Chapter 315: Bread and Dagger (13)
Chapter 315: Bread and Dagger (13)
Avian lay unconscious, letting out a faint groan.
She was sprawled across a sofa in a corner of Emma’s workshop. The sight of the woman, her wrists and ankles bound with hemp rope, stirred a strange sense of pity.
She looked like a girl who had only just reached adulthood.
To an outsider, it wouldn't have been strange if they reported me to the guards immediately. After all, I had a frail young girl tied up hand and foot.
Of course, I had my reasons.
First of all, this woman wasn't human; she was an elf.
That meant she was an enemy of humanity and a spy who had infiltrated the Academy. The guards should be taking her away, not me.
Furthermore, she was a trained combatant.
If it were just me facing her, the restraints wouldn't have been necessary. No matter what she tried, it would be difficult for an elf to take my head. As had been proven time and again, the gap in our skills was clear, and her primary specialty seemed to be magic.
For a mage to face a swordsman at point-blank range was nothing short of suicide.
However, the one currently examining the elf’s condition wasn't me, but Emma.
No amount of safety precautions was too many.
Emma was steadfast and kind-hearted. It wouldn't be surprising if she felt sympathy for the elf who had swindled her.
And a moment of carelessness often led to a fatal mistake.
Since Emma was non-combat personnel, I had no choice but to watch the elf with a wary eye. The future where the elf suddenly snapped her eyes open and attacked Emma wasn't impossible.
Though if that happened, the elf wouldn't exactly have a peaceful death.
I watched Emma’s expression with a somewhat anxious heart.
Unlike me, whose hands were slick with cold sweat, Emma’s gaze as she looked down at the elf was incredibly solemn. She sat with her chin resting on her hand, lost in deep thought for a long time.
It was the look of a true researcher.
I had forgotten for a while, but Emma was also a member of the Academy’s Alchemy Department. I was only just realizing that fact now.
It was then that Emma’s lips parted.
“The mana flow is unstable… even the organs that should naturally be stable are hypersensitive. It must involve considerable pain. It looks like traces of body modification surgery.”
She spoke in a grave tone.
If someone as cautious as Emma said so, there was no room for doubt. The elf’s body had been modified by someone.
That abnormal regenerative ability likely stemmed from this.
As soon as I heard the words ‘body modification,’ a certain person flashed through my mind.
A woman who wore my younger sister’s face while erupting into mad laughter.
And the filthy little brat who formed the core of the Corpse Giant.
Mitram.
The Dark Priest and an authority on biological modification.
She, who was once my nemesis, naturally crossed my mind.
A reflexive question escaped my lips.
“……Can you tell who modified her?”
“Not for now. It’s so convoluted that I don’t quite understand the principles, but there is one thing…….”
At that moment, a faint light began to gather in Emma’s hand.
Her slender hand started near the elf’s solar plexus, passed over her chest, and brushed against her Adam's apple. Each time, the elf’s body jolted, showing a violent reaction.
After struggling for a while near the elf’s throat, Emma finally thrust her hand upward toward the elf’s mouth with all her might.
A bizarre scream erupted from the elf’s mouth.
Kieeeeeeeeeek—!
The elf’s jaw unhinged, and for a fleeting second, a hideous-looking chunk of flesh was visible inside. It was truly only for a moment.
Immediately after, the flesh chunk vanished again.
But it left behind a lingering trace that was all too familiar to my eyes.
I immediately buried my face in my hands. A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Emma didn't seem particularly surprised by the gruesome sight.
Then again, she had always been infinitely serious whenever alchemy was involved. She handled all sorts of grotesque ingredients on a daily basis; there was no reason for her to be terrified by a parasitic chunk of flesh inside an elf’s body.
She simply made a declaration in a low voice.
“……That is the mana core. It’s fused too deeply with the body to be removed right now.”
Hearing that, I could finally be certain.
There was only one place in the entire continent that performed such distasteful modifications.
“The Dark Cult…….”
I had suspected as much, and I was right.
The Dark Cult was closely linked to the Northern Elves.
No, it was clear they were plotting something through the elves beyond just a simple relationship. Otherwise, there would be no reason to go through the trouble of modifying their bodies one by one.
Hearing my sigh, Emma’s face filled with concern.
Her eyes, silently fixed on me, were brimming with worry. Since she seemed to be hesitating, I forced a smile and spoke.
“It’s okay, Emma. I’ll take care of it.”
Normally, that should have been the end of the conversation.
Emma didn't belong in the world I lived in.
