Chapter 113: Interrupted
[You wouldn't happen to be inside Seraphina, would you?]
What?
Inside Seraphina?
What did she mean by that?
How could he even get inside her when he didn't have the element to do so?
The thought alone made no sense to him, and the more he tried to understand it, the more his mind twisted into confusion.
Kael blinked several times, his face burning bright red until he felt as if it might explode from the heat alone.
[Of course not. I'm not able to do so. Why would you even think that way?]
For a moment, she said nothing, her silence carrying a strange heaviness that made him feel uneasy. Then her voice echoed again, smooth and teasing, like a whisper meant to test his patience.
[Well, it's midnight, isn't it? As far as I know, people usually do it at midnight. You're not one of those men who prefer daylight, are you? Still… don't you think it's a little rude to be thinking about another woman while doing something… intimate… with your wife? And that too, your sister-in-law, no less.]
Kael froze, eyes widening, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
[I still don't understand half of your words. Can you please explain... what do you mean by "inside Seraphina"? Are you perhaps implying that I'm violating her? If so, you should know better than anyone that I despise such things.]
A soft, musical laugh filled his mind, teasing, light, but impossible to ignore.
[Gods, oh gods… just kill me. You're too amusing. Truly, what should I do with you? You are unbearably… deliciously clueless.]
Kael tilted his head, bewildered.
[What's so funny? I'm damn serious here.]
Her laughter faded, replaced by a calm and almost pitying tone.
[I know you are, which is why it's so… tragic. But tell me, do you even know how children are born?]
He frowned. What kind of question was that supposed to be? Of course, he knew that much.
[When a male and female... kiss.]
That answer only made her laughter return, louder this time, filled with amusement that echoed deep in his head. He could tell she was laughing hard, even without seeing her. But what was so funny about it? That was what he had been told, right? But who had told him that?
He tried to remember, but his memory blurred at the edges, refusing to come together.
[Brother-in-law… oh, my gods, you're still so innocent. Truly, it's remarkable. So my big sister never taught you anything. Even though you've got such a gorgeous wife, you're still… virgin. I salute you. One could almost cry for your tragic lack of knowledge. But don't worry… I can teach you everything you need to know, little by little. Provided, of course, that you marry me first. You will, won't you?]
Kael's mind went blank for a moment.
He thought, "Just what exactly does this wicked woman want to teach me? No, no, I'm certain if I learn anything from her I'll be ruined beyond saving. I must stay far away from her. That's the only way to remain safe. Oh, wait... she can hear me, can't she?"
He shook his head so vigorously he might have dislodged it if it weren't attached.
[Never. I'll never marry anyone else. Now, tell me why you suddenly connected with my mind. I know you didn't come here just to fool around or tease me. You must have a reason for doing this. Speak quickly. I'm running out of time... I have to kill someone.]
Her tone shifted, soft but full of daring amusement, like she were leaning closer with a mischievous smile that only he could feel.
[Oh, you're serious about that, aren't you? Well, if you're really going to kill someone, I suggest you do that first. Otherwise, trying to understand my reason might… overwhelm you. I have so many things to tell you that you'd need hours to digest them. So go on, finish your little mission first. Afterwards… just think about me again. And by the way… I wouldn't mind if your thoughts about me wandered a little… inappropriately. It helps, you know, the connection.]
Kael exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers against his temple.
[You really are impossible. I should've known better than to expect anything meaningful out of your mouth. You wasted my time talking nonsense again. Just what kind of information could you possibly have anyway? A new hit list? Or another trap?]
She giggled.
[Patience, my dear brother-in-law. You'll find out when you're ready. Oh, and try not to die before that... It would be such a shame if I had to haunt you in the afterlife just to finish this conversation.]
He groaned softly, muttering under his breath, "This woman… she's worse than a curse."
He exhaled, closing his eyes briefly before jumping down from the rooftop. The wind brushed past him, cold and sharp, and when he landed below, his gaze fell upon the figure seated in silence. The woman didn't move at all, sitting there motionless as if carved from ice. Before going down he took his black hood and wore it.
"I don't know how long I can keep this up... and how long it'll take for Seraphina to arrive... she must have noticed it by now, hasn't she?"
His voice drifted into the empty night, swallowed by the quiet that seemed to stretch endlessly around him.
---
The house once looked old and ghastly, a place that seemed to rot under the weight of time, but now after being turned into ice, it had become something entirely different. It appeared majestic in a strange way, cold and haunting, as if something sacred but terrifying had been born within it. Even the land surrounding it seemed transformed, glimmering under layers of frost that reflected the faintest light.
A young man in a pale, battered shirt and black trousers, his clothes stained with dirt and blood, fell from the sky and landed as if such a thing were ordinary. His face and hair remained hidden behind a black mask and hood. Kael steadied himself with quiet composure, his feet finding the frozen ground, and after a brief moment, he swung his new sword once, testing its weight, before his gaze shifted toward his enemy... Effie. Without hesitation, he began walking toward her.
Step. Step. Another step.
Each sound echoed across the frozen air.
