Chapter 391: Bread and Dagger (89)
Chapter 391: Bread and Dagger (89)
Have you ever splashed paint onto a pure white canvas?
Fist against fist, bone against bone, muscle against muscle.
Every time they collided, color was brushed onto the pristine snowfield. The blood-red waltz they performed at the risk of their lives was both savage and precise.
Thwack! Leoric’s fist slammed into Ian’s cheek. As Ian staggered back, Leoric didn't miss the opening and lunged forward.
But before he could reach him, Ian’s kick exploded against his solar plexus.
Gurgle. Thin mud trickled from Leoric’s mouth.
Ian rushed in, swinging his fists. Leoric gritted his teeth, endured the blow, and thrust his own fist forward again.
It was a bloody battle between two men without so much as a single weapon.
The fight was so desperate it felt almost pathetic. Leoric’s mind, already pushed to its limit, began to grow hazy.
I... I couldn't have been wrong.
Leoric kept muttering those words to himself.
His teeth had already been knocked out and were rolling on the ground. His jaw was shattered; even when he tried to move his tongue, only the sound of escaping air came out.
So, he simply recited it in his heart.
I am not wrong.
Scenes from the past invaded his fading consciousness. It was a landscape from a certain day.
He had been shivering alone in the biting cold of the North. He tried to endure, but days of hunger were driving him toward death.
That was when he met the elf girl with the injured ankle.
She, too, was destined to die. In the coniferous forest, the cold and hunger weren't the only threats to life.
The demonic beasts would come, drawn by the scent of blood.
Perhaps that was why the elf girl forced a bright smile and held out a piece of bread.
"I might not make it, but you can live, can't you, Mister?"
It was a coarse, crude piece of bread.
Leoric was a chaplain. Even the cheapest rations provided by the military camp were of better quality than that.
And yet, why did he devour that bread so ravenously?
Leoric considered it fate.
He saw it as a wonderful opportunity to resolve the doubts about God he had always harbored in a corner of his heart.
O God, did You not say You love peace and forgiveness?
Then why must humans and elves repeat such cruel struggles?
As a clergyman, he did not know the answer, and like most scholars, he dove deep into the problem to find the truth.
He treated the elf girl, and he even shielded her from demonic beasts until he was covered in blood.
That was how Leoric earned the recognition of the elves.
He had heard something back then.
He couldn't remember.
The only thing that snapped him out of his reverie was a punch that collapsed his nasal bone.
"Leoric!"
Leoric twisted his body, gritting his teeth. As his nose broke, blood filled his nasal cavity, making his already labored breathing even more ragged.
Nevertheless, he used his massive frame to collide with Ian, and Ian had to plant his feet firmly in the ground to keep from falling.
Leoric stomped on one of those feet with his left foot.
He couldn't tell if it was the left or the right; his mind was too chaotic to distinguish.
He only saw Ian gritting his teeth.
Then, a headbutt.
Ian staggered back, and Leoric also took a couple of steps backward from the shock vibrating through his skull.
Through his increasingly faint consciousness, a blurry voice reached him.
"M-Mister! Are you okay? T-The fire! The granary is on fire...!"
"Th-That... it's already too late."
The words were mumbled with a melting tongue.
But even as the girl shed tears, she did not give up on him.
It's my fault.
Leoric’s mind was a tangled mess. After that day, when his face had melted and hideous scars were etched across his entire body, Leoric opened his eyes after an unknown amount of time.
And he saw.
The elf girl, dead, her cheeks sunken in.
Leoric wailed with his burnt vocal cords. He simply resented his lot in life, unable to even let out a proper sob.
Even in the midst of everything, the girl had done her best to keep Leoric alive.
She had gone without her own meals, using all her strength to find food and give it to him.
Leoric realized this and cried all night long.
And he cursed himself.
You fool, you were thinking all wrong.
The world was merely an extension of the food chain, of killing or being killed. Forgiving someone was nothing more than the nonsense of those with full bellies.
Had he not realized it while he himself was burning?
That he could never forgive those who inflicted this pain upon him.
Yes, I was not wrong.
The woman who appeared like a ghost that day said the same.
He could swear she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Could even the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, called the pinnacle of beauty, be a match for her?
Noble black hair that refused to allow even a single speck of light, and crimson eyes whose depths were impossible to fathom.
Her porcelain skin was like a snowfield no one had ever stepped on, and her sharp nose and features seemed born to bewitch everyone.
Whether man or woman.
If she set her mind to it, that woman could seduce anyone.
That was why she was even more terrifying.
The more he looked into those eyes, the more he felt himself being pulled in.
The woman smiled softly.
"Do you want revenge?"
Yes, those words were the catalyst.
"You were merely following the teachings of the Heavenly God. So why must you suffer such pain? And why do those who inflicted this pain upon you not even blink an eye? Isn't it irrational?"
