Good Intentions Don’t Always Bring Good Results (7)

“K-kill them all and end it—”

Alec’s eyes widened.

Yona’s words, spoken as casually as if she were going for a walk in the hills, carried an unusual weight.

With that cold face, with an expression that had disappeared, those words about killing everyone and ending it really sounded like Yona intended to kill all the Azrami present and be done with it. Above all—Yona had more than enough power to do so.

“Why? What are you so surprised about?”

Yona’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

Squatting in front of Alec, who was looking down at her, Yona spoke in a soft voice, lightly tapping Alec’s cheek with her finger as if finding his wide-eyed surprise adorable.

“Is it so surprising? They used me thoroughly, and then even tried to stab me. And besides—”

Yona’s fingers caressed Alec’s chest again.

Right where the dagger had been—that very spot where now not even a scar remained, Yona caressed with her long white fingers. With her fingers trembling slightly, Yona looked at Alec.

“They tried to kill you. No, you did die. The holy power you built up over your lifetime has vanished, and you’ve been separated from the Celestial Deity you dedicated your entire life to. Yes—actually, being used, that… that doesn’t really matter. I’ve always lived like that. It’s not a situation where I should get so angry just because they used me one more time, especially now. But.”

Yona stood up.

“Alec, what’s important is that they hurt you. You almost really died. If it wasn’t for me, if I had been just a little further away, you would have died. I can’t forgive that fact.”

Yona turned and approached Alevian.

Alevian, who had been standing nearby, flinched and stepped back, and Yona passed by her without even giving her a glance.

“Check where Ceres is. And report to me every time that damn woman moves. Right now, from this moment.”

Alevian shuddered again at Yona’s words as she passed by.

That coercive tone reminded her of old times.

It reminded her of the tone the Sky God used with her when it was still alive.

Regardless of Alevian’s thoughts, Yona passed her and approached Catsy.

Catsy, who had been sitting there licking her front paws, looked up at Yona as she approached.

“Wake them. All of them.”

[Understood, meow.]

Whitish smoke rose again from Catsy.

The smoke, gradually expanding its range, soon covered the snake beastkin of the Azrami tribe who had collapsed in the reception room, and as it dispersed and disappeared, they started to open their eyes one by one, making groaning sounds here and there.

“Get up quickly.”

Yona’s cold voice echoed.

“Yona, what are you trying to…”

Alec quickly approached Yona’s side.

The instinct that he needed to stop Yona somehow—that’s what moved Alec.

The Azrami were in the process of roughly grasping the situation. Although they didn’t know why they had all collapsed like this, they seemed to think that the woman in front of them—Yona—had done something, and they all looked visibly tense.

“They say if you commit a crime, you must be punished. If you played with people, and tried to kill you, they should pay for that crime.”

Yona smiled gently.

“The punishment should be of equal value to the crime.”

It was at that moment that the lighting in the reception room disappeared.

The reception room, which had been fully illuminated by moonlight, was instantly enveloped in darkness, with a faint red light mixed in.

In it, the Azrami were terrified.

“Wh-what is this—It’s a misunderstanding, I tell you, a misunderstanding!”

Aporza shouted loudly.

Not knowing that Yona already knew everything that had happened, Aporza shouted that it was a misunderstanding.

From somewhere in the darkness mixed with red light came the sound of something sticky dripping.

The Azrami tried to step back, but their ankles seemed to be entangled by something and wouldn’t move.

A situation where they couldn’t retreat, nor could they lift their feet.

“Enchanted by a worthless fortune-teller, you tried to harm the Saintess who commands your guardian deity. That can’t be a misunderstanding. Isn’t that right? Berbaria.”

Yona, who had been wavering like a shadow in the black space where nothing could be seen, revealed herself.

Several candles floated around her, illuminating her figure.

And behind her, even the figure of Alec with a bewildered expression.

[…How foolish they were, unable to predict even how I would change if you were harmed…]

Berbaria’s long sigh echoed.

The Azrami all looked up at the ceiling of the black space, where something was writhing and twisting its body.

Berbaria, coiled and floating in the air.

Berbaria was looking down with flashing golden eyes.

