Pala, left behind after the Demon King's departure, tore at her hair and regretted all her past days.
"Sob... If, if only I had died then... if only I had died!"
Even if she beat her chest and wailed, it was already in the past.
'I will give you power.'
The Demon King's terrible voice, which he had whispered softly, echoed in her ears.
'All the curses that were on you have been lifted, so you just need to unfold your will whenever you want.'
His soft laughter.
'Now you have the power to save the world. Whether you use this power or not is up to you.'
Finally, he left, leaving behind the words that he would no longer pursue her and her younger sister. He even took the box containing the bead he had given her.
"Why on earth...!"
Pala hurled accusations at all the gods of the world. She cursed and cried out, asking why they had given her such a trial and when she could ever be happy.
But nothing changed. Even if she sat still and stared into the air, hoping that so god would take pity on her and extend a hand of salvation, no miracle occurred.
"I have to protect Pola."
She couldn't let Pola get caught up in her unfortunate life. If his words were true, Pola would be safe. It was unbelievable, but she had to believe it.
"Pola can live only if I leave."
If she stayed by Pola's side, such problems could arise again at any ti. So she thought it was right to leave.
Pala began to pack her belongings in the room.
But since she had brought nothing, there was nothing to pack, so it ended with her changing into the clothes she had co in.
"..."
Pala's eyes fell on the small music box on the desk.
"Pola..."
It was a gift from Pola.
'Unni! If you're scared when you're alone in the room, try playing this.'
Pola's expression and tone as she handed over the music box were vivid.
Pala, who had stood for a long ti looking at the music box, finally picked it up and carefully placed it in her bosom.
"I'm sorry."
Pala, who had wiped away the endlessly flowing tears with a rough hand, left the room.
***
Arant Imperial Palace.
"Have you given that child power?"
The man nodded at his subordinate's words.
"Yes. I have."
He was the Demon King, Yastan Ulfa, who had taken over the body of Arant's emperor, Grad Luclire.
"Is that so."
"In the end, she will use that power."
He picked up the quill on the desk and twirled it.
"And she will be consud by the power."
He smiled faintly.
"When do you plan to finish things?"
"Ah. Indeed, I'm getting tired of this body. And it's definitely not my taste."
"Yes. You must display the King's majesty to the whole world."
Yastan smiled faintly at his words.
"I must. With Lord Taras's blessing, what is there to fear?"
"That is correct."
"But more importantly, how are things with the other races going?"
"Matisak is in charge of that part. According to the last report, it seems most of the other races will lend their strength."
Yastan nodded with satisfaction.
"The dragons must be on the move as well."
"Yes. So I've heard."
"Khahahaha!"
Yastan threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"How amusing. Very amusing."
To Yastan, the dragons' current actions were nothing short of comical. They were beings who had treated all races other than dragons as insignificant creatures and had not even given them a second glance.
For them to be caught up in the instigation of the very demons they had so despised and be in a state of anxiety!
Could there be anything more gratifying and funny than this?
"Behold. The sight of those high-and-mighty dragons playing into our shallow trick."
The act of persuading the other races. It was a very shallow and pathetic trick that the demons had co up with.
They were beings who had always reigned as the kings of the land.
Therefore, the cold attitude of the other races, who should have always been on their side, was enough to put a dent in their ntality.
"It was a great trick."
Yastan had cleverly exploited their weakness.
"Didn't I tell you? That those lofty and great beings would not be able to bear being hated."
"Yes."
It was amusing. To see those lofty beings playing in the palm of his hand.
"There is no need to delay things. I shall have to discard this body soon and co myself."
"A wise decision."
Yastan smiled with satisfaction.
***
Pala, who had left the academy, walked and walked without a destination. Fortunately, as the man had said, all the curses that had been on her were lifted.
'It's okay.'
She repeated it to herself countless tis. She soothed and comforted herself, saying it was okay.
'In ti, Pola will understand. I can find Pola again then.'
She thought this was the only way to protect her younger sister. If Pola were to co to harm because of her, it would be truly unbearable.
Entering the entrance of the Escar Mountains, she looked back.
She took a final look at the academy building at the edge of her vision.
Pala, who had suppressed the tears that were about to burst out, walked on bravely.
It was when she was walking along the mountain path.
"Ugh..."
Pala looked around at the groan she heard from sowhere.
'Did I mishear?'
Just as she was about to move her steps again.
"Keuk... ugh..."
The groan was heard again.
At that, Pola began to search for the faint sound.
'Is soone hurt?'
But this was the entrance to the mountain range. It wasn't that monsters didn't live here, but it was a place where the probability of them appearing was significantly low...
'Could they have been attacked by a monster?'
She quickened her pace, not letting go of her suspicion.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Then she was able to find a man leaning against a large tree, bleeding.
"Oh my! Are you alright?"
