A Bitter Farewell and a Child’s Plea

The moment the longsword appeared, the ice cream parlor erupted into chaos. Amidst the clatter of overturned tables and chairs, customers and employees alike scrambled to flee. Before long, only the four individuals at the center of the standoff remained.

“Release Ailur at once.”

Seraphina, staring directly into the chilling glint before her, showed not a flicker of fear. Instead, she let out a soft chuckle.

“Now, now, don’t get so agitated. It wouldn’t be much fun if we alerted the guards, would it?”

“It would be better if the guards came,” Avril declared, her eyes blazing. “They could arrest you, you wretched kidnapper, and bring you to justice!”

“Kidnapper? Avril, I am no kidnapper.”

“You claim I’ve kidnapped Ailur, but do you have any proof?”

“Proof?” Avril’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t the evidence staring you in the face?”

With a subtle flick, her frosted blade pointed directly at Ailur.

“She’s been turned into your s*ave! What else could this be but kidnapping?”

“No, no, no, Avril, you mustn’t judge solely by appearances.”

While Seraphina could have simply released Ailur and ended the matter, facing her former teammates, she found it hard to resist the urge to toy with them.

“Ailur, please tell Avril, who was it that turned you into a s*ave?”

At Seraphina’s command, Ailur’s body snapped ramrod straight. With the precision and speed of a soldier executing a right turn, she pivoted to face Avril.

“Avril,” her voice as stiff and formal as her movements, “the one who turned me into a s*ave was Miss Claire Krieg.”

“Krieg?” Hearing the name, Avril instantly panicked. “How could it be the Krieg family… Seraphina! Don’t think you can manipulate her into lying and deceive me!”

“Oh, come now, Avril,” Seraphina said, giving a perfect French military salute. “Don’t let hatred cloud your judgment. As a noble, you must know… slaves execute their master’s commands one hundred percent, right?”

“And my command just now was for her to tell you who turned her into a s*ave. Because of the s*ave contract, she will obey my command one hundred percent.”

“Which means, what she just said, is one hundred percent the absolute truth~”

“But…” Even with only four people present, Avril dared not speak ill of the Empire’s foremost family. “Why would the Krieg family do such a thing?”

“You’ll have to ask her about that,” Seraphina said with a helpless wave of her hand. “Don’t you, as captain, know about your own teammate’s major moves?”

“She mortgaged her freedom, borrowed a huge sum from the Krieg family, and hired an assassin to enter a dungeon and kill me~”

“This, this…” Avril was dumbfounded. “Ailur, is what she’s saying true?”

“Ailur, answer her question.”

“It is true.”

Under Seraphina’s command, Ailur’s words could only be the truth.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Seraphina sighed, crossing her arms and feigning a pitiful expression. “Who was it that rescued you from the dungeon twice? It was I, poor Seraphina, who toiled like an ox and a horse for you for two years.”

“And what was the outcome? You still went and hired someone to murder me, your savior! Is this the honor and decency of you nobles?”

“…”

The sword’s point lowered. Struck speechless and utterly defeated, Avril bowed her head. Her once bright, spirited eyes had now dulled to a somber grey. The knight who had moments ago been so proud and righteous now appeared instantly haggard and utterly disheartened.

“Avril, I admire your courage.”

Seeing that Avril had lost her killing intent, Seraphina slowly approached her. She tilted her head, gazing up into Avril’s eyes from below.

“If it were me, facing a teammate held captive by a Boss, I’m not certain I would have the courage to save them.”

Seraphina raised a hand and gently tapped Avril’s dull, grimy armor.

“It seems you haven’t been doing so well since I left.”

The soiled armor suggested a lack of funds for maintenance. Her greasy hair indicated no access to proper bathing. Her gaunt face, moreover, spoke of poor food and malnutrition.

Avril’s distress was plainly etched upon her face.

“Do you need my help?”

“I don’t need your concern…”

Even though Seraphina stood directly before her, Avril lacked the courage to meet her gaze.