My path had long since been stained with blood and corpses. I didn't want Emma to accompany me on that cold, dark road.
Because I wanted to protect her.
However, Emma seemed a little different today.
After hesitating for a long time, she suddenly asked me.
“Are you leaving again……?”
“Probably. But don't worry… I’ll be back soon.”
It was a consolation offered in the hope that Emma would feel even a little relieved.
Despite that, Emma lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing her face cast in shadow made my heart ache as well.
I took a step toward her.
Standing there weakly, it felt like she would fall into my arms if I just pulled her slightly. So, I reflexively reached out my hand, then stopped.
It was unnecessary meddling.
Exhaling a long sigh, I turned my back.
I could just put the elf back in the sack.
It was about time I went to see Senior Neris. There was a limit to the information I could gather on my own.
If Emma hadn't whispered softly, I would have left just like that.
“……I heard. That you almost died.”
My footsteps came to a dead halt.
I turned a troubled gaze toward Emma. Regardless, Emma simply continued her confession in a somber tone.
“I’m the one who made the potion, right? I know the side effects better than anyone, so I was contacted by the Saintess. She hid it at first… but I felt like I had the right to hear that much.”
Why did that word ‘right’ weigh so heavily on my heart?
No, in truth, I knew deep down.
I had been giving Emma ‘special treatment’ under the guise of protecting her. And depending on how you looked at it, that could be felt as a form of discrimination.
Favoritism and neglect are two sides of the same coin.
One cannot exist without the other.
“At first, my mind went completely blank. Then I felt like I couldn't breathe… when I came to, I was sobbing without even realizing I was crying. For a long time, yes. No, for days and days…….”
“……Emma.”
I called her name, feeling wretched.
But Emma didn't give her usual bright and energetic reply. She simply looked at me with a lonely expression and stated firmly.
“Ian, I’m scared of you.”
Those words pierced my heart like a needle.
“I’m scared that you’ll die, and I’m scared of a world without you… I wasn't like this before I knew you. It’s strange, isn't it?”
Her trembling voice was laced with sobs.
Before I knew it, a faint mist had gathered in Emma’s emerald eyes. I wanted to offer some kind of comfort, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.
“But what I’m most scared of, and what’s hardest for me, is that you might die and I can't do anything. I suppose that’s only natural, since I’m just a commoner girl who only knows how to make potions…….”
“……Emma.”
I couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up.
I didn't know exactly what to say. I just instinctively wanted to stop Emma from belittling herself.
My hand carefully grasped hers.
“I’ve already owed you my life several times. Why do you think that way? You’ve done more than enough for me…….”
“……I know.”
Forcing her sobbing voice to calm down, Emma hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“I knew you’d say that… Thank you.”
She must have known.
Emma was quick-witted and brilliant. She never rubbed people the wrong way, and she was so considerate that she never pushed her own agenda.
It was the same now.
Even though she hadn't fully accepted it yet, Emma was quickly composing herself for fear of making things difficult for me. That fact pained me even more.
Nevertheless, there was nothing I could do.
The Dark Cult was lurking in the North. Furthermore, if they were training with the elves, I had to assume the danger was even higher.
I couldn't take Emma to such a dangerous place.
The cold, dry climate of the North was a concern, and I was also worried about the pride of the Yurdina family, one of the Empire's Five Great Noble Families.
Forget commoners; even lower nobles might not be treated properly there.
Nothing good would come of traveling with Emma, who already felt inferior about her social status.
Countless reasons floated in my mind.
Any one of them was enough of a reason not to take Emma. Having made up my mind, I looked at Emma.
It was then.
With eyes still slightly tearful, Emma gave a pitiful smile.
“I’ll wait again… You have to come back safe, okay?”
The moment I faced that sorrowful expression.
“……Let’s go.”
My mind went blank, and those were the words that came out.
It was Emma who looked stunned instead.
Her eyes, which had been ready to let me go quietly, widened slightly.
“Hu-huh?”
“Let’s go together, Emma. I’ll protect you no matter what…….”
Even as I made that grand promise, I felt conflicted about whether this was the right thing to do.
But no matter how much I agonized over it, my answer would have been the same. From the moment I faced Emma’s tearful smile, I was as good as caught in a trap.
The conclusion had already been reached. All that remained was the resolve to see it through.
So, I had to steel my heart internally.
Fine, let’s do this.
Since Emma wants it so much.
Though Emma herself was just blinking her eyes, not quite understanding what had happened.
And so, a new companion was added to the journey to the North.
*
The elf regained consciousness several hours later.