Chapter 91: A Fool’s Love (10)

[91] 13. A Fool’s Love (10)

Woof woof!!

(This chapter contains some more gore and gross language…!!!

Please keep this in mind as you read…!!!)

***

“Haa… Haah…”

Rem looked down at his legs while breathing heavily. Though thin and bony, they were still doing their job.

And exactly one centimeter away from them…

Feya’s axe gleamed in the torchlight.

“That almost ruined my fun.”

And, what stood between the leg and the axe was none other than the prince’s sword.

Rem’s eyes, which had been staring at the sword blankly, turned to Feya,

She was frozen mid-swing, her dull eyes wandering aimlessly.

“W-What did you do…?”

“How devoted, to be more worried about your woman’s well-being than your own in a situation like this.”

“S-Stop changing the subject and answer me…!”

The prince shrugs and sheathed his sword. Then, a somewhat intoxicated voice flows from his mouth.

“I’ve met many people in my life. Some were great, some were pathetic, and most were ordinary. However, despite all those differences, they were all the same in one aspect.”

A smile creeps onto Adolf’s lips.

“They all crumble.”

A disconnected statement that made Rem frown.

“Don’t keep changing the subject…!”

“And this is just a simple experiment to prove it.”

Adolf snatched the axe from Feya. Squatting down in front of Rem, he poked his thigh with a finger.

“I didn’t stop her from chopping off your leg out of kindness. Quite the opposite.”

Adolf grinned, baring his teeth. His figure, with his back to the torches, looked as if only floating flames were present.

“I want her to chop off your legs out of her own free will.”

***

To Feya, her father was closer to a natural disaster than a human. You could even say he was like a disease.

He’d summon her when her wounds healed, beat her up, beat her again, and then beat her some more.

Not once had they had a decent conversation or shared a meal together.

It had been different when her mother was still alive… maybe.

To her now, the current ‘father’ was just a walking, talking natural disaster.

That’s why Feya couldn’t help but feel terrified,

when her father summoned her the day after she’d been beaten.

Standing before her father’s tent, she looked down at her trembling hands. It wasn’t just because of her broken forearm.

“….”

Without realizing it, she closes her eyes tightly, and ominous thoughts swirled through her mind.

*Would it be easier if I just ran away and threw myself off a cliff. Maybe it would hurt less if I just cracked my head against a rock and died.*

Childish thoughts, but no less heavy.

However, these thoughts, as always, led to a single white fox.

Invincible.

A creature so fragile that it seemed like it would die if she were to accidentally step on him.

Her first and only friend, who’d only ever known training and recovery.

*Who’s going to feed him if I’m gone?*

Feya opened her eyes and stepped into the tent, taking a deep breath.

“You’re here.”

A voice, slurred with alcohol. And empty bottles of alcohol strewn across the floor. Not a good sign.

Feya swallowed nervously and tightened her grip on her axe.

“Yes, Father.”

“Feya, do you even know?”

Her father got up from his seat and walked towards her. He was still holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand.

Knowing what was coming, Feya closed her eyes.

*Smash-*

“You are a useless bitch.”

Of what flowed from her head, the cold was alcohol, and the warm was blood. Feya barely managed to steady her swaying body, but it was a futile attempt.

“Seven years, I’ve trained you for seven fucking years!”

*Thwack-!*

This time, it was her face. Feya crashed onto the floor like a pile of shit. She could taste the blood in her mouth along with her teeth rattling.

“And yet, all you’ve learned is how to get beaten up without feeling pain.”

“F-Father, please, stop…”

This time, it was her stomach.

It was as if all the blood vessels had been blocked, her thoughts came to a halt. Feya couldn’t even scream, she simply gasped for air.

Abuse and insults rained down on her like a storm.

“Don’t you hate the Empire that killed your mother?! Don’t you hate the knights who shattered your father’s leg?!”

Not at all.

Feya answered inwardly, even though her mind was hazy.

The war between the Derin and the Empire happened when she was just a baby. Feya didn’t even know what her mother looked like.

The only thing she could remember was this:

What was raining down on her right now.

What had been crushing her life for the past seven years.

“You spineless! You moronic piece of trash!!”

The pain, her consciousness now gradually fading away. A comforting darkness enveloped her.

Feya embraced it, closing her eyes, seeking a brief escape.

“And you even get attached to this damn beast.”

