Chapter 65 : In the name of Barnaba

While carrying Chris on Invidia, I felt an unnatural dampness on my clothes. I checked for injuries, but it wasn’t my wound—it was blood from Chris’s. I had thought he’d only injured his head, but he’d also suffered an abdominal wound during our escape, silently enduring the bleeding.

Hold on, Chris…

After running for about an hour, we reached a small village, but there was no refuge for us there. Word of the bounty had already spread throughout Semal, and papers bearing my likeness were so plentiful they lay trampled underfoot.

In the end, I gave up on staying in Semal. I took Chris and secretly climbed into the cargo hold of a wagon, alongside livestock. This way, any noise we made would be mistaken for the animals. I didn’t know where the wagon was headed, but I hoped it would take us as far from Semal as possible.

Ch. 65 – In the Name of Barnaba

The wagon arrived in Krio, a land of snow and ice. Krio was infamous for its harsh environment—an undeveloped region with no villages. This allowed us to live hidden from prying eyes, but we had to fend for ourselves for food and water.

Fortunately, we found an abandoned tent, which we repaired and turned into a shelter. Chris regained consciousness before we reached Krio, but the aftereffects of his injuries left him unable to control his body properly. I insisted he rest, forbidding him from helping me. During the day, I began hunting game and gathering firewood.

…Floga.

I lit the dry firewood with a basic spell, and warm air soon filled the tent. It was a great relief that I was a dark-type Spirit Master capable of using spells from other attributes. This made it easy to start a fire each night, and though life was tough, we managed to scrape by.

…Chris didn’t eat again today.

Contrary to my hopes that he’d recover with time, he grew thinner by the day. Eventually, he couldn’t even eat properly—when I made porridge, he could only manage two spoonfuls a day. Whenever I asked with concern, Chris would just smile and say he was fine.

That day, as usual, I returned with game. Surprisingly, Chris was awake—a rare occurrence.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“…I feel a little bad always making Saya do all the work.”

Perhaps because he felt slightly better, his complexion had improved a bit. I skillfully began preparing the captured animal and asked him, “There are two stone towers piled up out front. Did you make them, Chris?”

Two artificial-looking stone towers stood near the tent, prompting my curiosity.

“Ah… those? They’re for Dustin and Sora.”

It was the first time in months I’d heard those names, and I paused while preparing the food.

“…I felt like I couldn’t even give them a proper grave, so I made those instead.”

Though we hadn’t confirmed Sora’s fate, we’d already given up hope. By the way, she’d been the only child to witness her parents’ murder by a Spirit Master—explaining her wariness toward me, a Spirit Master myself.

“…They’ll like it.”

I hesitated briefly, then busied myself finishing the meat. I rubbed my hands in the snow to wash off the blood, then took out the herbs I’d gathered, crushing them to extract their juice.

“Let me see your wound, Chris.”

At my request, Chris lifted his shirt, revealing a wound that had turned a dangerously dark color. Untreated in time, it had rotted and festered. No matter how much I applied herbs daily, it only slowed the decay slightly.

Chris, now accustomed to it, stared at the ceiling and said, “…How’s the wound? I haven’t looked at it in a while because I was scared.”

I hesitated, but instead of the truth, I smiled and replied, “…It’s gotten much better. You’ll be walking around soon.”

“That’s good,” he said with a smile.

“…Saya.”

As I leaned closer to apply the herbs, Chris looked at me with a playful expression. “Isn’t it strange that a man and a woman sleep together every day in such a small space, and nothing happens?”

“…What about it?”

“If I weren’t sick, by now we’d have passionately made one or two children…”

“What are you saying!?”

I lightly tapped his forehead. Chris squinted and laughed happily, as usual, but I couldn’t join him. Perhaps I sensed that even these silly conversations would soon become impossible.

Noticing my expression, he asked cautiously, “…Was it not funny? I said it to make you laugh. Maybe I’ve lost my touch.”

“No. It’s not that…”

I turned away, hiding my face so he wouldn’t see. I didn’t want him to witness my emotions, so I pretended not to care. But the feelings I’d suppressed finally burst out.

“…It’s definitely a curse, Chris.”

“…Yes?”

