Chapter 64 : Side Effects

Side Effects

"Hurry, go!"

Lola, driving the lead carriage, accelerated and dashed out, with the prison wagon following behind. In a flash, they rushed onto the highway outside the city.

The guards, still in shock, looked at the battered Cain, then at the escaping carriages, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Lord Cain, are you alright?"

"Alright? Do I look alright to you? Hurry up and give chase!"

Cain screamed in fury. He truly hated those elves to his bones.

Just a measly group of elves, and they dared to hurt—Hmm? Wait, why doesn't it hurt anymore?

Cain felt something strange. He turned his head slightly to look at the throwing knife lodged in his shoulder, and saw that the wound was already turning black.

Poison!

"Urgh... aaah!"

Cain's body began to tremble, convulsed a few times, and then fell hard to the ground. At this, the surrounding guards rushed to his side.

"Lord Cain, what's the matter?"

The leading guard shook Cain, who, realizing the poison had reached his heart and that he wouldn't survive, tried to tell them the name of the culprit, so the Terance family could avenge him!

Just you wait, elves of the Darkmoon clan. The wrath of the Terance family will befall you soon!

Revenge!

"T-the... culprit... is..."

Cain's body trembled as he squeezed the words out, one by one.

"Who is the culprit?"

The guards asked anxiously. Cain, wide-eyed, continued with effort.

"T-the culprit is... the... the... the—!"

But before he could finish saying "Darkmoon Elves clan", Cain's body went slack, breathing his last.

The poison had attacked his heart; with only an ordinary human's body, he couldn't resist its deadly effects. In just a few seconds, the powerful toxin had taken his life.

Seeing Cain's death, the lead guard laid him flat on the ground.

"Damn it, who on earth is the culprit?!"

Another guard shouted anxiously.

For Cain to die so mysteriously under their watch—if the culprit wasn't found, the Terance family would surely take it out on them.

By then, none of them would escape unscathed.

"Let's go after them!"

Someone suggested chasing down the distant carriages, but the lead guard stopped them.

"Absolutely not! Are you all crazy?!"

The lead guard suddenly stood up, and his reaction left the others puzzled.

"But, chief, if we don't pursue, how will we know who the culprit was? How will we explain this to the superiors?"

"I already know the culprit's identity."

"Chief, you know?"

"Yes, and that's exactly why we can't chase. If we fail to catch them, fine. But if we do, we're all doomed!"

The lead guard's voice was deadly serious. He looked at the throwing knife embedded in Cain's shoulder and fell silent for a long time.

"So... chief, if you say that, you might as well tell us who the culprit is, right?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

The lead guard frowned. His stern demeanor frightened the others, but they still wanted to know.

"Yes, please tell us. If we have to answer to our superiors, we should at least know what happened, right?"

"Heh, 'an explanation'—I'm afraid there won't be one. Sometimes, the less you know, the safer you'll be. Still, since you all want the truth, I'll tell you."

Saying this, the lead guard pointed to the throwing knife in Cain's corpse.

"There is only one truth! The word 'Ah' that Lord Cain uttered before his death refers to the empire's assassination unit, the 'Assassin Star'. Although he died before finishing, given the poisoned throwing knife, we can be sure: the Terance family has been eliminated by the empire's Assassin Star unit. If nothing unexpected happens, not just Lord Cain—Lord Niltos and the entire Terance family will likely meet their end today!"

"Is... is it really that serious?"

"Hmph. The Assassin Star's creed: 'Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one escape!'"

"Then... how will we report to our superiors?"

Hearing this, the lead guard stroked his chin for a while.

"I'll give the explanation myself. I trust that once he knows the real culprit, the captain won't blame us. But remember, pretend you saw nothing today. If anybody asks how Cain died, say he was killed by bandits!"

"Uh..."

"Don't hesitate—unless you want trouble!"

"Yes, sir!" x9

Though their rank was far too low to ever encounter a mysterious organization like the Assassin Star, hearing their chief so confident, the guards all realized how grave the matter was.

Afterwards, the lead guard knelt beside Cain's body.

"Lord Cain, I received your final message. But the Assassin Star's operations—we can't intervene, so please forgive us."

With that, the guard tried to gently close Cain's wide, staring eyes, but no matter what he did, the corpse would not rest in peace.

"Huh? Lord Cain?"

"Pfft!"

A final mouthful of blood spurted out—Cain had finally died of rage... died of rage... died of rage...

Just like this, the crime of the "Darkmoon Clan" was forcibly pinned on the Assassin Star—a delicate misunderstanding that neither side had any idea about.

Meanwhile, in the distant carriage, Serea's Blood Frenzy had finally ended...

Because her dark power had been completely depleted, Serea was forced to exit the Blood Frenzy state. Her hair returned to its original golden color, and her eyes shifted to a crimson hue.

System: Dark power exhausted. Exiting "Blood Frenzy" state automatically.

As the black patterns faded from her skin, Serea's grip holding Celia lost strength.

"Damn it, get off me."

Celia tried to push Serea's body aside, but because Serea had drained so much of her blood, Celia was a bit weak.

"You..."

"Celia..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Serea's gentle calling, Celia looked down. She saw Serea, though back to her old self, still gazed with a dazed, lingering look.

Twisting slightly, Serea rubbed off her robe.

"Hmm?"

Looking at Serea's body, Celia saw that her shoulders and arms were covered in reddish bruises.

Such bruises usually only resulted from strong impacts—yet now, they dotted Serea's whole body.

"Did those wounds come from using that power?"

Celia guessed that Serea's newfound strength must be related to those marks, and that perhaps these wounds were the price of that power.

Holy Healing!

A golden light shone over Serea's body, and her injuries began to slowly recover.

Having already exhausted herself, using a divine spell made Celia even weaker. In that moment, perhaps due to her body's condition or something else, Serea called out helplessly:

"Celia."

The simple call pierced straight into Celia's heart. She trembled involuntarily, looking at Serea lying atop her, momentarily confusing her with Her Highness.

Was this the body she had sworn to defend, her Highness herself?

Looking at that all-too-familiar face, Celia was lost in a haze.

At that very moment, the carriage jolted, and Serea and Celia's lips pressed together.

(To be continued...)