Stigma Effect

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The sword that stabbed Yuriel pulled backwards. The monsters attacked the knight and quickly re-established the defense line, but it was already too late.

Yuriel’s body fell to the floor.

The monsters with Yuriel in the middle did not know what to do and moved together. They felt impatient as if they had a broken egg in front of them.

This is the end, Yuriel thought, putting her hand on her stomach.

She felt as if a weak fetal movement was happening at the tip of her finger. She wasn’t sure because her whole body was shaking like throbbing.

Thoughts continued sporadically. It felt like her thoughts were being erased because she couldn’t breathe properly.

She was worried about not seeing the High Priest die, but that thought vanished after a while.

She trusted that Baraha would handle it according to her will.

Anxiety and worry were washed away one by one, and only Raphlet’s face remained clear.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel felt a hand supporting her. Cold fingers touched her cheek. Even with her blurred vision, she recognized at once that it was Raphlet.

“Ugh….”

“It’s okay, it’s not too bad. It’s not serious, so…. don’t worry. It will be fine.”

Raphlet said as he covered Yuriel’s wounds with his coat. Yuriel groaned painfully as she received a hand pressing hard against her chest.

“It, hurts….”

“I’m sorry, hang in there.”

As she barely opened her lips, Raphlet calmed Yuriel in a calm voice. A weak finger touched the back of Raphlet’s hand.

“Do..n’t….”

It was close to a miracle that she was breathing like this.

To Yuriel, the miracle was not warmly welcomed. The reason she came here was to die.

The longer she lived, the longer she felt the pain.

They would one day discover that Raphlet was not the saint if she was still alive.

Knowing that he didn’t want children, she had no reason to live.

Yuriel pushed him away, meaninglessly blocking the wound. Raphlet tilted his head to Yuriel and said,

He ordered Yuriel in a firm tone.

“No, even if it hurts, endure it. You’re going to have the child, and you have to stay by my side.”

Yuriel’s body, which had been stretched without strength, shook. Seeing Yuriel’s reaction, Raphlet whispered to her over and over again.

“You wanted to have the child. Aren’t you wondering if the child will look like you or me?”

“The child….”

“Yuriel, I want it to be like you.”

Yuriel gave strength to the finger that touched the back of Raphlet’s hand.

As if he was waiting, he wrapped his other hand around Yuriel’s hand.

Immediately after mentioning the word ‘child’, Raphlet paused for a moment as if he had realized something.

The monster core, that is what is now in Yuriel’s body.

Raphlet, who had fallen into despair at the sight of a wound that an ordinary person could not survive from, thought of something.

Those who received the monster’s core had superior resilience compared to others. Although her heart was pierced, Yuriel was still alive.

So she was being affected by the monster core. The fact that Yuriel was pregnant couldn’t be more fortunate.

“It’s okay. If it’s my child, if you’re holding a monster…. You can be safe.”

Raphlet said with his eyes fixed on Yuriel.

It would be possible to restore Yuriel, but that’s the problem. He must create a comfortable place for her, the child, and Raphlet himself.

Raphlet’s eyes darkened.

All the knights here, the High Priest, and even his parents are all unhelpful beings.

What was helpful….

Raphlet confirmed the energy of the monsters protecting Yuriel.

Only the monsters were helpful.

“So, get some sleep. Then everything will be fine.”

Upon hearing Raphlet’s words, Yuriel moved her lips with difficulty. A pathetic smile formed on Yuriel’s face.

She had a sad face as if she had heard a friendly lie.

Yuriel followed his voice and closed her eyes.

Raphlet did not take his eyes off of Yuriel for a moment as she closed her eyes in disbelief.

He wished he had comforted Yuriel even with lies.

He lived his life wisely. He had to be more sincere and virtuous than others so that no one would discover his secrets. He suppressed his sensitive nature and forcibly pretended to be composed.

Nature did not disappear.

The destructive lust that Raphlet felt toward Yuriel changed the target, but it still remained.

It was very fortunate for Raphlet that it was aimed at people other than Yuriel.

