Chapter 123: Last Stand

Chapter 123: Last Stand

“..Lucy.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“How did you meet Oli?”

“What kind of question is that? It’s not like a child asking about their parents’ love life…”

At my question, Oli, who had flown over, landed on Lucy’s shoulder.

The time was a lazy 2 PM.

Scarlett had gone to attend the kingdom after extreme stress,

And we were spending time talking about future plans.

There was enough food, and my condition had significantly improved.

Now, all that remained was to choose the right time to escape.

The escape might happen sooner than expected.

As we were discussing these exciting yet tense matters, the thought suddenly occurred to me.

Why was Oli helping Lucy, and how did they meet?

“Well… it’s a bit of a long story…”

“Humans are so troublesome… They live for about eighty years and then die, yet they have so many questions.”

Unlike Lucy’s gentle demeanor, Oli was steeped in extreme laziness.

Seeing that, I became even more curious.

It felt like there would be an interesting, or perhaps a very strange, story.

“Can’t you tell me? Huh? We’re in the same boat, so it would be nice to get to know each other.”

“Bullshit… It’ll be great drinking fodder.”

Oli was surprisingly perceptive.

But then, thinking that it wasn’t something that couldn’t be told, he sighed faintly and continued.

“…Lucy helped me. That’s how we met.”

“Oh… You must have been destined for each other.”

“Destiny my ass. I killed a person. It’s not a novel-like story like you imagine.”

‘A person…?’

Come to think of it, Oli is a ‘fairy who killed a person.’

I don’t know why he harbored hatred or who he killed,

But it’s certainly not a pleasant story.

“It’s too early for a child to hear this. If you want to hear it, come back when you’re older.”

“I’m an adult…”

“I mean, you’re young in terms of ‘inter-species relations.’ Do you know the average lifespan of a fairy?”

“Sigh… Forget it, forget it. I’ll probably hear it before I die of old age…”

I glared at Oli playfully and grumbled.

Oli chuckled, muttering ‘Crazy bitch…’

She looked at me for a moment, then continued.

“…It’s a story from over 20 years ago. There was someone I wanted to kill, and Lucy killed them for me.”

“Lucy…?”

“Ahem, ahem. Oli. Don’t say useless things.”

As I tilted my head in confusion, Lucy frowned slightly and waved her hand.

Oli nodded silently.

I’m curious, but it seems she won’t tell me now.

If I escape the mansion and settle down.

It won’t be too late to ask then.

“By the way… when would be a good time to escape?”

“Hmm… The sooner the better. That crazy bitch’s mood has been unusual lately.”

“..That’s true. She’s been quite mentally unstable lately.”

“It’s good for us. We can skip unnecessary work. It would be even better if she died of frustration.”

“Haha… Even so, that…”

“And it would be even better if no one held onto lingering feelings.”

I chuckled at Oli’s words and then closed my mouth tightly.

Her small eyes were staring intently at me.

I swallowed dryly.

Oli was too perceptive.

No, in fact, Lucy probably knows my lingering feelings best.

She just doesn’t show it much for my sake.

As I gave a wry smile without saying much, Oli sighed.

“Hey, you crazy bitch… Are you serious? After being treated like that, you still can’t forget her taste?”

“Oh, Oli. Don’t be like that. A person’s heart…”

“You stay quiet, you bitch. I’m trying to persuade your wife right now.”

At the word ‘wife,’ Lucy’s face turned completely red.

I fiddled with my hair and looked at Oli, who was frowning.

“..Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want to escape. It’s just… I don’t know myself. I know it’s absurd.”

“Ha… I don’t understand. You’ve been through so much with that bitch that your mind is messed up, and you still have lingering feelings?”

I have nothing to say.

Everything Oli said was true. I’m an idiot.

I was kidnapped, toyed with, and almost died.

If I stayed in this mansion any longer, I would have lost a limb or two.

Yet, why does this damned emotion.

