It was hell.
Drops of blood splattered everywhere. Red puddles were strewn about.
The sight of someone collapsing helplessly with a single slash stuck in my mind. No matter how hard I tried to turn away, that afterimage lingered in my eyes.
The ones wearing the Black Masks were still rampaging.
They were killing machines made solely for the purpose of slaughter. That’s why they moved, trying to kill even one more person.
Scrape.
“Get out of the way!”
Evan shouted loudly, unlike his usual self. The sword containing a blue aura swiftly sliced through the necks of the scoundrels. The heads separated from their bodies as easily as cutting tofu, and just looking at it made my stomach churn.
“Hrk…”
Lily, who had a weak stomach, had passed out long ago. Even someone like her, who had witnessed dozens of deaths, found it hard to endure this sight. It was only natural for her to faint.
With Lily on my back, I barely followed behind Evan. He was cutting through the enemies, shouting with each slash.
“I’ll clear the way! Follow me!”
With a rough voice, the blue blades flew. I squeezed my eyes shut at the sight of the cleaved bodies, almost split in half.
Then, I gripped Lily’s arm tightly and ran like a madman.
Even though I thought I had long abandoned modern ethics, this scene was too much. No, even people from the medieval era might throw up upon witnessing this hell. In fact, even Evan was staving off nausea.
There’s no way anyone could get used to such a landscape.
“Get in the way!”
He gritted his teeth and swung his sword. With each step he took, a wet sound echoed.
For a moment, I felt like I stepped on something strange, but I forced myself to look away from the ground. If I confirmed what I stepped on, I might just sit down right there.
Isn’t “bloodbath” what you call a situation like this?
“Hrk…”
It was disgusting.
Only that thought filled my head. As I passed through the train car, even more gruesome sights came into view.
My nose had long been numb. Perhaps the smell was too intense, and my sense of smell was already ruined.
Gurgle.
Blood sprayed everywhere as Evan swung his sword. He wiped the bloodstains off his cheek with his hand nonchalantly.
Then, he sliced down the scoundrel charging at me from behind.
“Damn it!”
The speed of our progress began to slow significantly. It was as if a portal had opened, and endless Emperor’s Hands were flooding in.
Now they were pushing forward with sheer numbers, hardly even wielding their weapons properly.
Perhaps even Evan had no way to deal with this, as he stepped back slightly.
“Stick close behind me, miss.”
“Y-yes.”
The blue aura ignited. A blue light gleamed in his black eyes.
With a short grunt, Evan’s body vanished before my eyes. Dark afterimages appeared several times as flames ignited on the bodies of the scoundrels.
Nearly ten of them fell in an instant. Catching his breath, he gripped his sword tightly.
“This is endless.”
Seeing their horde rush in like a bunch of zombies, Evan sighed.
“Miss, you go first.”
“Evan, but…”
“The Duke will be here soon.”
With that, Evan smiled. His face showed unwavering trust in Abel.
I nodded in agreement and turned back. With a whoosh, I heard the sound of flames igniting alongside his shout.
‘The exit, the exit…’
We were quickly approaching the emergency exit.
Standing in front of it with Lily on my back, I spotted a black silhouette. It was the Emperor’s Hand, hiding among the corpses.
“Ah.”
The dagger it threw came flying right at me.
Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut, overwhelmed by the sensation of death closing in on me. But the anticipated pain never came.
When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw the dagger stopped right in front of me.
“What a bunch of nuisances…”
I saw Abel’s figure.
At that moment, my legs buckled, and I collapsed without realizing it. All fear and anxiety vanished, replaced only by a sigh of relief.
“Are you okay?”
Abel reached out towards me, asking. I shook my head and took his hand.
“No, I’m not okay.”
“You look fine.”
With a small laugh, Abel helped me to my feet and then turned away. He raised his right hand and muttered a short incantation.
“Activate deployment.”
A pure white magic circle spread out from him. A massive magic circle enveloped the entire train before shining brightly.
“Strike.”
Dozens of spears flew.
Soon, the enemies surrounding Evan in the next car were pierced through the neck by the spears. To resolve such a complicated situation with just a gesture was impressive.