But life wouldn’t allow her that comfort.

“Kiyang-!”

A white shape illuminates her darkening vision. The red spreading from it pierces her brain.

“In…vin…cible…?”

“What did you do with this? Did you use it as a pillow? Did you have it lick your holes?”

“W-Wait, Father…”

Her father’s foot was raised high in the air. A sense of foreboding welled up in her chest.

“A warrior doesn’t need things like this.”

*Crunch*. It was a sound similar to a warrior with armor falling. A faint crunching sound, followed shortly by a long, long scream.

Red bits of flesh paint a mottled pattern on Feya’s face.

“Especially not you.”

Her father twisted his foot. The snow white fur was now dyed red.

Hatred leaves wounds, and hardship leaves scars.

But death… death leaves a hole,

A hole that can’t be filled, a hole that can’t be forgotten.

And from that hole, a flame arose.

“____!!”

Feya charged at her father with a beastly cry.

“Finally, you’re starting to look like a warrior!”

*Thwack-!*

“But still immature.”

Feya rolled on the floor from a blow landing on her stomach. But she got back up immediately. Even while gasping for air, she grips her axe again.

“Ahahaha! Good! Come at me! Attack me like a true warrior…!!”

It was then that a shard of glass from the bottle she’d secretly been keeping flew towards her father’s eye.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, he covered his face with his hands, leaving his chest and lower body exposed. Feya pulled back her axe with all her might.

And then, Feya’s axe traced its most familiar trajectory.

The optimal path, a path she would unconsciously follow even when she was just pounding away at a training dummy.

Her father’s left leg, the leg that was injured during the war.

The snow-white blade swung towards it.

And a terrible scream slid down the walls of the tent.

“…My leg…! My leg…!!”

His eyes, bloodshot, turned towards his two legs that were rolling on the floor. Then he looks at the culprit with eyes full of blood.

“You bitch…!”

*Wham-*

A small fist slammed into his face. He raised his hand to strike her, but a kick landed on his stomach.

“Kuh, kueok…! W-Wait…”

Feya twisted his arm and climbs on top of him. And then she began to pummel his face with her fists.

“S-Stop…!”

She continued.

“I-I’m sorry…”

She continued.

“Uuughh…”

She continued.

“UWAAAAAH!! AAAAAAAARGH!!”

And ironically, she looked

exactly like her father when he was beating her.

And thus, the Great Chieftain received 7 years worth of tough love in the exact same way.

…

…

…

There is no flame that burns forever, and it was the same for anger. With each punch that soaked her fists in blood, her anger was chipped away.

And finally…

“Haah… Haah…”

… It died down completely, leaving only ashes.

Feya looked down at the result of her rage.

Her father, beaten to a pulp.

The entire tent soaked in blood.

And her hand, still tingling from the feeling of crushing flesh and bones.

A scene like a snapshot of a nightmare.

And what filled the space that anger had vacated was fear.

Her hands and shoulders began to tremble, and her voice, cracked with confusion, was barely audible.

“I-I didn’t m-mean to…”

“I heard screaming from here!”

Feya, her shoulders trembling, looked at the entrance to the tent. As footsteps approached, silhouettes appeared on the tent walls.

Feya looked back at the inside of the tent:

Her father, beaten to a pulp.

The tent soaked in blood.

And her hands and axe, stained with that blood.

Perhaps, there was only one thing a 13-year-old could do in that situation.

Feya ran away.

Away from her father, away from the Great Divide, away from her homeland.

…

…

…

Time is a merciless wave that erases many things.

As time passed, she was able to let go of many things.

The nightmares of her father, the sensation of crushing his bones with her hands, the fear that there might be pursuers from the Great Divide, and the longing for her homeland, a place she barely remembered to begin with.

But there were things that remained despite it all.

The first was the trajectory of her axe when she had chopped off her father’s leg.

Her habit of aiming for the legs, a habit that had become ingrained in her body, grew worse with each fight. Before long, she had earned the nickname ‘Dwarf Maker’ for only cutting off her enemies’ legs.’

It wasn’t exactly a nickname she liked, but… it was better than ‘Leg Collector’, so she just went with it.

The second was a hole,

the hole that had been left behind when Invincible died.

At first, it had been just a round hole, but as time passed, it gradually took the shape of a fox. And it made its presence known, no matter what Feya did.

*Here.*

*You’re empty here.*

It screamed.

