Chapter 401: Interlude: Gold and Silver (6)

0% Seria was acting suspicious.

The moment I heard that news, I recalled the blood-stained letter.

Every written word glowed with a ghastly light–and its contents were just as horrifying.

How could she ask me to chop up her body and bury it in the ground?

In response to that madness-filled plea, I couldn’t say a thing.

Because the fate that awaited my beloved junior was too cruel to bear.

So, over and over I vowed: I would never allow Seria to suffer such an end, no matter what it took.

No matter what it took.

I still had a year’s grace period left.

Finding a way to save her within that time was all I needed to do. Perhaps we could somehow move towards a happy future if I succeeded.

But, deeply buried in my heart, there was a lingering unease I couldn’t shake off.

What if my choice was wrong?

My interference provoked Leoric. The minion of the Evil God awoke as a result and I managed to defeat him after a fierce battle

On the surface, nothing seemed amiss.

If not for the facts revealed in the blood-stained letter.

It said the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ were the source of the power that corrupted Leoric.

Since those letters from the future began arriving, I’d heard about those Seven Stars (of Sin?) a few times.

The first time was from Emma.

She insisted that time-reversing magic simply did not exist.

Yet, she left a cryptic possibility: perhaps it might work if one borrowed the power of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.

The stars symbolize seven sins created by Delphirem.

And I later heard about them again–from my future self..

They were tied to the Seven Commanders leading Omeros’ army.

Each one was said to be a monster who rivaled a Master in power.

The one that took Leoric as sacrifice was merely a seed of that power. Yet, it nearly brought the North to the brink of destruction.

And these words were also written in the blood-stained letter:

‘The power of the Seven Deadly Sins is like a curse. It never disappears and someone must always bear the burden of that sin.’

The Seven Deadly Sins never disappear.

They only wander, seeking new sacrifices.

Though I didn’t fully grasp the details, the letter implied Seria was bearing that sin. Judging by how often the term ‘monster’ appeared, it seemed the key trigger was her bloodline.

The bloodline of ‘vampires’.

If she inherited Demonic Human blood, known as the worst in history, it made sense.

So I had no choice but to run while gasping for air.

Has it already started?

The letter mentioned there was a grace period of about a year–but it didn’t specify the exact process of how Seria became like that. In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if something happened to her right now.

Due to impatience, my actions grew rough.

As soon as I stood in front of Seria’s room that the princess had pointed out, I flung the door open without knocking.

And inside, I saw her.

There she was–Seria, slurping a red drink through a straw–her eyes widened in shock.

“…..Ah.”

A brief silence hung between us.

We both froze–as if turned to stone–unable to move, our faces fixed in bewilderment.

Truth be told, it didn’t matter what she was drinking.

It wasn’t a crime to drink beverages while resting in one’s bedroom.

What froze us both was something else entirely.

Namely, the decorations scattered throughout Seria’s room.

If one were to list each item in detail, there would be nothing surprising.

There were just some dolls, portraits, and–if you had to single out something odd–a tattered piece of clothing.

But the problem was the uncanny uniformity among them.

Every portrait, every doll was clearly depicting someone.

A man with black hair and golden eyes.

That someone was me.

Even the tattered clothes placed at the head of the bed looked like the ones I’d worn..

The bloodstains here and there stirred my memories.

It was probably the uniform I wore just before being admitted to the intensive care unit.

As the scene imprinted itself unbidden onto my retina, the silence grew even deeper.

Finally, it was Seria who broke the ice.

Her hand began trembling and a glass soon clattered pitifully across the floor.

The spilled drink seemed to reflect her inner turmoil.

Her expression suggested that, just like the red liquid staining the floor, she might even vomit blood.

Her tightly shut eyes involuntarily twitched.

Desperate to salvage the situation, I stammered out a greeting.

“Long time no see, Seria… Did I catch you off guard? Have you been well…..?”

“P..please kill….”

It was a voice that forcibly held back tears.

Seria’s ears were turning bright red as she hung her head low. I couldn’t even imagine how much shame she felt.

So I had no choice but to silently watch what my junior was doing.

I didn’t know how to react.

Who was the victim here?

Me? Or Seria?

My thoughts became a jumbled mess because I couldn’t even figure that out.

Eventually, Seria untied the sword strapped to her waist.

And, respectfully holding the sword with both hands, she offered it to me.

“Please… kill me……”

At that request thrown with a sob, I rubbed my face with my hand.

It seemed to be my fault after all.

**

I sat down across from her.

It was after a desperate conversation in which we’d managed to clear up our misunderstandings. Still, Seria was still fidgeting and watching my reactions.

It couldn’t be helped.

All sorts of products related to me were displayed in Seria’s bedroom.

From tiny figurines to my portraits and even clothes.

I felt somewhat embarrassed

I’d always known Seria admired me.

If you faced those eyes shining with respect even once, there was no way you wouldn’t notice her feelings.

But I never imagined she liked me this much.

Stammering, Seria tried to explain herself.

“T-These are all mass-produced items!”

What did she mean by that?

When I blankly stared at her, she quickly added.

“I didn’t go out of my way to search for them–there’s a market, you see! So many students idolize Senior Ian… I couldn’t just pass by without buying something. I couldn’t let my admiration for Senior Ian be outdone!”

“I-I see.”

