Chapter 181: The Gap (6)
‘A dragon, huh...’
Windy May quietly stared at the artifact as she pondered.
‘Why didn’t I consider this from the beginning? Why didn’t I suspect it?’
The unidentified cocoon that Lian and Professor Shagas had encountered.
And the place where that cocoon had been—more precisely, the place where it had first been wounded—where another dragon’s aura had been detected.
And even that aura was so faint it could barely be sensed, only with the use of an artifact.
It was far too unsettling to dismiss as mere coincidence.
Windy May quietly sank into thought.
“……”
Cultists of the Evil God.
The grotesque cocoon presumed to be their creation.
‘Sacrifice.’
That was the word that first came to Windy May’s mind.
Human sacrifices offered to the Evil God always required a living sacrifice.
And that living sacrifice didn’t necessarily have to be a creature with life still clinging to it.
As far as Windy May knew, the sacrifice could be substituted with something else entirely.
Something like the Philosopher’s Stone—a massive aggregation of power.
Or perhaps a dragon’s heart, which rivaled it in value.
“……”
But a dragon?
Were they saying they had attempted to use such a powerful being as a sacrifice?
That kind of thing...
“...There’s no way that’s possible.”
Windy May quietly shook her head.
It wasn’t a vague denial, but a conclusion reached after thorough calculation.
‘There’s no way it wouldn’t overload and collapse.’
For them, the failure of a human sacrifice ritual wasn’t just a failed ceremony.
It was the greatest possible insult toward the Evil God they worshipped.
That was why the cultists would do whatever it took to succeed in their ritual.
If the ritual failed, they would have to pay an unspeakable price—even after death.
‘Did they intend to overload the ritual and cause a mana explosion...? No, that’s far too inefficient. If that was the plan, they would’ve just detonated it from the start.’
Or perhaps there was something she didn’t know.
Whichever it was, it was clear that something unusual was going on.
“Sigh...”
Windy May let out a short sigh.
Then, from a small pouch at her waist, she pulled out several tools and laid them on the ground.
She was preparing for a more detailed investigation.
Just like sharpening a blade to its finest edge, Windy May closed her eyes and began to focus, and strange magical energy started to surround her.
Her senses had become hyper-attuned, as if not willing to miss even the slightest ripple of energy or a speck of a trace.
“Haa.”
Zzt.
At that moment, one of the lanterns lighting her surroundings at regular intervals began to flicker uneasily.
At the sudden arrival of an uninvited guest, she let out a sigh without thinking.
Well, of course.
There was no way there wouldn’t be a Watchman.
‘So much for handling things properly.’
They had gone on about how there was nothing suspicious or dangerous.
Thinking of how foolish she had been to believe the boasts of the guards and the Holy Knights, Windy May slowly opened her eyes.
“...What is it now.”
Step. Step.
From the far side of the waterlogged, dark sewer came the sound of something walking.
Heavy, wet footsteps.
The consistent, yet somehow unnatural sound sliced through the damp air as it approached from the other side.
“……”
Windy May immediately stopped what she was doing.
She calmly gathered up the tools she had placed on the ground and quietly drew in her mana.
‘...If I break this, Yeriel is going to yell at me for sure.’
As she did so, a faint blue light began to hover around her small frame.
“Who’s there?”
Windy May asked in a feeble voice.
“If you’re a person, then please state your name. And if you’re a wandering spirit, I’d advise you to pass on quickly. Just making creepy footsteps like that is scaring me.”
She spoke in a light tone, as if simply making small talk out of boredom.
Her voice echoed along the walls of the underground sewer, but the approaching footsteps didn’t stop.
If anything, they seemed to quicken slightly.
“Hmm... If you’re coming here with ill intent, whether you’re a person or a ghost, I suggest you turn back the way you came. I’m warning you, okay?”
Her tone still sounded joking.
But her eyes gleamed coldly.
The footsteps had now come right up in front of her.
Windy May let out a small sigh.
“...That’s enough joking around.”
There was no trace of humor in Windy May’s voice now.
