Sin of Greed

CHAPTER 8

Few days have passed since Mago arrived at the Hummingbird manor, and tomorrow will be a very big and busy day, because tomorrow is his long-awaited assessment.

After the dinner Mago said to them that he will take rest earlier than usual to condition his mind and body. Elizabeth’s family understood and bead their goodnights.

Mago lied down on the soft warm bed. As he closed his eyes and tried to sleep a sudden knock on the door echoed in his room.

“Mago, are you still awake?” A gentle sweet voice said, he knew who it was and he immediately sat up.

“Yes, come in!” He said.

When the door opened it reveal the same young lady he saved, that was nearly robbed a while ago. She closed the door behind her with a small click sound of lock.

Mago was confused when he heard her locked the door.

‘Maybe she’s going to tell me something important. I guess?’

Elizabeth only stood there biting her lips with a bright blush but Mago couldn’t notice it due to their only source of light is the dim moonlight that shines in his current room.

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Mago asked full of confusion.

“T-Tomorrow…” She trailed. “Tomorrow will be your assessment and tonight will be your last night here.”

Mago get a hunch of what she’s trying to say, so he tried to calm her down by saying that everything will be alright and he will be safe.

But in an instant, he found himself lying on the bed with Elizabeth on top of him, straddling his waist and her hands on each side of his head.

“E-Elizabeth…?” Mago asked as he tried to take a look on her eyes.

“W-will you come back to me?” She asked staring intently at Mago as her eyes mirrored his surprised face.

“Of course, after I become a knight, I will visit you every now and then okay?” Nonetheless Mago said with a smile to hide the distress he’s feeling.

“That’s not what I meant!” Elizabeth said gripping the sheets under her palms.

Mago’s eyes widen at her sudden outburst but he tried to smile until he felt her leaning into him. Mago was hit by realization to what Elizabeth was doing.

He stopped her by grabbing her shoulders as their lips were few centimeters away.

“Why?” She asked in a soft tone, almost a whisper.

“I have already someone.” Mago gently pushed her away from his face.

“She’s just a dream! She’s not real! I am here, I am the one you need. I can be brave and bold! I can be anything you want me to be! So why?!” Elizabeth raised her voice pulling the sheets due to her anger and frustration.

“I’m sorry.” Mago only muttered. He can feel her frustration and confronting her won’t do any good to both of them.

Elizabeth’s eyes turn cold and deadly. She harshly gritted her teeth, “if you can’t be mine… Then no one will have you.” She said as she pulled a knife from under the frilly skirt of her night gown.

As Elizabeth raised the knife above her head, Mago swiftly grabbed her hands and flipped them both. Mago is on top of Elizabeth pinning her hands just above her head and took the knife out from her grasp.

“Stop it! Elizabeth!” Mago yelled. But as soon as he gets the knife from her, someone broke the large window and enter the room uninvited. Mago’s and Elizabeth’s eye widen as they saw who entered the room.

“P-pardon for the i-intrusion.” Said by a gentle stuttering voice.

Mago can’t decipher every details of those persons but he is sure that there is a woman and another man. The broken pieces of the glass crunched beneath their feet as they walk.

“Ohh! She got another victim!” Said loudly by the woman who seems to be more animalistic and carefree than the other two.

Mago was taken aback when he heard the lady, because the moment the intruders enter, he felt three presence at once. But the voice who called for intrusion is not the same voice as the loud woman.

“W-we need to get t-this done as quiet as possible Merleona. S-Sol is waiting for us.” A timid woman spoke as she tried to quiet down the beastly lady that Mago concluded to be Merleona.

This time she removed a strange cloak and revealed herself.

“Booooringgg… Come on Luna, let’s have some fun once in a while!” Merleona said carelessly as if Mago and Elizabeth are not with them. Soon his eyes landed on another lady Merleona called Luna.

“But…”

“It’s fine! Sol won’t get angry if we’re going to be late by a minute of two!” Merleona swung her arms around Luna’s shoulder.

“No! We need to get it done quietly and swiftly!” Luna said this time without stuttering, as she put her fist on her waist and gently push Merleona’s face.

“See! You should always get hyped up! When you’re angry you don’t stutter. Am I right Yvan?” Merleona elbowed and grinned at the tall man, whom she called Yvan.

“Yes, yes you’re right Merleona.” Yvan said as he pats the head of Merleona leaving her ears twitching because of happiness. “Let’s finish this up.”

