Chapter 245: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (38)
Chapter 245: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (38)
The chase through the cover of night continued for quite some time.
I was a swordsman who had reached the threshold of the Expert rank. Moreover, I had always been told I had a talent for fleet-footedness.
And yet, I hadn't been able to catch so much as a glimpse of their tail for several minutes.
Of course, I would eventually catch up if this continued, but the fact that they could maintain a chase with me made it clear that my opponent was no ordinary person.
A forest sparsely populated with trees and underbrush was not an ideal place for a sprint.
No matter how hard they tried to flee from me, they were bound to hit their limit unless they were a superhuman—specifically, a master who had reached the Expert rank.
My prediction proved correct.
Near a clearing in the forest, I felt a momentary hesitation in their movement. I plunged into the clearing without a second thought, hot on their heels.
The clouds obscured the moonlight, leaving only a faint silhouette visible in the dark.
Judging by the curves of the body, the opponent appeared to be a woman. Another notable detail was that her ankles were twisted grotesquely.
Pure white bone jutted out, trailing blood behind her.
It was a gruesome injury just to look at. Such wounds usually occurred when one forced their body through movements that far exceeded its physical limits.
It was a sight I had seen somewhere before.
That horrific spectacle of a living being carrying out a goal with utter disregard for its own body.
It was a crime that could only be committed by a human who lacked even the most basic ethics toward life. And as far as I knew, there was only one person capable of such a thing.
The name I had been suspecting escaped my lips.
"…Mitram."
With a sickening creak, the woman’s head rotated 180 degrees.
Her neck was mangled and deep creases formed in the skin, but the opponent didn't seem to care in the slightest. Instead, he merely used the girl’s mouth to flash a repulsive smile.
"It has been a long time, Ian Percus."
With those words, the woman’s body spun around like a toy. Only then did the direction of her head and body align.
The girl checked her physical condition, her neck emitting loud cracks as she tilted it.
No, it couldn't be his body.
Even a man as demonic as him knew how to value his own flesh. It was hard to believe that this body, tattered from such an unreasonable sprint, was his true form.
And above all, I was certain.
I had clear evidence that this body did not belong to Mitram.
"…That’s Mari’s body."
One of the missing persons—Mari, the girl who loved apples.
We had only known each other when we were children, but the woman’s face still held the traces of that young girl. The moment I realized this, a surge of fiery emotion rose to my throat.
Nevertheless, I did not act rashly.
Keeping my head cool and watching for an opportunity, I slowly moved my hand toward my waist.
Seeing my tense expression, Mitram burst into a snickering laugh.
"I told you I wouldn't leave you lonely, didn't I, Ian Percus? Unlike those royals and nobles, I always keep my promises. At any rate, it is an honor to meet you again…"
"What did you do to Mari?"
Mitram, who had been about to offer a playful, formal greeting, blinked in surprise at my cold question.
Then, he tilted his head at a bizarrely exaggerated angle.
Left, then right—each time, the sound of grinding bones echoed.
"How strange. I thought she was merely a commoner of the territory… Was she a girl you had a connection with? Ah, perhaps you had feelings for her? Puhuhu, I’m even willing to provide some 'service' with this body specifically for—"
"I’m asking you what you did to her… you son of a bitch."
At my question, spat out through gritted teeth, Mitram narrowed his eyes.
The woman spoke with a chilling smile.
"Can't you see? I bestowed a few blessings upon this weak flesh. Is this not also the grace of Arus? Ah, was it Immanuel? Anyway, well. Something like that."
It was blatant mockery.
As expected of a priest of the Evil God, his skill at mocking the Heavenly God was top-tier. The fact that he was reciting those filthy words through Mari’s mouth was grating on my nerves like crazy.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to hurl a hand axe right then and there.
There were still many things I had to ask Mitram.
"Someone spotted you in the forest."
"Oho, you mean that man. Should I have killed him then? It’s a pity I couldn't, as I lacked the strength right after the artificial cultivation succeeded…"
The woman continued, tapping her lips with her index finger, before snorting.
"…Well, whatever. It’s a relief I ran into you. I suppose this, too, must be seen as fate."
With a bleak shring, my sword was drawn from its scabbard.
It was becoming harder and harder to endure.
The connection to the Dark Cult was now undeniable. The fact that a Dark Priest himself was flapping his gums in front of me was the clearest evidence possible.
But that only made me more confused.
There was absolutely no reason for Mitram to reveal himself at this point. Doing so would only draw in additional forces to subjugate the Dark Cult.
Was this also a lure?
Was the Percus territory a distraction, while the true conspiracy was unfolding elsewhere? That was a possibility worth considering.
If it weren't for the letter from the future, that is.
According to the letter, the Dark Cult's conspiracy was centered around the Percus territory. If so, I had to treat this as a confirmed fact.
Whatever Mitram was plotting, it was a project he had poured years of effort into.
The probability of him suddenly revising his plan was low.
Therefore, the moment his identity was exposed to me, Mitram's defeat should have been guaranteed.
No matter how great Mitram was, he couldn't overcome the full might of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Yes, that should be the case, yet the woman was saying it was a 'relief' to meet me.
That point bothered me so much that I had no choice but to choose dialogue over the blade for a moment longer.
"A 'relief'? Did you mean 'misfortune'? Now that your identity is exposed, the Empire and the Holy Kingdom will hunt you down with everything they have."
"Puhub, hahahaha! You certainly have a sense of humor, Ian Percus… The Empire? The Holy Kingdom?"
