Chapter 126: |
Macaron untied the string impatiently and peeled away the wrapped leather, finally revealing a rusted dagger. Macaron sensed an intangible aura that normal humans would never perceive. Black and red shimmered from the dagger.
Macaron’s eyes narrowed. It was the dark red aura she saw in Balta, planted in the bodies of humans. The magical power had pulsated and rampaged wildly. Can this be called magical power? The seeds are the same, but the germination process and resulting bloom differ from the norm. Humans are amazing. How did they make this?
Macaron held the dagger close to his face. As Calyx cowered back, the ferocious-looking man laughed at him.
“Don’t be scared.”
“…Yes.”
“You look cute when you’re compliant. I would’ve been a little nicer to you had I known.”
“Let’s get to business, please!”
Macaron chuckled. He took the dagger and thoroughly looked over it. Although the number of Fragments remaining was minimal, this much was already lethal to humans.
After thinking for a while, Macaron cut the back of his hand with a dagger.
“Macaron!”
Calyx screamed and grabbed Macaron’s hand roughly, but the Fragments had already permeated through the wound.
“Are you crazy?”
“What the hell are you doing, you punk?”
Macaron smacked Calyx. Calyx grabbed his side and frowned. Why are you so strong?
“You know it doesn’t work on me.” Macaron smiled at the back of his hand. He seemed a bit crazy. “The Fragments are rampaging ferociously without even knowing anything.”
Calyx looked at Macaron’s wound and then his face nervously. Although Rosaline eventually overcame the Fragment poisoning, it didn’t change the fact that it was dangerous enough that she wavered between life and death for a few days. However, despite Calyx’s concerns, Macaron only laughed at him. Calyx’s blood pressure rose.
Macaron closed his eyes and looked inside his body. The Fragments broke through his outer shell, which imitated a human body, and sharply penetrated the inside. Dark red magic spread through his body like blood vessels. The Fragments that tried to dominate and devour his body soon halted in the thick, deep darkness.
The black sea rapidly blanketed the Fragments along the pathways it had spread. The Fragments flickered like candles dancing in the wind and soon disappeared. Macaron opened his eyes when the darkness had already swallowed all the embers. He saw Calyx right in front of him with a nervous expression. Macaron grinned.
“It’s nothing special.”
Calyx sighed deeply. This race really excelled at making people tired.
“Humans fuss because of a thing like this… Poor you…”
Macaron looked at Calyx with a pitiful gaze. The wound on the back of his hand had disappeared as if it had never happened. Calyx was relieved that his worries were groundless. It was fortunate he…
“You’re so weak… Oh, dear. What’s the difference between you and a squishy caterpillar…”
…was pissed off. Calyx glared at Macaron fiercely, and Macaron replied with an unpleasant grin.
Macaron toyed with the flustered Calyx before turning his gaze back to the table. Such a rusty thing; it is useless to me.
Although he had absorbed a certain amount, some Fragments remained in the blade. Macaron stood up after observing for some time. Calyx tried to turn his head away as Macaron’s body appeared before his eyes. However, he couldn’t help but look at him because his shape started to distort. His form collapsed, going from a pale complexion to brown to black.
Calyx involuntarily covered his mouth. The moment passed, and something like a black shadow remained in Macaron’s place. It flowed, collapsed, scattered, and smoked like a handful of the night sky had found its way into the room.
Calyx was speechless for a moment. It was his first face-to-face with the original form of ‘It’. Moving slowly like a cloud in the wind, It completely engulfed the dagger on the table.
Calyx noticed Macaron’s intentions. He teased him for being weak, but Macaron was still aware that Fragments were lethal to humans. Could it be that It’s trying to absorb the potential accident before it occurs?
Something seemed to ripple in the black mist. Calyx held his hand out hesitantly, and something tickled his palm as he touched Macaron’s surface. Calyx summoned his courage and plunged his hand deeper. It was neither warm nor cold. It was like dense air filled with grains of sand.
Was this magic? Calyx trembled. An amalgamation of power never before seen by normal humans. He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful sight. A candle shone dimly within the black fog.
It shone like a star in the dark sky. It was beautiful.
***
Macaron soon returned to the Imperial Palace with its lofty white castles stretching into the sky; the Illavenian Imperial Castle looked good from an aesthetic point of view. But it was an objective evaluation that did not translate well into a subjective appraisal.
