The demon chose self-destruction rather than endure Dorothy’s torment. Once its soul vanished, the crimson flesh rapidly decayed, emitting a foul stench. Only the half belonging to Bruul remained unchanged. Yet, Dorothy knew that under such circumstances, Bruul could not possibly survive. His life had long been inextricably intertwined with the demon’s.
“Cough, cough…”
Bruul gave two weak coughs, a flicker of clarity returning to his clouded eyes. He struggled to turn his head, his gaze settling on Dorothy’s face beneath her hood.
“Do you have any unfulfilled wishes, Brave Bruul?”
Even having witnessed countless farewells between life and death, Dorothy still felt a pang of regret for the man who was about to depart.
Struggling for breath, Bruul’s chest rose and fell with exaggerated effort. His breathing sounded like a ruptured bellows, signaling his imminent demise.
With a mouth full of blood, his lips trembling, he managed to ask, “You… you… are the Silverbloom Sword Princess?”
Dorothy was momentarily stunned, surprised he had recognized her identity and chosen to ask at such a critical moment. She then removed her hood and nodded gently.
“Mm.”
As his vision blurred, gradually obscured by blood, Bruul could no longer discern Dorothy’s features. Nevertheless, her answer brought a faint smile to half of his face.
“That’s wonderful. You… you’re still alive…”
As he spoke, his voice faded, and his consciousness grew increasingly hazy. In a daze, he seemed to see his two scoundrel friends again, just as they had idly chatted in the tavern last time.
It proved he was right: the Senior Silverbloom had not fallen in the Demon Lord’s castle. As long as she lived, the era of the Silverbloom would not end. After all, who could truly claim that the era from over twenty years ago was her only one?
He yearned to tell his scoundrel friends all of this, to rub their faces in the truth, but alas, that opportunity was forever lost to him.
Another cough escaped him. Remembering something crucial before he completely succumbed, he whispered a warning in an extremely faint voice: “Beast tide… danger… hide…”
With that, his chest ceased its rise and fall.
Dorothy stood in silent contemplation. Her original intention had been to ask Bruul for his unfulfilled wish, which she would then strive to complete for him. Instead, in his dying moments, he had uttered her name.
Was the “beast tide” he spoke of so perilous that even she needed to hide? Or, was someone targeting her, planning to make their move when the beast tide erupted?
In an instant, Dorothy considered numerous possibilities. However, without answers, these possibilities remained mere conjectures.
With a sigh, Dorothy bent down and closed his eyes. She then removed Bruul’s bracelet, buried his body, and erected a tombstone.
The bracelet was meant for Bruul’s family. After the beast tide subsided, the Braves would likely relocate his grave, allowing him to rest eternally in Vidona.
Her mood had grown heavy from the incident. She took a couple of steps in the direction leading out of the Silent Forest, then paused, glancing back at Ron, who stood lost in thought, and motioned for him to follow.
With the demon dead, Ron had, in a sense, avenged himself. As he began his journey home, his eyes burned with intensity, fixed on the retreating figure of the black-robed woman ahead.
He had heard her conversation with Bruul distinctly. This black-robed woman was, astonishingly, the former strongest human Brave, the Silverbloom Sword Princess!
Initially, he found it difficult to convince himself of this absurd truth. However, after witnessing her effortlessly slay the Fourth-tier demonic beast that had attacked them, he gasped, forced to believe.
From that moment, he transformed into a chatterbox.
“Silverbloom Sword Princess? Senior, are you truly the Silverbloom Sword Princess?”
“Senior! I grew up listening to your stories. Back then, my dream was also to become a Brave!”
“It was only later, realizing how dangerous being a Brave was, that I abandoned that dream and became a knight of Vidona instead.”
“Senior! Those rumors about you dying in the Demon Lord’s castle were indeed false! Although I don’t know what truly happened back then, I’m sure that damned Demon Lord couldn’t do anything to you, could they?”
“But Senior, why have you been all these years…”
Dorothy’s forward momentum abruptly halted. She turned, smiling as she looked at him, her right hand conjuring a needle of silver-white magic, its tip impossibly sharp.
With a sweet smile, she asked considerately, “Would you like me to sew your mouth shut? It’s painless, you know.”
Just by looking at the needle, Ron experienced an intense phantom pain. His mouth twitched, and he replied softly, “…No, I don’t.”
After that, he remained considerably quieter until they exited the Silent Forest.
Returning to the familiar city of Vidona, he found it somewhat surreal that he had made it back alive.
He had been utterly consumed by despair. Yet, the Silverbloom Sword Princess had descended from the heavens, pulling him from the abyss of death.
After they parted ways, he watched her figure gradually disappear into the night’s darkness. Suddenly, he called out loudly:
“Senior! Even though I know nothing of your experiences these past years, I still want to tell you that many people are waiting for you!”
“I don’t know what choice you will ultimately make, but we will always look forward to it, anticipating the day of your return!”
The sudden, fervent movement tugged at his abdomen. He winced, cried out in pain, then bent over, clutching his stomach, his white bandages already soaked through with blood.
The Silverbloom Sword Princess’s figure ahead merely paused for a moment. She offered no response, ultimately vanishing completely into the darkness of the night.
Much like not wanting a beloved story to end, Ron didn’t know where he found the courage to speak those words. He simply yearned to witness the era of the Silverbloom Sword Princess once more, to hear the legends of her and her teammates again.
But perhaps, this was merely his extravagant hope?
Shaking his head with a sigh, he resumed his steps, heading towards Vidona’s infirmary under the dim streetlights.
****
The next day, Dorothy arrived at the Brave’s Guild to train Celia and the others, and took the opportunity to meet with Sharlene.
“This beast tide is massive. Have all the Braves prepare,” she advised, handing Bruul’s belongings to Sharlene.
Thump—!
Sharlene slammed her hand onto the desk, the golden chain on her glasses swaying slightly. Even with such a forceful action, she still exuded an undeniable elegance.
“I knew it! That scoundrel Roy actually told me it was only ‘slightly larger’ than previous beast tides. He probably wants the Braves to die for his knights!”
The city residents’ ignorance of the beast tide’s danger could be excused as a measure to prevent panic. However, withholding information from the Brave’s Guild was clearly malicious.
As Vidona’s governor, Roy’s preoccupation with internal power struggles at such a time truly infuriated Sharlene.
However, none of this concerned Dorothy. After relaying everything she knew to Sharlene, she rose and headed out of the office.
Just as she opened the door, Sharlene called out to her.
“Senior Silverbloom, Roy has sent out a plea for aid to neighboring cities. Reinforcements are expected to reach Vidona in about four days. If the beast tide erupts before then, and we can’t hold them back…”
“Will you intervene to help us then?”
Dorothy fell silent.
Bruul’s dying words had left her subtly uneasy. It seemed that when the beast tide arrived, quietly hiding would be the correct choice; otherwise, even she faced the risk of death.
Moreover, intervening in the beast tide would undoubtedly expose her identity. The news of the Silverbloom Sword Princess’s return would surely spread, throwing her future life into disarray.
She was no longer a Brave. She had a beloved daughter to care for, and until her child truly grew up, she could not risk her life again.
Yet, if she did not act, her homeland, Vidona, would be ravaged by the beast tide, and its residents would lose their lives…
Torn by this dilemma, she found no answer.
“…I hope the beast tide doesn’t erupt too soon.”
With that lingering remark, she departed the office, her spirits low.