It turned her life into something incomplete.

Of course, it’s not that she didn’t try to fill that hole. She bought extravagant things with the money she earned as a mercenary, and even threw herself into the thrill of battle.

But they were all useless.

The hole simply grew bigger.

Being a barbarian, an outsider, made it even worse.

Then she met a man.

A man who, before losing his memory, had been an amazing opponent.

A man who, after losing his memory, was just fragile.

A man so fragile and so tired of being hated that he had foolishly become dependent on his enemy.

Of course, Feya knew that it wasn’t love but dependence. She also knew it was an emotion that would vanish once his memories returned.

But, for the first time, Feya felt as if that hole had been filled.

Because what he offered fit perfectly into the fox-shaped hole, and it felt as if she was getting back what she’d lost long ago.

She…

[Right, I get it now. So how about we… Change this up a bit?]

“This bitch… You dare to aim for my legs?”

Her father’s voice. For the first time in six years.

Feya was bewildered and tried to get up.

But she couldn’t.

“Huh…?”

Her bewildered eyes landed on her own legs. In place of her once long legs were blunt thighs.

“This…”

“You still haven’t learned your lesson!”

Her father’s foot slammed into her temple. Confusion bounced around the inside of her skull along with her brain.

*What the hell is going on?*

*Why is my leg suddenly…*

That’s when it happened.

Her eyes darting around in confusion landed on one spot.

The place where Invincible had been turned into a pile of meat.

And the place where life was beating once more.

Invincible’s shattered bones were crudely reconnected. Fur, skin, and flesh connect indistinguishably.

What was completed in the end was a grotesque abomination.

A cruel replica modeled after Invincible.

It walked toward the fallen Feya with resentful eyes. Its jagged teeth glistened, wet with blood.

“Shit.”

It was then that Feya realized this was an illusion.

Bewilderment vanished and anger takes its place.

“You damn bitch…! Where did you get such…”

“Shut up.”

She might have lost her legs, but her arms were still intact. Feya pulled the Great Chieftain’s legs to make him lie down, then snap his neck with her hands.

Taking advantage of that moment, the fake ‘Invincible’ lunged toward her, but Feya easily caught it. With a sad expression, she turned it back into a pool of blood.

[Disappointing.]

Suddenly the scenery shifted.

A world of darkness where the sky and the earth are one.

Realizing that her legs had grown back, Feya stood up. Glaring at the empty space, she shouted,

“Come out!! You coward!! Stop messing with my eyes with your childish illusions!!”

[Right, right, so you’ve overcome the nightmares of your past.]

Adolf emerged as if floating up from the black void. He stroked his chin with a regretful expression.

[I was going to show you a future where you’re trapped under your father. I thought maybe ten years as a crippled livestock would break your mind… but it seems I’ve failed. Well, an undead pet was a bit too much…]

*Crack-!*

Adolf’s head snapped to the side as the axe pierced his skull. Feya shoots a murderous glare at him.

“Shut up and let me out of here. Before I tear you apart and kill you again and again.”

[Don’t worry, I’ll let you out when you’re ready.]

Adolf removes the axe from his head while straightening his neck. However, there wasn’t even a trace of where the axe had been embedded in his face, let alone blood.

[Let’s try something simpler this time.]

He smiled faintly and then snapped his fingers.

The scene shifts again.

Feya suddenly found herself tied up.

Right next to her was a deep pit where the darkness that pooled inside seemed to be constantly writhing.

[It’s a lonely pit where insects of all sorts has gathered.]

Adolf smiles as he puts his foot on Feya’s back.

The pit full of insects.

Her body bound tightly.

Feya could guess what was coming.

Her heart pounded, and cold sweat trickled down her body.

[If you fall in… Well, you won’t die like a human, that’s for sure.]

Adolf’s red eyes looked down at her.

[So, I’ll ask you. In exchange for releasing you from this dream, will you chop off that Rem’s legs with your own hands?]

Feya’s eyes trembled slightly at those words.

But this wasn’t because she was tempted.

“You really think I’d do that? You dumbass?”

Feya smirked and sneered. Then she stuck out her tongue and threw herself into the pit.

“See you in hell, bastard.”

And then she was swallowed by the writhing darkness.

…

…

…

“Bleurgh!”

As soon as Feya came to her senses, she bent over and vomited. She frantically scratched at her body.

