Chapter 67 : Stories of those left behind(2)

Following the soldier to the ruined ruins, Yuri explored the surroundings with interest. The soldier guiding her looked anxious, constantly glancing around.

“Is this the place? The place where the monster frequently appears?”

“That’s right. By the way, Spirit Master, I think I should be going now…”

“…Ah, sorry for holding you up.”

As soon as Yuri thanked him, he hurriedly left the area.

Ch. 67 – Stories of Those Left Behind (2)

Yuri’s purpose in coming here was to confirm the existence of a monster said to be an intermediate form between human and Sarkas.

There’s no way such a thing exists, she thought.

Sarkas were creatures inherently hostile to humans. This hostility fueled fear among people, giving rise to countless false rumors and baseless myths.

The creature depicted in the picture resembled an intermediate form between a Sarkas and a human.

There’s no way such a creature exists in this world. Yuri dismissed the incident as yet another rumor born from the terror of encountering a Sarkas at night.

It’s also my duty to dispel such unfounded rumors…

She scouted the ruins for over an hour, but found no trace of the suspicious creature people had spoken of.

…Let’s head back.

It was then.

Thud.

Hearing something fall to the ground, Yuri—about to leave after her reconnaissance—turned around.

“…”

She came face-to-face with the very being she had denied.

Both stood silently, rigid, staring at each other, waiting for the other to act.

Having encountered each other unexpectedly, neither approached hastily. Invidia sent a thought to Saya.

[Why are you wary? Isn’t that the human you knew?]

…That’s true. But something feels off…

Though her appearance had changed significantly, Yuri couldn’t possibly fail to recognize Saya’s face. Given Yuri’s usual personality, she wouldn’t wear such an expression upon reuniting with Saya after so long. The look in Yuri’s eyes, reflected in Saya’s, was unmistakably hostile.

“Pagos!”

Dozens of sharp ice shards flew toward Saya. When she dodged, the tree she’d been perched on was sliced apart, leaving only a jagged stump. Sensing an unspoken psychological tension between the two, Invidia sent another thought to Saya.

[What, is this a human way of showing joy…?]

There’s no way.

Saya persistently evaded the incoming spells, trying to flee the scene. Yuri, casting magic with both hands, chased after her, shouting with an excited expression.

“Wait—!”

Having devoted countless hours to magic even after Saya’s disappearance, Yuri had reached a level where she could unleash powerful spells at will, no longer reliant on potions. Among the Spirit Masters, it was said her presence alone could determine a battle’s outcome.

In moments, the ruins were encased in ice. Yuri’s ice morphed as if alive, pursuing Saya with intelligence. Realizing magic alone wouldn’t subdue her target, Yuri summoned her Osteon.

“Gigantas!”

At her call, a glacier golem clad in dark blue armor appeared before Saya, blocking her path. It looked far different from the Gigantas Saya remembered.

What in the world is that…?

As if reflecting Yuri’s enhanced power, the Osteon—covered in glaciers and twice its former size—swung a massive ice sword at Saya. The ground ruptured where the blade struck, leaving a deep scar, and Saya, attempting to dodge, stumbled and fell.

Invidia, wings…!

Black wings sprouted from Saya’s back, and she took flight. Yuri’s binding magic surged upward with terrifying speed, closing in. The glacier thorns pierced Saya’s transformed hind leg.

[Saya, your left leg’s been hit.]

Abandon it. We can regenerate.

Realizing one leg was ensnared, they severed the bound section without hesitation and fled, soaring far from the ruins.

She cut off her own leg…?

Yuri, left behind, approached the severed tissue, unable to hide her shock.

It suggested that tissue regeneration—typically exclusive to high-ranking Sarkas—was possible for this creature.

…Indeed, it’s no ordinary entity.

Watching the tissue dissolve into powder, Yuri recalled her Osteon and departed.

Having earned a rare break, Yuri decided it was a good chance to visit the mansion. Exhausted from casting magic, she opened the door to her home.

“It’s been a while, miss.”

Her elderly butler, Alfred, greeted her at the entrance as if he’d been waiting.

“Yes, it’s been quite a long time this time.”

Since beginning her successor training, she’d visited the mansion fewer than three times in a year and a half.

