Chapter 93: The Hell of Cowardice (2)

[93] 14. The Hell of Cowardice (2)

Feya always felt uneasy when the sky was clear.

The vast expanse was filled with an empty blue, not a single cloud in sight, with only a lone sun overhead.

And that lonely sun radiated light as if trying to fill the entire empty sky, almost as if it were struggling.

That sight felt like some kind of omen to Feya.

That her life, too, might end up like that sun.

That’s why Feya disliked clear skies. She preferred cloudy days. Though they were gloomy, they weren’t empty.

But since when did it happen.

When did her eyes come to resemble the clear sky.

Feya’s blue eyes, filled with fervent light, turn towards a small town.

Her body was covered in bandages, and her fingers were nervously tapping on her axe. The Prince’s voice echoed in her ears.

[That’s where Rosalia was sighted.]

[A beast understands a beast’s methods, I suppose. You go and find that woman in your own way.]

[And this goes without saying, but don’t even think of doing anything stupid. Not unless you want to see that cripple lose his arms as well.]

Feya clenched her fist, feeling a mixture of anger and fear. However, the intense emotions soon subsided.

She didn’t care what happened to her own emotions. Her eyes were only focused on hope.

Adolf’s promise to fix his legs,

and the condition for that promise was simple.

Feya calmly tried to gauge Rosalia’s location.

It seemed like the Prince and Sheila thought that she was hiding in the town. The reason being that it was her specialty to hide among people.

From what she overheard, it seemed they planned to search the city under the guise of tracking down escaped slaves.

However, Feya had a different opinion.

Rosalia was a cunning woman, despite her appearance.

Back when she was traveling alone, before she’d met Rem, even Sheila couldn’t track her movements. They could only guess that she was somewhere in the east.

She had been that thorough at hiding her tracks. Well, she wasn’t after she met Rem, though.

But for a woman like that to be sighted in a town and then hide out in that very town? The Rosalia that Feya knew wasn’t that stupid.

The woman she had spent nights searching for couldn’t possibly be that careless.

Then where could she be?

Feya’s eyes, leaving the city, scanned the surrounding landscape.

A few conditions came to mind:

A place where she could spot pursuers from afar.

A place where she could escape easily if things went wrong.

And if escaping was unavoidable, a place where she could handle a large number of enemies on her own.

In other words, a place that was high, near the main road, and had many obstacles.

Right, a place like that.

Next to the main road that led west,

A small mountain that seemed to encircle the road like a belt.

Feya’s eyes gleamed coldly.

…

…

…

Pieces of the sky, fragmented by leaves, fell upon the forest floor. The silence that flowed was the green of late summer.

Feya walked slowly, blending into the scenery.

From afar, it looked as if a tree was slowly crawling. Covered in mud and leaves, she blended easily into the forest.

Almost unnoticeable at a glance.

But Rosalia was a careful observer.

*Swish-*

An arrow came flying at her, but Feya caught it in her hands. Then she immediately charged toward the direction from where it had come from.

“Haah… Haah…”

However, all she found was a crude crossbow.

It was designed to fire when mana was poured into it.

Feya grimaced.

*Swish-*

And simultaneously, a second arrow is fired.

But it seems the aim was off, as it misses Feya by quite a bit.

…Or at least, that’s what Feya thought, until she heard the sound of a rope snapping.

*Whooooosh-*

A log, that had been suspended between the trees, came hurtling toward her. Feya, gritting her teeth, swung her axe at the log.

With a vicious sound, the log was split in two. Wood splinters explode, obscuring Feya’s vision.

And Rosalia did not miss that moment.

Rosalia, who had been hiding in the bushes until now, ambushed Feya from behind. Pressing her sword against Feya’s throat, she shouted,

“Drop your wea…!”

*Thwack-!*

Feya’s arm swung back reflexively, hitting Rosalia’s face. But, in exchange, Rosalia’s sword grazed Feya’s fingers.

The axe slipped from Feya’s mangled hand. It slides down the slope and gets caught on a distant rock.

But Feya, instead of panicking, chose to attack.

