Chapter 56
To take their place?
These four words caused Wakako’s face to change, as though some unspoken, indescribable thoughts had suddenly been laid bare.
Her gaze locked with Miki’s, and with a determined look as if steeling herself for a battle, Wakako denied it, “I am only concerned for the Saint’s safety.”
“Oh?” Miki questioned again, “Is that so?”
“It is.”
“If you are truly concerned for my safety, shouldn’t you be helping me carefully select my guards?”
“I was doing exactly that. I answered all of Rika’s and the others’ questions honestly, hoping they could serve you well.”
Miki chuckled softly at her words, then slowly crouched down, bringing herself eye to eye with Wakako. The white cloak draped over her shoulders cascaded to the floor. “You can say such things with a straight face?”
Wakako froze for a moment.
She could get away with such grandiose excuses when talking to the ten-year-old Tsukiyo, who readily believed her, but the Saint was no child.
Miki’s right hand gently touched Wakako’s forehead. “Even if you can fool yourself, you can’t fool me.”
The touch of her fingertip seemed to leave the Saint’s signature cherry scent on Wakako’s face. The fragrance was sweet, but the spot where Miki’s fingertip rested on her forehead carried a sharp, undeniable sting.
“You may seem open and honest, but deep down, you’ve been trying to scare those girls away with your so-called ‘experienced advice,’ hoping they’d give up on their own.”
Miki spoke softly, her words like sweet nothings whispered between lovers. “That way, I’d remain your only master, wouldn’t I?”
Her only master.
These words were too cruel and blunt, causing Wakako’s face to pale slightly, but she still denied it. “No!”
She said, “I just don’t want you to get too close to anyone and risk divine punishment again.”
They both knew all too well how much the almighty God valued “bloodline.” When the Saint was engaged to the Queen in the past, the God never interfered because the Queen was of noble birth, just like the Saint, making them a suitable match.
But Wakako and the others were of far lower standing, and that was what had angered God in the first place.
“The three guards selected by the Kitagawa clan are of the same lowly origin as me,” Wakako’s chest rose and fell slightly, her voice rising unconsciously. “It’s enough for them to stand guard outside. They shouldn’t get too close to you, otherwise it will only…”
Miki interrupted her with a knowing smile, her finger tapping Wakako’s forehead repeatedly. “Otherwise, it will only drive you mad with jealousy.”
Jealousy.
The statue from her dream reappeared before her eyes, awakening buried emotions. The real trouble in this world isn’t about scarcity, but about inequality.
She was afraid that Miki would suffer divine punishment again, but jealousy was also a genuine emotion.
They were both servants from the Kitagawa clan. If God didn’t allow Wakako to get close to the Saint, then why should anyone else be allowed?
All the thoughts Wakako had tried so hard to bury were laid bare before her master’s eyes.
“Besides, you are about to be married, yet you are visiting my room so late at night,” Miki’s fingers traced the edge of Wakako’s cheek, her movements unhurried. “Regardless of the reason, it’s not quite appropriate, is it, Master Mercenary?”
Her fingertips slid down Wakako’s neck, sliding down her neck in slow, teasing motions.
Wakako’s expression changed drastically, her back breaking out in a cold sweat. But Miki’s other hand already grabbed her wrist.
Wakako knew all too well that this was one of Miki’s usual tricks. She would put on an appearance of fragility, while speaking the most cutting words, pushing and prodding until she got the answer she wanted, never backing down until she was satisfied.
Wakako couldn’t even push her away, for the Saint’s body was as fragile as a porcelain doll, easily shattered with the slightest force.
“You should let go,” she gritted her teeth. “I need to leave.”
But Miki wouldn’t listen to her. She simply stared at Wakako, her eyes shimmering with tears, brighter than the moonlight.
Wakako tried to pull her hand away, but she could almost predict that even without exerting any force, the Saint’s frail body would stumble backward, and she couldn’t possibly leave Miki to fall.
It was an impossible situation, one she couldn’t escape from.
After a while, perhaps because she had run out of strength, Miki’s grip loosened slightly. Wakako, feeling as if she had been granted a reprieve, immediately turned to leave, but then came the words that froze her in place.
“You’re getting married soon, yet instead of staying with your bride, where is your mind wandering?”
“Tonight you’ve snuck into my room. What about tomorrow?”
“Now, there’s only a wall between us. I’m weak and defenseless. Waka, there’s nothing I can do to stop you from doing whatever you want.”
“And if tomorrow you come drunk to my bed, insisting on holding my holding my undergarments as you—pleasure—yourself, what am I to do?”
Lies.
They both knew well that the Saint was never truly powerless.
Behind her, Miki’s voice grew cold. “As for the new guards… I will have them serve me however I please. No one else has the right to interfere.”
As Wakako fled, the last words she heard were, “If it’s not them, it will be someone else. If you can’t bear it, then replace them yourself.”
Again, the suggestion to take their place.
Those words were like a mountain, pressing down on her, trapping her.
…
That night, Wakako barely slept. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was engulfed in endless darkness. She felt soft, familiar hands – one on her shoulder, the other pressing firmly against her.
A sweet, playful voice whispered in her ear, “Why do you always lie? Where did you learn that from?”
