Chapter 73 |
Lunar Eclipse (11)
Those days had been precious.
The foundation of her life.
Memories that became vivid scenes, and from them, the happiness of her present.
Even after they were torn to shreds, she sometimes leaned on those memories to rest.
- Princess.
- I baked today’s cookies with extra chocolate chips, just for you.
But then.
- Looks like they suit your taste.
- Of course, if I give you too many snacks, Sir Refil will scold me too...
Lies.
She was told it had all been lies.
Even he had only been dancing in someone else’s palm.
- Fifteen whole years.
- Thank you for being stupid enough to fall for it.
You were only being used, the lips that had once been kind mocked her.
Even while she hated and resented him, she had kept something precious tucked away in one corner of her heart.
Now she realized even that had been a fantasy.
‘At least...’
It would have been better if she had never woken up.
She had wanted even those broken memories to remain.
“......”
How much time had passed?
Carmilla opened her eyes.
Her vision was hazy, caught between sleep and waking.
Far ahead, she saw someone’s back.
A boy in a pure white mask, always smiling like a clown.
‘Viktor.’
The girl knew.
Lies.
A world full of lies.
Her past memories were not the only things deceiving her.
Carmilla had been foolish and naive, but she was not utterly blind.
Her heart clenched at the kindness ringing in her ears.
- Princess.
The girl knew.
One more thing.
She knew who else was lying to her.
She had noticed vaguely, and kept pretending not to.
- My name is Viktor.
- By the Late King’s order, I am the knight assigned to guard you, Princess.
Carmilla Blandir.
The girl’s world was filled with lies.
***
I stood still in the center of the plaza.
A message floated before my eyes.
Ding-!
[Sub Quest cleared!]
-Title: Lunar Eclipse
-Objective: Defeat the boss monster ‘The Corrupted Black Knight.’
[Impossible Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have defeated an enemy that cannot be defeated!]
[A special reward will be provided. Please check your inventory.]
The Apostle had been summoned using vampires and ghouls as sacrifices.
That Black Knight vanished before it could cause any trouble.
The ultra-thick stake I had prepared blasted clean through its upper body.
The Apostle crumbled into ash.
“Hoo... it’s really over.”
One-shot kill.
There was nothing left to clean up.
The vampires and ghouls had all been consumed as sacrifices to summon the Apostle.
Only one pureblood remained, sprawled on the ground with his life force drained dry.
‘Perfect.’
The village was safe.
No danger remained.
“......”
Jersian had a blank look on his face the whole time.
Hollow, or maybe just completely out of it.
Like a debt-ridden idiot who wrecked the sports car he bought on maxed-out loans.
With all four limbs severed and his body reduced to skin and bones, he looked less grotesque than pitiful.
‘He burned through all his life force. If I leave him alone, he’ll die on his own.’
Let’s take a breather.
I stored the God-Slaying Bow away again.
I did use up my only stake, but it might still be useful later if I keep it.
‘My whole body is throbbing.’
I rubbed my arm lightly.
While I was catching my breath, I heard a voice behind me.
“Viktor-nim...!”
“Ah.”
It was Alice.
Her voice was more excited than usual.
Maybe because she had finished her part safely, her face was bright.
“Alice-yang.”
“H-how did it go? Over here?”
“It ended safely. Looks like things at the Cathedral wrapped up well too.”
“Yes...!”
Alice came running over in quick little steps.
She looked around, brimming with excitement.
Her reaction made me smile without meaning to.
“Something rose up at the Cathedral earlier! It was like that bright red knight we saw during practical training...!”
“The Black Knight? I took care of it over here.”
“I knew it...! I thought it had to be you, Viktor-nim!”
“I’m glad you trusted me that much.”
“Well, you’re Viktor-nim.”
Her blue eyes sparkled.
Her hands swung as if they couldn’t contain her excitement.
She seemed unaware of it herself, just pouring out words in a high, excited voice.
“Um, so...! I got better at handling Nightmare! I can control way more soldiers now! Earlier, we almost got surrounded by ghouls and things could’ve gone bad, but I still managed to protect everyone...!”
“I’m glad I left the Cathedral to you, Alice-yang.”
“I didn’t go berserk either! The soldiers all listened to me...!”
“Well done, well done. I’m genuinely happy to see how much you’ve grown, Alice-yang.”
“Right, I grew!”
She looked unusually bright and lively.
Or maybe this had been her real personality all along.
Alice had lived for so long crushed by nightmares and trauma.
If she had grown up in a normal environment, maybe this was who she would have been.
“You did well.”
A sudden tenderness rose in me, and I stroked her head.
Her hair slipped softly between my fingers.
“Alice-yang.”
“Ah...”
It was only a light touch.
Did that finally snap her back to herself?
Alice, who had been bouncing around, froze in place.
Then heat rushed across her pale cheeks.
“Ahk... u-uhh...”
She ducked her head.
Her words started stuttering again.
“S-sorry... I got a little ex-excited...”
“You don’t need to shrink back. You can be proud. Without you, we couldn’t have saved the villagers. You deserve praise, Alice-yang.”
“...Re-really?”
“Of course.”
“Heh, hehe...”
