Chapter 339: Snowball (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 339: Snowball (3)
My mind went momentarily blank. The world around me seemed to narrow like a crushed can, and the words Amelia left me with a moment ago kept ringing in my head.
The palace has announced you are an evil spirit.
The palace has announced you are an evil spirit.
The palace has announced you are an evil spirit.
The shock was not unlike how I imagined it would feel if dozens of strong men stood in a circle around me and bashed me over the head with hammers. If it weren't for Amelia, I would have stayed there frozen for a long time.
"Yandel."
"Ah..."
"...Are you okay?" When I came back to myself, Amelia's face was a few inches from mine. Her right hand, which looked incredibly small to me, was on my chest, and she was looking up at me with worry in her eyes.
"U-Uh..."
"I get how you feel, but this is not the time."
"Ah, sorry..."
Amelia snatched my wrist and dragged me forward. I started absently moving my feet behind her. Even I could see that her call was the right one here.
"I doubt that woman still has the desire to do so anyway ..."
Erwen also knew I was an evil spirit. That meant it would be naïve of me to hope that she'd still see me as her comrade. The same likely went for the others. My jaw subconsciously tightened.
Yeah... So, the day has finally come.
Despite accepting this, I also had the following thought: You never know. Erwen was chasing Amelia because she was under the incorrect assumption that she had killed me. Whether I was an evil spirit or not, she might treat me the same way she did before. Yes, that possibility definitely existed.
"You don't have to pull me now." I removed Amelia's hand and started running on my own.
No matter the possibilities, it was definitely as Amelia said. Erwen couldn't protect me now. Even if she wanted to, Erwen was a part of the elf tribe. If she tried to help me, that would mean hurting her race, and Erwen was more likely to choose her people rather than make a decision for personal reasons.
...But that's probably just an excuse.
Even as I ran, I smiled ruefully. That was because no matter how clever and cowardly you were, you couldn't lie to yourself. The truth was, I didn't want to see Erwen yet. To be more exact, I was afraid because I didn't know what I'd hear when I did.
"Right! The chieftain said so too! Evil spirits must be killed as soon as they are found!"
Those were words Ainar once spoke to me.
"Yeah... I didn't know this before, but after today, I know it for sure. Why everrryone says not to trust evil spirits..."
Missha's words.
"It's wise to get rid of them as soon as the opportunity presents itself. That man is a testament to what happens if you trust an evil spirit."
Mr. Bear's words.
Squeeze.
Each one had been a knife to the chest. Even just remembering it was making me feel this way, but experiencing it firsthand? If I had to see them doubt my sincerity, had to watch them hurl abuse at me for my deception with my own two eyes, what would the look on my face be then? If I could somehow avoid that situation now, I might be able to prevent that day from ever coming. And so I ran after Amelia.
"Yandel, this way!"
Leaving the empty square, we passed through the dark, underground streets and headed for the castle located in the center of the city. In addition to the one in the cemetery, there was another secret passageway in the castle. Getting there and heading aboveground as soon as possible was critical.
Screech!
We arrived at the castle and forced the gate open.
"Yandel, watch out."
"Huh?"
In that short moment, Amelia shoved me through the crack in the gate from behind.
Stab.
An arrow that had been flying toward us without a sound sank deep into Amelia's back. Her mouth fell open and she staggered from the impact, collapsing on top of me. I felt her hand touch my cheek.
"I'm... glad..."
"Glad? What are you—?"
"Her face... I don't think she'll... hurt you..."
I couldn't understand what she was saying at all, but there was no time to ask. I hurriedly picked her up and stood.
"The... safe..." Amelia continued saying something to me, but she never got to finish her sentence.
Pop!
Because she exploded in my arms.
Plop, plop, plop, plop.
Dozens of pieces of her fell to the ground. The sight didn't seem real at all.
"Ame... lia...?" Her weight disappeared from my arms, but I couldn't even move my now purposeless arms down. I could only stand there, my mind struggling to catch up.
Amelia's... dead? Like this...? And... because of Erwen...?
I was frozen for only a moment before I noticed something odd.
"Blood."
There was no blood. An explosion that could blow a person to bits like this should have sent blood flying everywhere, but there wasn't a single drop on my body.
Shaaaaaa!
Right when this hit me, Amelia, who had turned into hundreds of bits of flesh, disappeared in a flash of light like a dying monster.
