Chapter 693 – Tears and Trailing

000

In her warm, luxurious room, a place filled with decorations she had never seen before, Diora froze as she watched the woman who introduced herself as Sariel, putting her clothes on her body.

That’s right, living in such a large place – the royal castle in the center of the city, the largest building in El Querdo – means that she is a person of quite high status.

Diora felt that fact in her instincts.

Was it a mistake to tell her all this and that to her kind attitude when she asked about her situation?

First, she was covered in snow and had to go into the large bathtub to warm up her frozen body. She could only sit quietly in her room and watch Sariel rummage through her closet. 〉

＂Huh- I wonder if this would be good… No, maybe this would be good too? ＂

One suit, another suit.

Diora’s clothes were pushed down her neck, and she fell off again and again for several minutes.

“Why don’t you leave it at that? The child is confused and frozen.”

Another woman’s voice came from behind the chair she was sitting on.

“To? But Aurelia, this girl is so cute, she looks good in any outfit, right? Yes, Diora. What kind of clothes do you think would be good?”

As she looked back at the bed where the clothes Diora had worn on her body were laid out, she asked Diora that question.

＂Ugh, uh, I… ＂

To be honest, the situation she was thrown into was so beyond her own understanding that Diora’s ability to handle it had already reached its limit.

If you can’t answer, with your eyes spinning as if you don’t know what to choose from among the seven clothes in front of you, you will hear a sigh coming from behind.

Then, a woman named Aurelia approached Diora and grabbed both of her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Diora. Because she just wants to give you a small gift. If you have any clothes that bother you, just tell me.”

＂Well, even if you say it suddenly…＂

No matter how kind Aurelia’s words were, Diora did not have the luxury of making a choice in this situation.

Of course, the clothes she showed were all flashy and cute, like something a princess would wear in a fairy tale, but she also knew that they wouldn’t suit her.

There was also the fact that I had no idea about Sariel’s intentions in showing such kindness to someone I met for the first time today.

Could it be that he is trying to do something after dressing himself in expensive clothes?

In a fairy tale I read before, there was a story about witches seducing disobedient children, taking them to their homes, pretending to treat them well, and then eating them.

Yes, the Sariel in front of her was a beautiful woman who was completely different from the evil witches depicted in children’s books, but why did that story keep going through her head?

She blames herself for that, thinking maybe she was being punished because she was a bad kid who moved on that bench.

Looking at Diora in the quagmire that led to such a desperate accident, Sariel thought about something about her for a moment and then spoke with a grin.

＂Ugh~ I guess it’s hard to choose. Then, let’s say that this is all for Diora…”

＂Eeh!?＂

Aurelia let out a sigh when Diora looked surprised as she saw Sariel offering to give her all of her clothes, which seemed to be worth a lot of money just for one piece.

“To dress a child like that who doesn’t even have a place to stay…”

“But, it all matches. These are clothes that I can’t even wear now…”

While talking like that and looking blankly at Sariel who began to organize her clothes with her own hands, Aurelia glanced down at Diora.

“So? What are you going to do with this kid? What can I do, I can hire her as a ‘maid’ in my house.”

“That! That’s it. Did she hear that Aurelia is taking girls and training them these days?”

When Sariel raised her hand and pointed at Aurelia, Aurelia made a coughing sound and avoided her gaze.

“Are you thinking of creating a special soldier organization with girls?”

＂Battle maids… Are not like that.＂

In any case, she just needed her own card to protect Sariel.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave it to Aurelia, but… I’ll take Diora with me. Coincidentally, I heard that one of the royal palace maids recently retired, and her position was vacant.”

“… Do you know? The competition for royal palace maids is quite high.”

Well, the royal palace was the most important place in the kingdom, so no matter how much the maid was, no one could enter it.

“Oh, really? Well, it will work out somehow☆＂

Looking at her with her V-shaped hand next to her own face made you wonder if she was really in her late twenties, but Aurelia just sighed.

＂Haa…＂

＂Um, over there… I…＂

“Ah, that’s right, I’m sorry. Listening to Diora’s thoughts came first. Of course, if she says she doesn’t like Diora, I’ll take responsibility and send her back to her hometown.”

When Sariel spoke as if she had forgotten to ask something important, Diora looked at her, feeling her excitement.

Well, of course I wanted to go back.

Even if he was abandoned, he wanted to see his younger siblings again at the church where he was born and raised, and to meet the nuns again.

It would be a lie to say that I don’t have that feeling.

But – at the same time, there was a part of him that thought that going back would not be of any help to them.

The nuns abandoned them – the women who accepted as many children as possible without discrimination and allowed them to stay in the church.

It was definitely a painful decision for them as well.

