Chapter 587 – Mint Chocolate

– Woo-woo-woo!

A flash from the dungeon gate, and a woman emerged, leaning heavily on her shoulder.

“Miss…!”
“Are you alright?!”

Atop the scorched remainder of the forest, where cherry blossoms once fluttered, now only charred branches danced in the wind. The sun, rising over the ridge, cast its glow on Saku’s furrowed brow.

“Everyone…”

The remaining clan members gathered around Saku, who, after a while, lowered her gaze. As her throat tightened with sorrow and indignation, tears gathered behind her mask, spilling over its edge.

“I’m sorry…”

Saku, her strength drained, intermittently gasped for breath, a visible sign of her fatigue. High-ranking officials, journalists, and executives from the Hunter Association converged on her.

“It’s not your fault, Miss. It was an accident. The Flower’s terror struck… We responded swiftly, but… In the end, the lord.”
“Can you tell us what transpired within?”

The event was the doing of her sister and the Flower. Upon hearing her candid confession, the clan members fell silent, their fists clenched tightly.

“My power was insufficient.”

Having opposed her sister, and lacking in skill, the aftermath left her memory surprisingly void. Saku placed a hand over her chest.

“Something… There’s a lingering tightness in my chest. I can’t understand it.”

A throbbing pain emanated from her lower abdomen. As she measured its size with her fist, the edge of her hand stung sharply.

The seal that had been within her was now broken.
With just that, Saku could discern what had been done to her.

“But it’s okay. It will be alright. I can return to the three of them.”

The loss of her cherished virginity to a stranger was not as distressing as one might think. Rather, it was a surprisingly clean conclusion, given what the hunters victimized by the enemy had endured.

Saku found great solace in this.

“I wonder what drove my sister to save me?”

Having committed the irreversible act of killing our parents, she then saved me. For Saku, who was oblivious to the circumstances, surviving the dungeon was a perplexing ordeal.

“Moreover…”

Saku tightly gripped the scroll in her possession. A potion capable of significantly boosting her strength was clasped firmly in her hand.

What could have led them to pass this medicine to her…

But strangely, her mind and body felt calm.

Despite the sadness and injustice, the pain was bearable. Wiping away the tears from behind her mask, Saku staggered to her feet.

“There’s work to be done. My father and mother… I must fulfill the duty they entrusted to me.”

The clan may have fallen, but there was ample potential for its reconstruction. Saku extracted a cellphone from a box handed over by a clan member and opened it.

*
[Missed Calls – 29]
[Soo-yeon]
*

Numerous unanswered calls were etched into the log, and Saku poured mockery upon herself with quivering lips.

‘…….’

Nonetheless, it was Saku.
As the pride and symbol of Japan, she had no choice but to chew and swallow her emotions in order to fit her position, without harbouring sorrow.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

-Pueeeeng!!!

Arcadia, the Fairy Kingdom, the birthplace of fairies who have grown through countless epochs.
Eleanor, who seized the reception room of the royal palace, was weeping profusely.

-Heh, hehe… Mama… Mama…

Merely four hours had passed since the contract with her beloved master was severed.

Eleanor, who locked the door latch with magic, cried her heart out.
Thump-thump- The knightess who knocked on the wall was at a loss, her voice raised in a shout.

“Princess…. Princess! Please! Come out from there!”

Disregarding her escort and everything else, Eleanor intended to shut herself in and indulge in food and drink.
The reception room was abundant with water and food from the human world, a comfortable place for sustenance.

Truly a haven in Arcadia!
For the spoilt child…. No, it was a gateway for the adorable princess.

“What’s the matter? I heard the young lady weeping….”
“Oh, Lucy…. Well, the princess….”

Lucy, a knightess serving the same master, tilted her head at Eleanor’s reaction.

‘Did something happen to the young lady?’

Tap, tap-

Lucy knocked on the door, attempting to establish communication with Eleanor.

“Young lady, what’s the matter? Open the door and let’s talk….”

-Wow! I hate Lucy…!! You whore! A knightess without parents!!

“Wha…!? Oh, young lady, what nonsense!”