She knew she owed Seraphina a great deal.

She knew that, in some respects, she—this ostentatious noble, this self-proclaimed pure human—possessed less integrity than the bloodkin standing before her.

One, healthy, clean, fair, and beautiful.

The other, grimy, greasy, and arrogant.

The contrast was stark.

Observing Avril’s silence, Seraphina understood there was nothing more to be said between them.

“Avril, I’m leaving Ailur here.”

She turned, took Iqiyah’s hand, and walked towards the exit behind Avril.

As she passed Avril, she paused.

“I know, deep down, you didn’t really want to see me.”

Avril’s head remained bowed, her dull eyes silently turning towards Seraphina, devoid of any ripple of emotion.

“So… if it’s possible, let this be our final farewell.”

“Farewell, Avril. I wish you all the best.”

With those words, Seraphina turned decisively, embracing Iqiyah, and continued towards the door.

‘Strange.’

Though she walked with swift, confident strides, Seraphina’s heart felt far less full than her outward demeanor suggested.

Rather, there was an inexplicable sense of loss.

‘Perhaps it was because I didn’t see that Levilan character? Though it’s probably for the best; her mouth is like a haunted house, always full of sarcastic remarks…’

‘Or perhaps it’s because I didn’t unleash my full capacity for mockery? Yet, facing these two former teammates, I still couldn’t bear to make them suffer too much, even if this hypocritical and pathetic mercy disgusted me.’

‘Or perhaps… it’s because… because of what?’

Seraphina didn’t know. She only knew that her heart felt hollow, and this revenge wasn’t as satisfying as she had imagined.

Still, she knew that this time, her connection with Avril and her companions was likely to end completely.

‘Go, just go. Don’t look back, don’t let old ties ensnare your feet. Your goal is to conquer the world, to trample all nobles beneath your heel! All of them!’

Yet, just as Seraphina was about to step through the doorway—

“Shulk.”

A voice drifted from behind her, like snow piled high after a blizzard—grimy, yet offering a strange sense of settled calm.

“I’m sorry.”

‘Sorry?’

Seraphina suddenly realized her footsteps had come to an abrupt halt.

The feelings of loss and emptiness intensified.

‘How pathetic.’

Without a reply, without looking back, Seraphina clutched Iqiyah’s body tightly and continued on her way.

****

That night, on a carriage just outside the town of Emes.

During the day, children always seemed to possess endless energy, but by night, they would quickly drift off to sleep.

Iqiyah was no exception; before they even reached the carriage, she had fallen asleep, nestled on Seraphina’s back.

Seated inside the carriage, watching the maids load boxes of supplies one by one, a sense of finality washed over Seraphina.

‘So tired.’

Although she yearned to simply fall asleep, the weight on her lap persistently reminded her to stay alert.

She gazed at Iqiyah, sleeping peacefully on her lap, and at the adorable face that rose and fell with each breath. A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

Poke, poke~

Like ripples on water, the moment Seraphina’s finger touched Iqiyah’s cheek, it instantly sank in, creating a soft, circular dimple.

‘Simply exquisite.’

Seraphina couldn’t help but smile, her finger, seemingly of its own accord (or was it?), continuing to prod the petite bloodkin’s cheek.

Yet, as if disturbed from her slumber, Iqiyah’s body suddenly twitched. She then stretched and twisted her waist like a waking cat, startling Seraphina into swiftly withdrawing her hand and sitting upright.

“Seraphina…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Seraphina cautiously glanced at Iqiyah, only to realize she hadn’t awakened; the sound had merely been a murmur in her sleep.

“Father…”

“Oh~ you really shouldn’t say such things~”

Being called ‘Father’ by Iqiyah, Seraphina chuckled to herself, a buoyant sense of pride swelling in her chest.

‘Still… I wonder what she’s dreaming about, to combine those two words. Truly remarkable.’

But the very next second, Iqiyah’s words made Seraphina’s hair stand on end, sending cold sweat trickling down her back.

“Please…”

“Don’t kill them…”