Chapter 374: Bread and Dagger (72)
Chapter 374: Bread and Dagger (72)
A 'blessing.' Avian had already received a 'blessing.' At this rate, it was only a matter of time before she was found out.
Despite this, Leoric seemed delighted, even humming a tune to himself.
There wasn't a shred of suspicion toward Avian in his demeanor.
He merely asked with a worried, puzzled look.
"Are you alright, Brother? You look a bit pale."
"O-of course! I apologize for causing concern. It's just so cold outside..."
"Haha, what a strange thing to say. Brother Wolf, your body should be overflowing with heat in preparation for the 'blessing.' Or has there been a problem with the surgical preparations?"
I could feel Avian's muscles stiffening even further.
It seemed she had made a slip of the tongue due to her nerves. Although Leoric brushed it off as if it were nothing, even I found myself breaking into a cold sweat.
She hadn't been like this when dealing with the guards.
Avian clearly considered Leoric her most difficult opponent. That was why the intensity of her tension was on another level.
In this space, Leoric was the only one who was relaxed.
It was the privilege of the strong.
"It doesn't matter if there's a slight hitch in the surgical preparations. Since a sister has volunteered to serve today... please, lie down on the bed first."
As Leoric turned his back, his broad frame was revealed once more.
His hand reached out without hesitation and opened a box. Before long, he pulled out what looked like a thick rope.
No, it was a two-headed snake.
Even though it was caught in Leoric's grip, the two-headed snake couldn't move an inch.
On the contrary, he was forcing its mouths open to squeeze out the venom.
"The two-headed snake was once misunderstood as a henchman of the Evil God. An animal with two heads engaged in an eternal struggle... a symbol of unresolvable conflict and war. So, in my youth, I questioned it. Why would the Lord leave such a wicked creature be?"
Avian couldn't even bring herself to play along with Leoric's lecture.
She merely shifted her gaze here and there, locked in internal conflict. She had to stop the surgery to implant the 'blessing' at all costs.
If she didn't, Avian's transformation magic would unravel.
"But while working with the Elf brothers, I realized the truth. This two-headed snake actually contains the Truth! The eternally repeating struggle... it cannot be helped. There is only one way to end it."
Leoric, who had been squeezing the snake's venom into a cup for a long while, finally moved his hands again.
Immediately after, a sickening crunch echoed through the room.
The two-headed snake's heads were crushed, and blood began to pour out. Leoric carefully adjusted the cup's position to ensure not a single drop was missed.
"……Annihilation."
It was then that the look in Avian's eyes, which had been wavering for so long, hardened.
There were still many things to ask.
What kind of conspiracy was he plotting with the Elves? Who was the traitor on the side of humanity involved in this incident?
How did they contact the Dark Cult, and what was their objective?
She also had to ask about the 'Vampire.'
However, the situation was currently too dire. It wasn't a bad choice to retreat for a moment and reorganize the front lines.
Avian surely knew this as well.
"Um, Lord Leoric?"
"Ah! Do not worry too much. The surgery doesn't hurt at all. When the venom and blood of the two-headed snake are mixed and injected into an Elf, it causes a unique chemical reaction. A powerful analgesic component... it feels more like floating on clouds, shall we say? However, if injected directly, the hallucinogenic effect is too strong, so it needs to be refined by injecting it into another person first."
Leoric's explanation droned on endlessly.
The calm look in Leoric's eyes was beginning to transform. His breathing grew ragged, and blood vessels began to pop in his eyes.
He was clearly becoming excited.
"What a beautiful transformation. To think the Great Father's design is at work even in such a lowly creature... Ah, Immanuel! And I am deeply grateful for the faith of the sister who volunteered to refine this drug!"
If she hesitated any longer, she would be forced to undergo the surgery.
Avian cried out with even more urgency.
"Lord Leoric! I, I don't feel very well... if we could postpone the surgery until next time...!"
"Ah, it seems the sister has arrived just in time. Come this way."
But Avian's pleading voice was ruthlessly ignored once again.
The sound of unfamiliar footsteps hesitatingly entering the room could be heard.
Avian now had a look of grim determination in her eyes.
Whether she would attempt to escape while Leoric was distracted, or if there was another way out.
If she were right in front of me, I would have told her to run immediately.
Of course, my wish did not come true.
Not only were Avian and I far apart, but Avian, who had glanced behind her, had frozen solid.
Silence descended upon the basement.
A girl was walking in with light, dainty steps.
She looked to be a little over ten years old, appearing even younger than Avian. Her face, which must have been as beautiful as a doll's originally, looked quite pale.
Dark circles under her eyes and bandages covering half her face.
The adhesive bandages stuck all over her scrawny limbs testified to the girl's condition. To anyone's eyes, she did not look normal.
The moment she saw her, Avian's eyes locked onto her.
Only her wide-open eyes revealed her shock.
I was momentarily puzzled, but I soon had no choice but to realize.
