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Chapter 13: Aftermath, Alicia's feeling
🕑 Added 2023-11-07 17:30:19 +0000 UTCBlessing of the Killing Star has risen to lvl 2
Choose your upgrade
- Vampiric strength
- Stealth
- improved agility lvl 2
The blue box appeared before me, and I stared at it silently. I had never heard of a skill leveling up, but I wasn't in the mood to think about skills at that moment. My eyes shifted back to Laura and Alicia. Alicia looked at me with fear in her eyes, understandably so. She would cry if even a tiny amount of mana leaked from my eyes, and now she had to witness me killing people with this skill.
"Monster... don't get near me," she stammered, trying to slide herself back but unable to move far.
I turned my gaze to Laura. I hadn't used my skills much, but exhaustion threatened to overcome me. I walked slowly toward Laura, hoping beyond hope that she had survived the attack. Her body lay there, still and unmoving. My hopes of her survival diminished with each passing second. When I reached her lifeless body, I neither cried nor screamed. I simply held her hands and called her name softly.
"Laura... Laura..." But she didn't respond. Blood continued to pour from her wounds, forming a puddle on the ground. I knew she was beyond saving, having lost too much blood.
Minutes passed as I looked at Laura's lifeless body. When I turned my head, I saw Alicia still staring at me, her eyes filled with fear. A crowd had begun to gather, but no one cared enough to extinguish the flames caused by Alicia's magic. They all gazed at the ten-year-old girl who had ruthlessly killed a dozen bandits without shedding a tear, only smiling as she did it. Water trickled down my cheeks, but it wasn't tears. The sky opened up, sending a drizzle to help the foolish citizens extinguish the flames consuming their homes.
"What happened here? Oh my God!" Zach, accompanied by dozens of knights, finally arrived. They looked around in horror, and when they saw me, they were startled and drew their swords involuntarily.
"Eli, please contain your mana. Hey, what happened here?" Zach looked around before approaching me to inquire about the situation.
"Please help Laura..." I said weakly before falling unconscious, my head resting on her chest. I was too exhausted to move, and I could only hope that my brother Zach could work some miracle.
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I was gripped by fear and unease. Bob, Miss Eli's guardian, had been brutally killed by bandits who were attempting to kidnap me. These men were pure evil, reminiscent of the loan sharks that relentlessly harassed my father. Worse still, they claimed to have my father in their clutches.
Zach, Miss Elidranthia's brother, approached me, flanked by two other bandits who had been spared from Eli's rampage as they were unconscious. Zach understandably chose to question me first. I began to recount the events, explaining everything that had unfolded from the moment I strayed from our intended path to the grocery store, with Lady Elidranthia following us. I omitted the petty quarrel that had taken place earlier and focused on the encounter with the bandits. I also remembered the strangely deserted streets that day, and Zach raised an eyebrow at that detail.
I continued my account, describing how about a dozen bandits had surrounded us. Bob had been killed in front of us, and Zach solemnly held out his arm to honor the fallen soldier.
"Bob may not have been the best soldier," Zach said, his voice filled with grief. "But I recruited him because he had no other jobs nor specialties. His parents asked me to look after him. He should have been a butler or gardener..." Zach mourned the loss of one of his people. Then, he continued his questioning, "My apologies. We still have one more soldier to find. Please continue."
I explained to Zach that the bandits had not asked for money or inquired about Lady Eli. Instead, they had specifically mentioned my name and claimed to have my father. It suddenly struck me that I was the cause of Bob and Laura's deaths. Eli was sharp; she must have realized that I was to blame for Laura's demise. The bandits had been after me, not Eli. Dread washed over me as I recalled Eli's red eyes tracking the menacing bandits, akin to a hunting predator.
"We will find out where your father is," Zach assured me. "So, am I correct in assuming they killed Laura, and Eli managed to eliminate all 14 of them on her own?"
"Yes," I replied, my voice trembling. "She spared no one except for the one I had already incapacitated when my magic went out of control."
