Chereads / The Duchess and the Time Criminals / Chapter 32 - 1st Recursion: Conspirator (5)

Chapter 32 - 1st Recursion: Conspirator (5)

"I acquired my memories long before you did, Halkias."

The coldness of her voice made him put his hands in his pockets once more. Halkias then met her words with a sigh.

He couldn't just pry the answer out of Ilya, knowing that she would only shut her mouth if she was forced to speak. The best move for him was to wait, even if it would take him a long while.

Having had enough of the view, Ilya lowered her gaze towards the flowers in the garden. Unlike the dark sky, Ilya had no appreciation for the garden.

She gazed at the flowers as if they were rocks.

She looked at the well trimmed bushes as if they were brick walls.

The even lawn was simply a platform for her to step on.

Compared to how plain the night sky was, the lack of depthness of the garden was even more dreary. The garden had its limits. The sky seemed as if it had none.

"Halkias,"

Hearing Ilya's voice after a lengthy silence slightly startled Halkias. He nodded his head though Ilya wasn't looking at him.

"You've seen the future. You've seen the hell that's about to befall on us. I know, because you were by my side in several of those catastrophes."

Right then, Ilya turned towards Halkias. Upon seeing that the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, a small frown appeared on the man's countenance. He went on and sputtered a breath.

Realizing what he had done, he quickly covered his mouth and shook his head. Meanwhile, Ilya was just staring at him without batting an eye.

Halkias brought his hand down, bowed at Ilya, and said, "I apologize. I didn't mean to laugh at your words. I was just--"

"Why are you explaining? Did I tell you to?"

"... No?"

"Right, so are you willing to listen now?"

"Yes," Halkias muttered under his breath, nodding along.

Ilya turned her gaze away from the man. She then walked slowly towards where her sword was and grabbed the handle. Her grip tightened every moment that her heart pounded.

The second she unearthed her sword, she began to wield it. Her movements gave the impression that the sword was one of her limbs. Every move was connected, her lines fluid.

Halkias' eyes were glued to Ilya. As one among the eight Knight Commanders within the Empire, Halkias had seen various individuals with prominent sword skills. However, there were less than a handful that could be on par with Ilya.

He wasn't confident himself that he could beat her with sword-wielding skills alone.

No, even with the help of magic, he wasn't confident.

Because he was too preoccupied in watching her, Halkias didn't notice that the tip of the sword was now only an inch above his left eye. It took him a couple of seconds to realize, making him back away a step.

"Halkias, we have to catch that bastard."

Wide-eyed, Halkias answered, "Yes?!"

"Why? You don't want to? Is it too much to ask of you? Will it be arduous for someone who was supposed to be one of the Commanders of the greatest order within the continent?"

Halkias quickly shook his head, responding forthwith, "I have never heard Your Grace use such an unrefined word, not even before time was reversed."

Ilya frowned at Halkias' response. She let go of her sword before walking towards Halkias. Without a delay, she grabbed the man by his collar and looked at him straight in the eye.

"That bastard, Halkias. Out of all our memories, it's only that bastard whose identity was completely removed." Ilya began gritting her teeth, her grip tightening, "I remember… I remember catching them in the act, but not their face at all."

"I-- I understand. First, let me go, please."

Ilya maintained their position for a while, and leisurely, she loosened her grip on Halkias' collar. The man fixed his uniform, speaking shortly thereafter.

"Yes, I saw them, too. Countless times as a matter of fact."

"Hetla Epidemic, the Empire losing a tenth of its southern territory due to the sudden appearance of Bacharoths, the noble district massacre, the autumn famine, and many other incidents that I can't even list them anymore. That bastard perpetrated all of them."

When she was done speaking, Ilya clenched her fists. She let her nails dug through her palms, drawing a few drops of blood. Her smile was gone. Her eyes were beginning to redden.

"That's why I eliminated the entire Gertrude Family, Halkias. They've been aiding that bastard all along. The truth of their involvement was discovered a year from now in our previous lives."

A wind abruptly came by, sweeping the dried leaves and flowers off of the ground.

Until their surroundings were calm again, Ilya had her glare fixated on Halkias. Her heart was beating heavily against her chest. A fire was surging from the pit of her stomach.

Unbeknownst to her, a teardrop fell down her cheek. Her lips began to tremble, and so did her limbs.

Halkias noticed all of those. He couldn't help but mirror her demeanour. After all, their sentiments were one and the same.

"I swear with my life, I will take that bastard down to a place in hell that's far more scorching than what he had created on land."

The man hitched a breath, allowing his emotions to show on his eyes. The very thought of having the same goal as Ilya made him well up with enthusiasm. He bent his neck from side to side as he scoffed at himself.

Unfortunately for Halkias, he didn't see the smirk that appeared on the woman's face. Perchance, it might have fueled his excitement even more.

Once he was done stretching his neck, Halkias' eyes landed on Ilya. He lent his hand out and said, "Would you like to hire me as your first conspirator?"

Ilya glanced at his hand, then at his face. The further he waited for her acceptance, Halkias' heartbeat hastened. To him, Ilya looked as if she would turn him down.

But soon, she grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Commander Vatar Halkias, don't betray my expectations this time around."