Everything was ruined.
At the moment the truth was revealed, Melro’s dream of gaining honor and her family’s recognition was completely shattered. Even her very spirit was on the verge of a total collapse.
“What have I done…”
“Alet…”
At this moment, Melro knelt on the ground in a pathetic state. Her throat felt as if it were pierced by thousands of needles; no matter how hard she tried, she could only produce a few unpleasant, hissing gasps.
For a while, the sins she had committed against him — relying on her so-called “kindness” — began to haunt her mind, replaying over and over again. Every perception in Melro’s mind was overturned at that instant. Previously, what had maintained her arrogance and sense of entitlement was that supposed “kindness.” Fueled by this “kindness,” she viewed all of Alet’s sacrifices as a matter of course, feeling no guilt whatsoever.
However, now that this “benefactor” relationship had been completely overturned, the remaining conscience in Melro’s heart began to burn with an increasingly sharp pain. What was more… she no longer had any chance at redemption.
Alet was dead.
And she was the one who had killed him.
Suddenly, a promise she had made to him not long ago, while crossing the Sea of Gold on a ferry, flashed back into her mind.
“This Miss is feeling merciful this time and will cook for you personally. How about it?”
“I want fried eggs.”
“You’re ordering such a simple dish?”
“Yes. If it’s a dish handmade by Miss, even a simple one can be delicious.”
The unfulfillable promise, paired with Alet’s gentle and hopeful words, made Melro feel as if she were dying of grief. At this moment, the pain of being condemned and despised by everyone, the pain of being covered in filth and losing all dignity, and the pain of her dreams being shattered with no way to recover — even all of them added together — were not as massive or sharp as that twisting ache.
Just as she lay on the ground, so pained she was nearly losing consciousness, several enforcers from the Adventurer’s Guild arrived at her side.
“Melro, you are under arrest.”
“Your family is suspected of conducting experimental research on forbidden magic. The evidence is conclusive, and we hope you will cooperate with our investigation.”
As they spoke, the enforcers grabbed Melro’s arms and slowly helped her up from the ground. By now, Melro’s mind was almost completely blank. She had no strength left in her body, and she was hauled up by the crowd like a walking corpse.
However, just as she was about to let the enforcers deal with her as they pleased, her blood-red eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd.
‘That’s…’
The next moment she saw that figure clearly, her pupils focused instantly, and her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. To the currently mentally unstable Melro, everyone else no longer had faces. There was only one exception at the edge of the crowd.
It was a man with a very well-proportioned build but the face of a youth. He was no longer wearing armor; instead, he had changed into a set of clean and simple civilian clothes. On his exposed skin, small scars could be seen everywhere. Each of those scars made Melro’s heart ache as if it were being carved by a knife.
Who else could that person be but the Alet she had been yearning for?
“You — you’re not dead!”
“Thank goodness, thank goodness…”
Seeing Alet’s “miraculous survival,” Melro, who had originally given up struggling, was instantly revitalized. A tear even escaped from the corner of her eye due to her over-excitement.
However, this excitement and joy did not last long. In the next moment, her eyes noticed something strange about him — he just stood there at the edge of the crowd, his green eyes filled with a mixture of various emotions.
Disappointment, resentment, and sorrow.
These emotions were like arrows, piercing through her already tattered spirit. Standing beside him was a slender and beautiful black-clad figure.
The Witch, Vivian.
She was standing next to Alet, gazing at Melro from a distance with him. Unlike Alet’s resentful gaze, however, Vivian’s eyes were full of pride and mockery. Like a winner looking at a loser.
“Vivian…?”
After seeing her face clearly, Melro went dazed for a moment. A moment later, she slowly realized. Vivian was holding Alet’s hand. Alet showed no resistance to such intimate behavior. It was as if this was a natural and proper act.
“…Eh? Why…”
Just as Melro’s brain stalled and before she could react, Alet had already taken Vivian’s hand and turned to leave. He was unwilling to give Melro even another glance. This movement of turning to leave instantly crushed Melro’s already crumbling psychological defenses.
“NO, NO, NO, NO!”
“DON’T GO! DON’T!!”
In an instant, Melro’s exhausted body was reactivated. A massive force surged through her entire being. She suddenly opened her mouth and shrieked with all her might like a madwoman.
