Chapter 64: Worthiness
"She is awake!?"
Edgar, along with Reeba, rushed toward his house as quickly as possible.
Once they entered, Edgar led both women toward his room.
Viera, sensing that the matter was out of her hands, politely decided to stand outside the room while the other two entered.
Edgar’s eyes followed the girl sitting with the support of the bed frame.
She was looking outside at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Lady Hera..."
Reeba said gently, like she was afraid to startle a frightened child.
The white-haired girl didn’t respond immediately. Her lifeless emerald eyes remained fixed on the small window.
Only after several long breaths did she slowly turn her head. "...Reeba."
The maid’s eyes instantly reddened as she hurried to the bedside and knelt beside Hera.
"Lady Hera... you’re alive."
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Reeba gently embraced her.
"I’m so glad... I could see you again..."
But like a puppet that had lost its strings, Hera remained still without making any move or returning the hug.
’She looks like an empty shell of her past.’
Edgar couldn’t help but feel pity for the young girl.
The mischievousness, playfulness, childishness... everything that had once defined her was now gone.
"...Why?" Hera whispered softly. "...Why was I the only one who survived?"
Reeba had no answer. All she could do was hug her even tighter.
The maid had been with Hera since she was a child. Reeba was there when the little girl learned to walk. She was there when Hera blasted her first cauldron.
And now, looking at the child she had raised in this state made her feel utterly helpless.
Hera remained silent for a long while before her gaze shifted toward Edgar.
She quietly pulled back and looked around the room once again.
"...Where am I?"
"In my Fortress," Edgar replied, folding his arms. "I brought you here."
The girl’s pupils constricted, and her breathing turned heavy.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up with difficulty.
"I... I need to go," Hera said hastily. "I... I can’t let this place be destroyed as well."
"Lady Hera."
Reeba tried to guide the girl back onto the bed.
"You are in no condition to move."
"You don’t understand, Reeba!" Hera yelled in panic. "They will come after me and... and..."
Her breathing kept growing heavier as though she was having an anxiety attack.
Edgar rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming.
He quietly walked closer and wrapped one of his Sage Hands around the girl.
"Ahgn!"
Hera yelped in surprise when she was lifted up and gently placed back onto the bed.
When her confused eyes found the reason behind the bizarre encounter, they met Edgar’s cold golden eyes.
Meeting her emerald eyes, Edgar spoke loud and clear.
"If you even think about running away, then I will throw out every single person who was loyal to your father and came under my Fortress."
His words hit the girl like a hammer, making her fall silent.
Edgar let his words settle into the girl’s heart before continuing.
"Hera, the reason I brought you here is so I can attract those Nightmares and kill them."
His voice was cruel, as though he were treating her like an object.
"If you even think about sacrificing yourself, I will genuinely throw everyone out because they are nothing but baggage to me."
Raising his hand, he gently cupped the face of the girl glaring at him with hatred.
"Do you understand?" he asked.
Hera didn’t respond, but tears quickly began to fall from her eyes.
"...W-why?" she stammered, rubbing her eyes. "W-why are you so mean?"
’...Well, I am sure you will understand one day.’
Edgar really didn’t want to see the girl lose her life.
What had happened to her was tragic, but that didn’t mean she needed to die for it.
"W-what will you even do?" Hera asked, still crying. "H-how are you going to stop the Tide next full moon?"
’...I have a month before they return?’
Edgar held back a sigh, but his tense nerves relaxed quite a bit.
He stepped back and looked at Reeba, who stood to the side.
The lady nodded and quickly moved to take care of Hera while Edgar walked out of the room.
Viera walked beside him and asked quietly, "Do I need to look after her?"
"No," Edgar replied. "But can you look around and find people who can cook?"
The lady blinked and nodded her head. "Do we need to make food for everyone?"
"Just for tonight," Edgar responded while walking out of the house. "They will be on their own from tomorrow."
The lady nodded. "I will look around."
Edgar stretched his body and looked over the Fortress Wall.
The murky fog had already thinned considerably, giving way to the Eternal Night.
A question quickly rose in his mind.
’How did Hera know about the next Tide?’
His first thought was that it could be related to the "bride" thing that had happened last night.
’But why the full moon again?’ he wondered. ’Is the full moon important for something?’
As his mind was lost in those thoughts, Edgar suddenly felt a presence.
His gaze turned toward the wall as the Eternal Night swallowed everything.
Suddenly, a person jumped over the wall in a single leap.
Without wasting any time, Edgar picked up a pole with his Sage Hand and threw it at the man. He also rushed forward immediately, picking up another metal rod along the way.
Quick on his feet, the man twisted, pulled out his sword with a distinct ringing sound, and cleanly cut the pole in half.
Edgar jumped up and slammed the rod down with a loud grunt. The middle-aged man raised his sword parallel to his face.
When the rod collided with the blade, he effortlessly twisted his wrist, deflecting the strike.
As Edgar pulled himself back, he felt the cold blade of the sword against his neck.
The middle-aged man said in a rather polite tone, "It’s rude to attack someone--"
His words halted when he felt the sharpened end of the pole he had just cut touching the back of his neck.
Edgar pushed aside the man’s sword and asked, "It’s rude to enter another person’s Fortress."