Here it was again.
Ileil’s pupils contracted slightly. The moment she realized where that eerie feeling from Emilia was coming from, the witch’s voice arrived right on cue.
Why would the witch stop her from speaking at a time like this?
Could it be… that damned witch really was connected to those shady Mor Believers?
Please follow my guidance, my kin.
The witch’s voice rang out once more, as if to soothe the doubts in the young girl’s heart:
‘Black Edge’ will soon find himself in a deadly situation—
All you need to do is stand by and watch.
……
The witch’s whisper brushed past her ear. Ileil stood frozen in place. She wanted to question her, wanted to resist, wanted to curse the witch who was trying to manipulate her for some unknown purpose.
But when she heard the witch promise that Gro would fall into a fatal trap, her mind went completely blank. The girl who had always acted decisively suddenly found herself lost and confused.
“……They’ve finally gone far enough.”
Gro’s voice came from beside her, as if passing through a thick layer of fog.
“Kid. Now you can tell me in detail—what exactly felt off about that nun?”
Ileil snapped back to reality. She blinked and saw Gro squinting at her. The man had put on his usual smile again, as though the earlier tension had never existed.
She should tell Gro what she discovered. She should tell him about the bottomless darkness in Emilia’s final gaze, and how it felt exactly like the witch who wielded the Black Gold Flames.
Ileil had originally planned to do exactly that.
But reason reminded her that the sole meaning of her existence was revenge—to kill Gro for her dead father.
Even if hiding the truth might cost Kaze and Alyssa their lives.
Ileil didn’t want to do this. But in the end—
To her, Kaze and Alyssa were nothing more than insignificant passersby on the path of her revenge.
Ileil’s gaze darkened.
“It’s nothing……”
She answered curtly. Her golden eyes swept past Gro toward the distance. Dorias Angus supporting Emilia had already vanished into the night, leaving only the night watchmen still busy under the moonlight.
“What I wanted to say, you already said for me.”
“Huh? That’s it?” Gro frowned. “Kid, since when did you learn to only say half of what you mean?”
Gro gave her a strange look. However, Ileil’s thoughts remained stuck on Emilia’s final gaze—that bottomless darkness that felt identical to the witch who controlled the Black Gold Flames. But if that was truly the case, why was the witch helping her? Why call her ‘kin’?
The silver-haired girl turned her face away. The night wind lifted the stray strands of hair on her forehead. “I just think that instead of guessing here, we should focus on finding Kaze and Alyssa first.”
“……Is that so?” Gro sighed. “Fine, whatever you want.”
…….
“Mr. Gro! We found something we missed over here!”
A night watchman’s excited shout came from a distance. Both of them turned at the same time and saw a guard kneeling beside a bush by the road. The torch in his hand illuminated a broken tree stump.
Gro strode over, with Ileil following closely behind.
“Look at this……” The night watchman pointed at the clean cut. “It’s fresh. Looks like it was sliced clean through by some sharp weapon in one go.”
Gro bent down halfway and ran his fingers over the cut. The sap from the tree hadn’t fully solidified yet and glistened stickily under the firelight. Following the broken stump forward, his eyes landed on a patch of unremarkable soil.
“Blood…” he said shortly. He brushed away the surface dirt, revealing dark red spots underneath. “And items left behind by Alyssa and Kaze……”
A silver button lay quietly beside the bloodstains, glinting in the firelight. Ileil recognized it—it was a decoration from Alyssa’s robe. The edges still carried traces of black scorch marks, as if burned by flames.
“Now we can be completely certain of the attacker’s identity,” Gro said as he straightened up and dusted the dirt off his hands. It went without saying that the broken tree stump had been split open by Regnar’s axe.
“That nun… claimed she could find Alyssa and Kaze—but she never mentioned the ones hunting them? How amusing.”
Listening to Gro’s low mutter, an inexplicable ripple stirred in Ileil’s heart.
“It’s getting late, kid.” Gro’s deep blue eyes were fixed on her. “You should head back. Her Highness the Princess cannot afford another assassination attempt.”
Ileil looked up, her gaze somewhat unfocused. “What about you?”
“Me?” Gro smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Of course I’m going to keep looking for those two troublesome fools.”
“Fine.” A flicker passed through Ileil’s golden eyes. “Then what if… you run into Regnar’s ambush like Kaze and Alyssa did?”
The moment she finished speaking, Ileil immediately covered her own mouth.
Even she herself didn’t know why she had asked such a question.
“Are you worried about me? Oh no, I’m actually a little touched. What should I do?” Gro raised an eyebrow, then broke into a bright, hearty smile.
“But who do you think I am? I’ve fought more battles than grains of rice you’ve eaten!”
“Do as you please.” Ileil eventually said coldly, “It’d be best if you died. That way I wouldn’t have to dirty my own hands.”
After hearing Ileil’s words, Gro burst into loud laughter. His laughter sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night. “Don’t worry, kid. I couldn’t bear to leave you all alone.” He patted Ileil’s shoulder with enough force to make her stagger slightly.
“You know what? Those high and mighty big shots never care whether people like me live or die.”
Ileil was stunned. Under the moonlight, Gro’s side profile looked unusually weary. The scar running across his cheek somehow appeared a little desolate at this moment.
“The princess is bound by her responsibilities, and the duke only acts for the sake of his territory.” Gro’s voice was soft, almost as if he were talking to himself.
“Even a good man like Dorias Angus… he usually only considers the bigger picture, right?”
“But Kaze and Alyssa are different.” Gro continued, his gaze drifting into the distance. “They’re among the few fools who have stuck with me for so long.”
Ileil stared at Gro’s tired face under the moonlight and felt a strange, unfamiliar emotion.
“You……” She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Gro turned around, once again wearing his familiar smile. “Alright, kid. Go back to the mansion. I’ll figure something out myself.” He winked and said lightly:
“After all, a mercenary’s life can only be cherished by the mercenary himself.”
After leaving those words, Gro walked toward the night watchmen who were still working. Members of the mercenary group were also gradually gathering. It looked like Gro was about to give them instructions for the next steps.
Ileil stood in place, watching Gro’s departing figure. The night wind howled, swirling the fallen leaves on the ground. She looked up at the sky. At some point, the moon had been covered by dark clouds.
The night wind tousled Ileil’s silver hair and seemed to shake something deep-rooted within her heart.