Roxana — Chapter 46

SUNLIGHT...?

AH, IN THE END...

YOU'RE AWAKE.

CASSIS?

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?

AH.

BE CAREFUL.

WE'RE STILL INSIDE A MOVING CARRIAGE.

WHY IS CASSIS HERE BY MY SIDE?

I DON'T REMEMBER.

I WAS DEFINITELY IN AGRECE...

SISTER...

ARE YOU GOING TO THROW ME AWAY, TOO?

AH.

I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER.

STOP THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING AND GET SOME MORE REST. YOU'VE BEEN OUT FOR THREE DAYS.

THREE DAYS?

THREE WHOLE DAYS HAVE PASSED SINCE THAT DAY?

COME TO THINK OF IT, WHERE IS THIS?

WHERE ARE WE HEADING RIGHT NOW?

THIS IS FREDERICA.

IF WE KEEP MOVING AT THIS PACE, WE'LL ARRIVE IN PEDELIAN WITHIN A FEW DAYS.

THEN...

AM I A PRISONER, OR AM I WAR BOOTY?

CASSIS, WHAT IS YOUR INTENTION?

3 DAYS AGO

YOUNG FAMILY HEAD, YOU'VE... ARRIVED...?

What is that...?

A CORPSE...? ...IT'S A CORPSE.

MOVE OUT.

I THOUGHT SHE HAD ESCAPED THE CASTLE AND GONE SOMEWHERE SAFE...

TO THINK SHE'D BE ALL BY HERSELF RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT FOREST PATH.

DID YOU INTEND TO END IT ALL RIGHT THERE?

I WON'T LET YOU.

...IT WOULD BE BEST TO DETOUR AROUND THE LAKE.

AGREED.

HEY,

THAT'S DANGEROUS...!!

ARE YOU ALRIGHT...?! HEY, LEVI! YOU WERE RIGHT AT THE FRONT, WHAT WERE YOU DOING!

...LEVI?

EVERYONE, STAY BACK, AWAY FROM HER!

HUH...? SUDDENLY MY BODY...

BE CAREFUL. IF YOU GET CLOSE, IT'S DANGEROUS...

SOMEONE WHOSE TOXIC AURA IS VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE... IS SHE EVEN HUMAN?

EVERYONE FALL BACK.

YOUNG FAMILY HEAD!!

IT'S DANGEROUS, LET ME...!

HER BODY IS FREEZING.

FURTHERMORE, THE TOXIC AURA HAS GROWN INTENSE AGAIN.

AT THIS RATE, HER SOUL WILL SHATTER BEFORE WE EVEN REACH OUR DESTINATION.

THOUGH I POURED MY OWN LIFE FORCE INTO HER IN THE MOST COMPLETE WAY POSSIBLE,

ISIDORE, PREPARE MEDICINE AND DRINKING WATER,

AND MAKE SURE NO ONE APPROACHES UNTIL I GIVE THE WORD.

YES, SIR...!

MERELY DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY FIX FOR A BODY ALREADY CONSUMED BY POISON.

UNLESS I SHARE MY VITALITY LIKE THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY...

WE WILL TAKE A SHORT REST HERE.

ANSWER ME, CASSIS.

WITH WHAT INTENTION ARE YOU TAKING ME WITH YOU?

AS I THOUGHT, YOU STILL HAVE A FEVER.

WE NEED TO PITCH CAMP HERE FOR TODAY.

UNTIL I MAKE PREPARATIONS AND COME BACK,

LIE DOWN AND REST A BIT MORE.

UNTIL YOU COME BACK?

DON'T WE HAVE NO USE FOR EACH OTHER ANYMORE?

THOUGH IT WASN'T A CONVERSATION SHARED WITH CASSIS,

HE HAD JUSTIFICATION IN HIS DESIRE TO BRING DOWN AGRECE,

AND SINCE I ONLY HAD A PLAN LEFT TO DESIRE THE DOWNFALL OF AGRECE,

WITH THE END OF AGRECE BROUGHT ABOUT BY THAT DAY'S UNSPOKEN AGREEMENT, OUR MUTUAL UTILITY HAD ALSO ENDED.

YES, IT SHOULD HAVE ENDED...

CASSIS IS TAKING ME, AN AGRECE, AWAY TO PEDELIAN,

AND EVEN WHEN STEPPING AWAY FOR JUST A MOMENT, HE DROPS WORDS ABOUT COMING BACK.

WHY GO TO SUCH LENGTHS?

THREE YEARS.

A BOY BECOMES A YOUNG MAN

MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME FOR A ONCE-FAMILIAR WARMTH TO BE FORGOTTEN.

CASSIS, HAVING ESCAPED DEATH, HAS GROWN UP, AND HE CAME TO ME AS A STRANGER.

WITH THAT PRETTY FACE OF HIS, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S EVEN THINKING.

AN EXPRESSION I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

HE SEEMS CLOSE WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE KNIGHTHOOD.

HAS HE GROWN TALLER, TOO?

I TOLD YOU TO REST BECAUSE PREPARATIONS WOULD TAKE A WHILE,

YET INSTEAD OF RESTING, YOU COME OUT WITHOUT EVEN A BLANKET...

YOU STILL DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN BODY.

!!!

EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SLEEP, JUST LIE DOWN FOR NOW.

WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER TO TIE ME DOWN?

I DIDN’T TAKE YOU FOR SOMEONE WITH THOSE KINDS OF HOBBIES...

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF I RUN AWAY?

THEN I’LL JUST HAVE TO BRING YOU BACK AGAIN.

SO GET SOME REST NOW.