Chapter 78: Shedia (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: Shedia (4)
Werewolf.
A human who can transform into a bipedal, wolf-faced demihuman. The ability to transform into a demihuman already sets them apart from ordinary people, but they are still human.
At least, that's what they believe, which is why they often live hidden among humans.
‘Though it's a little different in this game.’
Shedia is the only werewolf who appears in the Hero's Party.
That's because their population has dwindled so much.
The reason is supposedly their tendency to lose their minds and turn feral when they transform.
That's also why Shedia lost her senses over the Moonstone and jumped into the river.
The Moonstone is an item that guarantees protection against the confusion and berserk status effects. With it, a werewolf can maintain their sanity even after transforming.
Splaaash—
As Shedia stood up, river water splashed to either side. Her soaked hair and clothes drooped, making her look just like a drenched puppy.
The puppy that crawled out of the river glared at me.
“Hand it over.”
She growled, about to charge at me.
Whoa there, not so fast.
I gripped the Moonstone necklace in my hand.
“Come any closer, and I'll crush this and throw it in the river. You'd better stop if you don't want to end up with nothing.”
Shedia flinched and froze.
She stared at my hand clutching the Moonstone, her own fists clenched and trembling.
Careful biting your lip like that. You're making it bleed, kid.
“...What do you want?”
“So you finally understand the situation. My demand isn't that difficult. Just follow me for a while and be my companion.”
“Companion?”
Shedia tilted her head as if asking what that meant.
“You don't know what a companion is?”
“I don't.”
Shedia said it with confidence.
For a moment, I wondered if she was messing with me, but then I remembered she'd spent her whole life locked up in some dark, cramped room. It was possible she really didn't know.
“A companion is... someone you grow with by sharing experiences, both good and difficult. Sometimes you watch each other's backs, and other times, you'd even risk your life for one another.”
Shedia just stared at me with a blank expression after my explanation.
Did she even understand any of that?
After a moment of staring blankly, Shedia nodded.
“Okay. Companion. I'll do it.”
She held out her hand toward me.
“Now give me the Moonstone.”
“No.”
Shedia's eyes narrowed.
“You said you'd give it to me if I became your companion.”
“The moment you get the Moonstone, you'll bolt, promise or not. We haven't established enough trust for such an uncertain transaction.”
“?”
“...I'm saying I don't trust you. I'll hold onto the Moonstone and give it to you when the time is right.”
Shedia stared blankly again before nodding.
“Oh, and if you're thinking of a night raid, go ahead. That is, if you're confident you can kill me faster than I can crush this Moonstone to dust.”
“Tch.”
Shedia clicked her tongue in disappointment.
I chuckled, tucked the Moonstone necklace away, and started walking down the road again. Shedia followed a short distance behind me.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“You never said we were going to Owlheim.”
Shedia said with a pout.
“You didn't ask.”
At my reply, she stuck out her lower lip.
“I'll die if I go to Owlheim.”
Owlheim is the capital of the Alitia Kingdom.
The Snake Venom Society's headquarters is there, which means their lackeys are everywhere.
She must be worried her master will find out she's with me. After all, with Unit 1 wiped out, seeing Shedia alive and well by my side would look like nothing short of betrayal.
“You won't die.”
“How do you know?”
“'Cause I won't let you.”
“How?”
“That's a secret.”
I gave her a vague answer and went back to mingling with the people in the pub. It wasn't hard to fit in. All I had to do was buy everyone a round of ale.
I threw my arms around their shoulders, sang songs, drank, and asked around about when the festival in Owlheim was.
Then, I glanced over my shoulder.
Shedia was still staring intently at me with her usual blank expression.
*
From morning till night, she endured brutal training that pushed her to the brink of death. When it was over, she would return to a dark, gloomy room—its only merit being its size—and eat the food her vampire captors gave her.
Such was the life of the werewolves captured by Kelidon.
It was a life worse than a slave's, with no respect for them as intelligent beings.
Shedia, however, had no major complaints. She had been captured at a very young age and didn't know what a life of freedom was.
But it was different for those who remembered the outside world. They yearned to break the shackles on their legs and be free. They held onto the hope that if they completed their training and became skilled assassins, they could taste the outside world once more.
And Shedia crushed all those beautifully shining hopes.
Inside a cage they called Gu Poison.
Including the hopes of her one and only blood relative, her older sister.
She was a sinner.
She had a duty to atone to all those she had trampled upon.
But she could not fulfill that duty. The blessing of her clan, once an advantage in training, had now become a curse that shackled her.
As she had been taught, Shedia waited for an opportunity. Endlessly, in that narrow, dark basement. And at the end of her wait, she was given a precious, once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The Moonstone.