Instead, she issued a sharp and frigid warning.
“This is your final warning. One more step forward, and I’ll regard it as a clear sign of hostility.”
But the other party, as if mocking her icy threat, stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.
Tap.
Windy May flicked her fingers lightly, as if she had seen all she needed.
Flash!
The lanterns surrounding her suddenly emitted a blinding light.
From that light burst forth dozens of arrows made of radiant energy.
They were immediately loosed, slicing through the air like a storm, racing toward the approaching figure.
Shuk! Shuk!
Horrific sounds echoed out as flesh was pierced and bones shattered.
The arrows of light had struck the target dead on.
For an ordinary human, the attack would not only have been fatal—it would’ve erased all trace of them.
However...
Step.
The target didn’t fall.
After momentarily pausing, it began to move again, as if nothing had happened.
“Hm.”
Windy May furrowed her brow slightly.
She slowly raised her hand and swept it through the air.
The lanterns shone even brighter, as if splitting open the darkness, until they washed away every last shadow of the underground sewer.
At last, the figure that had been approaching revealed itself completely.
“Huh?”
And upon seeing it, Windy May muttered with a hint of genuine surprise for the first time.
“...Anguster?”
One of the main perpetrators behind the incident in the underground sewer from a few days ago.
The very man currently wanted by both the Imperial Court and the Holy Sun Church.
“……”
He was holding an axe drenched in dried blood in one hand, limping heavily as he approached Windy May.
His gaze was fixed unwaveringly on her.
No—was he really “looking” at her?
“...Hah.”
Windy May let out a breath of disbelief.
One of the arrows of light she had fired earlier had nearly torn open the back of his neck.
Not only that, but his body was riddled with horrifying wounds, enough to expose bone and muscle.
“……”
But Windy May had no choice but to acknowledge that her attack hadn’t had the slightest effect on him.
And with good reason—because the magic she had used moments ago had absolutely no effect on the dead.
Click.
Windy May clicked her tongue softly.
What stood before her could no longer be called a living human being.
Anguster’s body was in a state of decay, rotting and decomposing in various places.
Both of his eyes were already missing—empty voids showing where they once were.
“……”
And embedded in his tattered chest were strands of metal, twisted into a bizarre shape.
They emitted a faint, eerie glow, and looked as if they had taken the place of his heart.
“May you rest in peace.”
With a short prayer, she clapped her hands.
But nothing happened.
“...Huh?”
The magic she had just cast had undoubtedly activated successfully.
It was a spell meant to purify the undead and release them from the shackles of death.
Yet Anguster was still standing on both legs.
The magic hadn’t worked.
Which meant—he wasn’t an ordinary undead.
“...What now.”
Faced with yet another unexpected development, Windy May could only murmur in frustration.
An awkward silence had settled between the two.
“……”
“……”
A faint stillness lingered in the space between Cecilia and Yuran, who sat across from each other.
Just moments ago, the noise of the Departure Festival’s parade had filled the air—it now felt like a lie.
It was Yuran who broke the silence first.
“If you have something to say, speak.”
At her words, Cecilia turned her head and looked at her.
“You asked to speak to me alone because you had something to say. Isn’t that so? You even said you’d go separately from Lian Gwendil and your other companions.”
Cecilia then quietly asked,
“Were you serious?”
“About what?”
Yuran tilted her head slightly in confusion, as if she truly didn’t understand what Cecilia meant.
“When you said you wanted to marry him.”
“I was serious.”
Yuran answered without the slightest hesitation.
Faced with her matter-of-fact tone, Cecilia fell silent.
“Is something wrong?”
Yuran asked, her expression one of genuine curiosity.
“Of course something’s wrong.”
Cecilia raised her voice before she realized it.
She quickly glanced around, then lowered it again.
“...Lian is a cleric. You know that he belongs to the Holy Sun Church.”
“And what of it?”
Yuran still wore a puzzled look.
“To my knowledge, the Holy Sun Church does not forbid its followers from marrying. Am I wrong?”
“Well… no, but...”
