Chapter 287: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (80)

Those who cannot trust anyone become lonely.

Distrust is a form of curse.

The less one can trust others, the more they overestimate themselves.

Those who cannot rely on others, have no one to lean on. So they have to bear all the burdens of life alone.

At times, they might buckle under the weight, but still,

They ultimately trust no one and gradually perish like that.

This was the first sin borne by Delphirem, ‘Pride’.

And Pride gave birth to the cause of death called ‘suicide.’

It was the paradox of only believing in oneself, leading to one’s own demise.

Therefore, suicide was the loneliest death, yet in this worldthere were occasionally people in even more miserable situations.

People who couldn’t even trust themselves.

Their lives were more like hell.

It meant they didn’t even have the bare minimum assurance needed to live.

The girl who once thought of herself as “Ria Percus” was no different.

She could no longer believe in anything.

She didn’t even know who she was anymore.

The beginning of her nightmare was always the same.

Pukkk, she felt the sensation of a blade piercing flesh.

The sensation so vivid it sent chills down her spine. With trembling eyes, Ria looked at the blood on her hands.

It was a trace of her sordid sin.

The hands of a monster who killed her beloved brother.

“N-No...”

As she desperately cried out, dimmed golden pupils came to her view.

It was the colour that symbolized both the only thread connecting her to her first love and the only obstacle that stood in her way.

‘Blood ties.’

How cruel fate could be.

Thus, Ria’s sin became even more evident.

She was the girl who had stabbed and killed her first love, who was also her brother.

“No, no, no... i-it’s a lie...”

Uttering only words of denial, Ria buried her face in her brother’s chest. She could still feel his faint heartbeat and weak breaths.

It wasn’t too late yet.

Suddenly, it was as if bright light shone through the pitch-black darkness.

Clinging to the thread of hope, Ria lifted her head.

But the nightmare was just beginning.

As her vision crumbled away in a white haze, a new scene emerged.

It was the reception room of the Percus Manor.

There, a woman with a distressed expression could be seen.

Though her complexion paled over the past few days, her beauty still shone brightly.

She was a beauty with hair like silver threads and eyes as luminous as pearls.

She was the woman known to the world as the ‘Saintess.’

Her lips, which always spoke kind words, were now firmly shut. Her tightly closed lips showed no sign of opening.

At a glance, it seemed she was being stubborn.

It was her way of responding with silence to a truth she absolutely didn’t want to accept.

It was, of course, a futile defiance.

Since everyone’s eyes were on her, she couldn’t hold out for long.

Finally, her averted gaze shifted and her lips parted.

A trembling voice slipped through the gap.

“...We cannot rule out the worst possibility.”

Though her words were indirect, their meaning was clear.

A chilling silence descended upon the drawing room.

Arthur, the Imperial Administrator, wiped the cold sweat from his brow and adjusted his glasses while Reynold sighed deeply with his arms crossed and Viscount Percus just hung his head low.

As for Lady Percus, she seemed to be on the verge of fainting. And Aaron stood next to her, as a support to keep her from collapsing.

Surprisingly, the rest of the group remained silent.

Perhaps it was because they simply couldn’t believe it.

Since everyone was maintaining their silence, someone had to speak up.

And it was Reynold who took on that role.

“By the worst possibility, you mean...?”

“...Do you think.”

In a fit of rage, the Saintess stood up.

Her light pink eyes glared fiercely at Elsie.

“Do you think I don’t want to save him?! I’ve tried every possible way... done everything I could! But he was attacked by that Evil God’s Underling... th-that’s why I even prayed for three days and nights without sleep! If only that could save Ian!

Elsie offered no reply.

Her despair filled blue eyes simply stared back at the Saintess.

The girl was biting her lip, trying not to cry, not realizing how much more pathetic it made her look.

The Saintess stood up, fueled by anger.

But seeing her target like this, she found it hard to maintain her fury.

Eventually, her knees buckled.

With her hands on the ground, she spoke again in a trembling voice.

“I-If only he could live...”

She would do anything.

That was the Saintess’s genuine sentiment.

If only Ian’s opponent had not been the Evil God’s Underling, she could have saved him.

This is because the power of the Evil God nullified the effects of Holy Power.

And the power wielded by the Corpse Giant was also the same.

With every blow Ian received, the Evil God’s power seeped into his body.

And this was the result.

Now Ian’s life could only be entrusted to the divine.

From her kneeling position, the Saintess began to pray..

“...Lord, please.”

For now, that was all she could do.

The atmosphere in the room grew stiflingly heavy with that dismal scene.

Tap, tap, tap.

The only sound that could be heard was the rhythmic tapping on the armrest of a chair.

The source of the noise was Arthur, the Imperial Administrator.

He was tapping his finger with an anxious expression, then abruptly stood up.

“There’s nothing more I can say on this matter... except that Young Master Ian’s heroic battle will be remembered for generations.”

“He isn’t dead yet.”

The voice was menacing.

Arthur flinched and turned toward the voice’s owner. There, a pair of amber eyes were burning with a subtle rage.

It was Celine Haster.

Recognizing the person, Arthur let out an awkward laugh, as if realizing his mistake.

“Of course, I was just speaking hypothetically. The Sword Duke has instructed us to spare no effort in saving Young Master Ian. The Empire will ensure appropriate measures are taken... but there’s one problem remaining, isn’t there?”

Celine’s brow furrowed slightly.

Arthur had never been a particularly trustworthy figure.

He was diligent and competent in his duties, but he also had a tendency towards a petty, small-minded disposition.

And the typical response of a small-minded person faced with unbearable responsibility was always the same.

Shifting the blame.

“There is still a monster created by the Dark Order here. And perhaps... someone who is also accountable for Young Master Ian’s possible death.”

Several scenes flashed through Celine’s mind.

Arthur had always shown unusual obedience to Ian. He might also be aware of the secrets behind the Dragonblood Script that Ian possessed.

And any incident involving the death of a holder of Dragonblood script carried immense responsibility.

Even if the cause lay entirely with the holder of Dragonblood script, it was the same.

That’s how the Imperial Family operated.

But capturing a scapegoat might change the narrative.

Celine’s eyes filled with contempt.

“...surely you aren’t suggesting that.”

“This is what I think. Given the urgency of the situation, it was something that might have been overlooked, but...”

Before Celine could finish her sentence, Arthur seized the moment to get to the main point.

He pointed somewhere.

It was only then did Ria become aware of her own presence.

Aware of her pitiful self, trembling in that dark and secluded spot, listening to the Saintess’s words.

“...Let’s hold that monster accountable. She should pay for stabbing Young Master Ian!”

At those words, Ria found herself unable to breathe.