Why Avian had frozen.
The girl's hair was gray. And her eyes were blue.
It was a color palette similar to Avian's.
"……Betty."
That low murmur confirmed my suspicion.
Those were the words Avian had uttered.
The name of the younger sister I had heard once before.
However, Betty didn't even acknowledge Avian, who was in the form of Wolf.
She merely grabbed Leoric's sleeve with trembling hands.
The girl pleaded with eyes brimming with tears.
"L-Lord Leoric... the shot, p-please give me the shot..."
Her tongue seemed to have lost its strength, as her pronunciation was slurred. I covered my face with both hands.
This was bad.
There was no way Avian could maintain her composure.
Leoric's hand stroked Betty's gray hair as if he found her pitiable.
"Oh, Sister Betty... do not worry. While I do not have the power to cure your illness, I can take away your pain."
"H-hurry! Hurry!"
Betty's behavior was as if her intelligence had regressed.
Avian bit her lip so hard it looked like it would bleed. She was trying her best to endure.
It was a futile struggle.
When Leoric picked up a syringe and filled it with the drug, Betty pushed her backside out. Then, she began to pant like a dog, drooling.
Her eyes sparkled with ecstasy and anticipation. It was a lively expression that formed a bizarre contrast with her withered body.
It was a sight so gruesome it was hard to look at.
If even I felt this way, how could Avian possibly endure it?
"You... you pieces of..."
As a heated voice leaked through her clenched teeth, I immediately stood up and started running. There was only one way to save Avian now.
Just before the connection was severed, Avian's roar pierced through my mind.
"You bastards!"
I mentally crossed myself several times.
I prayed for Avian's safety.
It was a few minutes later that I ambushed the guards at the 'Headquarters.'
*
Gasping for breath, Isha opened her eyes.
The time it took for her to be subdued by the sudden intruder was far too short. Even after regaining consciousness, she couldn't recover her memories for a long while.
All she remembered was a golden trajectory being drawn and a bolt of lightning striking down.
Isha had fainted right then and there.
The opponent was far too strong.
Isha had never encountered an enemy stronger than this, except for Ian. Her body tried to tremble involuntarily, but the prideful Isha managed to calm herself down.
What is their goal?
Now that Ian was gone, there was no strength left to repel such an intruder. Isha immediately cried out in a trembling voice.
A woman happened to be standing nearby.
It seemed they were planning an interrogation, but Isha vowed to remain loyal even if it meant death.
"W-who are you people! You don't think you can touch the Elves and get away with it, do you?!"
"Surprisingly, we have no interest in the lives of you Elves."
At least for now.
Those were the words of a woman with golden hair and blood-red eyes. At that chilling murmur, Isha almost squeezed her eyes shut.
She felt it instinctively.
The women surrounding Isha right now were all out of their minds. From the blonde woman to the small girl in a pointed hat and the woman with reddish-brown hair.
Their atmosphere was incredibly bloodthirsty.
It wouldn't be strange if they cut Isha's throat right this second.
"There's only one piece of information we're curious about... What did you do with Ian?"
"……Who?"
She felt like she had heard that name somewhere before.
When Isha tilted her head and asked back, the one who immediately became agitated was the girl in the pointed hat.
She already had an anxious look on her face. At Isha's dazed response, the girl's voice rose instantly.
"Ian Percus! Our master! We heard he lost his memory, so what did you do to him!"
"Ah," Isha let out a faint exclamation.
Now she understood what they wanted to ask. Come to think of it, was that 'human's' name 'Ian Percus'?
Looking back, they said he held a high social status among humans.
She could tell just by the respectful attitude of the soldiers, including Alex, and the women threatening Isha right now. They were even calling him 'Master.'
Furthermore, they seemed to believe that Ian had lost his memory.
Just then, a thought flashed through Isha's mind.
If she played her cards right, couldn't she fluster these arrogant women?
If Isha claimed to be someone precious to Ian, they might regret treating her so poorly. Moreover, she might be released safely.
Isha said with a devious smile.
"Ah, I know him! He's my lover—"
The moment that single word was uttered, Isha felt a terrifying chill run down her spine.
The atmosphere around the women turned incredibly cold.
Even Isha, who had adapted to the northern cold for a long time, felt the chill. The three women were glaring at Isha without saying a word.
That made it even scarier.
Because no emotion was revealed on their faces.
Only their eyes spoke of a frigid hostility.
Nevertheless, Isha tried to bluff to the women once more.
"M-my lover..."
Zap. A faint current of electricity crackled in the air.
She didn't know what it was a precursor to. However, Isha's instincts were screaming at her.
I'm going to die.
Isha eventually squeezed her eyes shut.
"M-my lover's... very close friend! Ahaha... W-what a coincidence? Then we're friends too, right?"
Only then did she feel the surrounding atmosphere soften, and Isha shed a tiny tear.
Humans are scary...