Chapter 26

"But you can't live with us. You must leave.

Esme had a dejected look after hearing his words but listened as Rio continued, "We will take care of your sister, but your mother isn't ready to trust you yet."

Esme took a deep breath as she decided to calm down. Though she was sad that she would be alone, the thought that her sister would be safe and taken care of made her happy. She trusted Rio and knew he had no reason to lie, as the only ones she talked about her sister with were Artemis, and hearing how Myra herself, who was Artemis's shadow, went to get her sister, she believed him.

"You don't have to worry about Erza. I will take care of her." Rio said.

"Why are you helping me? Don't you hate me for lying to you all this time." Esme asked, as she could not believe why Rio would go and ask Artemis for mercy on her behalf.

"Because I have a sister too. I love her more than anything in this world, and I would do anything to protect her, so I understand." Rio said as he put his hand in her hands.

A tear slid down her cheeks and fell on his hands. Esme tried to move her hands to stop her tears, but the chains tightened around her wrists, and a muffled groan escaped her mouth.

"I'm sorry." Esme said as Rio sent the guards who came inside away and told them not to come in until he called for them.

"There is something else you need to know, Esme. Which is the real reason why I helped you." Rio said in a serious tone, and Esme realized that too.

"When I was cursed, I wasn't saved by some blessing or purifying magic." Rio said, and Esme was surprised, as the only way to solve curses was by these two options, unless he _.

As soon as that thought crossed Esme's brain, she looked at Rio with wide eyes. And when Rio nodded his head, tears started rolling down her eyes as she asked, "Why? Why would you do that?"

Rio leaned back on his chair and said, "Because nothing else was working. The curse placed on me was strangely different from regular ones, so the usual methods did not work. And when I thought I would die, someone offered to save me, and I agreed. I know it was a trick, but I didn't want to die, not yet."

"Does Artemis know about it?" She asked, as she thought Rio had signed a contract with any trickster God*¹, who are known for tricking others and getting them as their followers.

_

*** [Trickster God]: A God whose every action is a trick or prank simply to entertain themselves. They are beings who have lived for eternity and have simply gotten bored with everything, so they do whatever the fuck they want.

They would trick people in desperate situations to sign weird contracts; they would give out nonsense blessings in life-or-death battles—whatever it is that can make them smile is doable for them.

They are not part of any faction, as they would destroy themselves if it looked fun.

_

"No, no one does, except you. I didn't want to make them worried." Rio said as he shook his head.

"What did they ask for in return?" Esme asked as no trickster God would ever do anything for free. She looked at him with pity, as she couldn't imagine what kind of messed-up deal God must have put in return for saving him.

Rio took a deep breath and said, "A life for a life. He wants me to kill someone."

"So, you're planning to kill me." Esme asked, thinking this was the reason Rio decided to free her from prison and promised to look after her sister.

But Rio's exasperated reaction as he stood up from his chair shocked her as she heard him say, "Never, I would never do that."

"Then who?" Esme asked as she was now confused.

Rio sat back down and continued, "They had given me a name, Noah Winston. Baron Misha's son, from Harendale City. They want him dead in one month's time. I don't have to tell you about the consequences if he survives." A small, defeated chuckle escaped his lips as he said the last sentence, and Esme could already imagine the details.

"What do you want, Rio?" Esme asked, as she is now confused with all the information that she learned. She felt weak and tired, first the torture, then the thought of leaving her sister behind and dying alone. Then, when she found out about her sister being free, she learned about Rio.

'If only I had protected you better. If I had confessed everything sooner. Why does it always happen to me? Why can't I just protect anyone close to me?'

Countless thoughts of blaming herself were going inside her head when she heard his voice, sweet yet pleading, "Will you help me, Esme?"

She looked at him as his eyes were getting wet, but ignoring that, Rio continued saying, "I can't tell anyone about this, and my mother won't let me go out alone. Will you help me just once? I promise I will do everything in my power to cure Erza and take care."

Esme tried to stand up, but the chains started tightening around her hands and feet, and some blood started coming out of her burned skin, but she ignored the pain and asked, "Cure her, is she ok? What happened to her?"

Rio looked at her in shock and then said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, I thought you knew."

"What happened to her?" She asked again, and this time Rio could see her eyes were getting red, and soon the chain around her neck started glowing and blood started coming out of her eyes, as she was forced to close her eyes again.

'Man, they sure were thorough in holding her. What did she escape from here in the novel, with all these chains and artifacts around her? Sigh, I would be dead if they had this much plot armor.'

Rio shook her head and said, "After she was made a slave, she was sent to work in the mana stone mines. Mother said that due to regular contact with light mana stones and not getting blood for supplements. She had been sick and diagnosed with RATTEN*²."

Ratten: A disease many vampires get afflicted with when they are exposed to light mana for a long time. Or weakness from not getting the blood or curse mana supplement over an extended period.

As time passes, it transforms them into undead who are mindless creatures, solely roaming for hunger and slaughter.

Ratten simply means rotten, which describes them perfectly. This disease can be cured in the initial stages but is said to be incurable after a long-time pass.

_

When Esme heard his words, she was shocked and scared. As she fell on her seat, tears continued to fall down her face.

Rio looked at her with pity in his eyes as he said, "You don't have to worry, Esme. I have already talked to my mother, and she agreed to help her when she learned that you helped me catch the real traitors."

"What are you talking about?" Esme asked as she could not understand a word he said.

Rio smiled a little and said, "When I was saved from the curse, THEY told me about the traitors in my house who knew curse magic. I told my mother that you helped me identify them, so in return she might help your sister Erza too. I will make sure of it."

Esme did not know what to say; she just looked at Rio's face, which still had that reassuring kind smile, and could not believe that even after learning about her years of betrayal and nearly dying, he was still thinking about her and her sister. It was then that she remembered that he too had asked for her help, but she got so engrossed in her sister's worry that she forgot about him.

She made a firm decision and said, "Thank you, Rio. I am sorry for everything. I did not want to, but I am sorry. I will help you. Leave it to me."

Hearing his words, Rio's smile widened, and he said, "Thank you, Esme. Maybe once everything is over, we'll all be together again."

"I would like that too." Esme said gratefully.

"Once I leave this room, they will come to release you, but for safety reasons, they will put a mana tracker in your body. I tried to tell them not to, but I hope you understand." Rio said, and Esme nodded.

As Rio walked towards the gate, he suddenly held his head and bowed down as a muffled groan of pain escaped his mouth. "Ummkhh"

Esme looked at him worriedly, surprised by this sudden reaction, but then he turned towards her and said, "They said that you should be careful when dealing with Noah. Do not take him lightly as a kid and go easy. He could have protection from some other gods, so only act when you are fully sure about it. You will only have one chance if you fail then. They need to see his body as an offering." Rio said, and without looking back at Esme, who had a surprised face, walked away. As he opened the door, he said, "I'm sorry for making you do this, Esme."

Esme watched as the door closed behind him and promised herself that she would finish her job as soon as possible to help Rio. She clenched her fists as she thought,

'Even if it's against God, I would do everything I can to protect you and my sister this time. I'll never fail anyone ever again.'

"We will meet again, Rio. This time I will be your shadow as my own wish."

_

While Esme was determined to save Rio from this tricky God's clutches, he was walking towards his room thinking about what to eat during lunch.

'That went better than I expected.'

'Looking at her expressions, I guess I don't have to worry about Noah now.'

'RIP prophet. Live well in some other world.'

_