Love Letter From The Future-Chapter 383: Bread and Dagger (81)

A blizzard raged on the desolate plain.

It was evidence that the minions of the evil god had descended. The demon realm was a world of eternal winter, so when a passage to that place opened, snow and wind would pour down.

The north was already cold and dry.

The snowfield, thoroughly covered in the eternal snow of the demon realm, was not just white but bizarre. A world where everything was bleached felt so unfamiliar.

And the flesh covering the distant horizon.

The bubbling flesh was endlessly spewing out beams. Perhaps due to the excessive proliferation of snake heads, the power itself had weakened, but it was still enough to take someone’s life.

Perhaps because no one was provoking the flesh monster now.

The beams spewed by the snakes were aimed at the sky. Pillars of light shot up one after another, piercing holes in the gray world.

As if the sky would open up if this continued.

It might be a reflection of their hatred towards the Heavenly God.

With each exhale, white breath scattered. Standing behind me as I silently gazed at the horizon was a shrinking girl.

She was a beauty with striking dark blue hair and light gray eyes.

The flower of the Imperial family, the Fifth Imperial Princess Cien.

She couldn’t even meet my eyes since I returned. A sense of guilt that hadn’t been seen for a while was permeating those light gray pupils.

And even a strange sense of defeat.

I deliberately didn’t ask for the details.

When the time comes, the princess would open her mouth first.

Until then, I intended to respect the princess’ will as much as possible.

“S-Sir Ian... will I be of any help? That monster is so enormous.......”

“Just make sure to contact me on time.”

I firmly pressed a small stone into the princess’s hand.

It was a communication device I had received from Senior Neris. It reacted with the magic script engraved behind my ear, allowing her to convey messages to me even from a distance.

It was as expensive and precious as it was convenient.

But behind me was the Imperial family. At least within the Empire, there wasn’t much that was impossible with DragonbloodScript.

The princess still seemed hesitant, but she nodded painfully and accepted the device.

It wasn’t just the princess standing behind me.

“Ian, the preparations are complete.”

It was a very sullen voice.

When I glanced over, there stood a sulking Saintess. Given that I had effectively broken the promise we made a few days ago, her anger was justified.

I was at a loss for words.

But what could I do?

I still had unfinished business.

It was an opportunity to resolve the long-standing conflict between humans and elves, and to comfort the vengeful spirits buried in hatred.

I surely wasn’t the only qualified person. Nevertheless, I was convinced this path was right.

I smiled bitterly and said,

“Thank you for going along with this unreasonable request, Saintess.”

“Hmph, empty words.”

It was a reproachful remark thrown with pouting lips.

I made an even more awkward expression, but this was a farewell place.

She couldn’t keep pretending to be angry until the end.

Finally, the Saintess held my hand tightly with both of hers, her eyes filled with worry.

“I’ll definitely collect this debt. You know that, right? I don’t do things that result in a loss... So, make sure you come back alive.”

“Rest assured, this debt won’t go unpaid.”

I deliberately put on a brave front and answered like that. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

To be honest, I was a little afraid of how the Saintess would collect the debt.

But since I already owed the Saintess countless debts, I wouldn’t be able to refuse if she asked for help anyway.

It was better to soothe the Saintess’s heart like this.

Then the last in order.

Seria had an anxious look in her eyes.

“Senior Ian... It’ll be okay, right? No, it has to be okay. I’ll definitely protect you, Senior Ian.”

A faint madness flickered in those bright blue pupils. Her fingers clenching and unclenching betrayed her emotions.

She looked like she wanted to grab me and lock me away.

I smiled slightly and was about to say something, but stopped.

Suddenly, the blood-stained letter came to mind.

And even the secret surrounding Seria’s birth.

It felt like the smile would disappear at any moment. Forcing my lips to curl upward, I patted

Seria’s shoulder as she stared at me with shadeless eyes.

At my touch, Seria snapped back to her senses.

A soft gasp of ‘Ah’, escaped her lips.

Only then did I get to the main point.

“The army?”

“Ah, aah! I-It’s ready! Since Unnie personally handed over full authority to me.......”

“I’m counting on you.”

With that, I kicked off the ground and shot forward.

My outstretched body crushed the landscape. The paths that followed a straight line aimed at one target.

The mass of flesh far away.

