Chapter 213: Reunion (2)
As their passionate reunion came to an end, Ferzen and Yuriel emerged from the underground bunker, as if nothing had happened.
The once-sunny sky gave way to a dark and cloudy night.
Yuriel herself wondered if an unknown force had caused the time to slip by......
The young woman found herself lost in such musings.
How nice would it be if they were able to travel ahead in time?
To a period far away from this war, where hundreds of years would have passed, and both, the Ermes and Elmark Empires were but a forgotten memory.
'That would have been perfect......'
Of course, those were her selfish dreams.
If such a thing happened,
Then,
Euphemia, that woman, as well her child......
Jeremiah, the loyal man who was Ferzen's only family......
And even the Imperial Family of today......
Would exist no longer.
Should this happen, then Yuriel was certain that Ferzen would be engulfed in an overwhelming sadness.
And he would only have her to rely on,
Yuriel secretly longed for such a scenario.
As their relationship grew stronger, their love blossomed.
And the insatiable greed for dominance over his heart grew just as much,
To the point that her feelings were becoming something vile.
This was the one thing she absolutely didn't want to show to him.
The noises from the Ernes Empire's camp shattered her delusions,
With a faint sigh, both Ferzen and Yuriel moved forward.
*****
Rustle-.
As Yuriel organized her tent, she straightened her back.
'I wonder when we will have another opportunity, just the two of us.'
Shaaa-!
From outside, she could hear the rain.
Judging by the noise, the rain should last for a while,
Squeak-.
Yuriel turned her head toward the sudden noise coming from behind her.
"......"
"......"
There, she could see Lizzy, in her wheelchair.
Her hair was messy, and stained with blood and dirt.
Perhaps due to the dampness in the air, a faint stench emanated from her.
"What's the matter?"
"I...I wanted to apologize......"
"....."
Yuriel closed her eyes for a moment when she stared at Lizzy's trembling purple orbs.
Lizzy's desire to apologize may have been sincere, but it could also be a way to reassure herself of Yuriel's stance.
If Yuriel wanted, she could also apologize for allowing Ferzen's influence to grow by taking her as his mistress.
At the same time, she could lead her with the premise her affection towards Ferzen was simply a lie.
A two-birds, one-stone situation.
......If only she could have been the bigger person to help Lizzy who stood on the brink of an abyss.
Because she knew that even the lightest confrontation, the slightest lie, would be a solace for the broken girl.
But Yuriel couldn't respond to her unspoken plea.
After all, Yuriel didn't wish for anyone to misinterpret her feelings towards Ferzen, even if it meant crushing Lizzy's hopes.
"Lizzy."
With a voice laced with steel, Yuriel opened her eyes and stared at Lizzy.
"There's no need to apologize to me."
"B-but......"
"I wasn't sold to him, nor I am with him against my will. In fact, I have no complaints about my current life."
"H-he......"
"......"
"Y-You don't know him, I......"
Her trembling hands trembling on the armrest of the wheelchair.
Her contorted face was on the verge of bursting into tears.
A desperate struggle to run away from the despairing truth.
But Yuriel struck the final blow.......
"Lizzy, I love him."
She uttered the cruelest words that could be said to Lizzy.
"L-lies......"
"......"
"S-sob-. You're l-lying......."
"......"
"Y-You don't know.....What kind of a man he is......"
"......"
"He...He destroyed my family!.... Ruined our lives!.... My Life! For no reason!"
"And why should I give up my happiness for something that is clearly your problem?"
"Ah......"
"You're bitter with me for loving him, I get that, but that's not all, is it? You just want someone who can sympathize with your current situation...You want someone who is also wallowing in the same misery as you are."
"Th-That's not......"
"Did it ever occur to you, that you just want everyone to be as miserable as you are? Just so you could have someone suffering the same as you are? Aren't you a bundle of selfishness and cruelty for wishing this to others?"
"N-No, no....Ah, no..........."
The young girl wanted to deny Yuriel's words.
