Chapter 215 ·Maiden of Blood (4)
Maiden of Blood (4)
The girl had stained her blade with countless blood until now.
The mountain of corpses and sea of blood she had built up so far would be beyond words.
She had singlehandedly written a legend with all that blood, as she had accomplished the feat of unifying an entire continent.
Naturally, within the blood that wrote that legend, there were bound to be tens of thousands of grudges.
Though the Empire called her a Hero for unifying the continent, she was, in truth, a butcher whose deeds far surpassed human reason.
It seemed the countless deep-seated curses would at any moment look for gaps in the girl's resolve, but she felt no emotion to sense such curses.
She could not even tell whose blood it had originally been.
Nor did she know whom she had saved along the way.
'It was just an order.'
Of course, even saving was simply part of her orders.
As a soldier, when the girl was tasked with rescue, it was almost always those of higher status rather than civilians.
She had been ordered more than once to rescue such hostages.
Rescuing the princess had just been one more such mission.
"...."
The girl, who was writing a manual, suddenly remembered the princess she had saved clinging to her.
She was startled by the fact that she had such idle thoughts during her mission.
Yet what was even more distracting was that she always felt a headache whenever the memory of holding the princess came to mind.
"Hm..."
She had never remembered being embraced by anyone before.
The concept of being hugged, which was tantamount to praise, was something that the current girl could never have known.
And yet, for some reason, she felt a nostalgic sensation.
An unexplainable déjà vu, as if she'd experienced it several times despite it not being in her memories.
That indescribable feeling caused confusion in the girl's head.
"...."
What was the right thing to do when she couldn't concentrate on her mission?
She had heard that there were many people other than herself who would get distracted like this during missions.
Even the adjutant, who used to be an instructor, said he was not an exception, and he would take a stroll whenever such times came.
'Though he always strolled to taverns full of women.'
At present, the girl had no way of raising her focus on the mission.
In that case, she would just do what others did.
If she called it part of her mission, people would understand.
"...."
But now that she wore casual clothes and left the castle, there was nothing for her to do.
While wandering, she neither spoke to anyone nor opened her mouth even once.
She had no particular interest or favorite field, so she set foot in no facility.
No matter what she saw, she felt nothing.
And that was not all.
"P... Maiden of Blood...!"
"That girl?"
"It's my first time seeing her in person!"
The townspeople showed all kinds of reactions to her, but most of them were unified by fear.
"That girl is really the monster who unified the continent?"
"Shh! Watch your mouth!"
"Mom! Isn't that person the Hero? Can I go greet her?"
"No! Stay away—don't get into trouble!"
There were many who admired the girl as a Hero, but that was only the surface-level response.
In reality, thanks to those legendary feats, many felt awe that went beyond reverence and bordered on dread.
Nothing could be enjoyed.
No one would speak to her.
Truly, the girl was a completely isolated existence in this world.
Of course, the girl herself felt no sense of isolation either.
"No change."
The girl returned to the palace with nothing to show for it.
"Eek! Open the gate!"
Even the warriors guarding the main gate were frightened at the sight of the girl and opened the gates at once.
The moment she walked through the open gates and entered the castle's courtyard—
"Why didn't you just get kidnapped and die instead of coming back alive?"
A young man, venting his spleen, was expressing his anger to someone.
"I studied my brains out and you still look so carefree, I don't like it."
"Exactly, brother. If only she'd died while being held hostage—I'd have felt so much relief."
On closer inspection, there were two young men.
The one they were venting to was the youngest daughter of the Emperor, the princess whom the girl had rescued long ago.
"Elder brother, what are you saying?"
The princess cocked her head, apparently not understanding the harsh words.
"Don't you get what we mean?"
"With this attitude, are you really worthy to inherit royal blood?"
"Precisely. Puhahahahaha!!"
The two imperial princes mocked and belittled their only little sister.
The princess was still confused, and, feeling curious, the girl approached them.
"Um...."
"Who is this all of a sudden—hiiik!!"
They had been amusing themselves by bullying their disliked little sister—but who was interrupting them now?
The moment they saw it was the girl, the First Prince shuddered in fear.
"P... Maiden of Blood...!"
"Huh? Brother, is this girl the Hero?"
"Let's go, little brother."
"What?"
The Second Prince was startled by his brother's sudden desire to flee, despite enjoying the game just prior.
"Brother, why are you acting like this?"
"Just move! Now!!"
The First Prince dragged the Second Prince away, and the two hurried to avoid the girl and withdrew deeper into the Imperial Castle.
"Why are you acting so unlike yourself, brother? Is that Maiden of Blood girl really so terrifying?"
"Yes...."
How could this be?
This was the brother who'd shown no fear even before generals who had slain over a thousand enemies!
