Chapter 224: Even If Not All Are Shining Gold (4)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224: Even If Not All Are Shining Gold (4)[R-18]
Grind—!
Jeffrey gnashed his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter.
The wounds inflicted by Estelle and Ian throbbed with an unpleasant, stinging heat.
‘...What the hell is that bastard?!’
Jeffrey glared at Ian.
The boy was a wreck; it was a miracle his limbs were even still attached. His pupils were blown and unfocused, and his breathing was so faint it seemed ready to vanish at any moment.
“...But... why?!”
Yet, Ian did not fall.
Even with a body that wouldn't have been strange if the heart had stopped long ago, he stood back up time and again to block the path. Even now, though he had clearly lost consciousness, he remained standing precariously as if determined to protect Estelle until the very end.
“Why won't you just stay down?!”
It was beyond comprehension.
Fine, he could admit that Ian had been far more of a nuisance than expected. Every time Jeffrey tried to suppress the more threatening Estelle, this brat had jumped in to interfere.
Nevertheless, the difference in power was clear. Jeffrey was overwhelmingly superior. If they fought a hundred times, he was confident he would win a hundred times. If they fought a thousand times, he could snuff out that fledgling’s life a thousand times over.
But...
If they were to fight ten thousand times, then yes, perhaps once in those ten thousand times, he might lose.
‘...But why does it have to be now?!’
Jeffrey couldn't accept that this moment was that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
Ssh—
Jeffrey brushed his hand against his neck. Thinking back to the moment Ian’s dagger had grazed him, a chill ran down his spine. If his reaction had been just a fraction slower, or if that brat’s condition had been just a little better...
His throat would have truly been pierced.
Twitch—!
Suddenly, Jeffrey clutched his wrist at the sickening sensation of hundreds of insects squirming beneath his skin.
“J-Just a little longer! ...Endure it! It’s almost time...!! I’ll give you the host I promised! Just a little... more!! AAAARGH!!”
Just how much of him had been consumed? If he kept wasting time like this, he felt he would be devoured before he could even get his hands on Estelle.
“Dammit!! Dammit!!”
He had tried to fight while sparing as much of the cost as possible... but the resistance was far fiercer than anticipated, and he no longer had the luxury of restraint.
Crrack—!!
“AAAAARGH!! Just give up already!! You brats!!”
Jeffrey’s right arm, which had grotesquely transformed into a mass of dark-red tentacles, swung toward Ian.
「Expand – Water Shield」
BOOM! BANG—!
Every time the tentacles collided with the shield of water, Estelle coughed up clumps of blood.
“Haah...! Haah... cough!! ...urgh... wheeze..!”
Her head felt like it was splitting open, and her insides were twisting. Her mana had run dry long ago. She was barely maintaining the magic by burning through her very life force, but how much longer could she hold on?
Drip— drip—
The capillaries in her eyes burst, and tears of blood trailed down her cheeks. Every cell in her body seemed to be screaming for her to stop immediately.
But...
‘...I... will protect you... too!’
If she collapsed, Ian would die.
Therefore, Estelle could not fall.
VROOOOM—!
“Give up!! I said give up!! This... my body is being eaten!! Aaaargh! It’s all your fault! All of it! Estelle! If only a sacrifice like you existed!! Why do I!! Yes! It’s all your fault! Estelle! Because you were hiding in the Church that day!! I! I! Ended up like this!! If your father had offered you up as promised!! It’s all your fault!!”
As Jeffrey’s mad screams continued, the things squirming under his skin expanded until they were visible even to Estelle’s eyes.
“Yourfault!Yourfault!Yourfault!Wingsare■roken■eeling■etween■cracks■iddensca■es'hornsare■ottingfrom■neside■ure■hite■usk■plitintot■o■ongue■ecoming■!”
Squirm—! Squirm—!
As Jeffrey foamed at the mouth and spat out unintelligible words, the dark-red tentacles merged together to form the shape of a massive spear.
BOOOOOM—!!
The Water Shield shattered, and the residual shockwave sent Estelle flying across the floor.
“...cough!... I... I... an...!”
“Ha... haha!.. Hahaha!”
Looking down at Estelle sprawled on the floor, Jeffrey raised his index finger.
Sizzle— Twitch—!
A single dark-red insect tore through the tip of his finger and revealed itself.
“...Part of me wants to tear both you and that brat into tiny pieces... but I can’t do that.”
Jeffrey muttered as he stared at the wriggling insect.
“Instead, I’ll have to put a leash on you so you never do something this pathetic again... It seemed Frederica alone wasn't enough, so this works out well.”
“No...! W-What are you trying to do!! Stop..! Don’t touch Ian!! Just do it to me..! Do it to me instead!!”
Estelle crawled desperately across the floor, weeping tears of blood. She cursed her own two legs that refused to move no matter how much she pleaded.
—How else do you think I could have formed a contract with the ‘Balance Demon’!
‘H-Help me...’
Estelle pleaded fervently in her heart.
‘I don’t care if it’s a demon or anything else! If a price is needed, take my legs! Both my arms! I’ll give you my entire heart! So please...!! Save Ian..!!’
──It was at that moment.
BOOOOOOM—!!
One wall of the reception room exploded with a thunderous roar. Through the thick clouds of dust, someone appeared, green twin tails fluttering in the air.
“...Everyone, freeze.”
