<Episode 40>
“Ugh, ugh!!”
The boys ran away without looking back.
Mariette, who had been quietly staring at the scene, turned her head and stared at Riat.
“You are the second prince of Nisha?”
“…..”
No answer came back. Mariette paid no heed to that and approached the boy.
And without hesitation, he held up Liat’s charred hand.
A bloody voice came back from the boy, growling on the top of his lung.
“…….Leave it alone.”
“It was badly burned.”
Mariette quietly brushed the back of Riat’s hand without even raising an eyebrow.
Soft water droplets bloomed like flower buds where the delicate hands passed and washed the affected area cleanly.
“I don’t have healing properties. If you go to the nurse’s office, they will heal you without leaving scars.”
“………”
Although he obviously received help, Riat stared at Mariette with a murderous look in his eyes.
Mariette, who had been looking at Riat’s gaze for a while, let go of Riat’s hand and turned around.
“Well, before I go, I want to say something.”
At that moment, Mariette stopped walking, looked back at Riat and said.
“There are enemies everywhere here, but if you react that way even to people who show favor to you-”
She seemed cold, but also seemed kind.
A mysterious, unknown voice came out.
“You will probably be found dead in a week.”
“!”
“So be careful. It’s better for both of us if we get along amicably without making a fuss, right?”
It seemed as if a smile passed across her elegant mouth.
Riat stared blankly at the slender figure walking away, unable to erase his surprised expression.
“….What”
For some reason, he felt dirty.
Riat frowned grimly and muttered to herself.
***
It was only through the first week that Riat was subjected to group bullying.
This was because the children realized that Riat was not just a believer who only worshiped the Spirit King of Darkness, but was also strong enough to put their lives in danger if they treated him carelessly.
Of course, the fact that Riat, who was offended by something said by a strange girl named Mariette and took a more docile attitude compared to the first time played a part in this.
“Did the universe come first, or did darkness come first? My opinion on the topic is…”
“Of course, I think darkness came first.”
During the discussions held at Litera.
Every time Riat participated in a discussion, he would fiercely argue with Mariette.
“There was nothing in this universe in the beginning. It was filled with only darkness. Therefore, Arkane is different from the spirit kings of the natural world who were born later, for example, he uses almighty power that ignores the laws of the world.”
However, Mariette, who was second to none in her academic zeal, also did not lose.
“Well, but I’m on a higher level than that. I think there was something that was equal to the darkness, or even embraced the darkness.”
What are you talking about?
Riat twitched his eyebrows and spoke softly.
“…Isn’t that an empty claim without any basis?”
“It’s not absurd. For example, strangely enough, spirit kings have no memories of immediately after birth. It’s as if someone erased it on purpose. As is known to the world, natural objects did not create themselves as persons.”
The golden eyes, shining brilliantly as if they would not lose their light even if the world were coming to an end, were gently covered by a light purple curtain.
“It’s like a being that was created because it was judged to need some kind of will.”
A soft voice came out.
…Isn’t that just an empty claim without any basis?
Riat clenched his jaw and thought.
In those days, one of the famous attractions of Litera was the debate between Riat and Mariette.
Riat couldn’t help but hate Mariette so much that he showed up and confronted her every time she did something.
If they hadn’t made conflicting claims, he wouldn’t have hated her so much.
Riat was extremely displeased, thinking that Mariette was also opposed to him because she also loathed the spirits of darkness.
“Young Lady of Duke Bastevan. If you have time, I…..”
“Lady Mariette! In return for your help with the assignment last time…”
Unlike Riat, Mariette never ceased to have people around her.
The girl was recognized by everyone and welcomed by everyone.
It was the exact opposite of Riat, who was degraded to be an object of hatred by everyone except the chairman and the old council members just because he was a member of the royal family of Nisha who did not reject the dark spirit king Arkane.
As a result, there was rarely a chance to resolve the hatred that was building up.
Riat continued to live alone and isolated.
Then one day.
[Roaaar!]
An incident occurred where the barrier of Litera was broken and the monster Porten from the Northern Dark Zone invaded.
“Aaaah!”
“Please save me, please save me! Aaaah!”
It happened when most senior spiritists, including the Chairman, the Great Spiritist of Wind, were on a tour to a foreign country.
A spiritist who was not at the level of a spirit king but received the blessing of a higher-level spirit lacked the ability to slay the monster spewed out by the darkness.
“Hurry and run!”
“We have to run away to survive, hurry!”
Children of noble status from all over the world hid in various parts of Litera or tried to run away from Litera.
No one of those who attempted hiding ended up in the monster’s mouth.
“Uh, mother… huh!”
Hiss!
“Uh……?”
