Chapter 216: I’m Your Fan!
Pain flooded Grey Dove’s nerves. She struggled to endure the agony from her broken fingers and tried to grip something again—
Then she saw her.
She saw that red cloak. She saw the person she had always wanted to meet again, her idol.
There was no need to fake it. That person truly was like this.
The feeling that washed over her, fear and coldness, like facing death itself.
Yes… just like that.
Just seeing that cloak was enough—
Huff...
Haha...
“My... my god...!”
She stretched out her arms as if to receive a blessing from the divine. But her hands were too damaged to hold anything.
…It hurt. It hurt so much.
But it didn’t matter.
Because she had seen her god.
She, her Red Crow, had healed everything just by appearing…!
Of course, inside the House of Nightingale, they had special medicine that could quickly heal wounds like this.
But sadly, Grey Dove didn’t bring any of it with her. If she had, she would’ve jumped into the medicine bath right away and cleaned herself up to respectfully face her god.
But even so, she could not hug her.
Even if she had hands, she could not touch her.
Red Crow was holy and pure, someone “we” were not worthy of touching.
Because she is my god! That one person above all, that one person untouched by the mortal world!
No one should touch her. No one should imagine her however they want!
But now—
“Red Crow... why have you...?”
Why have you become a pink-haired woman?
Even though she was still incredibly beautiful…
Even with that soft pink color, she still looked so cold and powerful.
As expected, this is truly Red Crow.
So now, should I dye my hair pink too? I must become more like my god…!
Grey Dove could accept Evelia’s new appearance. But that didn’t mean she fully understood it right away.
Maybe because of her already unstable mind, when she realized that the pink-haired woman was Red Crow, she was only surprised for a second. After that, she didn’t think too hard about it.
For someone like her, who already saw the world differently, something “abnormal” like this felt strangely normal.
She could accept any form Red Crow took. Why? Because she worshipped Red Crow.
What she admired most was Red Crow’s cold, noble nature. So no matter what Red Crow looked like or how she changed—
As long as she was still Red Crow, Grey Dove would fully accept her and stay just as obsessed and devoted.
She was a die-hard fan, in the truest sense of the word.
CLANG!!
But Red Crow didn’t care about things like that. Actually, she had never cared about anyone. Except now, for her “family.”
Evelia's short blade slammed down. While pinning Grey Dove to the ground, she cut a scar across her face, like a mark of revenge.
“Huff… hehe…!”
It didn’t hurt that much, but it felt so satisfying.
“Now I have the same scar as you, Red Crow… hehe… heehee… This is your blessing, isn’t it?”
“......”
Even though Evelia had met all kinds of mission targets before, seeing the excited expression on Grey Dove’s face made her break out in goosebumps.
She suddenly felt a little sick…
“Who are you?”
Evelia grabbed the dagger that was stuck in the ground. The sharp sound it made against the hard ground rang loudly in Grey Dove’s ears, like a strong warning.
She had to figure out who this girl was.
Evelia didn’t understand why this girl’s attitude had suddenly changed so much, but she was sure of one thing. This girl was definitely involved in everything that had happened. Maybe she even planned it.
She had to know where Rachel had been taken.
I must find my family...
“Red Crow! I’m your biggest fan!”
Grey Dove shouted with no attempt to hide her excitement. Her red face lit up like she was meeting her favorite idol. She looked almost crazy, as if she wanted to carve every little detail of Evelia into her memory.
“...?” Evelia didn’t understand.
As Red Crow, she had always worked alone. The only person she remembered clearly was the second prince.
Sure, when she first met Armand, she had kept telling him to remember her name. At the time, she even thought he might have some sort of developmental issue for not remembering such a simple name.
But in truth, Evelia herself also didn’t remember other people’s names.
Unlike Armand, whose health was getting worse and made him forget things even if he wanted to remember them, Evelia just didn’t bother trying to remember unimportant people.
Her brain worked in a very special way. If she wanted to remember something, she would remember it perfectly. If she thought something was unimportant or pointless, she’d forget it right away. Even if she had just listened seriously a second ago.
So in her memory, there was nothing about this red-haired girl. Because she had no reason to remember her.
Still, if Evelia knew about Armand’s health, and remembered how rude she was when they first met, she’d probably wake up in the middle of the night and mutter, “Ugh, I’m the worst.”
Who would have thought that the proud, powerful-looking leader of the Knights was actually a sickly guy?
“Red Crow, it’s me, Grey Dove!”
Grey Dove, trembling with excitement, waved her hands, even though her fingers were broken.
She made a few quick gestures to tell Evelia to wait. Then, even while shaking from pain, she pulled out her gray-and-black cloak and threw it over herself. It was like a child proudly showing something to their parent.
“Look, Red Crow!”
Even though the cloak slightly distorted her voice, her excitement still came through loud and clear.
“It’s me! It’s me! I’m your fan, your follower, your Grey Dove!”
Even with her face covered by the cloak, Evelia felt like she could still see her glowing eyes full of joy.
Evelia frowned and paused for a moment, still holding the dagger.
…She felt like something was familiar.
That gray cloak, she had seen it before. It was during a mission report near the second prince.
That thing couldn’t be faked.
But… everything else?
She had no memory at all. Because she never paid attention to others.
“You’re from... House of Nightingale?”
She might be a comrade?
Since she worked for the second prince and had a codename, she was likely one of Red Crow’s teammates.
“Yes! It’s me, it’s really me! Red Crow... my Lady Furst, you finally remember me!”
Furst? That name sounded very familiar.
Where had she heard it before? It was so familiar…
Someone used to say that name often. Ah, no, it was given by that person.
That name… was something he used to say all the time, almost like a nickname full of affection...
