CH 125

Faint shapes resembling letters appeared on the blade.

As Riett stared at the blade, Kei’s hand swiftly reached out and took the dagger.

“I think we should leave now. The weapon shop in the village closes early.”

“Oh, okay.”

Riett gazed at the dagger carefully wrapped in the white cloth once more.

‘If only I had the money to buy it for myself.’

However, she didn’t have a single penny she could use here. Despite knowing it was useless to regret, she couldn’t easily let go of her attachment to the dagger. 

It might have been since she didn’t know what the faint shape on the blade meant – it could be the name of the spirit stone. But if it appeared as faint as before, she wouldn’t be able to read the letters.

‘If I fulfill certain conditions, maybe the letters will become clearer.’

Perhaps, just like her, Perante might have had similar thoughts if he had seen the shape on the blade. 

Wanting to examine the dagger more closely, Riett reluctantly gave up the idea when Kei hurriedly urged her to continue on their way.

* * *

Kei’s recovery was relatively quick.

While he still seemed unable to walk long distances alone, his speed had significantly increased compared to yesterday when his right foot was in bad shape.

What was more impressive was that despite his recent injury, K walked energetically without even furrowing his brow from pain.

This made Riett increasingly anxious.

The dagger was undoubtedly related to the spirit stone, and they needed to find out what that connection was.

If they continued like this, they would arrive at the capital’s shopping district within an hour. Then, once Kei sold the dagger at the weapon shop, they would part ways with the dagger forever.

Perante seemed strangely easygoing, and Riett couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He seemed to be acting as if he were just a good-natured person, saying this and that to Kei.

“Phew, should we take a break here?” 

Perante said, releasing his arm that had supported Kei. The three of them stopped at a bridge over a swiftly flowing river. The riverside landscape was beautiful, and the breeze was refreshing, making it a good place to rest.

Kei seemed to be in a good mood as well, leaning against the bridge railing and enjoying the gentle wind.

“Here, have some jerky. My grandmother packed it for us to eat on the way.”

Kei said, taking out a few pieces of jerky from his hip and offering them to Riett and Perante.

Riett and Perante thanked him briefly and ate the jerky.

‘It’s perfect timing; I was getting hungry.’

The jerky was tastier than Riett had expected. Maybe it was because of the cool breeze and the excellent scenery.

Riett glanced at Perante.

‘It would have been more perfect if Perante weren’t here.’

It was quite bothersome to be constantly tagging along with an enemy like this. Throughout the journey, she had been wary of Perante, worried that he might steal Kei’s dagger or take it and run away.

Thankfully, nothing like that had happened yet.

Riett stopped staring at Perante, who was quietly eating the jerky. 

‘This isn’t the right time.’

She needed to ask Kei about the letters on the dagger when they had a break.

“Kei, I noticed something when I saw the dagger earlier. There seemed to be letters on the blade.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Kei nodded as he chewed on the jerky.

‘Just as I suspected.’

She proceeded to ask, 

“What did the letters say?”

“Um… I did read them once, but I forgot what they said.”

Kei replied, raising his gaze upwards. Then he tilted his head to the side and continued, 

“I remember that the letters were visible only in the bright moonlight at night. Tonight is a full moon, and there was a bright full moon when I saw them.”

Kei leaned against the railing, and Riett was about to caution him as the strong current of the river seemed threatening. If he fell, he might get swept away instantly.

His hair fluttered in the wind, and he resumed speaking, 

“I don’t remember exactly what it said, but my father mentioned that it might be the name of a spirit. Spirits often forget their names, so they write them on their belongings…”

As Kei was enthusiastically explaining, his words suddenly stopped, and Riett saw Perante pushing Kei’s shoulder roughly. At the same moment, Kei tumbled over the railing.

“Kei!” 

Riett urgently reached out to grab him.

Thud!

Fortunately, Riett managed to catch Kei’s hand before he fell into the water. 

‘Phew… that was close.’

Kei looked up at Riett as he clung to her arm.

“Sister!” 

“Just wait a bit; I’ll pull you up.”

However, Riett’s upper body was already leaning quite far outside the railing, making it difficult for her to pull Kei up properly.

‘Darn it…’

Instead of lifting Kei, she found herself tilting further due to his weight.

At that moment, Perante spoke from beside them, 

“It looks like that posture won’t last long.”

Riett managed to hold onto Kei while turning to glare at Perante. 

“You suddenly pushed Kei aside…!”

“Everything is clear now; there’s no need to delay any longer.”

Perante stated matter-of-factly, without a hint of guilt. Riett acknowledged that it was her fault; she had let her guard down because Perante had been too quiet during their journey.

Perante turned out to be such a person.

“As you might have noticed, the name of the spirit stone is written on the blade of the dagger. On the night of the full moon, the name engraved on the dagger will become clear.”

