Chapter 212: [212] Murderer (2)

Knock Knock—!

Artie was more than confused. Her sister seemed to be in a terrible mood, but no matter how much she asked, she was not saying a thing.

“Addi??” She reached for her sister, tears unconsciously rolling down her eyes.

Adira, on the other hand, immediately looked around her room, her eyes wide as she tried to find a suitable hiding spot.

But when a second, unnerving wave of knocks came, panic flooded her mind.

“Adira? Are you in there?” It was the elven lord’s voice.

“Yes, but I’m not dressed. I’ll only be a minute!” Adira replied, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

“Alright. The lord of Trissnel is here… He is looking for a pet of his, apparently they found an arrow in the woods.”

There was a short, tense pause.

“Drakili said it was one of yours…”

’Shit!’ Adira cursed inside.

Now she knew why they were at her front door. It seemed the elven lord was trying to warn her, just in case they had something to do with it.

“My goodness… that sounds terrible.” She yelled back.

Adira could not waste the opportunity he was giving her. She was about to run into the room to hide the corpse when she noticed something—

Artie… Artie was covered in its blood…

It did not matter if she hid the corpse, Lord Galanhad was no fool, he would arrest her the moment they laid eyes on her.

“If they do not wish to open it, then break down the door.” Adira heard a demanding voice from outside, followed by the sound of a soldier storming towards the house.

This only made Artie more scared. “W-what is going on, sis? Did I do a bad thing?” She swung her fingers by her sides in fear.

Then suddenly, Adira did something that made her gasp in shock. She pulled the dead rabbit out of the bag and smeared its blood all over her clothing.

Artie held her sister’s arm, tears streaming down her face. “W-what are you doing??”

Estelle was crying in the corner, completely overwhelmed by what was happening.

“Artie, take care of yourself, okay? Remember, keep practicing and you’ll eventually be much better than me, okay?”

Adira forced a smile, her eyes filled with tears.

“W-what are you saying? Why are you saying this now?” Artie held her sister tightly. “Don’t go, Addi, stay here, stay with me.”

Adira smiled. “Let’s go, let’s go hide!” She held Artie and Estelle’s arms, pulling them deeper into the house.

They then pushed a door open, the door to their store room. After placing both Artie and Estelle inside the room, Artie had expected that Adira would hide with them.

But to her surprise, Adira immediately shut the door, locking them inside.

“Addi?!”

It felt as though something dreadfully cold had settled in the pit of Artie’s stomach.

She pounded her hands into the door, kicking and screaming, doing what she could to try to break down the door.

Bang!

All she heard was the sound of her door being kicked in….

“It is HERE! What have you done with Lord Galanhad’s pet, you MONSTER?!”

…and her sister’s screams as she was dragged out of the room.

Artie screamed. She kicked the door, slammed things into it, and eventually, she grew tired. She slid down, her back against the door, slowly giving up on the thought of being able to save her sister.

It was her. She was the one who had killed the rabbit. Why was her sister paying for her crime??

“It’s not fair, it’s not fair…”

Artie’s hands were now bruised from ramming them into the door, and she was terribly exhausted. But when she looked up, her eyes widened.

There was a window in the room. It was so high that she could not reach it on her own, but maybe with a little bit of help…

“Estelle—!”

Artie sprang into action. She grabbed the barrels that were around them and stacked them up like a ladder.

All while Estelle watched her with a tear-soaked face. “W-what are you doing?”

“I am going to save Adira! Help me up, will you?!” The little girl answered resolutely as she began climbing.

Having nothing better to do, Estelle wiped her tears and rushed to support her, giving her a boost to reach the window.

Artie turned back to stare at her. “I’ll save her, no matter what!”

She leaped down the window, her knees nearly buckling as she landed. Then, without a single wasted second, Artie sprinted towards the village square.

But by the time she arrived, what greeted her was a scene that caused her stomach to turn and her legs to grow weak.

Her sister, Adira, looked like a corpse. The clothes on her back were ripped, the work of several lashes done by one of the high elves… all while the wood elves were made to watch.

“To think you laggards would be so bold as to steal and kill my pet!” Galanhad grabbed the whip for himself, the weapon crackling over Adira’s back.

Artie flinched. Her knees locked up, her heart racing in her chest.

“Do something…” she muttered, staring at the adults. Adira had contributed so much to the village, she was their star. Why were they watching him treat her like this??