She still wanted to apologize to him, to repent for everything she had done in the past. She still wanted to take him back and make fried eggs for him. She had just seen the opportunity to make up for the mistakes she had committed…
‘How could I let him go?!!’
The next moment, a violent aura erupted from within Melro. A powerful force and dense Mana merged, instantly exploding into a huge thrust. The enforcers holding Melro were sent flying, and she completely broke free from their control. Seeing that the scene was about to spiral out of control, the surrounding crowd cried out in alarm and scattered in all directions.
Covered in filth and dust, Melro scrambled to her feet in a pathetic manner, using both her hands and feet. Then, she limped toward the two people not far away. She stumbled all the way, pushing through the chaotic crowd and falling several times. Her entire body was covered in scrapes and bruises.
But she didn’t care. At this point, her eyes were bloodshot; she no longer cared about anyone or anything other than Alet. As long as she could keep him… As long as she could have him again, she would not hesitate to pay any price, no matter how great.
Finally, she caught up with the two of them. By then, Melro had almost no strength left and could no longer even stand. This once-noble member of the Blood Clan could only kneel on the ground like a filthy stray cat, reaching out to grab Alet’s trouser leg.
Just as she hoped, Alet actually slowed his pace because of her action. At that moment, a glimmer of hope flashed in Melro’s eyes, and she couldn’t wait to start speaking.
“Alet, Alet…”
“It’s me, your Miss. Can you hear me?”
“I — I really didn’t know! I really didn’t know it was my father who harmed you!”
“This — this can’t be entirely blamed on me… No, you can blame me if you want!”
“I made many mistakes before. I — I was too eager for quick success and didn’t pay enough attention to your feelings.”
“But I won’t do it anymore! Truly! I swear to you by my honor as a member of the Blood Clan!!”
After speaking, Melro raised her hand and placed it over her heart, making a gesture of taking an oath. The phrase “honor of the Blood Clan” sounded exceptionally ridiculous given her currently disgusting and wretched appearance.
“Come back with me, okay?”
“You — you don’t even have to be an adventurer! Just continue being my knight! I’ll never send you on any more dangerous missions!”
“I still have a lot of family property and money! As long as you want it, I can give you anything!!”
Seeing that her words didn’t seem to have any effect, Melro’s hand gripped his trouser leg tighter and tighter.
“Please, I beg you!”
At this moment, Melro gave up everything she had once pursued. She completely abandoned all dignity and, in the posture of a loser, begged Alet to stay.
Then, a miracle seemed to truly happen. Alet slowly turned his head and looked at her. Melro’s eyes lit up, thinking he was wavering. She immediately opened her mouth to say something more.
However, in the next second, he raised his foot and kicked her palm hard.
“It hurts!”
Intense, stinging pain instantly surged over Melro’s skin, forcing her to let go.
‘Alet… hit me?’
Just as she looked at him in disbelief, an even more unacceptable scene occurred. Alet not only failed to give her any reaction but instead slowly leaned into Vivian’s arms.
“Oh my, how pathetic.”
Looking at Melro in this state, Vivian smiled with pride and pleasure, then took the opportunity to pull Alet into her embrace.
“But I’m sorry. The little knight doesn’t belong to you anymore. Right?”
While mockingly provoking Melro, Vivian pulled Alet closer.
“Now… I am his Miss.”
The next moment, Vivian gently tilted her head up and slowly brought her lips toward Alet’s mouth. Alet didn’t have the slightest intention of resisting; he just obediently waited for her.
“No.”
Melro’s brain buzzed. She knew what the other woman wanted to do. She wanted to stop her, but her body didn’t have even a hint of strength. The only thing she could do was shriek. Shriek with all her might.
“NO, NO!!! DON’T TOUCH HIM!!!”
“HE’S MINE! MINE!!!”
“YOU BITCH, GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!”
Amid Melro’s heart-wrenching roars, Vivian’s lips fell softly. The two of them kissed sweetly together.
They were so close. Yet it was as if they were separated by two different worlds.
Melro had no idea. Within the crowd she had ignored, a second Vivian had appeared at some point. The Witch was currently stroking her chin, watching with great interest as the other woman knelt before another “herself” and “Alet,” her body and mind completely collapsed.
Looking at Melro’s hysterical and crazed appearance, a hint of satisfied glee couldn’t help but surface in her eyes.
“Hehe, only this can be considered interesting.”