So the Second Prince was considerably shocked.
"I've seen her fight."
"What?"
"I saw that girl fight—with my own eyes!"
Several years back, when the wars had not yet ended,
The First Prince had been captured by the enemy and nearly faced death.
If not for that girl's rescue, he would have died there.
During that ordeal, the First Prince witnessed something.
He saw her singlehandedly annihilate an army of a thousand and turn an entire nation into a sea of blood—a monstrous sight.
"Ah...."
Only after hearing about the girl's exploits did the Second Prince understand.
At that time, he hadn't even turned ten and knew nothing of such things.
"So, as long as that girl exists, it's better to be obedient."
"I suppose so."
Of course, this also meant that if the girl ever disappeared, they would return to their old ways.
"Let's just pray that girl vanishes."
So they could torment the princess as much as they liked.
****
"We meet again, don't we?"
"...."
The princess appeared once more, but as always, the girl felt nothing.
"Why the long face?"
"...."
Seeing the girl show no response, the princess secretly climbed onto her shoulders and pinched her cheeks.
"Whaawhut are you doing?"
"Hahaha! At least this is fun, right?"
The girl gently set the princess down.
"Please let go."
"Have you always been this quiet?"
"Yes. I have always been this way."
She didn't even know the reason herself.
"Then, why do you talk so much, Princess?"
"Hmm... dunno! I've always been like this since I was born!"
She even had a good enough memory to recognize the girl at a glance.
Even though she must have been quite young when she was kidnapped.
"I'll be going now."
"Huh?"
The girl deliberately left, trying to ignore the princess as much as possible.
She wanted to return to her routine.
"Hahaha! Don't you ever get bored?"
The next day, the princess hovered around the girl all day.
Even while the girl was writing her manual the day after.
Again, on the third day while she was training.
Once more, when she was researching swords the day after that.
Yet the girl felt neither annoyance nor anger.
No matter what the princess did, she simply repeated, "Please stop."
Which only made the princess play even more tricks on her.
Of course, no matter what prank the princess tried, the girl could never retaliate against her.
In this way, it was a relief she lacked emotions.
...
...
Then, one day, the girl sensed the princess vanishing from the castle.
Since the Emperor had forbidden outings, the princess disappearing for no reason was unthinkable.
Just in case another abduction happened, the girl was focusing all her senses within the castle.
The reason for her being in the Imperial Castle was to guard the royal family.
To fulfill this, the girl tracked down the princess's traces.
However...
"Hahaha! I've been waiting for you."
In an alley, the princess laughed as she watched the girl who'd chased after her.
"Did you lure me here, by any chance?"
"Yep."
"You are truly remarkable, Your Highness."
The girl briefly wondered if she'd fallen into a trap, but sensed only pure intent from the princess.
The look in her eyes was nothing like what she'd ever felt from an enemy up to now.
"Kids! Just as promised, I brought her!"
At the princess's call, a swarm of children hiding nearby jumped out.
"This elder sister is the Maiden of Blood?"
"It's my first time seeing her in person!"
"Elder Sister! Can I shake your hand?"
There were presences in the area, but they felt as insignificant as insects, so she ignored them.
These children from the neighborhood, once so buglike, looked at the girl with eyes full of admiration.
"Who are these kids?"
"My friends. I've been sneaking to the village from time to time and made friends!"
"That's exactly why the Emperor's ban on outings was imposed."
"Which is exactly why we snuck out via the secret passage today!"
If the Emperor imposed such a ban, just how much of a troublemaker had the princess been?
Dragging the princess back was standard procedure, but there was one detail that bugged her.
"Why did you go through so much trouble to lure me here?"
To that question, the princess smiled.
"Play with us."
"What?"
"Let's just play together."
The girl continued to look at the children clustered around her.
Once again, she couldn't understand a word the princess was saying.
"Think about it. In all your walks around, has anyone ever tried to approach you?"
"Yes. The adjutant and you, Your Highness...."
"Not me or the bearded adjutant—any citizens or soldiers?"
"...."
Thinking about it, there truly hadn't been anyone.
There had been plenty of people nearby, but none had ever approached.
They all just ran away.
With the same faces those enemy soldiers had made as they were killed, filled with fear.
"None, Your Highness."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Because I'm too famous—in a bad way."
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"No."
So long as she could carry out her mission, emotions were dispensable.
What did it matter?
"So you don't even care about being praised?"
"It doesn't really matter to me, whatever I get."
Seeing her clueless face, the princess sighed.
"Huu..."
And then she suddenly smiled.
"Then go. I'll play with the kids here."
"...."
Though the princess ordered her to leave, the girl remained firmly in place.
"Why aren't you going?"
"Because I have orders to bring Your Highness back."
"Then why don't you play with us?"
"I can't do that."
