The light emanating from the crystal embedded in the ceiling gradually dimmed, transforming into a warm, red glow that hinted at the arrival of nightfall beyond the dungeon walls. The room took on a dusky crimson hue, casting an enchanting ambience. Within this altered atmosphere, Lavinia stood, her gaze fixed upward, humming a soothing lullaby.
Lavinia's lips bore faint wrinkles, betraying the passage of time, and exhibited signs of dryness. Her eyes, wearied and slightly droopy, conveyed the fatigue that clung to her. However, she was not alone in this dimly lit space. With utmost tenderness, she caressed the hair of someone nestled on her lap—none other than Allen, who had succumbed to a peaceful slumber.
-DRAP DRAP DRAP
The moment the sound reached her ears, Lavinia ceased her humming, yet continued the gentle strokes on Allen's head. Lavinia knew what sound it was-a footfall of Queen Orc, a sound she encountered nearly every day
As the door creaked open, Queen Orc made her entrance, casting an assessing gaze upon the scene of Lavinia and the peacefully slumbering Allen. Queen Orc stood there for a while, and then Queen Orc came out and closed the door.
Lavinia sighed heavily, her gaze shifting downward to Allen's serene face. When alone, she always recalls how Queen Orc killed her friends. It was a mental exercise, a grim ritual that served as a tether to sanity and a reservoir for the simmering hatred she harboured towards Queen Orc.
Lavinia abruptly halted the tender strokes through Allen's hair, her fingers now clutching, grasped Allen's hair roughly.
"You wretched little brat," Lavinia muttered, her voice quivering with a blend of resentment and disdain as her gaze bore into Allen's.
She fought against the impulse to yank at Allen's hair, struggling to contain the surge of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
"You sicken me, very nausea. Your innocence makes me sick, your trait, your face! Do you think I didn't understand everything? You filthy monster! I am sick hearing your confession."
Despite having just learned a little monster language, Lavinia comprehended every word Allen had uttered, including his confession and his plea for her to stay indefinitely.
"Aaah, I've always disliked kids since the beginning. I despised a stupid boy like you, Allen. You are the son of the monster who murdered my friends; how could I wish to remain here forever?! I can't stand watching you and your fake-b*stard mother playing around."
As a priest, Lavinia had never allowed such rude thoughts or words to escape her lips, refraining from any form of badmouthing. She was fed up with everything now, after two months of acting nice to Allen.
'One thing I cannot get is why Queen Orc can enter this room. This space, guarded by numerous elemental spirits and devoid of demonic mana, typically served as a resting place for dungeon explorers. That is why monsters avoid entering this room; there is no mana feeding for monsters here. Queen Orc must be uncomfortable in this room, so much so that her regeneration ability is weakened. That is how bad the atmosphere is for monsters. Nonetheless, she persisted. It's all because of Allen. This monster is crazy; she must consider Allen as her son, and chooses to accompany Allen in this room whenever she can. The proof is that when she saw Allen sleeping on my lap, she knew she didn't have to wait for Allen to fall asleep like she always did. Now, all I have to do is use my god's blessing to regenerate my legs and then run away. But before that…'
Lavinia reached for Allen's sword lying nearby, lifting it with a weary grip. Gazing at her reflection in the blade, she confronted the dishevelled and broken version of herself, her eyes burning with vengeful fire.
Vertically twirling the sword, she eventually pointed its tip at Allen's chest.
"Sorry, Allen, I will kill you. This is my vengeance on Queen Orc. IN HONOR OF MY FRIEND! SHE WILL SUFFER LIKE ME!"
Lavinia's hatred was directed not toward Allen but against the Queen. She understood that murdering Allen would upset the Queen, making Lavinia extremely happy. She wanted to catch a glimpse of the Queen's face when she saw Allen's dead body before fleeing. The darkness within her heart had eclipsed the light, drowned in a sea of hatred and fury. As visions of the Queen's anguished expression danced in her thoughts, an ominous aura enveloped Lavinia's form.
HOWEVER…
Despite her raging heart, she couldn't bring herself to push her hand. The hand that gripped the sword hesitated, unable to drive the blade into Allen's chest, as she thought about what Allen had said to her.
"I WANT YOU TO BE HERE WITH ME!!! FOREVER!!!"' That voice... and Allen's innocent face while saying that, kept playing over and over in her mind. She had never murdered a human before, and if she killed Allen here, it would be her first time killing a human… a human that didn't even hate her or did terrible things to her… just an innocent child who sought nothing more than her to be with him…
-tes tes tes
Tears streamed down Lavinia's face, landing gently on Allen's cheek.
She was at odds with herself, her heart, and her emotions.
'What should I do now?'
Humans are inconsistent, unstable, and ambiguous.
She tried her best to suppress her tears, but they were already falling freely. She held back her voice and then murmured.
"I can't kill him… I can't… I can't do such thing…"
"Friends *sob, I'm sorry, I can't avenge you all *sob. How much I hate that orc, I can't kill an innocent kid like him. *sob, I am a priestess, yet I am thinking and saying such sinful things."
Her hand, which was gripping the hilt of the sword, was starting to weaken. She pulled it out of Allen and threw it away.
Lavinia took Allen's right hand and grasped it with both of her hands.
____When Allen woke up the next day, he was all by himself. Lavinia was nowhere to be found.