Deep within the forest, on the branch of a tall tree, sat a little girl with a light purple braid. Her legs dangled gently, and an innocent smile rested on her face, just like an ordinary child playing in a tree.
However, the several dog-like demonic beasts known as Wolgarm quietly guarding beneath the tree revealed that she was anything but ordinary.
"Just as Mother said. Carlisle Eltheran really is a foolish fellow. That place can no longer stop the naughty little animals."
She clapped her hands softly, and the aura around her suddenly turned cold and sinister. A miasma-like presence slowly rose from her body.
"Alright, everyone. Go together. Bring back news of success."
As her words fell, the demonic beasts beneath the tree reacted as if they had received a command. They instantly became agitated. Their eyes glowed with crimson light as they snarled and dashed out of the forest.
---
Inside the Forbidden Library of the mansion, Beatrice stood behind Carlisle, her small hand pressed firmly against his back as mana continuously flowed into his body.
However, the curse greedily devoured all magic like a bottomless pit. Carlisle's face had already become pale as paper. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his breathing was so faint it was almost impossible to hear.
"Hold on…" Beatrice whispered through clenched teeth, her voice filled with urgency that was rarely heard from her. Her usually proud expression had been replaced entirely by worry.
After learning that the true source of the curse was a demonic beast lurking in the nearby forest, Ram had already rushed out in anger. Subaru had insisted on following her. She could not simply stand by and watch everything unfold.
Emilia knelt beside Carlisle on the other side. Her hands rested gently on his shoulder as her magic wrapped around him like soft moonlight. Even so, the combined magic of the two barely managed to sustain Carlisle's life.
"What did you mean by that earlier?" Beatrice suddenly spoke, her voice trembling slightly from the constant flow of mana. "What do you mean by 'call for help if you find it, don't act recklessly'? You can't even stand up right now."
Carlisle slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Beatrice-sama… now… explaining that would take too long…"
"Enough!" Beatrice suddenly raised her voice before immediately lowering it again. "It must be some ridiculous reason anyway."
Carlisle gently closed his eyes, focusing all his remaining strength on staying conscious.
Subaru… Ram… you must call for help.
He prayed silently in his heart.
On the other side of the room, Rem lay on Beatrice's small bed. Her slender fingers clutched the bedsheet tightly. She desperately tried to rise, but her body was too weak to move. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks, soaking dark stains into the pillow.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Her voice was barely audible, yet it carried unbearable self-reproach.
"Why… why wasn't it me who died…"
Her frail shoulders trembled uncontrollably. If she had been just a little stronger then. If she had not called for help. If only...
Countless thoughts stabbed into her heart like knives.
---
In the forest, Ram and Subaru stood side by side with their backs against a grassy hill.
Many children lay on the ground behind them, protected by a layer of Yin-attribute defensive magic. They were the villagers of Arlam Village whom Subaru and Ram had just discovered. Without exception, the children had fallen into a cursed state. Although their condition was not as severe as Carlisle's, they were clearly in critical danger.
As expected. Rem had been cursed during her shopping trip.
Subaru watched a little girl who looked no older than twelve convulsing unconsciously. Her heart felt as though it were being pierced by needles. These innocent children, Rem, and Carlisle... all of them were suffering because of that damned curse.
Although she wanted to send the children somewhere safe first, they were surrounded by swarms of demonic beasts. Their fangs were bared and their crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, ready to pounce and tear everything apart.
Ram's Wind-attribute magic continued to surge outward. Wind blades sliced through the air like sharp swords, harvesting the lives of the demonic beasts. Corpses scattered across the forest floor.
Yet the number of beasts seemed endless. More and more of them continued to emerge from the depths of the forest.
"El Fura!"
Ram's wind blade whistled through the air again, cutting a lunging demonic beast cleanly in half at the waist. Her breathing had grown ragged. Loose strands of hair stuck to her forehead, damp with sweat against her pale skin.