I could feel just how strong Abel’s power really was.
Turning my head, I saw his face, slightly weary.
“Is Abel okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Abel landed lightly on the ground as he replied. He looked a little tired, but it seemed he wasn’t seriously hurt, which reassured me.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Blood-soaked Evan was approaching. His fierce appearance made me flinch involuntarily.
A big man covered in blood was threatening in more ways than one.
With a snap of his fingers, Abel made the bloodstains covering Evan vanish completely.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
He seemed exhausted as he leaned against a nearby chair. After all, he had probably sliced through hundreds of foes in such a short time.
“Hah… what a mess.”
Abel murmured while looking around. Then he leaned out through the shattered train window.
He stared at the surrounding scenery for a moment and let out a deep sigh.
“We’re far from arriving.”
“How much longer do we have?”
“About halfway.”
Halfway, huh. It was quite unfortunate that the train was attacked midway. If it had happened earlier, at least we could have turned back.
As I furrowed my brows in contemplation, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Can’t Abel just teleport us using spatial magic?”
At my question, Abel shook his head.
“It’s not that simple.”
Spatial magic is originally designed for one’s own spatial movement. Hence, using it on others is quite unstable.
If something went wrong, we could end up on some deserted island.
“But that guy…”
I mentioned the man with red hair, and he answered simply.
“Is there a need to worry about such things against enemies?”
I nodded at Abel’s response.
“…That’s true.”
Now that the situation began to settle, I could finally see the surroundings clearly.
Bloodstains covering the windows and heaps of corpses scattered everywhere.
The sight sent my thoughts into a whirl.
Originally, I had been the one to suggest that Abel join me to Ark. If I hadn’t said that, he would have likely transported there instead.
If that were the case, the Emperor’s Hand wouldn’t have attacked this train. The passengers here wouldn’t have met such a tragic end.
Once a negative thought popped into my head, it kept tormenting me.
‘If only I hadn’t brought it up first…’
Would those on this train have died if I hadn’t suggested it? They certainly didn’t want to meet such a gruesome fate.
If only that time…
Once negative thoughts started, they trailed on endlessly.
I knew it was meaningless to dwell on it, but I couldn’t stop.
If it weren’t for me, this situation wouldn’t have occurred. At least that much was true.
“Adele.”
I looked up at Abel, who gripped my arm. I noticed the frown on his face, leading to my confusion.
Then I saw the raw, bitten skin of my thumb.
“Ah…”
“Stay alert.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Had this habit still not changed?
Even in my past life, whenever negative thoughts flooded my mind, I bit my nails. If I didn’t, the anxiety wouldn’t go away.
Though it was an old habit, it didn’t seem easy to change.
With a sigh, Abel looked at my state.
“It’s not your fault, Adele.”
“…Huh?”
Did I hear something wrong?
When I looked back up at him, I met his indifferent expression.
“What happened is not your fault.”
Abel pointed at the corpses as he said that.
It was somewhat unexpected.
I never thought he would offer comfort first in a situation like this.
As if he could read my thoughts, he continued casually.
“Your heart is still too soft.”
Too soft, huh.
It was the first time I heard such a thing in this world. I was used to hearing insults due to my infamous reputation as an evil woman.
No, to be precise, it was the second time. Abel had first expressed that to me during our re-contract.
Was my heart indeed too soft, as he said?
‘I’m not so sure.’
When I was younger, I definitely heard that a lot. But after growing up, never once had I heard it.
So I thought I had become mature, but perhaps that wasn’t the case after all.
As my thoughts grew tangled, my head ached. Sensing this, Abel slowly approached me.
“The one at fault is the Emperor.”
“…Is that so?”
To my question, he confirmed and then gently patted my head.
“Fretting over what isn’t your fault will eventually damage your heart.”
Though he still wore an emotionless expression, there was clearly a hint of worry in his words. Somehow, I felt a ticklish sensation as I buried my face in my hands.
“Take a moment to rest.”
Abel slowly stroked my hair before turning his back to me.
Usually, his back would feel cold, but for some reason, it felt warm today.
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