Zach frowned, clearly impressed. "Hmm... I knew she had some talent. But this is unbelievable. When did she even learn to use knives? That knife has never been seen in this country," he mused. "I thought that knife was nothing more than an antique or a decorative piece."
Just then, one of Zach's subordinates approached. "Sir! We have interrogated the prisoner. They revealed the whereabouts of John. He is located in the neighboring village, just two hours away by horse."
Zach wasted no time. "Alright, we will raid that village. Prepare fifty cavalry!"
I couldn't hold back my desperation. "Please, let me join. I have to find my father!"
"Very well. You will come with me. Let's ride!" Zach declared.
Zach's efficiency was astonishing. He had his troops ready in less than twenty minutes, and we set out for the village. Upon our arrival, Zach quickly dispatched several troops to block all exits. However, when we entered the hut, we discovered a gruesome scene. My father and everyone else had been brutally murdered. I was devastated. I had lost my family, and I was alone.
"Damn it, who the heck is our enemy? They killed them so methodically. Were they all poisoned?" Zach muttered as he searched through their belongings. Unfortunately, we found nothing of significance.
I knelt beside my father's lifeless body, tears streaming down my face. As I held his corpse, I couldn't help but think of Elidranthia's reaction when she discovered Laura's lifeless form. Laura had been like a mother to her, and I had been foolish to consider Elidranthia a monster or a psycho. After all, I was a monster too. I had lost control of my magic, inadvertently causing a fire that consumed part of the slums. I was a worse monster than her.
"Alicia, let's go back. Night is falling. You can stay at the mansion for as long as you like," Zach said as he embraced me from behind. His warmth and comforting presence helped soothe my pain. I fell asleep on his horse during the journey back, and when I woke up, I found myself in my bedroom at the mansion. The memories of my father came flooding back, and I couldn't hold back my tears. Despite our poverty and the debt that burdened us, he was the only family I had. I remembered all the ordinary moments we had shared, eating together and listening to his stories of slaying monsters at the gate. Now, it was all just memories. The last words I said to him were that I hated how we were always poor, and how becoming a mage never gave me the chance to spend my own money. If I had known how much he had also suffered, I wouldn't have been so selfish. I felt empty now. Someone, please end my suffering.
A week passed, and I mindlessly worked as a maid, trying to fill the void left by my father's absence. I hadn't officially worked for Count Shadowstep, so I received no pay, and no one had asked for my help. I would simply go to the kitchen or request a mop from the other maids. Lady Elidranthia had not returned to her cheerful self. Although her eyes were now normal, as she kept her mana under control, her gaze was colder than ever. Unlike before, she never spoke to me or looked in my direction. I couldn't help but feel like a terrible person, having squandered my opportunity to befriend her over something as trivial as her eyes.
"Lady Eli, dinner is ready."
"Hmm? Okay," she replied, her nose buried in a book. I glanced around her bedroom, which was sparsely furnished with a few tea sets and ornamental knives. As I observed her from behind, she seemed small and delicate, like a rabbit. Yet, her intense glare could send shivers down anyone's spine, like a tiger calculating its next meal. I found myself oddly excited.
"Eli!" I shook her shoulder to get her attention.
"Eek!" She jumped forward, her glare now fixated on me. When her unbridled red eyes locked onto mine, it felt like they could see right through to my soul, ready to devour me. I used to despise that look, but now, it filled the emptiness in my heart. Was this love? The kind of love that my friends often chatted about in our neighborhood?
I had made up my mind. I would become Eli's personal maid. I wanted to be with her always. I would serve her with all my being, a way to repay her kindness. She had helped me cover my tuition and had tried to befriend me. I used to reject her attempts. It is my karma. When she wanted to be my friend, I hated her, and now that I tried to befriend her, she seemed to reject me.
With newfound determination, I headed to Count Shadowstep's chambers with a spring in my step.
Comments
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