Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The once glorious city, where the Academy stood and countless people gathered to form a vast metropolis, still had black smoke rising slightly from its center where they used to gaze at the grand castle with reverence.

People starved to death, something rotten, and unmoving skeletons were still being found even after being burned for over a month.

The fortunate part was that at least no more screams were heard.

There were still loud shouts, but they were not sounds of terror but of anger.

“If only you had come, if only you had come, we could have killed those damn necromancers even if we had to tear them limb from limb.”

A knight, covered in filth so that the stench of decaying corpses still clung to his dark skin, approached Vivian, raising his voice.

But Vivian didn’t even glance at the knight, continuing to read her book and giving a half-hearted response.

“Yeah, if I had gone, we might have been able to kill both of them.

Though one would surely have escaped.”

“So, so, the agreement to let them go was settled without any discussion…”

“Yeah. Since it’s not an important matter, leave for now.”

The girl who once treated everyone kindly during her time at the Academy was gone, replaced by this imperious, seemingly bored woman whose beauty hadn’t faded.

She closed the book she was reading, rubbed her eyes slightly, and then grasped her throbbing forehead, letting out a sigh.

It was such a headache for her.

“What should I have done?”

“You should have immediately lifted your heavy ass and gone after those cursed necromancer couple!

Since only you could catch them, why on earth did you decide to let them go…”

“Shut up. You know nothing, you damn knight… No, just leave.”

Vivian, almost calling the knight a “damn black bastard” as Erica often did, shut her mouth and waved her hand, indicating for him to leave her room.

The knight let out a sarcastic laugh, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

His anger seemed to have cooled a bit, and he spoke more calmly.

“Millions of my kin were killed by that cursed family.

You might not care how many ‘foolish black bastards’ die.”

Vivian’s eyes twitched slightly at the knight’s self-deprecation, but now was not the time to show emotion. She had to let them go, though she couldn’t explain why.

“And now, to just let go of a mass murderer who has killed tens of thousands on this continent…

If we had known the reason, maybe not everyone would be this angry. Why did you let them go?”

Vivian did not answer.

She did not express her misfortune in dealing with a monster that would come back to life even if killed. It was an absurd, foolish story.

She doubted anyone would believe her if she spoke.

“Leane, we just made a compromise.

Erica and Evan won’t…

So they won’t go around killing people indiscriminately like this anymore.

They won’t destroy a country, kill lords, or offer innocent people as sacrifices.”

“And if they don’t keep the promise they made with you?

Necromancers aren’t likely to keep promises, are they?”

“Then, I’ll have to go and stop them somehow.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say she would kill them.

Vivian had become someone who couldn’t claim to do what she couldn’t do.

Meeting Evan and Erica had begun to twist her once innocent and optimistic personality bit by bit, like rubbing a clean sheet of paper against a dirty wall.

Her manner of speaking, personality, and thoughts had twisted to the point where she was unrecognizable from the student she once was.

But her decisiveness remained unchanged, as she had cast spells without hesitation when she saw Erica and Evan dealing with corpses.

“No one will understand.

Even I, who always trusted and followed you, won’t.

No one will accept you.”

At those words, Vivian’s face contorted, and she began to show anger.

Like the two necromancers.

In a way, it was intentional anger.

By letting out her fury and intimidating the other, she could escape from this difficult conversation.

She didn’t want to become like them, but after constantly confronting and conversing with them, exchanging resentments, she was starting to resemble them.

“So, who can force me to move?”

Vivian stood up, slammed her fist on the desk, and mocked the knight with a sneer.

“The esteemed Duke? The Marquis who was called the greatest before I made my name? Or you, who are useless except for your swordsmanship?”

She tossed the book onto the sofa and, with familiar movements, pulled out a tea-scented cigarette from her pocket, putting it in her mouth.

She thought about how Erica had corrupted her habits but justified it by saying nothing was as good as this when stressed.

“Leane, answer me. Who can force my actions?”

“…”

“One necromancer destroyed so many countries.

Yeah, they were doomed anyway, but still.

Do you think I can’t do the same?”

She picked up her staff and began to chant.

The room was instantly filled with a translucent aura.

“I could turn you into dust with a flick of my finger.

Just by chanting a little spell…”

She stopped speaking.

If she said it aloud, she might actually do it.

“Remember my dedication.

I’m not asking for repayment; just respect what I’ve done so far.”

She glared at the knight for a while before releasing the spell with a sigh and leaning back on the sofa, inhaling the cigarette deeply.

Despite the smoke being undoubtedly harsh, her insides seemed to burn more, and she didn’t cough.

“Leave.”

The knight, wearing an expression of slight despair or disappointment, walked out of the room.

Vivian watched his retreating figure for a while before letting out a chuckle.

The laughter, which seemed to have nowhere to go, looked quite pathetic, but sadly, there was no man beside her to comfort her.

Even if there had been, she would have chased him away.

Therefore, like most power figures under severe stress – usually by shooting themselves in the head with a gun – she began to throw everything in the room, having a hysterical fit.

“What was I supposed to do!? Do you think just saying it makes it easy!?

Do you think I have some magic solution? How many times, how many times have I saved you all!!

You madmen! Then, next time, that madwoman Erica might kill me along with all of you!!”

Once every beautiful teacup, wooden box, bookshelf, portrait in the room was smashed to pieces, Vivian finally caught her breath.

After looking around at the mess she had made for a long time, she gripped her trembling legs and stood up with great difficulty.

The face that had been contorted with anger and laughter just moments before was replaced by an extremely cold, expressionless one.

“Nobody knows. I don’t care.”

She wiped her face once and dry washed it for a while.

Then, leaving the chaotic room behind, she walked out into the corridor.

“I’m going out for some air, so clean up the room.”

Where had the once kind tone gone? With a brusque manner, she ordered the servants to clean and then ran out, kicking off from the floor, and jumped through a window.

No one was particularly worried. She wasn’t someone to worry about.

She had long enjoyed the bizarre practice of flying when she felt stifled.

People probably thought she was going to visit the grave of her stepfather, who had died two days ago from worsening wounds.

***

Vivian started to wander around the old Academy building for the first time in a while.

The once magnificent building was long gone, with all the decorative elements and marbles stripped away, but the traces of such a building having existed remained, so it wasn’t a big problem.

All the buildings left on this land had long been burned or destroyed.

She walked through paths overgrown with weeds to a small pond, where there was a half-broken wooden bench.

She gently touched the bench, took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it, and inhaled the smoke.

Though the pond was mostly shattered, it wasn’t dry because it connected to the river that flowed beside the Academy.

Then, she noticed a rather foolish-looking carp.

Unlike the other fancy carps that were confined to a small space, swimming in circles, this foolish-looking carp was freely swimming between the river and the half-destroyed pond.

Vivian watched this carp for a long time before, for some reason unsatisfied, she threw an icicle at it.

The carp quickly turned and started swimming towards the riverbank to escape.

She didn’t even want to kill it.

“Ha, ha. Fuck.”

She began to blow smoke into the air.

Instead of the usual joy and beauty, filling it with anger and sorrow.