Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 569  Why do you keep haunting me? [4]

Crackle~ 
Massive flames raged, silently spreading and consuming more trees, growing larger with each passing second.
A thick cloud of smoke billowed into the air.
"What is going on?" 
"There's a fire!" 
The Mylne family was instantly on high alert at the sight of the flames. 
Emerging from the estate was none other than the Viscount, his gaze fixed on the distant flames, his face marked with a frown. 
"Is that where they've run off?" 
The Viscount was fully armored and equipped. In the wake of the events at the Household, the entire Mylne family force had been mobilized to track down Rose.
Despite the calmness that the Viscount exhibited, he was inwardly extremely worried. 
'Is Kiera alright? I hope she's okay. If anything happens to her then....!' 
The only reason why he was still keeping himself in check was because he had been warned in advance by the Princess, informing him of how she had called the Megrail forces in advance in order to follow Rose. 
The flames in the distance were most likely from the conflict between the two. 
Given their skill level, there was no need for the Viscount to worry. 
And yet... 
He still couldn't help but worry. 
"Viscount?" 
Snapping the Viscount out of his thoughts was a soft voice. Upon turning his head, he saw several figures standing not far from him. They all appeared to be wearing their own equipment. 
"Ah, Princess." 
Standing at the helm was none other than the Princess, who looked towards the distant flames with an even expression. 
She softly smiled at the Viscount. 
"Please do not worry. I've been told that they've already arrived and are currently holding the assailant back. If we hurry now, we should be able to reach them soon." 
"...I'm relieved to hear that." 
Although he said that, the Viscount's face remained tense. 
Seeing this, Aoife bitterly smiled. 
She could see that her words weren't getting to the Viscount. Then again, she really couldn't blame him. 
From what she observed, he really seemed to care for Kiera. 
And yet... the two didn't seem to get along with each other. 
'No, it's more like Kiera doesn't get along with him.' 
Whatever the situation was, Aoife didn't want to pry any further. Right now, there were more pressing matters at hand. 
At the very least, she felt at ease knowing that her family forces had already managed to stop Kiera's crazy aunt. 
Aoife was just about to contact them again when a hand suddenly pressed her shoulder. When she turned her head, she saw a pair of gray eyes staring at her. 
"Leon?" 
Aoife felt her heart sink at the sight of his face. 
It was grave. 
"...We need to hurry up." 
Leon said, his voice extremely low. 
"Wha... wha—" 
"My skin..." 
Leon suddenly pulled his sleeve, displaying his skin. 
It was there that Aoife saw it. 
"....!" 
The hair on his arm. They were all standing... 
"Something about the situation is off." 
*** 
"....." 
The silence around me was eerily unsettling. With so many eyes on me, I struggled to swallow. Nonetheless, I knew that I had to maintain my composure. 
I had no choice but to. 
"I'm sure you can spare her for me, can't you?" 
As I spoke, I turned my gaze toward the woman I assumed to be the squad leader. Her eyes were fixed on mine, and I could feel my skin prickling under her intense stare.
'How unsettling.' 
Something about her felt incredibly uncomfortable. 
It was difficult to explain, but every time I tried to look at her, her silhouette seemed to blur, making it hard to focus. It was as if my eyes instinctively turned away from her.
Was this some sort of skill? 
"You want us to leave her alone?" 
Her tone was cold enough to give me the chills. I nonetheless remained calm and quietly nodded.
"That's what I said."
"Oh, I see."
The squad leader suddenly smiled, nodding as if she understood my request and was willing to go through with it.
…My heart sank then.
The more willing someone appeared, the less likely they truly agreed. At least, that rule always seemed to hold true for this bullshit organization.
That was when time suddenly seemed to slow down for me as the squad leader suddenly raised her hand. 
My entire body tensed, and my mind processed everything, and yet... 
I found myself unable to move at all. 
She was simply too fast. 
Pftt—!
Her hand slashed. 
Blood suddenly sprayed in the air, and an arm flew in the air.
It wasn't mine. 
"….!"
Thump! 
A faint, muffled 'thump' echoed through the air. I didn't need to look back to know what it was, and when I focused my eyes again, I saw the squad leader staring at her finger, now stained with red.
She directed her gaze towards me shortly after.
"…I don't understand what gave you the idea that I'd listen to you."
Her voice was cold, as if what she had just done was nothing more than a trivial act to her.
"I'll make one thing clear to you now. I don't serve Dawn. I serve a different seat. The only thing I'm supposed to do is not kill you. Anything other than that is meaningless to me. Whether you wish for me to do anything that is not something you can do. Know your place."
A sudden wave of suffocation flooded my mind as I struggled to maintain eye contact with her.
