Chapter 35.1

Chapter 35.1

EP - 035.1 - Preparations

The worst thing about nightmares is that you can’t escape them even if you close your eyes.

So was the dream that Yuria Greyhounder had every day.

[Young Lady, why... Why?]

The restless voices of the dead constantly echoed in her ears, the smell of blood lingers on her hands, and the pieces of flesh at her feet that she didn't even recognize anymore.

Corpses formed a mountain.

And everything was her doing.

The gardener who cultivated a small bonsai with her, the housekeeper who made her favorite carrot cake for dessert with a warm smile, and the maid who always gives her a nagging but is worried about her wellbeing.

All of them.

She cut down everyone.

Just because they were within 'three steps' of her.

“...”

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

She didn't mean to. She didn't want this to happen.

No, never.

Shedding tears of blood, she pleaded while vomiting. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

However, not a single word is reached.

Her mouth won't open.

Everyone glared at her with resentful eyes, wishing upon her curses as they morph into a cold corpse.

Then, she saw a man emerging from the sea of bodies.

A robe of pure gold. A pure white wand. A swinging rosary.

A man boasting a perfect beauty as if he's meticulously created by a God.

Yuria knew who it was.

The Pope. The pinnacle of all religious figures in this era.

[Are you still hoping for someone to save you?]

An eerie sound, like a jade bead rolling on a tray, echoed out.

[Are you still hoping to get close with someone?]

However.

To her, it was the voice of a ‘predator’ that made her body shake just by hearing it.

[You cursed apotropaic.]

She dreams of this.

Always.

[You will be alone until you die.]

It ended with the Pope's whisper.

●

“...!”

Her eyes opened with a shallow scream.

Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

“...”

Yuria Greyhounder rubbed her face and looked out the window.

It wasn’t the first time she'd seen someone ‘receiving’ her attack. Especially if it's about three steps.

The way her sword works is the closer the opponent, the more her combat abilities increase. Likewise, the farther the opponent within her range, the less powerful her attacks are.

The problem is...

‘This is the second time, isn’t it?’

On their first meeting, this man also got attacked after closing the distance.

That's why, afterwards, when he completely disappeared, she understood.

“...”

-You will be alone until you die.

These words that she always hear in her dreams echoed in her mind.

That's right. She knows very well that it is her destiny.

After all, who on earth would want to get entangled with someone who'll slice you up if you get even an inch closer than permitted.

“Okay. Judging from your swings, you seem healthy. Have you been well?”

Except for this strange man in front of her.

As Yuria looked at the man perplexed, he slumped down and caught his breath.

It seems that the intense exchange they just had has exhausted him considerably.

[...What is, what the hell?]

Characters formed by manifesting divine power floated before her eyes.

As someone afflicted by the Curse of Severance, she couldn't use her vocal cords. Hence why she's communicating this way.

It was a question filled with complex doubts.

What is the point of doing this? What the hell are you doing?

Last time, he just disappeared and didn’t come back for a while. Then now, he suddenly came back with a sword and competed against her.

Moreover, he skillfully maneuvered within her "danger zone."

As if he knew about her curse.

‘...No, what is it really?’

Truly, his existence is just incomprehensible.

“Didn’t I tell you before? I'll occasionally come to bring you food.”

However, the other party simply replied like so.

In fact, along with those words, a lunch box filled with food slid towards her.

“Eat. I'm taking my leave. Someone will get angry if I stay for too long.”

“...”

Yuria blankly stared at the man leaving.

What kind of person is he, really?

The day passed just like that.

She spent the rest of the day pondering over thoughts of that man while attending to her tasks.

‘What's going on? What kind of person is he?’

She was accustomed to the solitary life. She had plenty of time for thinking.

‘It's probably just a whim.’

In the evening, just before she's about to sleep, she successfully came to that conclusion and wore a satisfied smile. It was the result of thinking only of him for 9 hours.

Yeah, that's right. He hadn’t shown himself for a while after visiting her once.

It will probably be the same this time.