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Chapter 87 Part 5 – What a Simple and Happy Dream

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A jet-black academic gown fluttered in the darkness.

This is a ruin that the locals do not go near as they fear it as a cursed place.

The area is littered with the white bones of beasts, as if harmful gas was being released.

Solomon stood alone in the center filled with demonic energy, looking up at the falling starry sky. He narrowed his eyes sharply.

「…… The star has fallen. It seems that she has passed away. Countess Rosenthal.」

But instead of mourning, he burst out laughing.

「Hahaha!! My eyes are not wrong. She is the best experimental subject. Even though I gave her the ‘evil eye’, she was still a mere human being and yet she was able to move Alisa’s heart!! And I even got a glimpse of Alisa’s secret. What a great result. Unfortunately, the durability is low. This is a subject for future research.」

It was insane for him to obsess over research results late at night in such an eerie ruin where numerous sacrifices were once made. He was crazier than a vengeful spirit.

「…… Fufu, that said, it’s cruel to ask for that much from anyone other than the star of destiny. My gift is to give ability to ordinary people in exchange for their lives. I knew from the start that it would break. A disposable pawn. I can just look for the next one right away. Now then, who should I experiment with this time ……」

His footsteps stopped as he was about to walk away.

Solomon turned around, his pince-nez glasses glinting like insect eyes, and his lips twisted strangely.

The spirit of a young girl was floating in the air behind him. With the youthful appearance of Rona, Countess Rosenthal was staring at Solomon. Solomon let out a sigh of relief as he saw a will in her gaze, rather than the emptiness that is often the case with spiritual phenomena.

「…… Well well, this is interesting. I never expected that you would appear in the form of a girl. And it seems like you can communicate. Are you holding a grudge against me? Or are you trying to make me feel guilty with that lovely appearance of yours? It’s useless. I will not apologize nor will I reflect on my actions. Because for me, experimentation and the pursuit for mysteries are the only justice. I will not let the heavens judge me.」

Rona shook her head, pinched both sides of her skirt, and curtsied.

Solomon, who was about to sneer at her, had a doubtful and puzzled expression, then he gasped and his eyes wavered.

「…… You ……!! Don’t tell me!! Did you appear here to thank me ……!! I was the one that gave you the ‘evil eye’ that sucked your life force and drove you to death ……」

Rona nodded, smiled, and disappeared as particles of light.

Solomon groaned after he recognized the unmistakable feelings of gratitude in her smile.

The remnants of light particles left a trail like fireflies and reached Solomon’s hand. Solomon stood still and stared at it. Rona’s broken rose hair ornament was left in his palm. Solomon held it gently so as not to damage it any further and looked up at the sky. His expression was deeply moved and serious, unlike the cynical one he had earlier.

「…… I see, even though you are called ‘the poisonous scorpion of high society’, you have a wholehearted, devoted maiden inside your heart. For you, living for the sake of the Crimson Duke and raising Cornelia to be a suitable companion for him was worth more than your own life. Even if you were not wearing a glittering dress, even in the form of a child, your curtsy just now touched my heart more than any curtsies that were done by born noblewomen ……」

Then, looking at the hair ornament in his hand, Solomon smiled bitterly to himself.

「…… I’m not Alisa, but you’ve given me your memento …… I’ve received too much …… The experimental data was enough for me. What a tricky situation. Even if I want to repay her, she is in the otherworld. Haaa, I have no choice but to repay the difference with labor. Although it may be presumptuous, I will comply with your dying wish of protecting Cornelia and her unborn child ……」

Solomon put his hand on his chest and bent his upper body reverently.

「Farewell. The winter rose who has held on to her first love until the end of her life. Leave the rest to me, Solomon. I am on the side of a maiden in love.」

Then he suddenly looked up as if he had smelled something.

After activating his clairvoyance, his expression quickly became grim.

「…… Well well, what a hectic night. I can’t even have some time to soak in the afterglow …… Mother has made a move on her own judgment. Tsk, she’s planning to use the demon dogs as pawns in her attack on Scarlet and the others. It looks like she has realized the danger of the Ruby of the True Emperor. Still, I didn’t expect her to break Alisa’s control on the demon dogs and take over the pack …… As expected, when she gets serious, she’s a bottomless monster, but I won’t let her do as she wants.」

Solomon clicked his tongue and put his hand on the stone pillar beside him. A complex and mysterious pattern emerged in green and ran through the ruins. The lines at the tips extended one after another and connected to Solomon’s feet.

「It was a blessing in disguise. I’ve accumulated a lot of ‘power’ from the lightning strike the other day. Since you are going to clash against that ‘Mother’, there is no such thing as too much power. I will share all I have with you.」

Absorbing the power of the ruins with blue sparks scattering, Solomon kicked the ground.

As if freed from gravity, he cut through the darkness and flew.

It flies through the darkness as if freed from gravity. He hardly sets foot on the ground. The way his academic gown fluttered in the moonlight resembled a giant black-winged bird flying through the night.

「…… Leaving aside the demon dogs, if they fight against ‘Mother’ herself now, Scarlet and the others will surely be annihilated. You guys have to somehow manage to hold out until I arrive. …… ‘Blood Atonement’ activate.」

Solomon’s eyes turned red and a mist of blood billowed up behind him. This secret technique, which boosts physical abilities in exchange for a large amount of one’s own blood, consumes a significant amount of stamina. However, Solomon’s grim profile showed that the situation was so dire that he had no choice but to use it.

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The twisted trees of the night are like intertwined claws. Rough breathing can be heard from all directions. The numerous terrifying hunters, the demon dogs, are lurking in the forest. And yet, their giant bodies can’t be seen. Their eerie green eyes and exhaled breath were the only signs of their presence.

All of the demon dogs’ eyes were fixed on the steep rocky mountain that stood tall in the middle of the forest.

At the top of the peak, which no man could possibly climb, stood a beautiful woman with a white thin robe fluttering like a haze. She raised her head and looked up at the moon. Her blond hair and blue eyes that were just like Alisa’s shone in the night. She is the best fortune teller in Hydrangea, ‘Mother’.

「…… Ufufufu, what a nice moon. It’s perfect for a feast of blood and gluttony. Now, it’s time to go. My lovely beasts. It’s time for a delightful feast. The nobles are gourmets, so I’m sure they’ll be delicious. But don’t eat too much since it’s not good for your body. Don’t overdo it.」

Cruel words gushed out from her nymph-like red lips.

「Oh, but you must kill the girl with the red hair and red eyes. And also all of her friends so that there will be no more decay left. I’m exhausted from fighting with Alisa-chan, so if you all attack simultaneously, you’ll be able to complete the task somehow. Only the Crimson Duke is too much for you to handle, so I’ll crush him myself.」

The grinning expression on her face was inhuman.

It’s the rough, sickening feeling of a reptile wearing human skin. The friendly smile she shows when doing fortune-telling and dealing with customers is a mask; this is her true nature. She can calmly crush the person she is chatting with with a smile on her face. Even the bloodthirsty demon dogs are still more humane than her.

「…… Ufufufu, I’m sorry, Alisa-chan. I feel bad since you’re so infatuated with this girl named Scarlet, but in the end, I still can’t leave her alone. Every time that Ruby is activated, my prediction of the future becomes hazy. That means there is a chance she could defeat me. She is much more dangerous than the boys of the Seven Phantoms. I will not let her hatch. I’ll swallow her while she’s still a helpless egg.」