SHK CH 455 (Patreon)

When Setsuna woke up, she was greeted with the scene of Sol with Lilin sitting between his legs with her back against him and Sol braiding her hair carefully.

“Are you awake? How do you feel?”

Sol looked at her with a gentle smile and beckoned her toward him. Standing up, Setsuna realized that all her clothes had been reduced to rags during her fight and that she was currently in her birthday suit. Sol had woven something with mana to cover her while she was asleep but it seemed like he had not judged it useful to make clothes for her.

Setsuna snorted, not feeling particularly bothered. She had run naked and bloody in the forest and currently, she was in front of Lilin and Sol, there was nothing to feel ashamed of.

“I am alright, I guess?”

She sighed and approached Sol, her tail swinging lazily behind her. “I just feel like my body isn’t my own currently.”

“It’s alright. Your evolution to Duke rank caused transformations within your soul and also affected your bloodline. In a way, I believe you evolved greatly and is on the VERGE of becoming a S rank.”

S rank or in other words, a divine beasts. Setsuna still couldn’t believe that this was happening.

She had been so distraught at the thought of being unable to reach this rank but now, not only did she obtain one of the most powerful zones possible, she also managed to evolve.

“Kali will be happy.”

Kali was the one who taught her how she should stop underestimating elements and how they could be linked with the power of laws and concepts. She was also the one who taught her the meaning of the name Setsuna. Which was an integral part of her evolution.

“Yeah. She really did a good job on this case. Perhaps I should give her some vacation.”

The two continued to speak while Lilin looked at them with a deadpan expression. In the end, she simply shook her head and looked at Setsuna.

“When Sol asked how you feel….He wasn’t just talking about your new power.”

“...”

“...”

“I am alright.”

“If you are going to spout a lie, at least you should make the effort of making it more believable you know?”

“...Then, what do you want me to say? That I feel awful? That I am confused about how I am suddenly Blessed? That I dreamed of Ayame and even now can see images of her body breaking down. That I feel angry and helpless?”

Setsuna’s voice grew a little hoarse toward the end and her eyes reddened a little. Both Lilin and Sol came to her side and took her in their arms, causing Setsuna to be sandwiched in their hugs.

“Yes. I want you to tell us everything you feel. There shouldn’t be any secrets between us. Secret fester and cause pain. Having someone to share your burden with is a good thing.”

Even as she said so, she looked at Setsuna but also directed a look at Sol, making clear that her words were not only directed to the vulpine woman.

Sol understood well the hidden meaning in her words. It seemed like his actions during the last few days had made them worried. This was in no way his intention.

Still, now wasn’t the time.

“Sol…Could you accompany me in burying her?”

Sol nodded. “I knew you would want to do it.”

He walked to the tree and grabbed the sword that was used by Ayame. At the same time, he moved his hand and what looked like a closed vase appeared.

“Her ashes are in it.”

He gave the two to Setsuna who bowed gracefully. Her eyes were reddening a little.

A cloak of mana appeared and covered her body as she began to walk toward the clearing where she fought Ayame.

Even now, it was easy to see the devastation that this fight had been, but none of them paid attention to it.

Walking up to the place where Ayame scattered in the wind, Lilin took Ayame’s sword and placed it softly on the ground before kneeling in dogeza with her forehead touching the ground.

‘Ayame, the two of us may have walked different roads, but we had the same objectives.’

Setsuna closed her eyes. She did not know where Ayame’s soul was. Most likely at the end of the Goddess of Destruction or perhaps just reduced to nothing like her body.

It was hard to say. But it was alright.

‘Thank you for everything you did for me.’

She was a woman who fought to her death with the sole goal to keep Setsuna alive. She had once been her teacher, her friend, and her sister all, at the same time. Even at the verge of death, she sold her soul, not because she was greedy for life, but because she wanted to avenge her father.

Raising herself up, she took the sword back and slowly unsheathed it.

“I make you three promises.”

A beautiful sound flowed and the blade reflected the light of the moonlight.

“One, I will without a doubt, use this sword to draw the blood of the usurper.”

She placed the sword above her wrist and slashed down, causing her own blood to start flowing.

“Two, I will bury your ashes in the royal cemetery of our country.”

Her blood flowed red, with a hint of gold.

“As for the last one, I will soon sit on the throne that is rightfully mine. This, I solemnly swear.”

And so a wolf swore under the moonlight.

(AN: I have sad news(for me mostly). WN did a new update that basically took away all the links made in non-exclusive stories. This isn’t just something like censoring but outright erasing them all. You can go to my main page on WN with Son of the Hero King and take a look. So yeah, it's a little complicated. Anyways I am trying to test something to see how the new regulation can be avoided. Let’s see if this works.

Link 1: —> https://www.patreon.com/HikaruGenji

Link 2: —-> patreon.com/HikaruGenji

Link 3: —---> patreon.  com/Hikaru Genji

Link 4: —--> https://  www.  patreon.  com/HikaruGenji

link 5: —---> https://  www.   patreon dot com/HikaruGenji

Let's see which of the 5 links get erased.