Chapter 294: Side Story – Black-haired Man (2)
QNFVery early in the morning, before dawn had even broken, a group of men crossed a fog-covered prairie.Y2CC0RB
HO0plThere were more than twenty of them.iaC7Rg
dQ6All were dressed in a disorderly manner, with no uniformity whatsoever.SA7aadb
nzn9LBut one thing was obvious.mAhfh3
qV691hThey did not look like people from the North.rXvJs
ysRD“Whoa, whoa.”LRw9
euDhwPzThey looked more like sailors or pirates.EilMyP
iOCJMen who carried the strong scent of the sea.g7zJ
OAQMB6The one leading the group spotted something in the distance and stopped everyone.WfA
kXDY“Well, well. These short-legged brats made it pretty far.”jkC0EZ
WHUWhat he had seen was a wrecked carriage.9Doo
Ot3jOne of its axles had broken, and it could no longer move.dcFmp0x
IEgIt was the same carriage the children had used to escape from Sturma.HQytY
QwcWl“They got lucky too. If they’d taken the main road, we would have caught them a long time ago.”qAg
tp36xThe man clicked his tongue as he looked at the carriage.O8xmf
AfwThey had lost the children’s trail for a while due to certain complications.25P
5MoYet they had still managed to get this far.DW7iE
7z9NAnd they had avoided every patrol and blockade zone with incredible precision.iYEGt
N3RqTB1It was almost as if someone had been guiding them.IWXROl
66pv“Boss, I found tracks.”8uar3Xt
uRFZ8QThe man turned his head toward one of his subordinates.8pHur
lFUSure enough.dkl
6ohThe children’s footprints were clearly visible in the damp soil.I7uUqs
SYCFIt seemed they had even lit a campfire while fleeing.03h
CAMHkUhA few half-burned logs still remained.mp51xqw
3WRAnd countless footprints stretched around them.wYccvJ
Rp8pR“…What the hell is this? Were they dancing?”DLLH
cAupGAround the campfire were chaotic footprints leading in every direction.rqJm
4zWAs if the children had spent the night dancing.SzOXS
QhfThose incomprehensible tracks made the man frown deeply.pUSjg
oR9aqc“It looks like they camped here and then headed out into the prairie. Judging by the direction…”tF1
2ZrlThe subordinate, a former tracker, followed the trail.vIA
HmLYBut eventually tilted his head in confusion.jMDhvxH
EtEBecause the children were heading neither toward Varna nor Soara.eKEypMu
vC29rYxThey were moving southwest across the prairie.AMN41
p1MYw5“…I have no idea where they’re going.”77K
BLMWhen they left Sturma, the children had a clear destination.4XGdip
FAHchBut once they entered the prairie, they began walking in completely absurd directions.DgtT
kGkj0HAs if they had gotten lost.CC6r
meSQmh“Maybe… that’s for the best. After all… there’s something I need to recover as well.”an6NDlJ
NkdyWhile the assassins from the Southern Archipelago tried to make sense of the change in direction, a voice spoke from the side.CLLB
kAVk“The direction is correct… If you accompany me there… I’ll pay you more.”RsEl
goLUIt was not a pleasant voice.VNo
8iOoqEvery word was accompanied by an unpleasant metallic sound.3kAv
ja7GA noise that instinctively provoked revulsion.fRLIKz
72bFurthermore, the speaker wore a hood pulled deeply over his face, as if trying to hide himself.Zvt
PI0hAXj“…You’ll have to pay us more, of course. This wasn’t part of the original job.”0qru7Y
MS1BKGRThe chilling voice.UJrYD
tvNxThe old robe.BaY
61gTThe hood concealing the face.R6B0UMO
18lRljEven for assassins accustomed to all kinds of experiences, he was someone they would rather avoid dealing with.wtOYANX
BX27jThen another sound was heard.ieE1j
vXHazZSClink— Clink—DCpW2p
w0dJPwd“This… should be enough.”l7UoCAQ
jE0OeI0The weight could be felt from the sound alone.Z4A
zaFvRgcThe men from the Southern Archipelago, especially sensitive to money, could estimate the amount of coins almost exactly.ZqjOh6K
UJP8JThe leader carefully opened the pouch.rNirS
IG4wThen he swept his gaze across his men and nodded with a peculiar expression.NXK0Dx
sC8Pw“Ahem. You don’t have any other requests?”a1N3vu2
KQ1GhThe corners of the assassins’ mouths rose at the sight of the generous amount of gold.O2x
hogbVlqThat mage really has no sense of the value of money.JkCvmq
zijgvCOThen again, someone who goes around carrying corpses probably has little use for coins.L7Yza
UXYMMocking comments began spreading among them.Cg9v
HYdlPjBut the hooded man did not respond.7gARY
yChqr2He simply watched the assassins celebrate their payment and nodded silently.bFVE
azfKj“As agreed… you may do whatever you want with the girl.”ar44zu
