Breathing was difficult with the rising blood.
A burning pain emanated from my pierced abdomen. Flames climbing up my spine ignited my mind in fury.
It hurts.
But pain did not govern my consciousness. Only one question held my soul like a ghost.
Why, I wanted to ask, but it had long been impossible to even speak as blood filled my throat.
With the sound of bubbling blood, the mouth of a man with aquamarine hair was filled with foam.
My friend, Yulen.
More accurately, he was a person who had ‘been’ my friend.
With a sharp motion, he pulled the sword embedded in my body. Blood gushed forth like a fountain, and my already exhausted body had to fall without even being able to scream.
My vision blurred.
Even so, I struggled to keep my senses. My unfocused eyes stared at somewhere.
“Ma, Master… Gah?!”
The ax handle crushed the girl’s hand.
Crack, crack.
It sounded as if grain was being ground between rough stones. Despite the pain she must have never experienced in her life, Senior Elsi gritted her teeth and crawled on the ground.
Her bloodshot eyes and shoulders drenched in blood were etched into my retinas.
“Ah, no… not my Master…”
Senior Elsi’s resistance could go no further.
With a crush, the ax handle struck the back of Senior Elsi’s neck with a thud. The force was not something even a mage could endure.
It was remarkable that she had held on to her sanity until now.
But it was not she who was losing her mind.
The one who had torn Senior Elsi to shreds was none other than Celin.
Fear filled her hazel eyes. She seemed to feel a strong fear in a situation where she could not control her body.
Her excuses stumbled and trembled.
“No, no… I didn’t want this…”
“Really?”
The girl in the black priestess robes took light steps.
Yulen stood in her way but showed no particular interest in her, quietly wiping the blood off his sword with a cloth.
The eyes of the girl and Celin met in the void.
A sticky voice began to persuade Celin.
“In truth, you wanted to, right? Suddenly appearing and taking the place next to your childhood friend… and then, from some day, acting jealous as if you were already engaged. Wasn’t that infuriating? You’ve wanted this all along, haven’t you?”
“I, I… No, it couldn’t be…”
With a clap, a clear sound echoed.
The girl continued with a bright, approachable smile.
“So, you made a ‘deal’ with me, right?”
“A deal? When did I…?”
Unlike the assertions that flew out, Celin’s eyes were becoming increasingly hazy.
Seeing Celin lose herself little by little, the girl chuckled softly.
A sinister undertone floated in the air.
“Have you never thought it was strange? Born lucky into a powerful family, enjoying every privilege, and monopolizing the sweet fruits with the name ‘talent’… while others lost their families in childhood, toiling every day in training but can’t keep up.”
The luster in Celin’s hazel pupils faded. Her body shook uncontrollably.
As if she didn’t know how to respond, she merely gnawed her lips.
The girl leaned in closer, whispering to Celin.
“…You’ve lost everything.”
Her tone was laced with subtle fury.
The tremor in Celin’s body intensified.
“Your family, your accomplishments, even love… will you live your life being robbed of all that? We’ll give back what was rightfully yours, sister.”
“Rightfully, my share…?”
“Yes, it was what you rightly deserved!”
Stepping back a pace, the girl spread her arms, sporting a delightful smile.
Her face exuded a sense of pure goodwill.
Disgustingly so.
“A high noble? It doesn’t matter! We can just smash it! I’ll give you the strength equivalent to the sweat you’ve shed so far. And you can chase away those flies that keep clinging to my brother.”
A deep groan escaped my lips.
No.
I couldn’t lose Celin as well. With that thought, I tried to move my body, but my muscles had turned to lead.
Yulen’s casual remark pierced through.
“Arthur.”
With gritted teeth, I forced my gaze upwards. Yulen wore a bitter expression, a hollow smile on his face.
“It’s too late. If you get hit by my sword, everything slows down… as if it had turned to stone.”
Yet Yulen’s aura shouldn’t possess such ability.
My question was soon resolved.
Yulen’s eyes, looking down at me, were tinged with a sinister green. Those eyes that shone even in darkness were not exclusive to those who had attained greatness.
Even beasts didn’t fail to shine at night.