It was frankly incomprehensible..

No matter how much I’d accomplished recently, I was still just another student at the academy.

And let’s be real–my reputation wasn’t exactly stellar.

Thanks to all the insane stunts I’d pulled.

Yet, I apparently had fans now, and merchandise featuring my likeness was being sold.

It was news to me, and it honestly felt kind of surreal.

But Seria was so passionate in her explanation that I didn’t dare question her further.

“It must’ve sparked some competitive spirit… A-As you know, I have a tendency to get quite worked up sometimes.”

That was the end of her stammering excuse.

Seria’s blue eyes were glancing at my reactions.

She looked pitiful yet oddly adorable.

So, I smiled faintly as if nothing was wrong.

“Well, you’ve always had that side to you. Though you’ve gotten better lately.”

“Y-yes… Th-that’s right!”

Brightening at my neutral tone, Seria eagerly nodded.

Seeing that innocent smile put me at ease.

It seems the princess had made a mistake.

How could such a kind and pure junior become strange?

I decided to immediately apologize to Seria.

“Sorry, Seria. Did I startle you by showing up suddenly?”

“N-Not at all! Honestly, I was surprised, but I wanted to see Senior Ian too……”

“Her Highness the Princess asked me for help.”

At my words, she tilted her head.

She looked like she couldn’t even guess what I was on about.

As expected, I gave a wry smile.

“There seems to have been a misunderstanding. Um, Her Highness has… certain quirks.”

“Aah!”

That’s when Seria let out a strange exclamation.

It seemed something had just clicked for her. Her blue eyes blinked as she searched through some part of her memory.

“I remember running into her in the hallway today. My mind was complicated then, so I only briefly greeted her… but as soon as she saw me, she was startled and her body trembled violently.”

“…….Her body trembled?”

“Yes, I don’t know why… Maybe it was because I looked terrible at the time.”

As she said this, Seria showed a somewhat gloomy expression.

Her self-deprecating smile was particularly noticeable.

Had something happened?

I could’ve pressed her for details, but I strangely didn’t want to pry.

It was best to gloss over it and move on.

I didn’t know why, but my intuition was telling me so.

Anyway, I could ask the princess for more details later.

To lighten the mood, I decided to tease her instead.

“So, uh… Why do you have so many different dolls? They all look pretty similar to me.”

“Huh? N-No, they’re not!”

Seria immediately raised her voice at my comment.

Unlike before, it was quite an intense emotional expression. I couldn’t even recall that icy demeanor she used to have.

You’ve really grown up, Seria.

Hiding my warm feelings inside, I watched Seria as she began her explanation with an indignant look.

“Look closely, Senior! This one only has a sword, while this one comes with a hatchet! They represent your gear at different times. And after battles, there are versions where the uniform is damaged–such detailed depictions add rarity value……”

Of course, the more I heard, the more embarrassing it was.

What the hell is she on about?

I swallowed the words that tried to rise up my throat several times in the middle.

Instead, I took the opportunity to ask questions I was curious about.

What’s this portrait? Why is it buried in flowers… Sepia flowers, I see.”

“W-Well, it looks prettier that way…..”

It looks more like a memorial portrait than pretty.

After chatting with Seria like that for a while.

Eventually, Seria regained her usual energy, and I realized I’d done my part.

It was time to go take care of my business.

From the House of Yurdina to the aftermath of the battle with the elves, I had plenty of work left to do.

It was fortunate that Senior Neris was there.

some of my secret tasks–she was the only one I trusted with them.

Still, my free time was limited.

My eyes flicked toward the clock hanging in the corner of the room. Sensing my glance, Seria cautiously asked,

“Are you very busy?”

“Yeah, well… There’s a lot to do in various ways.”

Seria nodded quietly as if she understood.

Although I felt regretful to end our conversation after such a long time, this too was for Yurdina.

It was also for Senior Delphine.

Instead of a farewell, I decided to leave words of advice.

“Seria.”

Even after starting, I hesitated.

I had heard rumours before coming here.

Apparently, Seria and Senior Delphine got into a huge fight.

I didn’t know the details, but the House of Yurdina was clearly in turmoil.

A fractured relationship between sisters wouldn’t help anyone.

So, I spoke sincerely.

“Um, I know the family is in turmoil these days. It’s natural since shocking news has been coming one after another. But don’t hate your sister too much. Senior Delphine is also for you and the family in her own way……”

“Did that bitch say that?”

My ongoing words abruptly stopped.

For a moment, I couldn’t speak–I simply processed what Seria had just said.

But no matter how I turned it over in my head, I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

I found Seria’s words so hard to believe that I had to ask again.

“What did you say?”

“I asked if that bitch told you to say that.”

There was no gap to dig into in that utterly calm tone.

Seria’s face, wearing a slight smile, was as it always had been.

Cute, lovely and innocent.

That made it even more chilling.

As if only her language had been forged into a blade.

Is this what it feels like to face a dagger hidden in cotton wool?

While I was stunned and lost in thought, the next line drove a wedge into the frozen atmosphere.

“That cunt… no, Sister Delphine.”

The temperature around us instantly dropped.

The beads of sweat that had formed cooled uncomfortably.

In that suffocating wave of emotion, I thought.

The princess was right.

My junior, whom I met after a long time, was broken somewhere.

Extremely so.