Chapter 11 : Can't Escape (2)
*****
Empress dowager mansion. Standing in the middle of the basement, she took a close look at what was surrounding her
Squishy blood stains filled the dark floor.
The smell of fishy blood filled her lungs, but the empress dowager did not frown even once, as if she was used to it. Just as no one would distort her expression at the scent of flowers she smelled while walking down the street, the smell was no different to her.
The fresh blood that had just been exposed to the air did not just stain the floor, but was drawing some kind of pattern.
The picture, made up of bizarre and mysterious curves and straight lines, was like a spider web extending from her. Her blue eyes, standing among the grotesque blood and looking down at the floor, were filled with a certain expectation and desire.
How hard she worked to make this.
When she confirmed once again that the continuous red lines were perfect without any deviation, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face.
It was a magic circle that she completed with all her heart and soul.
The magic circle created with this blood was completed by mobilizing all the information she had, including information passed down from ancient times and the power of the monsters she summoned.
The most perfect magic that will grant the wish she have been longing for.
It was the magic that would absorb Regina into her.
Historically, many people have tried various methods to take away the healing abilities. They killed people with abilities to take a bath with that blood, and ate human meat.
But so far none of them have been able to steal the power properly, meaning most of them have failed.
One of the reasons was that talented people went into hiding to avoid the massacre.
With no one to use as a material, such an experiment could not have been successful.
Those who were able risked their lives to conceal their ability to heal or to flee to the place where their group lived in hiding. The number of people gathered to escape the killings was so large that it almost formed a village
After that, as time passed, the blood of the ability passed down from generation to generation faded. Nowadays there is no reason to take big risks.
But Regina was different.
It was like a miracle to put the decapitated head back together in the blink of an eye. No, it was a miracle.
Wouldn't she be a fool to miss out on this wonderful opportunity when she was right in front of her?
If this magic was activated properly, the existence of Regina would completely disappear from the face of the earth, which was out of empress dowager attention. Even if there are sacrifices from others, the most important thing is to pursue your own path.
She has to take care of her own life. If she was to die at her hands because she was incapable, that was the end of Regina life.
Empress dowager fluttered her long lowered eyelashes a few times and walked gracefully, like flowing water. There was no change in that thought.
Everything is ready. Now that the magic circle has been inspected, all it has to do is for the person waiting to arrive
She left the room carefully so that the hem of her dress would not sweep away blood stains. As she stepped outside, her aide was waiting to greet her.
“A letter has arrived from Duke Allegrand.”
The aide held out to empress dowager what was placed on the silver tray. It was a letter from Duke Allegrand. Perhaps it was about the military.
When she picked up the letter and checked, as expected, the story about it filled the letter. It was said that the soldiers who escaped Ruairi's eyes were prepared as planned, and that they would march as the commanded.
"Tell them to come."
Now was the opportunity without Arsene. To be distracted by his fiancée and leave at such a time was unacceptable.
But thanks to that, a very good situation was created for them.
The empress dowager roughly placed the letter back on the silver tray and tried to walk away. However, her aide's words caught her for a moment.
"And it is said that Regina Blois will soon board a ship heading to the East Continent. I think we will be able to catch her soon. As soon as we are successful, we will move her here immediately."
The blue-haired aide relayed the reports received from those who chased Regina to the empress dowager. It was said that they had just arrived in Anardal.
Listening to it, empress dowager made eye contact with her aide and spoke firmly.
"This time, you'll have to deal with it without making any mistake."
If she miss this opportunity, she doesn't know how long she will have to wait until that moment comes again. Moreover, since they are planning to visit the imperial palace soon, if she have Regina's abilities before then, it will definitely be helpful in handling the matter.
If it fails again, she should consider the punishment for them.
Upon noticing her thoughts, the aide nodded with a firm face.
At that time, something like a black mist swirled from from the empress dowager feet.
What came out of the darkness was the monster she had summoned.
No matter how you look at it, something that did not have a human shape was hovering around in a half-mist shape, whispering something. The aide couldn't hear a word, but the empress dowager seemed to understand and lowered her eyes slightly.
"Yeah, it's already time."
She patted what seemed to be its head as if she understood and then walked away. Her black dress, which seemed to be always mourning its death, swept across the hall like a wave.
“My sweetie says she’s hungry. I need to go feed her.”
"I'll prepare it right away."
The aide was about to leave to go get the monster's 'food'. But a light gesture stopped him.
“No, I have to go out myself today.”
Now, she need to let this child see the outside.
*****
Regina and Cyril arrived in Anardal a little later than expected. It seems Regina may have eaten breakfast incorrectly, as she felt a little sick midway through the journey.
Since she wasn't feeling well and had to rest from time to time, Regina had no choice but to naturally slow down. Moreover, the faster she ran, the worse her complexion became, and Cyril consciously slowed down.
"But we've arrived."
Regina, a little haggard, tried hard to raise the corners of her mouth.
Anyway, they set foot in the port city. She could tell that from the smell mixed in the wind.
Thanks to the sea, the view was wide open. A large ship's mast could be seen in the harbor in the distance, and many people were moving about.
"Shall we take a break?"
Cyril offered Regina a rest, looking almost as if she were going to flow down from the horse. She would have to travel around a bit to sell her horse and buy the ticket, which he did not think would be possible in her current condition.
"Well, let's do that."
Regina did not refuse and nodded quickly. Once she gets on the ship, she will have to cross the turbulent sea for a long time. She wanted to get her feet on solid ground before she climbed onto something again.