Fingers pushed harder, not allowing her to retreat.
Wakako wanted to say she wasn’t lying, but she couldn’t even form a complete sentence, only broken syllables escaping her lips.
“You’re clearly jealous to death, yet you refuse to admit it,” a faint sigh followed. “You insist it’s for my own good… but in reality, you’re just trying to escape.”
The dream ended there, and Wakako opened her eyes to find herself alone in the room.
She reached over to the bed, already knowing what she’d find—a damp patch. Everything in the dream had manifested physically. The bed was wet, and she couldn’t sleep in it anymore.
Wakako wanted to get up and clean it, but her right hand unconsciously reached for herself.
The scent of sunflowers gradually enveloped her.
Since it was already dirty, it wouldn’t matter if it got a little dirtier.
She sniffed her left wrist, where Miki had held it not long ago, leaving a faint trace of cherry scent. Even though it was barely there, it was enough for her to imagine Miki by her side.
Wakako’s eyes glazed over, her lips parted slightly, forming a silent whisper.
Miki…
The Miki who would whip her with flower branches, the Miki who would watch her pleasure herself, the Miki who could turn her into a puddle of desire in an instant.
The Saint, her master, the sole meaning of her existence.
In the end, Wakako fetched a bucket of well water and soaked the bedding in it. Even though the stain had vanished, no matter how many times she scrubbed, she still felt like it wasn’t clean.
It felt as if she herself had become permanently tainted.
When the first rays of dawn fell into the courtyard, Wakako opened her eyes again. But it wasn’t because of the daylight; it was because she sensed someone standing close, right in front of her.
Liu Siruo’s eyes were bloodshot, showing signs of sleep deprivation. There were smudges of dirt on her cheeks that she hadn’t had time to wipe away.
She said wearily, “Something happened.”
***
Although it was unlikely for the Eagle Kingdom’s forces to infiltrate the heavily guarded royal city and locate the Crown Princess in a short time, as a precaution following the Saint’s warning, the Queen had arranged for several “decoys” of the Crown Princess to leave the city and travel to various locations to confuse the enemy.
To prevent the enemy from identifying the real Crown Princess, each decoy was accompanied by a mercenary, ensuring they had the ability to fight back if they encountered the enemy head-on.
The first group of decoys had already left the city, and Liu Siruo had been dispatched to support them after receiving an emergency signal. But by the time she arrived, it was already too late.
When she arrived, she only found one of the “decoys” and the mercenaries responsible for her protection murdered outside the city. The enemy had struck quickly and efficiently, and they had long since fled.
Alphas and Omegas were a minority in the population; the majority were Betas. In the ranks of mercenaries, most of the troops were from Beta Squad.
Betas were not as physically strong as Alphas, nor did they possess the powerful pheromones that Omegas could use to influence others. For that reason, becoming a mercenary required even more effort and sacrifice from them.
Each of these individuals had endured grueling training that lasted years, day in and day out, only for it all to end in an instant.
All that remained were cold, lifeless bodies.
“It was gunpowder,” Liu Siruo’s eyes were filled with unconcealed hatred. “They actually managed to recreate gunpowder…”
Hundreds of years ago, firearms using gunpowder had existed on this continent. It started with someone mixing saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to create gunpowder, discovering its power far surpassed that of swords and spears. This led to the creation of powerful weapons like muskets.
As weapons evolved, so did the nature of war.
At that time, there were more than just Mios and the Eagle Kingdom on the Eastern Continent. Among the various Kingdoms, these two weren’t particularly powerful, only considered to be middling in strength.
The countries that first mastered the production of gunpowder manufactured muskets in large quantities and quickly gained an advantage in warfare, easily defeating their enemies.
But it wasn’t long before divine punishment descended upon them.
It was the only time God had ever manifested directly. God ignited a raging fire that burned for three days and nights, consuming every last firearm. He then issued a divine decree, forbidding them from ever using such weapons again.
In the aftermath, the Kingdoms that had pioneered firearms lost their greatest advantage and, soon after, fell out of favor with God and were wiped from history. Meanwhile, middle powers like Mios and Eagle Kingdom survived and thrived.
The entire continent lived in fear, never daring to touch gunpowder again. Even the previously developed saltpeter mines were sealed off, forbidden to anyone, and remained so to this day.
But now, the people of the Eagle Kingdom were using gunpowder again.
Both kingdoms were currently undergoing the divine trials, and for one of them to so brazenly defy God by using a forbidden weapon left only one possibility…
“God has allowed them to do this,” Liu Siruo revealed a rare flicker of fear. “But why?”
No one knew the answer to this question, except for God himself.
Wakako’s eyes were hollow as she supported her senior sister’s trembling body.
“Did anyone survive?”
“Chen Mi,” Liu Siruo, usually carefree, now spoke with a relatively calm tone, but tears streamed down her face, falling onto Wakako’s shoulder. “But she lost her left hand.”
They had met Chen Mi, a junior sister from the Beta team, who had joined less than a year ago and was only seventeen years old.
Wakako had killed countless enemies and seen more dead bodies than she could remember, but even so, her vision blurred now, and her own tears began to fall.
For the countless time, she wanted to ask: Why?
But no answer had ever come.
