After the liberation of one city came to an end.
The group continued their journey to the next city.
During the trip, Jane kept being bothered by the old butler, Dominique.
When she first encountered that murderous aura at the mansion, it seemed like a warning that she was approaching the realm of extraordinary individuals.
But upon reflecting quietly after returning to their lodgings, Jane realized Dominique’s intent was far from such matters.
Recalling the words he said as a warning, along with the calm look in his eyes afterward, she understood he was genuinely concerned about her wellbeing.
‘What on earth happened in his past?’
She gazed at the back of the elderly man riding his horse beside her.
‘It might not be just a simple bodyguard role.’
Though she briefly became curious about the old man’s history, she quickly suppressed her curiosity.
That wasn’t important right now.
‘Even if I find out now, what good would it do when we’ll part ways once all this is over?’
She ceased her interest in the old man and looked ahead.
The gateway of a new city began to come into view.
*
The liberation of the second city differed little from the first.
Dominique burst through the gate,
while the squinting tax officer handled the grunts with magic,
and Jane engaged in a battle with the mafia family boss.
The second boss turned out to be a minotaur wielding a spiked mace.
His weapon was infamous for reducing both enemy and their shield into minced meat.
‘Minced steak mace, huh?’
While Dominique vaguely remembered some nickname starting with “don” for that weapon, he didn’t wish to dedicate any mental capacity to such a minor character.
Dominique named the boss “Minced Steak” and observed Jane’s fight with him.
Jane narrowly dodged Minced Steak’s attacks before striking back.
Her boldness in continuing her attacks without allowing any effective hits was commendable.
However…
‘She’s too aggressive.’
The narrow gaps in her dodges were alarming.
Given the limited number of times she could dodge the mace and counterattack, her high-wire act was inefficient.
‘She’s restless.’
Dominique read her agitation in her movements.
The sense of burning herself to complete her revenge at all costs was evident in her battle.
‘At this rate…’
Thud!
‘Predictable.’
Sure enough, her impatience culminated in a direct hit.
Though she barely defended herself with her sword, it cracked, and her left arm was twisted into a sickening angle.
Dominique’s fingers twitched.
But recalling his promise to her, he maintained his stance as a passive observer.
“Opening found!”
Slice
Cutting down a mafia member who tried to take advantage of the gap into four pieces, she turned back to him.
“Boe!”
As she cried out, a green aura flowed down her spine.
Her speed increased, leaving trails of green energy where she passed, akin to a flowing cape.
“Parcel!”
Her second cry saw a red hue enter her irises.
“Guld!”
With her third incantation, a golden helmet draped over her head.
Having applied three buffs in sequence, Jane forcibly adjusted her twisted arm, picked up her broken sword, and transformed.
The altered Jane was far swifter and more powerful than before.
However, the old butler and the squinting tax officer watched her with concern.
“Elemental possession, it seems.”
“Such reckless behavior…”
The technique she used was a similar “possession” ritual used by water spirits, an ancient spell traditionally wielded by elves.
A method of hosting spirits with which the user has a contract inside their body to gain specific powers.
While water spirits’ possession sacrifices physical strength for substantial boosts in power and speed,
elves’ elemental possession granted a lower enhancement but activated special abilities.
However, the way Jane used it was far more reckless and perilous.
“Managing three elemental possessions at once.”
As the squinting tax officer moved corpses aside with magic, he commented to Dominique.
Though less potent, the sheer quantity compensated for the quality.
“Though methods like this exist, it can lead to a mental collapse if something goes wrong.”
Just as water spirits have to endure being engulfed by their wild nature during possession, elemental possession requires enduring the erosion of humanity by spirits.
The more spirits possessed, the deeper the erosion becomes.
Additionally, elves who recklessly abuse elemental possession become entirely consumed by the spirits, gaining the senses of elemental beings rather than humans.
“Hey? If humans die, can’t we just make more?”
