A ‘blessing,’ he said? But Aviang already received that so-called ‘blessing.’ At this rate, it was only a matter of ti before her cover was blown.
Even so, Leoric appeared utterly cheerful, even humming a tune.
Not a shred of doubt was visible in his attitude toward Aviang.
He rely looked at her with a puzzled gaze and asked with concern.
“Are you all right, Brother? You look a bit pale.”
“O-Of course! My apologies for worrying you. It’s just that it’s so cold outside...”
“Hoho, that’s strange to hear. Brother Wolf, shouldn’t your body be feverish as you prepare to receive the ‘blessing’? Or has there been so problem with the surgical preparations?”
I could feel Aviang’s muscles further stiffen.
It seed her nervousness caused her to slip up. Though Leoric brushed it off like it was nothing, even I started to break out in a cold sweat.
She hadn’t been like this when dealing with the guards earlier, though..
It was obvious that, in her heart, Aviang considered Leoric the most daunting opponent, which explained why she was so on edge.
In this room, the only one who appeared at ease was Leoric.
Such was the privilege of the strong.
“Even if there were complications with the surgery preparations, it wouldn’t be a problem. As today, one of the sisters has graciously volunteered to assist us... Now, if you would please lie down on the bed.”
As Leoric turned, his broad fra ca into full view once again.
His hand unhesitatingly moved to grab a nearby box. Monts later, he pulled out a thick rope.
No, it was a double-headed serpent.
Despite being in Leoric’s grip, the double-headed serpent didn’t so much as twitch.
On the contrary, he pried its mouth open, going so far as squeezing the venom from its fangs.
“At one point, the double-headed serpent was misunderstood to be a pawn of the Evil God. A creature with two heads, locked in an eternal struggle....a symbol of unresolved conflict and war. Thus, in my youth, I often wondered: Why would the Lord allow such a vile creature to exist?”
Aviang couldn’t even bring herself to nod along to Leoric’s lengthy monologue.
She simply darted her eyes around, her mind churning with thoughts. She had to find a way to prevent the ‘Blessing’ implantation procedure at all costs.
Otherwise, her transformation magic would be undone.
“But it was during my ti among my elven brethren that I realized sothing. This double-headed serpent actually contains a profound truth! Eternal conflict... it is inevitable. And there is only one way to put an end to it.”
Leoric, who had been extracting venom into the cup from the double-headed serpent for so ti, finally moved his hands again.
Imdiately, a sickening crack resounded through the room.
The double-headed serpent’s heads were crushed and blood poured out in a steady stream. Leoric carefully adjusted the vial to ensure not a single drop was wasted.
“...Eradication.”
It was at that mont, after a long hesitation, that Aviang’s gaze hardened.
There were still so many questions left to ask.
What exactly was he scheming with the elves, and who was the human traitor involved in all this?
Also, how did they co into contact with the Dark Order, and what was their ultimate goal?
And the matter of the ‘Vampire’ also needed clarification.
However, the situation right now was far from. Temporarily retreating to regroup and reorganize the strategy wasn’t a bad option.
Aviang likely understood this as well.
“Um, Lord Leoric?”
“Ah! Don’t worry too much. The procedure is completely painless. When the venom and blood of the double-headed serpent are mixed and injected into an elf, they cause a unique chemical reaction. A powerful analgesic effect... Shall I say it feels like floating on a cloud? However, injecting it directly causes hallucinations that are far too strong, so it needs to be administered to soone else first for refinent.”
Leoric went on, endlessly muttering explanations.
Yet his once-calm gaze began to change. His breathing grew rougher and blood vessels began to bulge in his eyes.
He was clearly becoming agitated.
“Isn’t this transformation magnificent? To think that even in such a lowly creature, the Lord’s design is at work... Ah, Immanuel! And I’m deeply grateful for the devotion of the sister who volunteered to help refine this drug!”
If she hesitated any longer, she’d have no choice but to undergo the procedure.
Growing increasingly desperate, Aviang cried out,
“Lord Leoric! Ah, I’m not feeling very well... Could we postpone the procedure...?!”
“Ah, just in ti, the sister has arrived. Please, co in.”
But her repeated pleas were rcilessly ignored.
She sensed an unfamiliar presence hesitantly stepping in.
Aviang’s gaze now reflected a determination to make a crucial decision.
Would she try to run while Leoric was montarily distracted, or perhaps seek a different way out?
If she were right in front of , I’d tell her to run imdiately.
But, of course, such a wish was futile.
Not only were Aviang and I separated by distance, but she had frozen in place while glancing behind her.
A heavy silence settled over the basent room.
Light footsteps echoed softly as a girl entered.
She appeared to be just over ten years old, looking even younger than Aviang. What would have been a doll-like beauty was marred by her pale complexion.
Dark circles under her eyes, along with a bandage covering half her face, added to the impression.
The bandages stuck to her thin, frail limbs, further attesting to her condition. Anyone could see she wasn’t in a normal state.
The mont she saw the girl, Aviang’s eyes locked onto her.
Only her wide, unblinking eyes revealed her shock.
I was puzzled for a mont but, soon enough, the realization struck .