Countless legs and antennae.

She tried to somehow tear off their sensation from her skin.

Thoughts and judgments came later.

Feya only stopped scratching and vomiting when half of her body was covered in blood.

“Haa… Haah…”

[Humans tend to underestimate experiences they haven’t gone through themselves.]

Feya’s eyes turned to Adolf, who was leisurely drinking wine. Adolf continued speaking with a smile.

[How was it? Being loved by poisonous insects?]

“You son of a bitch…!!”

As she was about to charge, chains suddenly appeared out of thin air, binding her. She was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

[Let’s try this again.]

Adolf poured the wine he was drinking over her head. Then, he took out a match from his pocket and struck it.

A scarlet flame flickered in the darkness.

The image burned into Feya’s eyes like a scar.

[They say being burned alive is the most painful way to die. And in my experience, it’s the most effective.]

Adolf’s eyes narrowed.

[I’ll ask you again. Will you chop off Rem’s legs with your own two hands?]

“Haa… Haah…”

Feya’s breaths quickened, and fear filled her eyes. Her trembling hands muffled the scream that has risen to her throat.

“Eat… Shit…”

But even so, her answer was firm.

Adolf smiled and tossed the match at her.

…

…

…

Feya woke up, but she wasn’t awake.

“______!”

In the lingering echoes of pain, she made animal sounds while thrashing about. She banged her head on the ground, gasping for air.

[I’ll ask you again.]

Feya raised her head.

Adolf was standing before her, holding a sharp dagger. It was the dagger they used to skin criminals.

[Will you cut off Rem’s legs?]

Tears finally flow from Feya’s eyes. Her body, gripped by fear, trembles faintly.

“…No…”

But even so, Feya shook her head.

Adolf nodded, the corners of his eyes curving.

[Then let’s try this again.]

And so, death repeated itself.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Until she crumbled.

***

(Inside Adolf’s lucid dream, Feya is clinging to Adolf, crying.)

Feya: (Pleading) I was wrong, my lord! Please end this pain! Please, just kill me!

Adolf: (With a benevolent smile) You know what you must do to achieve that.

Feya: I’ll do it! I’ll cut off Rem’s legs!

Adolf: With your own hands?

Feya: Yes!

Adolf: Of your own free will?

Feya: Yes!

Adolf: (Smiling brightly) This is how another person justifies my sin! Humans are creatures that only care about themselves, after all! I am not the only sinner! I was merely a victim of circumstance!

Come now, my self-portrait! Take my hand!

I’ll let you out of this place!

(Feya clings to Adolf’s hand. Adolf, pulling her along, leaves the dream.)

(The campsite, illuminated by the dawn. Feya opens her eyes. She looks around and then bursts into tears.)

Rem: (Confused) Feya…?

Adolf: (Striking a dramatic pose) Come now, barbarian! Put aside the joy of your return and fulfill your promise! Raise your axe! Prove your desperation!

(Feya picks up her axe… Trembling, she approaches Rem.)

Rem: Feya…?

Feya: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. (She starts to cry.) But there’s no other way. It hurts so much. I can’t bear it anymore. I can’t…

Rem: (Smiling) It’s okay.

(Rem rolls up his pant legs.)

Rem: If it’s for Feya, it’s okay.

(Feya sobs. But her hands steadily lift the axe… The axe soars into the sky. It gleams coldly, capturing the sky brightening with dawn.)

(And then, with a scream, the curtains fall.)

***

Rem didn’t faint.

His hands cupped Feya’s cheeks, who was staring at his severed legs. Making her look at his pale face, he smiled weakly.

“I love you.”

Tears and blood, indistinguishable, flowed down Feya’s cheeks. Rem wiped them away with his thumb and chuckled softly.

“From… the moment I first saw you, I’ve always felt this way…”

Rem’s eyes became unfocused. His hands, which had been holding her cheeks, went limp.

“So…it’s…o…ka… y…”

His eyes slowly closed.

“I don’t…blame…”

Finally, his voice faded into the dawn.

Love is a disease with a long incubation period.

It grows without you knowing, and then one day, it makes its presence known. It shakes your heart and clouds your mind.

When you come to your senses, the word ‘love’ is engraved in your brain.

It was at that moment, Feya realized that she loved Rem.

Only after succumbing to the illusion and cutting off his two legs.

Only after hearing his confession.

And so, Feya descended into hell.