Macaron didn’t like this place. Just looking at it was annoying and somehow uncomfortable. Despite wandering out often, Macaron always returned to that awkward place as if it was home because of Rosaline.
Looking at the red weeds growing haphazardly among the bushes, Macaron thought of Rosaline, who worried about wanting to eat them because the color was pretty. She couldn’t bear to trample over them due to that association with food. The eagle sighed while flying through the night sky.
Reaching Rosaline’s room, the shadow covering the large window soon turned into a four-legged beast with fluffy fur. Macaron licked its paws and washed its face.
Hessa came in while it was rolling around on the big bed. After changing the sheets and petting Mimi The Cat, the boy left the room with a proud face. Later, Rosaline returned. Spotting Mimi, Rosaline immediately jumped into the bed and buried her face in the cat’s soft belly.
“Where have you been?”
“Ah, with Calyx.”
“What did you do?”
“I ate something.”
Something called Fragment.
Rosaline looked at the cat with a shocked expression. It was an expression saying, What did you eat alone without me? The cat tapped her forehead with its soft paw.
“Children are not supposed to eat that item.”
“I’m all grown up. I’m 23 years old.”
“That reasoning doesn’t work for me. Give it to someone else.”
Rosaline chuckled and buried her face in Macaron’s belly again. When Macaron chomped down on her, she rose to her feet, feeling sorry. Then Rosaline hurriedly took out a bottle of champagne from the cupboard. It was the same as the one the knights drank when she won the martial arts competition.
Macaron was delighted and quickly shifted into the figure of a human female. The large bottle of champagne quickly dwindled as the two poured and drank. The fully sober pair only smacked their lips. They didn’t know what it felt like to be drunk, but they could appreciate the fresh taste of fruit.
Oddly enough, Rosaline looked excited and genuinely drunk, so Macaron asked why she looked so happy.
“His Highness…is really…beautiful.”
When the answer came back, Macaron looked displeased. Rosaline enthusiastically explained what part of Ricardis was beautiful in response to Macaron’s dry reply. ‘His twinkling eyes, high nose, angular jawline, firm chest, and shapely ankles!’
“…”
Macaron couldn’t understand how much one could describe ankles as beautiful. Rosaline changed her clothes and went out through the window. Again, she said she was going back to Ricardis.
Rosaline had locked up the quiet room for the night, and the human Macaron, who stared at the window where Rosaline had gone, turned back into a cat.
The cat jumped from the sofa to the table. The scent of the sweet fruit made its tail dance. Macaron nibbled at the tip of the fallen champagne bottle. It was strangely sleepy. Was it really drunk?
The cat dozed off on the table.
***
[Aaaagh!]
Awakened by the scream, Macaron realized that It was running. The smell of blood clung to the surrounding air. The inside of Its chest pounded terribly, and Its whole body trembled as if it was about to disintegrate. The dull sound of the wind brushing through the leaves was menacing.
Macaron was running!
Several voices overlapped in Its ears.
[We have to run! We have to hide. To the deep, where no one can find us!]
Was Macaron’s urgent running following that voice? It couldn’t tell. Who was chasing them? What was It afraid of!?
Macaron looked back. Even in the middle of the night, It could see the white castle shining brightly. It had to stop for a while because It felt nauseous. As It lowered Its head, tears spilled. But what was this bloody smell? Where… where did the smell of blood come from…?
It couldn’t tell if tears or blood flowed down Its face.
We have to hide. We have to run… go deeper… But whose blood was on her hand? Her head was blank. A voice came over her thoughts. To a place where no one will find…
[Aaagh!]
Someone’s scream.
The sharp sound of a metal weapon plunging into their chest.
Children weeping.
The sound caused an ache in Its heart, and more tears flowed. Where was it? It looked around, but there were no children, only a dark forest road.
Let’s hurry. Let’s run away quickly. Move farther.
Oh, the blood.
It kept smelling blood.
***
The landscape outside the window was so bright that one wouldn’t believe it was currently nighttime. More lanterns than stars in the night sky shone around the white castle. It was a common sight around this time of year, but nobles visiting from other countries always praised the fantastic scenery. Illavenia shines in glory even at night!
“Beautiful.”
Haqab was also greatly impressed by the wealth of lanterns that seemed to reach the sky. The view from the window as he lay comfortably on the sofa was not garish, instead appearing as a masterpiece. The light occasionally flickered in the shadows of people passing by, so the scene felt alive.