[Amelia Rainwales's Doppelganger has suffered too much damage. The summon has been dispelled.]
So, it had been a doppelganger made with Self-Replication.
Jeez, that startled me... I thought you really died. If you were going to come meet me as a doppelganger, you should have just told me that from the start.
Still unnerved, I started to grumble at Amelia, but I quickly set those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for that.
I should think while I move.
I kicked off the ground and continued running. Because I memorized the route when I first followed Amelia into Noark, I knew the location of the secret passage. The problem was whether I'd be able to get there safely.
Dash.
There hadn't been any arrows yet, but I wasn't sure how long my luck would hold out.
If I fight... can I win?
I decided to assume the worst: the possibility that Erwen would be hostile and try to kill me. With that premise in mind, the memory of Amelia's body exploding naturally entered my mind.
"Yandel, this way!"
Leaving the empty square, we passed through the dark, underground streets and headed for the castle located in the center of the city. In addition to the one in the cemetery, there was another secret passageway in the castle. Getting there and heading aboveground as soon as possible was critical.
Screech!
We arrived at the castle and forced the gate open.
"Yandel, watch out."
"Huh?"
In that short moment, Amelia shoved me through the crack in the gate from behind.
Stab.
An arrow that had been flying toward us without a sound sank deep into Amelia's back. Her mouth fell open and she staggered from the impact, collapsing on top of me. I felt her hand touch my cheek.
"I'm... glad..."
"Glad? What are you—?"
"Her face... I don't think she'll... hurt you..."
I couldn't understand what she was saying at all, but there was no time to ask. I hurriedly picked her up and stood.
"The... safe..." Amelia continued saying something to me, but she never got to finish her sentence.
Pop!
Because she exploded in my arms.
Plop, plop, plop, plop.
Dozens of pieces of her fell to the ground. The sight didn't seem real at all.
"Ame... lia...?" Her weight disappeared from my arms, but I couldn't even move my now purposeless arms down. I could only stand there, my mind struggling to catch up.
Amelia's... dead? Like this...? And... because of Erwen...?
I was frozen for only a moment before I noticed something odd.
"Blood."
There was no blood. An explosion that could blow a person to bits like this should have sent blood flying everywhere, but there wasn't a single drop on my body.
Shaaaaaa!
Right when this hit me, Amelia, who had turned into hundreds of bits of flesh, disappeared in a flash of light like a dying monster.
[Amelia Rainwales's Doppelganger has suffered too much damage. The summon has been dispelled.]
So, it had been a doppelganger made with Self-Replication.
Jeez, that startled me... I thought you really died. If you were going to come meet me as a doppelganger, you should have just told me that from the start.
Still unnerved, I started to grumble at Amelia, but I quickly set those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for that.
I should think while I move.
I kicked off the ground and continued running. Because I memorized the route when I first followed Amelia into Noark, I knew the location of the secret passage. The problem was whether I'd be able to get there safely.
Dash.
There hadn't been any arrows yet, but I wasn't sure how long my luck would hold out.
If I fight... can I win?
I decided to assume the worst: the possibility that Erwen would be hostile and try to kill me. With that premise in mind, the memory of Amelia's body exploding naturally entered my mind.
That ability...
The explosion had differed from ordinary explosions. There were no sparks and chunks of her did not fly in all directions like they would have with a grenade. Her body had just collapsed into hundreds of little pieces like a game of Jenga.
It has to be Rupture...
The effects of Rupture were simple. Regardless of whether it was an arrow, sword, or axe, as long as a blade could penetrate the target's flesh and inflict a certain amount of damage, it dealt a fixed amount of additional damage proportional to key stats possessed by the caster. Much like with an aura, which was exclusive to humans, this ability ignored things like Physical Resistance and Mana Resistance..
On top of that, she said Erwen obtained pure blood and signed a contract with the Elemental Ruler...
Whether that attack involved Rupture or not, I was starting to think my chances of winning in a one-on-one fight were low. With specs like that, she would have equipment on a similar level.
How can I beat her with my bare fists and no weapon?
Whoom!
As I sprinted forward with these thoughts rattling through my mind, the gem that had served as my light source in this dark, underground city lost its light. That wasn't normal. I'd used light gems several times before. This magical device gradually lost its light when it ran out of mana—it didn't go dark out of the blue like this.
...Is this an elemental of darkness?
I never thought she would be able to harness that attribute too. I soon stopped running.