“Everyone I try to protect dies or disappears. What is this if not a curse…?”

The Black Dog Bandits, who first accepted me; their captain, Heukgyeon—I’d either killed them myself or lost them to other causes. It was as if the world mocked me, ensuring everyone tied to me met a grim fate.

Chris, who’d been watching me quietly, stood and gently placed a hand on my head.

“…That’s a coincidence. It’s the same for me.”

He explained that the squad he led now was actually his second. His first squad had all died or taken their own lives during missions, leaving him as the sole survivor. Speaking calmly, he gave me his usual gentle smile.

“I don’t think meeting you was a bad thing. While serving the princess, meeting you was a stroke of luck.”

“Don’t lie. If you hadn’t tried to save me, your squad wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

If he hadn’t brought me to the mansion, Huey wouldn’t have been tempted by the bounty. Sure, he turned out to be trash deserving death, but before I arrived, he’d just been a mildly complaining, generally kind person.

“…Saving you was my choice. I don’t regret it. Even if I knew the outcome and could turn back time, I’d still save you.”

He said that without me, he’d have been captured and killed at the academy for attempted assassination. Thanks to me, he’d gained extra time to live.

“…Don’t say that. Like someone who’s about to die.”

“Oh, did I?”

With his characteristic sly smile, we shared a warm dinner and talked. He joked as freely as he had back at the mansion, and I laughed along.

Chris was gentle yet strong. Rather than despairing over his unusual hair color, he’d gathered others like him and given them hope. Even if it was an unattainable dream, it surely became a purpose for someone—a reason to keep living through hardship.

Just as it had for me.

“…See you tomorrow, Chris.”

I said goodnight before sleeping, but Chris didn’t reply.

The next day, I woke at my usual time and prepared to head out. Despite my announcement, Chris lay still, blanket pulled over him, facing the wall.

“…Chris, thank you.”

I was alone again, yet my heart was strangely calm. There was nothing left to lose.

Now, standing beside the snow-covered tent—its shape barely recognizable—I gazed at three neatly arranged stone towers. My hair, uncut since meeting Chris and the others, fluttered in the wind.

Invidia.

When I called, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

[…You called me? That’s unusual. You haven’t sought me out once in six months.]

Since the day Chris stopped opening his eyes, I hadn’t used Invidia’s power or summoned him.

I’m leaving here. I’m heading to Luden, so let’s build up our strength beforehand.

When I shared my plan, Invidia asked in surprise,

[Luden? Isn’t that the farthest region from here? Why go there now?]

…I have to find the family I left behind.

Invidia followed without complaint, advising me on what we’d need. On the way to Luden, I hunted more Sarkas than ever before, feeding them to Invidia. As he analyzed other species, our merged form began resembling a Sarkas more than a human.

Anyone seeing me—with arms and legs transformed into those of a Sarkas, wielding an unnatural tail—wouldn’t consider me human.

[You seem accustomed to that form now.]

The Sarkas abilities Invidia wielded were now fully mine. I could leap vast distances with my transformed hind legs and cast magic effortlessly, even with altered hands.

…It’s not enough yet. Not enough to face Violet.

He likely harbored at least two Sarkas with power rivaling ancient species. To defeat him, I needed far more strength.

…That’s it.

I shared my wild plan with Invidia, and as expected, he objected fiercely.

[You’re completely insane…! Do you not value your life…?]

My idea was to take another ancient species into my body—an absurd notion, given that forcibly awakening one from its cyclical slumber was unheard of.

[…If you really want to wake it, there’s not no way…]

Invidia explained that bombarding the cocoon-shaped immature body in its nest with a massive surge of magic could disrupt its hatching cycle, possibly forcing it to emerge early. Naturally, no sane person would attempt this, but I was desperate for power.

The remaining ancient species, per the Seven Deadly Sins classification, were Pride, Greed, Wrath, and Sloth—excluding Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. I chose to awaken Ira, the embodiment of Wrath.

“Wrathful Ira,” a sky-soaring beast that rained lightning in ancient times, was the most powerful ancient Sarkas witnessed by humans.

[If you kill Ira, what then?]

Of course, I’ll make its power mine.

Invidia voiced serious concern.