"Then go."
"I can't do that either."
"Then what CAN you do?"
"...."
If the girl had any feelings, her head would have exploded from frustration at least twice by now.
"This is why, after more than a year, you still haven't finished your manual."
"...?"
At those words, the girl's eyes widened.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"Are you finally interested in listening now?"
"Yes."
As soon as the conversation touched upon her responsibilities, the girl showed interest at last.
"Want to know?"
"Yes."
"Then play with the kids for me."
"What?"
At that, the children clung even more to the girl.
"Um...."
As the girl grew increasingly uncomfortable, the princess said,
"Like I told you, people don't crowd around you. But why do these kids care about you?"
"That's..."
The girl had never pondered such things, and could not answer.
"Kids are bundles of pure emotion. If someone's famous, they're naturally curious. Don't you feel a difference compared to how other people treat you?"
She had felt it since the beginning.
Unfamiliar, but also a feeling of lightness in her heart—this discomfort that wasn't in her memories, but she'd felt before.
The two sensations clashed, but the girl felt her body relax.
"Do you know what it takes for someone to create something? It's just that feeling in your heart. Do you understand now why you've failed for a year?"
"...."
She still didn't understand exactly.
But because she didn't, she couldn't protest.
For she knew nothing of it.
"Understood."
Thus, from then on, the girl was called out to play with the children every day.
Of course, the princess also snuck out to play with the girl and the kids.
Was it really all right to disobey His Majesty's command like this?
Was it even right to play with children at such a common level?
Playing with the children was simple enough.
She went bug-hunting with them in the nearby forest, joined in on their favorite street games, and even told stories of memorable battles.
"It's been a whole month."
"It really has."
"I haven't felt this exhausted since the Great War."
"Really?"
Playing with kids was exhausting in a very different way from battle.
Only those rich in emotion could meet the diverse expectations of children.
For the emotionless girl, it was enough to wear her out completely.
"And how was it?"
"...."
"Every creative work ever made contains the creator's heart. Not just their knowledge, but their desire to pass on what they've made. That's what brings it to life."
This applied to all works of art.
Even magical or swordsmanship scrolls were said to contain the entirety of their creators' lives.
"That Blood Sword Technique... No one but you can use it, right?"
"Yes. That's why I have to create the manual myself."
It wasn't something she could entrust to others.
Which is why the Royal Family had waited over a year for her to finish.
"But you don't have the passion to pour into your creation, do you?"
"No."
Which was why her efforts had only produced failures for a whole year.
"You want to finish the manual quickly and finish your mission, don't you?"
"That's true, but I..."
She wanted to say it was impossible because she had no emotions.
But before she could finish, the princess put a finger to her lips.
"You don't have to think so hard."
"...."
"Just pour into it the feelings you've built up so far."
Just as she'd swung her blade for the sake of unifying the continent.
That's all it needed.
"But I don't really have any feelings left..."
"It doesn't matter. You can even unleash your bloodthirsty side that relished duels. By getting immersed in it, you might discover emotions you didn't know you had."
The princess gazed at the children playing.
To the girl, the children were a bother, yet for some reason there was no sense of rejection.
As a butterfly—one of the same kind the girls had been chasing—landed on her head, she spoke.
"If I do finish the manual... may I show it to you first, Princess?"
"Not Father?"
"You, Princess, gave me the method. You're the one I wish to have evaluate it."
"Hm... all right."
Several more months passed after making that promise.
Following the princess's feedback, the girl dug up hidden feelings.
At first, she saw once more her own ferocious, warlike self.
To restrain that, she continued creating underground, alone.
She slowly illustrated every sword movement she'd ever made into the manual.
Swordsmanship that seemed to draw upon all her grudges and curses was inscribed on the manual.
Then suddenly, the girl's movements turned gentle.
Not ferocious at all. Not even filled with emotion. More like a desperate search for something forgotten.
Many other forms and movements emerged through her body.
Though they were her own moves, ironically she didn't know any of them.
It felt like recalling a dance she'd nearly forgotten.
Lost memories that had vanished from her mind until now.
Every action and motion she'd ever lived began to fill the manual.
Tears from being separated from someone dear.
Desperate yearning to never forget that someone.
The pain of forcing herself to do what she hated.
Rage at losing someone and losing herself.
And, before she knew it... utter emptiness with nothing left.
It was said that creation is pouring one's whole life into something.
Thus, the manual encompassing the girl's whole self was finally completed.
'I don't know why I made those moves...'
What were the feelings of longing she experienced while making the manual?
Of course, nothing came to mind, but even so, the girl was satisfied.
Now, per their promise, she was about to show her manual to the princess.
"At last, you've finished it, number 666."
At that moment, the Emperor and the adjutant appeared right on cue.