Volume 2, Chapter 37 – Remnants, Warmth

Fia stopped for a moment in front of the wooden door. She took a light breath, tidied her clothes and hair, and finally grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

Although she hadn’t slept all night, Fia’s mind was not dull because of it. On the contrary, after killing the Despair Demon General, she felt her mind was exceptionally clear. She was also very aware that the things she was about to face were more difficult than killing the Despair Demon General.

The Despair Demon General’s plan had both failed and succeeded. He had failed at the final step and met his end, but everything before that had gone according to his script.

He had planted a Seed of Despair in the adopted Estelle’s body, and then quietly waited for Estelle to be led out of the shadows by her sister. At the moment when Estelle felt she could do something for her sister and was worthy of being a noble of the House of Oro, he had revealed her fate to her, making Estelle kill the family member she was the most proud of and loved the most with her own hands.

Even if the Despair Demon General had been killed by her, the people who had died because of the Despair Demon General would not be resurrected.

Click.

With the sound of the doorknob turning, Fia entered the room.

It was a luxurious noble house.

The dark red carpet with gold threads was spread out. A tea table, a bookshelf, a balcony, and curtains that danced with the morning breeze were all in place. In the center of the room was a large dark red bed with curtains and a canopy. The curtains had been pulled back, and Estelle could be seen sleeping peacefully on the bed. Her golden hair was spread out on the soft pillow, and her peaceful breathing made one mistakenly think of her as a sleeping beauty.

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But the most eye-catching thing in the room was not Estelle but the woman who was guarding Estelle. The moment she entered the room, Fia’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to her.

Her flame-like red hair was draped behind her. She was only wearing a simple black long skirt. Although her face was covered by a black veil, it still could not hide the girl’s noble and mature aura. Even just by standing there, she made the style of the room go up a few notches.

Noreen.

If not for this disaster, the aura she had would have been even more eye-catching, Fia thought. The last time she saw Noreen, the air was always filled with the water vapor from the rain. Plus, Noreen was her enemy at the time, so Fia was not able to get a good look at Estelle’s sister. Now that the two of them are no longer enemies, Fia, upon observing her from a close distance, had a premonition that if Noreen were alive, she would definitely have been as beautiful as Anastasia.

Since Estelle was still asleep, Fia could only try to communicate with Noreen. It was not yet clear if Noreen saw her as a friend. She could only cautiously approach Noreen. That way, even if Noreen were to attack her with a sword, she could react immediately.

“Can you hear my voice? I am a friend of Estelle. Dofilia Alexia Yushir, the eldest princess of the Elf Kingdom Silvar. I have no intention of harming your sister. I just want to check on her. Nod if you understand.”

“…”

After a moment of hesitation, Noreen, who was wearing a veil, gave Fia an affirmative nod.

Although it was just a nod, it instantly made Fia see Noreen as a living being instead of a lifeless object. An ordinary creature, even when standing still, would have involuntary movements in small details, such as breathing and muscle twitches, which would give a person a feeling of “life.” But Noreen had none of these things; she was like a statue. So when Noreen nodded, it gave Fia a strong sense of closeness, letting Fia know that the person she was talking to was not a “dead person.”

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Fia asked further.

“Did Estelle wake up just now? If she did, write down what happened on the wall with a sword.”

Fia, with a hint of nervousness, quietly waited for Noreen’s reaction.

Noreen, however, gave no response. It was as if she hadn’t heard Fia’s words.

Just as I expected.

Fia’s heart, which had been filled with joy just a moment ago, now sank. Noreen was indeed, as Anastasia had said, a person who had lost the ability to speak. The reason she was able to “understand” Fia’s words just now was either that Noreen only remembered a few fragments of language or that she had only judged Fia’s words to be good or bad from her tone and reacted accordingly.

It was to be expected.

If Noreen had retained the ability to speak and could convey information by carving, things would not be this bad. Because that would mean she could have warned Estelle in a better way. She could have slowly told Estelle the truth in a way Estelle could understand.

It was already very difficult for Noreen to have done what she had in her current state, where she had lost her ability to speak and only had her instincts left.

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Fia couldn’t help but sigh quietly.

“I don’t know if you can understand, Noreen… The Despair Demon General is dead, and not even his corpse remains. I don’t know how long you can last. It would be great if you could live on forever, but if you can only last for a while, Estelle’s situation will be terrible.”

Fia’s words made Noreen’s lowered hands clench slightly. The silence in the room made Fia sigh again.

“Let’s go out first. Estelle needs some time to calm down.” After sensing the rejection in Noreen’s body, Fia had to explain. “I can’t persuade Estelle if I don’t give her time to sort all this out. If you’re here, Noreen, Estelle will only think about how to restore you to normal… You know this too, don’t you? If she sees you here, her mind will only be filled with how to make you normal again.”

“Although that’s a good motivation, it will lead to an outcome that no one wants. If Estelle loses her will to restore the territory because of you, the worst outcome is that she will have her noble title and fief revoked, and her mind will also be twisted by the disaster and your existence. This outcome is the exact opposite of what you hoped for Estelle, isn’t it? You wouldn’t want your sister to become a good-for-nothing.”

“…”

Upon hearing Fia’s words, the rejection in Noreen’s body lessened. Fia could even sense a look of hesitation and reluctance in Noreen’s movements.

In silence, Noreen looked at the sleeping Estelle. She extended her hand, which had no trace of blood in it, and gently touched Estelle’s pale cheek. Her fingertip brushed past the hair on the side of her face and finally lifted a strand of golden hair that was reflecting a glimmer of light. Noreen just stood there motionlessly until a few minutes had passed.

Finally, she put down Estelle’s hair, took out her longsword, and aimed it at her own neck. The change from an extremely slow movement to an incredibly fast one was so sudden that a person would not be able to react in time—of course, that was for an ordinary person. Fia, before the longsword could reach Noreen’s neck, pinched the blade of the sword with her fingers.

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“Hey, I’m not telling you to kill yourself. I’m telling you to come out with me.”

“…”

Sensing that the force in the longsword had weakened, Fia couldn’t help but feel a little speechless. This kind of communication was too tiring.

“What I mean is, we should come back in a while, at least a few minutes after Estelle wakes up, to give her some time to think. If Estelle sees you after she has thought everything through, she will surely be more hopeful about the future. So you must live on, Noreen. Do you understand?”

Noreen was stunned for a moment, then she gently nodded.

Fia immediately let out a sigh of relief. She released her grip on Noreen’s sword and waved her hand, walking towards the door first.

“Come out when you’ve understood.”

Noreen, without making a sound, dragged the black long skirt that reached the floor and left the room.