Chapter 598: Jealousy is My Power (98)
Chapter 598: Jealousy is My Power (98)
“I am no mere ‘young lady.’ I am of noble birth, carrying the blood of the Imperial Family. I am not someone a creature like you can address so casually.”
“……Ha.”
“Do you find the name of the Dragon amusing?”
It was an absurd display.
This was a battlefield. Her opponent was a monster belonging to the Dark Cult, a being for whom the prestige of the Imperial Family held no meaning.
And yet, she was reciting her family lineage in front of such a creature?
It was no different from protesting for her own death. The woman’s voice leaked out, sounding more exasperated than angry.
“Amusing? I’m not sure about the Dragon’s name… but the arrogant little wizard in front of me is certainly hilarious. It seems you haven’t quite grasped your place yet.”
“Grasped my place, you say…….”
The girl offered a faint smile upon hearing those words.
As if it were something she had heard far too many times before.
The Princess shook her head slowly.
“I’m tired of hearing that now.”
The sight of the Princess fluttering one hand and letting out a scoffing laugh was truly cute yet insolent.
It was more than enough to provoke the woman, who had been barely suppressing her agitation. Grind. The woman gritted her teeth, and just as she was about to lunge—
Clack.
Another stone the girl had been hiding in her palm dropped. Finally pushed past the limits of her patience, the woman could only let out a scream.
“You little bitch, I’ve been patient enough… Kh, aaaaaaaagh!”
Once again, lightning struck.
A noise like a flock of birds simultaneously spreading their wings in a forest echoed, and the Bat Fiend was forced to slam her head into the ground once more. Furthermore, through the flashes of blue lightning, a certain sight was revealed.
The girl was running away, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Kyaaah! Aaaaaagh! Help me, Sir Ian!”
Crunch.
The woman’s eyes began to radiate an intense killing intent. The nature of a demonic beast was already encroaching upon her mind.
There was no way she could maintain her reason after being subjected to such blatant provocation.
And what was with that pathetic display?
She had been lecturing so boldly just a moment ago, and now she was running away?
“How unsightly……!”
The woman’s body, filled with resentment, immediately bolted upright. Her movements weren't entirely free due to the lingering electrical discharge, but it didn't matter.
Only one thought dominated her mind now.
Tear that arrogant Princess apart and take the Dragon’s blood.
It was the universal key that could solve all her problems. The woman flapped her wings once more, leaping forward and twisting her spine to cut through the air.
Boom! A shockwave erupted the moment she kicked off the air and shot forward.
Following the sharp sonic boom, the scream of the torn atmosphere echoed. Her body, having already begun its rotation, possessed terrifying breakthrough power.
Branches and leaves were shredded to pieces and scattered.
In a split second that could be divided a hundred times over—
A familiar noise began to reach the ears of the woman, who had momentarily paused in mid-air.
Snap, snap, snap.
The sound of Azure-White Threads made of mana snapping. The scattered filaments between the trees and bushes were a mess. They were no different from footprints left behind by the Princess.
For a pursuer, it was an incredibly useful clue.
At this point, she didn't even need her sight. The woman determined the approximate location through sound and began a high-speed descent toward it.
Squelch. Trees were sliced into pieces.
Behind them, the girl was crouched low, trembling as she endured her terror.
Suppressing her screams.
It was a futile struggle. The woman landed lightly on the ground as before and threw a blood spear before the Princess could even stand.
Thwack! The blade pierced through her thigh and sank into the ground with eerie smoothness. The Princess, who was unaccustomed to such pain, could only scream once more.
“Kh, ugh… Aaaaaaaaagh!”
“Is this the second time today?”
Did she find that cry of agony pleasing?
Huff, huff. The woman took a step forward while catching her breath, appearing to have regained some of her composure. A faint smile played on her lips, and for a moment, a hint of aristocratic elegance seemed to flicker across her face.
Not that she could hide those eyes seething with murderous intent, however.
With a face that wore the conflicting expressions of a smile and hatred, the woman continued in a soft tone.
“I know you fought a life-and-death struggle with my daughter… though I suppose it was a one-sided slaughter. I could tell from the scent of blood even from afar. That our daughter had ruined your limbs.”
There was no answer from the Princess.
She only gritted her teeth, her small body trembling violently. It was a desperate attempt to hold back her screams.