A treasure said to prevent a werewolf's rampage since ancient times.
The reason Shedia had remained obediently with the Snake Venom Society without trying to escape was because the full moon's energy would force her to go berserk.
No matter how well she hid, a single rampage would leave behind an uncontrollable trail. Getting caught would then be only a matter of time, rendering her escape meaningless.
But what if she could prevent the rampage?
The vampires' pursuit would be no problem at all. Raised her entire life as an assassin, she was confident she would never be caught.
That was why she desperately needed the Moonstone.
In the dead of night, when all were asleep, Shedia rose from her bed. Starting from her feet and ankles, her body sank into the shadows.
It was a technique she had learned during her assassin training, unusually taught only through the instructor's oral descriptions.
Among all werewolves, not just those her age, Shedia was the only one who could use this skill.
The vampires who taught her had made a fuss, claiming she had restored a lost secret art, but to Shedia, it was merely a convenient technique.
Soon, completely assimilated with the shadows, Shedia slipped through the crack under the door and headed for Cloud's room.
-Snore...
The heavy stench of alcohol and the sound of snoring.
Shedia hid in the shadows and waited for about an hour. The figure of Cloud lying in bed remained unchanged.
Convinced he was sound asleep, Shedia slowly emerged from the shadows.
She saw Cloud, sleeping peacefully in his bed.
‘I have no grudge against you.’
No, actually, I have a little, but not enough to take your life.
I'm just killing you because it's necessary, as always.
Shedia reached for the sword at her waist.
In that instant, Cloud's eyes flew open, and he kicked Shedia in the stomach.
“Ugh..!”
Unable to withstand the impact to her abdomen, Shedia crumpled to the floor.
“So you went through with it after all.”
A sense of foreboding made Shedia snap her head up.
Cloud opened his tightly clenched fist. Fragments, glowing blue enough to be clearly visible even in the dark room, trickled onto the floor.
“Ah...”
Her eyes trembled as she stared at the completely shattered pieces of the gem.
That was her hope.
The hope that would free her from the curse that had bound her for so long and give her a chance to atone.
And now, that hope had crumbled to dust.
She would be forever bound by the full moon's curse, fated to die without ever atoning.
Even in death, they would never forgive her.
Just as Shedia's eyes, lost in despair, began to lose their light, a round, blue gem she'd seen somewhere before appeared in front of her.
“..?”
What is this?
She froze for two seconds.
Realizing what was happening, Shedia quickly reached for it, but it was no use. The Moonstone flipped into the air and landed neatly in Cloud's hand.
Shedia looked up at Cloud with a blank face, wondering what on earth had just happened.
Cloud chuckled, crouching down to meet Shedia's eyes.
“I didn't think you'd be won over by a simple verbal agreement. I expected you to push back at least once.”
“Then this is...”
“That wasn't the Moonstone, just a similar-looking gem. You just saw the real one, didn't you?”
Cloud placed a hand on Shedia's head.
“I can let one little act of defiance slide. It's almost cute. But there won't be a second time. If something like this happens again...”
Cloud squeezed the hand holding the Moonstone slightly. Shedia, horrified, shook her head, begging him not to. Cloud smiled and patted her head.
“You understand without me having to say more, right?”
Shedia nodded.
“So you won't try anything like this again, will you?”
-Nod, nod.
“And you'll be a good, obedient little girl?”
-N...od...?
As Shedia gave a hesitant nod, Cloud squeezed the hand with the Moonstone again.
-Nodnodnodnod.
Shedia nodded her head frantically.
*
A woman peeked her head out to check the hallway.
Seeing it was empty, she unwrapped two scimitars from a cloth.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward with her right foot.
At the same time, her arms moved like flowing water, swinging the scimitars.
She spun, and spun, and spun again.
Her long, orange hair intertwined with a red veil, and her thin skirt fluttered, creating a dazzling display.
Her ripe, copper skin and the sway of her breasts with every step added a feminine touch to the spectacle, creating a vision of beauty.
But the blades hidden within that beauty were sharp.
Anyone mesmerized by her beauty who dared approach rashly would lose their head.
‘I'm in great condition today. If I can just transition to the next move...’
Transitioning from fluid to rigid.
It was a move she always failed, but she felt she could do it now.
The moment the woman stepped forward with her left foot for the next move—
“Katarina! The procession is about to start! Where have you been?!”
A sharp shout echoed down the hallway.
Startled, she hurriedly hid her swords and put on her veil.
“Yes, sister! I'm coming!”
Katarina, a third-rank dancer, rushed out into the hallway.