The Vintergar police force was quite exhausted. They were exhausted from suppressing the helpers who suddenly appeared like zombies and brandished knives and guns. Fortunately, they were just a rabble with weapons, so there were few casualties on their side.
However, there were few survivors among the employees of the Duke's residence. This was not because of the police force's counterattack, but because fires broke out here and there, and most of them were engulfed in the flames and perished.
“Huh, what’s going on? I was told in advance that there would be force, so I should prepare thoroughly, but this is... I don’t know how to write this report. It’s self-defense, so it doesn’t matter..."
The director took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. But he didn’t even have time to mutter. The police officers gathered here and there and simultaneously asked him questions as he stood in the square in front of the main building.
“Director, we haven’t found the Duke or Angie Ridsdel yet. Michael Randall is nowhere to be found, so we’re currently searching the chapel area, but the territory is so vast and complex that it’ll take some time.”
“Director! What should we do with the surviving servants? First, we search the entire mansion, arrest anyone we find, and gather them in the hall.”
“Haven’t you found Archduke Winston yet? Where on earth has he gone? There’s no sign that anyone has gone across by boat...”
The director stopped talking. It was when he looked back alone toward the calm lake below the scorched mansion. At first, he thought it was a hallucination. Under the chapel spire, a pure white dress fluttered in the air under the moonlight. Her golden hair, fluttering in the wind, looked like a moon fairy.
The director stared at the sight with wide eyes. He seemed to be entranced by the moonlight. But that was not the end. The next moment, another shadow was following the fairy through the air. Splash, a loud noise, and a huge ripple appeared on the lake.
“Director, what the heck is that...!”
“I’ll go and rescue them first!”
The director realized only then that he had not been hallucinating. He followed the officers and ran frantically to the dock. He had no idea what was happening in this mansion. Just an hour ago, when they had crossed the lake on a boat, he had been amazed by the fairytale-like scenery.
Kyle followed Angie and jumped down the railing. It was as if his body and head had been separated in an instant. His mind was as blank as a sheet of paper, and his body was moving only on instinct. He had nothing but the determination to die.
He tried his best to reach her, who kept sinking down as if she was being pulled by a strong magnet. If only Angie and him could switch places right now. If only his body could safely support her from below.
I
It seemed like he could sell his soul to the devil. No, he could give it to the devil if he asked for all the souls in the world. At that moment, with a splash, Angie disappeared under the water. His body followed.
People who were watching the scene with astonished eyes all let out a sigh of relief. If it had fallen even a little closer to the building, it would have landed on the ground instead of in the lake.
But the rescue seemed far away. The officers who arrived at the dock where the ships were anchored encountered an unexpected difficulty. There were holes in each ship. It was obvious that someone had intentionally made the holes.
“What the heck! It’s the work of those crazy mansion people.”
“That’s right. No one can escape from here. If it comes to this, we all have to die here.”
A dreary woman's voice called their attention. Jasmine was there, bloody and holding a hunting gun in both hands. Behind her stood a group of servants, each holding a knife that was curved like a sickle. Their eyes were clouded as if they were under the influence of drugs.
The officers drew their guns with a look of surprise on their faces. It really seemed like they were dealing with cursed zombies. Some quickly escaped the servants and entered the lake where the Duke had fallen, but the water was too deep to make it.
At that moment, everyone's eyes widened at the sound of a group of people rushing from the dock on the other side. Soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms, neither Trieste nor Vintergar, untied the moored boats and began to move in unison. The gunshots and screams that had died down for a moment mingled again under the moonlight.
The bubbles surged in like a swarm. Her ears were ringing and her body was sinking as if it weighed a ton. Her pores were wide open and all her senses were paralyzed. The terrifying cold pierced her skin and penetrated her bones, tearing her body apart.
Even in her hazy consciousness, the events of a moment ago were vividly recalled. She remembered right up until the moment when the helper from the Duke's residence pushed her down the railing and she fell.
Oh, I see. So I fell and died like this... Kyle. Is Kyle okay? Noah... I have to tell him about Noah...
