"So... he sent you here to conquer our little boy..."
Hearing those words from another person was even more embarrassing for her.
Scarlett didn't know what to say. Indeed, she took a moment before replying: "Not exactly. My father can't force me to make such an important decision."
Such an answer made them even more confused.
"Then... why are you here? If he didn't force you..."
"Well... I was curious about what great person had won my father's interest. It's not an easy accomplishment, but he is such a stupid and annoying guy..." she answered slowly.
Marigold and River looked at each other for a moment, and then one of them asked: "Your words... are a bit too unbelievable. Little girl, how could we assume you are telling us the truth? Why would your father act this way?"
There was no way out of this mess if she didn't give them a proper explanation, so Scarlett told them everything: "He found out about Atlas's situation... He discovered that he is one of the rarest existences in this world... a Cursed Child... who managed to regain his Chaotical Core!"
Scarlett was aware that saying such a thing would have put her in a precarious situation, but she still decided to bet that the two women would give her a chance.
Sure enough, Marigold and River's expressions turned dangerous.
No one knew what they were thinking, but one thing was sure in the young woman's heart: 'Murderous intent... such a deep power...'
Scarlett shivered yet again, and the following words confirmed her assumption.
"Little girl... you're bold... You know there's no turning back now, don't you?"
"I know..." Scarlett replied, fixing her gaze on them.
"No... no... you don't. Trust me, you still didn't realize what hellish place you ended up in. From now on, you and your family's destiny is upon your shoulders..."
"I..."
Scarlett regained confidence in the last few minutes, but after hearing those words, she again felt herself drowning in a dark abyss of despair.
'Maybe I was wrong... maybe I shouldn't have revealed this to them... what a fool I was... I have to find a solution... I can't let everyone die because of my actions...'
"What... What do you want me to do?... We can find a more peaceful solution."
She didn't know where she found the courage to say such a thing, yet it happened because she didn't want to die for such a stupid reason.
They looked at the young woman for a long time but knew that the only solution to this problem was to kill anyone who knew about it.
They had hidden Atlas' condition for more than a decade, using powerful artifacts and arcane knowledge that had arrived in this world from the other side, but someone still had found out about it.
The young man had left behind that cursed title so other people couldn't find out about his secret, yet they didn't know what to do with her. After all, Atlas would be considered a nuisance by the believers and madmen out there if words about him were to be leaked.
For those so-called righteous people, it was blasphemy to let someone treated like a scourge from the universe live his life peacefully or even have the boldness to fight against such a heavenly decision.
Time continued to pass, and the silence surrounding them was even more disturbing for the young woman.
At some point, Old River sighed with sadness: "Marigold... we must protect Atlas's secret. We must kill all of them..."
It was as if a terrible cataclysm had swept over her poor heart, wiping out even the tiniest shred of hope she had left.
"You are right, but... maybe there is another solution."
It was Marigold speaking now, and her demeanor was calmer than her friend's.
"Surely, it is dangerous if other people know about Atlas's secret, but since her father's opted for such a plan, we can give him one possibility."
She kept explaining what was in her mind, giving the young woman some hope.
"Don't tell me you are seriously considering his proposal? You know I don't like this kind of thing... I would never dare to force a person against his will..."
"Then what? Are we going to kill hundreds of people?"
"Why not? It's all for that little fellow's sake. Who asked that puny city Lord to meddle in other people's business? Who gave him the courage to use Atlas's life for political tricks? Who the hell does he think he is?"
After hearing the truth, Old River had become a completely different person. She didn't even care about the promise she made a while ago to that girl.
"You should also consider that it's different now. Atlas can cultivate and leave behind that horrid title. We need to choose a different solution."
From a different point of view, those words could be defined as selfish, yet what else could they do?
Marigold was again unsure what to do, so she called August and Mold back.
It took them a couple of seconds to reappear in the room, but Atlas was nowhere to be seen.
As the old dwarf appeared, his intention was evident since his deadly hammers were already in his hands: "Don't waste any more time and kill her... If you can't bear to do it, let me handle this matter, and in a few days, there will no longer be a city Lord of the Inflamed Chalice in this world."
"Ohi... old Mold, calm down for a moment... don't scare that poor child."
In fact, Scarlett was so frightened that her breath was at its minimum, and her heart was on the verge of collapse.
How could she imagine that they were so brutal?
The only hope left was with that woman called Marigold...
"Who cares about her? In this world, only one thing matters... power. Even that fellow is doing all this to gain more power throughout Atlas... In fact, he has already done it once. Who would stop him from doing it another time? We can't let him do whatever he wants...."
An argument broke out inside the room, the outcome of which would seal the fate of an entire family...
|||
Meanwhile, in a place far away from that small Village, a figure was watching with great interest the unfolding of such events.
His face was shrouded in a thick veil of bright green haze, so it was impossible to decipher what he was really thinking, but for some reason, the entire space around him was in flux.
"What should I do... Hmm, it's problematic... and a bit dangerous, but her family made contact with the ancient vestige of Sulia and Hemesta. Should I let them die or give them a chance?"
His voice kept floating in the space as if unsure where to rest, yet it slowly disappeared after a while, devoured by the darkness beyond that tiny world.
There was a moment of silence until that voice shattered the silence: "Well... another pawn could turn out helpful for him... After all, he must move forward and use everything in his reach to achieve our goal. Even the lives of countless count nothing in front of such cruel fate."
The small pound in front of the Progenitor Nihilir turned turbulent, and the image of a young man appeared out of nowhere: "Atlas... save Scarlet Scalis at all cost..."