
What prejudices she’d developed toward humans as a result.
What assumptions she’d projected onto Lisir, and what mistakes she’d made because of them.
Nor how hard she’d worked to fix those mistakes.
She didn’t speak of any of that.
“...Why?”
“Is that important?”
Katria answered his question with a shaless smile.
He’s safe...
She had no intention of brazenly asking for anything more than that.
She didn’t want to interfere with the scorn that was sure to follow.
“Intent, reasons—what do they matter? In the end, all that’s left is the outco.
And the outco is: I tried to hurt you.”
“...”
“So then—what are you going to do?”
Katria believed she was prepared.
For him to scorn her.
To slap her, point fingers at her.
To say he would shackle her and make her pay.
She believed she would be purely satisfied by this chance to atone.
But the truth was different.
She was terrified of his gaze filled with contempt.
She feared being rembered as a monster in his mind.
If she could, she wanted to do anything to fix their relationship.
“What now? Just going to stand there? Like when you got hurt without even knowing what was happening?”
But on the outside, she wore that disgusting smile.
Trying to provoke his scorn.
A defense chanism born of the belief that forgiveness was impossible.
So, Katria resigned herself—waiting for Lisir’s inevitable contempt.
***
The past few days.
While Katria had been busy in the tower trying to save Lisir, the Moonshadow Knight Commander Kairen had been combing through Bondales with slave trader Reisha, trying to uncover the truth.
“Here...”
“The mansion’s inner yard?”
“Yes... I stepped out in the morning, and that’s where I found Lord Drian... unconscious...”
So far, the circumstances were clear.
This wasn’t simply a case of Drian, the Sahila family’s third son, going rogue.
There had clearly been a third party involved—one with sinister intent.
With Reisha’s cooperation, Kairen began collecting clues.
Then one day, a letter arrived at Reisha’s mansion.
—If you want to save Drian, co to the listed location.
It was an abandoned house in the slums.
In the basent of that house, a dark elf in a robe greeted Kairen.
Kairen knew her.
A woman nad Kella—noble daughter of a prominent Sahila branch family and known companion of Drian.
Or so she appeared.
Kairen’s instincts scread.
That wasn’t Kella.
Even at the level of the 7th Rank, the malevolent energy was too vast to fully gauge.
Kella’s crimson lips curved into a smirk.
It was a human-like smile, disturbingly unnatural.
“Congratulations. You successfully retrieved Drian.”
“...”
An infuriating line.
By this point, it was obvious.
She was the one who’d orchestrated everything.
Kairen wanted to sever her head right there.
But the unknown power gave him pause.
Her unsettling calm gave him pause.
Perhaps reading his hesitation, Kella’s smile deepened.
“Good choice. If you kill now, you won’t be able to save the two Sahilas you serve.”
Two Sahilas.
That ant not only Drian—but that filthy hand had reached for Katria as well.
“See this?”
Kella pulled back her sleeve and revealed a topaz bracelet on her wrist.
It was the Eye of Verdandes, taken from the Sahila vault by Drian before leaving Kehlin.
If the Hand of Verdandes was a prison that held the demon, the Eye of Verdandes was a second lock sealing the prison.
“...!”
Kairen’s eyes widened.
The topaz was clouded—so murky you couldn’t see through it.
That ant Katria’s ntal state, which bore the seal, was nearing collapse.
“Even with Drian back, she figured it out, huh.
That he’s not in his right mind.”
“...What have you done to him?”
“Who knows?”
Kella sneered darkly.
“Let’s just say he’ll never wake up—unless I give permission.”
***
A guest room prepared for dignitaries in the Magic Tower.
A dark elf who had been asleep for days finally stirred.
He sat up and stretched hard.
“Uuuugh~”
A perfect nap.
Drian woke up in an unfamiliar room and simply felt good.
***
“If we don’t save Drian, the Sahila heiress so revered by all dark elves will cross the river of no return.”
Kella flaunted the Eye of Verdandes as she spoke.
“So, Kairen—surely the Moonshadow Knight Commander will honor my request, won’t he?”
The falsely courteous tone, the blatant mockery—
Kairen’s expression was just about to contort in fury—
“?”
His face changed as he stared at the Eye of Verdandes.
Kella, sensing sothing, turned to look at it too.
“?”
Shimr.
The once-clouded topaz now glead with a clear, dazzling light—
as if the murkiness had been a lie.
At this very mont—
Katria’s heart had found complete peace.
Neither of them knew why.
***
Finally, Lisir opened his mouth.
And Katria couldn’t believe her ears.
“What did you just...”
She let out a short laugh in disbelief.
──────────
▷Fate 17: Loathso Race – Deactivated.
Associated rewards have been granted.
──────────
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