Eleanor, fundamentally impolite, didn’t usually resort to such harsh words.
Yet, she showcased a sharp reaction, poking at Lucy’s insecurities.
The vassals and escorts were taken aback by Eleanor’s crude remarks.

The young lady who seemed so bright until just a while ago…. Suddenly bawling her eyes out?

– Sobbing… How can love change? .

Lucy slightly repressed her anger and pondered the cause of Eleanor’s transformation.
Love changes. The princess Lucy knew passionately adored her contractor. If that has changed, it implies there’s an issue with the master.

“Young lady, let’s have a serious conversation…!”
-Lucy doesn’t know anything!!!

At Eleanor’s outburst, Lucy closed her mouth.
Being a stubborn princess, she was incredibly tenacious.
Perhaps she cherished the man’s compliments more than her dark and addictive magic.

Eleanor, perpetually parched for her master’s affection.

-Huff, huff… A perverse woman of ample bosom.

Yet, Eleanor experienced a devastating loss.

The contract she had always considered a bridge between her and her master shattered in an instant. Her master was even taken away by her own mother!

-…Gruh, gruh…Waaah.

An atmosphere of despair growing ever deeper with ceaseless weeping. A solemn figure entered the hushed corridor, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Step aside.”
“…Huh? Ah, no. Your Majesty, the Queen!”
“Don’t cause a commotion, if you would kindly leave. You too, Lucy.”

Eirini, sovereign of the kingdom, her high-heeled strides hastening more than usual. Her somewhat anxious expression and icy tone caused her servants to hurriedly step back, sensing something was amiss.

“Your Majesty, a moment to converse with the princess, if I may.”
“Lucy?”

Lucy, foreseeing the end if Eleanor’s secret were to be exposed, attempted to block the queen but eventually had to back down.

“I have a reprimand as her mother. Lucy.”
“…Your Majesty.”

A peculiar glimmer in Eirini’s eyes made a shivering Lucy suppress a sigh. From that knowing gaze, Lucy understood Eirini had a part to play in this tumult.

“Eleanor? Open the door.”

-No. I refuse!!

“Eleanor.”

-…What could Mother possibly know… Sob.

Eirini’s hand envelops the doorknob. A cold chill emanates towards Lucy. The temperature change, perceivable even from the far end of the corridor, encased the doorknob in ice.

-Crack!

The slot holding the doorknob weakly breaks off, and the door swings open. Entering the reception room, Eirini shut the door behind, casting a spell to prevent Lucy from peeking in.

“Eleanor…”
“…Sob, snuffle.”

Eleanor was sprawled on the couch, in tears. Eirini, witnessing this, exhaled a pained sigh. The sight of the weeping princess was nothing short of a spectacle. Eyes swollen from hours of incessant crying. The corners of her eyes and parts of her face looked raw from repeatedly wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

Her damp, clingy nightgown hadn’t been changed, and the raspy voice emitting from her parched throat was heartrending…

“Look at me, Mom, okay?”
“I don’t want to, huff. Leave.”
“Stop crying, please.”

Eirini, revealing her motherly side as she shed her queenly facade, cradled Eleanor in her arms with a sorrowful expression.

-Sharp intake of breath!

Eleanor, wrenching free from her mother’s embrace, cried out in resentment.

“I said no!!”

Squeak, squeak. A face contorted with anger. Eleanor’s words ripped through her mother’s heart like a lance. It was as if a long, cold spike had pierced her heart.

“It’s going to be okay soon, alright? Could you tell me what that man did to you?”
“…Sob, sob. My master….”

“Don’t address me in such a manner.”
“No! I refuse…! I told you! What does it matter how I address you? It’s my prerogative!”
“Eleanor, please. You’re afflicted with a dreadful curse. If you continue to linger here…”
“…No!”

Pain. Eirene’s expression hardened into a grim mask.
Eleanor failed to perceive her mother’s fraught countenance.

“Mother, everything was taken from me… I never wished for this.”
“……”
“Return everything… allow me to go to the realm of humans. Mother, I… I need to meet my master….”

