The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 81

This is the power of the ‘first.’ The ability of Bahamut, who manipulates the atmosphere.

Blood trickled down her nose, and the metallic scent of iron filled the air.

In the aftermath of a storm, a massive shock lingered. There was no one who failed to realize who had burst the heads of hundreds of monsters. The ripple in the atmosphere spread outward from a single point, like a stone thrown into a lake.

An unexpectedly frail woman dragged into this chaos. Aside from her red eyes, she was utterly ordinary, a docile woman who had never resisted anything.

The inquisitor, who swore to take punishment if his words were lies, had his head torn off before he could finish his sentence.

Even the crying baby and the groaning old man who had fallen turned their gazes to her in silence. Everyone revered Veronica like a god, their breaths ragged and shallow.

It was at that moment that a new Bahamut appeared on the roof. In the midst of an overwhelming wave of impact, Veronica let out a scream-like shout.

“Untie me, quickly!!!”

Time, which had seemed to stop, began to flow again. The knight, who had been sitting dazedly on the ground, cut the ropes with a vacant expression. The moment she was freed, she immediately picked up the Hennessis that had fallen beside a corpse.

Swish. The charging Bahamut was cleanly severed. Veronica leaped down the stairs, taking out the creature about to pounce on a child. Perhaps, just before igniting the flames earlier, when she closed her eyes without resistance, she instinctively knew. This was not the place she would die.

“Protect His Holiness, the Pope!!!”

The sound of knights shouting, having regained their composure, reached her ears. Veronica gritted her teeth. Then who would protect the citizens? Who would protect them?

Bahamuts poured into the square from outside. For the creatures, densely packed humans in such a confined space were like a feast laid out before them. People, gripped by fear, screamed as they witnessed Bahamut emerging from every open path. For them, Veronica swung her sword desperately. Cutting, stabbing, and sometimes obliterating.

When she felt she had reached her limit, her body instead became as light as if it had grown wings.

“That isn’t a miracle that grants power without cost. It’s a weapon that takes away life in proportion to what it gives.”

The warning about the holy sword resurfaced in her mind, but she ignored it. Even Leon wouldn’t have let go of his sword in this situation.

The only consolation was that Bahamut, not yet fully awake, couldn’t assimilate humans. They hunted by scent and sound. Naturally, they flocked to Veronica, who was in the middle of battle.

How long could she hold out? The imperial army, the holy knights—when would they arrive…?

Bwooo. A loud horn sounded behind her. Or did it? She wasn’t sure if she had actually heard it or merely remembered hearing it. She turned around and saw the jubilant faces of the people.

Thank goodness.

That was her last thought. Her body, which had felt feather-light, suddenly tilted strangely. The sword she had been trying to use to steady herself slipped from her grasp.

There had been times when she thought she wanted to break. If it meant she could become someone he loved.

Had she fulfilled that condition now?

***

Her entire body ached.

“Drink this.”

It was the first voice she heard. A cup touched her lips, and something cold trickled into her mouth. As she swallowed, a low voice followed with soft praise.

“Yes, that’s it.”

She wanted to open her eyes, but her consciousness quickly sank back into the abyss. A dark, sticky, and clammy abyss. In that place, Veronica intertwined with a man. Ceaselessly, endlessly. Submerged as though pressed beneath the deep sea, she swayed. The man, who buried himself in her, continuously called her name with each groan.

“Veronica.”

Like a lighthouse summoning a lost ship.

Through her hazy vision, she saw the man’s face. She had said she never wanted to see him again. She had told him not to come.

She closed her eyes at the sight of the cool flame beneath his thick eyebrows. Being safely laid on a bed meant the city must have been saved. There was no need to speak to him. As she remained silent, Leon once again brought a cup to her lips. Disliking the liquid trickling down her chin, she slightly parted her lips. The liquid that escaped was wiped away by his hand.

Was it a juice with pain-relieving effects? Was that why she felt so lethargic and sleepy?

As she rolled onto her side, a sharp pain tore through her entire body. Her muscles trembled violently. Though there wasn’t a single wound on her, it felt as if she had been finely shredded by a blade. When she let out a faint groan through her clenched teeth, Leon finally spoke.

“Why didn’t you stop?”

It wasn’t like him to ask such a question. She had expected him to start with something like “I warned you.”

Veronica moved her parched lips slightly. “Is there any reason to protect this body anymore?”

“……”

“I was always going to die for someone else. That’s why I came this far, isn’t it?”