Torment me so much?

I bit my lip and lowered my head.

Oli, looking at me, grabbed my hair.

“Oli? What are you-“

Yank!

“Ouch..”

A strand of hair was cleanly pulled out.

I scratched my head at the slight stinging sensation.

Why was she taking my hair? I looked at Oli with a bewildered expression.

Oli flew somewhere without a word and opened a drawer.

She then smashed an expensive-looking crystal bottle on the floor.

‘What on earth is she doing…?’

I couldn’t understand her intentions.

Then, Oli, wiggling her fingers, muttered something at the bottle.

At the same time, the hair and bottle fragments floated up into the air.

Once the combination was complete,

A dazzlingly beautiful dagger appeared.

Oli, struggling, brought it to me.

“What is this…?”

“What do you mean? It’s an excellent guillotine to cut off your lingering feelings.”

Although there was a hint of a joke, her face was not joking at all.

I extended my slightly trembling hand and picked up Oli’s crystal dagger.

“I mixed in your hair. Since the material is glass, the durability is significantly lower… but it will be able to pierce through any barrier or protective magic at least once.”

Think of it as imbued with anti-magic power. Oli added, flying onto my shoulder.

And then, Oli whispered into my ear.

“If you truly want to cut off your lingering feelings… kill that bitch with this dagger.”

“Wh-what…?”

For a moment, I widened my eyes at the absurd suggestion.

Lucy also looked quite surprised.

On the other hand, Oli looked quite composed.

Sliding down my arm like a slide, she settled on my thigh.

“Realistically, maybe in this country. But do you think she’ll give up on you? This is all the advice I’ll give you. Whether you break that dagger or somehow stab it into her neck, that’s your choice.”

“..Alright.”

After this, there’s nothing more to say.

I nodded and slipped the dagger into the pouch I wore at my waist.

It was the leather pouch Lucy had given me yesterday to store the guardian stone.

She said it was made of very tough animal hide, but I don’t know what animal.

“Look at the awkward atmosphere. It’s like I’m the only bad guy. You two think about the escape date. I’ve used too much magic, so I need to go to sleep…”

Then Oli yawned widely and flew to her bed.

I looked at Oli and tightly gripped the drawstring of the pouch.

It’s only a little longer.

It could be tomorrow, or it could be a week later.

What choice will I make then?

Will I kill Scarlett?

Or will I say I can’t and break the sword?

At least I knew one thing.

Whatever choice I made, there would be a great price to pay.

****

“Carlson..! Why are you here?!”

Scarlett, with wide-open eyes, shouted in an enraged voice.

He was holding his hands up.

And in his palms, the torn bodies of mages and blood were gathering.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

At the same time, kingdom guards were rushing towards them.

Whether by misfortune or good fortune, the mage and Rain who had left earlier were saved by a very good timing.

Scarlett wiped the blood flowing down her cheek and gathered magic in her hand.

The ominous and terrifying energies gathered there.

Without explanation, I knew.

That was the essence of dark magic.

‘Why on earth did he infiltrate the kingdom…?’

As she shot a gale at Carlson, Scarlett propelled herself backward.

Scarlett retreated at high speed, enveloped in wind.

She didn’t understand why. He had declared war on her about a week ago.

Wasn’t he targeting Cecil?

Furthermore, why was he causing such a commotion in the heart of the kingdom?

It was suicidal. Even if the kingdom had declined, it wasn’t foolish.

In a short while, dozens of mages and guards would swarm in.

“Hahaha! You look like you have so many questions! You can’t stand not knowing?! Why I’m here!!”

Carlson laughed like a madman, pressing the black sphere tightly until it was fist-sized.

Then, he put it in his pocket.

He laughed maniacally and wore a look of pure exhilaration.

Jjijik, tududuk-

Then Carlson’s back began to swell.

His robe made a tearing sound, and his body slowly expanded.