Cecilia found herself at a loss for words.
As Yuran had said, not all priests or Holy Knights of the Holy Sun Church took vows of celibacy.
If even they were not bound to such a rule, then ordinary followers certainly weren’t.
There were only rare cases of deeply devout individuals who chose it voluntarily.
“But… Lian might feel troubled. To hear something so sudden like that…”
“If that is the case, then it is a matter between me and him.”
Yuran spoke firmly.
“It’s true that I was at fault for surprising Lian Gwendil.”
Then she looked sharply at Cecilia.
“But why are you so concerned? Are you his lover, perhaps?”
“...No.”
Cecilia shook her head.
She suddenly felt her face grow hot.
“I’m… just a friend of Lian’s.”
“A friend…”
“Yes, and that’s why I can’t stand to see him in a difficult position.”
Yuran gazed at Cecilia for a moment, as if inspecting her, then tilted her head again.
“Hmm… Is that really so?”
Her subtle expression and tone made Cecilia bristle for no reason.
For some reason, it was always harder to keep her emotions in check when talking to Yuran.
“...Then what’s the difference, huh?”
“Well…”
Yuran paused for a moment, then threw a question back at Cecilia instead.
“What do you think of Lian Gwendil?”
“...What does that have to do with anything right now?”
“Don’t want to answer? Then I’ll go first.”
Yuran spoke calmly.
“I had feelings for him from the moment he first offered me a helping hand.”
Though her voice was even, the emotions within it ran deep.
“He didn’t discriminate against me for being from Garusol. Lian Gwendil treated me like a normal friend and colleague. And yet, he never forgot to be considerate.”
“Above all, he risked his life to fight for me. Even knowing it could be dangerous, he didn’t hesitate.”
“...And he saved me—someone who should’ve died. Thanks to that, I owe him a debt I must repay until the end of my life.”
Yuran took a breath.
Her eyes sparkled softly.
“And before I knew it, those feelings grew into affection. If I was going to remain by his side anyway, I thought—I’d rather spend my life with him as his wife.”
It was an open, unfiltered confession—so refreshing in its honesty that Cecilia’s face turned bright red.
Yuran spoke words that Cecilia couldn’t even imagine saying.
“What about you?”
Yuran asked Cecilia again.
Her gaze was gentle yet unrelenting.
“What do you feel?”
“...What if I don’t want to say?”
“Then I’ll drop it.”
Yuran answered without hesitation.
“But if that’s the case, I think you’ll regret it.”
“……”
Cecilia fell silent.
Yuran was still looking at her.
“To me…”
Eventually, she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
“Lian is… someone I rely on.”
“I see.”
“And he’s always diligent. So much so that sometimes it feels like he’s sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. It worries people who watch him.”
Before long, Cecilia began speaking as though she were in a trance.
“Like you, I received a lot of help from Lian when we first met. He’s also risked his life to save me. So… I’m always grateful. I can feel that he’s very considerate of me.”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
But she didn’t stop.
“But… sometimes it’s frustrating. I don’t know why he does the things he does. Sometimes I wish he’d pretend not to notice things, or be a little selfish. That’s why—I feel like I need to help him. Because I’m his friend.”
“……”
“Even if he’s a little frustrating, we’re friends. He’s the first friend I’ve ever had. And still, I...”
Cecilia’s words came to a halt.
She chewed over the final word she’d nearly said.
‘...Huh?’
In that moment, her mind went blank.
Her heart began to race wildly.
‘...Wait.’
Suddenly, the vague shape of her feelings became startlingly clear.
“……”
Out of nowhere, Cecilia recalled the book she’d thought about earlier while watching the Departure Festival procession.
The book that outlined how to take a relationship in a different direction than just friendship.
Why had she read it so thoroughly, even knowing she’d picked it up by mistake?
Why had she tried so hard to remember all the advice written inside?
‘That’s because…’
Cecilia held her breath.
And in that moment, she realized.
“...Ah.”
Just like that, the word “like” from yesterday, and the “like” from today, had come to hold entirely different meanings within her.