co8hEAfter all, a deal was an exchange of what each party desired.mNkkR1d
k2BonlC“But the boy… I would like you to hand him over to me.”h85bI
BQMBRfBoth were golden.4IKdZB
pDhZJBut their value was completely different.hHvGb
IdlE0The hooded man’s voice, as he searched for a blond-haired boy, sounded much clearer than before.u6SaMF
41yFu6***Ce4v
4MPhvJ“…So, what’s your real name?”LIQwd
kPORKyA group of children walked through a fog-covered prairie.srE
XDWThe white mist was so thick they could barely see more than a few steps ahead, forcing them to walk shoulder to shoulder.rJgKFC
L2hztiBOn top of Emil’s head, the yellow mole pointed the way with a solemn expression, as if it were the captain of an expedition.G3Xp96
lOKS“Are you really the Golden Duke’s daughter?”M5hsDj
9tf7Perhaps it was because everything around them felt unreal.bnKx9pz
YAygThe children had finally begun getting to know one another.DpKsq
QNC0iAnd naturally, they ended up asking Tarenian who she really was.8fhPuid
tAE“…Yes.”cJlg
b1urmi0There was a phrase they had heard repeatedly while escaping from Sturma.Bppw6
w8bBarbossa’s daughter.JZekCM
JYdNot all of the attackers who had assaulted Sturma were returned dead like Ishtvan.cS203qw
Xre18qSome had very clearly pointed their swords directly at Tarenian.KQXl
UXXk“My real name is Lenia Barbossa.”APRH
tDZwhc5Her real name was Lenia Barbossa.E4SfT
Yu0They had altered her name to sound more masculine and bribed the insignificant House Modvia of the South to create a false identity.xPXI8
xtroAll of it had been done to escape assassins.dXuKSW
u4mPDi“In my family, succession has always been violent. You all know that. It doesn’t matter how many children a family has. In the end, only one becomes the head.”VtUcej3
Ya9EThe blood of nobles is blue.zogHLf
NEu1phNot the warm red that should flow through a person’s veins.DV7IJDT
GMmeI6But cold blue blood.zPiOuM
hjMJIHVAnd what chills that blood is an insatiable thirst called power.ynYHKqz
mtqfUVW“There used to be more than twenty siblings. Now only three of us remain, including me.”5tqk8iS
ohH1Lenia Barbossa had originally been the youngest daughter of the Barbossa family.k3h
xn0Yx7She had been far removed from the struggle for power.huKGE
pzxXBut as her siblings disappeared one by one, she was unwillingly drawn closer to the center of the succession battle.kXimhS
c7iQPNHer mother fought desperately to protect her.8dc
1W6oWQAnd was eventually poisoned.OHE
cUMWUzk“…That man over there is also an example of that.”BBfIBy1
YlJULenia cast a weary glance behind her and whispered into Emil’s ear.cGlVA3p
c9dr“……”3V5T2
3FoREmil followed her gaze.wPi4
WRzN54uAnd there he still was.zQoT0p6
RcoDwpRThe black-haired man walking behind them.SOWdE9
mBTZ“Joseph Bayezid. Isn’t he the man who lost to Count Rutiger?”YWK94
Gbv9The fog was so dense that it barely allowed anyone to see a few steps ahead.NcidR7U
DDv5And yet Joseph’s figure seemed clearer and clearer.oLKOaB6
csmtHis face had even regained color.uV8FUm
wc5iHHe looked like a living person.rPuW
Fiv8YiYWhen his eyes met Emil’s, Joseph smiled gently.LUCwRv8
xBTC“…Why can a ghost walk around during the day?”RzB6
irRL“Maybe it’s because of the fog. The sunlight can’t get through.”uwunG
Ly4PjfH“Since when do hymns not work against ghosts? That’s cheating!”iUys
rrFmX6MThe children whispered among themselves while watching Joseph follow behind them.3lC5bZ
oH6L2HNLenia’s true identity was important.KHuttt4
sctBut what truly kept everyone on edge was Joseph Bayezid.kiY3znU
KLaA ghost who had appeared beneath the light of the Black Moon and had continued accompanying them ever since.iz0W
zYCA“Don’t assume he’s really Lord Joseph. He could be trying to trick us.”8W5Cpy
FKZYEmil narrowed his eyes and looked back once more.1mXy
nXWp3[……?]naQHm
0SDlo1Joseph tilted his head as if asking why they were looking at him that way.VxZA1a
g8y3BThen he smiled.4Gy
ms6LOzA warm smile.hMjyI
arQQSqXBut to Emil, it was terrifying.UGPwS
Kqof‘Why only when I’m looking at him?!’3hp41
DmqrJoseph smiled only when he made eye contact with him.0uEjMl
jlYUNever when he looked at the other children.Zr3Vl
axIZfGUAnd that made Emil suspect that perhaps he was the real target.jjjZwY
EmZMn2c‘As if this situation wasn’t already terrifying enough…’Ir6k
BlN3gEven though he pretended to be calm, Emil had always been afraid of ghosts.Tb4L
gtWjpdAnd much of the blame belonged to his father, Vlad.fLvPMe