Since Anardal is a port city, there was a lot of floating population. That meant that it was crowded no matter where you went. Regina and Cyril looked around and finally found a seat at a restaurant.
Sitting among the bustling people, they ordered a simple dish and ate. Because of her troubles, she chose soup.
Regina felt like she would survive because she calmed her stomach with a warm soup and soaked her throat with lukewarm water. After recovering some energy, she and Cyril sold her horses and went to buy a boarding ticket.
As Anardal is famous as a port city, its scale was very large. There were a lot of ships anchored, and there were also large ships that were hard to find anywhere else.
Naturally, there were many people working as well. The merchant seemed to be moving logistics, carrying large loads, and a rough-looking sailor shouted something at the person inspecting the ship.
In the midst of the bustling commotion, Regina found a ship to give her a ride.
Usually, other ports put people on ships carrying cargo, but here there was a ship that only carried passengers.
However, since it was her first time here, Regina hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do. The first problem she had was where to buy tickets.
Fortunately, Cyril led her as she wondered if he had ever been on a boat here and bought a ticket. It was even cheaper than the stated price for what was done.
Regina asked, fiddling with the ticket she had easily obtained.
"But Cyril, weren't you here for something to see? I appreciate your help, of course, but I'm afraid I'm disturbing you."
"You can think about that after you go, so don't worry. I still have a lot of time."
He was very kind to someone he met by chance and happened to accompany her here. He wasn't the only one. Duchess Haynes was like that too, and so were Isota and Kai. It was to the point where she could truly believe that it was a path arranged by God.
If God appeared in front of her, she would have slapped him, but she changed her mind a little. Still, Regina grateful that she met a good person.
After purchasing a boarding ticket, she prepared the necessary items on the ship. Of course, they said they would prepare basic meals, but you never know.
They shopped around the shopping district and walked to where the ship was docked at the time it was scheduled to depart.
Usually, ships depart during the day around sunrise, but strangely, this ship was scheduled to depart at sunset.
Because of that, the sea was now slowly turning red. The rippling waves caught the light and sparkled dizzyingly.
Now it was really the last time. It meant that it was time to part with Cyril.
Regina, who was walking along the road facing the sea while having a casual chat with him, opened her mouth with difficulty.
"I'll come back again."
Regina didn't know if she would be able to keep the promise she made to Isota and Kai that she would come back, but it was still a possibility.
If Regina thought she had completely outdone the chasing Arsene, she'll be able to come back to Misbrunn.
If she come and look for Cyril then, will she be able to meet him?
Regina felt sentimental for no reason after breaking up with everyone.
But there was something strange about Cyril.
He was so preoccupied that he didn't even seem to notice what she was saying.
Looking up, Regina found Cyril staring into the air in the distance.
"Cyril?"
"Shhush."
Pink eyes widened as a hand came close to cover her mouth. She looked around her to see what was happening, but she couldn't feel anything.
But the next moment, as she paid close attention to him, she was able to figure out why Cyril was acting strangely.
"......!"
There was a figure approaching, close enough for her to feel. And not just one, but many.
'Arsene? Are they Arsene's people?'
One of the hiding men stepped in front of them as he grabbed a sword tied to his waist.
Wearing black clothes and a mask, it seemed to anyone that he had bad intentions. However, the attitude was so polite that it confused her.
“We're sorry to see you like this. We have business with her, so we would appreciate it if you could leave."
They seemed to know who Cyril was and advised him to get out of the way to avoid harm. But he was not one to say yes and back down.
"I'm sorry to hear that. But I don't want to. "
"Then, excuse me for a moment."
Even though he answered in a voice that somehow sounded sarcastic, he calmly asked for his understanding.
They also appeared one by one, perhaps not expecting Cyril to quietly move away.
Regina quickly looked at them, and she came to a conclusion.
These people weren't Arsene's people.
Of course, she had not met all of Arsene's men, but she could tell by feeling. There was an atmosphere created by many people gathering together.
Their atmosphere is a bit....
Suddenly, the memory of when she was kidnapped came to mind. The atmosphere when she was attacked while riding a carriage and taken away by the empress dowager.
When Regina thought they were empress dowager men, a red light came on in her heads. She was so focused on avoiding Arsene that she didn't think about it. If the empress dowager had heard the news, it was not unreasonable to chase after her.
Regina drew her sword. The sound of metal rubbing against each other rang sharply.
As the number of masked people increased, her hands began to sweat. There were more people than she expected.
Regina doesn't know how good Cyril is at fighting, but she didn't think the two of them could get through this together.
'We should have part up long ago. Even Cyril got involved because of me.'
The thought that she had put the people around her in danger dominated her. She desperately hoped this wouldn't happen.
The black people slowly narrowed the distance. The streets turned red due to the sunset and reminded her of a puddle of blood. As if it were the future of this place
But it was then.
As she took her stance and prepared for the attack, another group appeared. It was a small number of people, but it was enough to raise awareness.
Regina was sure this time.
These are Arsene's people.
Looking back, the same thing happened last time.
At that time, she escaped empress dowager kidnapping attempt with their help. But right now, she didn't know if this was a good situation for her. You can make them fight among themselves, but anyway, they are the ones who came to catch her.
At once, she felt her hair standing on end.
If Arsene's men showed up here, what about Arsene?
The moment she thought that, she felt a presence right behind her.
It was a feeling she had felt once before. The man who suddenly appeared as if he had fallen from the sky. Like that....
“Ha.... I was really worried, Regina.”
There was a strange satisfaction in that voice.
======================
0 comments:
Post a Comment