It didn’t take long for the unrestrained mass of flesh to notice something was amiss.

Accelerate. Accelerate. And accelerate again.

With each step I took, my speed surged. The faster I ran, the more serpent heads locked their gaze onto me from atop the swelling flesh.

It was a hideous sight.

Dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of serpents staring at me.

It was truly the worst.

Instead of a greeting, I threw my hatchet.

Thwack, a silver line was drawn in the gray atmosphere.

Even when the blood splattered, the serpent heads didn’t react. That was how fast the hatchet blade was thrown, and it didn’t lose its fierce momentum.

One, two, three.

No, more than that number of serpent heads burst in succession, spraying blood and flesh. When the power of the hatchet weakened, I added forward force with the principle of movement within stillness.

Blood splattered based on the straight line drawn in the world.

Only then did the monsters scream.

KIEEEEEEEEEEK!

Even though they must have been surprised by the sudden attack, the serpents reacted quickly. It seemed that having many heads improved their reaction speed.

Other than that, it felt like their overall power had deteriorated.

Compared to the serpents made from elves with ‘Blessing’, they were incredibly weak.

No matter what they devoured indiscriminately, there seemed to be a limit to the level of snakes that could be made from those materials.

That was good news for me.

The silver aura surrounding my blade began to burn fiercely. The gathering light was just about to form crystals.

It was a signal that aura blooming was approaching.

Just one small step, if only there was a chance...

Hiding my growing impatience, I twisted my blade.

In sync with that, with a faint vibration, beams drew straight lines.

The serpent skulls emitted explosive light.

However, their first assault didn’t achieve particularly great results.

I had already figured out how to deal with it from our previous encounter.

Secret Technique ‘Shackle’.

The technique of one of the only three Masters in this era was being demonstrated in the far north.

KIEEEEEEEK!

KYAAAAAARK!

Along with the screams, the surrounding serpent heads were erased in an instant.

Some among them tried to counter with beams from their mouths, but most burned up when the beams swept across in a fan shape.

Whoosh, the rising flames devoured the snowstorm.

Yet it was still not enough.

There were far too many snake heads. Even with microscopic timing differences, dozens of beams were fired simultaneously.

It was impossible to deflect them all.

That’s why I had prepared a backup plan.

“........SAINTESS!”

I couldn’t tell if my voice, shouted like a scream, reached her.

But at that perfect moment, the scene I had hoped for entered my view.

Holy power bullets filling the sky.

It was the Holy Nation’s army that had personally come north after the connection between the elves and the Dark Order was revealed.

Originally, they should have been fighting on the front lines. However, after I persuaded the Saintess, today they agreed to support me from the rear.

Even if it was just rear support, the Holy Nation’s army was strong.

Moreover, their opponent was the Evil God’s minion, a flesh monster that could be considered their natural enemy. It could only scream through the snakes’ mouths.

Even if some survived, they were no match for me.

And so, for several hours, I cut, crushed, and killed my way forward.

I pushed my blood-soaked bangs back from my forehead. The sound of panting breath and pounding heart made my head buzz.

At the end of my gaze, I could see the one I had searched so hard for.

A middle-aged man with his lower body melted and fused with the mass of flesh.

He opened his eyes wide the moment he sensed my presence.

“Ah, how hateful... A society of survival of the fittest and scenes of barbarism! A structure that exploits the weak and the privileged! And all of you!”

His eyes, which had lost their pupils, burned golden.

“Ian Percus... I smell thick blood! How much blood have you stained your hands with? The blood of those abandoned by the world!”

It was Leoric.

Only then did I burst into laughter.

I had earnestly wished to face him.

“Long time no see, you son of a bitch.”

It was a blood-covered smile.

***Yurdina Castle was quiet with all retainers and soldiers having departed for battle.

The silent castle appeared like ruins in the blizzard. A structure that created an eerie and lonely atmosphere by its mere existence.

Inside it, in one of the few places that retained warmth, stood a man and woman.

The aged man had his back to the woman. Despite the fierce blizzard beating against the window, he was staring at the invisible scenery outside.

After a long silence, the old man opened his mouth.

“What brings you here?”

Blood-red eyes glanced back briefly.

There stood a woman who also possessed blood-red eyes.

“......My daughter.”

Marquis Yurdina and Delphine Yurdina.

It was a late-night reunion between father and daughter.