NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 72 (2)
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The two, who had fallen eerily silent as if telling a lie, glanced at Ian.
It feels like I’ve become a villain leader.
With that thought, Ian continued.
“Charlotte, it seems you dislike Tessia more for being a fairy than for being a vampire. Is that right?”
Charlotte nodded.
“That’s right. Being one of the demonic races is disgusting, of course.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m curious about that too. Why is that, Charlotte?”
Tessia chimed in, leaning towards Ian.
Charlotte narrowed her brow.
“Are you asking sincerely, gremlin? As a typical high fairy, you don’t know about the relations between fairies and immortals?”
“Oh? I’m a high fairy?”
Tessia countered.
Ian looked down at her, leaning expectantly against his feet.
“You don’t know your own identity?”
“Yes. Didn’t I mention it? I don’t exactly know who I am.”
Tessia gave a sheepish smile.
“My earliest memory is being tied up, screaming in that horrible laboratory. I have no memories before that. Even my name only barely resurfaced.”
The Bloody Queen had amnesia?
Come to think of it, he did recall her saying something similar yesterday.
Tessia added,
“The reason I can never die is because I have to get revenge, but I also need to find out who I really am.”
“Ha! As expected, a fairy’s essence isn’t in their memory. It’s an innate vileness. Born traitors, I’d say.”
Charlotte scoffed derisively.
Tessia frowned.
“If you’re going to insult me like that, at least tell me the reason.”
“In the past, you fairies were allied with us immortals. We defended our territories together against the humans.”
A low rumbling reverberated in Charlotte’s voice.
“Everything changed when the war with the demonic races began. Humans think all immortals sided with the demonic races, but that’s not true. Immortals were divided between humans and demons. And the same went for you fairies. The only difference was that more of you sided with the humans, and you did so a bit sooner.”
Charlotte looked at Tessia.
“You started calling yourselves high elves. Those who sided with the demons were called dark fairies, no longer considered kin. Unlike us who still viewed those of differing beliefs as kindred, you did not extend that courtesy to your own. Then one day, the black wall divided the continent. And do you know what was the first thing you did after that?”
“What was it?”
“You drove the immortals out of the south. But most of them weren’t on the demonic side at all. They had simply not allied with the humans or shared power with them, like you did.”
It seemed to be an age-old bitter grudge.
Ian asked gravely,
“Were you made into an imperial immortal back then too?”
“I was lucky. I was young, and served Luo Sola. But there were far more of my kin who weren’t as fortunate.”
Charlotte’s gaze fell as heavily as her tone.
“I still remember the smug smiles of those gremlins boasting about taking the south. If I had been an adult back then, I would have made at least one of them my traveling companion to the underworld, like many of my other kin did.”
It wasn’t something a follower of Luo Sola should say, but Ian didn’t bother pointing it out. Their ferocity and fighting spirit were close to instincts etched into their genes.
“Hearing it now, it does sound quite severe.”
Tessia nodded, then added,
“I’ll apologize on behalf of my kin, Charlotte.”
Her tone did not sound apologetic at all.
Charlotte stuck out her tongue with a smile.
“You don’t need to apologize. Your situation is worse than mine.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Do you think anything would change even if you regained your memories? The gremlins would never accept you as kin. A fairy turned demonic? They’d probably try to kill you instead. It’s a pity you’ve lost your memories.”
Charlotte shrugged.
“If you had your memories, your life might have been even more miserable. Maybe that’s why you erased them yourself, unable to bear being a demonic race. Considering your kind’s weakness, it’s perfectly plausible.”
“…..”.
Tessia did not respond further.
After a momentary pause, she looked back up at Ian.
“Ian. It seems that the beast’s words ring true. My instincts keep whispering for me to kill her. Shouldn’t I just listen to those instincts?”
“Please permit it, Ian. It wouldn’t take even a minute now.”
Charlotte quickly chimed in as if she had been waiting.
Looking between the two, Ian eventually chuckled.
“Thanks to you both, I know exactly what to do. Yes, it seems one of you has to die for you to be satisfied.”
“That’s right…!”
“He finally understands.”
“So from now on, the two of you will be one.”
The two, who had been nodding, simultaneously froze with bewildered looks.
Ian continued in a calm tone.
“From what I’ve seen, you two will try to kill each other no matter what, even feigning mistakes to do so. But I can’t stand to watch that kind of display. Rather than losing one of you, I’d prefer to lose you both. Tessia?”
“Yes… Huh?”
“If Charlotte dies, you die by my hand. Even if it’s not by me but something else that kills you, you still die.”
“What…? No…”
Tessia blinked rapidly as she turned to Ian, but soon closed her mouth.
Ian’s sunken gaze was so unyielding, as if it would not tolerate any defiance or refusal.
“…Understood.”
“Good. And Charlotte.”
Ian’s gaze turned to her. After briefly meeting his eyes, Charlotte could not overcome her instincts and averted her gaze. Ian’s cold voice followed.
“Look me in the eyes. Now.”
“Ugh…”
Charlotte’s gaze was drawn back to Ian’s eyes as if pulled.
Ripples appeared in his orange irises.
“For you, death might even be a blessing. So I won’t kill you. But I will cut off your hands. So you can never wield a weapon again. Of course, you won’t be able to leave me either.”
“…..”
Charlotte could not even make a sound, as if completely overwhelmed by him.
Ian smiled.
“Answer.”
“…Under…stood…”
“Good.”
Ian smiled again.
Charlotte hurriedly turned her head away.
An eerie silence fell over the wagon, but Ian leaned back comfortably against the backrest. He felt like he had truly become the leader of villains, but he didn’t feel bad about it.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Being honest, trying to persuade clients or traveling companions had often been quite a bother and tiring experience up until now.
As he satisfiedly looked back down at the map, Tessia whispered from the driver’s bench.
“Feels like we’ve become a community of fate, Charlotte.”
Without even turning back, Charlotte muttered.
“Don’t you know how to shut up?”
“I’ve spent a long time alone, you see. During that time, I mostly just talked to beasts. Unfortunately, they can’t talk back, unlike you.”
“Damn it…”
As Charlotte sighed, Ian spoke up while folding the map.
“We should probably pass through town by around midday tomorrow.”
Tessia and Charlotte flinched as they looked back at him.
Though he thought,
‘To have to enter a village with these two…’
Ian continued nonchalantly.
“At least there, I hope you two can refrain from fighting and keep quiet.”
He had no intention of skipping the village stay because of them.
A warm bed and somewhat decent food all the more so.
Translator; ippo
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