Crimson Flame (3)
-Irene.
Sometimes, she wondered.
What if…
What if she had been stronger?
Could she have prevented all the tragedies of the past?
-I can no longer stay by your side… and I shouldn't.
-So, this is goodbye.
The silent back of her master as he walked away.
A scene filled with regret.
If only she hadn't let him go alone back then.
If only she had been strong enough to protect him.
-Please, live.
It felt like everything was her fault.
So she pushed herself.
She swung her sword, sweat pouring down, her tattered heart hardening with each swing.
With a determination never to be broken again.
“But…”
She wasn't sure if it was enough.
Just because she tried her best didn't mean a good outcome would always follow.
The girl was still powerless.
Just moving forward.
Even amidst a deep sense of helplessness.
Searching for her own star, just like her master had said.
-Find your own star.
The Fox often wandered through the pitch-black dawn.
***
The sky was painted with a dark light.
Dark clouds that had gathered in an instant swallowed the sun and soon began to drop raindrops one by one.
Was a storm brewing?
The wind felt ominous.
Wheeee-.
Following the rough sea wind, the thin drizzle gradually thickened.
It was truly the worst weather for sailing.
The rain poured down fiercely.
Despite such harsh weather…
A confrontation continued on the rooftop of the ship.
Intense impact sounds echoed.
Thwack! Crack!
Hound's fist struck her abdomen.
As she groaned in excruciating pain, a flying kick followed, piercing her shin.
The Fox staggered for a moment.
“Ugh…!”
A pained breath escaped her lips.
She tried to regain her composure, but her tattered body seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Irene, barely conscious.
A gray robe stood before her.
"See? I told you to just stay put."
Hound sneered.
A smug smile played on his lips.
He even hummed a tune, seemingly quite pleased with the current situation.
Hound lightly rotated his wrist.
"Do you like getting hit or something? Why do you keep giving me reasons to beat you?"
“…”
"Oh? Not answering?"
Whack-!
It was called a confrontation, but in reality, it was closer to a one-sided beating.
The Fox was barely holding onto consciousness.
Her exhausted body couldn't even properly wield her sword.
It was only natural.
Drugged with a sleeping potion, she had not only stayed conscious but had also sprinted, cut down dozens of guards, and finally reached the rooftop.
She had no strength left to resist.
"Stubborn bitch… How can she not go down?"
An ordinary person would have already fainted in her condition.
Irene was holding on solely through willpower.
"At least you're entertaining! Your resilience hasn't changed even after all this time, huh?"
Grab-.
Hound grabbed the girl's hair.
He firmly gripped it and slapped her across the face.
Slap-!
Excruciating pain exploded.
A red handprint appeared on her pale cheek.
Blood dripped from between her lips, as if the inside of her mouth had been cut.
Hound laughed openly.
"You know you can never beat me, right?"
“…”
"You haven't forgotten who captured you and your siblings, have you? This is the second time you've fallen into my hands."
The Fox couldn't refute his taunts.
Because it was all true.
Irene had already been defeated by Hound once before.
When she had secretly escaped the village with her siblings, it was the man in front of her who had relentlessly pursued them.
He eventually knocked her down and threw her into a cage.
"Accept it. What can you do? It's your fate."
It was the same now.
Her exhausted body was no match for him.
"Now… shall we continue?"
Hound raised his hand again.
As he was about to clench his fist, a voice suddenly stopped him.
"That's enough."
A young man in a neat suit.
The one called "Guest," who had been watching the situation from behind until now.
He politely stopped Hound.
"If you damage her any further, her value as merchandise will decrease."
"What? I told you not to interfere."
"I'm simply offering a rational suggestion. If she ends up with any scars, our employer will be displeased."
“…”
"Tsk. Fine, I get it."
Did the mention of the employer do the trick?
Hound clicked his tongue and backed down.
As he released her hair, Irene, who had been barely standing, lost her balance.
The girl collapsed, falling to one knee.
“…”
“Hmm? Is the drug finally kicking in?”
“She held out for quite a while. It's a drug that knocks out even bear beastmen in one go. It's actually surprising she remained conscious for this long.”
“Anyway, it's pretty much over.”
Hound dusted off his hands.
He turned around without hesitation and gave orders to the remaining soldiers.
“Move that brat. If she gets any scratches, you're dead.”
““Yes, sir!””
“Ugh… Can’t trust these idiots. I'll follow you, so hurry up and bring her.”
““Yes, sir!””
Several soldiers approached the Fox.
Her battered and broken form lay sprawled on the ground, her spirit seemingly lost.
“…”
Irene didn't resist.
She was giving up.
This was enough.
She had done her best, so it seemed okay to give up now.
It was a despair too overwhelming to hold onto hope.
–Wouldn’t it be okay to hope for a little miracle?
–You never know! Maybe someone will appear like a prince on a white horse and save us.
Anne's words from a while ago.
