novelraw Chapter 78 : Love and Obsession (2)
Chapter 78 : Love and Obsession (2)
Chapter 78: Love and Obsession (2)
Morgana stroked Nike’s sleeping hair. It was a touch full of affection.
‘You require so much tending, Nike.’
He was such a luscious fruit. Witches and humans had similar eyes for beauty, everyone desired Nike.
Even people meeting him for the first time fell into Nike’s magic and could not climb back out. It was not a simple charm. It was, literally, a demonic allure.
Regardless of one’s own will, one fell for Nike.
The demonic magic of the Heart of Sin could not be refused even by witches.
Even the archbishop of the Hall of the City God had at last fallen and refrained from breaking the witches’ taboo. It was an abnormal distortion.
Normally, there was no way one failed to control reason to that extent.
‘…Nike.’
That was how special Nike was.
Knowing that keeping him close was dangerous, Morgana kept as much distance as she could.
The more time she spent with him, the more she knew she could not control herself.
When she saw his face, rational desire and primal want surged up together. Overwhelmed by rising lust, Morgana snapped her head aside.
‘This is difficult.’
This was how a human man fell for a witch at first sight and felt ready to hand over his very heart and guts. It could not be controlled. Without noticing, one’s heart would be stolen.
In this unexpected turn of putting herself in another’s shoes, Morgana struggled. Controlling instinct was truly difficult.
Even the mighty great witch Dionea had lost her reason and ruined matters, so there was nothing more to say.
Torment flickered in Morgana’s pupils. Her mouth went dry and she flicked her tongue.
If she stayed any longer, it would be dangerous. She was on the verge of being seized by the urge to devour defenseless Nike.
She squeezed her eyes shut and brought a hand to Nike’s brow.
“…Nike. When the time comes, you will learn the truth as well. You will know how sincere I have been for you.”
Steadying her breath, Morgana even wiped away tears. They were true tears without pretense. She felt genuine guilt toward Nike.
“But this is all a part of a grand design. It is only the process of building your Eden and mine.”
Retracting her primal greed, Morgana roused Nike, whose consciousness had been consumed by the rite.
“Please… forgive me.”
* * *
‘Urk.’
Nike blinked. His whole body had no strength at all.
‘What is this feeling!’
His consciousness was strange as well. His body felt weightless and hazy. It was like someone who had been drugged and had just woken up.
“Ugh…”
Beside him, Hestia seemed to feel the same, holding her head as she sat up. Hestia was in worse shape.
Unlike Nike, whose will was strong, Hestia was an ordinary human, so the aftereffects hit her harder.
Her mind had not collapsed only because Nike had taken most of the psychic damage in her place.
“Tia. Your mouth, drool.”
“Ah, uh… thanks.”
Blushing, Hestia wiped her mouth. She smirked when she saw the drool running down from under Nike’s chin. She wanted to tell him to look at his own face first.
After lying still for a moment to gather himself, Nike stood up. He looked around, blinking.
The place where they were was none other than the holy ground, Eden, and right beneath the Obelisk of the Sun at that.
They had been lying all this time in a place absolutely inaccessible to ordinary people.
The truly serious problem was not that.
“Ah?”
Looking closely, there was a corpse at their feet. Even without getting close, they could tell who it was.
“The archbishop?!”
“…Huh?”
“Tia! The archbishop is dead.”
“…What did you say?”
Groaning, Hestia got up. Her body did not follow her will. Dragging her rear down the steps, she found the archbishop truly dead.
There was a hole in the chest, the throat was cut, and vivid blood stains marked the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Hestia’s eyes trembled greatly.
‘…Damn it. I focused on Nike and did not pay heed to the archbishop.’
At the descent of the angel, Elena had been fine. She had expected that Elena would be bedridden from possession’s aftereffects, not that she would be murdered so miserably.
“...No matter how you look at it, it is murder.”
Hestia muttered. Nike examined Elena’s body here and there. There were no other traces.
