TRSTD 07

Chapter 07

Lucius had plunged the holy artifact deep into his belly with the clear intent to die.

If luck was on his side, he would die right here, and if not, a tragedy like the previous one would unfold.

So, shaking off the hands of his family who were trying to stop him, he inflicted wounds upon himself with the dagger over and over again.

However, damn it all, this cursed body not only neutralized the power of the holy artifact but absorbed it, making it his own.

Thus, just like on that terrifying day, he transformed into a ruthless demon, craving blood and committing slaughter for the sake of ecstasy.

I should have died sooner.

If he had done that, his last remaining family member could have lived.

It was no different from that day five years ago.

Instinct would feel satisfied, he would fall asleep again, and when he opened his eyes, countless human corpses would be littered across the floor, and his family with their necks broken would be dead right before his eyes.

Why is it that I cannot kill myself?

While trampling on others so easily, why could he not trample upon himself?

If I cannot die, I want someone, anyone, to kill me.

At that, a certain person popped into his mind.

The only ones who possessed the power to kill a demon were the almighty God or the saint who inherited that entity’s power.

If it’s that woman…

He earnestly prayed that that beautiful yet wicked being, with her long, flowing wheat-colored hair containing the brilliance of sunlight, would appear and kill him.

If it were your touch, I would be able to close my eyes in peace.

So please, come.

Lucius prayed desperately.

Come and kill me.

The moment he had that thought, the control of his body suddenly shifted.

Seizing this miraculous opening, he raised his hand to his own neck to end his life.

It was the moment he tried to snap it in one swift motion, just as he had done to his parents.

“What is wrong with this person?”

With an irritable remark, his hand was roughly batted away.

A familiar voice.

As if drawn by it, when he slowly lifted his eyelids, wheat-colored hair imbued with that warmth—which he had been thinking about the entire time within the darkness—came into his view.

“Are you coming to your senses?”

At the edge of his vision, a white hand waved gently up and down.

The entity he had searched for so desperately was sitting leisurely right beside him, looking down at him.

Lucius gazed at her blankly. In the blue eyes that regained focus, a red color, contrasting with them, twinkled brightly.

“Fortunately, everyone is safe.”

As if reading his mind, his fiancée spoke one by one about the things he had been wondering about.

“His Excellency the Duke and Sir Ron have been treated by me and are resting in the annex. The servants who collapsed from being poisoned by the demonic aura drank holy water and are fine now.”

In truth, he didn’t listen properly; he only registered the fact that everyone was safe.

Funnily enough, rather than feeling relieved that they hadn’t died, he rejoiced in the fact that he hadn’t plunged them into total death.

You selfish bastard.

While he was berating himself from the depths of his chest, a snow-white hand gently wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

He must have been crying unseemly.

At the tender touch, like soothing a crying child, Lucius felt a peace he had never experienced before.

However, he rejected this by turning his head to the side.

He did it out of concern that perhaps his uncleanness would transfer to her, but she took it in a different meaning.

“I’m sorry for touching you arbitrarily.”

A voice filled with remorse sharply pierced his chest.

“I’ll take my leave now so you can rest comfortably.”

The bed shook slightly, and as the shadow covering his field of vision retreated, Lucius opened his mouth in a rush of anxiety.

“Don’t ever… come here again.”

A terrible sound like scraping metal echoed. It seemed even louder because the surroundings were quiet.

Overcome by a sense of shame, Lucius closed his mouth. Closing even his eyes, he prayed that the entity before him would please disappear.

“……”

His fiancée lingered in that silence, speaking only after a long while.

“No.”

Lucius turned his head in bewilderment and looked at her.

There stood not the young girl he had seen last, but a mature woman.

She was so dazzling and noble that he couldn’t bear to keep looking at her and tried to lower his gaze.

Yet, as if someone were holding it in place, his pupils refused to detach from his beautifully matured fiancée.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I came to know the hardships you were facing and to help you.”

A faint, sad smile hung on the corners of her lips.

“What I said back then wasn’t a lie. So please, believe me just this once.”

Leaving those words behind, she bowed deeply and turned her body.

He reached out a hand toward her as she slowly disappeared, but ended up merely grasping the empty shape of someone opening the bedroom door and stepping out.

“How foolish of me.”

Wishing to feel the warmth that had already departed, he carefully placed his hand over the cheek where her touch had lingered.