Why Aviang had frozen in place.
The girl’s hair was gray and her eyes were blue.
A hue similar to Aviang’s own.
“...Betty.”
That soft murmur confird my suspicion as fact.
Aviang herself was the one who spoke the na.
The na of her younger sister, one I had heard before.
Yet, Betty paid no attention to Aviang, who was disguised as Wolf.
She only clutched at Leoric’s sleeve with trembling hands.
The girl pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.
“L-Lord Leoric... injection, gim inject-shun...”
Her tongue seed limp, causing her words to slur. I covered my face with both hands.
This was bad.
Leoric gently stroked Betty’s gray hair, as if feeling sorry for her.
“Oh, Sister Betty... have no fear. Though I lack the power to cure your illness, I can at least relieve your suffering.”
There was no way Aviang could keep her composure.
“Q-Quickly! Quickly!”
Betty incessantly whined, her behavior like that of soone whose intellect had regressed.
Aviang bit her lip so hard it seed it might bleed, desperately trying to hold herself back.
It was a futile struggle.
As Leoric picked up the syringe and filled it with the drug, Betty stuck her rear out, panting while drooling uncontrollably just like a dog.
Her eyes glead with joy and anticipation. It was a vivid expression, strangely at odds with her emaciated body.
It was a sight so ghastly, it was hard to watch with open eyes.
If even I’m feeling this way, how could Aviang possibly endure it?
“Hey, you...!”
A heated voice escaped her clenched teeth and I imdiately sprang to my feet at that, sprinting off. There was only one way to save Aviang now.
Just before I severed the connection, Aviang’s anguished cry reverberated in my head.
“You filthy bastards!”
Inwardly, I made the sign of the cross multiple tis.
Please let her be safe.
A few minutes later, I launched my assault on the guards at ‘Headquarters.’
***Isha opened her eyes, gasping for air.
The ti it took for the sudden intruder to subdue her had been so brief that she struggled to piece together what had happened even after regaining consciousness.
All she recalled was a golden streak and then a lightning strike—then it was over.
Isha fainted just like that.
The opponent had been overwhelmingly strong.
Other than Ian, Isha had never faced such a powerful enemy. Her body began to involuntarily tremble, but her strong pride forced her to steady herself.
What on earth is their objective?
Without Ian here, they had no ans to fend off such a powerful intruder. Isha imdiately cried out in a trembling voice.
Conveniently, there was a woman standing nearby.
It seed they intended to interrogate her, but Isha swore she would uphold her loyalty, even if it ant death.
“W-Who are you?! You don’t actually think you can actually ss with the elves and survive, do you?!”
“Surprisingly, we have no interest in the lives of you elves.”
At least, not yet.
The response ca from a golden-haired woman with crimson eyes. Her chilling murmur almost made Isha instinctively squeeze her eyes shut.
She instinctively sensed it.
The won surrounding her were all clearly far from sane. From the golden-haired woman to the petite girl in a pointed hat and the red-haired woman,
They all exuded an overwhelmingly dangerous aura.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if they had cut off Isha’s head on the spot.
“We only want to know one thing... Ian. What did you do with him?”
“...Who?”
It feels like I heard sothing like this sowhere before.
When Isha tilted her head in confusion and asked back, the girl with the pointed hat was the one who imdiately flew into a rage..
She had already been wearing an anxious expression and Isha’s clueless response imdiately made the girl raise her voice.
“Ian Percus! Our master! They said he lost his mory—so what did you do to him?!”
‘Ahh,’ Isha murmured softly, as if she’d just realized sothing.
She finally understood what they wanted to ask. Co to think of it, that ‘human’ was called Ian Percus, wasn’t it?
Thinking back, he was said to hold a high status, even among humans.
It was evident from how the soldiers including Alex treated him with the utmost respect, not to ntion the won currently threatening Isha. They even went so far as to call him ‘Master.’
Moreover, they were under the impression that Ian had amnesia.
At that mont, a thought flashed through Isha’s mind.
Couldn’t I take this opportunity to throw these arrogant won off their guard?
If she claid she was soone precious to Ian, perhaps they would regret how they’d been treating her. Maybe they’d even let her go unhard.
With a sly smile, Isha spoke,
“Ah, I know him! My lover...”
Just one phrase.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Isha felt a chill run down her spine.
The atmosphere around the won turned unbearably cold.
Even Isha, who had long grown accustod to the northern chill, felt the freezing tension. All three won stared at her in utter silence.
And that made it all the more terrifying.
Their expressions betrayed no emotion whatsoever.
Only their eyes conveyed a chilling hostility.
Still, Isha tried once more to bluff before these won.
“M-My lover...”
*Crack—*a faint spark of electricity snapped through the air.
She had no idea what it signified, but her instincts were ringing alarms like crazy.
I’m going to die.
In the end, Isha couldn’t help but squeeze her eyes shut.
“H-He’s my lover’s very close friend! Ahahaha... W-What a coincidence, isn’t it? So that makes us friends too, right?”
Only then did the tension around her ease sowhat, causing tears to slip from Isha’s eyes.
Humans—are so scary...
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