Chapter 377: Bread and Dagger (75)
Chapter 377: Bread and Dagger (75)
A man stood atop the seething mass of flesh.
He was a middle-aged man, his appearance wretched and marred by burn scars. His tattered priest’s robes bore witness to the fact that he had once been a member of the Heavenly God Religion.
Though that was clearly no longer the case.
In the Crow’s memories, he had seemed composed. While he occasionally suffered bouts of madness, he was essentially a man of faith with profound, deep-set eyes.
But what of the gaze this man turned upon me now?
It was overflowing with a smoldering desire. He likely didn't even understand the name of the emotion himself.
It was a gaze so intense that it was impossible to tell what it was even aiming at.
That feeling surely wasn't directed at me alone.
My lips softly uttered the enemy's name.
"……Leoric."
"So, you already knew my name."
He spoke as if surprised, yet his tone held neither admiration nor agitation.
It was an utterly calm way of speaking.
If one didn't know better, it sounded as if he were merely greeting a neighbor.
The elves seemed terrified by the sudden confrontation.
As Leoric and I stood facing each other, the sound of whispering tickled my ears. Several elves, weapons in hand, were hesitantly beginning to surround me.
It was a difficult situation.
I was currently holding Avian in my arms.
If I were to fall, there was a high probability she would be next. That fact weighed particularly heavy on my heart.
Hadn't she only just reunited with her sister?
Despite that, Avian hadn't even been able to have a proper conversation with her. To make matters worse, that younger sister was currently unconscious in the enemy's arms.
It was a tragedy.
Not a genre I particularly enjoyed.
I lowered my stance and let out a raspy growl.
"What did you do to Betty? And what’s with that look of yours?"
"Immanuel… is this not also the grace of the Lord? I didn't know it myself, but it seems a special 'blessing' resides within my body."
'Blessing' again.
I was sick to death of that word. Even after leaving the North, I suspected I would shudder every time I heard it for a long while.
Of course, I would have to survive first for that to happen.
I quietly adjusted my gear. I gently lowered Avian’s body onto the snowfield.
My opponent was Leoric. It was impossible to fight while protecting someone.
Therefore, I first needed to ensure Avian’s safety. That was the reason I kept trying to engage Leoric in conversation.
"And as for Sister Betty, you needn't worry too much. she has merely fallen asleep for a moment… her body is 'still' healthy."
"Still?"
"If the absence of the spirit is prolonged, it inevitably has an adverse effect on the flesh. Thus, I would very much like to persuade you quickly, Brother."
Just as I had, Leoric carefully set Betty down.
Immediately, the bubbling, seething flesh swallowed her whole. It happened in the blink of an eye, before I could even say a word.
When I furrowed my brow, Leoric let out a boisterous laugh.
"You worry quite a lot, Brother… As I said, she is not in danger. How could she be? All elves are my brothers and sisters."
"You didn't seem to have much sibling affection back there."
"Do not look at it with such a narrow perspective. And did you not feel it as well, Brother?"
I responded to Leoric's words with blatant sarcasm.
Despite this, Leoric’s expression remained serene. He merely wore a faint smile and traced the sign of the cross over his chest.
He looked like the very model of a fine clergyman.
Except for the fact that his lower half was swallowed by a flesh monster.
He continued his persuasion.
"Species is not particularly important. What matters is the will to stand in solidarity with the weak… Did you not see the atrocities humanity committed against the elves with your own eyes?"
"……You’re the one who did it, you son of a bitch."
I finally couldn't hold it back anymore and snarled.
I couldn't stand to listen to him talk as if he were pursuing justice and peace after he was the one who drove a wedge between humanity and the elves. It was enough to make me want to gag.
"The elves in the village were innocent! Humanity had no reason to bother elves who had fled all the way to the coniferous forest… But everything changed because you led the raids and the looting!"
"Changed? What changed, and how?"
"You ruined the peace."
Leoric wore a bitter smile at my claim.
His gaze dropped to the ground.
He didn't look convinced. Nevertheless, unable to contain my anger, I continued.
"If you hadn't provoked humanity, the elves in the village could have lived in peace! A subjugation force would never have been formed… But you ruined everything—!"
"You call that 'peace'?"
The sudden question cut me off mid-sentence.
I stared at Leoric, wondering what he meant. With a bitter smile, he lifted his head again.
A faint heat flickered in his eyes.
"Is it peace to drive the elves who lived in the Great Forest to this cold, dry North and make them worry about every meal? Is it peace to trap them in this coniferous forest forever and isolate them from civilization!"
I wanted to retort.
But the words wouldn't leave my lips. Countless memories flashed before my eyes.
The elves who were as happy as children at the sight of bread.
Uncle Dolph and Luguet, who boiled and ate a pregnant rat.
And even the 'tree porridge' that Avian brought as a meal every morning.
It was a wretched life.
Could one even call it 'living'? Perhaps it was just enduring each harsh day because they couldn't let go of their stubborn lives.
It was difficult for me to judge.
Because I was a noble of the Empire.
At the very least, I had never gone hungry because there was nothing to eat. I had never been pushed to a situation where I couldn't maintain a minimum level of dignity.
When I remained silent, Leoric raised his voice even more excitedly.
"Brothers and sisters, what about you? Look at this arrogant man! Has life ever been a blessing to you? Has this world ever been a paradise, even once!"