Tap.
I was confident in my ability to memorize a path I'd once taken. If I paid close attention to my stride as I traveled, I would be able to find my destination even in the dark—if there weren't someone chasing me, at least.
This escape is a failure.
The moment I came to that conclusion, I closed my eyes. Abandoning vision, which had become useless to me, I decided to focus on my other senses. Soon my sensitive hearing caught the sound of footsteps.
Step.
That was kind of a surprise. I thought for sure the first thing I would hear was an arrow flying at me.
True, she must want to speak with me, even if I am an evil spirit.
Even as I kept my weight on my toes so that I could book it at any moment, I also thought about one of the things Amelia said earlier.
"Her face... I don't think she'll... hurt you..."
She probably did see her face. Amelia was able to see at distances several times longer than I could. She could have made eye contact with Erwen, who had fired the arrow from beyond the darkness.
But how can you be so sure just by looking at her face?
I had no way of telling what Erwen was thinking as she walked toward me in the dark.
"Is that you, Erwen?"
There was no answer. The sound of footsteps stopped.
Thump!
There was a silence where all I could hear was the echoing boom of my heart.
"Mister." The light gem flickered on again as a name I hadn't heard in a really long time rang out from the dark.
Shaaaaaa...
The light spread in all directions and illuminated my surroundings. Thanks to that, I was able to see for myself why Amelia said she was glad, why she was so certain this girl wouldn't hurt me.
That ability...
The explosion had differed from ordinary explosions. There were no sparks and chunks of her did not fly in all directions like they would have with a grenade. Her body had just collapsed into hundreds of little pieces like a game of Jenga.
It has to be Rupture...
The effects of Rupture were simple. Regardless of whether it was an arrow, sword, or axe, as long as a blade could penetrate the target's flesh and inflict a certain amount of damage, it dealt a fixed amount of additional damage proportional to key stats possessed by the caster. Much like with an aura, which was exclusive to humans, this ability ignored things like Physical Resistance and Mana Resistance..
On top of that, she said Erwen obtained pure blood and signed a contract with the Elemental Ruler...
Whether that attack involved Rupture or not, I was starting to think my chances of winning in a one-on-one fight were low. With specs like that, she would have equipment on a similar level.
How can I beat her with my bare fists and no weapon?
Whoom!
As I sprinted forward with these thoughts rattling through my mind, the gem that had served as my light source in this dark, underground city lost its light. That wasn't normal. I'd used light gems several times before. This magical device gradually lost its light when it ran out of mana—it didn't go dark out of the blue like this.
...Is this an elemental of darkness?
I never thought she would be able to harness that attribute too. I soon stopped running.
Tap.
I was confident in my ability to memorize a path I'd once taken. If I paid close attention to my stride as I traveled, I would be able to find my destination even in the dark—if there weren't someone chasing me, at least.
This escape is a failure.
The moment I came to that conclusion, I closed my eyes. Abandoning vision, which had become useless to me, I decided to focus on my other senses. Soon my sensitive hearing caught the sound of footsteps.
Step.
That was kind of a surprise. I thought for sure the first thing I would hear was an arrow flying at me.
True, she must want to speak with me, even if I am an evil spirit.
Even as I kept my weight on my toes so that I could book it at any moment, I also thought about one of the things Amelia said earlier.
"Her face... I don't think she'll... hurt you..."
She probably did see her face. Amelia was able to see at distances several times longer than I could. She could have made eye contact with Erwen, who had fired the arrow from beyond the darkness.
But how can you be so sure just by looking at her face?
I had no way of telling what Erwen was thinking as she walked toward me in the dark.
"Is that you, Erwen?"
There was no answer. The sound of footsteps stopped.
Thump!
There was a silence where all I could hear was the echoing boom of my heart.
"Mister." The light gem flickered on again as a name I hadn't heard in a really long time rang out from the dark.
Shaaaaaa...
The light spread in all directions and illuminated my surroundings. Thanks to that, I was able to see for myself why Amelia said she was glad, why she was so certain this girl wouldn't hurt me.
"Is that... really... you, Mister...?"
She had been able to tell just from her expression, at least in that moment.
"Yes."
The moment I answered in the affirmative, the look in Erwen's amber eyes seemed to shift violently, fragments of countless emotions flickering through them: joy, gladness, anticipation, anxiety, fear... and distrust.