Eirene’s lips moved, opening and closing in a futile attempt to form words. Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, she enveloped Eleanor in a comforting embrace.
Despite the frantic thrashing of the girl in her arms, Eirene did not cease her maternal hold.

-Wham!

A tight, secure embrace.

“Hic, sob.”
“I’m sorry, my dear.”
“Mother… you said… I could explore… Why am I not allowed?”

He is the problem.
Such a relationship cannot be deemed right.

She wished to say more, but any words now would only serve as poison.
Let her rest for a while, and when she’s calm, provide the needed explanation.

“Why should I only love Father? I have the right to love others…”

Eleanor’s statement amounted to a denigration of the kingdom’s religious and cultural norms. Still, Eirene decided to let it pass for the moment.

“Eleanor, my sweet girl…. I ask of you. Please refrain from going out for a while.”
“…I refuse!! Ah, Aaahh!”

Eirene’s magic binds Eleanor tightly.
Preventing her from ever reaching the physical realm again, or making a pact with another.

“Ah…ah.”

Drained of strength, Eleanor fell into unconsciousness. Eirene gently patted Eleanor’s back and heaved a sigh of relief.

‘…With her contract with that man severed, she now has no means to return to the human world.’

Travel through contracts is prohibited. Eirene had prevented her from manifesting directly into the physical realm.

One must prevent dialogue with inferior beings.
To ensure our precious daughter never imbibes the vile liquid again.

-Ugh!

Eirene turned her head. Eleanor, bound by the seal, continued to shed tears.
At that moment, one remaining contract linked to Eleanor drew a faint line to something.

A girl with green hair, adorned with branches.
Shiba’s adorable face came into view in the unconscious Eleanor’s field of vision.

“Pee?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“…Where am I?”
“A café.”

I extended the menu towards Eirene, with a nod of my chin.

“Pick a drink, I have much to discuss,” I proposed.
“Why have you brought me to such a location?” he inquired, suspicion threading his voice.
“The human world tends to hold dialogue in places like this lately.”

While conversations in my territory were preferred, knowing the battlefield in advance was also of significance. I established myself in Seoul, striving to conclude our discussions in one go if possible. There was no need to fret over security or the potential of leaked conversations – this was a cafe we had arranged ourselves after all.

“There surely must be other alternatives,” he contested.

His gaze, simmering with a loathing that tipped towards hatred, was all too familiar. He looked like someone who wanted to cleanse his eyes immediately after laying them on me.

“Whenever I think about what you’ve done to my daughter, I want to tear you apart instantly. Let’s swiftly address our matters and part ways,” he grumbled, his voice laden with resentment.
“I did nothing. Merely bestowed some magic.”
“Silence!” he snapped.

His face flushed, contorted as if his psyche was in disarray. Despite this, his demeanor and movements exuded a surprising grace.

‘Is royalty different?’ I pondered.

Eleanor certainly wasn’t like that. Thinking back to the wooden sprite clinging to me and chattering away, the comparison was stark.

I passed the menu to Erinies once again.

“Choose.”
“I’ve told you already, I’m not in the mood to consume anything.”
“Well, it’s one drink per individual. If you don’t order, you’ll have to leave.”
“Then I shall depart.”
“You’re going to spend a significant amount of time with me in that case.”

Erinies bit his lower lip, struggling to control his rage that was escalating to its limit, and exhaled a deep sigh.

“Alright… Order whatever then.”

I obliged. The drink arrived shortly, and I extended it towards Erinies.

Erinies accepted the cup with an expression devoid of any intent to drink. However, upon realizing the chill emanating from within, he gave in and sipped, perhaps hoping to temper his fury.

“…?”

Erinies furrowed his brow, looking at me with confusion.

“Is this your idea of a sick joke?”
“What’s wrong with a perfectly normal menu item?”

It was a Mint Chocolate Shake. Ground with ice for a refreshing experience, though not something I generally consumed.

Might it be a novel taste for Erinies, the spirit?

He sighed, “Haa…”

Yet, seeing him bring the drink to his lips once more, it seemed the flavor was unexpectedly agreeable.