Chapter 75

Sep 05, 2023

A New Encounter

Dazzling sunlight bounced off the frozen lake water making the glittering transparency of the round body of water appear as if it had been sprinkled with pixie dust.

It was Orka’s 15th day keeping watch of the scenery by the lake. He wore a silver fox fur cap over his loosely plaited light-blue hair and a coat made from the golden down of the silope demon monster. With various jewels embedded in and hanging from his garments, Orka was indeed a fabulous figure to behold. It really wasn’t the sort of look just anyone could pull off. There was no denying that it helped that he was a beautiful sort of handsome.

Tossed about by the wind, the decorative jewels bumped against one another. Orka’s eyes, which were the same silver-grayish color as the moonlight reflecting off the winter lake, stared off into the distance. Flakes of snow were settling on his long eyelashes, yet he neither budged nor blinked.

The leader of the Fipellion clan—aptly nicknamed “The White Demon Tamer”—stood in the middle of a demon habitat that straddled the high plains of Frederica and the Emerald Lake. After what seemed to take years, the xylote monster was finally making an appearance. The creature had mottled black fur that appeared even darker against the snowy background. Along with its dark fur, it had eyes that seemed to gleam the color of blood and horns that shot up unevenly from its forehead. Its canines were sharp and protruded from its mouth, and its limbs were so perfectly muscular that they couldn’t be called anything other than...

“Beautiful,” Orka muttered under his breath while lost in deep thought. Having cast a cloaking spell, he remained undetectable to the demon monsters and was able to observe them at his leisure. Being pack-like creatures, the demon monsters had collected into groups near the lake and were nearly a hundred in number. Because they mostly kept to the areas with the deepest snow, they were truly a rare sight. To find so many in one place was indeed a spectacle to behold.

Orka’s plan wasn’t to nab just any xylote, but to capture their powerful king in order to tame and train him to obey his will. After fifteen days in the freezing cold, he thought he could afford a little more time to simply admire the creatures and ruminate on just how awe-inspiring the beasts were before putting his plan into action. He thought that such a once-in-a-lifetime scene demanded at least that much reverence.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

The silence was soon broken as all the air around him became crimson red. The shadow cast over the glittering lake was akin to a sudden eclipse. Orka watched in numb stillness as a horde of butterflies appeared from nowhere, then began to feast on the beasts he had been admiring.

The sickening sound of bones being gnawed and ferociously devoured overwhelmed the peaceful scene.

“What in the he—?!” Orka continued to watch on slack-jawed and unable to fully comprehend what was unfolding right before his very eyes.

Flutter.

In a matter of minutes, the butterflies were flying off again while forming another huge swath-like shadow in the sky. They left in their wake a perfectly still and white snowy field.

For a moment, Orka thought he had imagined the entire ordeal for there wasn’t a single trace, or even a drop of blood, to confirm that the horde of butterflies had flown through and committed the horrific atrocity. “Is this a joke?”

He couldn’t help but laugh out of frustration as the feeling of waking from what a terrible daydream had settled on him, then almost immediately departed. He had been hiding and patiently waiting in near arctic weather conditions for 15 days without daring to light so much as a flame for warmth. It seemed too cruel to believe that just as he had finally spotted a group of xylotes that a swarm of strange butterflies would suddenly show up on the scene and devour them.

To say he was crestfallen would be a gross understatement. But then, in the midst of his mourning, it occurred to him that it was the middle of winter. How can butterflies be out at this time of year? And eat demon monsters no less?

It was then that a certain memory flashed across Orka’s mind and caused him to spring to his feet. The snow that had collected on his shoulders fell off to the side.

“Killer butterflies?!” He could just barely make out the faint shades of red disappearing into the blue expanse.

Could a killer butterfly habitat be nearby? I did have that other mishap not too long ago...

All he could think was that if there really were a killer butterfly habitat nearby, then that herd of xylotes would pale in comparison. Orka continued to watch the butterflies as they disappeared in the direction of the Blue clan’s territory. It was then that he recognized where his next destination should be.

* * *

“What we all saw last night... that was definitely him proposing, right?”

Olin was just about to enter the tent when she overheard the voices of those milling about inside of it.

“Who knows? It didn’t really sound like one I’ve ever heard. It was a bit... off.”

“Off how? He practically confessed.”

“I agree. ‘Relinquish the rest of your time in this world to me’? If that wasn’t asking for her hand in marriage, I can’t imagine what would be.”

“Yeah, you have a point there...”

The men would have normally noticed someone approaching their tent, but they were engrossed in their speculations as to what had happened the night before. Thus, they were oblivious to Olin’s presence outside of their tent.

“I thought it was a little odd from the start.”

“Yeah, same here. He called her a hostage as if he could actually ever be that evil.”

“Didn’t you guys hear? She’s supposedly his benefactor. I’ll be honest, I was taken aback by how beautiful she was at first, especially considering she’s the woman our young master brought along.”

“True. Seeing her up and moving about was completely different from when she was asleep. She looked almost unreal... Not sure I can put this feeling into words.”

“I think I get what you’re saying. Everyone probably feels the same way.”

Then another continued in an undertone. “But didn’t she say she didn’t have much time left to live?”

A sudden silence came over them, which seemed to bear such weight that Olin could sense it from outside of the tent. Each knight seemed to be imagining his own version of the tragic love story starring their young master.

Olin decided it best to avoid going inside since once she set foot in there she knew she would likely face a barrage of inquiries about the woman in question. But before she could make a move, she sensed someone else approaching from behind.

Worried that it might be Cassis, she turned around quickly only to come face-to-face with Isidore. He trudged past Olin without a word to step inside. “What are you all, a murder of crows?! I can hear you from outside.”

“Sir Winston!”

“Quit embarrassing yourselves,” Isidore said. “Down time doesn’t mean time for gossip.”

“Y-Yes, sir. Our apologies, sir.”

At the sound of the men’s chagrined apology, Olin made her retreat. Just thinking about how humiliated they must have felt to be scolded, reaffirmed that she made a wise decision by not going inside.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away and avoided Isidore’s wrath. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand her comrades’ fascination with the young lady though. After all, she too had witnessed the various events that eventually supplanted their curiosities.

* * *

At first, they had all watched in confusion thinking that Cassis had returned with a corpse. The knights and Isidore had been waiting for him just outside the Agrece compound internally debating whether they should go back to look for their young master or continue to wait. As if he had sensed the scales tipping toward his men coming back for him, Cassis appeared in a flurry of snow. But he wasn’t alone.

The body in his arms was completely covered by his cloak, which made identifying it impossible. However, the golden tresses billowing out from the hood left a lasting impression on all of them. Ignoring the silence of the stunned crowd, Cassis continued to march toward them.

“Let’s set out.” That was all he said before they left the Black clan’s territory. It wasn’t until they had stopped to take stock of their supplies and make minor repairs to their carriages that the next incident occurred.

The carriage door which hadn’t opened once since their departure, suddenly flew open to reveal the woman who Cassis had brought along. She had evidently regained consciousness while he was away. Her figure was noticeably slim, and her flowing hair surrounded a face which revealed to them just how young she was. But before anyone could call out to notify Cassis of her movements, she fell to the ground after taking a single step.

It was baffling for them to see her slender figure suddenly lying prone on the snow-covered ground. Those closest ran to her without hesitation.

“Miss, are you all right? You aren’t hurt, are y—?”

Then something strange happened. The first person to come into contact with Roxana began to convulse.