Chapter 132: Their War 6

Assailed by the chilling sensation behind her, Durst found herself unable to move a single step, staring straight ahead.

“Th…Th…That’s… You see…”

“Hmm… Struggling to answer, are we?… Very well, shall I provide some assistance?”

“N…No! I’ll… I’ll speak! I’ll…urk!”

Ensnared by a terror she had never experienced before, a feeling as if her heart were being crushed, Durst nevertheless had no choice but to muster her willpower and continue speaking.

It was due to the bone-chilling sensation she felt emanating from her very skin.

A viscous, slimy presence harboring something cold and sharp within.

With each hesitation, it slowly slithered past her nape, its eerie touch utterly grotesque.

The aura of sharpness it exuded compelled her to cling to her sanity and keep talking.

Amidst the profound confusion and fear, scraping the depths of her willpower, Durst spilled everything she knew.

In the process, she found herself divulging the entire story…

Estelle’s suspicions, her own subsequent reactions and actions – she held nothing back.

‘Wha…What is this… Why has this happened to me…?’

Just moments ago, she had triumphantly apprehended Polena.

She had been certain this would remove the obstacle obstructing her brother’s path, reducing Polena to tears and pleas, while allowing Estelle to form a perfect household with Santana, as she desired.

However, in this moment, it was Durst herself shedding tears and voiceless screams, not Polena.

An overwhelming power that even she, a mid-level mage confident in combat, could not withstand.

Durst could not discern its identity or form.

There had been no instruction forbidding her from turning around.

Yet, at this moment, she lacked the courage to look behind her.

The mere sensation and primal instinct clawing at her mind had already reduced her to tatters.

If she were to behold its appearance now…

She knew all too well that the shock would exceed the limits she could endure.

And in this moment, she finally realized:

She had unwittingly disturbed the slumbering dragon’s whiskers.

“I see… So that’s how it unfolded…”

“Y…Yes… Th…That’s…correct…”

Durst responded in a dying voice to Polena’s measured tones.

Having gleaned all the information she sought, Polena reabsorbed the aura of sharpness intermingled with her mana.

Immediately after…

“Hurkk… hurkk… hurkk…”

Durst expelled ragged gasps, her appearance utterly wretched.

Although the oppressive presence had dissipated, its lingering effects left a profound sense of terror within her.

Thus, her entire body trembled as she silently wept, too overwhelmed to even cry out loud.

Observing Durst’s state, Polena once again wore a refreshing smile as she slowly advanced.

And then…

“Hiiikk!”

In the next moment, Polena gently placed her hand on Durst’s shoulder.

Durst instinctively let out a strangled groan at this action.

While her touch lacked the previous dreadful sensation, knowing the owner of this hand had so kindly shown her the depths of hell, Durst could no longer maintain her composure.

Her entire body began to convulse uncontrollably, as if seized by a fit.

Addressing the trembling Durst in her usual bright tone, devoid of the earlier chilling aura, Polena spoke:

“Thank you for your efforts. I am truly delighted to have had all my questions answered in this manner.”

“Uu…Uuu…”

“Truthfully, I was a bit perplexed at first, but listening to this… it seems to be quite an amusing tale. To think I would be mistaken for having such relations with Lord Santana. As his serving maid, I cannot decide whether to feel pleased or apologetic.”

With those words, Polena applied slight pressure to the hand resting on Durst’s shoulder.

“Kuhh!…”

Although the force was not particularly strong, a mere tightening of her fingers, it was enough to inflict a sense of oppression upon Durst akin to being stabbed.

Once again, she was seized by a convulsive fit bordering on an attack.

Leaning close, Polena spoke in a soft whisper beside Durst’s ear:

“However… such misunderstandings are still undesirable, are they not? Truthfully, it matters not to me, but I cannot allow harm to befall my master because of this.”

“Th…Th…That’s…correct!”

“In that regard, Lady Durst, I hope you will put some effort into addressing this matter. It was all a misunderstanding, and I am merely a servant attending to Lord Santana. You understand my meaning, do you not?”

“Y…Yes! I…I…under…stand. I’ll…do my ut…utmost to en…sure such an in…incident never oc…occurs again!”

“…Heheh… Yes, you must. We cannot have strange rumors circulating to vex our already busy master’s mind, can we?”

With those words, Polena lifted what felt like a ton weight off Durst’s shoulder.

Finally, she turned and departed down the corridor, eventually disappearing from Durst’s sight.

However, even after Polena’s departure, Durst could only remain seated on the floor, her body trembling for a while longer.

Despite the perpetrator’s absence, the lingering afterimage she left was enough to prevent Durst from turning around.

Nearly four hours passed before Durst finally regained some semblance of composure.

Only then, mustering what little courage she could scrape together, did she carefully turn to look behind her.

And what her eyes beheld:

Only the armed soldiers, lying unconscious on the floor exactly as they had been.

Having confirmed Polena’s complete withdrawal, Durst was at last able to rise unsteadily, calming her trembling heart.

Her mind, still steeped in terror, caused her entire body to shudder, hampering coherent thought.

Nevertheless, she had to somehow collect herself and go to Estelle.

Of course, this was not to recount her ordeal truthfully.

Although Polena had disappeared from sight, she was undoubtedly still lurking somewhere within the castle – that monster who so vastly surpassed even her father.

To survive her, Durst had no choice but to relay the story as Polena had commanded:

It was all a misunderstanding…

Polena was merely Santana’s servant, and Santana did not view her as a woman.

Whether this was truly the case mattered not.

What mattered was that the monster named Polena had instructed her to say so.

Thus, feeling as if a blade still pressed against her back at this very moment, Durst made every effort to compose herself before heading to Estelle.

And she spoke the words…

The story she had to tell, without raising any suspicions, for the sake of her survival:

It was all a misunderstanding…