Since that day, Seria’s nights had beco unbearably long.
Even as the Sun blanketed the horizon, her world remained shrouded in darkness. Differentiating between day and night held no significance anymore.
The world was hell.
Occasionally, when she regained a semblance of clarity, Seria would realize her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Alex was dead.
At whose hands?
Her beloved senior had lost his mories and his blade was now aid at humanity—herself included.
It was a sense of loss she had never even imagined.
If soone ever ripped out her heart, it might feel like this.
No—if only soone would just do that instead.
Would that be enough to heal this agonizing loneliness?
The void left by the first man she ever loved was imnse. He was the kind soul who had pulled the isolated girl out of her solitude and walked beside her.
But now, he was gone.
Crunch. Seria bit her nail again.
Her thumb nail was already worn down and ragged. Biting it further wouldn’t make it grow back any faster. After all, as it was, blood and pus were still oozing from it.
And yet, why does that chilling sound continue endlessly?
This ant her nails were continuing to grow.
At a regeneration speed far beyond that of an ordinary human. Days of hiding in her dimly lit room with the curtains drawn brought about strange changes in Seria’s body.
However, Seria hadn’t even noticed the changes in her own body.
She had long since lost the composure to notice such things.
Nibble, grind, crunch.
After a long silence, Seria suddenly rose, as if in a fit.
She began pacing back and forth around the room, lost in thought. Before she knew it, her blue eyes had taken on a sinister gleam, but the world trapped in night offered her no chance to see her reflection in a mirror.
What—what should I do?
How can I bring my senior back?
Suddenly, hatred and rage surged up her throat. Like flas, those fiery emotions seared her chest and esophagus, making her cough reflexively.
I have to kill them.
It was a conclusion reached without any logical deliberation.
Nor was it a rational decision.
She didn’t even know whose cri she was condemning.
And yet, Seria found a strange satisfaction in the verdict she just reached, her lips curving into a faint smile for the first ti in days.
Yes, I just have to kill them.
It wasn’t any different from how she lived her life so far.
It didn’t matter whether they were elves or humans. Her senior bore no fault.
And even if there was any bla to be placed, it lay with the world itself.
He had been a hero who sacrificed himself for humanity, throwing his body into the fray until the very end.
To rob such a man of his mories and force his blade against his own kind— was that fate?
That’s why she had to kill them.
Her murderous intent lacked even a clear target. Yet it wasn’t an empty impulse; a murky determination began to take shape in Seria’s eyes.
It was a dark and insidious desire, like the sludge at the bottom of a puddle.
Step by step, Seria started walking up to her sword. The cherished blade she left by her bedside was still waiting for her.
Just as it always had.
Without hesitation, her hand gripped the sword. And just as she was about to reveal its pristine white blade to the world...
Her ears perked up.
Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t noticed it at first, but there was a strange presence lingering nearby.
Just as Seria’s unfocused eyes tried to search for the source...
Bang—the window burst open with force.
“UGH, KYAAACK.”
Along with a scream, a familiar figure tumbled across the floor. Startled, Seria instinctively stepped back in alarm.
A fierce northern wind rushed in through the open window.
Flickering firelight illuminated dark blue hair, reminiscent of the night sky as the figure rubbed their head with eyes glistening with tears.
Seria quickly deduced the identity of the intruder.
“...Your Highness, the Princess?”
“Se-Senior Seria”
The princess stamred, fidgeting with a sowhat frightened expression.
As Seria stood frozen, unable to guess the reason behind her appearance, Cien tightly shut her eyes and bowed her head. A hurried explanation spilled out of her mouth.
“I-I wasn’t trying to spy on you! I knocked on the window a few tis, but you didn’t respond... s-so there’s no need to draw your sword...!”
Ah. Seria let out a faint gasp of realization.
At so point, her hand had gripped the sword’s hilt, her hold so firm it was as if she was ready to begin a deadly dance at any mont.
Startled, she quickly hid the sword behind her back.
Then, forcing an awkward smile, she cleared her throat a few tis.
What was I about to do?
She couldn’t rember. All she could guess was that if the princess hadn’t arrived, sothing terrible might have happened.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Seria blushed faintly as she spoke.
“A-Ah no! I would never dare to harbor disrespectful thoughts toward the Imperial family’s bloodline... This is a misunderstanding. I was just about to tend to my sword since it’s been neglected for so long... b-but more importantly!”
Her stamring words eventually condensed into a single question.
Having regained her composure, Seria couldn’t help but voice the obvious question.
“Why did you co in through the window? You could have entered through the Yurdina Castle’s entrance...”
“Because I overheard a dangerous secret.”
‘Secret.’ At that brief word, Seria tightly pressed her lips together.
Her questions remained unanswered.
She could guess how the princess entered her room. It was likely through so kind of flight magic—her sudden entrance accompanied by the wind as the window opened suggested as much.
But why go to such lengths?
This was Yurdina Castle, ho to one of the empire’s five great noble families. There was no one here who could pose a threat to a princess of imperial blood.
Even so, the princess looked extrely tense, as she kept swallowing dryly.
As though she were being pursued by sothing.
In a stiff, rigid tone, Cien whispered,
“Senior Seria.....”
Just as Seria, unable to contain her curiosity, tilted her head slightly—
“Are you, by any chance, interested in ‘patricide’?”
For a mont, Seria fell into silence.
And then she thought:
Should I just draw my sword right here?
**
Hiss! A chemical solution spilled across the trampled snow.
