Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume14 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 2===


Lilyhowell Kilmister had made her appearance together with Neto the Avenger at Taishyuu High, intending to defeat Nirushaaki. However, it turned out to be a trap of misinformation laid by Nirshaaki, resulting in Lilyhowell escaping with an auxiliary in defeat. That was the extent of the information that Haruaki's faction knew first hand.

However, they had also obtained further information indirectly later on. Yesterday, Un Izoey had also mentioned the Knights Dominion slightly. The tool used for erasing Konoha's memory had originally belonged to the Dominion. Nirushaaki had lured them to Taishyuu High because she wanted to steal that tool. After Lilyhowell and the auxiliary fled the school, Nirushaaki had robbed them directly.

Haruaki recalled facing off against her during the previous incident.

The head of lustrous blonde hair, tied behind her head in a ponytail. A gallant and dignified expression on her face at all times. Silver-white armor that seemed to symbolize nobility and purity. The greatsword designed only for the purpose of breaking Wathes. Lilyhowell was indeed an enemy, but she was also a woman whose image was that of a "knight among knights," as though forbidding all deviations from the right path, as though scornful of cowardice and underhandedness.

However, she was no longer the same, whether in appearance or the atmosphere around her.
[[image:C3 14-093.jpg|thumb]]

With her hair untied, her whole person exuded an air of disorder. Even the blonde hair looked slightly dull. Was it soiled from dust and dirt?

Indeed, her entire person was filthy. The piece of fabric originally wrapped around her was probably a cape, but due to excessive filth, it looked like a rag.

The silver-white armor on her body had also lost its shine, currently exhibiting a dull luster like that of scrap metal&mdash;More precisely, the remaining half. The armor equipped on her was missing its top half while the breechcloth was also riddled with many large tears. On her upper body, she was wearing a fitted, long-sleeved garment similar to what one would wear as underwear beneath armor. Furthermore, there were a number of belts wrapped around her upper torso, horizontally and diagonally, squeezing the distinct curves of the bulging bosom beneath her underwear, drawing further attention to it.

And all of those belts were&mdash;

Sword straps.

Noticing the many silhouettes protruding from behind her, it took a moment before Haruaki realized those were sword straps.

Many scabbards and hilts could be seen behind Lilyhowell's back. Carried crisscrossed on her back, the number was unbelievable&mdash;four swords each on her right and her left, plus one more placed upright. Her entire body's silhouette seemed like a joke, even to the point of resembling a Buddha statue to some extent.

But among the many scabbards on her back, only one of them was empty.

The sword kept in it was currently in her hand.

Still dripping with fresh blood at the moment, it was a golden longsword. The grandeur of its design was no less than its own luster with ring-like decorations on the grip while a serpentine pattern was engraved along the blade itself.

Fear glared at the weapon, took a deep breath and yelled:

"I remember you're called Lilyhowell, right...? Why? Why did you kill that guy!?"

"..."

"Answer me! Why did you kill him!? There's clearly no need to do that!"

Lilyhowell took a step towards the garden while looking at Fear.

Her expression seemed to convey "no other way" as well as annoyance, seeming to say that she was answering only because Fear was forcing her to answer. Robotically as though someone had pressed a switch, she spoke listlessly as though without her own will:

"He was simply in the way after his purpose was served."

"...!"

Hearing such a cruel answer, Fear gritted her teeth hard and frowned.

Haruaki also felt intensely conflicted after hearing her words.

Something's wrong. Right, compared to back then, the most different thing about her is&mdash;

Her expression.

Her eyes&mdash;gloomy, dark, dismal, bitter. Her gaze simply harbored silent darkness, as though looking towards somewhere not present or perhaps nowhere at all. Her expression was virtually constant, with her former awe-inspiring dignity replaced by an air of somewhat intangible nihility.

Her eyes were not like this in the past. None of this air of intangible nihility. Back then, Haruaki did not believe she was someone who could kill an ordinary person without blinking an eye.

What had happened to her? What had changed her?

Lilyhowell advanced without hurrying. She stepped into the garden where there were many unconscious humans on the verge of death, all covered in blood. Approaching them step by step&mdash;

"Purpose... you say?"

"What exactly is their purpose? Absolutely ridiculous..."

"Yeah, I really don't get what's going on."

Haruaki's group commented while retreating slightly. This was for restraining Fear, who was leaning against Haruaki's shoulder but about to rush forward any moment, as well as because they noticed that Lilyhowell's steps were not directly straight at them.

"I know this is evil. But I must do it. That is all."

Lilyhowell slowly walked past Haruaki's group while lightly raising the golden longsword in her hand up high. Her gloomy gaze was fixed ahead. Speaking in a tone of indifference, she murmured lifelessly:

"This Wathe, the «Calamitous Sword of Sigarsholm», is a cursed sword that absorbs terror from the surroundings to serve as energy. I gathered these men only for this purpose..."

"What did you say!? So&mdash;you meant to incite these ignorant guys and make them flee all over the place!?"

"Indeed. They have worked for me in accordance to the sums I have paid them."

Haruaki was shocked.

Allowing them to attack Nirushaaki's group in total ignorance. Forcing them into a gap between life and death. Some even lost limbs or their lives. However, her goal was simply producing terror in their hearts, all this was for that purpose? Only for the sake of allowing her sword to absorb energy?

Too inhumane. This abhorrent behavior treated humans as nothing more than objects.

A righteous knight would absolutely not do something so demonic.

"You... weren't like this before, right? Why did you become like this?"

"...Why?"

Lilyhowell halted.

Probably not for answering Haruaki's question but simply because the timing coincided. Just at that moment, she happened to arrive at her destination. In other words, she had finally arrived before the group of people who had been watching the latest developments with interest.

"If you ask me why, the answer was long decided ago."

Murmuring quietly as though to herself, Lilyhowell slowly looked up. Gripping the sword tightly in her fist, she inhaled forcefully as though taking a deep breath.

"One, to avenge her. Two, to atone for my sins..."

Only in this instant was defiinte power infused into her eyes that were filled with hollow darkness. A stern power, gloomy and terrifying, pierced the being in front of her gaze.

"That is all&mdash;All this is to kill you! Nirushaaki!"

Upon hearing Lilyhowell&mdash;

"The live prey I released... has finally caught up? Returning grown up and matured." 

Nirushaaki smiled, overjoyed.