As Yuki and Mariana walked through those palace corridors—now plunged into a deathly silence, littered with corpses, and pooled with coagulated blood—not a single muscle twitched on either of their faces. The fierce brawl that had just erupted between them, though born of Yuki's well-intentioned attempt to help, had strengthened them instead of wearing them down. They had seen each other's limits. They were now like two tigresses walking side by side, having sharpened their fangs and claws for vengeance. This fight had not only melted the ice between them but had also drawn their souls closer.
Yuki broke the silence as she leaped over a corpse on the floor:
"So that's how it is... Those corrupt heroes are the ones who slaughtered your father and stained this palace with blood..." She paused, fixing her gaze on the dark end of the corridor. "But what about all of this happening on the very day the Sword Hero arrived? Doesn't that mean he's planning something too? Will we have to take care of him as well when the time comes?"
Mariana shook her head sharply from side to side. "No. Like I said, I don't suspect the Sword Hero of plotting with the traitors. Yes, everything started with his arrival, but he wasn't among the killers. Besides, we just checked the places where survivors could hide in the palace; neither he nor Retainer Arakawa is anywhere to be seen."
Mariana paused for a moment and took a deep breath. That proud princess tone in her voice had given way to a heavy reality. "There are very few people in this palace who managed to survive this catastrophe along with me. They wouldn't even exceed the number of fingers on two hands. In all likelihood, Retainer Arakawa and the Sword Hero are together right now. Our first task must be to find them."
Yuki furrowed her brows. "But where could they even be? And with so many corrupt heroes roaming around, how wise is it to trust someone whose very title is 'hero'? I think we shouldn't rush; we really need to think about this a bit more."
Mariana's patience suddenly wore thin, and she fixed her piercing eyes on Yuki: "Who told you I trust him? I only said 'in all likelihood they are together'! If they are side by side, this situation puts the Sword Hero in a safe zone for now. Shut up and just listen to what I'm saying!"
Although Yuki wanted to hurl a barrage of curses under her breath, she forced herself to hold back and clenched her teeth. Fortunately, she managed to keep her cool. For once, it wouldn't hurt to listen to this furious woman.
Mariana thought as she continued to walk. She clashed, weighed, and eliminated the possibilities in the folds of her mind... And finally, the answer she was looking for struck her mind like a bolt of lightning.
Yes... Of course!
Arakawa was a clever man. If he had managed to escape that hell and hadn't died somewhere in the forest, he must have definitely gone to the nearest settlement: the Town of Livenburg. The old retainer was not one to give up despite his age; he had likely gone there to raise awareness among the people against these corrupt traitors and organize a resistance.
Without wasting any time, Mariana went to the handful of people who had survived the massacre. She immediately ordered the carriages to be prepared. Their business in this cursed palace was now finished. On the surface, they had not a single piece of gold left, nor did they have the kingdom's treasury... Everything in her father's official treasury, from magical items to the rarest spellbooks, had been plundered by the traitors.
However, Mariana possessed a personal secret treasury that no one, not even those closest to her, knew about. It was a fortune so immense that it would keep her standing even in this catastrophe, allowing the people with her to live like kings, not just for a while, but for a lifetime.
According to the plan, once they reached Livenburg, she would sacrifice a small amount from that secret treasury, selling even her crown if necessary, to buy a modest, secluded house there. They wouldn't draw too much attention; they would fly under the radar. Yet, behind the walls of that house, they would weave that grand plan of vengeance, thread by thread, to avenge all those innocent people whose families had been slaughtered and who were left to suffer.
As the servants prepared the carriages and carried the last of their remaining important belongings, Mariana stood with her arms crossed over her chest, staring into the distance, lost in the details of the bloody revenge plan she was about to forge.
"Sooooo... Is there anything I can help with, princess?"
Mariana was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Yuki's voice. She turned her head and gave a slight 'stop' gesture with her hand.
"Don't call me princess," she said, her voice turning softer and more genuine this time. "Just Mariana."
Yuki smiled faintly. "Then it's enough for you to just call me Yuki."
