My Unrestrained Lives-Chapter 55: Monster (3)

And in that moment, as he stared at her sunken face, Ellis couldn’t help but imagine the kind of life she must have endured these past five years.

It had only been five years. And yet... she looked like someone who had aged more than just that.

He said nothing. But his gaze finally shifted back to the mage.

’Even now, you don’t intend to surrender?’ That was the thought that passed through his mind, as he felt her concealed movement. But he didn’t voice it.

There was no point. He hadn’t planned on sparing her anyway.

Whether she resisted or not changed nothing. So, even as she subtly began to prepare her spell, Ellis remained unmoved.

... That’s until Silas entered the room. Approached swiftly, her eyes scanning the scene, then moved to the bedside without a word.

There was nothing that needed to be said more. Her presence alone was enough.

And so, the moment she arrived at his mother’s side, Ellis moved.

He didn’t give the mage a second longer. He dashed forward.

His fist led the charge, a mana bullet already forming behind it.

"You fucking brat!" the mage cursed, immediately summoning a defensive spell while launching one of her own in retaliation.

But her attack was weak. And with Ellis’s precise control over the mana bullet, he easily neutralized it mid-air with his first strike.

He didn’t stop. Prioritizing speed, he continued launching bullets, relentless, forcing her shield to crack under pressure.

One mana bullet after another, until the barrier finally shattered.

"Wait—! I surrender!" the woman cried out, her voice frantic now that her protection was gone.

But there was no such convenience.

He didn’t hesitate. He fired another mana bullet, with the aim of her head.

And just like that, the fight was over.

With her magic shield broken, her resistance was even lower than the previous guards, after all.

Ellis didn’t pause after that. He didn’t move toward his mother, to have that kind of touching reunion

There would be time for that later.

Right now, there were still things left to do.

So, he turned around and walked out of the room.

There were still people left in the palace. And he had no intention of letting them escape.

He moved swiftly, his mana bullets hovering around him.

He ran through the corridors, his footsteps echoing, and along the way, he struck down every servant he encountered.

"Please—no, I have a family!"

"I was only following orders!"

"Spare me, Your Highness!"

The pleas filled the hallways, trembling voices wrapped in fear and desperation. But Ellis didn’t give them any mind.

He ended them all, painlessly, efficiently. If he let them live, would they keep quiet?

That was impossible.

So instead, he trusted in their corpses.

It took him time, as unlike the guards who had conveniently gathered to face him earlier, the servants were scattered... some still running through the palace halls, others already attempting to flee outside.

But if everything had a start, then it also had an end.

And so, by the time he finished, no one remained alive in the palace.

No one but his mother.

And Silas.

The air hung thick with the scent of death.

The place reeked of blood.

But Ellis didn’t mind, and just returned to Silas’s side.

As he entered the room, he saw her there, standing with her sword drawn before his mother’s bed, in a ready stance, vigilant even now.

And so he felt his heavy mood lighten ever so slightly, as he said, "Thanks for your work."

"...No, I apologize for not being more help," Silas replied quietly, her voice laced with self-reproach.

Ellis said nothing more.

He moved to the bed and stared at his mother.

Only now did he realize how terrible she truly looked. She was just skin and bone, her cheeks sunken, her collarbone sharp and protruding through her thin, pale skin.

Even her once-beautiful hair had lost all its shine, now dry, and dull.

She looked more like a shadow of a person than someone still alive.

Her appearance was heartbreaking. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But... did he even have the right to feel that way?

He didn’t know.

After checking her condition and making sure she was actually stable, he turned to Silas and said, "For now, come and help me gather the corpses."

They left Thalia alone for the time being.

Together, Ellis and Silas began piling the bodies at the palace entrance.

When the grim task was done, Ellis didn’t stop.

He started a fire.

He watched as the flames began to climb the stone walls, devouring carpets, wood and corpses alike.

The palace, and everything that might remain within it, would burn.

Hopefully, every trace of what happened tonight, would be reduced to ash.

With that thought, Ellis was now back in his mother’s room. He walked over and gently supported her head with his arm.

He had intended to carry her.

But as he tried to lift her frail body, he realized something simple and undeniable. His own body was still that of a child.

So he looked to Silas and said, "You carry her... gently."

Silas nodded. And with practiced hands, she moved Thalia to her arms.

She had, after all, carried him like this many times when he was small.

Even if the size was different, she was used to this.

And so, like that, they began their departure.

They walked through the royal grounds, without exchanging a word.

The wind carried the faint scent of smoke, and the sky above was eerily quiet.

The soft crunch of gravel beneath their feet was the only sound that remained.

As they moved and were far away from Nore Palace, Ellis suddenly felt it, the presence of knights that entered his detection range, probably patrolling the grounds.

But instead of avoiding them, instead of going around them, he made a choice.

He would hide. But Silas and his mother wouldn’t.

He turned to Silas and explained the situation briefly. Then, after a short pause, he said quietly, "Just improvise according to how you see the situation fit."