WOSE Chapter 34

So Odynne had gone to End Village.

Shortly after their conversation, it seemed he had acted in his own way.

"What did he do there?"

[He stood in front of us. Said he hoped we wouldn't go…]

"……And?"

[The people refused. They said even if he tried to stop them by force, they had to see the end with their own eyes.]

He would never have used force against innocent people.

"I'm sure he didn't."

Tamia nodded and began writing in her notebook again.

[The knight asked instead of drawing his sword. He told us not to be consumed by emotion no matter what truth we witnessed, that victims shouldn't have to carry the weight of guilt on top of everything else.]

'……Pointless effort.'

The man's persuasion, his warnings—they never reached those consumed by anger. They saw the truth and descended into madness, choosing willingly to stain their hands with betrayal.

Yes, that's how people are. They could never be purely virtuous, purely innocent.

Iyu, mumbling excuses and compromises meant for no one in particular, asked weakly:

"……So you came back to tell me?"

The child shook her head. She picked up her pen, hesitated for a long time, and only after far longer than usual did she hold out her notebook.

[The Holy Knight told me to go back to the manor right away. He said I should be by your side, Miss Iyu…]

A twisted smile cracked through, then a nervous, hollow laugh escaped before fading away.

Why did that consideration feel more tragic? Why did it cut deeper?

[Are you alright?]

Tamia approached hesitantly.

When she met not those ugly red eyes fixed on vengeance, but kind eyes that kept checking on her own wounds, something she'd barely been holding together finally collapsed.

She tried to shake her head but stopped partway, then reached out trembling hands and pulled the child close. Wrapping herself around that warm, comforting presence, burying her face in the small shoulders, the tip of her nose began to sting.

In silence, she let loose whatever tangled emotion it was—fear, self-reproach, resentment—bleeding it out in tears.

Iyu had barely slept, drifting in and out of something neither quite rest nor quite waking. She forced her heavy body up with effort. Everything ached as though she'd been beaten with cudgels.

She wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but last night's work was only the opening act of her plan.

Moving her body through sheer stubbornness, Iyu observed the unfolding situation carefully.

'I thought one night's sleep and I'd wake to complete chaos.'

Nidavellir as a whole hadn't been turned upside down, but at least Kelgrida's manor had fallen into significant turmoil.

That morning, Ulrik's corpse had been discovered in a gruesome state.

In the center of the main hall where everyone had gathered, Kelgrida shouted, pointing at something covered in dark, bloodstained cloth.

"Ulrik was among my finest! That someone like that has come to such a pitiful end—find out what happened immediately!"

She'd rushed out still in her nightclothes, her unbrushed hair swept back as if being torn from her head. Her voice cracked as she continued her outburst.

"In a situation like this, where the hell is Darun! That bastard—where is he!"

She could provide the answer.

Iyu, who hadn't even changed clothes, much less washed, quickly reviewed her appearance.

The scenario she would lay out before them was simple.

After the servant disappeared, the Savior, unable to wait, had gone to the mine last night to eliminate the source of all tragedy. She'd even invited the survivors to witness the darkness disappearing, thinking it might comfort them. But in an unexpected turn, Darun had tried to harm her. They'd struggled, and in that struggle, an unfortunate accident—Darun had been swallowed by darkness.

The survivors had witnessed it with their own eyes, she would say.

That's what she'd agreed to claim.

'If I act frightened by threats to my life, I can escape this suffocating world without even needing to eliminate the darkness.'

Of course, if she simply recited this prepared script, the humans before her wouldn't believe a word. So she'd secretly sent Tamia back to End Village to find someone who could serve as a witness to her claims.

Iyu brushed the dried blood from Ulrik's remains off her fingertips and finally took the stage.

The cast of this small melodrama consisted of Kelgrida and her lieutenant, servants, Kalix and his knights, and the Savior.

"……Lady Kelgrida."

Though barely audible, it was enough to draw every eye. And that was because her appearance was, quite simply, a disaster. Kelgrida's mouth fell open slightly as she fumbled for words.

"Savior, what is this? Your condition—what…?"

"Iyu! Are you alright?"

Kalix rushed forward and reached for her, but Iyu stepped back and shook her head.

"Did something happen? I had something important to tell Lady Kelgrida. The manor was in such chaos…"

"That's because…… My son hasn't been seen since yesterday evening."

Kelgrida explained only half the story, glancing at the corpse at her feet. There seemed no need to mention the horrific incident when it might upset the Savior.

"Darun…"

She was about to explain what she knew about Darun's whereabouts.

But one of the servants, unable to take their eyes from the bloodstained edge of her clothes, suddenly pointed and shouted.

"Y-you! Last night I saw—I saw young Lord Darun leave with the Savior!"

Of course there were witnesses. She'd made enough noise getting out, after all.

It wasn't a particularly surprising revelation, nor cause for alarm, but Iyu buried her face in her dirty palms and let out whimpering sounds instead.

"That's…… that's right. The last time I saw Darun was me."

"…You went out? Where? No—exactly when? Where is Darun now?"

Kelgrida approached quickly, grabbed her shoulders, and unleashed a barrage of accusatory questions.

Iyu shrank back exaggeratedly, hoping her act of fear would seem natural.

"I-I'll explain everything! You see, after Tamia disappeared and you asked me to wait one night, I just couldn't sit still. So after sunset, I snuck to the mine. I wanted to eliminate the darkness and find Tamia myself. But……."

Iyu paused, wrapping her arms around herself. Only after ensuring every eye was on her breathing did she finally reveal the shocking truth.

"Darun appeared suddenly and attacked me with an axe. He said the darkness couldn't be eliminated."

"That's impossible! That child would never……!"

"There are witnesses!"

When Kelgrida pushed back strongly, Iyu raised her voice as well. Her expression perfectly crafted to convey genuine injustice.

"I called the survivors before eliminating the darkness. I thought seeing the darkness disappear might bring them some comfort."

Despite Iyu's claim of witnesses, the lieutenant and servants still regarded her with skeptical eyes.

But in that moment, only Kelgrida had fallen into an eerie silence. The woman who'd remained quiet spoke in a voice deeper than usual.

"Then where is Darun now?"

The time had come to reveal the tragic conclusion.

Should she contort her face, or deny reality? Iyu contemplated, then delivered the ending readily.

"Near the darkness…… when he rushed at me…… he was…"

Someone's breath caught sharply. Several people gasped in shock.

After the strange silence, Kelgrida opened her mouth with an expressionless face. It seemed she'd chosen the latter option.

"……It seems you've had quite the nightmare."

"No. We saw it clearly. The moment young Lord Darun tried to harm the Savior."

The unexpected voice came from beyond the front door, which had been standing open. The small gap widened fully, and a familiar face pressed through.

The survivors they'd met the night before.

'Tamia left not long ago. I thought it would take time for them to arrive.'

They'd arrived sooner than expected. As though they hadn't been called by Tamia at all, but had been heading to this manor from the start.

Either way, the timing was perfect.

Before their hardened faces, Kelgrida finally seemed to grasp that Iyu's account was no delusion, no lie. Drained pale, she could manage only to tremble her lips.

Her lieutenant, by contrast, still couldn't accept this shocking news and shouted roughly.

"This makes no sense! Why would young Lord Darun do such a thing! Everyone knows how devoted we've been to serving the Savior!"

"Because once the darkness is eliminated, it becomes harder to pass off murders as accidents."

Brynja, standing at the front, answered flatly.