Scarlett looked at the scene unfolding before her with disbelief.

He smiled and spread huge wings from his back.

But something looked strange.

There were torn parts here and there, and grotesque flesh was attached to the wingtips.

It looked like a dragon, but it was a hideous shape.

“Kuhaha… Now, finally… I can become complete. I can escape being a damned half-breed!!”

He roared towards the sky.

From his words, mixed with hatred and sorrow, Scarlett could guess what he meant.

‘…No way.’

Was he a half-breed?

Seeing scales on parts of his skin, he looked like a dragon.

But he was not complete.

His appearance was a grotesque mix of dragon and human.

There are many races in this world, and thus many half-breeds,

But there is only one race that cannot mix with other races.

Dragons.

They are the most powerful predators, but their strength prevents them from mixing with other races.

This is a symptom seen in very rare half-breeds.

Dragon half-breeds are said to die 99% of the time,

But there is a 1% chance of survival.

Of course, even if they survive, their appearance is grotesquely twisted, and their lifespan drastically decreases.

“Damn it… So that’s why…!”

Scarlett, finally understanding everything, bit her lip tightly.

Dark magic, a completed sacrifice, life force gathered by killing high-ranking mages.

He wasn’t just gathering these ingredients for ‘resurrection.’

Pure blood.

He wanted to break the shackles of his half-breed status and become complete.

Of course, whether that would actually happen was unknown.

However, the wisdom of dragons and the strength of dragon-kin created an unimaginable obsession,

Giving birth to Carlson, a monster.

“There he is!!”

In the dust-filled scene where the wall had been shattered, someone shouted.

It seemed the guards had finally arrived.

But it was too late.

He had spread his wings wide,

Flap-

With a sharp swing of his massive wings, pillars shattered, and the hall’s ceiling began to collapse.

At the same time, Scarlett wrapped herself in a gale and dashed out of the royal castle.

“Kuaaaak!!”

“A, Aaaak!”

“I can’t see! What’s happening?!”

“My leg!!”

Simultaneously, the collapsed ceiling crushed the approaching guards.

With maniacal laughter, blood clots and blood flew back to Carlson.

He had accumulated a large amount of life force and magic, and was now ready to fly.

Where Carlson was heading was obvious.

Flap, flap-

His massive wings kicked up dust as Carlson soared upwards.

Scarlett swallowed dryly and looked up at the gliding Carlson.

The dark magic emanating from his body made her legs tremble.

Even as a half-breed, a dragon is still a dragon.

And with the terrifying and hideous magic she had never seen before.

Scarlett, a mere human, could not stand against such a colossal being.

She knew that fact better than anyone.

However.

There was one person who transcended even that common sense.

Kwaang!

A fist-sized rock flew from somewhere.

The rock hit Carlson precisely on the head,

“Kuaaaak..!”

With a roar like an exploding stone, his triumphant face was violently twisted to the side.

“Young Lady! Are you alright?!”

“..Euston?”

And the one who shouted was Euston, holding a large quantity of rocks in his arms.

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she watched him throw rocks again.

The second rock flew at incredible speed and lodged itself in Carlson’s wing,

“You damn…!”

Carlson’s body instantly faltered downwards.

At the same time, Carlson twisted his face and turned his gaze sharply.

“Young Lady! Hurry and go! If you ride John’s horse, you can reach the mansion in 30 minutes!”

“What are you talking about-“

“Hurry! Didn’t you say you wanted to cross the border and live happily! Everything is already prepared!!”

At Euston’s shout, Scarlett, who had been hesitating, clenched her fists.

She quickly mounted John’s approaching horse and hugged him tightly.

Blood trickled from her bitten lip.

Behind them, a roar was heard, and something that sounded like a scream or a rupture spread.

Thus, Scarlett trembled and ran for a long time.

Until there was no sound from behind her.

And, inside the mansion.

Until she saw Cecil’s face looking at her from outside the window.