Even Nike realized the gravity and turned pale.
“I-It was not me!”
“…Of course not. We were fighting a witch.”
He had been devoured by Greed, and within that he had seen the ruins of the Gestine Kingdom before he woke. In the meantime, Elena had obviously been attacked.
Nike looked down.
“Hah?”
Blood marks ran up the steps leading to the obelisk. Someone had dragged Elena and left her here. The same had been done to Nike and Hestia.
“There! There is someone there!”
“Damn it! When did they get in? We were guarding the whole time!”
“T-There… there is a dead person there!?”
“You filthy murderers! Come down at once!”
“It is blasphemy! Seize them!”
“Arrest them!”
To make matters worse, the holy knights and priests guarding the holy ground rushed in. They would surely mistake Nike and Hestia for the killers.
“Tia! Let’s run!”
“…How.”
They had no strength to flee. Worse, inside the holy ground, Nike could not use his magic. The two were like rats trapped in a jar.
The holy knights leveled swords and maces, encircling them. The priests chanted prayers and raised a barrier.
“Who are you!”
“Grrr…”
When Nike bared his teeth, Hestia stopped him. Raising both hands, Hestia spoke calmly.
“…We are witch hunters of the Order of the Silver Blades.”
“What? Hm, the outfits match… then who is that?”
A holy knight pointed at the dead person. They had not yet identified who she was.
No one would imagine that the archbishop lay here murdered so horribly.
But the truth would come out in time. A high priest turned pale and screamed.
“T-The archbishop!”
“…?”
“What did you just say?”
“L-Lady Elena… Her Excellency the Archbishop.”
“What?”
Pointing at Nike and Hestia, the high priest shouted.
“Those two demons murdered the archbishop!!!”
“No! We are innocent!”
“…It is a misunderstanding. We will explain!”
“Tie them up at once! Seal every gate of the holy ground! This is an emergency! Inform the Hall of the City God immediately!”
Steel flashed.
The holy knights’ swords and maces pressed to Nike and Hestia’s necks. They could not resist. The situation plainly invited people to mistake them.
“Ugh! Let go! Let go! I will kill you!”
“I will personally smash you with my mace.”
A holy knight kicked Nike and shoved him. Without knowing what was happening, Nike and Hestia were dragged away as the archbishop’s slayers.
“O God.”
“How can such a thing be… their heads must roll at once!”
“Kill them! Kill them! Unforgivable!”
Thud, thud.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“…”
The two were arrested and pulled away.
The holy knights, priests, and every pilgrim visiting the holy ground were enraged. If the knights had not stopped them, stones would have killed the pair.
To quell the fury of the wrathful faithful, Nike’s head was needed. Finding the truth and a holy trial were urgent.
“We are innocent! This is a plot!”
“Silence, demon! Do you not fear the Sun God’s wrath!”
“Aaaah! Call the boss! Morgana! Call Morgana too!”
Struggling, Nike was dragged along. Hestia only hung her head, not knowing what was what. She could not tell where it had gone wrong.
Sighing and being dragged for some time, they arrived at a cold basement.
It was the vast underground prison Elena had spoken of.
Ordinarily only witches of the fourth rank or higher were imprisoned there, but the gravity of the two’s supposed crimes put them there temporarily.
Bang, bang!
“What are you doing! Tia! Tia!”
“…Nike. Calm down. The Captain will get us out, so wait. Alright? Do not make trouble.”
Nike and Hestia were confined to different cells. They could neither see each other nor hear each other’s voices.
Before being separated, Hestia cautioned Nike. If he caused more trouble here, they would not be able to undo it.
“…Promise me.”
“…Alright.”
“…Do not make trouble. Absolutely.”
Gripping the bars, Nike could only watch Hestia’s figure recede. Even if he strained to pry them open, it was useless.
Without magic, he could not augment his strength. No matter how strong the body, in the prison beneath the holy ground it was useless.
This place was where the worst witches were locked away.
“Argh! This is infuriating!”