“Its renown is not in vain. The Blessed Night… The glory that drove away the darkness had such a beautiful appearance. Diech, why don’t you watch it too? Could it be that it isn’t so exciting because you annually see it?”
Diech was sitting in the chair across from him, pouring, swallowing, placing an object on the table, then pouring again. It was a strong liquor, but he drank more than two bottles alone, and his facial color hadn’t changed.
“Diech. You look dour today.”
“That’s because there are so many troublesome things happening. Starting with you.”
Diech looked down at him with cold eyes.
“You’re also good at joking,” Haqab said with a smile.
“I am serious. Why did you propose…? Sigh… You don’t think Sir Rosaline will accept, do you?”
“I saw her wavering more than I thought, but the people behind her are not so easy… Therefore, my expectations are slightly dropping.”
“Slightly?”
“About…this much.”
Haqab gently folded the napkin on the table— making the corner about the size of a pinky fingernail. Diech’s eyes grew cold. Haqab grinned and ate his grapes.
“The start is half the battle.”
Diech was about to say something but turned his head away and sighed. His brows, always straight, turned down into a frown. He pressed them with his fingers. It seemed that he did not like to show his emotions.
In an instant, Diech’s eyes changed. A sharp light shone in his soft eyes, and his gaze drifted toward the window.
“Some night visitors want to take the blood of a prince.”
“Oh, no. I thought they’d wait a few more days. What an impatient bunch.”
Diech sighed and blew out the sole candle lit on the table. Then he got up slowly and blew out all the lights in the room. The room quickly fell into darkness. Diech and Haqab’s escorts waited for their eyes to get used to it.
Metallic sounds rang out in succession outside the window. Looking down through the window, Diech saw people in white uniforms and people in dark gray fighting in the walkways.
“Unfortunately, the escorts caught them because they were too stupid…”
Haqab laughed. “Recently, Prince Ricardis increased the troops around the castle for me.”
“I can imagine Ricardis throwing his documents in exasperation.”
“I really want to see that,” Haqab laughed amusedly.
Crash!
Just then, the window shattered, and glass poured into the room. It happened at the terrace, not the window where Diech stood. They’re a lot more stupid than I thought. A diversion tactic…
Diech closed the window curtains, making the room darker. The assassins seemed momentarily puzzled by the dim interior. In the room where not a single flame burned, you could only see vaguely recognizable shapes from the dim light of the lanterns shining through the curtains.
Haqab’s escorts standing in the room drew their swords. It was an escort unit made up of pure mages— demons. Diech walked toward the assassins and raised his hand to the escorts.
“Don’t come forward.”
Haqab murmured as he popped another grape into his mouth, “Asun. His Highness Prince Diech is telling me not to step forward.” It was a voice with a hint of laughter.
The two intruders lowered their stance and darted forward. They appeared to be well-trained assassins, as they made no shallow threats. However, compared to the Black Moon’s assassins, they looked like children.
The intruder’s sword cut a diagonal line. Diech, who watched the attack with indifferent eyes, lightly waved his hand. The weapon that hit the back of his hand broke and flew away. The assassin staggered back, bewildered.
Swish.
Swift as the wind, Diech’s hand grabbed the man’s neck. Urk! The scream was short. In an instant, the figure of a man with a twisted neck disappeared from view.
The other assassin ran past Diech and towards Haqab. Diech grabbed the intruder’s hair from behind and slammed him on the table. The table broke, with the fruit and wine scattering everywhere.
Diech picked up a piece of broken wood and slowly drove it into the assassin’s head. The resistance of the solid skull crumbled meaninglessly before his strength. There was a crunch and the sound of bones and muscles cracking. Blood flowed in a vicious stream.
Even amid the wine splashing and the assassins bleeding, Diech’s clothes did not get dirty. He plucked the flowers from the vase beside the mirror and tossed them to the floor. The remaining water in the vase dripped from their stems. Diech then poured water into his hands and washed away the minuscule traces of the battle clinging to them.
Diech approached the window. The battle outside had also entered into a lull, and the white marble was left spotted with blood. His faint frown reflected on the window pane. Diech pressed the space between his brows again, smoothing out the wrinkles.
He looked away from the reflection in the glass and saw the lanterns shining all over the castle. There were countless clusters of lights brighter than the stars in the night sky, like the Milky Way had descended on them.
It was beautiful— the glory of Illavenia.
He closed his eyes so nothing was visible. Only after finding the darkness amid the brightly shining white night did Diech feel at ease.