“Get out of here, it’s disturbing.”
Then at some point…
The monster’s bizarre teeth came right in front of the girl’s nose, and a black afterimage passed in front of the girl who was shedding tears.
[Rooaaar!]
“I told you to get out of here quickly!”
In front of her, there was a monster spraying dark red bodily fluids and roaring, and a boy who wounded the monster.
The girl looked at Riat hesitantly before quickly ran away.
“……..”
Riat’s face contorted as he stared at the monster, which was still alive and well even though part of its body had been blown away.
When he glanced down, his hand was already turning black and necrosis was progressing.
“If I increase the range just a little bit-”
Crash-!
“This is what happens!”
A strong gust of wind created by borrowing the power of Strofel, the spirit of the storm, threw the Forten against the wall.
But Strofel’s strength alone was not enough.
Riat gritted his teeth and used ‘that power.’
A black trail appeared once again and cut the.Forten’s body in half.
A greater amount of bodily fluid flew out compared to before.
He clearly inflicted fatal injuries.
He thought so, but
[Rooooooooaaaaaaaar!!]
A tentacle with sharp thorns stretched out unexpectedly and violently threw Riat away.
Bang!
“Hiss…”
Riat gasped in pain as he felt like his head was being broken.
He tried to move my hands somehow, but it was impossible.
He couldn’t apply any force on it.
Riat chewed his lips as he noticed his own blood seeping into a fragment of the pure white wall that was just visible in his field of vision.
‘If we could protect Nisha. If only we could continue to build our country and our people’s beliefs of light and darkness, and their individual rights. What would have happened?’
‘Riat, I will go first… but please, only you survive. Inherit your grandfather’s will… protect the throne and Nisha.’
“Older brother….”
As my vision became increasingly distant, fragments of the past began to emerge and invade my mind.
My brother should have been the one alive.
I couldn’t handle a huge amount of power like my brother…
[Rooaaaaaar!]
The monster’s maw was right in front of my nose.
Would it possible to stop breathing like this?
Like my brother, I didn’t have to fight until the end and die… so in vain.
“Wake up.”
Riat’s eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice in his ears.
What I saw at that moment…
“Mariette?”
“Wow, you called me by my name. Did you know that? This is the first time you call me by my name.”
For a moment, I felt dazed, but the familiar voice that was emotionless but said a lot of things seemed to bring back my senses.
“Wait a minute, Forten now….”
“It’s resolved.”
What?
Riat widened his eyes and looked up at Mariette.
Mariette nodded slightly instead of answering.
Splash~!
[Although you are an ugly darkness creature who spits out, but you are also life. It’s a pity… I can’t show you mercy because you have harmed another life. It’s dangerous, so don’t come any closer, Mariette.]
From the looks of it, the one who was clearly the Spirit King of Water brought wildly turbulent waves into the sky of Litera, where there was not even a drop of stone, and overwhelmed Forten.
Riat stared at the scene half in surprise and half in despair.
This noble daughter, whom not everyone can touch, even received the blessing of the great Spirit Kings.
The Spirit King of Wisdom blesses her soul, and the Spirit King of Water protects her body.
⋯⋯If only I and the royal family of Nisha had been given such blessings.
I wouldn’t have had to pay such a terrible price and rely on Arkane.
“But what’s wrong with your hands?”
“!”
At that moment, Riat hastily looked down at his hands.
His black, necrotic skin was horrendous.
He tried to hide it, but it was already too late.
“…You as a member of the royal family of Nisha, used the rare dark attribute power.”
Mariette’s words continued uncontrollably.
“Are you really going to take this kind of risk? As your flesh becomes necrotic while alive?”
“Shut up..”
I can’t get show her anything more.
Riat gritted his teeth and barely got up.
I felt like my head was going to explode from the headache, but getting out of this place was more important.
however…
“-No, I need to know for sure.”
“Hey!”
Mariette suddenly pulled Riat’s hand, causing Riat to fall to the floor and scream.
“Tell me as a compansation for saving your life. At what cost do you royal families of Nisha use the power called ‘Sak’?”
“…Why should I tell you that?”
Mariette answered calmly.
“If you are doing this out of fear of revealing a secret, then I swear on Ignis’ name. I will never reveal this to the outside world.”
“That’s not it!”
He was already at his limit.
Riat shouted loudly.
The sight of Mariette with her eyes widened, as if slightly startled, came into view.
Riat suppressed his rising emotions and spoke bitterly.
“Do you think I don’t know that you hate me, who was born with the dark attribute?”
***
TL:
I decided against using cursive writing when past events occur as it would make a lot of chapters have their entire text in it.
Of course, if it’s only a short passage, then it won’t be a problem.
What do you think?