She stood there unmoving, her body wrapped in layers of ice that had thickened even more, sealing her as though her own magic had turned against her. It almost looked as if she were suffering from the cold she had created. The frost clung tightly to her body like a pair of hands trying to hold her upright, refusing to let her collapse. Her eyes were closed, yet within the frozen veil they appeared still open, locked forever in that same moment, with blood crystallized within them like scarlet glass.
When Kael stopped just a few meters away, his voice broke the silence, cold and steady.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
Her frozen lips parted slightly, as though telling him to go on.
He sighed, long and weary. "Can you tell me what exactly you were trying to do here? Why are you still struggling to live? Why did you even bother casting that spell of yours? In the end, it was meaningless, wasn't it? You failed to kill me... and Eska. Oh, right, I almost forgot to mention... your spell barely touched her. Was that a coincidence? I thought you'd kill her in an instant. Or maybe you ran out of mana halfway through?"
She did not respond, not even slightly.
Kael turned his head, glancing toward Eska, who stood near the bridge on the far side of the river, staring in silence. His eyes shifted back to Effie. "But that doesn't make sense, does it? When I first sensed the amount of mana you poured into that spell, it should have been powerful enough to freeze an entire kilometer. But what did it do? Barely anything. It only froze a few meters and the river itself. Well, thank you for that, by the way. I hate cold water, you know."
He lifted a hand to his temple, his fingers brushing against the cold surface of his mask. "Why the hell did I even try to fly away? You've made me feel like a clown, you know that? It's strange... I can't even explain it properly."
His hand lowered again, and his voice dropped colder. "Or maybe it's because you never intended to kill Eska in the first place. Could that be it? You only wanted to kill me, didn't you? You must have thought I'd stay grounded, that I couldn't fly. You tried to hide it, but you gave yourself away. If you never meant to kill her, then why pretend to attack her at all? What was the point of the performance? What if I hadn't been here to help her?"
He tilted his head slightly, one finger brushing against his chin, and a faint crooked smile curved beneath the mask. "Ah, I see now. That's how it is, isn't it? Everything makes sense. You didn't come here for Eska... you came here for me. You wanted me dead. But why? Was it because I ruined some plan of yours, something you once mentioned? Did you really hold a grudge that deeply?"
He paused, his voice growing darker with each word. "Wait... if Arwyn had been here instead of me, what then? Or worse, what if I hadn't come at all? What would you have done then?"
She said nothing, but he could feel the faint tremor of something behind the frozen silence, a weak echo struggling to surface.
He continued, quieter now but still sharp. "I suppose Lieutenant Arwyn couldn't have come because she suddenly fell asleep. That was strange, wasn't it? Don't tell me... you're the one behind that. Her sleep felt unnatural to me, too sudden, too clean. She suffered mana exhaustion without casting a single spell. You must have given her something... some kind of elemental poison that drains mana from one's body. But how? How could you poison a Lieutenant without her even realizing it? And how did you know she would be here today? More than that, how did you know I would be the one accompanying her? You even predicted I'd step in to save Eska. All of this drama... every single part of it... just to lure me out and kill me, isn't that right?"
At first, there was nothing. Then, very faintly, her lips moved again, a fragile whisper slipping through the frost.
"Y-yes."
Kael was silent for a few long moments as if the world itself had fallen still, and then, without warning, laughter burst out of him. It was merciless, harsh, and cold, the kind of laughter that did not come from joy but from something that had already cracked deep inside him.
He clasped his hands together, shaking his head slightly as though in disbelief, and said, "Oh, great. What an astonishing plan you've managed to prepare, I'm truly pleased. Who would have thought that one day I would fall into a trap just because I wanted to save someone from the likes of you. How ironic this is, isn't it? I should laugh at myself instead. I get caught simply because I wasn't cautious enough this time. What's wrong with me?"
He suddenly stopped laughing, and the silence that followed was heavy. His tone turned cold, sharper than steel, and in that moment the crimson light in his gray eyes began to burn, faint at first, then stronger, until it looked as though fire itself had come alive within him. "Ah, no matter. It is what it is. So, tell me… how are you planning to kill me in the current state you're in?"
He took a few more steps forward, the sound of his boots echoing against the frozen surface beneath him. "I suppose you've given me even more reason not to let you live. Well, more or less, I'm going to be doing the same thing myself."
He tilted his head slightly, his sword following that motion as if both were guided by the same thought. "You don't actually want me to slice through that frozen body of yours, do you? In truth, I can do that and walk away without looking back, but now, I don't have any reason to. Since you worked so hard planning all these things, it feels only right for me to give you a reward, wouldn't you agree? Ah, sorry, but I can't let myself become a corpse, nor can I fulfill your little desire. The only thing I can give you is a worthy fight, perhaps with a bit of trickery mixed in. You would want that as well, wouldn't you? So, stand up. I know you can."
However, she did not stand up, nor did she move even slightly. He waited for several seconds, his gaze fixed on her motionless figure, but still, nothing happened.
