Chapter 93: Sepia Rivayden 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Sepia Rivayden 3
She hadn't forgotten that day for even a single moment.
The village, where people had been running and laughing only moments before, vanished into a sea of flames in an instant, leaving nothing but ash dancing in the wind.
Instead of the bright laughter and idle chatter that usually filled the air, only the desperate screams of the villagers echoed through the heat.
She had hidden in the embrace of her already-dead parents until the screams finally faded into a hollow silence. That was when she heard a voice she had never heard before.
"What? You're saying we have to go back already?"
The tone was grumbling and petulant, like a child who didn't want to go home after playing.
It was impossible to believe those were the first words uttered by someone who had just burned a village to the ground and ruthlessly slaughtered its inhabitants.
"There's still one bug left... Hmm. What should I do?"
Hiding beneath her parents' bodies, her frame shook uncontrollably.
That man knew she was there.
Clutching the hands of her parents—hands that no longer held any warmth—she trembled in their cold, stiff embrace.
"I suppose leaving one bug alive wouldn't be so bad."
"Ha... Haa......."
Pathetically, she felt a surge of relief at the prospect of survival. But just as she began to breathe again...
The corpses of the parents shielding the girl exploded.
Ah.
Bits of her parents' flesh flew into the sky before raining down like macabre confetti.
Flesh, bone, and organs scattered across the dirt.
The young girl found herself staring directly into her father's eye, which had landed in the mud right in front of her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The man burst into laughter at the sight of the screaming girl and strolled toward her.
"Kekeke! Hahaha! Hey, kid, did you really think I was going to let you live?"
An ominous black aura swirled around the man's body.
There was nothing she could do but clutch her mother's severed hand and wail.
"Keke! Hey, kid, want to know why the pests living here died?"
The man looked at the trembling girl as if he had found a fascinating new toy, his lips curling into a grotesque smile.
Her body shook. Even as she stared at the monster who had murdered her parents, the young girl was utterly helpless.
"The old man told me to travel quietly, so I was just going to pass through. But then, I heard laughter coming from this place."
Laughter.
That was the reason the man had killed everyone in the village.
"So I killed them all. Bugs should cry like bugs. How dare they make sounds of laughter like humans!"
The man, who had been cackling, suddenly turned dead serious as he looked down at the sobbing girl.
"I'll let you live, as a special favor. Survive, and when you see other humans like me in the future, tell the other bugs that they should cry like the vermin they are."
And so, the man left the village, having slaughtered everyone except for the young, pink-haired girl.
Even after she was adopted into the Marquis Rivayden household and shared smiles with her kind new parents and her adorable younger sister, she never once forgot the man who had butchered her village.
The faces of her biological parents gradually faded from her memory, but every night, she forced herself to recall the man's face, his voice, and his way of speaking.
She did it so that if she ever saw that face or heard that voice again, she would be ready to kill him.
Her current parents were kind and wonderful; she had been raised no differently than her younger sister, who was their biological child.
Sometimes, she thought it wouldn't be so bad to forget about revenge and live a normal life with her current family.
But whenever those thoughts surfaced, she would forcibly drag up the horrific nightmares of that day to fuel her thirst for vengeance.
Even with the power of the Marquis Rivayden family—the greatest merchant house in the Empire—she hadn't been able to discover even the name of the man who had destroyed her life.
She had found nothing for over ten years, and yet...
"What did you just say?!"
She grabbed Loki by the collar and screamed.
"The person who killed your parents. I know who it is."
Loki repeated the words, confirming that she hadn't misheard him.
"If you're joking, I won't forgive you—not even you."
"I don't joke about things like this. I know the name, the abilities, and even the comrades of the person you're looking for."
Rumble, rumble!!!
Suddenly, the ground beneath Sepia and Loki began to shake.
A gale-force wind whipped around them, and a torrential downpour began to fall inside the training ground.
Then, flames erupted, encircling Loki and Sepia.
The spirits had sensed Sepia's volatile emotions and gone on a rampage.
Their hair whipped wildly in the wind.
Sepia ignored the cold rain, waiting for Loki to speak.
Loki ignored the searing heat and opened his mouth.