"H-How... Th-they clearly said you died..."
"Ah, it just happened."
"W-What do you mean 'it just happened'? You can't just stop there for something like...!" Erwen's voice momentarily rose as she grew heated,, but she suddenly went silent as something occurred to her. "...Is this that woman's doing?" she murmured. The look in her eyes turned sharp. "Who are you?"
Uh, I didn't think her mood swings would be this bad...
It was at that point that I started worrying that she might genuinely harm me, but I answered her anyway, making an effort not to let that show. "Who else would I be? It's me, Bjorn Yandel."
"Liar."
"What, will you believe me if I use Giantization?"
"Yeah, try it." Her terse tone of voice was incredibly foreign to me, but I cast Giantization without argument. "W-What... is it really you, Mister?!" Erwen's tone returned to normal. That only lasted a short moment, though.
"I told you—"
"No, I won't trust you on that alone."
"...Huh?"
"Try something else." The tearful and happy Erwen instantly toggled back to Cold Mode and I quickly used Leap. "R-Really you...!"
"Yes, I'm glad you believe me now—"
"Did you think that's what I would say? That's not enough."
We repeated the same process several times. It seemed Erwen was only going to be satisfied after checking all my essences, as she continued to make demands. When she told me to use Flesh Burst, a chill ran down my spine.
"...So you were fake after all?" Those eyes filled with mania and murderous intent genuinely made my stomach churn.
I told her that I erased that essence and instead proved my identity using information only the two of us knew.
"What you gave me when we first met."
"A Licho leaf."
"The inn where we spent our first night together."
A pause.
"You can't... answer that...?"
"I-It was an inn called Garlic and Salt."
"Too late."
"No, you started with 'our first night together.' We only went there to test out an essence..."
"Hmm."
After walking down memory lane for a while, stories only the two of us knew flowing between us without hesitation, her mood swings lessened until she completely let go of her doubts. Of course, it was impossible to know when she'd get pissed off again and nock a bow between my eyes, but that was the case for now.
"M-Mister...!"
"Long time no see. I heard it's been two and a half years already?"
It had taken a while to finally be able to greet her properly. Erwen lowered her bow as if she'd never raised it in the first place and clenched her fists in apparent frustration. "What... took you so long?! You were alive the whole time...! Why didn't you come to see me?"
Ah, I guess it could look like that from her perspective. It's not like I didn't want to come back...
"I had extenuating circumstances," I quickly replied, worried she might get angry again.
"By extenuating circumstances... are you talking about the declaration?" Erwen asked cautiously. "That you're an evil spirit?"
This was perhaps the most critical part of this conversation. It was a hurdle that had to be overcome at some point or another.
But just as I was wondering how to approach the problem, Erwen spoke, her voice soft. "Idiot," she murmured. "There's no way I would care about that..."
"...Does that mean you don't believe the royal declaration?"
Even as I asked that, I felt both guilt and relief. Of course Erwen would have decided that she didn't believe it. The fact that she was talking so casually in front of me right now was proof enough.
"No? I meant whether the declaration is true or not, that doesn't matter to me," she said like I was being deliberately obtuse.
I couldn't help but tilt my head. "Huh?"
It seemed she realized an explanation was necessary at that point. Erwen began walking me through it step-by-step. "Mister, we met as adults, right?"
"Uh, right?"
"And evil spirits appear on the day someone becomes an adult."
"...And?"
"So what does it matter if you're an evil spirit or not?"
"...I-Is that how it works?" I asked, unable to hide my nerves.
Erwen suddenly came up to me and grabbed my hand in a tight grip. "When you risked your life to save me in the cave, taught me all the things I didn't know, and after Daria died... the person who helped me back on my feet was you, Mister. It was all you." The sensation of her hand against mine felt particularly warm. "No matter what anyone says, you are Bjorn Yandel to me."
So, there are people who can think this way.
Many things I could say came to mind, including thank you, but I couldn't bring myself to voice any of them and just kept my mouth shut. Erwen probably didn't know how much comfort she had just given me with a few short words.
"But..." Erwen then let go of my hand. When she spoke, it was with a look in her eyes and a tone that seemed to suggest we were back at square one. "Are you really Mister?"
I felt like I was going to lose it.
"Is that... really... you, Mister...?"
She had been able to tell just from her expression, at least in that moment.
"Yes."