It was a voice carrying an overwhelming sense of intimidation, contrasting sharply with her youthful appearance.
“Who... are you now?”
Elfriede ignored Jeffrey’s question as if it wasn't even worth answering and shifted her gaze further inside. There, she found Ian, covered in blood and barely clinging to life.
“Haa...”
A low sigh escaped her. As all expression vanished from Elfriede’s face, the massive mana that had been surging like a tidal wave suddenly settled into a deathly calm.
The calm before the storm.
“...You...”
Dash—!
In the split second Jeffrey felt Elfriede vanish from his sight—
CRASH—!
“...Guh-ack—!!”
With an agonizing pain in his abdomen, he was already slammed into the wall.
Whoosh—!!
Then, the High Spirits of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth summoned by Elfriede began to rain down punches on Jeffrey all at once.
[[[[ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!]]]]
“..Gah!.. What..!.. Stop..!.. Wait!... You crazy..!”
Every time Jeffrey tried to speak, he was met not with an answer, but with merciless violence.
“...Haa, fuck.”
Leaving the spirits to deal with Jeffrey, Elfriede hurried over to Ian.
Thump— Thump—
His pulse was so weak it felt like it might stop at any moment, and his body was rapidly cooling. If he didn't receive treatment immediately, he was in real danger.
‘...What should I do? I can’t take the black-haired girl... Fuck, even if I have to let that demon bastard go, should I take him myself?’
Elfriede scanned the room quickly and stopped her gaze on Frederica, who was collapsed on the floor. From the look of it, she had no major external injuries and seemed to have simply fainted.
Slap—!
“...Ah? ...Where am I...?... You? Who are you?”
Waking up, Frederica clutched her head in confusion. The completely destroyed reception room, Jeffrey being pummeled by spirits, a blood-soaked Ian, and a fallen Estelle.
“...My Lady!!... Why is Master Ian... like that? What on earth is...?... Ah?... I stabbed him?... I... I stabbed him.... Why?.. Why Master Ian?”
The moment the memory of what she had done resurfaced, Frederica’s face turned deathly pale as she began to spiral into a panic.
Slap—!
Elfriede slapped Frederica’s cheek once more.
“Sorry for hitting you again... but we don’t have time for this. That guy over there is the bad guy, and I’m on the good side. Hey, right?”
When Elfriede gestured for confirmation, Estelle nodded weakly.
“Ian might die if he doesn't get treated right now. And you’re the only one here who can move. Do you understand? You take responsibility and get him to the Church.”
A whirlwind of thoughts crashed through Frederica’s mind, but...
“......Yes. I understand.”
The elf before her was right. Saving Master Ian came before anything else.
“Then what are you doing? Move— no, wait... Your eye...”
Elfriede lifted Frederica’s hair and closely examined her left eye.
She could feel something squirming inside the pupil, emitting the exact same energy as the demon over there.
“...Pardon?... My eye?”
At those words, Frederica remembered the first day when Jeffrey had wiped away her tears and touched the area around her eyes.
“Could it be... because of this eye... that I... did... such a... thing?”
“...Probably.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing Elfriede’s answer, Frederica immediately picked up a sharp shard of glass and plunged it deep into her own left eye.
Squelch—!
“Guh... urgh...!”
“Hey! Are you crazy?!”
Elfriede shouted in horror, but Frederica simply wiped the blood streaming down her face with the back of her hand and spoke calmly.
“...It’s fine... You never know. I’m sane right now, but who knows what I might do again because of this eye on the way?”
Frederica looked at Elfriede with her remaining right eye and smiled brightly.
“If I can save Master Ian at the cost of just one eye, it’s more than a fair trade, isn't it?”
“......You.”
“Phew...! My Lady, I’ll borrow the wheelchair for a moment.”
“...Fre...derica... Sister...”
“Don’t worry, My Lady! I... will save him even if it costs me my life.”
After carefully placing Ian in the wheelchair, Frederica bowed her head toward Elfriede.
“Elf lady. Please... please take good care of our Estelle.”
“...Fine.”
Frederica didn't look back again. She hurried out of the reception room, pushing the wheelchair.
[[MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!!!]]
Elfriede turned her gaze back toward Jeffrey. It was violence enough to turn even a decent demonic beast into mincemeat. However, Elfriede knew well that an ordinary beating wouldn't be enough to kill a demon.
Snap—
As Elfriede raised her hand, the spirits stopped their punching in unison.
“Guh-ack...!!.. Wheeze...!... Wheeze..!... Sa... Save me, Estelle!! I-I am your only family.. I-I was also deceived by that demon! I was just being controlled by the demon!! So please...!!”
As soon as he found a moment to breathe, Jeffrey desperately begged Estelle for his life.
“....”
The sight was so disgusting and hateful. Even if she had to burn through the rest of her life force, Estelle wanted to kill that piece of trash.
Slowly—
As Estelle raised a trembling hand to aim at Jeffrey...
“Tsk... Hey, knock it off.”
“...Why, why... are you stopping me? All of this... happened because of me... So I have to take responsibility...”
“Yeah, responsibility is great. Good word. But responsibility isn't something kids like you take.”
Tap—
Elfriede placed a finger lightly on Estelle’s forehead, putting her to sleep as she spoke.
“...Responsibility is for the adults. So leave the rest to me, and you kids just get some sleep.”