Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 389

389: The Black Ribbon

—I had returned to Ordregalia.

The city-state ruled by the ‘lord’ I had first killed was not a large one. But he had undoubtedly been a part of it.

On the way, and in the town of Ordregalia, I had not seen a single living elf.

Not just the knights and soldiers, but all the non-combatants had been ‘hunted.’ No prisoners had been taken. Not even slaves. Even those who had been used for pleasure had been disposed of in a single day. They were truly intent on destroying the elves, on wiping them out.

Ordregalia had fallen.

It was a simple matter, not even requiring the integration of information extracted through torture and confirmed with my own eyes.

And there were no ‘living’ elves. That was the only conclusion I could come to.

“Ah, I see. So that’s how it is.” I smiled.

I picked up a black ribbon that had been caught on a charred tree and was swaying in the wind. Had it been used to tie someone’s hair? Had it been a part of their clothes? Or had it been used to tie a curtain? I didn’t know. It was just a simple, ordinary, black ribbon.

But it had certainly been a part of Ordregalia.

I gently squeezed it in my hand.

“Then ‘I’ will become an avenger. Ordregalia has fallen. And yet, I am Rebecca Stagnet, the third princess of Ordregalia.”

In the empty forest, I muttered, as if to convince myself. I replayed the memories I had seen.

The burned, partially collapsed royal castle. The town, still reeking of blood. Everything had been looted, set on fire, and ravaged. It wasn’t out of mercy, but probably as a measure against disease, but the fact that the corpses had been buried was… a small comfort.

And yet, the country that ‘I’ had loved was gone. Everything that should have been protected, everything that should have been guarded, was lost.

“Ordregalia is no more. The guardian is no more. But ‘I’ swear. I will destroy all who have destroyed Ordregalia…!”

I tied the black ribbon to my tiara. This was a mourning ribbon. And the day of mourning would probably never end.

My pride was gone. My dignity had been taken. ‘That child’ was gone. The elves were extinct. But I was here. No matter how long it took, I would have my revenge.

In the year four hundred and twenty-three of the Listrean calendar.

—Four hundred and nineteen years had passed since then.

Few would probably remember the name of the country of Ordregalia. And even if they did, it would have no more meaning than a piece of history, a memory.

Humanity was extinct.

I, too, had played a part in that.

“What’s wrong, Rebecca? You have a scary look on your face.”

Before me was the figure of the Lord of Disease, a Greater Wraith in a hood.

“…No. I was just remembering something.”

The most painful memory, and the murderous mood, was instantly swallowed by a warm atmosphere and dissipated.

Now, it was a leisurely tea time, a time that did not seem to be in the midst of a great post-war reconstruction. As the three of us, including Liz, sat around the table, I knew that the grim past—had truly become the past.

Though with some hesitation, I opened my mouth.

“…Master, I have a request.”

“Granted!”

My master answered so quickly that I wondered why I had hesitated. Liz’s expression was one of exasperation.

“…Shouldn’t you at least listen to the request first?”

“But it’s a request from Rebecca.”

I was trusted. But I thought Liz was right.

“Will you… untie the ribbon on my tiara?”

“…I see. Are you… sure?”

“I will not forget. I—will not forget what was taken from me, what I thought at that time… what I did.”

I was not a saint. I didn’t know how many I had killed.

“But it’s… enough.”

The revenge I had sworn on that day was… over.

Ordregalia was no more. And those who had destroyed Ordregalia, and their descendants, were no more.

“I’ll untie it.”

“Mmm…”

I could feel my master’s fingers on my tiara, struggling with the tightly tied ribbon.

“…You can use scissors or something, if you want.”

“No. …This is precious to you.”

She said, and she patiently pulled. The ribbon, which had been tied for a long time and had become tight, was carefully untied.

“I got it.”

If she hadn’t said anything, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. It was that kind of a thing. It had no magical effect. It was just a ribbon, tied with a resolve.

What was offered to me—was truly just a ribbon. Though I had been regularly casting a strengthening spell on it, there were limits, and the black ribbon was somewhat yellowed, the fabric was thin, and it was tattered.

I took the offered ribbon and smiled.

I had thought that the mourning would never end. Even now, my chest ached when I thought of those days. But it was surprisingly distant.

“…‘I’ was happy.”

I pressed the hand that held the ribbon to my chest, which had not grown at all since then.

Even now, I mourned my family and my people. My parents, my two sisters… the one who might have been called my brother-in-law. Daisy and Flora. The people who lived in Ordregalia. The people who had loved and tried to protect that small country.

All of it was lost. All of it was taken.

I had even thought that it had been given to me, only to be taken away. Because ‘she,’ who had held the remnants of her precious things to her chest and had wished to protect her country and her people, more strongly than for revenge, had been too kind.

The fact that that kindness had been meaningless was sad. The fact that nothing that ‘we’ had loved existed anymore was sad. The humans who had taken everything were hateful.

I had thought that no matter what I did, that sadness, that hatred, would never disappear. On that day, I had only been able to support my despair-ridden heart by swearing revenge.

If I had my revenge, then that would be enough. And when that day came, I had even thought of breaking the tiara and ending everything.

…Or so I had thought.

But now, I wanted to live.