Chapter 376: Bread and Dagger (74)
Chapter 376: Bread and Dagger (74)
Since that day, Seria’s nights had become agonizingly long.
Even when the sun warmed the horizon, Seria’s world remained shrouded in darkness. Distinguishing between day and night had become a meaningless endeavor.
The world was hell.
Whenever she briefly regained her senses, Seria would realize her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Alex was dead.
By whose hand?
The senior she loved had lost his memories and was now pointing his blade at humanity. That likely included Seria herself.
It was a sense of loss she had never once imagined.
If someone were to reach into her chest and tear out her heart, it would surely feel like this.
No, she wished someone would just do it.
Could this painful, lonely laceration ever be healed?
The void left by the man she had loved for the first time in her life was far too vast. He was the kind soul who had rescued a secluded girl from her island and walked beside her as an equal.
Now, he was gone.
Crunch. Seria bit her fingernails again.
Her thumbnails were already worn down to the quick. Biting them further wouldn't make them grow back any faster. Even now, blood and serous fluid were oozing from the raw flesh.
And yet, why did that skin-crawling sound continue?
It meant her nails were growing.
Her regeneration speed was incomparable to that of a normal human. For days, she had remained holed up in a pitch-black room with the curtains drawn to block out the sun, and her body was beginning to manifest abnormalities.
However, Seria didn't even notice the changes occurring within her.
She had lost the mental capacity for such observations long ago.
Only the dry sound of friction filled the room.
Snap. Crunch. Grind.
After a long silence, Seria bolted upright as if having a seizure.
She began to pace the room, lost in thought. Her blue eyes now held a sinister light, but a world trapped in night offered no opportunity to look in a mirror.
How? What should I do?
How can I get my senior back?
Suddenly, hatred and rage surged up her throat. Emotions as hot as fire writhed, burning her chest and esophagus. Seria coughed involuntarily.
I have to kill.
It was a conclusion reached without any logical review.
Nor was it a rational resolve.
She didn't even know whose sins she intended to judge.
Nevertheless, Seria found herself quite fond of the sentence she had just passed. For the first time in days, her lips curved into a faint arc.
Yes, she just had to kill.
Hadn't her life always been that way?
It didn't matter if the target was an Elf or a human. Her senior was not at fault.
If there was any fault to be found, it belonged to the world.
He was a hero who had sacrificed himself for humanity, throwing his body into the fray until the very end.
To think that fate would rob such a man of his memories and force him to turn his blade against his own kind.
That was why they had to die.
It was a murderous intent without a clear target. Yet, because it wasn't a hollow impulse, a murky resolve began to settle in Seria’s eyes.
It was a dark, secret desire, like mud at the bottom of a puddle.
Seria walked over and stood before her sword. The cherished weapon she had laid by her bedside was still waiting for her.
Just as it always had.
Seria’s hand gripped the sword without hesitation. But just as she was about to reveal the pure white blade to the world—
The girl’s ears perked up.
She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed, but she sensed a strange presence nearby.
Just as Seria’s eyes began to vacantly search for the source—
Bang! The window was thrown open violently.
“Eek, kyaaaaaah!”
With a scream, a familiar figure tumbled onto the floor. Startled, Seria had no choice but to stumble back.
A fierce northern wind rushed through the open window.
The flickering fire-shadows illuminated dark blue hair. The color resembled the night sky, and the figure was currently rubbing her head with tears pricking her eyes.
Seria deduced her identity immediately.
“...Your Highness?”
“Se—Seria Senior.”
The Princess stood there, hesitating with a somewhat frightened expression.
As Seria stood dazed, unable to fathom the reason for this visit, Cien squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head. A frantic excuse burst from her lips.
“I—I wasn't trying to peek! I knocked on the window a few times, but there was no response... B—but you didn't have to draw your sword...!”
“Ah,” Seria let out a soft exclamation.
Before she knew it, her hand was gripping the hilt of her sword. She was holding it with enough strength to suggest she was ready to perform a sword dance at any moment.
Startled, she quickly hid the sword behind her back.
Then, with an awkward smile, she cleared her throat a few times.
What was I about to do?
She couldn't quite remember. She could only guess that if the Princess hadn't arrived, something disastrous might have happened.
Feeling embarrassed, Seria spoke with a slight blush.
“N—no! How could I ever harbor such impious thoughts toward the Dragon's bloodline... It’s a misunderstanding. I was just going to maintain my sword since I’ve neglected it for so long... M—more importantly!”
Her stuttering words condensed into a single question.
Regaining her composure, Seria asked the obvious.
“Why did you come through the window? You could have just come through the Yurdina castle gates...”
“Because I overheard a dangerous secret.”
At the word ‘secret,’ Seria fell silent.
The mystery remained unsolved.
She could guess how the Princess had reached her room. She likely used some form of flight magic, considering how she had come in on the wind as soon as the window opened.
But why was there a need for such measures?
This was the castle of the Yurdina family, one of the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire. There was no one here who would dare threaten a Princess of the Imperial bloodline.
And yet, the Princess looked incredibly tense, swallowing hard.
As if she were being chased by something.
Cien whispered in a stiff voice.
“Seria Senior...”