[How petty, truly petty. How is it that there is no change at all.]

“Yes, petty.”

Yona slowly raised her right hand.

Where her wide-open palm pointed, Arami, who had awakened at some point, was trembling in terror.

Next to Arami was Amira, who was reaching out towards Arami but couldn’t move closer, wearing a distressed expression.

“First, you.”

The open palm pointed downward.

Black and sticky mud rose from beneath Arami’s feet, and around it, damp smoke began to rise.

The smoke soon became bars that imprisoned her, and Arami silently screamed and beat against the bars.

“You should have been prepared for this much. It doesn’t make sense if you don’t get punished after plotting such a scheme.”

Yona had seen both Aporza’s and Arami’s illusions.

Having grasped what had happened and how it had transpired, Yona had not the slightest intention of forgiving Arami.

Before that, she had no thought other than killing Arami.

Arami’s mouth moved as if trying to shout something.

Displeased by this sight, Yona raised her left hand, and the mud inside the bars surged up and gagged Arami’s mouth.

Arami made strange choking sounds, her mouth wide open but unable to close.

Yona looked at Arami with a smiling face and slowly clenched her fist.

Each time she clenched her fist, the bars began to narrow.

As if proportional to that speed, the bars narrowed, and even as Arami’s flesh began to bulge out between the bars as they tightly squeezed her body, Yona didn’t stop.

Rather, the smile on her lips spread even more deeply.

Even at that moment, the bars constricting Arami’s body didn’t stop, and finally—

Squish…

Watching Arami disappear into a pulp, the Azrami finally felt like they were coming to their senses.

Aporza felt the same way.

The feeling of suddenly coming to one’s senses, as if cold water had been poured over their entire body.

Remember this. You must do as I told you. And in the end, you must stab that Saintess with that dagger. If not, a disaster will befall you, and no one will be able to stop it. Instead, if you stab the Saintess… you will gain an eternal and immortal guardian deity for generations to come. Understand?

The words the fortune-teller had left before departing came back to mind.

If you stab the Saintess, good things will happen, but if you don’t, disaster will occur—

Those words.

Those words had not been wrong.

“Yona, stop…! Stop, stop it…!”

Alec shouted, grabbing Yona’s shoulders.

The current Yona was not in her right mind, and Alec thought that if it wasn’t him, no one could stop Yona.

As Alec, who had grabbed her shoulders like that, looked into Yona’s face, he too could only let out a long sigh.

Even in this situation, Yona was smiling.

With the light gone from her eyes, she was glaring at the terrified Azrami with a face full of laughter.

“Alec, why are you trying to stop me? These are the ones who tried to destroy your entire life. Of course they should be punished.”

“…This, this is not what I want…!”

“No, Alec. These all need to be killed. Kill them all, make them clearly understand who they dared to mess with. So don’t try to stop me.”

“Yona…”

Yona’s eyes were not directed at Alec.

Her gaze was still fixed on the Azrami, and the sticky killing intent flowing from her showed no signs of stopping as it was directed at them.

“Stop it…”

“I can’t stop. Those… all of them, I’m going to kill them all. Without leaving a single one, all of them.”

Alec took a deep breath.

This had to stop here.

Arami had died, and judging by the mud spreading from the feet of those Azrami, Yona was clearly intending to kill them all.

“Yona…!”

“Don’t try to stop me, Alec. I’ve already made up my mind. I’ve already got blood on my hands, haven’t I? There’s no reason to fear getting more on them.”

It was then.

Slap—!

With a intense sound, Yona’s body staggered.

Yona’s head turned sharply, and touching her cheek that quickly turned red and hot, she looked up at Alec.

“Yona—!”

A roar.

Alec’s lion-like roar, shouted with all his might, his face turning bright red.

Yona stared blankly at Alec like that, unable to continue speaking.

“The Yona I loved wasn’t like this———!!!”

“Ah, Alec…?”

“Yona, come back to being Yona…! I said come back to being Yona…!”

Alec shouted, grabbing Yona’s shoulders and shaking them hard.

Yona stared blankly at Alec like that, helplessly shaking.

In those orange eyes, Alec was reflected.