Words of encouragement she had spoken when they were trapped in the dark mages' laboratory.
The Fox bit her lip.
Right.
The role of a princess in danger.
Sitting still and waiting for a prince on a white horse wouldn't be a bad experience.
It would feel like her weak self being saved.
‘But…’
Again?
How many times had it been?
If she kept waiting for help every time danger struck, how many princes on white horses would she need in her life?
The girl was skeptical.
‘Maybe…’
This was the right way.
Even with her lifelong enemy in front of her, she couldn't even land a single blow, let alone take revenge.
She was played with like a toy, utterly powerless.
What was the point of such a pathetic struggle?
If she couldn't survive without the help of others, wouldn't that mean her life wasn't a proper one?
The right to wish for a prince on a white horse…
She didn't have it.
She would simply offer her neck to the approaching danger.
“…”
The Fox was submerged in a deep sense of helplessness.
Perhaps because her body was exhausted, her thoughts were particularly bleak.
As her arms were grabbed by the soldiers…
<Irene.>
A familiar voice reached her ears.
Her master's voice.
Had her consciousness been so hazy that she was now hearing hallucinations?
Irene blinked her unfocused eyes.
<Why aren’t you getting back up?>
She couldn’t tell if it was real due to her clouded mind.
The girl answered weakly.
<Do you not intend to fight?>
I’m tired.
My body won’t move anymore.
<You’ve changed.>
<You weren’t one to make such excuses.>
<If there was someone you didn’t like, your way was to get up again and again and hit them, wasn’t it?>
Two years is enough time to change.
A lot has happened.
I don’t even remember how I endured the hellish path I walked after you passed away.
<It seems you want to act spoiled.>
It’s been a while.
Just listen to your disciple’s complaints.
<I wasn’t going to scold you.>
<I was just surprised.>
<I thought you had closed your heart after that day, but it seems you still have the courage to open up to someone.>
It’s just a hallucination anyway.
<You’re free to think whatever you want.>
That’s true.
It’s not really important anymore.
<Tsk tsk… It seems you’ve truly hit a wall.>
<Just what kind of opponent did you face that made a stubborn girl like you give up?>
One of the people who killed you, Master.
I tried my best to fight back, but in my exhausted state, I was no match for him.
<Won’t you regret it?>
<Your younger sisters are eagerly waiting for you to return… Are you really going to leave them behind?>
<Then why are you making such a pained face?>
What am I supposed to do then?
I want to stay with them too, but simply wanting it won’t solve the problem.
<Irene.>
There have been many crises, but I don’t think I can overcome this one.
<Have you forgotten my teachings?>
<Have you already erased the words I told you from your mind?>
<I told you to always remember.>
I remember.
You said you wanted me to never give in.
To become someone who doesn’t bow down.
<It’s fine even if you’re blocked by unreasonable beings.>
<It’s okay even if all of you is denied, and only a pitiful trembling remains.>
<Just don’t bend what you believe is right.>
<That’s what life is.>
<Words I’ve told you until your ears were worn out.>
I tried to live that way.
Because I wanted to be like you.
Even if it wasn’t perfect, I believe it was a life heading in the right direction.
Perhaps even a little foolishly so.
<That’s enough.>
Is it enough?
<A sword embodies the heart.>
<Each and every footstep taken in one’s life gathers, making that person’s sword shine.>
<It’s time to embrace your true self.>
True self…?
<Open your eyes, Irene.>
<Your hands, which have walked a righteous path, will surely be enveloped in a brilliant light.>
<Become a flame that burns pure white.>
<Correct all injustices and bring the wicked to their knees.>
“…”
Irene stood still.
The whispers that filled her ears.
As she pondered the calm voice, her hazy consciousness gradually became clearer.
It was as if a realization she had been missing flashed before her eyes.
-Find your own star.
For the first time, the girl understood the meaning of those words.
Until now, she had thought of the word “star” as “precious people” or “beliefs to protect,” but in reality, it was a much broader concept.
A star represents life itself.
<Open your eyes.>
The lifelong direction one strives for.
Only after establishing that does life truly reside in the sword.
It embraces true light.
Irene Foxis.
The direction that name held.
The life that followed.
The star it signified.
The sword that finally took shape.
<Open your eyes.>
As the pitch-black dawn passed and the long-awaited daybreak arrived, a name was attached to it.
The name of the life residing in the girl's sword.
Crimson Flame.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, sparks flew.
The scorching heat intensified, erasing even the chill of the raging typhoon.
The falling raindrops evaporated before they could even touch her body.
Amidst the omnipotence painted with high temperatures…
“…Blaze.”
The girl opened her eyes.
Meanwhile…
There were narrowed eyes watching all of this unfold.
“Crimson Flame has finally appeared.”
Snake muttered.
The voice that had been impersonating the Fox's master soon regained its original youthful tone.
An ominous smile hung on his lips.
“It’s time for awakening.”
The sinister voice flicked its tongue.
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