She barely opened her eyes. Something was rippling in her dim vision. Someone grabbed her in the pitch-black darkness and held her. Her weightless body was instantly captured. Kyle tried to hold her tightly and climb up but suddenly grabbed his chest with one hand.
Kyle.
Angie's eyes widened. She remembered the way he had clutched his chest in pain before being taken away from Graz, and the blood on his palms just before being put in the car. He had a seizure. Why now, at this time?
No, Kyle.
Angie gritted her teeth and hugged him with one arm. She then tried to somehow get up onto the surface by swinging her other arm. But it wasn’t easy because of Kyle’s weight. No matter how hard she tried and how hard she tried, their entangled bodies were sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. She was starting to lose her breath.
A cry of despair burst out. Angie held Kyle tightly in her arms, covering his agonizing head. Was it better that they could go together like this? But then Noah. Our baby...
Noah hasn't even seen his dad yet. And neither has Kyle. If he just keeps going like this without even knowing Noah exists...
I couldn't give up like this. How did we meet again? How did I protect Noah? I couldn't leave him alone like this.
When Angie used her last strength to hug Kyle's neck and look up at the surface, Kyle's hand met hers and he slowly shook his head. Even in the pitch-black swamp-like darkness, his painfully distorted sea-blue eyes shone.
Kyle tried to pull Angie up to the surface, even through the heart-wrenching pain. He didn't care if he died. But he had to get Angie up to the surface. Finally, a splash of water rose and the water parted.
Her blocked ears were cleared and the noise from outside permeated her mind. The senses she had lost for a moment came back to her, and she couldn’t even breathe because of the pain that felt like her bones were freezing. People’s cries rang out like thunder above her head. As the boat approached, several large hands were slowly pulling the two people up.
Angie was quickly pulled up onto the boat, but Kyle took a little longer. It was partly because of his strong physique, but also because he seemed half-conscious and had no strength left in his body. Angie grabbed hold of one of his sleeves and shouted at the top of her voice.
“Kai! Wake up! Just use your strength a little and hold on... Hurry up!”
Angie gasped deeply. Her soaking-wet body was convulsing from the cold. Her bare feet were already showing signs of frostbite, but she seemed oblivious to her own body.
Several more men clung to him and barely managed to pull him onto the boat. The problem came next. Kyle bowed his head in agony from his prone position as if praying. Droplets of water fell like raindrops, and blood flowed from between his fingers covering his mouth. The puddle of water that had soaked the floor turned dark red.
“Kai!”
Angie helped him up and laid him down on his back. The bleeding had stopped, but his breathing was ragged. His heart was starting to pound painfully as if he was going to die at any moment.
“Uncle Jerome, hurry... hurry... Kai...”
“Speed up a bit! We need to get him to the mansion quickly and give him first aid, hurry!”
At Jerome's request, a man dressed as a Vicentine private nodded. They were mercenaries from the neighboring country, Vicentine, whom Kyle had personally hired just in case. While waiting in the village, they saw Jerome's signal flare and rushed over, but the situation at the mansion seemed to have already been settled. The corpses of the servants, including Jasmine, were strewn all over the mansion's dock.
“No... No. It’s too late!”
Angie, sobbing and helpless, reached into her pocket and pulled out her hair net. She remembered the piece of wood she had hidden inside. If she had asked for a knife or asked to be stabbed, she would have been dissuaded.
She moved quickly when Jerome wasn't looking. She stabbed her forearm with a sharp piece of metal, and blood flowed out immediately. Angie smeared the blood on her finger and put it in Kyle's mouth. When his tongue reacted, she brought the bleeding forearm to his mouth.
Long ago, on Cullinan Island, seizures would have been calmed down in this way. They would have found a remedy and taken blood that matched their constitution and made it into medicine. The vague memories of people discussing something around her bed at that time, and the traces of needles that have now completely disappeared are proof of this.
Blue eyes glowed with a strange light. Kyle's blurry vision stared at the pure white flesh flowing into his mouth.