Gloomy gazes were aimed at me.
They were eyes from which light and shadow had vanished. It seemed their will to live or their hope had long since been broken and withered. They were eyes more akin to those of dried fish.
Meanwhile, Leoric’s voice continued to grow in intensity.
By now, pure white mana was gathering, to the point where a searing heat could be felt in every word he spat out.
"The logic of the privileged! The standards of the privileged! Brother Ian, you were the same! You, too, are part of the world we must destroy!"
And in the next moment.
My body and Avian’s overlapped. It was as if I were shielding her.
Even I didn't know why I did it.
I just instinctively felt that I had to throw myself over her.
It didn't take long to prove that choice was correct.
Thump! The ground shook.
The world turned incandescent, searing my vision white.
Even with my eyes closed, a reddish afterimage remained. I could feel an intense heat burning across my back.
A beam of light.
I barely managed to catch it. Streaks of light burst from Leoric’s eyes and mouth, and the moment he let out a scream, the beams were fired.
I checked the breath against my chest and lifted my head.
Nothing remained where the beams had passed.
The forest had been pierced through in a straight line, providing a clear view.
It was truly a spectacular sight.
Though the fact that I had to face the man who created that spectacle wasn't pleasant in the least.
I forced myself up and shouted desperately.
"At least have the decency to leave the non-combatants alone!"
"I won't target them intentionally, but it can't be helped if they get caught in the crossfire!"
Leoric was wading forward. He wasn't fast, but he wasn't slow either.
I grit my teeth and drew my sword.
I couldn't allow him to get any closer. The further the point of impact was, the safer Avian would be.
That was why my body immediately kicked off the ground and shot forward.
Immediately after.
Boom, boom, boom!
The ground shook three more times, and I collapsed, coughing up blood.
The Saintess suffered from headaches every day.
It was the price of overworking her brain. Since the man she loved had left, the Saintess had been unconsciously spending every night making plans to rescue him.
The plans weren't particularly realistic.
Delphine, Elsie, and Emma had already departed, but there was still no news. In fact, it was questionable whether they could even save Ian, who had lost his memories and was hostile toward humanity.
What if they met him in the coniferous forest and he harbored murderous intent?
It would be a total defeat. If he came for their throats without a word, it would be impossible to suppress him with their current strength. Even with Delphine there, it would be the same.
And the headaches were accompanied by pain in her heart.
Every time she thought of Ian, the Saintess’s chest ached unbearably. She constantly told herself she had to remain rational, but the heart wasn't that simple.
I want to see him.
That simple desire filled the Saintess’s mind. It had been days since she had started praying while shedding tears.
The Saintess let out a hollow laugh.
It was a laugh filled with deep fatigue.
"So… Marquis Yurdina is a traitor?"
She spoke without titles or honorifics.
It was something unimaginable for her usual self. However, the utterly exhausted Saintess didn't even have the energy to correct the slip.
It was a contrasting scene.
Standing before the Saintess was a girl burning with resolve. The girl with dark blue hair clenched her fists and nodded.
"Yes!"
"Let's see……."
At that unhesitating answer, the Saintess stood up. She placed her hand on the Princess’s forehead and used her fingers to open the Princess’s eyelids to examine her.
After a while.
The Saintess narrowed her eyes as if something were strange.
"Hmm, there are no symptoms yet… Shall we begin our counseling session?"
"I-I’m telling the truth!"
The Princess, aggrieved at being treated like a patient, raised her voice.
Her feelings were plain to see on her tearful face. At that reaction, the Saintess pressed her hand to her forehead as if her headache were worsening.
"Even if it’s true, what are we supposed to do? The master of Yurdina Castle is the Marquis… Unless the Emperor of the Empire steps in, there’s nothing we can do. If Sister Delphine were here, it might be different, but you said even Sister Seria is helpless right now?"
Every word was a cold, hard fact.
The Princess bit her lip, unable to find a proper rebuttal. In fact, that was the reason the Princess had sought out the Saintess after Seria.
Seria had found it difficult to accept the Princess’s words.
Furthermore, even if she did accept them, there was nothing she could do. There was no way a mere illegitimate daughter would have the power to strike down her own father.
If there was anyone who could, it was only Delphine.
Or someone who existed outside the power structure of the Empire.
The Saintess, backed by the Heavenly God Religion, was her only hope.
When that hope was betrayed, the Princess could only let her shoulders slump. The Saintess had mentioned the 'Imperial Household,' but she likely knew how arduous the process of obtaining evidence would be.
It would take time for Ian’s name to be cleared.
Until then, how much blood would stain Ian’s blade?
In the end, the Saintess had to let out a long sigh.
"For now, we have no choice but to trust Ian. There is no one around us who can scout around Marquis Yurdina……."
"There is."
It was an answer that came from somewhere.
The Saintess was about to shake her head, thinking it was impossible, when she suddenly paused as a realization struck her.
The Princess hadn't answered.
The woman sprang to her feet. Her wary, pale pink pupils scanned the surroundings. Then, a shadow slowly descended.
Brown hair and deep green eyes that hinted at poison.
An intelligence agent dressed in a maid’s uniform wore a faint smile.
"Could I hear the details? Especially about that… Marquis Yurdina."
It was the return of Neris.