But, if you don’t do that, you can’t protect other children.

In order to survive this difficult time, Diora cannot be there.

So, obviously, even if they return to their hometown with Sariel’s help – they won’t be happy.

It never occurred to me that I would be able to live like before in a place like that again.

At the age of six, Diora experienced it all, understood it, and swallowed her poison to kill her mind.

Gulp, the sound of her throat ringing was heard.

＂Well, I… I will do as Sariel said.＂

“Really? … It’s true what I said, but if she becomes a palace maid, she might not be able to return to her hometown for a while?”

When Sariel asks that question again as if to confirm, Diora nods her head once again.

How much conflict and agony was reflected in her eyes, in Sariel’s eyes, and in that child’s eyes.

After Sariel heard Diora’s answer, she approached her and hugged her tightly in her arms.

“… I’m sorry, Diora. In fact, I probably didn’t want to be separated from my family… If we adults had done a little better… We could have created a world where no child would suffer… I’m sorry…”

Sariel shedding tears.

Could it be that her bright behavior just a moment ago was an act of her trying not to make Diora anxious when she was faced with an unexpected situation?

But in the end, when she looked at Diora, she shed tears, as if she couldn’t hold back her emotions.

And just as the sadness was contagious – the dam of congealed emotions that had built up to the very bottom of Diora’s eyes burst.

Diora cried while being held in Sariel’s arms.

As she said – as if she felt once again that she could not now return to her hometown.

001

Cleon, who had been sitting on a chair in the park where she had first met and quietly listened to her story, remained silent for a moment after she finished telling her story.

The children running around in front of me didn’t seem to have any worries or concerns.

That’s what children should be.

There was definitely a time on this continent when such obvious things were not tolerated.

“After that, it was just as I told Cleon. She became Sariel’s maid and worked in the royal palace until Amelia was born. After that, Sariel’s younger brother died for plotting against her, and Sariel was imprisoned in the palace tower along with Amelia.”

And after Sariel died, she could not remain as Amelia’s maid.

That was the story I heard when she visited her mansion.

However, the story did not continue from there until she became the dragon knight.

However, she couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t give a proper explanation about that part as she talked so far, so Cleon waits for her to tell her story first.

When silence falls between the two once again, Diora looks at Cleon, smiles, and stands up.

“This is the end of Diora Chronicles 1. Part 2 ‘Diora Becomes a Dragon Knight’ will be released later!”

＂Aren’t we’re talking about it now?＂

＂At best, we went out on a date, but Cleon wouldn’t have any fun if we just talked about the past☆＂

As Diora said that, she made a V shape with her hand and brought it to the side of her eyes and winked.
Cleon smiled bitterly as if he couldn’t help it.

Her bright expression and voice that are occasionally seen – and the complete opposite of that, her calm demeanor.

It was difficult to determine which one was her true self-

I guess it means that she is thinking about her surroundings in her own way.

“So? Where are you going now? It looks like they are planning to move over there soon.”

When Cleon said that and only glanced at her, Diora blinked her eyes and then smiled.

“Hey, I guess you noticed.”

“That’s right. Because life is scary.”

The sharp gaze and fierceness of an eagle’s eye can be felt even while walking with Diora.

It was not difficult to find out who was targeting their backs.

That gloomy sense and ghost-like presence, so pale compared to life, told them that the elf dragon slayer was looking at them.

“Are you okay. Probably because he’s aiming for a moment when it’s just the two of us. Let’s make it more suitable for a date.”

After saying this, Diora held out her hand to Cleon.

＂Where I plan to go next has been decided! It’s right there!”

And the place she pointed to with her hand was the huge sacred tree that stood tall in the center of Asteris.

＂Sacred tree?＂

＂No, underneath.＂

＂Ah, temple.＂

Cleon nods her head as if she understands.

Of course, the temple is closed to people during the festival period, so if you want to see it, it would be right before the festival.

“I think it would be easier to get in if Cleon is there. Isn’t that right?”

“It’s not like I’m particularly welcomed or anything like that.”

＂Ah, you said that again~ A VIP who is also close to the great shaman~☆＂

At Diora’s teasing words, Cleon’s emotions, which had been stimulated by the touching episode before, seemed to dry up once again.

No, it would be better to say that emotions in a different direction were ignited.

Then, Cleon stands up without holding the hand held out to him, and starts walking toward the sacred tree.

＂Huh? Wait~ Cleon! Are you upset? Oh, something like that~”

“Be quiet. People are staring.”

＂Oh my, there are so many audiences watching us being so lovey-dovey…♡ … Now, wait a minute, Cleon! Let’s go together~!”

Diora, who was blushing and acting embarrassed, was embarrassed and ran after Cleon as he walked away without any reaction.

