A Deep Rift – Part 03

[previous_page]

[next_page]


Translator: Kell


“Captain. I didn’t know you were already here.” Barcel found Gemma waiting inside the tent. He was carrying the Director on his back. “You saved me the trouble of informing you. I see you brought paper and ink.”

“It’s easier for me to procure these things than you. Also…” She jerked her chin to a corner.

“Whoa. Is that a mirror?”

It was a huge, full-body mirror. Even in Wenias, where goods from all over the continent gathered, it was rare to find such an item. A huge one cost a lot as well.

“Apparently, mirrors are produced around these parts. There are mirrors all over the Cathedral and in the room they provided me.”

“So what’s it doing here?”

“‘God will be displeased if a woman is dressed like that. There’s a large mirror in your room, so please use it to groom yourself. Do you have any jewelry with you? If you wish, we can prepare a dress to match your skin tone.'”

Barcel frowned. He could understand if they said those words to a princess escorted by the Knights Templar, but to a knight who was officially appointed by Commander Eudwright himself to lead men all the way here from Wenias? It was too rude.

“Who in the world said that?” Barcel asked.

“The Captain of the Noble Guards.”

“You mean Captain Orlux?”

“You know him?” Gemma blinked in surprise, and Barcel gave her an astonished look.

“How could I not know the Captain of Knox Cathedral’s Noble Guards? If anything, I should be reprimanding you for not knowing, but I will refrain from doing so. I know my place.”

“Do that, then. Damn it. That mocking smile. What’s wrong with my attire? Just remembering it pisses me off.”

Gemma, short-haired and dressed like a man, was covered in blood and sweat and dirt. But she was a knight. The man had no right to tell her how to dress like a proper lady.

Orlux Corr, Head of Knox Cathedral’s Noble Guards, was a polite and soft-spoken man. But there was no hint of benevolence in his eyes. In fact, every word that slipped out of his mouth was critical of Gemma.

When he found out that a witch and Beastfallen had joined them, he said, “It must have been too heavy a responsibility for a woman to bear. I can understand why you had to count on a witch and Beastfallen for help.”

And when she said that it was Commander Eudwright’s orders, he added, “Size doesn’t always equal capability, I suppose.”

If Leyland hadn’t stopped her, she would have struck the man.

“I don’t understand how such an awful man became Captain of Knox’s Noble Guards,” Gemma said.

“It’s the other way around. Someone becoming Captain of the Noble Guards at such a young age could not be a decent person.”

“That makes sense,” Gemma said, then frowned. “But I’m younger than him.”

“That’s why the Vice Captain is there. To assist you. Commander Eudwright appointed you as Captain because of your humanity.”

“I see.” Gemma nodded.

“I get why you wanted to smack the little shit, but why did you bring the mirror here? You could have just smashed it.”

“How can I destroy something that doesn’t belong to me? Mirrors are a luxury item. Besides…” She turned to the Director, who was silent as a puppet on Barcel’s back. “The Director hasn’t seen his human form, has he? I thought he might want to know what he looked like.”

“But he can see everything, can’t he? I’m sure he can also see himself.”

“Oh, right.”

“No,” the Director said. “I can’t… see myself. I had a mirror… in my room… at the Forbidden Library.”

“That’s surprising,” Barcel said. “So even demons care about their appearance.”

The Director nodded.

“All right, then. Captain, can you take that chair in front of the mirror? The Director can’t properly stand yet, and it’ll be hard to see his whole body with him on my back.”

“Good point.” Gemma stood up and dragged the chair she had been sitting in to the mirror.

When Barcel set the Director down on the chair, he was surprised by his own appearance. “Beautiful,” he said, letting out a deep breath.

Indeed. His human body possessed fine features. Too mature to be called a boy, yet too young to be called a man. His fragile figure looked even more mystical with his overly-thin body and pale complexion.

“I-I always… hated… the human body… because of its… fragility… But…” The Director reached for the mirror. Then with his muscleless legs, he staggered to his feet. “I’ve always… wanted… this kind of… body.”

When she saw the tears welling up in the Director’s eyes, Gemma was a little taken aback. “I forgot. A demon’s sense of beauty is similar to a human’s. Then I’m sure you’ll like this one. Barcel, give the Director a hand. He finally managed to stand up on his own.”

“G-Got it.”

As Barcel supported the Director, who looked like he could fall to his knees any time, Gemma pulled out a bright red coat from a wooden box next to the mirror.

The Director’s eyes widened.

Gemma nodded. “I thought you needed some new clothes more than I do, so I asked a maidservant for one. I heard you like red, hence the red coat. There are others too.” Gemma draped the coat over the Director’s shoulders. It looked and felt magnificent, with its fluffy fur around the collar and the golden embroidery all over.

“Wow. It looks good on him,” Barcel said. “He looks like a noble’s son. So why are we dressing him in fancy clothes again?”

“Thousand-Eyed Sentinel is supposed to be the legitimate Director of the Forbidden Library. We can’t have him wearing servant’s clothes.”

“True.”

“A-And, uhh, on our first night,” Gemma mumbled, not sure if she should blush or turn pale, “he was wearing a specially-tailored outfit. It somehow left an impression on me.”

Back at the Forbidden Library, the Director basically wore a rag and a leather mask. But only on their first night did he appear in fine clothes, like some human aristocrat.

At that time, Gemma could not say anything as she had to make a difficult decision to protect her pride by taking her own life. But when the Director came into her room, she actually thought, “He has decent clothes too, huh?”

“It was a very old-fashioned outfit, but he wore it with great care.”

She thought that it was the kind of clothing he wanted. She had no obligation to give the demon what he wanted, but thanks to him, they arrived here safely. So she decided to reward him with something other than the book.

“If you don’t like it, I can get you some more functional clothes.”

“This is fine.” The Director gently brushed the front of the coat with his trembling fingers. “This is good… I like it.”

“I see. That’s good, then. Now let’s work on that list.” Gemma spun on her heel, but the Director grabbed her wrist.

Barcel and Gemma froze at the same time, but Gemma didn’t shake off his hand, and Barcel didn’t pull the Director away from her either. They both knew that he currently had no power to harm humans.

“Demons only live… according to deals… and contracts. You’re just like… the Director… that gave me clothes… Like my Director…”

Gemma cocked her head. “Your Director? You mean the witch who summoned you?”

“Yes… So I will tell you… Just like I did… to the Director…”

“Hmm? I’m not sure I follow. What are you going to tell me?”

He always said that he never answered questions that were not asked of him, but she did not expect that giving him clothes would change his attitude drastically.

He was going to offer information for the clothes, so Gemma decided to hear him out.

“T-Tell the witch… that a dragon… will fall… before sunset.”


[previous_page]

[next_page]


Novel Schedule

Grimoire of Zero

Grimoire of Zero Volume 1 Cover

Schedule will be reduced when the goal is reached

Balance: 0

Comment (0)

Get More Krystals