Nike slammed the wall and shouted. The cold underground rang with echoes.
— Ufufufufu. My, my. What is this? What is this risqué scent?
— A male has come in.
— Is it a boy? I am curious. Hey! Hey! Can you hear my voice?
— Little one. Come slip between my thighs. I will treat you well.
Seductive voices rang from every direction. It was not one or two. There were at least dozens.
“Be quiet!”
At Nike’s roar, low laughter followed. Insults about an impudent brat came after.
While Nike fumed, a face peeped out from the bars on the opposite side.
Even in this dark basement, the woman’s pale skin seemed to glow.
A woman with deep dark circles and a slender neck, decadent in air, made a sound.
“Uuuuu…”
“…Hah?”
“Aaaaah…”
Krrrk.
Krrrk.
She bent her head ninety degrees and bit the bars with her teeth. The grinding sound made his skin crawl.
Then she lasciviously licked the iron bars with her tongue.
Nike stared at her with disgust. He had never seen a woman gloomier than Morgana. Just looking at her gave him chills.
Thud!
Suddenly, the woman thrust out her hand as if in a fit.
“Just once…”
“Ah?”
“Hold my hand just once… aaahhhh.”
Nike bonked his head against the bars.
He had never been anywhere so deranged.
Overwhelmed by the crushing tide of lust, Nike felt fear like never before.
“Tia… Vice boss…”
* * *
A huge man held a fishing rod and muttered.
“The fish are not biting… tch. Do you have to stomp like that.”
“Do fish hear my footsteps?”
“Of course. A beast’s senses exceed human imagination. Arrogant of you.”
Vigo sat beside the giant without a sound. The big man kept grumbling as he lifted and lowered the rod, over and over.
“Salieri. If you are going to fish so idly, retire quietly. Why ruin the Order.”
“If you want to pick a fight, get going.”
The huge man, Salieri, had a full white beard and hair, but he was still robust. Even most young men could not straighten their shoulders before him.
One needed at least that much presence to be Captain of the Order of the Scales.
“Did you know your subordinate became a dog of the Golden Dawn Society?”
Salieri chuckled.
“I heard. Are you here to blame me? Does the master take the blame for a dog that chews through its leash and runs?”
“Do they not?”
“It is the fault of the foolish mutt that ran from home. If it had stayed put, it would have had food and a place to sleep. It gets sick because it eats any slop on the street.”
“Specious.”
“I have not heard frank talk lately.”
“…”
Vigo squeezed his eyes shut. He always detested talking to this crazy old man. Weariness already showed on his face.
“Enough word games. I came a long way. Is this how you receive a guest?”
“Do we really care about such a thing between us two?”
“Then what? Shall I go to headquarters of the Scales of Justitia, whose heart no one knows, and ask for a cup of tea?”
“Sigh…”
Salieri sighed. His broad shoulders rose and fell.
“Damn. My mood is ruined. You are a noisy guest.”
“If you are old, retire quietly. If you love fishing so much, then retire.”
“Retire, retire, retire. I am still on active duty!”
Salieri glared at Vigo, truly angered. Vigo’s appearance was more gaunt and frail than when he had last seen him. The scars had multiplied.
“Good grief. Making a man feel awkward. You truly spoke out of turn in front of someone still on duty.”
“If you understand, get up. There is urgent business to discuss.”
“What sort?”
“I need to assess the mental state of a certain old man.”
“Ha! You little punk. Doubting a senior so far above you?”
With a cigarette in his mouth, Vigo nodded.
“Who was it that advised me to doubt even the blade in my own sleeve?”
“Useless memory, too good for your own good.”
Salieri reeled in the rod. The line that came up did not even have a hook.
Vigo clicked his tongue.
“A senile fool… you should just retire.”
“When you are old, even passing the time is a trial. You are still young, you would not know.”
“…I am old now too.”
Salieri patted Vigo’s back. Vigo staggered feebly.
“Come on. Let us see what kind of damned story you brought this time!”