The moment I answered in the affirmative, the look in Erwen's amber eyes seemed to shift violently, fragments of countless emotions flickering through them: joy, gladness, anticipation, anxiety, fear... and distrust.
"H-How... Th-they clearly said you died..."
"Ah, it just happened."
"W-What do you mean 'it just happened'? You can't just stop there for something like...!" Erwen's voice momentarily rose as she grew heated,, but she suddenly went silent as something occurred to her. "...Is this that woman's doing?" she murmured. The look in her eyes turned sharp. "Who are you?"
Uh, I didn't think her mood swings would be this bad...
It was at that point that I started worrying that she might genuinely harm me, but I answered her anyway, making an effort not to let that show. "Who else would I be? It's me, Bjorn Yandel."
"Liar."
"What, will you believe me if I use Giantization?"
"Yeah, try it." Her terse tone of voice was incredibly foreign to me, but I cast Giantization without argument. "W-What... is it really you, Mister?!" Erwen's tone returned to normal. That only lasted a short moment, though.
"I told you—"
"No, I won't trust you on that alone."
"...Huh?"
"Try something else." The tearful and happy Erwen instantly toggled back to Cold Mode and I quickly used Leap. "R-Really you...!"
"Yes, I'm glad you believe me now—"
"Did you think that's what I would say? That's not enough."
We repeated the same process several times. It seemed Erwen was only going to be satisfied after checking all my essences, as she continued to make demands. When she told me to use Flesh Burst, a chill ran down my spine.
"...So you were fake after all?" Those eyes filled with mania and murderous intent genuinely made my stomach churn.
I told her that I erased that essence and instead proved my identity using information only the two of us knew.
"What you gave me when we first met."
"A Licho leaf."
"The inn where we spent our first night together."
A pause.
"You can't... answer that...?"
"I-It was an inn called Garlic and Salt."
"Too late."
"No, you started with 'our first night together.' We only went there to test out an essence..."
"Hmm."
After walking down memory lane for a while, stories only the two of us knew flowing between us without hesitation, her mood swings lessened until she completely let go of her doubts. Of course, it was impossible to know when she'd get pissed off again and nock a bow between my eyes, but that was the case for now.
"M-Mister...!"
"Long time no see. I heard it's been two and a half years already?"
It had taken a while to finally be able to greet her properly. Erwen lowered her bow as if she'd never raised it in the first place and clenched her fists in apparent frustration. "What... took you so long?! You were alive the whole time...! Why didn't you come to see me?"
Ah, I guess it could look like that from her perspective. It's not like I didn't want to come back...
"I had extenuating circumstances," I quickly replied, worried she might get angry again.
"By extenuating circumstances... are you talking about the declaration?" Erwen asked cautiously. "That you're an evil spirit?"
This was perhaps the most critical part of this conversation. It was a hurdle that had to be overcome at some point or another.
But just as I was wondering how to approach the problem, Erwen spoke, her voice soft. "Idiot," she murmured. "There's no way I would care about that..."
"...Does that mean you don't believe the royal declaration?"
Even as I asked that, I felt both guilt and relief. Of course Erwen would have decided that she didn't believe it. The fact that she was talking so casually in front of me right now was proof enough.
"No? I meant whether the declaration is true or not, that doesn't matter to me," she said like I was being deliberately obtuse.
I couldn't help but tilt my head. "Huh?"
It seemed she realized an explanation was necessary at that point. Erwen began walking me through it step-by-step. "Mister, we met as adults, right?"
"Uh, right?"
"And evil spirits appear on the day someone becomes an adult."
"...And?"
"So what does it matter if you're an evil spirit or not?"
"...I-Is that how it works?" I asked, unable to hide my nerves.
Erwen suddenly came up to me and grabbed my hand in a tight grip. "When you risked your life to save me in the cave, taught me all the things I didn't know, and after Daria died... the person who helped me back on my feet was you, Mister. It was all you." The sensation of her hand against mine felt particularly warm. "No matter what anyone says, you are Bjorn Yandel to me."
So, there are people who can think this way.
Many things I could say came to mind, including thank you, but I couldn't bring myself to voice any of them and just kept my mouth shut. Erwen probably didn't know how much comfort she had just given me with a few short words.
"But..." Erwen then let go of my hand. When she spoke, it was with a look in her eyes and a tone that seemed to suggest we were back at square one. "Are you really Mister?"
I felt like I was going to lose it.