"Damn beasts! Die, all of you!"
Ram roared as another wind blade flew forward, but its power was clearly weaker than before.
The blade sliced halfway through another demonic beast's waist, blood splattering across the dry leaves. The creature let out a miserable howl, dragging its mangled body across the ground. Its organs spilled from the wound as it twisted violently until it finally fell silent in painful convulsions.
Subaru immediately noticed Ram's condition.
"Ram! Your magic..."
Carlisle's magic tool was tightly clutched in Ram's hand. A steady stream of mana flowed from it into her exhausted body. The surface of the device flickered with a faint blue light, pulsing like slow breathing.
"Shut up. Focus on the enemy."
Ram snapped at her, yet her arm trembled slightly. That tiny flaw revealed her true condition.
As an Oni, she should draw mana through her horn to cast magic. But because her horn had been broken, she could only rely on the Gate within her body to convert mana. The prolonged high-intensity battle had already pushed those channels to their limit.
At that moment, Subaru noticed something strange.
A small demonic pup emerged from the grass.
It looked harmless, even a little cute.
However, when the surrounding demonic beasts saw it, they suddenly stopped attacking. Some even lowered their heads toward the small creature as if greeting their king.
Seeing this bizarre scene, a terrible premonition surged within Subaru's chest.
The next moment proved her fears correct.
The small demonic pup began to transform.
Its body swelled. Its fur became coarse and monstrous. Its limbs thickened like tree trunks, and its crimson eyes burned with savage light.
Within moments its body had grown to nearly three meters tall.
It raised its head and released a deafening roar toward the sky. The entire forest seemed to tremble from the sound.
"So that's it…"
Ram clenched her fists, the joints cracking softly.
She stared at the transformed demonic beast while Carlisle's pale face flashed through her mind.
"Call for help? Hah…"
A cold sneer appeared on Ram's lips. The metallic taste of blood rose in her throat.
That knight who would even risk his life to save Rem must now be clinging desperately to his fragile body, waiting for their signal. If she called for help now, that idiot would absolutely drag his half-dead body here and do something even more reckless.
"What a joke…"
That fool valued other people's lives more than his own.
"Rem cannot bear any more sin."
Ram's lips curved into a determined line.
She slowly raised her hand as wind elements condensed into a sharp blade of light in her palm.
"Right here… I will end everything."
Her voice was as calm as the air before a storm.
The glow of the wind blade illuminated her sharp profile, and the fury burning in her eyes seemed even brighter in that light.
The surrounding air stirred violently. Fallen leaves swirled around her feet.
"Rem's sin… is enough for me, her sister, to carry."
---
Inside the Forbidden Library, Carlisle continued struggling silently against the raging curse within his body.
Suddenly the curse became far more violent, tearing through his mana like a starving beast.
"Beatrice-sama…"
Carlisle abruptly opened his eyes. His voice was weak but urgent.
"Quickly check the situation outside the mansion."
Beatrice's mana flow paused for a moment. Confusion flashed across her blue eyes.
"What?"
"Go quickly and look. I hope… it's just my imagination."
Carlisle's voice grew softer with each word, yet the urgency in his tone became clearer.
Beatrice pursed her lips. She quickly stood up, opened the door, and hurried out of the library.
When she reached the window and looked outside, the sight made her gasp.
The mansion's barrier had already been broken.
Countless demonic beasts were swarming toward the building. Their crimson eyes flickered in the darkness like a sea of blood-colored lights. The beasts at the front had already entered the courtyard, their claws scraping across the stone path with a harsh grinding sound.
Beatrice's gaze instantly turned cold.
Her fingers traced complex patterns through the air. A massive surge of Yin-attribute magic burst from her body and formed a translucent barrier around the mansion.
The demonic beasts slammed into the barrier with furious roars but could not advance even a single step.
"For now… it's blocked."
Beatrice said while catching her breath.
She turned toward the library and shouted.