She grabbed Rosalia’s collar and headbutted her. She kicked away Rosalia’s sword as Rosalia, her nose bleeding, staggered back.

The sword flew through the air and was embedded in a tree trunk.

Their eyes turned to the sword, and then to each other.

Feya wrapped a bandage around her mangled fingers,

and Rosalia blocked one nostril and blew out a nosebleed.

Two hands without weapons and,

Two pairs of eyes filled with rough emotions.

What stood before them was,

an offering for atonement,

or the enemy who took their friend.

The option of picking their weapons back up was never there to begin with.

The two women threw punches at each other with all their might.

…

…

…

What followed was a messy brawl.

Bones clashed against bone, and blood flowed from their bruised flesh. They rolled on the ground, over and over again. They were too consumed by pain and rage to even notice how many bruises they had.

They tackled each other, choked each other, bit each other, and aimed for each other’s eyes with their thumbs.

They were originally evenly matched, and the fight dragged on. Moreover, both of them, fueled by their own determination, refused to yield.

But, as with everything, a fitting end always arrives.

What determined the outcome was fatigue.

For a moment, Feya’s vision blurs and her posture wavers. It was due to lack of sleep caused by nightmares.

And Rosalia wasn’t inexperienced enough to miss that momenta.

“…!”

Feya’s body tumbles as she took a hit square in the stomach. Even while gagging, Feya tried to get up, but it was too late.

Rosalia’s foot slammed into her jaw. Feya’s brain rattled, and the world spun.

“Kehek…!!”

Rosalia pressed down on her throat with her foot.

“Don’t move.”

Feya’s limbs stiffen at the cold voice. Rosalia takes out a potion, drinks it, and then spits out her broken teeth.

“I said, don’t move.”

Rosalia’s red eyes emit a sharp light. Feya contorts her face, frothing at the mouth.

“Kill… you… Ugh…!”

Rosalia silently added more weight to the foot stomping on her neck.

“Just one question, barbarian.”

“Fuck… off…!”

“Did you chop off Rem’s legs?”

Feya’s body trembled slightly. Her weakened blue eyes fill with bewilderment. Those merciless red eyes asked again.

“Did you chop off Rem’s legs?”

Feya didn’t answer. She simply let her eyes tremble.

And to Rosalia, that was enough.

Reason vanished from Rosalia’s eyes.

Her foot stomped on Feya’s chest. She climbed on top of her, grabbing her hair and punching her in the face.

Once,

Twice,

Three times,

Four times…

“That’s enough, Rosalia.”

…Until a gentle hand rested on Rosalia’s shoulder.

Rosalia reflexively turned around, her face full of bewilderment.

“…Skuld? Why are you here…”

“Let’s just call it post-incident management.”

Skuld took Rosalia’s hand and pulled her up. Then, she looked at Feya, who was lying on the ground, and said,

“You almost beat her to death.”

“…”

Only then did Rosalia take in the carnage she had created. Feya’s face was covered in blood, making it impossible to recognize its original form.

“I’ve already told you, she’s the key. If you kill her, there will be no way to save Rem forever.”

“But…”

Rosalia’s eyes burn with hatred. But, eventually, she lowers her eyes and exhales a hot breath.

“…You’ve never been wrong before, so your words must be right.”

“They don’t call me the all-knowing witch for nothing.”

Skuld smiled faintly, but Rosalia simply turned away with a dark look on her face. In an exhausted voice, she said.

“I’m sorry, but would you mind delivering the offer? I… don’t trust myself to control my emotions.”

And then, without waiting for a reply, she limped away. Skuld watched her retreating figure, then spoke in a grumpy voice.

“Typical royalty, throwing a tantrum… Good thing I followed, otherwise… Phew.”

Then, she approached the fallen Feya and crouched down. She smiled brightly and said,

“Miss Feya Danderlion, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

Feya didn’t answer, but after a moment, she started to tremble. A strange sound escaped her lips.

Skuld, who had been looking at her curiously, eventually chuckled.

“Miss Feya, are you crying right now?”

Feya trembled even more. Seeing this, Skuld’s tone became mocking.