Indeed, he was not expecting her to rise. He was simply testing her, trying to see if there was still enough strength left in her to respond, or if his earlier strike had truly left her crippled. He knew well enough that a witch like her could never be trusted, that even a dying one might have a last trick hidden in her soul. If he got too close and she suddenly swung her arm and separated his head from his shoulders, it would not be a very pleasant way to die, especially for an assassin who prided himself on his caution. So, he stayed still, measuring every movement she might make, keeping his distance.
"I guess… my swift attack did work after all," he muttered softly, though his tone lacked satisfaction. "Why do I feel like I don't trust in my own ability anymore?"
In any case, it was clear enough that she was no longer capable of standing or attacking. That was good, of course, though even now he could not bring himself to move closer. It was simply how he fought. No matter how fragile his enemies looked, he never underestimated them. He had seen enough to know that appearances meant nothing. Just as he never fully trusted his own abilities, he never trusted what he saw either.
As those thoughts passed through his mind and he began to consider how to approach her safely, his eyes caught a movement from afar. A familiar figure was walking across the frozen water, her steps slow and heavy, her black hair stirring faintly in the cold wind.
It was Eska.
She walked until she stopped before him, her expression unreadable, her eyes empty as if lost somewhere far away. For a brief moment, she did not look at him, only at the frozen figure lying ahead of them.
Kael cleared his throat softly and raised his hand, his voice low but calm, "Ladies first."
Eska was silent for a few seconds, her eyes shifting toward him. There was something strange in her gaze, a mixture of disbelief and disapproval. She was clearly not pleased by his behavior, but he did not care much. He was certain Effie would not harm her friend, so he saw no reason to stop her. Besides, those two had something to settle between them. It was their matter, not his.
With that, Eska walked forward, the faint sound of ice cracking beneath her feet. She stopped just before Effie and slowly sat down, her voice cold but trembling faintly when she spoke, "Effie… why did you do it?"
Effie did not answer for a while. Her eyelids fluttered weakly as ice around them cracked and fell to the ground before opening halfway, and her gaze found Eska's face for a fleeting moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was faint and distant, trembling with exhaustion. "H-huh? Didn't I already… mention? Because I… love… Caelum."
Kael's eyes narrowed as he stood beside her, watching her with a cold and unreadable gaze. Eska's expression changed slightly; her lips trembled though she forced her tone to remain steady as she continued, "Why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't you tell me you loved him? If you had, I would have… I would have abandoned him long ago. Why did you have to break this friendship of ours, Effie?"
For a while, there was only silence. Then, a small, fleeting smile appeared on Effie's lips, one that carried both sorrow and a strange kind of peace. "That's… precisely why… Eska. I… didn't… want you… to pity me. You… were my… friend."
Eska clenched her fists tightly, her voice trembling as she replied, "I don't understand. I don't understand any of it. If you didn't want me to abandon him for you, then why did you do what you did with him last night? Can you please explain it to me, Effie? Please."
Effie's eyes closed for a moment before she spoke again, her tone weaker, her breath shaking as though her voice itself was breaking apart. "I… became… mad… that's precisely why. I can't tell you… exactly how, but… at some point… I did. Remember your… husband's theft case? You getting… raped over and over again. Your… husband's punishment. All of it was my… plan. I forgot… why I did it. But… I'm the one who did it. I met that knight, Rowen… a few months ago. He seemed to have an eye for you. He liked you as well. But… unfortunately, you had a husband. So, I brainwashed him… yes, I did. I made him arrest your husband… for a crime that never existed. I was the one who made him mad... with lust."
Her voice trembled, fading for a moment before she continued, "I was the one… who placed that relic in your house. After that, everything went as I planned. He arrested your husband and threw him into prison. You know well enough what he did to you after that. He threatened you and then… he raped you mercilessly. I didn't know what was going through my head anymore. But soon, my whole plan was ruined… because of that masked bastard. When I couldn't get any information out of him, I panicked. I thought the knights might've caught him. Then you told me… Caelum was getting out of prison. So…"
Her eyes moved faintly, the corners glistening with wetness as she whispered, "So, I hired some bandits to kill you when you'd be returning home with him. But… they failed because of the knight order's interference. And then, the next day, you told them everything. I was so worried, watching their every move. When I saw they didn't even look at the relic, which could've led them to me, I decided to steal it from his house. But as it turned out… it was their plan all along. Even so, I had already expected something like that, so I sent someone else in my place. I focused on using you… to lure that masked bastard out. Before that, I even poisoned a lieutenant. It wasn't much, but… I succeeded. That bastard came out just like I planned. It was… exhilarating."
Kael listened quietly. He had nothing to do with any of this, but now he understood what sort of twisted plan he had accidentally interrupted. He did not feel pity, not even sorrow. But deep inside, anger burned quietly, and he finally spat at her feet, his voice cold, "How could you do something so disgusting? You're a woman yourself… and you still…?"
Effie stared at him, her voice faint, almost lost, "I… am… mad. Of course… I'd be able to do something like that… as well."
She paused for a moment, then added,
"Isn't that madness?"
---
(Chapter Ended)