"Betty has to maintain the barrier now. She can't keep supplying you with mana!"
Inside the library, Carlisle heard the news and unconsciously clenched his fist.
Now he understood.
The true target of this assassination had never been just Rem.
It was everyone inside the mansion.
At that moment, faint footsteps sounded nearby.
Rem had finally gathered enough strength to walk toward Carlisle. Emilia tried to support her, but Rem gently pushed her hand away.
"Why…"
"Rem, could you help me stand up?"
Rem's blue eyes were filled with tears.
"Why did you save me? If Rem had died earlier…"
"I will never allow you to die."
Carlisle suddenly raised his voice.
His shout carried an unshakable resolve. But as soon as the words left his mouth, a mouthful of blood spilled from his lips and ran down his pale chin.
His breathing became shallow.
After struggling for a moment to steady himself, he spoke again in a quiet voice.
"...Can you help me up? I want to see what's happening outside."
Rem nodded stiffly and carefully helped Carlisle to his feet.
The two of them slowly moved toward the window. Every step drained what little strength they had left.
Carlisle could feel the curse inside him devouring his mana wildly, as though dragging him toward an endless abyss.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain conscious.
In his mind appeared the image of the red-haired knight.
When the hellish scene outside the window came into view, Rem froze as if struck by lightning.
Her legs lost their strength and she had to grip the windowsill to keep from collapsing.
Now… it was exactly like that night from her memories.
"So… this is how it is…"
Her eyes became terrifyingly empty.
"It's all… Rem's fault…"
"This is not your fault."
Carlisle spoke suddenly, his voice unusually clear.
He closed his eyes.
"I heard… Ram. Thank you."
Rem stared blankly.
Flames appeared.
Pure white flames slowly ignited around Carlisle.
The fire was not dazzling, yet it carried a purity that made one's heart tremble.
As the flames swirled around him, Carlisle's originally weak body slowly straightened.
But Rem immediately noticed something.
His face had grown even paler.
With every increase in the flames' intensity, his breathing became heavier.
"Carlisle-sama…"
Rem's voice trembled.
She could see a faint trace of blood spreading beneath Carlisle's sleeve within the holy flames.
This power clearly came with a terrible cost.
What hurt her the most was that even while enduring such pain, Carlisle's expression remained calm.
He slowly moved his fingers, adjusting to the power surrounding him.
His eyes burned with a heartbreaking determination.
The purer the flames became, the more striking the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth appeared.
"Everything can end now. I promise you. This night will pass, and the sky will become blue again."
"Carlisle-sama… What is this? Where are you going…?"
"To fight."
"I don't want to see anyone crying because of them. Tonight, no one will die."
"Why… Is it worth it?"
Carlisle turned toward her and gave a gentle smile.
"It's worth it. Because you asked me for help."
Beatrice saw this scene and her pupils suddenly shrank.
Her small body stiffened as if struck by an invisible force.
She stared at the white flames burning around Carlisle, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
"This… this is your trump card?"
Her voice suddenly rose.
"Are you insane? You're burning your own Od!"
Each word was forced through clenched teeth.
Beatrice's small hands trembled as they gripped her skirt. Four hundred years of accumulated magical knowledge made her understand better than anyone what this meant.
"You… you hopeless idiot…"
Her voice suddenly caught in her throat.
Her eyes turned unnaturally red.
The white flames reflected on her delicate face, making her normally proud expression look painfully pale.
"Beatrice-sama, Rem, Emilia-sama. I leave them to you."
Carlisle's sword was nothing special. It was simply the standard knight's sword issued by the Royal Knights Order when he was formally knighted.
The hilt bore the emblem of the kingdom, and Carlisle had used this model ever since becoming a knight.
Normally, if Carlisle were to swing the sword with his full strength, the weapon would not be able to withstand the force. It would shatter the moment the strike was released.
T/N- Long chapter today, will update next chapter in few hours.
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