“How funny, to think that the greatest warrior of the Great Divide, who brought down the Great Chieftain at age thirteen, would be lying here, beaten to a pulp and crying.”

Skuld placed a hand on her cheek.

“And you chose this, Miss Feya.”

At those words, Feya’s fists clenched tightly. However, it wasn’t out of anger, but pain.

Skuld’s words stabbed Feya’s heart.

“You’re the one who gave in to your fear, you’re the one who raised your axe, and you’re the one who swung it down. Honestly, you were relieved when Rem said it was okay, weren’t you? You disgust me.”

Blood trickles from her tightly clenched fists, so much so it turned white. A choking sound started to flow from her throat.

Suddenly, Skuld’s tone softened at that moment.

“But there’s no need to be tormented by guilt any longer. We’re here to offer you a chance for atonement.”

For the first time, Feya’s eyes finally turned to Skuld at those words. She moved her barely functioning lips to make a sound.

“That…”

“The fruit that grew from the Memory Tree. You still have it, right?”

Memory Tree, fruit.

A memory came to Feya’s mind:

The tree that had grown from Rem’s body, leaving behind a single fruit.

“If you feed it to Rem, his memories will return.”

“…!!”

“It’s surprisingly simple, isn’t it?”

Skuld grinned and took out a small magic tool. She then placed it on Feya’s stomach before standing up.

“It’s a simple communication magic tool. After you restore Rem’s memories, hand it over to him. And… well, I’m sure he’ll figure out what to do next. He’s a man of many talents…”

“W-Wait…!!”

Feya tried to get up, but she collapsed again from the pain. Skuld looked back at her, then says with a smirk.

“Oh, and if you have the chance later, please come visit my forest. I’m curious to know what Rem, after regaining his memories, would think about you and his missing legs.”

Skuld pulled her hood over her face. Her exposed lips drew a distorted arc.

“Of course, the answer is already obvious.”

Then she melted into the shadows. Feya stared at the spot where Skuld had disappeared, and then, pulling herself into a ball, her body began to tremble. After a while, she stood up.

And started limping toward the camp.

In one hand, the communication magic tool.

In the other hand, a worry heavier than the world.

***

Skuld, emerging from the shadows, found Rosalia sitting on a rock. She was looking down at the ground with a darkened face.

“…It’s my fault.”

Her voice was dripping with guilt.

Skuld sighed inwardly and walked over to Rosalia.

“Rosalia…”

“…It’s because I dragged him into this that he had to suffer.”

Rosalia rubbed her face.

“If I hadn’t barged into his shop that day, at least if I hadn’t abandoned him, his legs wouldn’t have…”

Deep regret seeped through her cracking voice. A regret as deep as the affection she harbored.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Skuld sighed.

Rem, that man, really had a knack for breaking people.

To think that he turned the monster of a warrior into a crybaby, and even made the future emperor drown in self-loathing…

Only Clara, that insane woman, had remained strong despite loving him. Of course, it’s more accurate to say she became strong because she was crazy…

Anyway. At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to proceed with the plan like this. Skuld placed her hands on her hips and spoke sharply,

“So?”

A question appears on Rosalia’s gloomy face. Skuld crossed her arms and continued speaking.

“Does being depressed like this help him in any way? Does your guilt provide any comfort to him?”

Rosalia’s expression darkened as those words struck her heart one by one. Seeing this, Skuld spoke in a firmer tone.

“If you’re going to feel guilty and apologize, then at least do it in front of *him*. After bringing him back. There’s nothing more pointless than wallowing in self-pity alone.”

“…You’re right.”

Rosalia slapped her cheeks a few times. Then, with a slightly more resolute expression, she stood up.

She still looked depressed, but it was much better than before.

“So, did the barbarian accept the offer?”

“Oh my, you don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that, but…”

Rosalia’s brows furrowed, and the outline of her clenched jaw became visible.

“She’s the one who cut off Rem’s legs. Is there a law that says someone who has betrayed once won’t betray twice?”

But Skuld just smiled brightly.

“You don’t have to worry about that at all.”

Then she turned her head to look towards where Feya was and said, her eyes unfocused,

“I’m sure she’ll do as I say.”