But it should have been forgotten. That name shouldn’t appear again.
Her mind told her, this was a very familiar name, but it was also a name that should have been thrown away.
It should have been forgotten, erased from memory. That disgusting past—
Ah… that’s right. That name was—
“Red Crow, are you on a mission right now?”
Grey Dove’s voice echoed in Evelia’s ears, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Now that Evelia realized Grey Dove was on the same side as her, her attitude became a little more relaxed.
Since they were both working for the second prince, if Grey Dove had done something questionable, there must have been a reason.
Evelia wanted to find her family, but she still didn’t dare to fully go against the second prince’s will.
“You don’t need to know.”
Even though they were allies, Evelia had no intention of sharing her mission. Other than herself and the second prince, no one else should know about it.
“Just tell me, where is Rachel?”
“Rachel? Ah, right, that child’s name…”
Grey Dove smiled as she stood up from the ground.
“That child was indeed taken by us. But if she’s someone you, Red Crow, want… hehehe… then, please follow me, my goddess… Come to our home and sit with us. It will shine with your presence… heehee…”
Just the thought of Red Crow visiting her place made Grey Dove act crazy again. It wasn’t enough just to see her, now she could bring her home, sit on the same couch as her!
Huff… heehee… hahaha—
My goddess is coming to my home…!
“...Lead the way.”
Now that she had found where Rachel was, Evelia didn’t waste any more time. She didn’t care about this obviously unwell girl anymore.
All Evelia wanted now was to find Rachel, make sure she was safe, and then figure out what to do next.
“Of course, of course! It’s my honor, Red Crow! But before that… please give me some of your clothes. Anything you’re wearing now will do, heehee…”
“Clothes?”
“Yes, clothes.”
Grey Dove, excited, reached out with her damaged hands.
“I want to make sure no one follows us. I want to make that person give up and stop bothering us. He needs to give up hope… Red Crow…”
Grey Dove looked forward to being alone with her idol. She wouldn’t actually do anything, just sitting quietly and watching would already make her deeply satisfied.
That cold, deathly aura coming from Evelia, that was what Grey Dove loved the most.
If Evelia truly gave her some clothes, Grey Dove would take the usable part, then cut off a small piece just for herself, frame it in glass, and worship it like a treasure.
“You mean the one I’m wearing right now?”
“Yes, that one—oh! Of course! I won’t look, Red Crow! You just need to hand it to me!”
As she spoke, Grey Dove quickly turned around, waiting for Evelia to give her the slightly worn piece of clothing.
………………………………………
Meanwhile, in another place—
Rachel slowly opened her eyes as everything around her shook slightly.
“Ugh...”
She felt dizzy and sick. Even just opening her eyes and seeing sunlight made her uncomfortable.
Based on how she felt, Rachel figured she must’ve been injected with a strong dose of anesthesia.
What a bunch of lunatics…
Rachel could only curse them in her head, because she didn’t even have the strength to move her mouth.
All she remembered was that she had been running out of the alley. After struggling to find her way through that maze-like path, she had finally seen light up ahead. But then, a sharp pain suddenly hit her back.
Right after that, her mind started going blurry fast. Even when she fell and hit her chin on the ground, she couldn’t feel any pain.
Ugh… damn it…
She was so close to escaping…
Realizing this made Rachel understand something. Her whole escape had been nothing more than a game.
Someone was playing with her like a dog, just for fun. And when she finally earned a slim chance to survive…
They crushed it in an instant.
Back when Rachel made this body, she had designed it to be as close as possible to an ordinary human. Because she wanted to experience the feeling of raising and growing something.
But no matter how close it was, current alchemy still couldn’t completely copy a real human’s nerves and body. So no matter what, this body still had some “enhanced alchemy features.”
That’s probably why, even after being hit with such a strong anesthetic, Rachel still managed to wake up halfway through, even though the motion made her feel sick.
A carriage…?
This bumpy feeling... it had to be a carriage...
This kind of kidnapping is way over the line. If she were a normal child, she probably wouldn’t have woken up at all. With this kind of dose, it might’ve even killed her.
What, did they give her something meant for cattle?!
“Oh my, little one, you’re awake?”
“...?”
Just as Rachel was still half-unconscious and too tired to even open her eyes, a gentle woman’s voice came from beside her.
“Cyan Hawk, look! She woke up! See, I told you that dosage would be fine~”
The voice came from near her ear. That’s when Rachel realized that she was lying on someone’s lap.
She also noticed a cloak, familiar fabric. Though at this point, even her cheek was so numb that she couldn’t feel it resting there.
“Lucky brat.”
A man’s voice came from the other side.
“Why bother playing along with Grey Dove’s weird obsession? We don’t exactly have time to waste, and now we’re stuck handling the delivery.”
The man’s voice was full of annoyance and scolding.
“Well, I’m everyone’s ‘big sister,’ you know~ So I have to help make their wishes come true. Besides, Grey Dove told me this child’s father is not someone to mess with.”
“You’re just making more trouble for us.”
“Don’t be so harsh~”
The woman’s tone was completely different, soft and teasing, like it could make your ears itch.
“Ugh…”
Rachel forced herself to move and turned to look at the woman.
“Hello, little one.”
Rachel was mentally awake now, but her body was still very weak. She looked around groggily, then used all her strength to roll over and lift her head to see the woman holding her so gently.
“Nice to meet you. I don’t know if we’ll be friends in the future, but for now, you can call me—‘Blue Sparrow’.”
When Rachel heard that name, her heart dropped.
Red Crow, Grey Dove, Cyan Hawk, Blue Sparrow…
What kind of bird nest did I fall into?!
Please, House of Nightingale!
Stay away from me!