9qSEven before Emil learned how to walk, Vlad would sit him on his lap and tell him adventure stories.uUoxZk
3oL7‘Seriously, it was terrifying. Every night a mercenary disappeared.’ERbZM6
mePiyId‘Honey, you’re scaring the child.’njD3JRk
oamc084‘And every time we heard something crying inside the forest…’qezCX4
W1zva‘That’s enough! Look, you’re making him cry!’UvFI
IyntGVlad described those stories so vividly that little Emil felt as if he were there himself.jM7BV63
6A5XMAnd this very prairie was the setting of the story that had frightened him the most when he was a child.WySHVAD
Vn7SmH— Huuu… huuu…d4lWvW
KO6Tenss!2jCK
FufrThe sudden crying sound made all the children stop.dWVsD
yPPaBeU“What was that?”jkko
vukuS“Wasn’t that a woman crying?”u6Ove
RZ2do“Enough already. This is too much.”1cboB
fDh“……”deYu4p
VyqjWhile the others murmured, Emil closed his eyes and bit his lip.Po9gGG
W4DWhy are bad feelings never wrong?i8q
aEmqWhy do the things you most desperately hope won’t happen always end up happening?OAuI5
6M0f6— Huuu… huuu…k6xWozq
gq1SAlJust like at the beginning of that terrifying childhood story, the sound of a woman crying began echoing through the fog.CD1hL3
HlKw1zIt was exactly as he had imagined it as a child.H4iV3Tq
XajDWLEmil focused his hearing to locate the source.F3MS6f
f3Nr74cBut the voices seemed to bounce from every direction.7tIt4iv
Y5aEven his senses could not determine where they were coming from.jM8xw
BOI“…E-Emil. Look.”OKF
wKhSiZA hand shook his shoulder.sEmJSuV
pbQy“There are women over there.”Wzc80
ZXgBr3How cruel.06U
VRflwNPThe words he least wanted to hear were precisely the ones that arrived most clearly.c8gCVqv
m3zZHampton insisted that he open his eyes.YLguZJw
MW3w5kRAnd Emil felt like it was torture.FlYDa
MY7‘N-No way…’TgBX8
YWz8ulBHe didn’t want to look.IPAi
Ro6CIHe really didn’t want to.MN5LF5
HxAl8jzBut he had no choice.JKeONa
k6GONHe slowly opened his eyes.8HqS
ijZThousands of thoughts crossed his mind.TbIT
Tel4Nb‘What was it that Dad used to say?’UWr
1SyY‘That their tears were black?’7A6s
jvRuHe felt that if he opened his eyes, all those horror stories would become real.vHC
m65zDead women searching for their children.gCvQD5
oBjHFloating heads.sKt
XEFXnEFWandering spirits.vgdhSao
a2R3“……!”veucTYd
FSN4GUBut what he found was something completely different.LbllaU
XgvShB“…Women?”qlxZ
z7yIn an unnamed corner of the prairie, where the fog was beginning to dissipate, there was a scene full of life.arEsK
YwFyHorses.RBllVG
SMHVKZACarts.fN9
zrA4hj9People.sQAeo8f
3S3And what surprised Emil the most was the group of women staring at them with wide eyes.JBbJA7
JRR“Abubu!”A9Q1C
b9qfjcOAnd the babies they held in their arms.CbTEagl
GULbQ“…Hello, children. Where do you come from?”828
AaJ6ffThe women observed them cautiously.PG6
KNrEAfter all, a group of children had suddenly emerged from the fog.M4I
MxS6oJBut one of them, after noticing their age, approached with a smile.X61M6o
YCp“I come from Soara.”rjMEe4W
FhtwPlXShe was a brown-haired woman.hQWkq
MbyFar too young and beautiful to fit the typical image of a mother.BitD71
eiCa1k2The baby she carried in her arms stretched its hands toward Emil excitedly.Zr2
Txoxik“W-We come from Sturma.”zC3EIM5
cjm“Really? You’ve come from very far away.”oatFE
pE39The woman looked them over from head to toe.aszRZ
tU5Hair full of dust after sleeping outdoors.IICM
F8XTorn clothes.vzb
yhnAHands covered in wounds.3vdPE
l1CmTAnd above all.Ipp
HkMFaces marked by tears.ur99
9fCistX“Was the journey very difficult for you?”DT6n
ZRlhIt was a logical question.j2Qldc
WSrThey looked like children who had suffered greatly.qdR
LazPXR“Would you like something to eat? I brought it for myself, but you can have some.”4oU8FB
IxDuCHNThe woman offered them a basket of eggs.wDeQop
r5AKQJgBoiled eggs, large and nutritious.jU1Cjx
HsH2BqTThe kind that seemed capable of restoring anyone’s strength.70N
N72P9“My name is Anna. And yours?”B3pVOR
nQUIn Vlad’s stories, all the women cried black tears.AG03N7D
1kLhAnd wandered forever searching for children they would never find.ntX
aOC09lI“By the way, your blond hair is very beautiful. It reminds me of a certain boy I once knew.”hXV71Qp
35z11o6But the woman standing before Emil simply smiled as she offered him an egg.YMNRSTN
PFhccmfIt was such a peaceful scene.TKW
Zx4tx4So warm.V9baxhV
WS7gEvGThat Emil eventually reached out and gently touched the cheek of the baby resting in her arms.0QQFCmH
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