“If corpses become fertilizer for the ecosystem, isn’t that good?”
They transform into elves who speak such absurdities.
Since the squinting tax officer Hylduin was originally a dark elf, he knew many such absurd individuals.
Hence, he was concerned Jane might become one of them…
“Thinking about it, I’ve already seen plenty of absurd moments from her. Things could get tiresome with her becoming more extreme…”
…and indeed, he was worried.
Dominique ignored the tax officer’s muttering and observed Jane’s battle.
Fire moth.
Her current figure brought to mind that word.
Finally, the battle drew to a close.
The boss also used possession to engage Jane in a fierce melee, but in the end, Jane triumphed using the special abilities granted by the elemental spirits.
“Aaaagh!”
“Cough…”
Screaming as loudly as possible, Jane crushed the boss’s head with her golden helmet.
In the end, she eliminated the second cadre of the alliance.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
As before, Dominique offered her a towel.
However, her eyes stared vacantly into the distance, seemingly unaware of the towel the butler handed to her.
“She fainted.”
Sighing, the old butler lifted the blood-soaked Jane, unmindful of the stains on his clothes.
A few hours later.
When Jane woke up again, she found herself in a hospital room of the liberated city.
As she sat up in the bed, the towel resting on top of her head slipped down.
Plop.
Ignoring the towel landing on her thigh, Jane glanced around.
Night had fallen outside the window, and there were no sounds from the streets.
Searching her throbbing head for her last memories…
“The boss…”
She had indeed finished him off with the helmet.
The sensation of his skull breaking, transmitted through the helmet, remained vivid.
But for some reason, her mood wasn’t particularly good.
“Tch.”
Clicking her tongue, she attempted to swing her legs out from the bed.
Then, a shadow from the corner of the room emitted the sound of an old butler’s voice.
“It has been a week.”
“Whaaat! You scared me half to death!”
“Judging by your voice, you’ve regained your strength.”
“No, you should’ve made some noise at least… Wait. A week? Was I unconscious for that long?”
“Ah, fortunately, your sense of time seems intact. Just joking. It was 7 hours, not 7 days.”
“Really, this old man…”
“Apparently, you’ve fully recovered. Congratulations. I worried as you tiptoed around the gates of death approximately ten times in those 7 hours.”
“…”
Only then did she notice the objects beside the old butler.
Red towels hardened with stains and clean towels floating in transparent water.
Realizing her gaze, the butler flashed a faint smile.
“Your fever was high due to elemental possession. At one point, I thought your revenge might end here.”
“…Thank you.”
“Nonsense. Rest deeply.”
With perfect posture befitting a butler, Dominique greeted her and left the room.
His impeccable demeanor, without a hint of dishevelment even as he departed, filled her with envy.
It appeared to her as if he had a certain confidence in a hopeful future.
In contrast, watching him, she felt pitiful in her rush toward destruction.
“Haa…”
Brushing the damp towel from her thigh aside, Jane got out of bed.
A dark night where even the moon was obscured by shadow.
Approaching the window, her reflection gazed back at her as if in a mirror.
In the mirror, a girl who once happily wandered with a bridal veil from a cozy family home returned her gaze.
But then, her peaceful family life was trampled by arrogant upper-species,
and the banner of justice burnt her new sanctuary as well.
– Jane! Run!
– Do you know how much I love you?
The panoramic nightmare unfolded before her in the mirror.
The burning village.
The triumphant laughter of the upper-species amid the heat.
The shouts of vigilantes who took away happiness in the name of justice.
Grr.
Her fist tightened as she stared into the glass-like window.
Though her revenge seemed to progress smoothly, why did her suffering only increase?
Amidst the tightening chest pain, she gently bit her lip and reframed her thoughts.
‘Rather, it’s for the best.’
If anger was her driving force, then it would be better if this anger lasted until the moment her revenge concluded.
Just as she finished rationalizing her state, there was a sound.
Clomp clomp.
Bang.