The man had a deep wound in his abdon and was bleeding.
"Ugh... h-help ."
At Pala's voice, the man squeezed out a voice that barely ca out and asked for help.
"Oh, oh my. What happened, what happened..."
The flustered Pala began to look for sothing to stop the bleeding.
"Keok! Cough!"
As a mouthful of blood was vomited from the man's mouth, Pala finally tore a piece of her robe and began to press on the man's wound.
"Just hold on a little longer. Just a little, just a little..."
Even as she pressed on the man's wound with all her might, she was plagued by all sorts of thoughts.
'The imperial castle is right around the corner...'
But Pala, who had left, could not go back with the man.
"Keuk..."
"Please, just hold on a little longer!"
As the man's eyes began to lose focus, Pala cried out even more desperately. Please, hold on.
-Pssssss...
At that, a pure white light burst out from Pala's fingertips.
"No!!!"
Pala, who knew what that light was, quickly took her hand away and moved away from the man.
But it was already too late. The man's wound healed quickly, and the bleeding stopped.
As the man's eyes, which had been losing focus, gradually began to return, Pala looked back and forth between her trembling hand and the man.
'In the end... in the end...!'
She hated so much that she had used this dirty power. She wanted to cut off her hand right away.
"What happened..."
The man, who now seed to have completely regained his senses, fumbled at his abdon with a bewildered expression.
"Oh! H-hey!"
At that, Pala shot up and began to run.
**
How long had she run? Pala's appearance was a ss from running through the rough forest instead of the path.
Her clothes were in tatters, and her hair was disheveled. The places her clothes couldn't cover were full of small scratches.
"Hah... hah..."
Pala, who had let out a rough breath, clutched her chest and curled up.
Seeing the dried bloodstains on her hand, Pala buried her head in the ground and began to wail.
Pala's mournful cry spread through the forest.
'I have to hide.'
To not use this dirty power given to her, she had to hide and hide again.
'I can't die and leave Pola.'
She wanted to cut off the cycle of evil along with her own life right away, but she couldn't do that and leave Pola.
'So even if I have to live by digging up and eating grass roots, I must live.'
Pala, who had steeled her heart once more, laboriously raised her legs that had given out.
And she walked. She walked and walked.
Night fell in the forest, and instead of the sound of grasshoppers, the unsettling sound of monsters was occasionally heard.
Still, she walked. She walked and walked without rest, looking for a place to hide her body.
"..."
Had a god finally extended a hand to her?
A small hut with overgrown weeds appeared before Pala's eyes.
There was no path nearby, and the small hut, hidden among the dense bushes and trees, was old and shabby, as if it had been abandoned for a long ti.
But Pala was certain that she could hide her body here.
'If soone cos, I can just hide again.'
The day had already broken, and the sun was high in the sky.
Pala, who had carefully looked around, pushed through the bushes and opened the hut's door.
-Creek.
As the door opened with the dust on the floor, the sll of old, musty dust wafted out.
"Thank you..."
She gave thanks to an unknown god.
"Thank you so much..."
Tears flowed down Pala's cheeks.
***
When lunchti ca, Pola headed straight for the library where her sister was.
Having succeeded in winning back Nella's heart through constant effort, her heart was even lighter. Therefore, Pola's steps were lighter than usual.
"Unni!"
Pola, who had opened the library door wide, dangled the sandwich bag in her hand.
"Unni~!"
Pola jumped up and down and shouted loudly towards where her sister would be.
"Huh? Did she go to the restroom?"
When there was no answer, Pola began to search for Pala in every corner of the library.
"Agh! Where did she go. The sandwich is getting cold."
Pola had deliberately toasted the sandwich warm. It was because she rembered what Pala had said last ti.
'I like the lted cheese inside a toasted sandwich.'
At those words, Pola had thought that she must let her sister taste this amazing sandwich.
Pola put the sandwich bag in her bosom and hugged it.
"Pala unni~"
She called her sister in a loud voice once more, in case she hadn't heard.
"Aish! This is not good when it's cold."
As ti passed and she felt the sandwich in her bosom getting cold, Pola stomped her feet.
"Ah, did she go on an errand for Professor Aman?"
That thought crossed Pola's mind.
"No. Then unni said she would always leave a note here."
Pala had even discussed it with Pola in advance, in case she was away.
She had said that if she was away, she would stick a note next to the largest table.
"Was I confused?"
Wondering if her sister had confused the tables, Pola thoroughly checked next to all the tables in the library.
"Did she forget."
But when there was no note anywhere, she looked at the door with a crestfallen expression again.
"Ehyu! I'll have to buy it again in the evening."
The sandwich was already cold, and lunchti was ending.
Pola, who had taken the bag out of her bosom, took a big bite of the cold sandwich and left the library.
[End of Chapter]
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