{{WARNING: MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE}}
Chapter 65:《Bastard》 – (2)
(I)
“Who’s ther—KYAAAAAAH!!”
As Lilianel knocked on the door, the ashen-haired woman cautiously opened it.
Without hesitation, Lilianel splashed a prepared acidic troll bile directly onto her face.
“M-My face…!! Hrrggghhh…!!”
A burning stench filled the entrance hall, accompanied by the woman’s horrific screams.
Lilainel closed the door behind her and swiftly stepped inside, glaring down at the writhing woman with eyes full of hatred.
“You wretched whore….”
Just seeing that ashen-gray hair, reminiscent of Elzerba, made Lilianel’s rage swell.
Her expression twisted in disgust as she spat on the woman’s long, gray locks.
“I… I can’t see…! My eyes… My eyes won’t open…!”
But Lilianel didn’t care.
The woman clutched at her melted face, thrashing in agony, her once-beautiful features now grotesquely deformed.
Even her facial structure was unrecognizable.
“Hah, now you finally look decent.”
But Lilianel felt no sympathy.
If she had stared at that Elzerba-like face for even one more second, she might have vomited.
“…Filthy bitch.”
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, Lilianel stomped on the woman’s belly.
Judging by the protruding stomach, she was pregnant.
But the green-haired elf showed no mercy—she kicked the woman’s abdomen with full force.
“You… You dare… to take what I couldn’t have?!”
“NO—PLEASE!! My baby…! My baby…!”
“Oh, shut up—DIE TOGETHER, YOU WORTHLESS TRASH!!”
Even as her face melted, the woman desperately clung to her stomach, shielding her unborn child.
But the more she resisted, the harder Lilianel stomped.
“K-Khaaaack…!!”
Eventually, a stream of crimson poured from between her legs.
…A miscarriage.
Her baby was dead.
“Ahhh…!”
Seeing it, Lilianel’s face lit up with joy.
It felt as if she had taken Elzerba’s child away, doubling her twisted euphoria.
“W-Why…? Who… are you…? W-Why are you doing this…?”
Her face, her child—
Everything had been stolen from her in an instant.
The woman sobbed, struggling to form words.
And to that pathetic woman, Lilianel had only one thing to say—
“Why the hell should you care, you stupid bitch?”
And then, she unsheathed a dagger and slit her throat without hesitation.
“Khck….”
Blood spurted from the woman’s pale neck like a fountain.
Her limbs went limp, the light fading from her eyes.
Before long, her breathing stopped completely.
“Hah. Know your place.”
Watching the Elzerba-look alike fall lifeless, Lilianel let out a satisfied smile.
A strange sense of fulfillment washed over her, as if she had finally achieved revenge.
“But… there was a kid, wasn’t there…?”
With that, Lilianel began searching the house.
There had been a young boy as well.
He had gray hair, just like the woman—
But his eyes were the same blue as Varius.
The firstborn son of Varius and this woman, no doubt.
“….”
Gripping her dagger, Lilianel tiptoed through the house.
…She had to ensure a perfect crime.
If she left any survivors, it would come back to haunt her someday.
She searched under the bed, inside the closet, everywhere—
But the boy was nowhere to be found.
Had he gone out?
Even after scouring the small house multiple times, there was no sign of him.
“…Sylvie! Are you okay?! I heard a loud noise—what’s happening?!”
“…!!”
As if fate itself had intervened—
Someone was now banging on the door.
Most likely, a concerned neighbor who had heard the screams.
Judging by their urgency, they would force their way in soon.
Realizing she had no time left, Lilianel stopped her search—
And escaped through the window.
“Ahhh….”
On the way home—
For the first time in decades, Lilianel felt truly free.
Though she had failed to kill the boy,
It didn’t matter—he hadn’t witnessed the murder.
And as long as that remained the case, she didn’t care.
“I’m happy….”
Letting the cool breeze brush against her skin, Lilianel smiled.
She had long since been broken beyond repair,
But the euphoria she felt now—
It was real.
And it was sweet.
Her smile refused to fade.
***
(II)
“….”
Several hours after Lilianel’s return home,
The news of the Elzerba-look alike woman’s death naturally reached Varius.
