24 INDIFFERENCE
24 INDIFFERENCE
“You wouldn't want to believe me… I understand, you protect this place but it doesn't mean I'm gonna let you kill anyone who was just connected to me.” Vincent suddenly felt a pang of disbelief in his eyes. Not because he witnessed the powerful aura of the wind spirit that Eve's summoned, but because she is protecting him. Which is rather unexpected with her characters towards him.
“This place is going to be crowded later on. I don't want to expose myself, nor do you want this issue to be publicized.” Eve walked toward Lourdes who was now looking at her with curiosity.
“The Wind Spirit only showed itself to the descendants of the Royal Knight Family… Who are you?” Lourdes noticed the Royal Knight Emblem in Eve's sword. But then the woman who holds the spirit sword is only in late teens. There are no possibilities by it, she's a descendant of the Wind Spirit but wasn't regarded as a Royal Knight.
“You should have asked that first before you resort to taking the oxygen around us.” Eve is definitely annoyed, Vincent could see it. Instead of apologizing for what she did, she just asked a question.
“And for what? To fool me?... This might be the first time I witnessed a mutated undead but it doesn't mean that you are different to those beings. This school has been sick with guys like you from the other world… you even brought here the sickness of your world. For what? To let the mortal world suffer the same.”
“That wasn't our purpose for coming here!”
“Then what?! How are you going to explain to those dead students who got infected with your fucking disease!”
The annoyance in Eve's face disappeared and guilt was plastered on her face. “I'm not forcing you to believe me, but I'm not the one who caused this, nor brought this infected disease to your world. I might be a walking contagious disease person but it will only happen once I bite anyone.”
Lourdes laughed in disbelief, “How are you sure that you won't bite anyone? You might be smarter than those other undeads, but hunger will strike itself and you can't stop that from happening.” Lourdes said in provocation.
Vincent stepped forward and said with a firm tone. “ I can prove her…”
“You?” Lourdes gave him an unserious look as she observed him. “I remember you—you’re one of those stubborn boys from the high class. How could a mere mortal like you possibly prove her? Aren’t you just being mind-controlled right now?”
Vincent realized what she meant. She’s talking about that person, the mortal Vincent.
“Mind controlled? I am definitely not and seriously not. And you're mistaken, I am not a mortal human, I am also an Augustia.” Her forehead creased. Lourdes definitely knows every student she lets in her school. And she's sure that every student she lets are all mortal, no mix and pure are able to escape in her eyes.
“Augustia?” But it is not the one that piqued her interest. The presence of the person who holds the power of the Wind Spirit and also a mutated undead is the one who is most interesting. That contradiction, that danger, was far more intriguing to her. A shiver of fascination ran beneath her skin.
“You might be safe with her for now, but how about later? Hunger always strikes, if always being suppressed, the mind itself will be eaten, slowly that she will not be able to detest it anymore.” She said in an ominous tone and then continued with a provocative approach.
“And you know who will be the closest victim?” She paused.
“The one closest to her.”
Vincent looked at Eve with concern. He didn't see her reaction because she lowered her head. But she could sense that it confused Eve.
“If that time comes… then it’s up to me to decide what I’m going to do to her.” He said in a defiant tone and already accepting the burden he was willing to carry until his last breath. Not because this is the only way he can promise his own principle but because this is the painful truth that he can’t change anymore.
Lourdes looked at him in disbelief. “You are brainwashed.”
“I'm not stopping you from believing whatever you see… You have been living with humans since you are a guardian, then you should have understood that beliefs make people have hope in their life. And also us, I, also believe she can stop it.” He glanced back at Eve,
“If she can't, I know she’ll decide what is good for the people around her.” Lourdes shook her head. She didn’t expect a human to back-up an undead. She didn’t see this coming. She sighed.
“Fine… I am not a completely merciful person. If she can still suppress it, then I am giving you a chance to prove your ground. If not, as the guardian of the mortal, we're gonna face the law of our Mortal Guardians.”
Vincent smiled. “Thank you.”
Lourdez gave him a confused look. “There’s nothing to be thankful about. I am only letting you go, after I detained her.” As she let that escape in her mouth, Lourdes covered Eve with a barrier that suppressed her power. She put a seal with it, the same seal she used in capturing undeads for experiments.
Vincent quickly swung his sword at her, but Lourdes blocked the attack with her barrier, then bound him with a spell that slammed him onto the rooftop. He nearly rolled off, but Eve hurled her sword just in time, piercing the roof and stopping his fall.
“So there is still humanity in you.” Lourdez commented as she shrank the cage barrier with Eve in her hand and it disappeared in front of Vincent along with Eve.
“Where did you send her?” He asked in a furious tone. He’s struggling to escape her power but it was too strong.
“I didn’t expect that Augustia are weak beings. Have you been weakened because of the disease in your world?”
“You!”
Lourdes looked at him with a tired look. “Don't worry… Once I am done, the deal between us will take effect. She’ll be back to you in complete peace with no limbs missing.”
“What are you gonna do to her?” Lourdes didn’t bother to answer him, instead she just left him there before she deactivated her power around him.
VINCENT CAME BACK TO THEIR HIDEOUTS, alone. He reported everything. Everything from the Night Mermaid appearance and also Eve’s capture. He thought they’ll going to find her but then they were all just calm.
“You don’t need to panic, Vincent. Eve is letting herself be captured,” Kim said in a calm tone.
“What? Aren’t you worried about her? What if they do something despicable to her? Remember, that person knows she’s not an ordinary undead,” Vincent said, troubled.
“We don’t have feelings to worry about—but we trust ourselves. Eve gave you her sword instead of taking it for her escape. She entrusted it to you… I’m pretty sure she’s planning to learn more about this school.” Kim added and Cleoff supported her.
Cleoff handed Vincent a glass of water, but Vincent didn’t take it. With a quiet sigh, Cleoff lowered his hand.
“We’ve been here for two months—excluding the time reversal—but we haven’t found a single clue, not even outside the campus. The barrier around this place is definitely keeping us in. And even during the day and night, we couldn’t infiltrate the school. The watchers of this mortal world are far too sensitive to our presence.”
“In their eyes, we are considered insects that rotten their garden. We are foreign in this land that they see as enemies… If Eve didn’t see that coming, she’ll be asking the death itself to face her and end her multiple times. Eve is a meticulous person. Trust her, she’ll be back with no missing pieces.”
“Tsk.”
“Are you that worried about her? I didn’t think that you have this kind of side.”
“Fuck off.” Cleoff was in disbelief as he saw it.
“You dare curse at me? I’m a prince…” Cleoff said in a teasing tone.
“Like I care? You’re all just playing me…”Annoyance is really visible in Vincent’s face, added to that he got more annoyed when he witnessed them laugh, but they are faking it.
“ Is it really that funny to force yourself to laugh?” As he said that, they both stopped laughing and lowered their heads.
“Sorry.” Vincent noticed the awkwardness in the air and apologized as well. He had forgotten that, aside from Hatred and Fear, they couldn’t feel any other emotions. He was just worried about her.