Previous Next
However, there were few survivors among the employees of the Duke's residence. This was not because of the police force's counterattack, but because fires broke out here and there, and most of them were engulfed in the flames and perished.
“Huh, what’s going on? I was told in advance that there would be force, so I should prepare thoroughly, but this is... I don’t know how to write this report. It’s self-defense, so it doesn’t matter..."
The director took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. But he didn’t even have time to mutter. The police officers gathered here and there and simultaneously asked him questions as he stood in the square in front of the main building.
“Director, we haven’t found the Duke or Angie Ridsdel yet. Michael Randall is nowhere to be found, so we’re currently searching the chapel area, but the territory is so vast and complex that it’ll take some time.”
“Director! What should we do with the surviving servants? First, we search the entire mansion, arrest anyone we find, and gather them in the hall.”
“Haven’t you found Archduke Winston yet? Where on earth has he gone? There’s no sign that anyone has gone across by boat...”
The director stopped talking. It was when he looked back alone toward the calm lake below the scorched mansion. At first, he thought it was a hallucination. Under the chapel spire, a pure white dress fluttered in the air under the moonlight. Her golden hair, fluttering in the wind, looked like a moon fairy.
The director stared at the sight with wide eyes. He seemed to be entranced by the moonlight. But that was not the end. The next moment, another shadow was following the fairy through the air. Splash, a loud noise, and a huge ripple appeared on the lake.
“Director, what the heck is that...!”
“I’ll go and rescue them first!”
The director realized only then that he had not been hallucinating. He followed the officers and ran frantically to the dock. He had no idea what was happening in this mansion. Just an hour ago, when they had crossed the lake on a boat, he had been amazed by the fairytale-like scenery.
***
Kyle followed Angie and jumped down the railing. It was as if his body and head had been separated in an instant. His mind was as blank as a sheet of paper, and his body was moving only on instinct. He had nothing but the determination to die.
He tried his best to reach her, who kept sinking down as if she was being pulled by a strong magnet. If only Angie and him could switch places right now. If only his body could safely support her from below.
I
He didn't care what happened to his body. Even if it was shattered into pieces and scattered into tens of millions of pieces of flesh and bone, she would happily die. As long as Angie was safe.
Please. Angie, please...!
Please. Angie, please...!
It seemed like he could sell his soul to the devil. No, he could give it to the devil if he asked for all the souls in the world. At that moment, with a splash, Angie disappeared under the water. His body followed.
People who were watching the scene with astonished eyes all let out a sigh of relief. If it had fallen even a little closer to the building, it would have landed on the ground instead of in the lake.
But the rescue seemed far away. The officers who arrived at the dock where the ships were anchored encountered an unexpected difficulty. There were holes in each ship. It was obvious that someone had intentionally made the holes.
“What the heck! It’s the work of those crazy mansion people.”
“That’s right. No one can escape from here. If it comes to this, we all have to die here.”
A dreary woman's voice called their attention. Jasmine was there, bloody and holding a hunting gun in both hands. Behind her stood a group of servants, each holding a knife that was curved like a sickle. Their eyes were clouded as if they were under the influence of drugs.
The officers drew their guns with a look of surprise on their faces. It really seemed like they were dealing with cursed zombies. Some quickly escaped the servants and entered the lake where the Duke had fallen, but the water was too deep to make it.
At that moment, everyone's eyes widened at the sound of a group of people rushing from the dock on the other side. Soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms, neither Trieste nor Vintergar, untied the moored boats and began to move in unison. The gunshots and screams that had died down for a moment mingled again under the moonlight.
***
The bubbles surged in like a swarm. Her ears were ringing and her body was sinking as if it weighed a ton. Her pores were wide open and all her senses were paralyzed. The terrifying cold pierced her skin and penetrated her bones, tearing her body apart.
Even in her hazy consciousness, the events of a moment ago were vividly recalled. She remembered right up until the moment when the helper from the Duke's residence pushed her down the railing and she fell.
Oh, I see. So I fell and died like this... Kyle. Is Kyle okay? Noah... I have to tell him about Noah...
