Chapter 39
“Pouring your emotions out like that, the world wouldn’t at least look gray, would it?”
She said this as she faced the aftermath of a broken engagement caused by the incident in Hadenharts.
Hearing those words at the time, Kraush felt utterly perplexed.
“What kind of nonsense is that? I’d prefer being emotionless, thank you very much. Do you have any idea how miserable it gets when you have feelings?”
What’s the point of being able to express emotions freely?
Other than cursing how awful the world is, there was hardly any utility in it.
“Is that so?”
“What do you mean ‘is that so’?”
Kraush clicked his tongue.
He then cast a disapproving glance at Bianca.
“Isn’t it easy for you? This broken engagement situation is unfair, even from my perspective. The incident with your family wasn’t even your fault! I’d be boiling with rage if I were you!”
Just recently, a catastrophic incident had unfolded in Hadenharts.
It was a crazed event involving the head of the Hadenharts family, Duglakan Hadenharts.
He had suddenly lost his mind and bludgeoned his family members to death.
He even killed his eldest son and second daughter, Jenika, with his own hands.
And the only survivor was Bianca.
She owed her survival to her sister Jenika, who had hidden her away in the basement while distracting their father.
After such an ordeal, the next step was the broken engagement.
From Valheim’s perspective, there was no reason to accept the broken Bianca from Hadenharts, which had fallen to ruin.
“Those damned family members are unbearable. Just when you think they’ve tied up the world in engagements, they go and pull this mess.”
Kraush found the whole affair infuriating.
The fact that Duglakan had gone mad raised numerous doubts.
Valheim was aware of this but still chose to cut ties with Bianca, knowing full well Hadenharts was in shambles.
Bianca slowly played with a teacup filled with hot tea.
“Drink it if you want.”
Upon hearing this, Bianca shook her head gently.
“I can’t drink hot stuff. I have a cat’s tongue.”
Is that so?
Kraush, who generally had little interest in Bianca, thought.
“…Then what about this? If I acquire feelings and truly experience them, wouldn’t I understand what’s more painful?”
At that moment, Bianca made a counter-proposal.
It was utterly absurd.
“If you get your feelings back, you might get so mad you’d bite your tongue off and die.”
Kraush warned her with a frown.
He didn’t have any real affection for her, but it was a minimum warning as her former fiancé.
However, Bianca tilted her head.
“You don’t care if I live or die, do you? We’re just strangers now.”
In that moment, anger flared within him.
He knew that Bianca was purposely provoking him.
“I’m just curious. What’s more painful?”
Bianca remained expressionless as she said this.
“Tsk.”
Hearing that, Kraush raised a hand.
“If you really want to find out, then go ahead.”
She was the one who wanted to experience it.
Kraush deftly stole Bianca’s eye doll thanks to the black hood.
Since she had offered it, he could easily steal her curse without a dial.
The eye doll curse that ended up with Kraush was nullified by another curse, though.
A mid-level curse like the eye doll was simply devoured by the numerous top-tier curses Kraush possessed.
“How’s it feel?”
“……”
Kraush still vividly remembered that day.
He also realized he should have grabbed her then.
“The world is a truly awful place.”
That day was, after all, when she became the White Phantom.
Three years later, one of the Ten Powers, the Poison King, was killed by her.
The news spread worldwide, and the full story of the Hadenharts incident was finally revealed.
It was the Empire’s plan to annihilate Hadenharts.
“Ha, this stupid fool…”
Upon hearing the news, Kraush covered his face.
The reason was quite simple.
A piece of information spat out by the second prince, Siphon Epania, who had sought refuge in Hadenharts, was so devastating it shook the very foundations of the Empire.
As a consequence, the Empire quickly sent a person to silence both Hadenharts and the second prince.
Someone who could handle all poisons.
The Ten Powers.
The Poison King.
The poison he poured into Duglakan, the head of Hadenharts, was the modified Aquatic Poison he had created himself.
The Aquatic Poison made Duglakan see his family and servants as monsters.
Fearing that monster, Duglakan killed all his family members and servants, except for Bianca.
And when the effects of the poison wore off, he couldn’t bear the weight of his actions and hanged himself.
That was the grim backstory of the tragic incident in Hadenharts.
Once the truth came to light, the relationship between the Empire and Staron plummeted to an all-time low.
The result was a war erupted due to the Empire’s overreach, leading to the deaths of countless people in the process.
Naturally, Kraush was swept up in the chaos of that war.
The Celestial Generation mobilized to end the conflict between the Empire and Staron.
The Celestial Generation belonged to neither the Empire nor Staron.
As a result, the Celestial Generation began using force to suppress both sides, which led to conflict.