I stroked her head a few more times.
Alice had done more than her part in this quest.
She rescued everyone without leaving a single straggler behind.
Thanks to that, my status window was practically overflowing.
Ding-!
[20 Merit Points obtained.]
[Remaining Merit Points: 1860p]
Ding-!
[Hidden Quest completed.]
-Title: Path of the Saint
-Objective: Stop the New Kingdom’s plan [Lunar Eclipse]. Clear the quest without a single death.
[With an amazing performance, you saved every villager!]
-A special reward will be granted. Please check your status window.
My status window was stacked with rewards to claim.
I should open them one by one after we get back to the dorm.
While I was briefly distracted, I heard an unsteady sound nearby.
“Ugh, haa...”
At some point, Carmilla had come to and was pushing herself up.
Maybe because she had taken enough Blood Packs, her wounds had closed up quite a bit.
She staggered forward.
Her posture looked like it could collapse at any moment.
“Princess? You shouldn’t push yourself yet.”
“......Vikto, r.”
I hurried over and supported her.
Even then, Carmilla refused to stop.
In the end, I had no choice but to support her where she wanted to go.
“......”
“......”
Carmilla stopped in front of her former retainer.
Jersian lay there in ruin, chopped to pieces.
Even that stubborn life of his seemed close to ending.
His body was breaking apart more and more, as if turning to ash.
“......Jersian.”
A frail voice called out to her retainer.
She wasn’t crying, but her exhausted breath sounded full of tears.
Jersian’s fading pupils looked up at Carmilla.
“......”
The man gave no answer.
Or maybe he had no strength left to answer.
“You truly...”
What had she wanted to say?
Carmilla started to speak, then couldn’t finish.
Countless words turned in her mouth, but none could form a sentence.
“......”
So for a long while, she repeated it, forcing words out only to swallow them again.
At last, she closed her mouth without saying anything more.
The princess only stared at her former retainer.
Then Jersian, on the edge of death, opened his mouth.
“Stupid... princess...”
“......”
“Long live... the New Kingdom...”
“......”
That was all.
With those words, Jersian’s ragged breathing stopped.
His cracking body crumbled fully into ash and scattered.
Even then, Carmilla said nothing.
“......”
“......”
She simply stood there.
As bone ash drifted in the air, the barrier surrounding the entire village was released.
Cracks spread across the blood-red ceiling, and beyond it, the dark night sky emerged.
The world was waking up.
Ding-!
[Main Quest cleared!]
-Title: The Water Knows the Answer!
-Objective: Secure the New Kingdom vampire ‘Jersian.’ Subdue him through various methods of persuasion.
[With an amazing performance, you eliminated the target!]
-Rewards will be granted. Please check your status window.
The night had ended.
Lunar Eclipse.
The day the continent’s shadow covered the moon.
Even that darkness was torn apart by a faint strip of sunlight.
“...It’s morning.”
Dawn spread across the distant horizon.
I broke the silence and whispered by Carmilla’s ear.
“It’s time to return, Princess.”
“......”
Carmilla gave no answer.
She only leaned her shoulder against me, as if exhausted.
Her eyes had sunk too deep to read what she was thinking.
“You did well.”
“......”
Even so, morning kept coming.
And just like that, that long, long night came to an end.
***
Slayers successfully stopped [Lunar Eclipse].
We returned to the Academy first.
Everyone looked like they needed rest.
Carmilla especially lost consciousness on the way back.
Maybe she was still recovering from internal injuries, or maybe fatigue hit all at once and she fell asleep.
‘For Carmilla... it must have been far too long a night.’
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
I covered the sleeping girl with a blanket.
Then I left the bedroom, her soft breathing behind me.
“I’m tired...”
I came into the living room and stretched.
She wasn’t the only one worn out.
I’d pushed my body hard too, and I felt like my eyes could close any second.
“Still, I should handle what I need to first.”
I forced the sleepiness away.
Then I leaned against one side of the sofa and opened my status window.
The blue screen was packed with windows I had put off checking.
Ding-!
[Hidden Quest cleared!]
-Title: Growth Continues! Balloons Continue!
-Objective: Reach 500 Parrying uses with the growth-type weapon ‘Balloon Sword+.’
[With amazing persistence, you fulfilled the condition!]
-As a reward, that weapon’s grade will increase.
Ding-!
[Hidden Quest completed.]
-Title: Path of the Saint
-Objective: Stop the New Kingdom’s plan [Lunar Eclipse]. Clear the quest without a single death.
[With an amazing performance, you saved every villager!]
-A special reward will be granted. Please check your status window.
Ding-!
[Sub Quest cleared!]
-Title: Lunar Eclipse
-Objective: Defeat the boss monster ‘The Corrupted Black Knight.’
[You have defeated an enemy that cannot be defeated!]
-A special reward will be provided. Please check your inventory.
Ding-!
[Main Quest cleared!]
-Title: The Water Knows the Answer!
-Objective: Secure the New Kingdom vampire ‘Jersian.’ Subdue him through various methods of persuasion.
[With an amazing performance, you eliminated the target!]
-Rewards will be granted. Please check your status window.
All right, then.
Should I open all the rewards first?