It was much smaller than his own. He had been pathetically saved by such a tiny, fragile hand.

That fact felt gratifying while simultaneously making him feel horribly sick.

Three days had passed since the incident.

The empire chattered endlessly about the unidentified demon that had appeared in the Acklein Duchy.

And they invariably mentioned ‘Aria Bellins’ in it.

The saint who single-handedly defeated a demon that even Karant’s Blue Sword could do nothing against.

Whether they said she was truly worthy of becoming the next saint.

She herself, however, was up to her ears in work dealing with the aftermath.

Since she had to invent a fictional demon, she exercised uncharacteristic imagination and diligently wrote a fictitious story in the report.

The heroic tale thus born would make Acklein look somewhat incompetent, but she didn’t care.

I suppose I should go check on his condition now.

On the fourth day, after hurriedly pushing through her work, Arina stopped by the Acklein Duchy.

In the meantime, the mansion had been neatly tidied up. The servants also welcomed her back with healthy looks.

“Welcome, Lady Aria.”

The butler, who used to show hostility, bowed deeply the moment he saw her.

The sight felt unfamiliar yet funny at the same time, causing her to snicker inwardly.

“A servant of Temer pays respects to His Excellency, Duke Acklein.”

Claude’s expression stiffened slightly at the greeting, which carried a teasing undertone.

“I’m truly glad to see you appear unharmed.”

“Does this appearance look unharmed to you?”

“If I hadn’t appeared back then, Your Excellency would have been hovering between life and death for about three months.”

Claude, fully grasping what that meant, let out a small sigh.

Arina’s eyes suddenly drifted toward Alberto and the brown-haired man standing beside the bed.

A man whose appearance was similar to Ron’s, but with slightly sharper eyes, subtly revealed hostility toward her.

To such an ungrateful figure, Arina greeted brightly.

“It’s been a while, Adjutant Lamian. Have you been well?”

With a stiffened expression, he opened his tightly closed mouth a beat too late.

“It’s been a while.”

“Is that so? But excuse me, I have a matter to discuss with His Excellency, so could you please step out for a moment?”

At this, Claude, who had propped up his upper body, answered instead.

“Since those two also know about the previous talk, there’s no need to send them away.”

Arina’s eyes rounded in surprise as she hurriedly turned to him.

“Do you know the Crown Prince’s—ah, the Young Lord’s current state as well?”

“That’s right.”

“How could we possibly not know?”

His tone was nonchalant. Lamian always used to remind them like that just how important they were to Acklein.

Whenever this happened, Arina felt displeased as if he was always drawing a line with her, but this time was different.

“Then you must know just how monumental of a deed I performed.”

Red eyes containing no emotion stared steadily at Lamian.

Alberto, having already been once intimidated by that gaze, lowered his eyes on his own.

“I mention this even though it’s already in the past, but because of this incident, about half of Acklein’s military power is lost. It was an incident big enough for half the knights, including Sir Ron and Sir Rosaline, and at least fifty servants to lose their lives.”

To the words spoken so calmly as if it were nothing, Claude pondered for a moment before asking cautiously.

“How were the Duchess and Lucius?”

“The Young Lord has locked himself in his room just like before, and the Duchess…”

Should she say this?

Since it was a misfortune that hadn’t happened yet, she could keep her mouth shut about it. So she closed her mouth, but at Claude’s urging to speak honestly, she had no choice but to open it.

“…suffered a miscarriage, and due to that, she fell ill at heart and suffered greatly for a long time.”

“…That is the absolute truth, without a shred of falsehood?”

“I swear to God.”

Claude nodded, saying he understood, but his expression was as desolate as someone who had just received a death sentence.

Giving him a moment to sort through his emotions, Arina slowly continued.

“Regrettably, this is not the end of Acklein’s misfortunes.”

“Not the end? Are you saying such a terrible thing will happen a few more times?”

Lamian asked, turning pale. Arina clasped her hands together and slowly nodded.

“The things that will happen from here on are things that can never be resolved by Acklein alone.”

“But are you trying to say that you can?”

At Claude immediately hitting the nail on the head, the corners of Arina’s lips curved slightly upward.

“All of this is the will of God.”

The opportunist, concealing her inner thoughts, spoke in a low voice.

“I have shown you enough of the results. What follows from here is up to His Excellency to decide.”