Perante explained. Riett’s jaw tightened. 

“Even if you find out the spirit stone’s name through such means, the spirit won’t acknowledge it.”

“It’s better than doing nothing and not knowing anything. Besides, the spirit didn’t specify any conditions in the first place..”

Perante gracefully picked up the dagger resting beneath the railing. 

“I will obtain the Spirit Stone and use it to help people like Kei, who live in poverty and struggle.” 

Perante declared. The hand holding Kei trembled, and beads of sweat formed on Riett’s forehead. 

“Helping others, huh? You push that young kid into the river without hesitation just to claim the dagger for yourself, and you call it helping?” 

Riett criticized. Perante fell silent for a moment, then turned his head sideways. 

“Sacrifices for the greater cause are inevitable.” 

“Don’t make me laugh. You, who casually sacrifice others, won’t be able to help a single person.” 

Riett’s accusation hit Perante, causing his expression to crack. 

“What do you know? You grew up in a mansion, ignorant of poverty and the desperation to survive!” 

Perante tried to suppress his rising anger as he continued.

“I’ve known all my life that my mother died in an accident. She died while serving as a toy for a noble brat.”

Perante’s fist clenched, and his knuckles turned white. 

“She was mocked and pushed to her death, and that noble just laughed and bragged to others. She died without being able to scream in her last moments, as she was mute.” 

Riett’s face twisted with sympathy. 

“I see…” 

“After I became a spirit mage, I saw more reason to despise the world. There were countless wretches like those nobles. That’s why I made up my mind. I will destroy the despicable Truto Empire and create a new country.” 

But Riett couldn’t understand Perante. The person before her, who was set on obtaining the Spirit Stone, was no different from the despicable Bordandy Lord who took and destroyed everything. 

“When the dagger is illuminated by moonlight, only then will I learn the Spirit Stone’s name.”

Perante said, coldly holding the dagger close. 

“At that moment, my long-awaited wish will be fulfilled.” 

* * * 

In the end, Riett couldn’t stop Perante from taking the dagger and disappearing. She managed to hold on to Kei and prevent him from being carried away by the current, but it seemed difficult to last much longer. 

“Sister, at this rate, you’ll fall too.”

“It’s okay. If we hold on a little longer, when someone passes by, we can ask for help.”

Riett tried to reassure, but Kei looked at her with a bitter expression, as if he knew it wouldn’t happen. 

“Let go of my hand.” 

“No, you can’t swim…!” 

The rushing river beneath them was threatening, and in such a place, even an average swimmer might struggle to get out.

But Kei seemed to have made up his mind and wriggled his hand free from Riett’s grip as if to withdraw it. 

“Stop! I’ll find a way to save you somehow…” 

Riett desperately yelled, but Kei didn’t stop, and his hand gradually slipped from Riett’s grasp. Eventually, Kei said, 

“Sister… thank you.” 

With his hand completely out of Riett’s, he fell below with a splash. 

“Kei!”

Although Kei’s head resurfaced shortly, he was swiftly swept away by the current. Seeing his figure, Riett’s body reacted instinctively. With a loud “Ha!”, she dove into the river after Kei. 

Plunged into the cold water, Riett quickly regained her composure and started kicking her feet. She soon raised her head above the water and took a deep breath. Panting heavily, she scanned her surroundings, searching for Kei. 

‘Where is Kei?’

She quickly spotted Kei’s hand emerging from the water. 

Thankfully, she found him, but he was still struggling in the water due to his inability to swim properly. Riett swam vigorously, desperately trying to catch up with Kei, who was being carried away at a fast pace. 

She finally caught up and grabbed Kei’s clothes. 

‘That’s it.’

However, the problem arose from this point on. Kei seemed unconscious, and as their combined weight increased, they were swept away faster. Riett struggled to see through the blurry water and found a vine-like object below. The vine seemed to be connected to solid ground. 

‘There it is!’

Riett circled one arm around Kei’s limp body and used the other hand to push against the current, moving towards the vine. 

‘That’s it!’

Finally, she managed to grab hold of it. With one arm left, she strained to pull them towards the solid ground. Eventually, she succeeded. 

Riett heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled herself and Kei out of the water and onto dry land. 

“Hufgh, hufgh.” 

Once on the land, Riett immediately coughed up the water she had accidentally swallowed. 

‘Whew… I thought I was going to die.’

She regained her composure and quickly checked on Kei. His skin was as pale as a blank sheet of paper, and his lips were bluish, looking almost lifeless. Even the way he closed his eyes seemed eerily serene, making her worry intensify. 

“Kei.” 

Riett shook Kei’s shoulder, but there was no response. Her red irises trembled with shock. 

“No, you can’t die like this! Because of those wicked adults…!” 

Crying out, Riett began to pound on Kei’s chest. 

As she wailed, a small voice was heard. 

“Ah… It hurts, Sister.”