Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Hilise looked down at what could be said as a disastrous sight.

Blood and dust were entangled and filthy, but the child’s hair was as white as an old man’s.

The skin that was exposed outside the clothes was full of scars that looked like cuts.

The wounds were red.

His body had a long-pressing bloody smell.

In particular, blood was oozing out of his most recent long scars.

His dry and thin arms were just like branches, and the drops of blood on them were like the sap of a tree. And, as if it turned into a jewel, the blood that rolled off the child’s slender arms turned into a glossy red solid.

Even on the bed where he was lying, things that looked like beads were scattered in several places.

It also looked like a brilliant ruby.

If anyone saw this scene, they could easily infer the reason why he was now imprisoned with such scars.

It was a child whose blood turns into gems.

How is that different from a goose that lays golden eggs?

As long as he was alive, blood would continue to be generated. So, it was intended to be kept to continue drawing a certain amount of blood while keeping him in a room without killing him.

It was clear that the gagged in his mouth prevented the child from biting his tongue and killing himself. Or maybe he had already actually tried it.

However, the child that Hilise knew wasn’t strong enough to end his life on his own.

In a way, it was just a matter of time, because now he is only eleven years old.

“Okay. I’ll kill you.”

At last, a small voice leaked out of Hilise’s lips, opening a small gap.

“If that’s what you want.”

Then, the child stopped begging and looked up at her.

Tears were still in his eyes, and his bloodless, dry face was soaked up.

The child’s pupils narrowed for an instant. A strange light shimmered over his eyes.

Hilise, despite witnessing the strange sight, was not wary of the child.

Soon, the face reflected in her vision was covered with a different feeling from what he had been having so far.

“Th…”

Tears began to well again in the child’s eyes.

“Thank…”

The voice, whispering overwhelmingly to Hilise, there was a joy that seemed to be seen by the person who first saw the light in the dark.

“Tha… Thank you.”

At that moment, tears flowing down the tail of the child’s eyes became a pearl-like solid unlike ever before and fell to the floor.

“…Don’t thank me in advance.” Hilise bowed her back and picked it up.

“After leaving this place and returning to where you should be…”

Then, she said, looking straight into the dark green eyes. “If you still want to die, then I will kill you.”

The child did not seem to understand Hilise.

Or, perhaps he was so happy that at last, he could die, so he didn’t have the time to listen to the following words.

“And I am not a reaper.”

Kuung.

At that time, she heard the sound of something breaking in a place that was clearly closer than before.

‘It’s time.’

Hilise immediately embraced the child.

“My name is Hilise Inoaden. Remember that.”

She put what she picked up a while ago and swallowed it in her mouth.

Kwaaang…!

At the same time, the sound of the flying door rang from behind her back.

The candlesticks hung on the wall were pushed from outside by a gust of wind and extinguished all at once.

Her vision quickly became dark.

“I didn’t know there were passengers.”

A low, slow voice of a predator that seemed to grab her back was heard from behind.

Hilise followed the voice and turned back.

“I’m in trouble.”

Blue eyes, shining vividly even in the dark, were stuck in the field of vision like cold moonlight.

“Because there are many people who are willing to steal the baby bird that went out of its nest, so it was getting annoying.”

Since the room was dark, the man she met was barely visible to the naked eye. Though Hilise was able to picture him even in the dark vividly.

Because she already knew who the man who just appeared is.

Among the ancient blood clans, the Berzete clan had the greatest authority on this day.

And among them, the one who has reached the peak.

He was the head of the Ash Clan, Axion Berzete.

4. The King of Bergett and the Princess of Calicia

Anyone living in this era had no choice but to know the name of Axion Berzete.

This was especially true if they belonged to the same four generations. Of the four ancient blooded families, Bergett was the most powerful in modern times.

Unlike other families where their power is dying, the power of Berzete was still strong. And among them, the head, Axion, surpassed everyone else.

Though it had been a long time for Hilise now, she still clearly remembered the first time she saw Axion.

That day when a grand banquet of the four generations was held, welcoming Axion, who had become the new head of the Berzete.

At that time, Axion Berzete was fifteen years old, so Hilise would have been twelve.

Axion Berzete, seen from a distance, was already a boy who had a face full of complacency since then.

Certainly, after messing the tidy hair that the employees must have been arranged for a while with his hands, he quietly gazed at the golden veil swaying between the columns of the banquet hall, moving his deep blue eyes silently like the deep sea.

Hilise had thought that the expressionless Axion Berzete was a little scary, and at that time, she was hiding behind the veil.

She was so startled that for an instant, they made eye contact.

That’s why the work on that day was so clearly imprinted in her mind.

However, from then on until the age of nineteen, there was no such contact between Axion Bergett and her. Since Hilise rarely did outside activities, she rarely saw him from a distance.

So, in this life, now was her first official meeting with Axion.

Step, step.

She heard the sound of footsteps approaching in the dark.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is definitely an Inoaden.”

A low-pitch voice stuck in Hilise’s ear.

The man approaching from the opposite side took a couple of steps and stopped again.

“Has there already been a generational change in Inoaden?”

Apparently, on the way to the basement, he saw the people Hilise had handled.

Roses and petals that bloomed from its use would still remain everywhere, so there was no way he would not have noticed that Hilise belonged to Inoaden.

“But it’s not Ricardo.”

On the other hand, the person in front of her now did not have a clear trace.

In particular, there was nothing more to say about places like these abandoned buildings. So, he thought that Hilise might not know his own identity, and he revealed his name.

“I am Axion Bergett.”

She felt an agile gaze sweeping Hilise in the dark.

“Did you know who the child is?”

Axion was watching Hilise’s movement. In some ways, he seemed to be on the lookout for her.

The reason was not unthinkable.

The tip of Hilise’s lip was pulled silently.

Of course, she knew who the kid was. That is why she came here on purpose today.

Hilise saw the blue glow in front of her eyes and lifted her closed lips.

“So, what?”

“I came to pick up the child at the request of Kalykia. So, I want you to stop and give the child to me.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“…”

For an instant, a bleak silence lingered around.

He didn’t think he’d hear that from Hilise’s mouth as doubt grew in his heart.

However, Hilise did not ask such a question because she didn’t really believe in Axion.

She already knew that what he was saying was true.

Axion Berzete had been vacating the family for some time at the request of Kalykia.

It was because of the child in Hilise’s arms right now.

In the first place, the strange phenomenon of a normal child to make blood and tears solid could never happen.

In Calicia, they noticed the child’s presence by seeing the red jewels on the black market, and afterward, secretly asked Berzete for help.

‘Please find the descendant who inherited the blood of Kalykia.’

The only descendant who inherited the power of Kalykia is completely gone at the moment.

The most important thing was this part.

The child’s name is Margo Kalykia.

This child will soon become a member of Kalykia and would later become their King.