BSS 66

BSS

Chapter 66

“Damn it! You wretched bitch—was ruining my business not enough? It should’ve been enough that you turned Grak into a cripple!”

To snap the man’s neck, I would have needed to share a bit of mana with Rai so she could exert that monstrous strength.

But right now, I didn’t even have that much mana left.

Just then the floor above us grew noisy, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

It sounded like the knights had reached the floor right above. It was such a shame to let him go now.

“If you keep this up, I’ll kill your little friend too!”

…That was bad.

The woman, as if she’d lost all reason, grabbed Iruje—clothes and all—and screamed like a madwoman.

I had no choice but to release the man.

Protecting unconscious Iruje was too difficult.

“Fine. Fine, I’ll let him go—just put her down.”

“Hurry!”

Thump, thump—footsteps of the knights drew nearer, and the woman grew more frantic.

“Rai, drop that bastard and protect Iruje.”

$I r u j e \dots ? I \dots I \dots I d o n ’ t \dots w an t \dots t o \dots b u t \dots yes .$

Rai, moving like a broken toy snake, crawled toward Iruje with stiff, unnatural motions.

While the woman supported her freed brother and checked his injuries—

A sudden, sharp throbbing tore through my core, and Undine’s form flickered.

$M a s t er! I ha v e t ore t u r n!$

A spirit being forcefully dismissed due to mana depletion inflicted the most severe type of internal injury.

I felt blood surge up my throat, and as Undine disappeared against my will, I watched helplessly.

It felt hollow. Miserable.

$M a s \dots t er \dots$

Undine reached toward me and then dissipated completely into the air.

“Miss Crowell! Miss Feiru! Where are you? Please answer!”

Several people were running toward us, and a familiar voice called our names—Philo’s voice.

The place must’ve been structured like a maze, because the sound came from right behind me.

But this was no time to relax.

Recognizing a familiar voice didn’t mean we were safe. And Rai protecting Iruje didn’t mean I could lower my guard.

“Miss Crowell!”

Even if my mind was scattered from holding back the blood pouring from my mouth…

Even if my attention was stolen because Ash opened his eyes in my arms—

“You wretch!”

A scream-like voice dragged my gaze toward it.

The woman had thrown something at me.

I instinctively thought of Rai, but the dagger flew far too fast. Was it the same blade she’d used to threaten Iruje?

A flash of white closed in.

I’m going to die. Just like this? Stupidly?

The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn’t even close my eyes.

Bright red blood splattered.

It wasn’t my blood. And what intercepted that instant wasn’t Rai.

“Ash!”

It was the hand of a very small child.

His agonized scream pierced my ears—and at the same time, I saw the sharp blade that had pierced straight through his tiny palm.

“Aaagh! Hhk—hngh.”

Ash.

Ash!

Why would you do that!

Stunned by something I couldn’t even begin to understand, I stared at Ash as he curled up in pain, clutching his pierced hand.

Gasping from the pain, Ash tried to pull the dagger out of his hand.

“No—don’t pull it out!”

Snapping back to myself, I grabbed him to stop him.

Was this kid stupid? If it were me, I wouldn’t have saved you! I wouldn’t have taken a knife for you!

“Hngh… it hurts…!”

“Hold on. You can’t pull it out! The knights are coming—so just… we have to show them first…!”

Tears suddenly rushed down my cheeks.

Tears with no reason. Everything was chaotic, suffocating, painful.

Everything felt dizzyingly overwhelming and I coughed up blood again.

$M a s t er!$

When I turned, the woman was gone. She must’ve fled right after throwing the dagger—the only thing left was the empty doorway.

“Rai… go after her.”

$B u tM a s t er, w i ll yo u b e a l r i g h t a l o n e ?$

“Just go! And kill her. Then come back.”

$U m — t r a c kin g i s n ’ t re a ll y m ys p ec ia lt y \dots$

“Now.”

My voice boiled with rage.

Rai, nervous and blood-soaked, slowly slithered out of the cell.

“That way! It’s Miss Crowell’s snake!”

That was the last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness.

I think I collapsed on top of Ash.

I didn’t know where exactly, but I wandered somewhere deep and dark for a long time.

Submerged in hot water, endlessly sinking in spirals, terrified of when I would finally hit the bottom.

A helpless, drowning sensation seized me over and over—until suddenly, I opened my eyes.

Flash.

It was the middle of the night.

“…”

A dark room.

It looked like my room at the inn.

The curtains were drawn tight, but the silence and the cool, heavy air told me it was late at night.

I was lying on the bed, changed into clean sleepwear, and when I sat up, the wet towel that had been on my forehead slid off onto the blanket.

My body felt unbearably heavy and sticky, and for a moment I couldn’t even process anything properly.

$M a s t er .$

As I sat dazed, Rai crawled out from under the blanket.

Only then did my mind begin to function again.

The white snake flicked her tongue at me, and strangely, it felt comforting.

$Y o u ha d a v ery hi g h f e v er . Y o u ’ v e b ee n s i c k t h e w h o l e t im e .$

“Me?”

$Y es . Y o u o v er d i d i t . T h e in t er na l inj u ry w a sse v ere, an d i t c a u se d yo u r f e v er . Y o u w ere u n co n sc i o u s f or tw o d a ys — c l er i csc am e d u r in g t h e d a y t oc h ec k o n yo u .$

“I don’t remember clearly.”

So that’s why my head hurt. The fever.

I rubbed my forehead, trying to recall, but everything was foggy.

I only vaguely remembered being incredibly thirsty, and someone feeding me something like medicine.

And once I realized I was sick, the pain in my abdomen returned with vicious intensity.

So this is what internal injuries feel like.

“…Ugh. Ash?”

$A s h ?$

“Yes—Ash. Is he alright?”

$I d o n ’ t kn o ww h o t ha t i s .$

“The black-haired boy. He was with me.”

$A h, t ha t o n e \dots$

Rai seemed to think for a moment, then shook her small head.

$N o i d e a . Wh e n I re t u r n e d, M a s t er w a s a l re a d y in t hi sco n d i t i o n, so I d i d n ’ tp a y a tt e n t i o n t o an y t hin g e l se .$

“How long has it been?”

$Tw o d a ys .$

I forced myself to stand.

The moment my feet touched the floor, I knew my condition was terrible. Was standing always this difficult?

$Do n ’ tp u s h yo u rse l f .$

“You. Rai.”

$Y es ?$

“What happened to those people?”

[…Eheh?]

This brat. Where did she even learn to act cute?

“I told you to kill them!”

Even whispering triggered a nauseating churn in my stomach.

Ugh… I’ve never felt this bad before.

$I * d i d * c ha se t h e m, b u t yo u kn o w I ’ m u se l ess in w i d e - o p e n s p a ces . I f i tw ere ana rro w a re a g oo df or j u m p in g, ma y b e \dots$