Published at 12th of April 2023 7:20 pm

Volume 13, Chapter 326: Tenacity is Fierce, Dependence Laments and Restraint Laughs

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“I opened my eyes. My blue eyes swayed slightly and blinked numerous times. Strangely, my eyelashes feel heavy.”

Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, Eldith, the Queen of the Hanging Gardens of Ghazalia, asked herself where this place was.

At least, she wasn’t in her own room in Ghazalia. Or rather, the details of this room and furniture looked completely different from the structures and objects handled by elves.

In a daze, Eldith flickered her confused eyes with a beautiful crystal hue and moved her gaze around. Then, she finally remembered.

“Ah yes. I am still in the puppet city of Philos.”

The moment her brain processed that information, her body felt a dull pain as if reacting to those thoughts. She felt as if every muscle in her body had been twisted.

Distorting her eyes, Eldith dipped her lips into the water prepared by her pillow. Still, the area around her brain was engulfed in a fever, and her vision was shaky.

Eldith knew this was an unavoidable price to pay. Thinking about the series of actions she took in the Great Temple of Flimslat, she should rather praise herself for being able to open her eyes again.

She rebelled against her race’s former master, and so, with the heat in her heart, she grabbed the original spell into her own hands and squeezed it tight.

If she thought about it carefully, it wouldn’t be strange if that great temple was her final destination. Rather, that would have been the obvious outcome.

Even so, the fact that she was now waking in a comfy bed in this place meant the best of luck.

“No, or am I out of luck?” Eldith suddenly narrowed her eyes.

If her soul had been swallowed up by the original spell, she would surely involve Lugis’ soul as well, resulting in an ultimate annihilation.

Or they would’ve been trapped in nothingness itself, floating in the air forever.

“…Ah, it’s bad to think of those horrifying possibilities.”

While loosening her lips, the water crawled down Eldith’s throat. That alone made her throat feel like something was piercing her skin.

“It has been like this for the past few days, no, ever since I regained consciousness. There are nights where I can hardly sleep, and there are times when I am forced to open my eyes because it feels as if my spine will break once I fall asleep.”

That’s why Eldith finally opened her eyes completely today. However, suddenly, her heartbeat increased tremendously.

The blood flow in her body was strangely noisy and hot. A familiar yet a strangely distant heat.

“Wait. Has Lugis regained his consciousness?”

Eldith’s weak ears heard from the servants who had been treating her that Lugis was still lying in bed like his soul was gone.

Yes, after all, Lugis tormented his body more than ever in the great temple. He often approached the brink of death, trying to see how far he could go.

That’s why Lugis couldn’t move quickly after recovery. If one thought about it normally, it would be reasonable. Nonetheless.

As if repelled by those thoughts, Eldith’s blue eyes and hair of the same color swayed slightly, immediately linking the cause and effect of the spirited arts. The spirit equipment created by Eldith was strengthened to bind Lugis’ soul, therefore, it still had not forgotten its original role.

It was an equipment to restrain Lugis, as well as learn about his well-being. As soon as Eldith completed her connection with it, she clenched her teeth hard. Unbeknownst to her, the sound of her teeth clenching echoed in the room.

“…There is no sign of Lugis in this mansion, or in the surrounding area.”

On the contrary, the information that rushed to her mind was worrying. The spirit equipment was telling her a clear abnormality. Something must had happened to Lugis.

“I let my guard down.” Eldith let out a hot sigh, blaming her heart.

“I should have known Lugis’ nature. He doesn’t know how to rest. He is stupidly ignorant about the fact that others worry about him.”

Lugis often acted recklessly, jumping into dangerous situations to his heart’s content. For Eldith, it felt like he was throwing his life away.

“I knew it. I should have known. That’s why I tied my soul with the original spell and made it roll into my hands.”

“However, maybe that’s why I let my guard down. I thought that I was at peace with this.” Eldith mocked herself and upstretched her eyelashes.

Then, after making her sore body creak and her muscles sob, she forced herself up from the bed.

Every part of her body raised an impossible scream and advised her not to move. Right now, the seriousness of her condition was irrelevant.

“Yes, I know. I always knew, yet I let my guard down.” What was important for Eldith was that the soul that was in her hands had left her side. It was a clear mistake to relax her body.

Therefore, that mistake had to be corrected.

*shattering sound*

A roar was heard from inside the building. It sounded like something just broke.

Eldith’s long ears trembled in response. As she changed into her traveling gear, she understood what it was.

「…Lugis…! That fool…! 」

Eldith’s cheeks loosened involuntarily.

The silver-haired swordswoman, a descendant of giants. The voice of the person who inherited Flimslat’s legacy resounded throughout the mansion.

Her voice was smeared with indescribable fury and definite impatience. “Ah, after all, she is the same as me.” Eldith touched her chest with her fingertips.

The anger in her heart could not be expressed in words, the same applied to the frustration that filled her viscera, and the desire that surpassed them all.

“Even though it’s my own emotions, it’s as if I can’t hold the reins. It isn’t something that I can describe with a plain expression of a wild horse.”

As expected, Eldith didn’t hear the voice of Filaret La Volgograd, but the evaporating magical power was transmitted to her cheeks.

“Of course, naturally. He is the one who made us this way. We can’t stand being treated as strangers. I have always looked in his direction, yet this is what I get in return.”

“Yes, he made me this way, the body, the soul, and all of them.”

In general, Eldith didn’t know much about Caria or Filaret, but she was a very good listener.

If Lugis instructed Eldith to wait calmly without asking anything, she would’ve wait until he told otherwise. No matter how many years it took until she rotted away.

However, if she didn’t have that instruction, then she had no choice but to do what she needed to do. As an Elf Queen, she tried to do everything she could.

Caria and Filaret were already there in their travel attire when Eldith came downstairs, suppressing the sharp pains that engulfed her whole body.

Even though all of them carried wounds that would never heal, only their brilliant souls would never lose their brilliance no matter where they were.

Eldith didn’t know if it was good or wretched. One of the servants said with a trembling voice.

He said that Lugis would soon come back, so they should relax and wait for him.

The servant’s face turned pale, and his lips swayed while being frightened by the girls. This servant must be an excellent one. He clearly conveyed his words in front of humans who had presences that were far from ordinary people.

Still, that message didn’t make any sense. For a moment, the servant glanced at Eldith who had come downstairs, but Caria opened her sharp lips and said the following words.

「Thank you for the message, but I will only do such thing if handed to me directly by him. I have no ears to hear anything else. I don’t remember becoming such a cheap woman.」

Filaret continued the words professed by Caria while bundling her long, beautiful black hair.

「Besides, you can’t trust Lugis’ words when he says he’ll be back soon. He always says that when he’s about to step into danger.」

The black eyes quietly stared at the servant with a great will. The servant closed his lips for a moment and left without saying a single word.

“These girls done their duty well.” Eldith loosened her lips while her blue eyes glittered.

“…Now then, Lugis. How are you going to hold us down this time? I can’t help but look forward to it.”

“There’s no way I can’t hold back. It’s quite simple. You won’t be able to take arbitrary actions again. That’s, you know, a good deed.”

“No, not good, but wonderful.”

Eldith put a devilish smile on her face, let out a hot sigh, and once again stepped in the snow.

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