Chapter 61: Witch
The rattling of the carriage as the horses galloped over the unpaved path was all Edgar could hear.
His mind was in severe shock after he heard everything that had happened to the Yamhad Clan.
A Nightmare Tide bigger than anything in the past fifty years had destroyed the entire clan in one night.
’How...?’
No matter how he thought about it, the outcome didn’t make sense.
The Yamhad Clan wasn’t weak.
It possessed hundreds of experienced soldiers, powerful Knights, Fortress Walls, and enough supplies to withstand ordinary Nightmare Tides.
Even if things had gone to the extreme, they should still have had the means to save themselves.
"....."
Edgar was once again reminded how cruel and unforgiving the Eternal Night was.
It trapped you in one place, unable to move, as the Nightmares kept attacking until you lost.
Edgar’s heart bled for Hera. He was too shocked to even think.
Old man Oswald sat with him in utter silence as well.
Young Andrew snapped the reins, trying to reach the place as quickly as possible.
After half an hour of restless riding, they finally reached what once belonged to the Yamhad Clan.
Edgar slowly stepped down from the carriage gifted by the clan and looked at the Fortress Wall.
The walls that had once stood tall and mighty had all turned into rubble and dust.
"..."
For a long moment, he simply stood there.
The destruction before him was beyond anything he had imagined.
The outer wall had completely collapsed.
Stone blocks weighing several tons were scattered across the ground as though they had been kicked aside by a giant.
Deep claw marks covered what little remained of the wall.
Many sections were stained black with dried blood.
Edgar slowly walked closer along with Andrew, who couldn’t hide his fear.
The place had dead bodies scattered all around, from soldiers to civilians. All had been halfway eaten.
When Edgar reached the edge of the Fortress Wall, he noticed a long pole standing tall in the middle.
On top of the pole, a head was impaled like a twisted showpiece.
"...Theo." Edgar whispered in a grief-filled voice.
He walked closer and used his invisible hand to snap the pole and lower the man’s head.
Closing his eyes, Edgar asked Oswald to hold onto it, which the old man obliged.
Edgar then walked around the destroyed city that had once stood tall.
He saw the bodies of women, the elderly... and children.
No one was spared from the cruel joke played by the fate.
He only snapped out of his daze when he noticed a group of people standing in a large circle.
’Are they the people who arrived from Soragon Bazaar?’
Edgar wondered and quickly moved toward the group.
But once he noticed who they were circling, his eyes widened.
"...Hera?"
Edgar whispered and pushed aside those blocking his path.
He quickly reached the girl who was kneeling in the middle.
"Hera!"
The white-haired girl slowly raised her head.
Her emerald eyes, once full of confidence, were completely lifeless.
They were swollen from crying.
Dark stains of dried blood covered her face and clothes.
"...Edgar?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
For a moment, she simply stared at him as though unable to believe he was really standing there.
As if all the weakness hit her in an instant, she lost all her strength and fell into his arms.
Edgar quickly caught her and examined her body.The blood on her wasn’t hers.
In fact, she didn’t have a single scratch on her body.
The blonde boy turned his gaze around, only for it to stop at the section of the Fortress Wall belonging to the castle.
Unlike the rest of the ruined city, this stretch of stone looked as though it had been deliberately preserved.
Someone or something had arranged hundreds of human body parts across the wall.
They had all been nailed into the stone with enormous black spikes.
Together, they formed words.
"KEEP THE BRIDE SAFE UNTIL THE KING RETURNS TO RETRIEVE HER."
"..."
Edgar looked at those words as his hand instinctively tightened around the girl.
Those who had arrived before had also read those words and were deathly silent.
No one could believe that someone had survived a Nightmare Tide when everyone else had died.
"She is a witch!!"
Someone from the crowd spoke loudly.
"She is going to get everyone killed!"
The accusation spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"She is a witch!"
"She brought that monster here!"
"Why else would she be the only one left alive?"
Fear quickly turned into anger, making several of them walk forward.
From the crowd of angry people, a man wearing a loose robe walked forward.
He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick beard and short hair.
Around his waist, a long sword hung silently.
"I have heard your accusations!" the tall man spoke clearly.
"And I couldn’t agree more!"
With a broad smile, he unsheathed his sword, whose ring echoed through the ruined city.
"As a member of the Northern Sect," he continued, walking toward them, "I will behead her this instant."
"....."
Edgar held back a sigh and slowly scooped the girl into his arms.
If he were the Edgar before the body reconstruction, it would have been difficult for him, but now she felt as light as a feather.
The tall man looked at Edgar, and his smile dimmed a little.
"Put down the girl so I can cut her down, brat," he said in a tone full of arrogance.
Edgar just looked at him and replied calmly.
"No."
"Fine!" the tall man roared. "Then die with her!"
His left leg stepped back while his hips and waist twisted, swinging the sword with full force.
"Huh?"
But the sword snapped to a halt without even reaching Edgar.
"Arghh!"
The man from the Northern Sect felt something invisible grip his head.
"...W-What?"
His eyes widened in confusion.
He struggled with all his strength, but his head refused to move another inch.
It was as though an enormous hand had wrapped around his skull.
Edgar didn’t bother with the man for long or even bother explaining anything.
He simply put more pressure through his Sage Hand until the man’s head ’popped’ like a bubble.
Thud!
The headless body fell to the ground, making everyone quickly step back.
"My name is Edgar, the owner of the Fortress in the far south."
Edgar announced without looking at anyone in particular.
"If any of you have a problem with her, you can come find me there."
He walked away with Hera, and no one tried to stop him.
As Edgar walked toward his carriage, he understood something about himself.
...The jade had changed something fundamental within him.