Chapter 171 - <14>
“So, you’ve truly found out where Barat is?”
Kamala, whose cheeks had been a rosy glow when they met but were now pale and gaunt, said this, her clear hazel eyes shining. Her pure, straightforward, and beautiful brilliance, which had led her down the path of madness, reflected in the man’s eyes with a painful glare.
But that painfulness would never turn to sympathy for the man. For him, everything was a trial given by the object of his worship and ceaseless devotion, a trial only he could undertake.
“There is nothing I cannot see through.”
The man slowly turned his dark brown eyes, which held a deep darkness, to his beautiful pawn. She looked up at him, smiling happily.
“You’re wonderful. Truly wonderful. Please, Messenger of the Black Wings, tell me where Barat is.”
“Of course, Kamala. Your beloved is waiting for you to come to him in a solitary cell at the Autonomous Guard headquarters.”
“Is it true? If I go there, I can really see him?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. Now I can finally tell him, ‘There is no one left to separate us,’ and ‘I will be with you forever.’”
Kamala smiled, saying this as if in a dream.
“That’s wonderful. But he might run away again, you know?”
Gently, he instilled fear into her pure madness. A shadow fell over Kamala’s eyes.
“Why can’t he understand… just how much I love him?”
“I wonder why.”
“Hey, what can I do to stop him from running away? What can I do to make him mine?”
Though shrouded in madness, Kamala looked up at the man with the pure eyes of a child. The man gently embraced Kamala and whispered in her ear.
“You already know, don’t you?”
The taut tension drained from Kamala’s body. Then, slowly, Kamala wrapped her arms around the man’s body.
“Yes, you’re right, Messenger of the Black Wings. I know. This time, I won’t leave Barat’s side.”
“…May the Goddess bless you.”
He kissed her thin forehead and gently recited a prayer. Kamala smiled softly.
“It’s okay. The father I knew when he was kind, and the Baradi who was once so nice, are with me.”
Still in his arms, Kamala lovingly stroked her own clothes. The man understood what was there. A piece of evidence the Autonomous Guard didn’t know the culprit had taken…
Sewn into the lining of Kamala’s clothes were strands of hair from Ashok and Baradi. The hair of her kind relatives, which became hers the moment she killed them. By killing them, the obstacles to her misunderstood love, she believed she had made their lives her own, and that they had taken her side.
In other words, to not leave Barat’s side meant to make Barat’s life one with her own. The ultimate madness of taking a life out of love. That was the best choice for her, who had lost her sanity.
“Thank you for everything. I was able to move forward because you guided me. The scapegoat, Baradi’s location, Dayaram… If it weren’t for you, I would have never seen Barat again.”
“You’re welcome.”
“But this is goodbye.”
With that, Kamala gently pulled away from the man’s arms. Then, she looked at the man with a pure, mad smile.
“I’m going to Barat.”
“Shall I go with you?”
“No. This is my affair, so I’ll go alone. I can’t ask for any more help.”
“Then, take this with you.”
With that, the man handed her a flame encased in a palm-sized crystal.
“What is this?”
“It’s a sealed Fire Spirit. If you shatter this, the released Fire Spirit will cause a massive explosion. You should use it if you decide you can’t reach Barat with your wind power alone.”
“Thank you…”
Kamala took the crystal and, with a smile, headed for the exit of the room. This was a hideout the man had rented for Kamala. They had spent several days in this hideout. But now that Barat had turned himself in and told his story, it was only a matter of time before this hideout was discovered.
“…Messenger of the Black Wings.”
Kamala turned back at the door.
“What is it?”
“I never asked for your name. Since this is the last time, could you tell me?”
“Of course. My name is Kuchiba.”
“Kuchiba… a strange name.”
Laughing cheerfully, Kamala opened the door.
“Goodbye, Kuchiba.”
“Goodbye, Kamala.”
Staring at the closed door, Kuchiba laughed quietly to himself.
“Now, my princess. What will you do?”
Wherever they go, misfortune follows them. And that misfortune doesn’t befall them, but those around them. If the misfortune befell her directly, she would try to shake it off, but if not, it would surely be a great pain for that princess.
This was the first time he had made a direct move since his declaration. That’s why he was curious. What would she and her companions do… especially that cute failure who dotes on the princess? Wanting to know, Kuchiba simply devised his plans this way.
If they were to stand still here, he didn’t mind if they did. If they returned to the kingdom without knowing the truth, that would be fine as well. If they were the kind of people who couldn’t handle the truth upon learning it, he didn’t want them to touch the truth that Kuchiba’s clan had protected for generations.
If that truth were to spread, the world would surely change its colors, and the Spirit Kings would no longer be Spirit Kings. Humanity might repeat its mistakes and head in the wrong direction. The demi-human races, who once held immense power and authority, no longer possessed the leadership to guide humanity.
He wanted to protect it, so he absolutely did not want others to know that truth. This was Kuchiba’s truth. That’s why, no matter what anyone said, he really didn’t want to let them near his holy land, preferring to eliminate them. When the oracle came down from his god, vaguely suggesting that he should delay their approach to the holy land, Kuchiba felt frustrated.
Why couldn’t he just order him to eliminate those who sought the truth, as he had done before?
Yes… my god is wavering.
But Kuchiba had no hesitation. If they broke through his interference and, by some chance, reached the land of darkness, he would have no choice but to fight them directly. But would his god wish for that? If not, how could he protect the truth?
Kuchiba looked out the window. In the clear sky, nearing dusk, the massive mountain range piercing the heavens was silhouetted like a shadow puppet.