Leon remained silent. Veronica, who had been waiting quietly, curiously lifted her eyelids. Contrary to her expectation that their eyes would meet immediately, Leon was only staring at her hand that rested still. Her second finger, with its broken nail. Was it injured while gripping the sword?

She raised her gaze slightly. The sharp line of his nose and firmly set lips gave him a severe look. His red hair was messily disheveled, and an air of fatigue emanated from him. It blended well with the decadent aura he always carried.

“No, it’s wrong… this isn’t what I thought…”

His low voice, as though submerged in water, murmured and then abruptly stopped. Leon rubbed his eyes as if trying to conceal his expression. A deep despair clung to his slow breaths.

Why? Why are you the one falling into despair?

Impulsively, Veronica reached out her arm. When she pulled away the hand covering his face, she met his wounded gaze.

Her lips moved of their own accord. “Why are you making that face?”

You chose me to hold up the world, yet you wear the expression of someone watching the world collapse.

At Veronica’s question, his cold eyes wavered with suppressed emotions. Staring at her as though he would swallow her whole, he answered with something completely unrelated.

“I shouldn’t have gone to Beyern.”

It was winter. Far too early to know the warmth of spring.

“I shouldn’t have even brushed past you. Shouldn’t have lived without knowing you existed.”

She held onto his hand as he tried to pull away and pressed her lips against it. All her senses focused on the point of contact. Veronica thought back to the day she first saw him and opened her mouth.

“So that I could die there?”

For the first time, she saw the meaning of the phrase “blood drained from his face.” His contorted expression was like that of someone trapped between inescapable flames and a cliff. Leon held his breath as if being strangled, then tightened his grip on her hand.

There’s a word in this world: fate. If he was born to save lives, then she was born to lose hers. That’s just how it had to be. There’s no point in tracing the cause of the world’s tragedies; it all leads back to the divine.

“You know, holy power is inherently meant for healing, right? Until now, you couldn’t heal my injuries because you were too busy preventing assimilation.”

At her abrupt question, Leon didn’t answer. Perhaps he already guessed what she would say next.

“Isn’t that right? Well then, good. Help me.”

“This is what you came for, isn’t it?”

“Hold me.”

“…What?”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Staying by my side?”

She pulled out the knife that had once been lodged in her chest with all her strength and plunged it into him. Hurting someone wasn’t as satisfying as she had imagined. Anyone would understand after trying it.

“What? Are you reluctant? Because I don’t look pretty like this?”

“Veronica.”

“Don’t call me by my name.”

Her cracked voice snapped at him, and Leon closed his mouth. A dreadful silence ensued. Veronica tried her best to suppress her sarcasm and spoke as calmly as she could.

“If you came to someone who told you they never wanted to see you again, you should at least have a reason. You’re the one who taught me that.”

Why pretend not to know? Why act as if you care?

You knew it all. Regretting it now won’t change anything. It just makes me want to live.

“If you don’t want to, forget it. I’ll just ask someone else.”

Her voice wasn’t provoking; it was resigned. As Leon’s expression twisted in response, a strange, sharp thrill, almost like delight, rose deep within her. She liked the ripples caused by a stone being thrown. She must have broken. She must have thoroughly shattered last night.

“Someone else?” Leon repeated her words in his characteristic low tone.

Veronica continued nonchalantly, “I’ll scream and call for someone. If another knight comes, I’ll ask them. I’ve proven my usefulness this time, so they might think it’s best for me to recover quickly.”

Stop it. Stop saying things you don’t mean. No matter how much she told herself, her lips wouldn’t stop moving.

“Oh, maybe Oscar will do it.”

“You have a way of driving people mad.”

Leon cut her off the moment she mentioned another man’s name. As she finally uttered it, he let go of her hand and rose to leave. Veronica timed her next words perfectly.

“It hurts so much.”

The man who had risen froze in place. Veronica continued in her hoarse voice.

“It hurts so much I feel like I’ll die.”

Still going to leave?

Did he curse under his breath? Ah, maybe he did. Her memory focused only on his fierce lips descending toward hers. On his faint, shallow breaths. On her heart racing so wildly it felt as though she would die right there.

When she sucked hard on the tongue that entered her mouth, Leon tilted his head at an angle and delved deeper. Suddenly, she wondered if they truly remained unscathed after sharing breaths like this. Was this not, in fact, a destructive act, like thirsty creatures sucking each other’s blood?

Kissing him made her feel despondent. It made her want to live. It made her fear death.