Something about the pressure she was giving was extremely intimidating.
'Ah, shit.' 
I nervously swallowed my saliva. 
This... 
Things had turned out to be a lot harder than I had originally anticipated. 
Even so, there were still several things that I managed to observe throughout everything that happened.
'She should be talented in both the [Body] and [Spirit] paths.'
From her previous speeds and attacks when attacking Rose to the weird changes in her eyes. These were the reasons why I hadn't bothered to sneak up on her and ambush her.
Because I knew it'd be meaningless…
This was especially so to someone who specialised in [Spirit] magic.
For those specialized in the [Spirit] field, tracking someone through their mana was unnecessary. They could sense a soul's presence directly.
It was for this reason that [Lament of Lies] was somewhat meaningless. Of course, if I had a certain owl with me, then the situation would be different, but unfortunately, Owl-Mighty was nowhere in sight. 
'I would've most likely been the one to have lost an arm had I tried to sneak up on her.'
Of this, I was sure.
Drip. Drip….!
A faint dripping sound filled the air as I swallowed quietly. I wasn't sure if it came from my own sweat or the blood trickling from Rose's arm.
Perhaps it was a mix of both, further adding to the unsettling atmosphere around. 
Nonetheless, given the current circumstances, it didn't matter to whom it belonged.
Right now, I needed Rose's help in order to get rid of them. This was why I had suddenly stepped up.
Otherwise, I would've most likely not done a thing and just run away.
However, as things stood, in order to get rid of potential future problems, I had to find a way to get rid of them right now.
"You're still standing there? Was my message not clear?"
Pulling me away from my thoughts was the squad leader's cold voice, and I suddenly felt my body freeze.
As though the surroundings had suddenly turned into ice, I found myself unable to move at all.
'What in the…!'
Panic set in as my mind spiraled with a flood of unnecessary thoughts. Desperately, I tried to pull myself out of the situation, but the more I struggled, the deeper I sank into the cold that surrounded me from all sides. 
It tugged at me from all sides, dragging me further into the icy quagmire.
However, amidst my struggle, a part of me remained lucid. It was also that part of me that realized that despite being cold, I wasn't trembling. 
This... 
'No—!'
I quickly snapped out of it. 
Blinking my eyes, I locked eyes with the squad leader. It was then that I noticed her eyes.
They were hollow.
'As expected, it was some sort of mind illusion.' 
I broke out into a cold sweat. 
What a terrifying attack... 
I thought about freeing myself from the sudden attack but then decided against it. As things stood, the only way for me to turn the situation around was through touch.
If I just managed to touch her and use my emotive magic, then…
'Uh?'
Just as my mind churned with all sorts of plans, I noticed a subtle shift in the distance. It was subtle, but I managed to spot it. 
"....!" 
At that moment, a pair of crimson eyes emerged from behind one of the bushes, locking onto me with an unwavering gaze.
My heart almost leaped out of my chest at the sight of them as I recognized the pair of crimson eyes. 
'Kiera…? No, is that Kiera?'
At first, I thought it was her, but as I stared into those eyes, something about them felt off.
They felt…
Dead? 
'What is...? No, wait!" 
My eyes widened in horror when I saw Kiera suddenly move out of the bush she was hiding in. 
Rustle~ 
A rustling sound suddenly echoed in the air, and everyone's attention shifted towards Kiera, who walked out with the same lost look as before. 
'Oh, no.' 
Seeing her like this, a thought suddenly struck me, and my expression crumbled. 
'Was it the diary? What about the diary caused her to suddenly change like this?' 
I almost regretted giving her the diary without looking through it more carefully. I thought it would be a way to keep her distracted while I took care of things, and yet... 
Yet! 
"Oh? Why is everyone showing up all of a sudden? Do you guys just love making my job easier?" 
With a sudden smile, the squad leader extended her hand. 
"No, wait—!" 
I tried to stop her, but it was useless as her figure faded, appearing right before Kiera. 
Just as she arrived, the squad leader looked at me. 
"Let me guess, you want me to spare her as well?" 
"No, I..." 
"Like I said. Know your place.
The squad leader's voice turned cold once more as she raised her hand. 
"—!" 
It was then that it happened. 
Just as the squad leader was about to strike, Kiera's lifeless eyes fixed on me. She extended her hand slightly, and suddenly, my hand was engulfed in darkness. 
The next thing I knew, I felt my hand press against something. 
When I looked up, I saw it. 
My hand. 
It was touching the back of the squad leader. 
It was just that... 
It was only my hand that was there. 
I was still where I was before. 
I had no idea what was happening, and I found myself quietly mumbling, 
'Sadness.'