"Y-You are..."
"Shh."
She was a woman as enchanting and ominous as the night.
An alluring smile played on her lips.
"You did nothing wrong. You simply lacked power... So, how about it? Shall we make a deal?"
"A... deal?"
"Yes, I will give you power. The power to grind down this irrational world... In exchange, you must also offer a price. For only then can it be called a 'deal'."
That day, Leoric accepted the proposal.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember what that 'price' had been.
What... did I offer?
Then, an elbow slammed into his solar plexus.
Leoric’s pupils shook violently. It was because, unlike before, it was a strike he hadn't anticipated at all.
There hadn't even been a sign.
No matter how much of a novice he was at brawling, the power Leoric had gained from the 'deal' still remained in his body. His kinetic vision was not at a level that could be categorized within the realm of ordinary humans.
And yet, he hadn't noticed.
How on earth?
Before that question could even form, punches exploded against his jaw and temple in succession. Leoric wailed and swung his hands haphazardly.
At the very end, Ian kicked him in the solar plexus and backed away.
Now, Leoric was clearly at a disadvantage.
Vomiting mud once again, Leoric thought as his vision blurred.
Yes, I did nothing wrong.
"Now, look! To live is to suffer! Is there anyone among you who can argue that life is not hell? We must show mercy to those who cannot endure this hell!"
Yes, I...
"You must not pillage too conspicuously. Our goal is strictly to engrave the fact that we are not easy targets. Even if sacrifices occur in the process... it cannot be helped."
I...
"Oh, poor Betty. It's unfortunate, but it's impossible to overcome that pain alone. However, I will offer you a small bit of help. So that it doesn't hurt... so that this hellish life can become even a little bit peaceful."
And then, a scream.
Leoric could not control the fire burning uncontrollably in his chest. He didn't even know what meaning the shout—burning his trachea and vocal cords and finally being vomited from his mouth—held.
He simply ran, and fists became entangled.
Afterward, the bodies of the two men moved apart, clung together, and fell over each other repeatedly.
Leoric’s breath grew shorter and shorter.
The name of the elf girl, that precious child he had cherished like a daughter, would not come to mind.
Why?
He had lived with that girl buried in his heart. He had built a memorial in a corner of his memory and lived every day with a heart of mourning.
To honor the girl, had he not always kept two items in his bosom?
One was bread, and one was a dagger.
The bread was to remember the grace the girl had shown him.
The dagger was so that he would not hesitate like he did that day.
And yet, why could he not remember her name?
Leoric’s mind was as tangled as a ball of yarn rolling on the ground.
Yes, this was all that man's fault too.
Ian Percus.
Ever since he stepped forward, the plan had become a mess. In the end, he had lost the power granted by his Lord and was suffering from useless anguish.
Leoric let out a roar filled with hatred.
"Ian... Percusssss!!!"
The fists of the two men slammed into each other's faces.
In that perfect cross-counter, both figures staggered and fell back simultaneously. Thick veins of blood stood out in Leoric’s eyes.
It was the same for Ian.
There was nowhere left to retreat. The two of them had to settle it here, whether they lived or died.
Their appearances had already become so wretched that it was impossible to say who looked better.
Faces bruised in various colors with sunken bones, and droplets of blood leaving their traces on the snowfield.
Neither of them opened their mouths.
However, the two of them instinctively reached a silent agreement.
End it with the next strike.
It was time to reveal the trump card they had been hiding all along.
His mind was hazy. In fact, it was a miracle he was even standing on his two legs.
But Leoric could never fall.
Because his defeat would mean that he was wrong.
The world of life and taking life was always like this. History was always written under the logic of the winner, and the loser was exiled and remained a villain.
Leoric did not want to meet such a miserable end.
He wanted to engrave the name of the elf girl who had saved him into history.
So that she would never be forgotten by anyone!
While Leoric faltered, Ian’s body kicked off the ground and shot forward.
As if they had made a promise, both men’s hands fumbled inside their respective bosoms.
A dagger.
Leoric thought as he gritted his teeth. Ian must have sensed it as well.
What it was they were hiding in their bosoms.
The identity of the secret that could take the opponent's life with a single strike.
Amidst his frantic mind, Leoric felt something being gripped in his hand.
There was no time to hesitate.
The arms of the two men stretched out toward each other.
Squelch. Blood soaked the earth.
Unlike before, it was a fatal hemorrhage. Not a one-time occurrence, but a continuous and massive loss of blood.
Only then did Leoric come to his senses.
It felt as if the whole world was narrowing down around him and Ian. He was clearly standing on the ground, yet he felt as if he were looking down at the crossing of their two arms from the sky.
A dagger was piercing Leoric’s body. As could be seen from the golden hilt alone, it was a high-quality item.