And so, in the midst of this pool of blood, the two tigresses addressed each other by their first names for the first time. Who could have known that these two women from opposite poles would forge an unshakable friendship from the ashes of such a disaster? The fierce fight they had gone through and the massacre they had witnessed had bound them together like sisters. Titles no longer existed; there were only Mariana and Yuki, walking toward the same destiny.While Mariana and Yuki continued their preparations to move and depart from the palace, in another corner of Livenburg, the door of the town clinic slowly creaked open. Yusha and Retainer Arakawa had finally stepped outside. Their wounds were healed, but this treatment had not come for free. They didn't have a single bronze coin on them, let alone a silver piece. To settle the massive debt owed to the healers, Yusha had been forced to rely on the gratitude of the merchant caravan he had previously saved from bandits along the road. Since the caravan owner couldn't pay Yusha in cash, he had handed over the remaining unsold goods instead. Though the healers had flatly refused this kind of barter at first, they had no other choice: they either had to accept these goods or just kiss their money goodbye. Reluctantly, they accepted the offer and cleared the debt.
Having paid off their life-debt to Yusha, the merchant family decided to go their own way since they no longer carried any obligations, and they parted after saying their goodbyes. Now, an old man—his torso tightly bound in bandages, his shoulders slouched with the exhaustion of years and the recent massacre—and a tall, blonde, green-eyed young man were left entirely on their own. They had no idea where they would spend the upcoming night without a single penny to their names. The peaceful night they had spent in that sheltered, pristine bed at the clinic was now behind them. Now, it was time to face the harsh reality. Yusha brushed aside these worries about livelihood that were cluttering his mind and composed himself; there were far more important things to focus on right now.
Yusha and Arakawa began to make their way down the crowded, bustling street of Livenburg. They had a whole day ahead of them to find a place to shelter their heads. They walked slowly through the crowd on the cobblestone street; after all, there wasn't much else they could do anyway. Just walking... Because of Arakawa's bandaged wounds and exhausted body, their walking pace had slowed to a crawl. The old retainer didn't utter a single word due to the pain he was enduring, gritting his teeth with every step.
Right at that moment, overwhelmed by a strange uneasiness creeping inside him, Yusha felt the urge to look back.
The moment he turned around, he froze dead in his tracks. Retainer Arakawa was gone. No, it couldn't be... Had he lost him in this crowd? Yes, they were walking very slowly, but for him to vanish from sight this quickly was impossible. Right at that exact split second, from behind the shadows at the edge of the street, he noticed a silhouette blending into the crowd, watching him.
Yusha narrowed his eyes and focused his gaze on that dark face, and instantly went numb. From within the darkness, two golden-yellow eyes were staring directly into his. That ominous figure was smiling at Yusha in an incredibly twisted, blood-curdling manner. A crimson trail of fresh blood was trickling down from the tip of the pristine, gleaming white spear held in the man's hand.
A thousand terrifying suspicions rushed into Yusha's mind all at once. No... It can't be the person I think it is. It shouldn't be! Could it be... Did he silently slaughter Arakawa in a matter of seconds?
The man's vile, sinister smirk turned into unmistakable arrogance within seconds. He parted his mouth wide enough to bare all his teeth, openly mocking Yusha in broad daylight, right in front of everyone. His voice echoed as if it were resonating solely inside Yusha's mind:
"Woooow... So you were the Sword Hero? I want to kill you with my own hands, Sword Hero! How could a mortal peasant with such a weak soul like yours be chosen by these sacred relics?!"
Before Yusha could even comprehend what the man was talking about or who on earth he was, everything happened with surreal speed. As if warping space itself, the man suddenly materialized right by Yusha's ear. Leaning down, his breath sending chills down Yusha's neck, he whispered:
"I want to kill you with my own hands, you fake hero... Don't you dare tell the others, okay? I'll take it personally if you do. Until the day we meet again... Mind you don't die. Ahahahahaha!"
With that disgusting, arrogant laugh, he brushed past Yusha. When Yusha spun around in utter shock, the man had already vanished into thin air, melting into the crowd and the shadows.
As Yusha clenched his trembling hands, feeling his heart pounding furiously against his chest, he thought, Seriously, what kind of a monster is this guy? Right then, a deeply familiar, paternal voice rose from behind him:
"What's wrong, young man? Why did you stop?"
Yusha spun around instantly. The person standing before him was Arakawa. He was alive and well, looking weary just like before, but standing on his own two feet.
Yusha's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his breath catching in his throat. Wait a minute... Wait a damn minute... How on earth was this even possible?It was as if... as if time itself had bent the moment he arrived. No one in the vicinity saw those golden, glowing eyes, the deep crimson hair, or the pitch-black cloak. Yet, the moment that presence manifested like a shadow right beside him, he felt it in every fiber of his being. No one had heard his voice, seen a trace of him, or sensed his existence; it was as if this person weren't truly there. It was as if he had never existed at all, yet he felt undeniably, hauntingly real.