002

“Yeah… I’m chasing after Mr. Cleon as expected.”

The gaze that followed those two people as if they were following them was not the same.

To be exact, it was a complex structure in which there was a person chasing the person chasing Cleon and Diora.

Sasha overheard Cleon’s conversation with Diora before he went out, and she suppressed her desire to date Cleon.

Instead, he tried to capture the elf who was targeting Diora in her role.

For him, I borrowed a long coat that I didn’t usually wear but had bought sometime, and spare sunglasses that Cleon doesn’t use from Lila.

Sasha, covering her usual wolf ears with her bun hat, was following the woman who was watching the two from afar while holding a large red bean bun in one hand that was similar in size to the bun hat.

Underneath the colored glasses, the hunter’s imprint was lit to enhance vision.

I took a big bite of the red bean bread, gulped, and gulp.

As she was just watching Cleon and Diora from earlier, she looked at the target who did not take any action. Sasha thought that if she was going to shoot that huge bow, she should shoot the bow herself and block it. I was doing it

The opponent, perhaps a more patient hunter than expected, seemed unwilling to move until a clear opportunity presented itself.

[Sasha.]

“Ah, yes. Ruben, would you like to eat it too?”

[No, red beans are not that good… That’s not it, what you’re after… Is it really an actual elf?]

Ruben reacts as if he is a little disgusted by Sasha’s words, but when she regains her temper and speaks, Sasha gently lifts her sunglasses, further increasing the power of her imprint.

When her eyes, which were close to the highest level of magical power, looked at the target, there was no doubt that although the energy flowing from her body was weak, it was still a living elf.

“I’m alive and well. “I’m breathing, and my heart has a pulse.”

[Okay… Then maybe it was my luck.]

＂…?＂

When Sasha tilts her head, Ruben talks about what was wrong.

[As the demons live for a long time, they are also the ones causing phenomena that are difficult for you humans to imagine. Especially… Elves with strong tenacity.]

＂A phenomenon that is difficult to imagine…?＂

Sasha repeats Ruben’s words as she says, ‘It’s hard to imagine’ just hearing her story.

[The negative magic caused by negative emotions continues to accumulate in the body. As you know, magic changes the soul of a creature, and changing the soul changes the body. However, if you are an ordinary human being, you may die before your body is completely transformed, or your emotions may weaken as you age, so it is okay…]

As Ruben said that, he looked at the elf he was chasing.

[Elves basically live close to a thousand years, and often live longer. Moreover, the longer we live, the more often our obsessions remain indelible and persist for a long time. Originally, the origins of the Dark Elves were created through the transformation of the Elves who had begun to be contaminated by dark magic.]

＂Hehe~＂

When Ruben let out an exclamation while blankly listening to his difficult explanation, Ruben would momentarily control Sasha’s left hand and pull her cheek.

＂Ahaha~!＂

It may have meant that it hurt, but Ruben let it go with a sigh and continued the story.

[Obsessment – Resentment. Murderous intent to kill someone. The negative magic power created by such emotions is the magic power that is the opposite of life force. So, if you are consumed by that kind of magic, you will change from a living state to a form close to a ghost. The fact that the elf’s presence is faint means that it has reached that stage.]

＂What happens if you become a ghost while alive…?＂

It’s a bit contradictory, but I think it’s a dangerous phenomenon that Ruben is worried about, so when Sasha asks that question, Ruben is silent for a moment, and then she answers.

[If you are completely engulfed by magical power, your body will collapse and only your soul, swollen by magical power, will remain and run wild for a long time. Since he only had the last will to kill someone, he became the worst ghost who spread the curse of slaughter and death around him. In the past, in the wars of the elves, instead of taking prisoners, they all were killed or executed, and that is why the seed began to dry up.]

If I show mercy and keep him alive, but a ghost is born, I can’t do anything about it.

Sasha then swallows her saliva after hearing Ruben’s story and looks at the elf again.

Certainly, the presence felt in her body was much fainter than that of a living being, and the magic power contained within that body was expanding as if it were about to explode and gush out.

“… Uh, what should I do? If that person really turns into a ghost like Ruben said…”

[There will be a great sacrifice. However, that does not mean that shooting someone dead without any preparation is also a bad move. There are cases where the resentment becomes more intense due to one’s own death, and the person turns into a ghost as soon as his life is cut off.]

＂Well, then shooting now is not the answer!?＂

[Lower your voice. Don’t worry, there is a way…]

And Ruben quietly told Sasha how to do it.

Upon hearing that, Sasha nodded her head, then got up and started running in the direction of the two people.

It was because I had a premonition that if I didn’t tell this fact to the two people, something big would happen.