He rushed to the scene as if possessed.
Lilianel, having concealed herself beneath a hood, silently followed him.
…As expected, Varius arrived at that house.
A crowd had gathered, murmuring in horror at the gruesome murder.
“P-Please, let me through.”
Varius pushed through the crowd, desperate to see it for himself.
“A… Ahhh….”
And then—
His eyes fell on the butchered woman.
He collapsed over her shrouded corpse—
And wailed so loudly the entire neighborhood shook.
“AARRRGGHHHHHHH!! AAAAAHHHHH!!”
“….”
…In all her decades of living with Varius,
Bound by the sham of marriage,
Lilianel had never once seen him cry like this.
Seeing Varius weep so desperately for another woman,
An unfamiliar bitterness began to weigh on her heart.
Would he ever mourn like this if she died?
***
(III)
“Lilianel, come here for a moment.”
“Hm?”
Three days later.
As Lilianel ate breakfast,
Varius cautiously called her outside.
“Why? Is there something you want to say?”
For a brief moment—
She felt hope.
Perhaps, at last—
He had changed.
Perhaps he was finally ready to love her as a wife.
But when she saw who was standing beside him,
All her expectations shattered into dust.
“….”
Beside Varius stood a young boy with ashen-gray hair.
His face downcast, eyes full of sorrow—
Yet, despite his age, he was undeniably handsome.
‘It’s… him.’
A familiar child.
Varius’ firstborn son with that woman.
The boy she had failed to kill.
And now—
Varius had brought him home.
“…This is my son.”
Varius gently patted the boy’s head, his voice cautious as he spoke to Lilianel.
His tone was laden with grief, anger, regret, and countless other emotions.
“His name is Vellius Julius. From today onward, he will live with us. I hope you understand.”
“Wh-what…?”
Hearing his words, Lilianel froze on the spot.
Her mind spiraled into chaos.
“L-L-Live together…?”
Live together—?
He was telling her to live under the same roof as the illegitimate child of his affair—
With a boy whose ashen-gray hair alone made her stomach churn in disgust?
“With your bastard son…? With me…? T-Together…?”
“That’s right. He’s still young, so it will be difficult, but I’d like for you to take on the role of a mother. You… always wanted a child, didn’t you?”
“….”
She wanted to speak, but no words came out.
Was it because she was too stunned?
Or was she too furious?
It felt as if something had clamped down on her throat, rendering her unable to say anything.
A child born from an affair—
And yet, Varius expected her, his wife, to raise him as if he were her own?
How could anyone with common sense even suggest such a thing?
“…I’ll explain everything later. Just try to understand for now.”
“….”
But Varius made no effort to ask for her forgiveness.
He didn’t bother explaining anything further.
A man who not only had an affair but also maintained two separate households—
He was the one at fault, yet his shamelessness was utterly beyond comprehension.
“Julius, I know this will be difficult, but I want you to treat Lilianel as your mother from now on.”
…Varius then turned to the boy, Vellius Julius, and told him to regard Lilianel as his mother.
“….”
Julius said nothing.
He merely lowered his gaze, his lifeless eyes staring at the ground.
Being told to accept a complete stranger as his mother—
Of course, it must have been overwhelming and infuriating for him as well.
But whether it was due to Varius’ commanding presence or simply shock at his audacity,
Neither Julius nor Lilianel could bring themselves to protest.
All they could do was stare at each other in stunned silence.
“…I need to go to the palace. Jacks from Tenma has arrived. You two should take this time to talk.”
“….”
Did he even have a sense of awareness?
Without acknowledging the crushing awkwardness he had created,
Varius simply announced his departure—
And walked out the door.
Now, in this massive house, only Lilianel and Julius remained.
“….”
“….”
Only an unbearable silence filled the space between them.
“Um, I…”
Perhaps uncomfortable with the emptiness,
Julius hesitantly tried to speak to Lilianel.
“Move.”
“…!”
But she twisted her face in disgust and shoved him aside.
Without sparing him a second glance,
She stormed toward the kitchen.
“…Damn it.”
Reaching for the cabinet,
She grabbed a bottle of liquor and began to chug.
