Chapter 124: Atonement

Chapter 124: Atonement

“Young Lady..?”

I swallowed dryly as I watched Scarlett rush towards me.

“…Something seems to have happened?”

She was completely drenched in sweat.

Behind her, John stood with a restless expression, his body covered in dust.

“I have a bad feeling. Why is the person who went to the kingdom returning so urgently? Where’s the carriage?”

Oli also seemed to sense something was wrong and frowned.

Anyway, before she arrived, I quickly lay down on the bed in a proper posture.

Then, the sound of thumping echoed.

“Cecil!!”

Scarlett rushed in, her eyes teary.

“Young Lady… What’s wrong?”

“I, I have to go. Quickly! Haa, haa… I’ve packed all the luggage. Come on…”

I stared at Scarlett with a bewildered expression.

She seemed to have lost her mind.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her slightly disheveled hair showed her haste.

“J-just a moment, calm down-“

“If not now, we won’t have time! Lucy! Hurry and put Young Lady in the wheelchair!!”

Scarlett frantically packed things.

Then she went downstairs and came back up with a bag full of items.

‘No way…’

I could sense it without her saying anything.

Carlson had come to see her directly.

My life was in danger.

“Hoo… Quickly… I know all the routes… I have a map, and I’ve packed food…”

I knew Scarlett had been planning to escape with me to a faraway place for a while.

But I never dreamed it would be now.

The situation was too sudden.

‘I’m sure we had finished our preparations too…’

She had said that if I sent a signal, Aileen would bring the packed food and cross the border.

But if I crossed the border with Scarlett like this.

What would happen to me?

I zoned out in a state of confusion.

No. I can’t be taken like this.

Until then, there was this ‘mansion’ as an escape route.

Even though many people were targeting me, there was a solution beyond the border.

But if I were caught by Scarlett here and crossed the border, I would never be able to escape her.

Moreover, Scarlett’s mental state was deteriorating.

I didn’t know what she might do to me there.

Scarlett, who had lost control, might even sever my limbs.

“Lucy! What are you doing?! You need to hurry and take Young Lady!”

But.

Lucy, who had received Scarlett’s order, didn’t move.

She just stood there, glaring at Scarlett.

She didn’t take any action.

“…What are you doing now?”

Then, Scarlett stopped in her tracks.

She stared intently at Lucy with eyes that had lost most of their reason.

“Young Lady.”

Lucy’s voice was calm.

There was no tremor, no hatred, no anxiety.

“It’s an order… Hurry… Get Young Lady out of here!!”

On the other hand, Scarlett’s demeanor was explosive.

Her usual proud and calm attitude was nowhere to be seen.

Now, she was simply overwhelmed by extreme anxiety and didn’t know what to do.

“…I kept my promise, Friedman.”

Lucy muttered, looking at Scarlett with pity.

As if looking at a frightened mouse.

With utmost sadness.

****

“I entrust my daughter to you, Lucy.”

A man’s voice echoed in her mind.

A soft yet deep voice.

Then, a face came to mind. Red hair and blue eyes.

He was Scarlett’s father.

Once. When Lucy developed ‘self-awareness’ and was very curious.

Scarlett’s father had said then.

She promised him that she would take good care of Scarlett until she became an adult.

No matter what she did.

He asked her to forgive her just until she became an adult.

Lucy readily agreed and promised.

Because Scarlett was incomparably beautiful and lovely in her eyes.

A little over ten years later, Lucy was able to keep her promise.

And now that the period of the promise has ended.

For the first time, the little dragon began to rebel.

“..Young Lady. Stop it now.”

“Wh-what…? You’ve gone mad… You’re completely mad!!”

At Lucy’s words, Scarlett’s eyes widened in fury.

She glanced at Cecil for a moment,

Then, contorting her face, she smiled.

“Aha… Right. So that’s how it is… You, you… you’ve always had feelings for Young Lady… No. You still have lingering feelings… Right… That’s how it is…!”

Then she muttered incomprehensible words.

Lucy looked at her with a disgusted expression.

“You… are crazy. That’s not love. Young Lady is not a possession…”

“Shut up..! What do you know to spout such nonsense?! You who couldn’t say anything to my orders! You damn-“

Slap!

At the sharp sound, Cecil flinched.

“You, this…”

Lucy had slapped Scarlett.

Her face was red, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She seemed very reluctant to hit Scarlett,

But it was obvious who she was doing it for.

“*Sniffle*… I can’t go along with your crazy talk…”

Then, wiping her eyes, Lucy spoke with venom.

Lucy walked away silently and picked up Cecil.

“Lu, Lucy…”

“Let’s go now, Young Lady. It seems the warning was real. As quickly as possible-“

“Get out of the way!!”

Before Lucy could finish speaking, Cecil shouted with wide eyes.

Before I could even ask ‘What’s wrong,’

Chwaak-

Blood splattered.

“Ha… Haha… How dare you… Young Lady is mine. Young Lady is…”

At the same time, Scarlett, covered in blood, let out a mad laugh.

