Chapter 124: A Battle of Sincerity
Later, I finally discovered why I had been able to return safely. Essentially, Gunther and Isaac had ignored my orders. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“So, you’re ignoring my commands?”
Unfortunately, they both had valid excuses.
“Right, but my client is the Duke of Heilon.”
“So is my master.”
Isaac added more detail. “Actually, I haven’t done much. The Saintess and… Gunther did it all.”
“Did you manage to get rid of the Darkness, Lady Eunice?”
The cute heroine shook her head. “No, but I was able to create a very small gap—just enough for someone to go in and save you.”
So that was the whole story. Eunice used her power, and Gunther quickly went in and pulled me out of the Darkness. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
That was good; it meant there was still hope since she could do something about the Darkness.
Eunice grabbed my hand, her expression very worried. “Lady Fiona, to be honest, my heart dropped when I saw you at that time. I was really worried that something had gone wrong. You were unconscious…”
Isaac added, “Not only were you unconscious, Miss, but your body temperature was also very low.”
Gunther gave a blunt conclusion in a dull voice, “In a nutshell, you were like a half-corpse.”
“….” It turned out my condition was quite serious. I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, as long as you’re safe.”
Isaac grinned. “I doubt that Duke Heilon and Prince Sigren would think the same.”
“Please keep it a secret from the Duke.”
“I wouldn’t dare keep it a secret from the Duke.”
How annoying.
Anyway, everything went well, so it didn’t matter. After that, I received a lot of thanks from everyone—both the academy researchers and the soldiers and knights. To be honest, I felt rather embarrassed hearing their praise. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Aside from this incident, the monster subjugation itself was completed. Due to my physical condition, the delegation took a break in the city, specifically at the castle of the estate owner, Marquis Relton. We stayed for one day before heading back. Fortunately, Marquis Relton welcomed us and even invited us to dinner. It was only natural since we had helped him deal with the troubles in his estate.
When I recalled the subjugation, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. It had been dangerous from the beginning to the middle, but it ended well. I also gathered more information than I expected. I discovered that Eunice’s power held potential and that there was even a slight possibility I could control the Darkness.
To be honest, the realization that I might be able to control the Darkness lingered in my mind for a while. In the original plot, Fiona had failed to control it, so I couldn’t help but wonder: we shared the same body and the same talent, so what was the difference?
Then, for a moment, the memory of being in the Darkness flashed before my eyes. My lungs tightened, and for a second, I struggled to breathe. All the hairs on my body stood on end as I recalled how cold it was inside. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. My body shook as I remembered the pain I had endured there, as if every inch of me was being stabbed with needles.
Soon, I took a deep breath, calming myself. I then remembered hearing a woman’s voice right before I lost consciousness. However, due to the ringing in my ears, I couldn’t quite make out what she had said.
Was it just my imagination? I shrugged my shoulders, muttering, “Why does this feel like a horror movie?”
I wanted to ignore it, but I couldn’t help but be concerned.
***
Sigren’s mind was still not in the right place, even after he arrived at the marquis’s castle and rested. The fact that he had nearly lost Fiona shook his sanity. The memory kept replaying in his mind: the sound of the emergency trumpet echoing through the forest, the terrible sight of the Darkness, and Fiona’s limp body. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
When that emergency trumpet sounded from the forest, his heart dropped into his stomach. A trumpet blast signaled that something very bad had happened. However, before he could even return to headquarters, he witnessed the horror unfold right in front of his eyes. The terrible scene was visible from his vantage point. When he finally reached the people at headquarters, his mind went blank, and his chest tightened, making it hard to breathe when he saw Fiona’s lifeless form.
He felt his heart stop beating every time her limp body appeared in his thoughts.
“Sigren.”
A voice broke the terrible memories that kept replaying in his mind. When he looked up, Fiona was watching him curiously.
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
Sigren gazed at Fiona in silence. There was no trace of the pale blue complexion he had seen before. Remembering how she had looked then, his voice came out curtly without him realizing it.
“Don’t worry about me; take care of yourself.”
Fiona laughed. “I’m okay, though.”
Somehow, this only irritated Sigren more. No matter what happened, Fiona always had something positive to say—“I understand,” “I’m okay,” “Don’t worry…”
“Sigren, are you in a bad mood?” Fiona asked anxiously, noticing his strange calmness. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
“Sure…”
The two walked along a quiet trail. Although Fiona had invited him for a walk to lift his spirits, the scenery failed to capture his attention. His eyes kept following her back. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Sigren was frustrated with his own calm demeanor. What had happened to Fiona felt like a punch to the gut. He had thought that by volunteering, he could keep her safe, just as he had in Heilon. He had believed that everything would be fine as long as he could protect her from the dangers that constantly surrounded her there.
But it turned out he was overconfident. And he even almost lost her without knowing it. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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