In the midst of humanity and beast, there lay the existence of the Mage.
Those who contracted with the evil gods inherited not just potential and aptitude as monsters.
As if to prove that, I felt a spreading warmth around the penetrating wound in my abdomen. It was a heavy, solid sensation, as if a stone had been placed within me.
I thought of one person while staring into Yulen’s eyes.
“The, the mask…?”
“Correct.”
As Yulen took out a white mask from his robe in silence, it was placed over the man’s face with a soft thud, creating a familiar portrait.
“It’s me, ‘The Masked Stranger’.”
A surge of emotion arose within me, burning my chest like a wildfire.
But my body, now stiffening, refused the commands of my brain. Only the girl’s alluring persuasion tickled my ears.
“…Hold my hand, sister.”
Celin’s breath quickened. I coughed up a mixture of blood, fearing she might make a foolish choice.
“Gods are nothing but pitiful favoritists. Join us, and we’ll return what you are rightfully owed…”
My body trembled, my breath grew ragged, and my jaw muscles quivered, teeth grinding against one another.
Celin cautiously raised her hand, eyeing the girl’s palm.
The moment a deep smile was about to bloom on the girl’s lips.
“…Stop this nonsense!”
With a shout, Celin yanked the girl’s hand.
The girl didn’t flinch at all. Instead, as if she anticipated this, she sighed and twirled her arms.
Following that circular trajectory, Celin’s body floated through the void.
Then came a crash as Celin’s body slammed into the ground, the force strong enough to create a minor tremor. Coughing up blood, Celin’s eyes shut.
It was all in an instant.
The girl’s strength, wearing priestess robes, had reached a level beyond comprehension. Even if I were to confront her, there would be no chance of victory.
She was a monster that at least required the entire party to even stand a chance.
As I twitched and convulsed, the girl puffed her cheeks and glared at Yulen.
“Hey, partner. Isn’t that a bit too cruel to our brother? If he dies, will you take responsibility?”
“You should have done better.”
A response laden with irritation.
Yulen’s face flickered with deep fatigue and displeasure. Occasionally looking down at me, that unreadable gaze conveyed a mixed feeling.
“Why did you suddenly show yourself? And why expose the existence of the Shylock Trading Company… If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have needed to be in this situation!”
“Shouldn’t it be for our brother to take the bait?”
With a refreshing smile, the girl stepped lightly.
Her eyes looking down at me were unmistakably those of a lovesick girl. Unable to calm her pounding heart, a flush had crept onto her cheeks.
I couldn’t comprehend the conversation between the two at all.
Why Yulen had betrayed us.
What it meant to say that the Shylock Trading Company had been deliberately exposed.
With each gasping breath, the weight of my eyelids grew heavier.
“Listen well, brother. I’ll tell you how much I struggled to have you.”
A giggle, a clear laughter tinged my eardrums.
“In truth, that partner of mine has a secret. Long ago, feeling the barriers of skill, I made contact with the Dark Cult. It was fine until that time…”
“For my sister.”
Sighing, the man shook his head.
“There were no talents around my sister. Being an orphan, her political standing was precarious… In contrast, the forces opposing her were all too powerful.”
“So we decided to help.”
The voices of the two betrayers harmonized together.
“It was a high-risk gamble, but at that moment, there were no options. I secured forces to assist my sister that way… But still, the wall of vested interests was high and solid.”
“Was it a few months ago? My partner proposed a new business… asking for help to perform miracles for the Lady Virgin Saint. It enhances the religious symbolism that much more.”
“You know, Aldisipi, sacrifices are necessary for miracles…”
As Yulen trailed off, the girl burst into an enchanting laugh and snapped her fingers.
The blood-red sun howled.
With a rumble, the corpses of orphans strewn across the room began to resonate. Faint souls were sucked into the sun’s core, leaving behind the echo of screams.
Then, a single drop fell from the blood-red sun.
The drop thudded onto the girl’s palm. After trembling for a few seconds, it began to take on the familiar appearance of a blood-red orb.
A deep groan escaped my lips.
“…Blood, offering.”
It was the offering that had saved my life many times over.
