(EP-256.1) Like the Wind #1

256 – Like The Fleeting Wind #1

Everything about the fairy swordsman Opal Von Bellhawk was charred and scattered to ashes.

Like the fleeting wind. He vanished without a trace.

“……”

As the acrid smell wafted on the breeze, a heavy silence settled in.

Everyone was speechless, overwhelmed by the will shown by the elf just before his death. My own heart began to pound belatedly.

I survived…

The joy of survival and the delayed tension shook my heart and made my vision blur. Soon, Calm Thinking calmed my inner excitement.

“We barely made it.”

I was lucky my magic hit its mark. If it weren’t for the cooperation of Elga, Stella, and Narmi, the spell would never have succeeded.

If Opal had been at full strength, he would never have been hit by such a slow-moving spell.

“Hu.”

Plop-.

I sank to the ground with a deep sigh. Then, it was as if the world that had stopped was now moving again, people began taking deep breaths one after another.

━Is it over?

━I don’t know.

But it was still too early to relax.

“Elga-nim, there are still people inside the mansion. Lady Narmi is in there too!”

“Really? Those Draco twins, both the young and old always give me trouble.”

Elga quickly instructed the soldiers to enter the chaotic Bellhawk mansion. At the same time, she didn’t forget to arrange for the injured and the casualties to be moved.

“I am Elliot, a priest healer of Lioness. Do you have any injuries?”

A healer from the Golden Army applied medicine to the wounds on my face and arms.

The only injuries I had were a few scrapes on my arms and legs, but it was best to treat them quickly to avoid any serious infections.

“Hurry up and get inside! Request reinforcements! Detain anyone who looks suspicious! We need to interrogate them, so don’t forget to capture them alive!”

People moved in perfect coordination under Elga’s orders. Watching them slowly bring order to the chaos, I sat on a bed in a makeshift tent.

Next to me, on another bed, sat Stella, her face and body wrapped in bandages. She was looking at something— the blackened tip of an arrowhead.

I realized it was the tip of the arrow she had shot into her brother, Opal. She was likely lost in thought, reflecting on having to take down her own sibling.

Still, if it weren’t for her arrow, I might have been dead by now. The murderous intent Opal directed at me in the end was truly terrifying, and could’ve legitimately cut my throat.

Fortunately, the tempo broke midway.

“Opal…”

Stella spoke then. Considering the situation, it seemed she had something important to say, so I listened closely to her quiet voice.

“Opal is a precious gem. When polished, it shines brilliantly with countless hues. It’s truly beautiful, with a multitude of colors worth boasting about.”

“…….”

“But if you’re not careful, it quickly deteriorates. It scratches easily and can shatter. That’s all it was.”

I didn’t say anything.

I couldn’t fathom what Stella must be feeling right now.

* * *

It took more than a full day to quell the chaos at the Bellhawk estate. And that was only after more of Lioness’ forces were called in.

The entire operation was carried out under the pretext of ‘detecting and suppressing illegal experiments within the Bellhawk family.’

Not everything went smoothly, though.

━This, this is wrong! By what right are you arresting me, a director of the Bellhawk family? I’ll call my lawyer!

━Alright, now quietly accept the restraints.

Some resisted, but with overwhelming evidence surrounding them….

“Theo, look at this!”

There were charred and burned remains of Bellhawk’s mansion. The next day, as I was patrolling and monitoring the progress, someone called out to me. I turned my head to see what it was.

The first thing I saw was a puff of blue cotton candy.

━Kyuiing.

What is this?

“Lady Narmi, what is that?”

“It’s called a Cloudling! It’s incredibly rare. I found it in the Bellhawk lab!”

The creature perched on Narmi’s head looked fluffy like a ball of fluff. In a way, it was like cotton candy.

“When I gave it water, it calmed down. It must have been thirsty.”

“I see.”

━Ingingyaing.

What a strange creature.

“This guy, can I keep it? After all the hard work, I deserve a little trophy, don’t I?”

Narmi seemed quite taken with the mysterious creature.

Confused in many ways, I simply responded, “It could be used as evidence to prove the Bellhawk family’s crimes, so you might need to turn it in later if necessary.”

“Inginga, you’re living with me now!”

━Kyuiing.

What a mess.

Even putting aside this Cloudling or whatever it was, strange experimental subjects and their traces could be easily found all over the mansion.

━Damn, that crazy nymph. We lost her!

━The lion spiders escaped too. Don’t forget to send warnings to the nearby houses.

It seemed some of them used the chaos to slip away. Monarch City was going to get chaotic, for sure. Should we deploy more troops?

Edited by: faker