That was when Artie realized it. They were afraid. The elves she had looked up to, they could not stand up for her sister because they were too concerned for themselves.

Mothers held their children close, the elven lord’s fingers were tightened in a fist, his knuckles white. Drakili had a look that said she deserved what she was getting…

Another crackling sound. Blood was drawn, and Artie was forced to look away. Adira had grown too weak to do anything but respond with a weak groan.

At that moment, Artie hated her people more than anything else. But there was someone she hated even more than them.

Herself.

She was the only reason her sister was in this mess. Her foolish attempt to prove herself, disobeying her sister by going into the forest…

I should be the one dying, not Adira.

Artie wanted to shout at the top of her voice. She wanted to scream that it was her. She was the one who killed the stupid rabbit!

But she was silent.

She was afraid.

Even when Galanhad grabbed the bottle of lamp oil and doused her sister in it…

Artie was silent.

When he summoned the ethereal flames in his hand.

She was silent.

When he engulfed Adira in the fire. When her wails reached her. When she begged for death.

Artie was silent.

All she did was stand and watch the damnation she had brought upon her own flesh and blood.

At the climax of Adira’s pain, her grief, her sadness, and the pain… it had turned to anger.

She wanted to see her torturers dead, she wanted them to suffer like she was suffering, she needed vengeance.

Her eyes watched the crowd, up until she saw her precious sister standing a distance away.

With fire flowing through her lungs and out, her skin bubbling like it were rubber, and her hair melting on her skull…

Adira raised her hand towards Artie and said, “Make them suffer, just like they did me!”

She had always been talented at curse magic, but never would she have imagined that in saying that, she had unwillingly cursed her sister with a vestige of her will. The part of her that would eternally scream for vengeance.

<•••>

Eliron was left speechless after hearing Artie’s story. She had always seemed so composed that he would have never imagined she was carrying such a burden.

“You’ve been through a lot…” he managed to say after much thought.

He could not say he understood what she was feeling, that would just be a blatant lie. To have been the direct cause of your sister’s death… that was a burden that was too much for a nine-year-old to have carried.

’Galanhad…’ Eliron thought, his gaze darkening.

He had always expected he would confront that man sometime soon. He was the lord of Trissnel, the region responsible for tormenting the elves, as such there would inevitably be a clash.

But now…

Eliron’s hand tightened on his glass, a wide crack racing down the side like lightning.

…Galanhad had one more crime to answer for.

Artie had drunk so much wine during her story that she was drunk. She had likely taken so much to allow her to force out the story, but now the effects were starting to show.

She looked drowsy, her cheeks were flushed red, and her eyes unfocused.

She stood up from her chair and stumbled, nearly falling before Eliron got up and held her steady.

The wine glass tipped, spilling the crimson liquid all over the table.

“A-as you can see, Eliron…” Artie slurred. She laughed bitterly as she drew circles on his chest, then she raised her gaze to meet his.

For a few seconds, she just stared at him.

“I’m a really terrible person, you know? I’m a murderer. I committed a crime and let my sister die for it…”

Now Eliron understood why she had always avoided him, why she repeatedly told him there were better options.

It was because all this time, Artie had not forgiven herself for what happened to her sister.

“… that is just how selfish I am. I can betray anyone as long as I preserve my own life…”

Eliron’s face hardened. “If you are so evil, then why are you crying?” He placed a finger on her cheek, gently wiping out the tears.

“Why do you curse yourself daily? Why are you trying so desperately to avenge your sister?”

Artie’s eyes widened slightly as she watched him. Her mouth was open, but no words came out.

“No matter how much you try to frame yourself. I will always see the real you.”

“The little girl that hides behind all the layers, the woman who closed herself to the world…”

“… because she is afraid of hurting someone else.”

“The woman who walked into a goblin camp, risking her life for others when she could have stayed back… fought a wyvern to protect her friends.”

“That is the only Artie I see.”

Artie stared at him for a moment longer, just before she broke into tears. Eliron hugged her to his chest and she melted into him, crying her heart out.

She held him close to herself, her fingers digging tightly into his back. It was as though she was afraid that if she let go, even for a moment, he would disappear…

“Thank you…” Artie whispered repeatedly, hot tears streaming down her eyes, her body trembling as she was lost in his embrace.

Little did they know that somewhere in the shadow of the tavern…

They were being watched.

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