The monster didn't seem to like that.
Judging by how another blood spike pierced through the girl’s remaining leg.
“Agh, ah… Kyaaaaaaaaagh!”
“Good, good. Is this the Dragon’s cry? Pfft… ‘Dragon,’ all of a sudden.”
Walking with light steps, the woman slowly knelt down. The Princess, having lost all ability to resist, could only glare at the woman with bloodshot eyes.
Meeting that gaze, the woman gave a soft smile, and then—
Slap!
“……Arrogant brat.”
She struck the girl’s cheek with her palm. The blow was so powerful that the Princess’s upper body collapsed onto the ground. A groan escaped her involuntarily.
Yet, the Princess’s spirit didn't seem broken, as she lifted her head once more.
The result was the same.
Crack!
The Princess’s head was slammed into the dirt. The force was enough to make her cheek go numb and knock out a few teeth.
Now, the Princess couldn't lift her head. She only groaned.
Only then did the woman show a bright smile.
“Now you finally look the part, Your Highness… I really like women who know their place.”
“Huu, huu…….”
“It seems you tried to use your brain, but that trump card… those stones? Even those were just borrowed power, weren't they? So why do you keep acting so smug… it’s annoying.”
Thud. A spike drove down, followed by a spray of blood.
This time, it was her right arm. The Princess didn't even think to use her remaining hand to stop the bleeding; she just bit her lip, swallowing her blood and her groans.
The erupting droplets of blood splattered across the woman’s face.
Those few drops were enough.
Enough for the woman to slowly stand up with a dazed, ecstatic expression.
“Ah, how sweet… It would have been better if you’d acted like this from the start. If you had just offered your blood as befits your situation, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this… Poor Princess. Though, I have heard the rumors. Since you’ve been hiding away at the Academy for a while.”
“……E-Every.”
“I hear you like the same person my daughter does? How pitiful… You must have only just realized. Love is something to be seized. Those who have neither the will nor the ability can only ‘jealous’ from afar……”
“Shut up.”
Her ragged breaths smelled of iron.
It was proof that blood was welling up. From the lungs of the girl who had already far exceeded the limits of her physical strength, a faint scent of blood wafted out.
Had she ever run this hard in her life?
And had she ever been humiliated like this?
She could say with certainty.
Never. And so, Cien poured out her emotions for the first time in her life.
“How could someone like you ever guess what’s in my heart? I’m the one who was almost strangled to death by my own mother as a child. I’ve spent my whole life doubting and hating humans. Because I was afraid of being betrayed, and afraid of being abandoned……!”
“I’m sure you were.”
The woman snorted and slowly raised her hand.
The conversation was over.
It would be a waste to kill her right away. After using her as a blood bag for a while, what kind of reward would she receive if she offered this girl to Lord Delphirem?
Perhaps I might become the next Seven Deadly Sins?
With such thoughts, the woman slowly swung her hand down.
“That’s why you’ll spend your whole life in ‘jealousy.’ Forever.”
And right then.
Suddenly, time began to flow slowly. The woman’s senses and instincts were heightened to the limit, distorting her perception of time.
Huh?
Her eyelids, which had closed as she scoffed, slid open. Through her slightly parted vision, a certain sight forced its way in.
The Princess’s one remaining hand.
Until now, she had thought it was being used to support her body, but looking back, it was strange.
No matter how tough she was, the pain of having her limbs pierced was no joke.
Naturally, one would use their remaining hand to try and stop the bleeding, yet the Princess had endured it through gritted teeth.
Why?
The answer was being revealed. In the form of a faint azure-white light.
Ch-ch-ch-ring.
The moment that faint sound brushed against her eardrums, the Bat Fiend hurriedly pushed off the ground and leaped.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ring!
A net erupted.
The Azure-White Threads that had been scattered everywhere, lying limp as if powerless until now, were surrounding her with a sharp noise. They were the threads that had snapped off from the bindings that held Seria.
It was a meticulous trap with no visible way out.
Even so, the vampire only swallowed a hollow laugh.
“Ha, you did well until the very end……!”
No way out?
Then she would simply break through by force. Such thin threads could be shredded easily if she added enough rotational force.
Crack. Just as the woman twisted her spine—
Another bizarre sight caught the woman’s eye.