The Celestial Generation, who should’ve faced World Erosion, was instead using their might against people.
What a ridiculous scenario it was.
And, of course, the Celestial Generation could not remain safe in war either.
“Damn it, you fools! Aren’t there supposed to be at least some people guarding the rear supply lines?!”
Kraush, in charge of supply for the Celestial Generation, screamed as he dashed through the snow-laden forest.
He was passing through the burned remnants of Hadenharts, which had faced the brunt of the Empire’s wrath.
Because Hadenharts was the closest to the Empire, it had become a complete frontline.
Furthermore, the Poison King died at Bianca’s hands.
After killing the Poison King, Bianca had taken refuge in the North Sea Ice Palace, the main building of Hadenharts.
Because of that, the Empire relentlessly attacked both Staron and the North Sea Ice Palace.
“North Sea Ice Palace…”
Amidst that thought, Kraush spotted the half-collapsed structure of the North Sea Ice Palace.
“There it is!”
“That guy is also a member of the Celestial Generation! Don’t let your guard down; kill him!”
At that moment, the voices of the Empire’s knights behind him echoed loud.
Kraush gritted his teeth and run toward the North Sea Ice Palace.
Arriving at the frozen entrance, Kraush knocked on the door with his bloodied hands.
“Hey! Bianca! Are you in there?!”
No response came from his shout.
Damn it, what’s this silence about? How could she be so calm?
Kraush clenched his fist, ready to turn away.
But the knights were faster.
They had somehow closed in behind him.
Their eyes were filled with madness, making it impossible to distinguish who was human and who was the World Erosion.
Kraush clicked his tongue as he rolled up his sleeves.
No choice.
It seemed he had to use a curse to make a swift escape.
He could always ask the Saintess for help later.
Just as that thought crossed his mind…
Kiiieeehh!
As the door to the North Sea Ice Palace swung open, icicles poured out from behind him.
Fubarbubarbuck!
“Guahh?!”
“Ugh, cough!”
The flying icicles pierced through them in an instant.
Even with a barrier of aura, they couldn’t stop the onslaught.
Watching in stupefaction, Kraush caught a glimpse of the door to the North Sea Ice Palace that had swung open.
Rushing inside, he slammed the door behind him shut.
Once he turned to take in his surroundings, everything inside the North Sea Ice Palace was frozen solid.
Feeling the chill seep into his bones, Kraush began to move cautiously.
“Bianca.”
He called her name, but there was no answer.
Reluctantly, Kraush decided to venture deeper inside.
After wandering around the North Sea Ice Palace, Kraush soon came to a halt in front of a certain room.
Inside the shattered door…
There lay a woman with a sword stuck in her chest, along with her frozen legs.
Drip—
A droplet of blood fell from the sword.
As he witnessed this, Kraush’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“…Bianca.”
It was none other than Bianca herself.
“…It’s been a while, Kraush.”
In that moment, he heard Bianca’s voice.
Hearing the near-dead tone in her voice, Kraush realized just how little time she had left.
“Why the hell did you end up like this after going berserk?”
Kraush recognized the sword impaled in her chest.
The poison oozing out from it was unmistakably the venom from the Poison King’s daughter, the Poison Phoenix.
She had seemingly come all the way from the Empire seeking vengeance for her father.
And that sword must have been lodged in her for quite some time.
The poison had spread deeply throughout her body, now at a point that even the Saintess could not reverse it.
“Right. Why am I like this?”
Despite clearly having regained her emotions, she remained incredibly expressionless.
As if she had forgotten how to show emotion at all.
Kraush bit his lip at the sight.
After the broken engagement, it had taken him some time to learn about her circumstances.
That’s why, struck by frustration, he called out to her.
“You should’ve just said it! That it was the Empire and the Poison King that did this, and that your family was blameless.”
Bianca was well aware during the time of the broken engagement that it was the Empire and the Poison King’s doing.
Yet she hadn’t told Kraush the truth.
“If I had said something, would it have changed anything?”
At those words, Kraush found himself speechless.
In truth, telling him would change nothing.
After all, he was merely a parasite nestled among the ranks of the Celestial Generation, stealing curses.
Kraush didn’t possess the power to change Bianca’s life.
Bianca gradually let out a small laugh.
Then her eyes began drifting into memories of the past.
“Come to think of it, we spoke about what was more painful, having emotion or being emotionless.”
She was speaking of the time during their engagement three years ago, as blood dripped from her mouth.
Kraush sensed that her vitality was nearly extinguished.
“How about it? Would you like to hear my opinion one last time?”
This was it.
This was their last chance to have a conversation.
“…Go ahead.”
Bianca had saved her life once before.
Listening to her was no burden at all.