She barely opened her eyes. Something was rippling in her dim vision. Someone grabbed her in the pitch-black darkness and held her. Her weightless body was instantly captured. Kyle tried to hold her tightly and climb up but suddenly grabbed his chest with one hand.
Kyle.
Angie's eyes widened. She remembered the way he had clutched his chest in pain before being taken away from Graz, and the blood on his palms just before being put in the car. He had a seizure. Why now, at this time?
No, Kyle.
Angie gritted her teeth and hugged him with one arm. She then tried to somehow get up onto the surface by swinging her other arm. But it wasn’t easy because of Kyle’s weight. No matter how hard she tried and how hard she tried, their entangled bodies were sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. She was starting to lose her breath.
A cry of despair burst out. Angie held Kyle tightly in her arms, covering his agonizing head. Was it better that they could go together like this? But then Noah. Our baby...
Noah hasn't even seen his dad yet. And neither has Kyle. If he just keeps going like this without even knowing Noah exists...
I couldn't give up like this. How did we meet again? How did I protect Noah? I couldn't leave him alone like this.
When Angie used her last strength to hug Kyle's neck and look up at the surface, Kyle's hand met hers and he slowly shook his head. Even in the pitch-black swamp-like darkness, his painfully distorted sea-blue eyes shone.
Kyle tried to pull Angie up to the surface, even through the heart-wrenching pain. He didn't care if he died. But he had to get Angie up to the surface. Finally, a splash of water rose and the water parted.
Her blocked ears were cleared and the noise from outside permeated her mind. The senses she had lost for a moment came back to her, and she couldn’t even breathe because of the pain that felt like her bones were freezing. People’s cries rang out like thunder above her head. As the boat approached, several large hands were slowly pulling the two people up.
Angie was quickly pulled up onto the boat, but Kyle took a little longer. It was partly because of his strong physique, but also because he seemed half-conscious and had no strength left in his body. Angie grabbed hold of one of his sleeves and shouted at the top of her voice.
“Kai! Wake up! Just use your strength a little and hold on... Hurry up!”
Angie gasped deeply. Her soaking-wet body was convulsing from the cold. Her bare feet were already showing signs of frostbite, but she seemed oblivious to her own body.
Several more men clung to him and barely managed to pull him onto the boat. The problem came next. Kyle bowed his head in agony from his prone position as if praying. Droplets of water fell like raindrops, and blood flowed from between his fingers covering his mouth. The puddle of water that had soaked the floor turned dark red.
“Kai!”
Angie helped him up and laid him down on his back. The bleeding had stopped, but his breathing was ragged. His heart was starting to pound painfully as if he was going to die at any moment.
“Uncle Jerome, hurry... hurry... Kai...”
“Speed up a bit! We need to get him to the mansion quickly and give him first aid, hurry!”
At Jerome's request, a man dressed as a Vicentine private nodded. They were mercenaries from the neighboring country, Vicentine, whom Kyle had personally hired just in case. While waiting in the village, they saw Jerome's signal flare and rushed over, but the situation at the mansion seemed to have already been settled. The corpses of the servants, including Jasmine, were strewn all over the mansion's dock.
“No... No. It’s too late!”
Angie, sobbing and helpless, reached into her pocket and pulled out her hair net. She remembered the piece of wood she had hidden inside. If she had asked for a knife or asked to be stabbed, she would have been dissuaded.
She moved quickly when Jerome wasn't looking. She stabbed her forearm with a sharp piece of metal, and blood flowed out immediately. Angie smeared the blood on her finger and put it in Kyle's mouth. When his tongue reacted, she brought the bleeding forearm to his mouth.
Long ago, on Cullinan Island, seizures would have been calmed down in this way. They would have found a remedy and taken blood that matched their constitution and made it into medicine. The vague memories of people discussing something around her bed at that time, and the traces of needles that have now completely disappeared are proof of this.
Blue eyes glowed with a strange light. Kyle's blurry vision stared at the pure white flesh flowing into his mouth.
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