Chapter 372: Bread and Dagger (70)
Chapter 372: Bread and Dagger (70)
The coniferous forest is a vast birdcage.
It was a place where any first-time visitor was bound to get lost. After all, who wouldn't, when every direction offered the exact same scenery?
Even one's sense of direction grew dull here.
Snow, trees, and animal tracks.
Those were the only landmarks in sight. Most of them were useless as data, as those three things were scattered everywhere throughout the coniferous forest.
That was why one absolutely had to be accompanied by a guide when moving through these woods.
It was a task that required an eye for minute differences, a natural sense of geography, and years of training.
There weren't many who could perform the duties of a guide. Fortunately, however, I happened to know someone perfectly suited for the job.
The elves.
Not only do they live for hundreds of years, but they also possess extraordinary powers of observation. Since they pursue a life in harmony with nature, they place great importance on foraging and gathering.
And the person I was following was an exceptional guide, even among elves.
A girl with gray hair—Avian.
She was a woman who had lived as a spy in human society since she was young. While she might not have received professional training, her basic talents were outstanding.
For instance, her sense of direction.
We had been walking for half a day already. To my eyes, every landscape looked identical, yet Avian continued to lead the way with unwavering confidence.
Was she really heading the right way?
I couldn't be sure. For all I knew, Avian might have had a change of heart and was planning to sell me out.
Suppressing such useless worries, I let out a bitter smile. It was too late to doubt Avian now.
I simply tossed a question her way.
"Avian, how much further?"
"We're almost there."
I felt like I’d heard a similar answer a few hours ago.
Despite my suspicious gaze, I didn't press her any further. It was because a faint trace of fatigue was etched onto the girl's face.
In truth, the emotions she harbored seemed far more complex.
She had volunteered to be a spy for the sake of her kin and had spent her entire life steeped in pride as an elf. Now, she suddenly found herself on the verge of betraying her own people.
No, strictly speaking, it wasn't 'betrayal.'
On the contrary, it was Leoric and the Evil Cult who had betrayed the elves. By constantly driving a wedge between humans and elves, hadn't they caused the elves to suffer even more?
Even so, her heart was bound to be in turmoil.
Furthermore, Avian's younger sister was said to be staying at the headquarters. If she hadn't known Leoric's true nature, it might have been different, but she had already witnessed his madness firsthand.
It was only natural for her mind to be troubled.
I cleared my throat with a dry cough and asked her.
"…Is it hard for you?"
Avian didn't give an answer for a while.
She simply kept walking silently toward our destination.
It was only after several minutes had passed—just before things became awkward for me—that the girl finally spoke.
"Since we were children, my sister and I were treated differently. I told you before, didn't I? That we were called the children of a 'vampire'…"
Gray hair, blue eyes.
It was said that those who inherited the blood of a vampire possessed such traits. I suddenly thought of a girl with the same colors.
Seria—what was she doing right now?
Then, Senior Delphine came to mind as well. The man she had spent the night with had vanished; she wouldn't be feeling very at ease either.
I hid my sinking heart with silence.
"Everyone respected us, but they were also afraid. That's what a 'vampire' was to them. Something difficult to approach, reeking of the thick scent of blood."
"But they had children?"
"To be precise, their blood was drained. Then that elf becomes a vampire's servant."
No matter how many times I heard it, the characteristics were identical to the vampire of the Great Forest.
However, the vampire of the Great Forest was trapped within the Great Witch's barrier. She couldn't move freely, and there was no way she could have come to the coniferous forest on the opposite side of the continent.
At least, not through any normal means.
I quietly took Avian's words to heart.
"Actually, I realized it back then. 'Ah, I'm an elf, but I'm not really an elf.' Isn't it funny? My kin are my only family, yet even they kept us at a distance."
"You seemed to love the elves a lot, though."
"Because I had no other choice…"
I thought I understood what she meant.
How many people could two orphans who lost their parents rely on?
The elves, with their strong sense of racial solidarity, would have been the only alternative. The North was far too cold to live without depending on anyone.
It must have been a miserable feeling.
To crave the love of one's kin more than anyone else, only to be treated like a pariah by them.
"Maybe that's why I volunteered to be a spy. Among the elves, I'm called a 'vampire,' but in human society, I can just be an elf."
"You were desperate."
"Yes. But now… I'm okay."
It was a rather sudden confession.