An odd noise came from the corridor.
“?!”
Breaking away from her thoughts, Jane turned her gaze to the corridor.
‘Intruder?’
Instinctively attempting to draw upon her mana, she had none left from the final battle.
Reluctantly, she drew a spare dagger and watched for the intruder.
Clomp clomp.
The sound drew near until it reached the door.
Stopping in front of the door, the being paused a moment in silence before…
Knock knock.
“Miss Jane. It’s Dominique. I’ve brought some food. May I come in?”
The familiar old man’s voice asked for her permission.
However, since there were plenty of mimics in the world who could mimic voices, she kept her guard while engaging in a Q&A.
“Prove you’re Dominique.”
“Shall I describe the number of moles on your body?”
At this statement, her thoughts momentarily froze.
‘Wait a moment.’
Her gaze wandered to the hospital room, her thoroughly cleaned body, and her patient gown.
Piecing everything together, she reached a conclusion.
“This perverted old man!!!”
BAM!
The door flew open with force.
As the door swung open, a kindly smiling old butler greeted her.
“Just a joke. The nurse did it.”
“…You lecherous old man.”
“I’ve brought some soup. It will help in your recovery.”
“I’m not eating it.”
Like a child throwing a tantrum refusing side dishes, she rejected the food.
It was partly due to her resentment towards Dominique, but more so due to guilt.
Still lost in her past moments before, she had no desire to swallow anything.
Dominique’s sharp blue eyes examined the sulking young woman’s face.
Soon, the old man with a storied past spoke.
“By burning yourself out already, what will you have left to burn when you finally face your true enemy? Are you going to set fire to ashes?”
“What do you know…”
“Revenge isn’t achieved by burning something. It’s accomplished by sharpening your blade for one chance, eating well, resting well, and waiting for the opportunity.”
“You sound like someone who’s done it before.”
“What does an old man’s past matter?”
Chuckling lightly, Dominique dismissed the topic.
For a brief moment, the memory of a dragon that cut into his timeline and his three-year journey to settle a debt surfaced, but he didn’t voice it.
As usual, Dominique donned his amiable smile and extended the tray of soup and bread to her.
“You shouldn’t become a fire moth. Revenge isn’t complete until you find happiness after it.”
“Surprising.”
“What is?”
“You’re giving advice about revenge when you once said not to use murderous intent to seek enlightenment.”
“That doesn’t mean I oppose revenge. If you stop growing after revenge is done, aren’t you just falling into the same position as your enemy?”
“I think I understand what you mean.”
In short, while seeking revenge, one should think about the aftermath. Moreover, one should not become a bloodthirsty monster consumed by vengeance.
His words resonated slightly with Jane.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. If you need old man’s advice again, feel free to ask.”
Jane nodded.
Dominique gently nodded back and headed for the door.
Before leaving the room, she asked him.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
“Didn’t I say it repeatedly? An accomplished nothing-old man tends to want to leave behind something in his twilight years.”
With that, the old man left the room.
As he exited, she briefly thought his snow-white hair resembled ashes left behind.
After leaving Jane’s room, Dominique turned a corner from the hospital corridor.
There, he was greeted by a corridor filled with blood and corpses.
“One, two… eight. Hmm…”
Tallying the bodies while nodding, the old man said.
“I should inform our master.”
Then, leaving the bodies behind, Dominique headed towards the squinting tax officer.
When he departed, one of the bodies rose.
“Dang it. I need to inform father.”
The figure, dressed in a black mask, left the bodies behind, opened the corridor window, and leapt out.
When one more body disappeared from the corridor, Dominique arrived at the tax officer’s room and spoke.
“Master, we have seven uninvited guests. Though it’s late, could you possibly assist with the cleaning?”
The squinting tax officer readily agreed to his butler’s request.
Meanwhile, while the tax officer dealt with the corpses, Dominique had a silent laugh inside.
‘It’s about time they recognize me.’