Just as Seria tilted her head, unable to overcome her curiosity—
“By any chance, are you interested in ‘patricide’?”
Seria fell into a brief silence.
And she thought:
Should I just draw my sword right now?
Ssssss. The reagent poured over the trampled snow.
Immediately, red footprints began to emerge. The women moved forward, checking the direction every few minutes.
They were Delphine, Elsie, and Emma.
The troops they had brought as guides and escorts had been left behind at the Elves' hideout. They had decided it would be better that way if they were to face Ian, who was said to have headed for the ‘Headquarters.’
Besides, they had another guide.
It was none other than the Elf who had been captured and interrogated by the women first.
It was Isha.
She was still shivering, the fear apparently not having worn off. The women didn't show Isha any particular kindness either.
Humanity and Elves had been at odds for hundreds of years.
Even if they heard the truth, it was hard to trust it entirely. Moreover, the more they heard, the more the story seemed like something they didn't want to believe.
Alex was a traitor to his family.
It was an unthinkable claim. Delphine had been speechless ever since.
Only Elsie occasionally threatened Isha by poking her.
“Hey, Elf... you’re finding the right path, aren't you? As you can see, my younger sister is quite capable. If you lead us the wrong way...!”
“I—I told you I wouldn't do that!”
At the tearful protest, Elsie made a noncommittal humming sound.
Her eyes still held lingering suspicion.
Isha was now practically pleading with Elsie.
“Humans are our friends! Where in the world would you find an Elf who deceives a friend of a friend?”
“How dare a mere Elf claim to be a friend of my Master... Hmph, fine.”
Elsie looked ready to snap for a moment but managed to control her temper.
As the girl shook her head, the tip of her pointed hat swayed with her. A faint fatigue was visible in her blue eyes.
It was the price of the forced march they had maintained for the past few days.
Furthermore, she had suffered mentally as much as physically, so it was only natural for her to look exhausted.
However, her expression had brightened somewhat.
“So, Master’s memory is intact?”
“Ye—yes... probably, based on the conversation I heard him having with that knight.”
“Hmph, Master certainly has unique tastes.”
Elsie snorted and wore a smug smile.
It was a habit she had whenever she felt good.
“Why hang around with Elves when he has his memory? He really made me worry...”
“Um, excuse me.”
It was the first time Isha had asked a question back.
Elsie’s eyes turned toward Isha as if asking what was wrong. Although Elsie was much smaller than her, Isha knew very well.
What would happen if those tiny hands were swung just once.
The sky would be torn asunder, and divine punishment would strike down from the laceration.
She had never seen such a powerful practitioner in her life. Nevertheless, Isha couldn't overcome her innate curiosity and meddlesome nature.
The sound of her swallowing hard could be heard. The question followed.
“I—if the human really had lost his memory... what were you planning to do...?”
“Hmm,” Elsie hummed thoughtfully.
After glancing around, Elsie’s eyes crinkled into a soft curve. With a mischievous glint, she whispered into Isha’s ear.
“I was going to tell him to take responsibility... that I’m carrying his child.”
“Y—you’re pregnant?!”
Startled, Isha looked back and forth between Elsie’s belly and her face. No matter how she looked at it, Elsie didn't have the body of a pregnant woman.
I heard it doesn't show in the early stages, so it must be true.
While Isha was quietly marveling at the mystery of life—
Elsie spoke with a brazenly nonchalant face.
“No? Forget being pregnant, I’m a virgin.”
“Then what were you going to do later...!”
“I can just actually get pregnant... by suddenly pouncing on him in the middle of the night.”
Isha fell silent at that casual remark.
She looked for any sign that it was a joke, but Elsie seemed entirely serious. Not a single tremor of hesitation could be felt in those blue eyes.
It was an idea bordering on madness.
To think she would throw away her purity just to claim one man. Moreover, if it were a premarital pregnancy, there would be no greater dishonor for a woman.
So, Isha was forced to realize once again.
As expected, humans were terrifying creatures.
But that thought didn't last long.
Before long, a sight entered her vision that forced her to clear her mind of all distractions.
Thump. A vibration echoed through the air.
The group’s footsteps stopped instantly. They were still some distance from the ‘Headquarters.’ And yet, what was the source of this vibration that could be felt so clearly?
An icy silence fell.
Delphine stared intently in one direction. Then, she closed her eyes and calmed her breathing for a few seconds.
Her blood-red eyes snapped open.
“Get down!”
The group didn't defy their instincts.
The women threw themselves onto the ground, burying themselves in the snow. Immediately after that narrow evasion, a beam of light flew past, scorching the world.
The searing heat turned their retinas white.
Not even an explosion was heard. Nothing remained where the beam had passed.
Not trees, not animals, not anything.
A straight line of sight was cleared along the trajectory of the beam. The group groaned as they slowly picked themselves up.
And there, at the end of that scorched line, they saw it.
It was a scene like a tiny dot in the distance. But someone was there, fighting with a sword. A surging shadow was dancing.
As soon as Elsie saw the sight, she immediately bolted forward.
“Master!”
That was the beginning.
The group began to sprint toward the man they had been searching for so desperately.
The signal for the final battle was being raised.