Chapter 175: Oath
Because there was so much going on, we were able to tour the gemstone mine a little later than we had expected. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Please, look at this diamond.”
The village chief happily showed me a red gemstone.
“If we polish it, this red gemstone will be as pretty as Miss’s eyes.”
It was a red gemstone. Wasn’t it very expensive? I wasn’t an expert on jewelry, but I couldn’t imagine the price for something this big. I had heard that sometimes there were gems that were considered ‘priceless,’ though I didn’t know if such a thing could be found here.
Sigren just stared at the gemstone without any signs of particular joy.
“I guess I’ll have to find a skilled expert.”
“Definitely, Your Highness.”
What a gemstone! We would have to strengthen the village’s security in the future. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
We concluded our tour of the mine with that thought in mind.
As I wandered around the village, the children followed me, including the kid who called me a fairy and asked me to find Eze. The children begged me to go to the mountain and pick fruit, and I obediently became their guardian on this little adventure.
“Don’t go too far.”
Fortunately, the children seemed familiar with the mountain.
“Do you guys come here often?”
“Yes, to find something to eat!”
Since this had been a poor village, even the children probably had to wander around looking for food. They dared to do so because it wasn’t a place where monsters often appeared. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I followed the children, who ran around like flying squirrels. As we walked, the kids occasionally handed me small fruits.
“No matter what, don’t stray too far from me.”
“Yes!”
As I climbed up a small mound, I could see the surrounding scenery at a glance. It was a place of quite beautiful views. Let’s take Sigren here for another visit before we leave.
I squinted my eyes and looked into the distance. Dark clouds were vaguely visible on the horizon.
Dark clouds? Is it going to rain?
But for some reason, I felt uneasy. A familiar terror gripped me. I had felt this horrible fear before. My body’s survival instinct kicked in before my mind could even process it. This was not an ordinary dark cloud.
“Eze! KIDS! GO BACK TO THE VILLAGE!”
At that moment, I quickly tried to recall how I had blocked it last time, but I realized that Eunice was not on my side this time. Back then, I had Gunther and Eunice to help me save my life. Now, I could only slow down the Darkness by myself.
“GO AND TELL EVERYONE THAT THE DARKNESS IS COMING!”
“What about the fairy?!”
“I’ll follow behind, so go first!”
The kids knew the way back better than I did. Seeing the urgency in my expression, they quickly ran toward the village.
If the Darkness continued on its path, it would surely wipe out the village in an instant. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
In my mind, I recalled the image of the village devastated by the Darkness the other day and the people who hadn’t even been able to leave their bodies behind. It would be the same here when that happened. The smiling faces of the children and the gentle expression of the chief flashed in my mind.
Could I stop it?
But at this moment, I couldn’t count on luck to save me as I had last time, since Eunice and the others weren’t with me now. I might truly die this time.
‘Even if I go to the village, I will still die since the Darkness would come for me anyway.’
This wasn’t a noble attitude of self-sacrifice.
Ah, I had to do it for as many people as possible to survive.
My heart pounded as my body reacted before my mind could catch up. Read the translation on ladygrey.com.
I couldn’t believe I was in this situation right after I had finally engaged to my lover. If this were a novel, this death flag would be a situation worth complaining about.
Why hadn’t I paid more attention to the Darkness? I had somehow become negligent in my vigilance. With so much on my plate, I had relied on the news of Eunice’s growing power and forgotten what truly mattered.
Regardless, even if I had been more vigilant, it wouldn’t change the fact that I couldn’t stop it, especially since it appeared randomly.
As I was lost in thought for a moment, the Darkness drew closer. I wondered if Sigren and the other villagers were running away after the kids spread the warning.
I summoned all my magic power to create a massive barrier. I wasn’t sure if something like this could slow it down.
Bang! There was a heavy crash against the wall of magic. As a mage, I felt a strong pressure.
[—]
My ears buzzed. It felt different this time compared to when the Darkness approached before.
[—!]
I could hear something. A cold sweat dripped from my forehead. This time, I focused my mind on the sound, refusing to dismiss it as a hallucination. I wouldn’t miss anything. What did the Darkness want to say to me?
[…ah]
It seemed they sensed me too. The Darkness suddenly closed the distance between us. It was completely different from last time. The Darkness quickly approached, gradually compressing itself. The pitch-black energy of death extinguished the life around me, but eventually, it took form in front of me. It radiated a black aura but appeared as a woman. Perhaps because she had shrunk her figure, I found it hard to breathe, but I didn’t feel like I was going to die as I had before. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I can do this if it is like this.
The Darkness, now in the shape of a woman, stared at me blankly.
[I found you.]
It was a strange but familiar voice. Just as the woman recognized me, I also recognized her. I murmured her name.
“Fiona….”
My mind was flooded with incomprehensible information. Why was she here? Was it really Fiona? What about me?
[I found you. I found you. I found you. I found you.]
She murmured like a child.
[I’ve been looking for you all this time. I finally found you.]
I realized one thing: if I were Fiona, I would hate myself so much. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!