Was it an item given to a lover for self-defense?
A piece of trivial knowledge brushed through the mind of Leoric, who had once been a priest. It was meaningless anyway.
Leoric looked at the end of his own arm, which had been thrust out aiming for Ian’s heart.
It was bread.
Not the dagger, but the bread he always carried to remember the elf girl.
Bread and dagger were crossing.
Gurgle. Black-stained blood poured from Leoric’s mouth. But that was only for a moment; the blood he vomited soon regained its red color.
After shivering for a moment, Leoric collapsed onto the ground.
Death was approaching.
Was it thanks to that? Leoric’s broken jaw was moving on its own.
"D-Did I... did I lose?"
"Yes."
Leoric burst into a fit of giggles at that low response.
Yes, I lost in the end.
He wasn't even resentful anymore. Even the chill piercing his entire body could no longer cause him pain.
Rather, he felt relieved.
Because he didn't have to fight anymore. Because he didn't have to be in pain.
However, there was one thing weighing on his mind.
"W-Will Ariella be sad?"
It was a name he had blurted out unconsciously.
Leoric hadn't even been able to remember that name. Ian probably felt it was sudden as well.
But Ian remained silent.
He simply blankly touched his chest, where the blunt end of the bread had struck.
"I always carried bread to remember that child... B-But because of that, I ended up losing in the final showdown. Cough!"
Dew was forming at the corners of Leoric’s eyes.
He realized that fact for the first time in a very long while.
Did I have tears too?
He couldn't remember. Because he thought his tear ducts had also burned away on the day the granary burned down.
"I have no face to show Ariella..."
"She will be happy."
However, at the words Ian spoke, Leoric caught hold of his fading consciousness one last time.
"Wasn't the priest Ariella considered a father that kind of person? Someone who took care of the suffering, whether they were humans or elves... Someone who treated a girl with an injured ankle even when he was left alone in the coniferous forest due to an elven raid."
He must have been out of breath as well.
Falling to his knees, Ian continued his deduction with a faint breath.
"He must have been a good man who did not repay a dagger with a dagger. No, a man who lived his whole life without knowing what a dagger was... and thus could melt even the elves who lived their whole lives with daggers in their hearts."
Leoric fell silent.
The mud no longer remained. His body had returned to the time when he was a fragile priest.
There probably wasn't much time left to even breathe in and out.
Several memories revived amidst his hazy mind.
Voices that pierced through his brain all of a sudden.
"Sister Ariella, I think elves are quite rational yet terrifying. Bread for bread, dagger for dagger... If it weren't for you, I probably would have been turned away at the door. Haha!"
A single tear trickled down Leoric’s cheek.
So that's how it was.
"Hmph, I find the things you say more interesting than those trivial stories, Mister. You know, what that person called the Heavenly God said!"
"Th-That must have been a bit boring..."
This was my 'price'.
"That's much cooler and more amazing! If you repay a dagger with a dagger, what's next? The person who received the dagger will also live with a dagger in their heart, right? There's no end to it! You'd have to fight forever!"
"Of course, that is true, but..."
"That's why I like you, Mister!"
This bright smile, the child's happiness.
The sound of laughter that bloomed so radiantly even amidst hunger.
"If I live according to what that Mister said, can I become like that too? Someone who doesn't repay a dagger with a dagger, but with bread!"
These memories that were so precious.
Why had he forgotten them? Hot tears poured down uncontrollably through his gradually closing eyelids.
Leoric said, choking up.
"Ah, I see. That's how it was..."
The value of life did not lie in being full and wealthy.
Even in a terrible life, there were sparkling moments like these.
"I'm glad it... came true in the end. Even though I've committed so many sins..."
Barely swallowing his sobs, Leoric squeezed out his final strength to speak.
"Please tell her I'm sorry."
Ian didn't even ask the question that should naturally follow: To whom?
Instead, he remained silent.
To watch over the end of the nemesis he had been in conflict with for so long.
"Also, you must be careful."
Leoric’s breath gradually slowed.
A man who was once a priest of the Heavenly God, then the leader of an evil cult, and was now just a blood-soaked human.
It was his final warning.
"Archbishop Aindel, he is danger—"
Without even being able to deliver his final warning, Leoric’s heartbeat stopped completely.
Only then did Ian, who had been kneeling, relax his tension and slump down.
His mind was also hazy.
He couldn't even remember how many times he had been hit. He simply fell backward, looked at the sky, and harbored a single sentiment.
It's clear.
The sun was coming out in the North, where a blizzard had been raging.
As if to signal the end of the bloody battle.
Crack! The old man’s body staggered and retreated.
And a sharp sword point aimed at his throat.
Delphine growled lowly at her father.
"It's over."
Two decisive battles were coming to an end.