Chapter 202: Seventh Rank Blood

Chapter 202: 202: Seventh Rank Blood

"I will go to the Behemoth’s body."

Lucard looked toward the distant battlefield, where the enormous Nightfall Behemoth lay among the broken rocks. Even from here, he could sense the powerful blood remaining inside its corpse. The longer he waited, the more valuable energy would disappear, and he had no intention of wasting the opportunity.

Cedric followed his gaze. "You are going to absorb its blood now?"

"Yes. You two stay here and watch the egg. I will return after collecting everything useful from the body."

Elowen was still sitting beside the dead Crimson Sunwing. She had stopped crying for a moment, but her eyes remained red. When she heard Lucard speaking, she turned toward him.

"Are you going alone?"

"Yes."

"Is it safe?"

"The Behemoth is dead, Elowen. Unless you expect it to wake up and complain about being killed, there is nothing to worry about."

Cedric immediately raised his hand. "Actually, some powerful earth beasts can leave dangerous mana inside their bodies even after death."

Lucard turned toward him.

Cedric slowly lowered his hand. "I was only mentioning it."

"I know."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you seem interested in coming with me."

Cedric shook his head immediately. "Not at all. I am perfectly happy staying here."

Lucard looked toward the crimson egg. Its golden patterns were still glowing faintly, and the blood cradle beneath it remained stable.

"Keep the egg away from the ground. The protective fire mana is already weakening, and we do not know what will happen if it loses too much heat."

Elowen nodded seriously.

"I will take care of it."

Lucard then looked at Cedric.

"And do not let her wander around looking for injured animals."

Cedric smiled. "I will try."

Elowen looked offended. "I do not do that!"

Both men looked at her.

She remembered the injured unicorn, the Crimson Sunwing, and several other creatures she had worried about since entering the forest.

After a moment, she looked away.

"Not all the time."

Cedric laughed.

Lucard shook his head before walking toward the dead Behemoth.

He could hear Cedric saying something behind him, followed by Elowen’s annoyed reply. Their voices slowly disappeared as he moved through the broken forest.

Those two really have too much energy.

However, the faint smile that almost appeared on his face disappeared when he noticed it.

Why am I getting used to their foolish conversations?

Lucard frowned and continued walking.

He had more important things to consider.

The blood of a Seventh Rank beast was waiting for him.

After Lucard left, Cedric found a large fallen branch and placed it near the egg. He cleared the broken pieces of wood and sharp stones around it before sitting down.

Puff climbed out of his coat and approached the crimson shell.

The rabbit sniffed it carefully.

Then it immediately jumped backward.

Cedric laughed.

"What happened? Too hot for you?"

Puff puffed its cheeks and returned to him.

Elowen watched the rabbit for a moment. A small smile appeared on her face, but it did not last.

Her eyes moved toward the Crimson Sunwing.

The enormous bird lay completely still.

Its red feathers no longer burned, and the golden light that had once surrounded its body was gone. The bird that had fought against the Nightfall Behemoth with such power now looked strangely peaceful.

Elowen slowly stood and walked toward its head.

She placed her hand against one of the large red feathers.

The feather was still warm.

For some reason, that warmth made her chest hurt.

She remembered the bird struggling to push the egg out of its damaged belly. Even when it could barely move, it had continued trying to save its child.

Then she remembered the way the mother had looked at Lucard before dying.

Her eyes began filling with tears again.

Cedric noticed.

"Elowen?"

She did not answer.

Instead, she gently stroked the feather beneath her hand.

"My mother would have done the same thing," she whispered.

Cedric’s expression changed.

He stood and approached her slowly.

"What do you mean?"

Elowen remained silent for a moment.

Then she looked at him.

"My mother died one year ago."

Cedric stopped.

He had heard Elowen mention her mother before, especially when she spoke about the garden at Stoneford. However, he had not known that she had passed away so recently.

"I am sorry," he said quietly.

Elowen shook her head.

"You do not need to apologize."

She looked back at the Crimson Sunwing.

"When I was little, my mother always told me that I was too curious. I would run around the house, climb trees, and try to follow the guards whenever they went outside. Father would become angry, but Mother always protected me."

Cedric listened without interrupting.

Elowen continued, "Sometimes I would break something expensive. Father would ask who did it, and Mother would tell him that the servants had moved it by mistake. Afterward, she would take me to her room and scold me herself."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"She was not very good at being angry. Every time I started crying, she would hug me before finishing her lecture."

Cedric smiled slightly.

"She sounds like a kind person."

"She was."

Elowen sat beside the enormous bird.

Cedric sat a short distance away.

For a while, she remained quiet. Then she began speaking again.

"Do you remember the garden I told you about?"

"The one with the fountain?"

She nodded.

"My mother loved that garden. She planted most of the flowers herself. When I was younger, I used to follow her every morning. She would tell me the names of the flowers, but I always forgot them."

Cedric looked amused. "All of them?"

"Almost. I remembered the pretty ones."

"That sounds reasonable."

Elowen smiled.

"One day, I tried to catch a butterfly near the fountain. I leaned too far forward and fell into the water. I was not hurt, but I became frightened and started crying."

She paused.

"My mother jumped into the fountain before the guards could reach me. The water was not even deep enough to cover my head, but she did not care. She pulled me out and held me so tightly that I could barely breathe."

Cedric could imagine the scene.

A worried mother standing inside a garden fountain, holding her daughter while servants rushed around them.

"What happened afterward?"

"Father came running because someone told him I had fallen into the water. He was furious. But Mother became angry with him instead."

Elowen laughed softly through her tears.

"She told him that his daughter had almost drowned, and he was worrying about who was responsible."

Cedric shook his head with a smile.

"Your father probably did not know what to say."

"He did not. He just stood there while Mother carried me inside."

Elowen lowered her head again.

"She always did things like that. Whenever I was sick, she would stay beside my bed. Whenever I had nightmares, she would let me sleep with her. Even when I became older, she still treated me like a little girl."

Her voice became unsteady.

"Sometimes I complained about it."

Cedric looked at her.

Elowen wiped her eyes.

"I used to tell her that I was not a child anymore. I wanted her to stop worrying about every little thing. She would only smile and tell me that I would always be her daughter."

She looked toward the egg.

"Now I wish I could hear her say that again."

Cedric remained silent.

There was nothing useful he could say to make that feeling disappear.

Elowen continued after a while.

"When she became ill, I thought she would recover. Everyone told me she needed rest. I believed them because I wanted to believe them."

Tears began running down her cheeks.

"I kept bringing flowers to her room. Sometimes I would sit beside her and tell her about the garden. I thought that once she became better, we could go outside together again."

She pressed her hands against her eyes.

"But she never got better."

Cedric moved closer.

Elowen’s shoulders began trembling.

"During her final days, she was so weak that she could barely sit up. But whenever I visited, she still tried to smile. She would ask whether I had eaten and whether I was sleeping properly."

Her voice broke.

"Even when she was the one dying, she was still worrying about me."

Cedric gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Elowen looked at the dead Crimson Sunwing.

"When I saw this bird trying to save its egg, I remembered her. The bird knew it was dying, but it did not care about itself anymore. It only wanted its child to survive."

She could no longer hold back her tears.

"I miss my mother, Cedric."

Cedric moved beside her.

"I know."

"I miss her so much."

He hesitated for a moment before gently putting his arms around her.

Elowen immediately leaned against him.

Then she began crying harder.

Cedric did not try to stop her. He simply held her and let her cry.