DUFE - SIDE STORY EPILOGUE

Tsk tsk tsk.

“The world’s going to ruin, to ruin.”

Solia looked up at the casually audible lament. It was the voice of Father Misail, who oversaw the general affairs of the village chapel.

“To ruin?”

“Ah, Sister Solia. Are you still here?”

He wore an embarrassed expression, perhaps not expecting any parishioners to remain. He cleared his throat unnecessarily, reminding himself of his unbecoming behavior. In the priest’s hands was a newspaper published that morning. A newspaper that would have covered the major and minor events within the royal capital, which was close to this place.

“Is there any bad news?”

“They say there’s been an escapee from the underground prison of the Vatican in the royal capital. You know, that serial killer who was caught recently.”

The explanation was brief, but Solia understood without difficulty. A few days ago, in the royal capital, a heinous serial killer who had eluded capture for so long had finally been apprehended. The number of his crimes was said to be well over twenty. It was heard that the constabulary was still struggling to find traces of where he had buried the bodies, as they were unknown.

“Riots, murders, terrorism…… the country is becoming increasingly wicked. How saddened the Main God must be, watching this situation.”

Father Misail sighed deeply with a dark expression. With so many bizarre incidents occurring day after day, it seemed that even he, with his direct affiliation to the temple, was having a hard time. Solia could easily guess his weariness.

As the priest lamented, the world was falling ill.

It had all started in the Holy City of Evreux. On the Day of the Holy Eucharist, a sacred and holy festival, the land of the Holy City had become a sea of fire. No survivors were found in the aftermath of the blaze, which had lasted for a staggering several months before being brought under control. Everyone who had been there had lost their lives, and thus the cause of the fire was also unknown, a true tragedy.

A month later.

Horrific crimes began to occur simultaneously in various parts of the world. From suddenly killing passersby to large-scale terrorism using magical devices that caused massive explosions. The scope ranged from the eyebrow-raising to the jaw-dropping.

There was one common characteristic among those who committed such crimes.

“That serial killer too…… is he a Rubrum?”

“Yes, he is.”

Rubrum, literally translated as red eyes.

Those who suddenly lost their reason and ran rampant with murderous intent all had blood-red eyes. The atrocities they committed were so gruesome that they were even given a separate title to refer to them.

With the appearance of the Rubrum, the peace that encompassed the world crumbled at an unprecedentedly rapid pace. Many people, fearing these Rubrum, secluded themselves at home, and to make matters worse, a secret organization called the Rubrums, who revered them, also emerged.

The fact that these events couldn’t simply be dismissed as a passing social trend was due to the fact that three countries had already been destroyed by their emergence. All three countries were small kingdoms, so the damage and casualties weren’t on the scale of an empire’s collapse. However, if this momentum continued, it wouldn’t be strange if the empire met the same fate.

“I’ve been holding you up with all sorts of nonsense, Sister. Are you heading back now?”

“Ah, yes.”

Misail, who had told Solia to wait a moment, soon came out from inside with a basket. Inside were potatoes, steaming and fluffy as if they had just been boiled.

“Here, take these if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Solia, who had been worried about not having proper food for dinner, quickly brightened up. Misail, who had been smiling at her, suddenly remembered something and said, “Ah, that’s right.”

“Come to think of it, the anniversary of the Holy Knight’s passing is coming up soon.”

Solia, who had been holding the basket, paused. Soon, her expression turned bitter. The anniversary of the Holy Knight’s passing. It referred to Solia’s older brother, who had served His Holiness the Pope right by his side and had met an honorable death.

Noticing her sadness, Misail, realizing his mistake, quickly added, “He is surely watching over Sister Solia, who has grown up so well, from the side of the Main God, with great pride.”

Solia responded to the blessing-filled words with a faint smile and soon left the chapel.

After her older brother, Ruben, who had been responsible for their livelihood, died, Solia’s family fell into dire straits. Originally, the temple, where he had served, had promised to take responsibility for their living expenses after the funeral, but due to a great fire that occurred some time later, they were unable to receive even the minimum guarantee.

All she had managed to salvage while barely escaping the burning Holy City were some clothes and a few stray silver coins.

Solia and her siblings had no choice but to leave their older brother’s coffin and their ailing mother behind there. Their footsteps as they left without looking back were scattered with tears, marking their path with the sorrowful state of their hearts.

And so, the place they settled in was Selez Village, located halfway between the Holy City and the royal capital.

“Hey, beggar!”

It was not long after she had left the chapel. A stone suddenly flew and struck Solia’s forehead with a thud!

“Ah!”

Solia clutched her forehead in stinging pain. The palm she took away after touching her skin was stained with blood. She glared with raised eyes at the approaching figures.

“Did you go to the chapel again?”

“She prays there every day.”

“What’s this?”

“Potatoes? Ah, it seems the priest took pity on the poor beggar again and gave her alms.”

Those surrounding Solia were children from other houses in Selez Village. She stubbornly resisted their attempts to snatch the basket from her. However, having grown up malnourished, she had no strength to stand against them.

“Give it back!”

The boy who had thrown the stone at Solia pushed her shoulder backward.

“Ouch!”

In the end, she fell backward and landed hard on her buttocks. A sharp pain shot through her tailbone, and tears welled up in her eyes for a moment. But the problem wasn’t the pain. It was that the basket, which she had desperately held onto to prevent it from being taken as she fell, had overturned on the dirty ground.

“No……!”

She had been taking them home to eat for dinner. The faces of her second and third older brothers, who would be happy to receive these, flashed quickly across her retina. The children who had caused this by trying to snatch the basket from her laughed gleefully in front of the despairing Solia.