But each time the woman opened her mouth, another knife was embedded in her heart.
Lizzy was left speechless.
After all, wasn't Yuriel suffering from Ferzen's torture just as much as she was?
Like stray cats that licked each other's wounds......
She too, wanted a small amount of comfort and solace.
And she was called selfish for that?
No, at the very least......
Back then, in the distant past, Yuriel was akin to a reliable sister.
So how could she not give her even the slightest amount of respite?
"Why......"
"......"
"Why......"
How could she love that man, when he had committed such atrocities towards herself and her family?!
"WHY!?"
Why does someone like him have it all?!
"Wahhhh!"
Lizzy simply cried, her tears announcing her status as someone forsaken by the world.
And Yuriel.....Yuriel watched her pitiful display in silence.
After all, if your husband is the vilest of villains.
Then,
His wife must become the wickedest of all,
A perfect villainess.
Yuriel turned her head as she let out a bitter laugh.
*****
"......"
How long has it been since they had a break?
Of course, Ferzen knew that even moments like these were but a preparation for what was to come.
After eating their portion of meat, Ferzen could see that the soldiers had regained some of their vigor, as he discarded his soaked cigarette on the ground and fixed his umbrella.
To drive away the darkness of the night, the Elemental Wizards conjured flames that resisted the downpour, illuminating the entire camp.
As he entered his tent, Ferzen wasn't greeted by his empty bed, but......
"Ah, It's been...A...Long...Time..."
Laura sat on his makeshift bed, greeting him.
"Don't you think it was rather thoughtless of you to simply wander in here? Others might have noticed you."
"Ah....I-I, Avo-avoided their...Stares...When...I....Ca-came."
Laura felt herself stuttering as she used to, as her delicate hands were clenched.
Didn't he know how to be considerable of a maiden's heart?
Honestly, Laura believed that her actions were leagues better than Yuriel, who simply rushed at him like a bitch in heat......
And the fact that his first words to her were those made Laura's heart, ache for some reason.
"......"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Ferzen quickly recalled something that had happened a while ago as he realized he had done wrong by her.
"I apologize."
Flinch-!
"Were you hurt anywhere?""......"
"You've traveled far, Laura, and you have worked hard as well."
With his sudden apology, Ferzen sat next to her, his large hand brushing her hair as he uttered the words she longed to hear.
Laura's body trembled and she lowered her head.
The ex-witch felt embarrassed that a man like him could read her inner thoughts like an open book.
And she worried that he might think of her as a troublesome woman because of this.
'Do all women in love....have such.....complex emotions...?'
Even though she found it strange, Laura allowed herself to melt in his embrace.
"I-I've prepared...Everything..."
"And what preparations have you made?"
In response to Ferzen's question, Laura licked her finger.
Then, a barrier unfolded, blocking all perception from those not inside. An ability borrowed from a shy monster who resided on the First Floor of the Underworld.
"......"
Ferzen didn't feel any sort of discomfort from her actions.
Her breath, her fresh scent, her everything was conveyed to him.
Rather, the fact that Laura used the ability of an abyss dweller was something he instinctively realized.
"N-now, there's......No need.....To worry."
Even though it was only the First Floor, the abilities of this monster were rather useful and welcomed.
If Ferzen had to point out what was causing such changes in his perception, it would probably be his own unique skill.
「3/5」
A skill capable of forcefully summoning the gates of the Underworld when he was faced with a life-threatening crisis.
He only had two more uses for this 'Deus Ex Machina' skill.
Exhausting its uses would certainly tilt the scales of his fate toward the negative.
But instead, some positive changes were brought forward from this skill.
Some rather strange musings lingered in his mind.
"Ah......"
Immediately after, as if waking from a dream,
Ferzen looked at himself as he noticed the disheveled white rabbit doll resting in the corner of the room.
It was sometimes quite tiring to be a perceptive person.
In that regard, Ferzen could somewhat understand the woes of women who complained that all the good men turned out to be married.
He felt as if he understood their reasoning.
Just a little bit.