Someone to Rely On (1)

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Meeting her again in such a perilous place was a joy, but she couldn't just smile and be at ease.

'Why on earth is that person with Ariel?'

The person responsible for so much suffering was with her sister.

How they met and became so close was beyond her comprehension.

But she knew she had to separate them.

"Ariel, get behind me. All of you, come here quickly!"

Bianca, gathering mana in her staff, stepped in front of Ariel to shield her.

Ariel, not understanding the sudden battle stance, looked confused.

"Sister, what's going on? Don't you know using skills here will attract enemies?"

"It's not about what I know, it's about what you don't. Do you even know who that woman is?"

"Who? She's… she's family, isn't she?"

"She is, but she's also the cause of this disaster!"

Ariel couldn't possibly doubt Vanessa, who wore a gentle smile.

Any suspicion would vanish the moment she was introduced as a family member.

However, Bianca couldn't stand the sight any longer.

"Cause of the disaster? That's too harsh, Bianca, especially after all this time."

"Shut up! You think I don't know what you've done? I heard everything on my way here!"

Bianca, filled with rage, pressed Vanessa, who remained calm and collected.

"Are you going to believe everything you hear from one side? You've never been rational since you were little. This isn't surprising."

"You planned to ruin the Kallos Empire with zombies. Do you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I don't know what you've heard, but that's not true. The Resistance unleashed the zombies. I was gathering information to stop them. This land is precious to our family."

"Enough of your lies…"

Bianca stopped talking, knowing she couldn't just eliminate Vanessa here.

Any commotion would attract zombies, and Vanessa, being a skilled necromancer, wouldn't be easy to deal with.

'I can't kill her now, but…'

Her priority was to thwart Vanessa's plans.

Just as Bianca was about to lead her comrades to Baron Velos, Ariel intervened.

"Sister Bianca! Why don't you believe your family?"

"Ariel? What are you talking about?"

As Ariel grabbed her arm and gazed at her, Bianca was momentarily speechless.

Ariel continued.

"I don't know what you heard on your way here, but shouldn't we trust Vanessa's words?"

"No, Ariel! I met someone who worked under Baron Velos, and they told me everything. Vanessa is behind this!"

"The real culprit is Baron Velos, who created the zombies. How can you trust the words of those who worked under him? They might be blaming others to hide their own wrongdoings."

"What are you saying!"

Phelps, the supposed villain, had saved her from being devoured by zombies.

Could she doubt someone who risked their life to save her?

She looked at Ariel in disbelief, but Ariel stood firm in her resolve.

At that moment, Bianca made a realization.

'You… You see this as an opportunity.'

Her inferiority complex towards Ian was eating away at Ariel.

The achievements of her brother, who succeeded in everything he touched, filled her with envy.

Bianca, having consoled Ariel in her struggles against Ian, knew this well.

'You don't want Ian to regain his strength because then you'd lose any hope of surpassing him.'

If Ian, whose sword was his greatest weapon, regained his strength, Ariel's competition with him would become meaningless.

Bianca suspected that Ariel's insistence on keeping Vanessa close was to prevent Ian from reclaiming his power.

'A hero who saved a city from disaster and rescued its citizens… that's the title she wants.'

At first, it might have been for her own sake, but now, that was far from Ariel's mind.

Confirming Bianca's suspicions, Ariel delivered her final verdict.

"Sister, I think something's wrong with you."

With that spark, Bianca's irritation towards Ariel intensified.

Despite thinking they were more than friends, Ariel only listened to others, blinded by her ambition.

"How foolish… how infuriating."

She closed her eyes and ears to her disgust and annoyance and walked away.

Ariel's voice calling out to her rang from behind her.

That was it. Ariel wasn't following her.

How far did she run…. Bianca had come to the room she had lived in as a child.

"…"

A place filled with memories and comfort, Bianca found no solace.

Instead, she was greeted by an ominous sight.

"Grrr!"

"Kyah!"

Numerous zombies, their eyes bloodshot and bodies oozing fluids, were staring at her.

Horrible monsters crowded the corridor, surrounding her.

Monsters that are absolutely terrifying… . It was overflowing.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Phelps."

She had vowed to fight, determined to protect, but now it seemed like the end.

If only she had known, perhaps it would have been wiser to stay close to Ariel, even if she disliked it.

"Hic…"

She felt a deep sadness. She thought she had found true allies after her family fell apart, but now, even those people were gone. There wasn't a single person she could rely on…

She felt like she was left all alone in the world.

Was it too much to wish for someone to rely on, someone to feel the warmth of family?

As she pondered this, watching the approaching zombies, a moment occurred.

– Why are you crying, sister? Do you want a hug?

A little girl with black hair and red eyes appeared before her.

The girl, looking about six years old, gazed at her with concern.

At that moment, Bianca regained her composure.

"Who are you…? This isn't the time for this. It's dangerous!"

– Huh? What is?

"There's no time to explain! Get behind me! Those things are dangerous!"

How could this child be here in the midst of all these zombies?

Was she a ghost? Was she hallucinating? Regardless, one thing was clear: she couldn't let this child die.

As she made up her mind and began to gather her mana, the little girl interrupted.

– No!

"Kid? It's dangerous!"

– This time, I promised I'd take care of those things! I won't back down, even for you! Just watch!

The girl stepped forward and extended her hand toward the monsters.

If one only saw her gesture, it would be hard to understand… but the result was different.

Crunch! Crack!

"Raaaah!"

"Grrr!"

Following the girl's hand, a giant hand materialized and began to crush the zombies.

The captured zombies were squeezed together, turned into blood clots, and fell to the ground.

Despite the extraordinary feat she had just performed, the girl turned around and smiled brightly.

– How was that? I'm amazing, right? I can beat up zombies too!

"You are amazing, … but it's hard to praise reckless behavior."

A wave of mixed emotions surged through her. Rationally, she knew she should scold the child for taking such a dangerous risk, but…

"Come here, let me give you a hug."

– Heehee, okay!

How could she scold such a small, precious child?

Just seeing her smile and hugging her seemed to heal Bianca's heart. She didn't want to make her feel downcast.

As she patted the child's head while she snuggled in her arms, Bianca carefully spoke.

"How did you get here? Where are your mom and dad?"

– Mom? Dad? They died a long time ago.

"Oh… I-I'm sorry… Is there anyone taking care of you now?"

– Yeah! He's really nice and handsome! He talked a lot about sister!

"About me?"

– Yep! He told me to help the woman with the purple hair if she was in danger! So I came here!

Someone had sent this girl to help her? Who could it be?

The girl mentioned a woman with purple hair.

This wasn't a common hair color, especially not in the empire. Although the Matip family was known for their ashen hair, she had dyed it an uncommon color to avoid the stigma of being fallen nobles.

'But in this territory, there shouldn't be anyone like that…'

Such a rare hair color in the empire, especially in the territory of Brookers, and even more unlikely within this mansion?

Then this girl must be talking about her.

'Who could it be…?'

Someone who knew about her, spoke about her a lot, and told the girl to protect her in danger.

As she was thinking about this, the girl suddenly exclaimed.

– Oh! Ian! Over here, over here!

"I-Ian? What did you just say?"

The name that came out of the girl's mouth was unexpected.

Startled, she turned her head to follow her gaze and saw him.

Step. Step.

A man was slowly approaching from the end of the corridor.

Tears welled up in her eyes from an inexplicable sense of relief. Ian spoke indifferently.

"Don't cry. Zombies are coming."

It was the moment she found someone she could rely on in this hell.

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