After hearing the High Priest’s words, he realized what was the reason for his desire to destroy Yuriel.

Because Yuriel was the saint. Since the saint is a being who inevitably threatens monsters, he instinctively understood that she was a being that would harm him.

After she became pregnant, the desire for destruction towards Yuriel decreased significantly. Now, the desire to protect Yuriel was the only thing left.

Raphlet’s lust for destruction was directed at those who attacked Yuriel.

Yuriel had finally found a place where the desire that could not be released could be resolved.

What he needs is a nest.

A place where Yuriel can have peace of mind.

Raphlet grabbed Yuriel and stood up.

The monsters calmed down when the anxious monsters knew that the young was safe.

“… Commander Raphlet.”

After Yuriel collapsed, the battle fell into a lull.

The knights of Albraka, who had lost their target, were watching Raphlet’s actions. Raphlet’s surroundings as he was holding Yuriel was quiet.

The stillness was foreign.

Those who were watching Raphlet noticed where the alienation was coming from.

Like Yuriel, Raphlet was not attacked even though he was among the monsters.

The knights of Albraka stared blankly at the dreadful sight. They have seen such sights.

Monsters have a habit of taking the strongest individual as their leader. Even if another group appears, they gain the upper hand without fighting.

Just like the monsters who are now accepting Raphlet.

Raphlet moved Yuriel to a safe place and turned around.

The knights who saw Raphlet’s back, who had always been at the forefront, were now facing his face in battle.

The golden eyes seen under the magic lamp gleamed with murderous intent towards the knights.

＊＊＊

Yuriel slowly opened her eyes. The surrounding was quiet enough to hear the sound of snow falling.

The view of the snow pouring out of the window was peaceful. It was still before sunrise.

Watching the snowfall sometimes blurs reality and dreams.

It was the same this time. As if left alone, Yuriel woke up in a quiet room.

She was obviously stabbed in the chest and collapsed.

“Is it a dream?”

The feeling was different from the precognitive dream she usually had. Her precognitive dreams tormented her, leaving behind vivid afterimages even after waking from her dream.

She couldn’t wake up so peacefully on the day she had the precognitive dream.

Her body felt light as if her fatigue was completely relieved.

There was no chest wound either….

“It moved… ?”

She felt the fetal movement. Yuriel jumped out of bed.

“Madam told me to come to her as soon as the baby moved!”

The Grand Duchess immediately urged her to come and find her when she felt the fetal movement. This is an important moment to ensure that the baby is growing properly.

After leaving Raphlet’s room, Yuriel ran down the building that was quieter than usual.

Yuriel didn’t notice anything strange until the moment she put the key to the basement.

“… Madam, are you here?”

When she opened the door to the basement, a cold wind came in. Yuriel crouched in the cold wind and went down the stairs.

“This… what….”

Yuriel glanced around the room that became a mess with the ugly broken test containers.

“Was there an earthquake?”

Being careful not to step on the broken pieces, Yuriel inspected the laboratory.

If it hadn’t been for an earthquake last night, there wouldn’t have been such a mess. Yuriel looked around the laboratory anxiously and found a torn experiment log.

It was a journal in which the Grand Duchess recorded Yuriel’s condition.

Among the journals, the most important records were torn and burned, or a little bit of ashes remained on the floor.

It was not an earthquake.

Yuriel stopped examining the laboratory. As she frantically exited the laboratory, she stepped on the debris that had filled the laboratory.

A shard pierced her foot that was on thin slippers. There was some pain, but it went away quickly.

She didn’t even care that she was supposed to be hiding.

Yuriel felt the castle was strangely silent. Even at dawn, it was normal for servants to diligently go to and from the castle.

Yuriel looked at the snow-covered garden with a white face. There were no human footprints in the snow.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Lord Raphlet!”

Yuriel, who was walking around the large garden, headed towards the front gate with a sudden memory.

Yuriel stopped at the front gate.

The snow that had fallen overnight was piled up in a strange shape. A bulging snowball appeared as if covering a fallen person.