The harsh scent of the aged alcohol burned her nose.
“Hah…”
In mere moments, Lilianel had emptied half the bottle.
She had never been a heavy drinker,
But right now, if she didn’t get drunk,
She felt like she might lose her mind.
Her rage was swelling to dangerous levels.
…She collapsed onto the cold floor,
continuing to pour the strong liquor down her throat.
“….”
As she gulped down the alcohol,
She glared at Julius, who still stood awkwardly in the living room.
And then, she had a thought.
‘Should I just kill him…?’
…She could end it right now.
To suddenly be forced into living with the offspring of the person she hated most—
The rage and hatred within her threatened to consume her whole.
She wanted to erase him from existence.
‘If I just strangled him….’
He was still a child.
If she wrapped her hands around his throat and squeezed,
She could easily end his life.
If she crushed that wretched brat,
Maybe—just maybe—
This boiling rage would subside.
“…Damn it.”
But in the end, she lowered her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.
If she killed the boy, Varius would go mad.
Regardless of whether the boy was illegitimate, he was still Varius’ only blood relative.
Even if she disposed of the body and covered her tracks, Varius would stop at nothing to find the truth.
And when he did, she would be the first suspect.
If he enlisted S-rank mages to investigate—
There was no doubt she would be caught.
And then—
She would be executed.
…Varius did not love her enough to forgive her.
“Hah…”
So she kept drinking.
Drinking just to hold herself back.
“…Damn it all.”
The day she slapped Elzerba and claimed victory—
Who could have ever imagined she would end up like this?
Her entire body was suffocating in misery—
But no one cared.
All that awaited her now—
Was an agonizing coexistence with a bastard child.
***
(IV)
“Mother…! Ugh…!!”
“Shut up. I am not your mother.”
Years passed.
Lilianel avoided interacting with Julius as much as possible.
Even when they crossed paths, she pretended he didn’t exist.
And on the rare occasions he dared to call her “Mother”,
She slapped him and lashed out in fury.
Naturally, Julius began to distance himself as well.
The two of them shared the same roof,
But they were nothing to each other.
Even Varius, the only connection between them,
Made no effort to build a harmonious household.
And so—
This sprawling mansion remained a ticking time bomb,
ready to explode at any moment.
‘He must be fifteen by now…’
‘When the hell is Varius going to kick him out?’
She had long been waiting for the day Julius would leave.
She had asked Varius countless times to send him away—
But his response was always the same.
A firm refusal.
So all Lilianel could do—
Was wait.
…But waiting was fine.
She was an elf, after all.
Waiting was something she had mastered.
***
(V)
“…I need to go to Tenma.”
“Tenma?”
“Yes.”
One chilly autumn day,
Varius announced his plans to travel to Tenma.
For a man who had grown old and barely left home,
This sudden trip abroad was unexpected.
Lilianel tilted her head, puzzled.
Varius pulled on his coat and explained—
His voice was cold.
Devoid of love.
“The shamans of Tenma have developed a ritual that can transfer a human soul into another vessel.”
“…Transfer a soul?”
“Yes. If we combine that with our homunculus research, then achieving immortality may no longer be impossible.”
“…I see.”
To them, it was a desperate wish they had dreamed of for hundreds of years.
But for Lillianel, who was already living an eternal life, it was hardly an interesting story.
“…Take care.”
“Yeah. This time, it might take a while.”
With little concern for the reason behind the journey, Lillianel simply saw Varius off at the entrance.
“…Huh?”
“Ugh…!!”
On her way back to her room, she happened to run into Julius, who was heading to the kitchen to get something to eat.
As always, she ignored him and walked past without a second glance.
…She merely kneaded her aching shoulder with one hand.
“My body aches… Why is this happening…?”
Was it because of Julius’s insufferable ashen hair? The shoulder pain, which had been severe for days, seemed to throb even deeper than usual.
“…I should get some sleep.”
Letting out a sigh over her muscle pain, Lillianel finally gave in, yawning widely as she collapsed onto the bed.
“Ha…”
Clicking her tongue at her own pitiful state, she buried her face into the blanket.
…And exactly three days later, she collapsed due to a sudden high fever.
—
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