Chapter 37
Ceres let out a short sigh as she gently comforted the sobbing Yulia.
“How could Uncle… How could Uncle do that to Dave…”
“Because he’s a madman.”
Yes, a madman indeed.
Suspecting his wife of infidelity and going as far as committing murder—if that’s not madness, what is?
He constantly interrogated his wife, doubting that Dave was his biological child.
In public, he pretended to be the most loving husband and father, but behind closed doors, it was a different story.
‘How could he claim Dave wasn’t his son?’
Even when dragged to the guards, Nox wept and insisted that his actions were impulsive, driven by his anger over his wife’s supposed affair. It was laughable.
Anyone who looked at Dave could see he was the spitting image of his father.
How could someone look at such a resemblance and convince themselves otherwise?
‘Did his suspicion blind him entirely?’
“I miss Dave…”
“…Let’s go together later, okay? We’ll bring his favorite snacks and flowers.”
Ceres gently patted Yulia’s back.
Nox had confessed in detail how he dealt with the bodies of his wife and son.
Bit by bit, over several days, he moved them to a nearby mountain and eventually buried them there.
“I’ll take you to see him.”
Nox, now in custody after confessing his crimes, would soon face trial.
‘A death sentence is a given.’
Let’s not dwell on it—it’s infuriating.
Ceres chose not to say anything further as Yulia continued to cry.
Telling a grieving child to stop crying would be heartless, wouldn’t it?
Frankly, comforting others wasn’t her forte.
But staying by the child’s side until she stopped crying—she could do that much.
***
Kiiiiiiiiiiii!
“…?”
Suddenly, a chilling wail echoed through the shop.
Even Yulia, who had been sobbing, widened her eyes in surprise.
“…Why is that thing crying now?”
How could anyone not recognize the sound?
It was the bizarre alarm crafted by the Tower Master, Chaian, screeching loudly in the corner.
As soon as they realized what was causing the noise, everyone’s expressions turned grim.
Kiiiiiiiiiiii!
The horrifying sound continued to blare without pause.
That alarm ringing could only mean one thing…
Bang!
The mercenaries in the shop immediately sprang to their feet, grabbing their weapons.
Their sharp gazes replaced the earlier unease they’d shown around Ceres.
“So, the Black Forest finally appears in the heart of the capital, huh?”
“Damn it, it’s my day off…”
“You’ve always been unlucky.”
“Shut up. Look who’s talking!”
Despite exchanging lighthearted banter, their grips on their weapons tightened. Without another word, they rushed out of the shop.
“Sister…”
Yulia, covering her ears with her hands, called out to Ceres in a terrified voice.
Ceres gently patted her head before shouting toward Jay.
“Write everything down in the ledger!”
“Huh? What?”
“Write down all the names of those who just ran out without paying!”
“Oh…”
Like I’m going to let those people sneak off without paying.
Ceres recalled the faces of those who had just left the shop as she untied her apron.
“Colin.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The view outside the window was rapidly darkening, a sign that the area was being overtaken by the Black Forest.
The black trees shooting skyward, blocking the sunlight, were enough to strike fear into anyone.
“Take care of Yulia. Make sure everyone stays here and doesn’t wander off.”
“And you, Miss? You’re not planning to go outside, are you?”
“You mustn’t!”
Jay and Mark quickly tried to stop her.
While the shop wasn’t entirely safe, stepping outside now was suicide.
None of them had ever personally encountered the Black Forest, but they’d heard plenty of stories.
The outside would soon be crawling with monsters.
The best option was to stay hidden indoors and wait for help to arrive.
“Well, going out like this would be a bit much.”
“Of course!”
“Miss, it’s dangerous. Please stay here…”
Crash!
Jay and Mark fell silent mid-sentence, their jaws dropping.
Ceres had just kicked over an intact chair, breaking it to pieces.
“Hmm.”
This should be enough.
Picking up a broken chair leg, Ceres looked satisfied.
“L-Lady Ceres? What are you doing…?”
“I figured I should have something that could work as a weapon.”
“Huh?”
A stick? Not a sword, but a mere stick? What good would that do?
Everyone stared at Ceres in disbelief, but her gaze remained fixed on the increasingly darkened window.
The monsters would start appearing soon. There was no time to waste.
She turned to head outside but suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Ceres turned back when she saw Yulia clutching her ears tightly, looking at her with anxious eyes.
Why was she heading into the kitchen all of a sudden?
Under the puzzled gazes of the others, Ceres quickly returned from the kitchen.
“Here, take this.”
“What is it?”
“A defense stone.”
“A defense stone?”
Colin held a small black stone in his hand.
“When it gets dangerous, throw it to break it. A shield will form, and you’ll be safe for a while.”
It would last for about three hours at most, but it was better than nothing.
This was something that Arthia, the former Tower Master, had made for her a long time ago.
‘I should have kept more of these back then.’
At the time, she had deemed it unnecessary, but Arthia had insisted she keep at least one for emergencies. She had carelessly tossed it into her dimensional storage.
Fortunately, she remembered it earlier and discreetly took it out.
However, it was a shame that she only had one.
“Stay put.”
Three hours should be enough.
Ceres gently patted Yulia’s head one last time.
“Are you really going out? Why? You’ll be safe here!”
Even with the defense stone, why go outside?
Jay was practically dancing in place, desperate to stop her.
“I need to collect my debts.”
“What?”
“If they die, I can’t get paid.”
And she couldn’t let that happen, could she?
With that, Ceres walked out of the shop into the darkened streets.
“Ah…”
Like she was heading out for a casual stroll, she casually disappeared into the deepening shadows, leaving everyone speechless.
***
“What?”
“What did you just say?”
“There’s been a Black Forest appearance near Delasi 1st Avenue.”
“What the…!”
Bang!
Chaian, the Tower Master, who had been lounging around in his office complaining about work, shot up from his chair at Luka’s report.
Next to him, Aserian, the Crown Prince, also froze, his expression instantly hardening.
“A Black Forest… in the capital?”
Delasi 1st Avenue was in the heart of the capital.
There had been frequent Black Forest appearances near the capital’s outskirts lately.
Though they had been keeping an eye on it, they hadn’t expected it to occur so suddenly.
“In the heart of the capital…”
Chaian muttered absentmindedly before quickly casting a spell.
“Chaian! Wait…!”
Before Aserian could stop him, Chaian vanished.
“What’s with him?”
The usually indifferent Chaian, who never cared much about Black Forest occurrences, had suddenly reacted this strongly?
“It’s probably because of his favorite restaurant.”
“Favorite restaurant? Oh, you mean that stew shop?”
“So, you knew.”
Of course, Aserian, ever the overprotective sibling, already knew all about Chaian’s recent activities, even without a detailed report.
“What’s so special about that place for him to act like this?”
“Who knows? Every time I show the slightest interest, he snaps at me and warns me to stay away.”
“What, does he think he’s a cat?”
Something about it didn’t sit right with him. Was there more to that shop than he knew?
“Shouldn’t you hurry?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Aserian pushed aside his growing curiosity. There were more pressing matters at hand.
The first Black Forest occurrence in the capital!
He had to mobilize troops immediately to minimize damage. Unlike the frontier regions, a Black Forest in the capital’s center was a dire situation.
Even a brief delay could result in countless casualties, and the thought alone was enough to give him a headache.
“I’ve prepared the teleportation magic circle.”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to Luka’s swift preparations, Aserian was able to move quickly.
With a pat on Luka’s shoulder, Aserian followed the waiting mage and left without delay.
“Hmm.”
Left alone in the office, Luka gazed thoughtfully at the spot where Chaian had vanished.
—
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