Slowly, faint red footprints began to erge. Checking the direction every few minutes, the won continued walking.
They were Delphine, Elsie, and Emma.
The soldiers brought along as guides and escorts had been left behind at the elves’ hideout. It had been a deliberate decision, made with the belief that this would be the better way to encounter Ian, who was said to have headed for the ‘Headquarters.’
After all, there was soone else capable of acting as a guide.
Naly, the elf who had been the first to be captured and interrogated by the won.
Her na was Isha.
She was still trembling, seemingly unable to shake off her fear. The won also didn’t show much kindness toward her, either.
Humans and elves had been at odds for centuries.
Even when they heard the truth, trusting it entirely was difficult. And the more they learned, the less they wanted to believe.
Alex was a traitor to the family?
It was an unimaginable claim. Since hearing it, Delphine had been struck speechless.
Only Elsie would occasionally prod Isha, throwing in a few threats.
“Hey, elf... Are you sure you’re leading us the right way? As you can see, my ‘little sister’ here is quite capable. If you lead us down the wrong path, then...!”
“I-I wouldn’t do sothing like that!”
She cried out practically in tears, while Elsie rely let out a faint, ambiguous ‘hmph.’, still looking unconvinced.
Isha was practically begging now, trying to reassure Elsie.
“I told you, that ‘human’ is our friend. What kind of elf would betray the friend of a friend?”
“How dare an elf presu to claim themselves as our Master’s friend... Hah, forget it.”
Elsie’s anger flared for a mont, but she quickly reined herself in.
As the girl shook her head, the tip of her pointed hat swayed along. Her blue eyes carried a faint hint of fatigue.
It was the toll of the relentless marching of the past few days.
On top of that, both her body and mind endured significant stress, so it was no surprise that she appeared fatigued.
Still, her expression seed a bit brighter.
“So, you’re saying Master’s mories are intact?”
“Y-Yes... I think so, judging from the conversation he had with that knight.”
“Hmph, our Master really does have peculiar tastes.”
Elsie softly snorted, flashing a smug smile.
It was a habit of hers whenever she felt pleased.
“So he’s got his mories, yet he was hanging around with elves? We were so worried for nothing....”
“Um, er.”
This was Isha’s first attempt at a retort.
Elsie’s gaze slowly shifted toward Isha, as if silently asking, ‘What is it now?’ Though Elsie’s fra was much smaller than Isha’s, Isha knew perfectly well—
What would happen if that small hand were to swing just once.
The sky would tear open, and divine punishnt would rain down through the gash.
She had never encountered such a powerful shaman before. Yet her innate curiosity and foolish boldness got the better of her.
Gulp, she swallowed audibly, and what ca next was her question.
“W-What if the human really had lost his mories... what were you planning to do...?”
‘Hmmm’. Elsie let out a thoughtful hum.
She briefly glanced around, her eyes softening with a mischievous glint. Leaning closer, she whispered into Isha’s ear.
“I’d make him take responsibility, of course... by telling him I’m carrying his child.”
“Y-You’re pregnant...?!”
Isha’s eyes widened in shock as she alternated her gaze between Elsie’s belly and her face. No matter how she looked, Elsie didn’t seem to have the body of a pregnant woman.
I’d heard that pregnancy doesn’t show in its early stages... So it’s true after all.
As Isha was quietly marveling at the mysteries of life, Elsie spoke with a shalessly calm expression.
“Pregnant? Not even close—I’m still a virgin.”
“Then how were you planning to deal with that later...?!”
“Simple—I’ll just get pregnant for real... by pouncing on him suddenly like bam, in the middle of the night.”
At her audacious response, Isha clamped her mouth shut.
She glanced at her, wondering if it was a joke, but Elsie seed entirely serious. Her blue eyes showed not the slightest hint of hesitation.
It was an idea bordering on madness.
To think she’d throw away her chastity just to win over a man. Worse still, risking an out-of-wedlock pregnancy that would bring unimaginable disgrace to any woman.
And so, Isha could only co to the sa realization once again:
As expected, humans are indeed terrifying.
But that thought didn’t last long.
Before she knew it, sothing appeared in her field of vision that forced her to cast aside all other thoughts.
Boom—a tremor reverberated.
The group’s steps ca to an abrupt halt. They were still a considerable distance from the ‘Headquarters.’ And yet, what was this tremor that could be felt so distinctly?
An icy silence fell.
Delphine stood quietly, staring intently in one direction. Then, closing her eyes, she steadied her breathing for a few seconds.
Her crimson eyes snapped open.
“Get down!”
The group acted on their instincts.
The won hurled themselves to the ground, their bodies sinking into the snow. Imdiately after their precarious evasion, a scorching beam tore through the world, engulfing everything in flas.
The scorching heat seared their retinas to a blinding white.
There wasn’t even a sound of explosion, yet nothing remained where the beam had passed.
No trees, no animals, nothing.
The beam’s trajectory carved such a straight line that it opened up an unobstructed view along its path. Groaning softly, the group staggered as they unsteadily rose to their feet.
And at the end of that scorched trail, sothing ca into view.
It appeared as no more than a speck in the distance. Yet, soone was there—wielding a sword, locked in combat. A flickering silhouette performing a deadly dance in the haze.
The mont Elsie saw it, she launched herself forward.
“Master!”
And that was the beginning.
The group imdiately broke into a sprint, heading straight toward the man they had so desperately been searching for.
The flare for the final showdown had been fired.
Reviews
All reviews (0)