Magic was gathering in her hands,

And the room was splattered with blood.

“A, nooooooo!!”

But.

The scream that followed was not Cecil’s.

“Huh…?”

It was Lucy’s voice.

Scarlett, who had been dazed for a moment, trembled.

Surely not. The feeling of her heart sinking and anxiety washed over her.

Thud-

Then, Cecil’s blood-soaked body fell to the floor.

Her limbs hung limply, and a diagonal deep wound was visible on her chest.

“A, aa… Aaaa… Cecil! No..! Cecil!!”

Scarlett screamed with her mouth agape and hugged the fallen Cecil.

She trembled uncontrollably like a madwoman and frantically cast healing magic on the gaping wound in her chest.

“No… No… Nooooo… No…”

Lucy sat there, dazed, breathing raggedly.

Scarlett repeatedly muttered “No” and shook Cecil violently.

The wound had closed, but Cecil did not wake up.

She lay in Scarlett’s arms with a cold face.

Lucy breathed heavily and imprinted the scene from earlier in her mind.

Cecil had clearly sensed the danger and thrown herself in front of Lucy.

Just barely, Scarlett’s gale hit Cecil directly in the chest,

And she collapsed.

“Cecil, Cecil… I’m sorry… Cecil… No… Cecil…”

Scarlett, with a half-crazed expression, shook Cecil’s limp body violently.

Crack-

Despite the sound of something breaking,

She couldn’t hear it and was shedding tears profusely.

In that moment of utter despair.

Lucy saw.

Cecil’s hand reaching for the pouch at her waist.

“I’m sorry… Cecil… Really-“

Shulk-

With a small tearing sound, Scarlett’s voice, which had been desperately wailing, was cut off.

“Huk, kkeuk..”

At the same time, while holding Cecil’s small body, Scarlett began to lose strength,

“…I’m sorry.”

With a trembling voice, Scarlett slumped down.

“Ce, Cecil Young Lady…?”

It was clearly Cecil’s voice.

Cecil, who should have died instantly from the magic, was speaking and sitting up.

Lucy, who had been dazed for a moment.

‘No way…’

Then, she remembered the item she had given her about a week ago.

The guardian stone.

A precious item that could block a fatal blow just once.

“Heuk, kkeuk, heuk… Ha… Haa…”

Cecil, who had sat up with a grim expression.

Gazed at Scarlett, who was gasping for breath with a dagger lodged in her right chest.

She silently laid Scarlett’s body down on the floor.

Tears like chicken eggs were falling from her emotionless eyes.

“Ce… cil…”

“..Why did you do it?”

“I… just… you… kehek, kek..”

The knife must have pierced her lung.

She seemed to be having great difficulty breathing.

Cecil looked at Scarlett for a moment, then lowered her head.

Tears flowing down her face wet the floor.

****

“You… shouldn’t have done that.”

“Haa, ha… Hu..”

“You tried to kill Lucy. How much Lucy cared about you…”

At first, I had no intention of killing her.

But after being hit by magic by a narrow margin,

And barely surviving thanks to the guardian stone, I realized.

She genuinely tried to kill Lucy.

If she was going to be an obstacle to crossing the border, she intended to kill her from the start.

That’s why I remembered Oli’s words.

Let go of lingering feelings.

From the moment she tried to kill Lucy, and even

Right before stabbing her.

I thought I had let go of my lingering feelings.

But why.

Does it hurt so much, as if my heart is being torn apart?

“Ce… cil…”

Scarlett opened her mouth, looking at me crying and biting my lips.

Her lips were blue, and her face was pale.

Blood dripped from the wound.

Despite this, Scarlett wore a faint smile.

With tears in her eyes.

Breathing heavily, she slowly opened her lips.

“Cecil… I…”

Then, as if hesitant, she closed her lips tightly,

And slightly frowned, then smiled.

As if she felt sorry even for speaking.

“…Why?”

“Can you grant me… just one request…?”

Scarlett’s life was nearing its end.

As evidence, her eyes were becoming unfocused, and her pronunciation was slurring.

I looked at her and slowly nodded.

“Kiss… me…”

This was Scarlett’s final wish.

She wanted a kiss that would allow her to feel warmth, rather than lingering words.

I lowered my head without a word.

Chup-

And then, after kissing Scarlett’s lips,

Feeling the sorrow rising up my throat, I lifted my head.

Now she said nothing more.

She just breathed raggedly,

And closed her eyes.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!! You damned bastards!! Get out! Get out!!”

From outside, someone’s shouting could be heard.

I staggered to my feet and moved out of the room.

“..Let’s go.”

“Young Lady…”

Lucy couldn’t say anything.

She just sighed deeply with a choked expression,

And followed behind me.

“Ce, Cecil Young Lady! What on earth is that outside?!”

The two of us met Aileen blankly and said, “It’s time.”

She seemed frightened by something flying in the sky,

But I was calm.

“..There’s a back door. Let’s go out that way.”

Aileen seemed to have many questions.

However, seeing my face, she refrained from speaking.