My gaze drifted toward Avian. Her face looked refreshed, matching her calm voice.
"Human, elf… maybe there was no need to distinguish between them. If there's someone who stays by my side, isn't that person family?"
"Then I guess I'm your family too?"
I threw it out as a joke, but Avian didn't deny it.
She simply turned her head away slightly, a blush creeping onto her face.
After hesitating for a long moment, Avian answered softly.
"…I-I suppose so?"
'Family.' I hadn't expected Avian to use such a heavy word.
But on the other hand, I could understand her heart.
To Avian, 'family' was synonymous with 'kin.' It was likely because, aside from her sister, she had never had a family.
In that case, it wasn't so bad for me to become Avian's family.
Even if I couldn't claim we were that close yet, I wanted to believe I had enough strength left to comfort a lonely elf girl.
Looking back, it was an absurd relationship.
A girl I had interrogated as if I were going to kill her at first now considered me family.
I said with a bitter smile.
"Sure, let's do that… family. But can a human and an elf really be family?"
"I told you, being human or elf isn't particularly import—"
Crunch.
The sound of someone treading on the frozen snow echoed from somewhere.
My gaze snapped toward the source instantly. Because the origin was far away, Avian looked puzzled for a moment, but soon her ears began to twitch.
It didn't take long for Avian to realize my intention.
She stepped forward again and brought her index finger to her lips.
"…Shh."
Then came a signal with her eyes.
It meant for me to hide.
I leaped up into a tree as if flying. Holding my breath, I concealed myself among the prickly needles.
It didn't take long for Avian to encounter the unidentified elf.
An elf man trudged toward Avian.
"Who is it? This is near the headquarters. Even elves can only enter if their identity is guaranteed."
"It's Avian."
"Hmm," the elf man grunted, stroking his chin. With his eyes closed, it seemed he was searching through his memories.
His eyes soon snapped open as if he had remembered.
"Ah, the spy! I heard the funds sent to headquarters have been decreasing lately. Did you come back because of that?"
"Yes, something like that… and I also have matters to report to Lord Leoric."
"Well, in that case."
The elf man nodded and turned around. It seemed he intended to lead her straight to the elves' 'headquarters.'
However, he didn't walk for long before he came to a halt.
Thwack.
A spike made of mana pierced through the elf man's neck.
He didn't even realize what had happened until the blood began to pour down. His last act was to look down at his own throat, fumbling with his hands.
It was instant death.
Panting, Avian stumbled backward. The girl, who had just killed her own comrade, was pale.
Startled, I immediately jumped down from the tree.
"Avian! Are you okay? You didn't have to kill him…"
"My identity has been exposed."
That was the reason Avian gave.
No, perhaps it was an excuse or a justification.
Though the content itself was true.
Leoric could see the past of a location through some mysterious means. In that process, the scene of Avian being with me must have been exposed as well.
In other words, Avian could not infiltrate the headquarters as herself.
"So I have no choice but to borrow an identity… It's okay. It's for 'family.'"
Her words carried a will so strong it felt desperate.
I pondered for a moment what to say.
Then, letting out a deep sigh, I lamented.
"…You didn't have to push yourself."
"You killed your own kind for me too."
Silence fell once more. My eyes drifted to Avian's trembling hands.
"Was it like this then, too? Did you feel this… this horrible?"
"That's why I didn't want you to know."
I finished my sentence by placing a hand on Avian's head.
"…Let's get ready. The headquarters is close."
As if on cue, a caw echoed from somewhere.
A crow flew down and landed gently on my shoulder.
Now, it was time for the showdown.
Delphine, who had been leading the way, came to a sudden halt.
They had been walking through the coniferous forest for quite some time. Following Delphine's lead, Elsie and Emma, who were heading the group, stopped as well.
The confused gazes of the group turned toward Delphine.
But immediately after.
Flash!
A golden line was etched into the world.
It was a lightning-fast draw. And what was caught in its trajectory was an arrow that had flown in from nowhere.
Searing heat incinerated the arrow along with the air. The flickering flames drew a pathetic arc and fell to the ground.
Only then did Delphine break into a smile.
"…Found you."
Beyond her blood-red gaze, an elf who appeared to be a boy was slowly revealing himself. Behind him, another elf woman appeared with a tense expression.
Delphine's smile grew even deeper.
Now she could meet him.
The man who had taken her virginity.