[If the Sarkas component in your body grows beyond this…]

He warned that further power could shift the balance of control—currently mine—entirely. Neither of us could predict the outcome.

…I have nothing left to lose, Invidia.

[…If that’s your wish.]

Hearing my resolve, Invidia guided me to Ira’s nest. Located atop Armonia’s highest mountain, he carried me tirelessly until we arrived.

…This is Ira…?

A stone-filled pit at the peak resembled a bird’s nest. Ira’s “egg,” far larger than Invidia’s, lay within. Unlike Invidia, who didn’t grow, Ira had been steadily expanding inside its cocoon since birth.

[Let’s begin.]

Following his cue, I gathered my hands and chanted the Thanatos spell—the strongest I could muster. A thick beam of darkness shot from me, absorbed into Ira’s egg like a vacuum.

[The longer this takes, the more your lifespan will shrink as a cost. Stop if you hit your limit.]

As the spell drained my magic, nearing my breaking point, a creaking sound emerged. A massive crack split Ira’s cocoon.

[Stop!]

I halted the spell and watched the hatching unfold.

“Kieek…”

A giant, still-wet black wing emerged from the crack first. Ira gradually broke free of its shell, revealing its enormous form to the world. Though emaciated from incomplete growth, it roared skyward, a sound that could rupture eardrums. Lightning struck its body, raising feather-like tissues, and the Ira of legend took shape.

[Prepare, Saya.]

…I understand.

We transformed, unleashing our Sarkas power, and charged. Ira, sensing our intent, tried to take flight, but we closed the distance first. Its immature body—yet to fully harden—was our slim advantage. Forced to rely solely on magical attacks, Ira was vulnerable.

For days and nights, I clung to its back, tearing at its thick tissue. It thrashed in the sky, striking itself with lightning to dislodge me.

“Ugh…!”

Ira’s lightning seared my body, initially agonizing enough to make me scream. But as it struck repeatedly, Invidia analyzed and mimicked it, eventually crafting organs to harness electricity as our sole energy source from the sky.

Lightning raged endlessly, scorching the mountain to ash. Sensing mortal danger, Ira crashed into the ground and took off again, but it couldn’t shake my relentless pursuit of power.

After piercing its seemingly impenetrable shell and severing its regenerating tissues in a desperate struggle, I finally found it.

…Found it.

I faced Ira’s core—a glowing orb of purple, blending Sarkas red and lightning blue. With all my strength, I tore it from its body. The core flared blindingly as it merged with me. Ira’s world-shaking scream of pain faded as it lost its ancient might and crashed to the earth.

The legendary beast, feared in human myths for ages, returned to the soil.

After recovering from the battle’s toll, Invidia and I reached Luden, scouring it relentlessly. Despite his repeated questions, I only said I sought my family, offering no more.

[I don’t understand. Looking for people here?]

We targeted desolate places—mountains and deep forests where no one lived.

[Saya, there’s a biological reaction ahead.]

Probably another boar.

Having mistaken animals for humans countless times that day, I kept my expectations low and looked where Invidia indicated.

“…Hiek!”

It wasn’t an animal but a girl clutching acorns. The pink-haired beastman with perky ears saw me, dropped her haul, and fled.

[She’s running.]

…Ah.

Realizing my monstrous appearance startled her, I reverted to human form and gave chase. Catching her quickly, I faced a tearful plea.

“Please save me, please save me…!”

…Doesn’t she recognize me?

Even when I called her name, she only cried harder, terrified of this stranger who knew her.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

“…”

After calming her, I asked, “Do you have a human named Gillian in your dwelling?”

She didn’t answer, but her reaction to “Gillian” confirmed my guess.

“When you go back, can you give this to him?”

I gathered the fallen acorns, placing them in her small hands with a note.

Gillian was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

That morning, Myoa, who’d gone out, returned saying she’d met a strange woman and received a note.

How did she find this place…?

Suspicious but curious, he unfolded the note without hesitation.

[When you’re done with your work, I’ll come pick everyone up. – Saya Barnaba.]

Saya…!

Joy and doubt swirled within him.

But did Saya have a last name…?

Saya’s name, like his own, shouldn’t have borne a surname—yet there it was: the unfamiliar “Barnaba.”