Despite my valid threat, Mitram only cackled with laughter.
His attitude was one of genuine contempt.
Unable to fathom the source of that confidence, I remained silent for a moment.
"What use is a man who possesses even the Dragon Blood Runes if he is so blind? Whether it's the Empire or the Holy Kingdom, show me a single root that isn't rotten… Ahhh!"
Clapping his hands together, Mitram let out an exclamation as if he had just realized something.
"Of course! You were a member of the Percus family, weren't you?"
It was a sudden comment from someone who had always meticulously attached the surname 'Percus' whenever he addressed me.
As I furrowed my brow slightly, Mitram chuckled.
"Oh, poor Ian… Your fate has found you, hasn't it? As they say, fate is unavoidable."
"…What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You will face it soon enough, even if you don't rush. I am quite looking forward to your reaction then."
The woman said this, her hands fidgeting as if she couldn't contain herself.
She looked like someone dying to spill the truth right this second.
He began to walk toward me, step by step.
"Truth is never far away… It is merely hidden because the rotten powers-that-be craved its light."
That was when my sword scattered light.
The blade shot through the air with a fwoosh, reaching the woman’s throat.
However, Mitram only offered an alluring smile.
The girl did not stop walking, and as she moved, the thin red line of blood drawn across her throat only grew longer.
Right in front of my eyes, Mitram gently stroked my cheek.
Even then, I had to watch Mitram with a conflicted heart.
Should I kill him right now?
Or should I wait until he spat out more information?
Mitram leaned in and whispered into my ear with a snicker.
"Open your eyes, Ian Percus… How irrational is this world? A horrific cycle where status is determined and the purpose of life is fixed solely by the circumstances of one's birth!"
"Is that why you used orphans and kidnapped people in debt for biological experiments?"
"Oh, certainly. But we paid the price, didn't we? Exploiting orphans and harassing those in debt is something even nobles do, isn't it? And they don't even pay."
There was no need to listen further.
Just as I decided this and was about to put strength into the hand gripping my sword hilt—
Squeeze. The woman’s hand gripped my wrist. It was a grip strength that was startlingly powerful.
It felt as if my bones might crush.
I bit my lip to suppress a groan.
I had made the mistake of assuming his physical strength would be negligible after seeing those mangled legs.
In truth, I could have just used my hand axe, but strangely, Mitram's words had a certain magnetic pull.
My eyes met Mitram's at point-blank range.
"Rules, laws, ethics… they are all nothing more than illusions created by those in power. Who can change the world while following every single regulation? Those things were made specifically to prevent the world from changing!"
"Do you think that erases the crimes you've committed?!"
Driven by disgust, I couldn't help but shout.
Every time Mitram's lips opened and closed, the old image of Mari flickered in that face. The face of an unfortunate girl who could no longer even eat apples and had become a puppet of the Evil God.
But Mitram, being a Dark Priest, was utterly shameless.
The woman tightened her grip on my arm even further and smiled gloomily.
"…You have talent."
The sweet whispering continued.
"How meaningless are things like status and regulations? Your own actions prove it. How close to fiction those things are, despite appearing so sturdy."
At this point, I reached my second limit of patience.
It seemed I had heard all the useful information I was going to get from Mitram.
The proof was that since he grabbed my arm, all I had heard was a lecture on the Dark Cult's doctrines.
In that case, it was better to remove Mitram's annoying tongue immediately. Just as my eyes flicked toward the hand axe at my waist—
"I will give you an opportunity. If you join the Dark Cult, I can guarantee you a position of at least a priest or high—ga-hark?!"
With a thwack, a blade erupted from Mitram's chest.
The sword blade, bathed in a blue light, was instantly soaked in crimson blood. The surprise attack didn't stop at just landing a critical hit.
The blade spun, the flat of the sword supporting the upper part of the puncture wound. Then, with a thud, the woman’s body was instantly flipped backward and pinned to the ground.
Only then did the gray hair come into view.
I called out her name in relief.
"…Seria!"
How did she, who was so terrified of ghosts, find such courage?
The question crossed my mind, but unusually, Seria gave me no answer.
She simply continued to stab the fallen Mitram.
As blood gushed out, Mitram actually burst into laughter as if he were enjoying himself.
"Haha! Is she your partner, Ian Percus?! If you join the Dark Cult, I’ll give you a replica that looks exactly like this woman—ack?!"
Thuck. The blade plunged in again.
Seria began to stab Mitram mechanically.
Even Mitram, who had been snickering at first, eventually fell silent after some time had passed.
It seemed he could no longer endure as blood drained from his entire body.
Even after the strength left Mitram's body like a doll with its strings cut, Seria silently continued her work.
No, rather, she was putting her full strength into slamming the blade down into the woman’s body with a reverse grip.
Each time she did, the blood flowing from the corpse surged like a wave.
"Uh, Seria…?"
Just as I was about to say that there was no need to go that far, even if the opponent was Mitram—
"…Must kill it."
Seria let out those words in a bleak voice, her eyes, devoid of their usual light, fixed on the blood-soaked corpse.
"Trash, bitch! How dare you go into heat for Senior Ian… A-A ghost or whatever! Die, die! If you're already dead, die again!"
Only then did I realize why Seria had overcome her fear of ghosts, and I had no choice but to remain silent.
I simply made a firm resolution once again.
I must never let her find out about my relationship with Senior Delphine.
Absolutely.
Having made that resolve, I returned to the mansion. The next day, I was faced with another problem.
Now, Ria had started acting strange.