"The man who killed your parents and the villagers is Betzdo. He is a Necromancer."
".......Betzdo."
Sepia spat out the name as if she were chewing on glass.
The fact that a Necromancer—a class thought to have perished long ago—was alive didn't matter. Only that name mattered.
From behind his mask, Loki looked at the murderous Sepia with a hint of pity and continued.
"I don't know exactly where Betzdo is right now, but I know of someone who does."
Sepia shoved Loki down and pinned him to the ground, straddling him.
"Tell me who that person is. Right now."
"And what do you plan to do once I tell you?"
If she found out where the man who killed her parents was, there was only one thing to do.
"I'm going to find him and kill him, obviously."
Revenge.
Vengeance for her parents and the villagers.
She had grown strong for the sole purpose of that moment.
"As you are now, you would die. One hundred percent."
Loki's calm voice reached Sepia's ears as she waited for his answer.
It was a cold assessment, delivered as if he knew exactly how strong that man was compared to her current self.
"Get stronger first. If you reach a level where you can actually defeat Betzdo, I will tell you who knows his location."
"No, tell me right now!"
She had already waited over ten years.
She couldn't wait another second.
"Sigh......."
Loki let out a low sigh, a sound Sepia had never heard from him before.
Flip, thud!
In an instant, their positions were reversed.
Sepia was now lying on the ground, with Loki pinned on top of her.
"You are weak right now, Sepia. Weak enough to be suppressed this easily by me."
Loki gripped Sepia's neck and spoke in a low, steady voice.
"So what?! Are you telling me to give up on my revenge? Or are you going to kill that bastard for me?!"
Sepia screamed, her voice thick with resentment.
Tears began to fall, soaking into the dirt.
She knew she was weak.
Even now, her body trembled whenever she thought of that day.
She had tried so hard to become strong for the sake of revenge, but the target of her vengeance had remained a ghost.
Now that she finally knew the man's name and a way to find him, he was telling her to wait because she was weak.
"No. I have no intention of taking your revenge for you, and I have even less intention of telling you to give up on it."
Loki realized why he had been so concerned about Sepia and her desire for revenge.
He also realized why he had changed his mind about killing Betzdo himself.
"Sepia. Not long ago, I succeeded in avenging my younger siblings—siblings whose names I didn't even know."
"........................"
"Some people say that forgetting about revenge and living happily is the best form of vengeance, but......."
Loki let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"That's bullshit."
"............"
"Someone who truly wants revenge can never live happily until they've had it. And forgetting it? That's impossible."
".......You said I was weak."
"Yes, you are weak right now."
"...You said I'd lose a hundred percent if I fought him."
"Yes, you would lose a hundred percent if you fought him now. However..."
Loki released his grip on Sepia's neck, stood up, and reached out a hand.
"I am by your side, Sepia. I will help you so that you can have your revenge."
Sepia rubbed her reddened eyes with her hand to wipe away the tears. Then, she took Loki's hand and stood up.
"You said earlier you had no intention of taking my revenge for me."
"I said I wouldn't do it for you. I never said I wouldn't help you."
Loki pulled out the white mask he always wore from his Pocket Dimension.
"So, don't cry."
He slowly placed the mask over Sepia's face.
"........................"
Perhaps it was the touch of the cold mask against her skin, but Sepia felt herself finally calming down.
".......What do I need to do from now on? I'll do anything, as long as I can have my revenge."
Sepia slapped her cheeks twice to steel her resolve.
"It's good to see you've regained your spirit, but for now......."
Sepia followed Loki's gaze and looked around.
The training ground was a complete mess. The spirits had stopped their rampage and were lying unconscious in the corners.
She felt a pang of guilt. It was because of her own inadequacy that they had ended up like that.
She knew there would be more things to feel sorry for in the future, but she intended to push forward regardless.
Right, let's take it slow.
She had already waited over ten years, unable to do anything.
To kill that man—to kill Betzdo—she could wait a little longer.
As long as she could kill Betzdo with her own hands and her own strength, she would follow whatever Loki said.
She no longer had to sail through the darkness without a destination.
Because Loki, standing right in front of her, would tell her exactly where to go.