Solia, staring blankly at the dust-covered potatoes, glared at them.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

“What. Just because a beggar was stubborn, we ruined perfectly good food.”

“Hey, beggar. If you received something like this, shouldn’t you have offered it to us right away? How much money does your family owe our parents!”

When they had first come to Selez Village, these children had treated Solia’s family relatively well. However, with the absence of the head of the household and being a group consisting only of young children, the harshness of reality had struck them sooner than expected.

There was naturally no abundance of jobs in such a secluded village, so there was no way to earn money. However, money was essential to maintain their livelihood. Thus, Solia’s second older brother, Cotton, had begun to go around the village borrowing money.

As these instances continued quite frequently, the village now treated them as lowly beggars. The parents at least didn’t do so openly, but the children clearly showed their hostility.

“You kids!”

Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out.

Having apparently heard the commotion outside, Father Misail, who had left the chapel and was running towards them, came into view. The children, who had been gathered in a circle around Solia, yelped and scattered like their tails were on fire.

“Sister, are you alright?”

Father Misail helped her to her feet. Soon, his gaze fell on the basket that had rolled onto the ground, and then on her forehead with the red mark.

“Good heavens, blood…… Let’s go back to the chapel. I’ll treat you.”

“No, I’m alright.”

“You don’t have to hesitate…….”

Solia shook her head with her lips pressed into a straight line. Father Misail stared at her silently for a moment, then nodded in understanding and stepped back. Solia bowed her head to him and quickly took her leave.

She headed towards the hill behind the village, not in the direction of her dilapidated house that was falling apart. After running vigorously for a while, Solia’s steps stopped before a cross deeply planted in the ground.

Inscribed on that cross in the language of the scriptures was the name of her eldest brother. Ruben. Her proud older brother, who had become a First-Class Holy Knight despite being a commoner due to his exceptional skills.

Solia, tracing the longed-for name with her fingertips, slumped down before it.

The forehead that had been struck by the stone throbbed, her eyes felt hot and stinging, and her heart ached, but it was alright. It was as if her eldest brother, who had passed on to the heavens, was there with her. This place was a haven she often visited to soothe her troubled mind.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…….’

She repeated the words to herself for a long time, burying her face in her knees, which she held close with both arms. The reason she had to decline Father Misail’s offer was that she felt like she would burst into tears at any moment. In addition to her severely damaged pride, she didn’t want to openly show others her shameful crying face.

She soothed herself for several minutes. Perhaps it had some effect, as the burning sensation around her eyes, as if she would burst into tears, gradually subsided.

“Hoo.”

Solia finally raised her head after a long while. The wind that blew at that moment brushed past her brown hair, which reached her waist, as if caressing it.

‘Huh?’

Only after her vision cleared did she notice the dark shadow that had rudely invaded her sight. She raised her head a little more. Two feet stretched out beside the cross that had been erected in place of her brother’s grave.

Solia’s gaze didn’t stop there but slowly rose, groping upward.

There stood a boy who looked to be her age. Dazzling backlight seeped in, making it difficult to see his face clearly. Solia involuntarily leaned her upper body backward. Then, the light penetrated at just the right angle, clearly revealing the boy standing before her.

‘Wow…….’

An unconscious exclamation burst from within her. It was because the boy, now that she could see him properly, had an exceedingly handsome appearance. A face so beautiful it was almost as if he were trying to deceive others with a flamboyant exterior.

His black hair, swaying in the breeze, was like a densely packed night sky, and his white skin looked as soft as smooth jade with a glossy sheen. But more impressive than anything else were his brilliant, deep green eyes, like leaves holding dew. Even though he was standing against the light, his pupils were full of luster.

“You.”

Suddenly, the boy opened his mouth. It was clearly a remark directed at someone, so Solia, who had been in a daze, snapped back to her senses. She frantically looked around her.

But on this wide hill, there were only her and the boy.

“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

The boy, standing stiffly like a wall and blocking the bright sunlight, spoke words she couldn’t understand. Before Solia could offer any reaction, a faint exclamation of “Ah” escaped his lips.

“I think I saw you in Mother’s memories. Crying while holding a coffin……”

“M, Mother?”

Solia stammered, repeating his words with a tilt of her head.

At that moment, the boy slowly bent his legs and sat down, meeting her gaze directly. His clear, sparkling green eyes had a strange power that seemed to bind a person’s movements. So, Solia realized only a little later that the boy’s hand had already touched her cheek.

It was such a trivial contact that it couldn’t even be called a touch. Nevertheless, as he was a completely unfamiliar stranger, she slapped his hand away sharply!

“W, what do you think you’re doing!”

“A flimsy wooden house that sways as if it will collapse even with just a breeze……”

“……?”

“Broken dishes, clothes that you’re busy sewing up to wear after they tear……”

The boy’s eyes moved smoothly, reaching Solia’s forehead with the red mark.

“To live such a wretched life, maintained only by begging for sympathy from others, how pitiful.”

“……What?”

Solia mulled over the boy’s words for a long time with a dumbfounded look. Soon, it sent a chilling shiver down her spine.

Does this child know me?

If not, how could he know about her miserable life that made her breath catch in her throat? Or did he perhaps see her being bullied by the children earlier? Or maybe……

The boy’s eyes, gazing at her in confusion, rippled deeply. Soon, his elegant lips parted, drawing a beautiful line.

“Hey, won’t you make a deal with me?”

“…….”

“I’ll get you out of that squalid hell.”

A faint red tinge flickered over the boy’s brilliant green eyes.

<Deliver Us From The Evil One Side Story End>