Yes. I’ll tell you about the rest later.

Just stay quiet for now.

Creak-

Lucy, Oli, Aileen, and I quickly slipped out the back door of the mansion.

“The sacrifice! I just need the sacrifice!!”

Kwaaaaang!

At the same time, an explosion and a tearing scream echoed from the front of the mansion.

Thanks to Lucy’s hint, I knew it was Carlson.

He was probably here to get me.

However, judging by his desperate voice, he didn’t come alone.

If such a monster was causing chaos, the kingdom wouldn’t stand idly by.

“Come on, let’s go. Quickly… let’s get out of here.”

I said to Aileen as we ran, my voice low.

She silently pointed the way, saying, “The border is that way,”

And we ran endlessly.

Until the sun set and the stars twinkled.

My tears didn’t stop even while running.

Even during breaks, and even when running again.

My tears finally stopped only after the sun rose the next day.

The sky I looked up at after escaping the mansion I had so desperately wanted to leave.

Was shining in an incomparably beautiful orange hue.

****

‘Now… it’s really the end.’

Crash-

The mansion collapsed.

Carlson’s shouts could be heard from all directions, and a burning sensation was felt in my chest.

Shiiiik, Kwaaang!

In front of her, Carlson, with half his face crushed, descended roughly.

The ground rumbled, and dust rose.

“The sacrifice… where is it… Sacriiiifice!!”

His wings were torn in places, and one arm hung limply.

Several strong magic powers could be felt nearby, indicating he was being chased by kingdom forces.

Carlson was merely a half-breed, not a complete dragon.

No matter how much dark magic he used, he couldn’t defeat the overwhelming forces.

“Cough..”

“Hand over the sacrifice! Where did you hide it?! Hurry!!”

His desperate words were laced with venom.

His voice was like nails scraping against metal.

Carlson slammed his grotesquely swollen arm near Scarlett’s head.

Kwaaang!

It was a meaningless threat, but it showed his desperation.

Scarlett, struggling to open her eyes, smiled faintly.

Her voice was now too weak to speak, so she moved her lips.

-Don’t

-Have

“What..? You damned bitch… Don’t lie!! You hid it, didn’t you?! Answer me before I kill you!!”

However, Carlson’s mind seemed to have completely broken.

He opened his mouth wide, revealing broken teeth, and roared at the top of his lungs.

Sunlight streamed through the broken ceiling.

He could hear the voices from below, so he was understandably impatient.

“Just the sacrifice… If I have that, I can become complete… I can return to my kin…”

Scarlett thought as she watched Carlson, blood dripping from his entire body, shouting.

Obsession is an ugly thing.

It was absurd and comical.

To gain such realization just before dying with a knife in her chest.

Was this a punishment from a god she didn’t know?

She thought so and smiled faintly.

Tears were streaming from her eyes.

When she first saw Cecil, her heart pounded like crazy.

It was the first color she had ever seen, and it was a fate so captivating.

But now, just before her heart stopped.

Cecil’s face came to mind again.

She just wanted to love too.

In this colorless world, everyone was the same.

Why were they smiling so happily?

Why were they crying so sadly?

What is love that it intertwines complex emotions and countless memories, forging bonds so strongly?

‘If only I had loved you differently.’

Scarlett thought softly.

All the love she had received was from her father.

Confining her, keeping her within his sight so she couldn’t leave.

Sometimes taking her for walks to see the outside.

That kind of twisted, yet deep love.

For her, ‘love’ was only that way.

“Quickly… the sacrifice…”

Carlson, staggering, contorted his face.

Scarlett silently began to gather magic in her body.

Burning all her remaining life force, she condensed the magic of life into her heart.

If she left Carlson like this, he would find Cecil in some way.

Then, the freedom she had finally found would be in vain.

‘I’m such a disgusting person.’

She couldn’t let that happen.

“Sacrifice… Sacri-“

Chwarararak-

“Kuaaaaaaaak!!”

Then, a translucent arm wrapped around Carlson’s drooling body.

Scarlett closed her eyes and exhaled her last breath.

“You… you damned bitch…!”

“To Young Lady… I can’t… go…”

Huiiiiiiing-

A green wind brushed past Carlson’s venomous eyes.

The wind slowly gathered around Scarlett,

Kagagagag-

The life-force-infused gale began to tear apart everything around it.

“Scarleeett!!”

Carlson, finally sensing something amiss, struggled.

But the arms wrapped around his body didn’t budge.

Scarlett finally closed her eyes.

A chill spread through her body, and her consciousness faded.

It was a truly selfish thought, she knew,

But she hoped this action would be a small atonement for her.

Kagagagag!

The gale tore apart everything in the room,

And Carlson’s body scattered in all directions.

“No… no…”

He muttered, reaching his hands towards the sky.

His blood-stained eyes were fixed on something.

What was the last thing Carlson saw before he lost everything?

Finally, his body crumbled and disappeared,

And Scarlett’s body slumped.

Her face, having finally lost her life,

Held a faint smile.