“The bath is ready. You may go in whenever you wish.”

Yuri sank into the prepared tub. Without her long hair swaying and floating on the water as it once did, it felt oddly empty.

…What was that thing, exactly?

She recalled the deformed creature she’d failed to capture. It bore the form of a Sarkas yet had the face of a human woman. She’d intended to eliminate it on sight, but its unexpectedly human-like appearance made her hesitate.

Strangely, the creature seemed familiar with Yuri’s magic. Even ice-type Spirit Masters, who shared her affinity, struggled to evade her spells. Dodging such unpredictable ice magic required intimate knowledge of her techniques.

Yet it had precisely avoided her linear ice bullets and never allowed an attack to land, as if aware that contact with the vapor would freeze it. In the end, though, she’d struck it with Gigantas’s aid.

She wondered if it possessed high intelligence or could even speak human language, but quickly dismissed the thought. It might resemble a human, but it was ultimately a Sarkas. If it threatened the empire’s people, it had to be destroyed without hesitation.

…I feel dizzy for some reason.

Overcome with dizziness, she couldn’t fully enjoy her favorite bath and stepped out. The creature’s face lingered in her mind, stirring an odd unease. After roughly drying off and dressing, she stepped into the hallway.

“Did you enjoy your bath, miss?”

“…Yes. Sort of.”

The old man, who’d waited silently for her, handed Yuri a strange piece of paper. It was neatly sealed, like a letter addressed to someone. Puzzled, Yuri took it and asked,

“…What’s this?”

“It’s the item you requested, Yuri.”

“Huh?”

That she’d forgotten requesting it left her visibly confused.

“Didn’t you ask me a few months ago, miss? You told me to give it to you when you returned to the mansion…”

“Ah, right. I did.”

She said this, but in truth, she had no recollection. After the butler left, Yuri, now alone in the hallway, carefully unfolded the paper and read its contents.

…!

Realizing who had written it, Yuri froze in shock.

It had been over a year since Cled began questioning Violet’s actions. During that time, he’d used every resource to investigate the commander. But the deeper he dug, the more convoluted it became, with no answers in sight.

There’s only circumstantial evidence—no hard proof…

Now, delivering a large batch of soul stones to Violet once a month was his only chance to uncover evidence.

“…Commander, it’s Cled. I’ve brought the soul stones.”

“…Come in.”

Lately, Violet appeared increasingly frail and weary. Like all Spirit Masters, whose lives were shorter than most, Violet’s time seemed to be drawing near. It was clear he’d been sacrificing even his lifespan to keep fighting.

“…Thank you, as always. Thanks to you and your student Yuri, I can retire with peace of mind, Cled.”

“…You’re too kind.”

Once Violet passed the commander’s role to Yuri, Cled would likely never see him again. For Cled, it also meant his window to uncover Violet’s true nature was closing.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Cled pretended to shut the door to the commander’s room, then peered through the slight gap he’d left.

…I need to see what he’s doing with those.

He was determined to finally witness what he’d long suspected.

Violet, inspecting the soul stones with satisfaction, suddenly opened his mouth unnaturally wide.

…!?

Cled couldn’t believe his eyes. From Violet’s grotesquely stretched maw, something wriggling emerged and began devouring the soul stones. Violet consumed them ravenously, like a starved beast, then tilted his head back with a contented smile.

That’s not human anymore…

As Cled, horrified by the sight, turned to flee, Violet’s voice stopped him cold.

“I didn’t know you enjoyed spying on others, Cled.”

…!?

Cled’s body locked up. Like a puppet, he was forced to reopen the door and sit before Violet. No longer bothering to conceal his true self, Violet’s pupils glowed an unnatural, vivid purple—impossible for any human.

“For months, you’ve been diligently digging into my past.”

“…”

Violet leaned close to Cled, who sat immobilized, eyes wide open.

“…That’s fine. Truthfully, before transferring to a new body, I wanted to share this story with someone. Since I planned to eliminate you after the transfer anyway, there’s no need for caution.”

…A new body? Transferring? What is he talking about…?

Violet, spouting incomprehensible things, sat back and began to speak as Cled remained helplessly frozen.