As Yvan walks up to grab Mago, he immediately stood up and swat his hand pointing the knife to the three of them. While Elizabeth runs behind him.

“Elizabeth, run as fast as you can outside while I hold them off.” Mago said as he instructs Elizabeth on what she should do.

“U-understood.” Elizabeth stuttered.

Merleona was so confused. “Huh? What’s wrong with this guy?”

“Should I be asking you that? Attacking an innocent girl just because they’re wealthy?!” Mago returned the question.

When Elizabeth started to run, Merleona lunged forward stretching her hand to grab her but Mago swiftly swung the knife at her but she managed to put her arm up to defend herself.

Mago was so confused and astounded because the sharp knife did nothing on her arm.

‘Her skin is tough!’

Merleona maliciously grinned, baring her fangs she bit the knife. She broke it so easily using only her bare teeth.

Merleona points her forefinger to her other two comrades, “you two get the kid! I’ll just play a little with this man.” She said her sick smile is widening.

“I’ll go get her mom and old pops.” Yvan said and walk out of the room.

“F-finish it quickly, okay?” Luna stuttered as she followed Yvan outside to find the girl.

Grinning, Merleona said. “You sure got some guts to face me kid!”

Mago knew he can’t win against this beastly woman without any weapon. And his sword is currently beside the bed which is particularly behind the her.

Mago tried to distract her by asking question. “What do you want!”

“What we want? We want… Change!” Merleona yelled as she attacked Mago, but he swiftly ducked and rolled just behind the woman making their position reciprocate.

“Change?! You don’t want change! What you want is bloodbath and you will not achieve ‘change’ from it!” Mago yelled as he pulled out the dented sword of his late grandfather from the sheath.

“You know nothing…” Merleona gritted her teeth saying “They owed our lives, and now I’ll own their souls!”

Merleona attacks Mago faster than before barely defending himself he was thrown to the outside due to the force and pressure along with the pieces of broken walls and glasses.

Mago landed near in a shack, he felt her heavy punch on his whole body. He forced himself to stand up but the pain is too much for him to bear.

His eyes are squinting due to the pain, but he still managed to see the figure of the beastly woman walking up to him, emerging from the clouds of dusts.

“Merleona, you’re overdoing it again.” Yvan said.

Mago didn’t realize that he fell where other of her comrades currently talking. A sudden realization hit him making his eyes widen.

‘Elizabeth!’

“If you’re looking for the girl, she right there.” Yvan said pointing at the beaten and tied up girl lying on the other side, not too far away from him.

“What the hell is wrong with you! She did nothing why are you doing this to her?!” Mago yelled, he tried to crawl his way to the girl but he was kicked by Merleona.

Mago yelled as he dropped on his side, clenching his stomach from the pain of Merleona’s kick.

‘What’s with this woman? She’s insanely strong!'

Merleona kneeled down and forcefully lift Mago’s head till their eyes by grabbing his hair. “Why are you so persistent on saving this b***h, she just tried to kill you isn’t she?” She looked at him dead in the eyes, not showing any sign of remorse.

Mago couldn’t answer her because she telling the truth.

“Give him a break. He doesn’t know anything.” Yvan said nonchalantly making Merleona loosen her grip on him.

“Why… Why are you so pent up on killing her? She’s just as human as we are.” Mago said through his greeted teeth. “There is no creature far more worst than you are, killing innocent people. You soulless creatures! You should be the one who suffered not her!”

“Human? Innocent? Look, is that what innocent humans do?” Merleona look at a certain place, when Mago glanced at where she’s looking, he found himself staring inside the shack.

“Is this your definition of innocent?” She said. Yvan and Luna didn’t say anything, their heads just kept hanging low.

Mago’s eyes are wide as saucers as he saw clearly what’s inside. Dead people are gruesomely hanging inside. Some are being eaten by the rats, their blood produces the same stench he smelled long ago.

There are bodies that were burned and skinned. Some are even missing their parts such as tongues, eyes, and limbs.

Merleona walked inside the shack, not caring about the foul smell of rotting bodies and bloods. She one by one untied the hanging bodies and laid them on the ground.

Without saying a word, she put her hand on the still-opened eyes of one of the victims and pulled it down to close it.

She said while caressing the tear-stained cheeks of a dead boy. “If this what it means to be innocent, then I don’t want any part your innocence.”

“May your soul find peace.” Luna clasped her hands and whispered her prayers.

Merleona suddenly halt from what she’s doing when she heard a pained yet mocking laugh of a certain girl. She looked behind her shoulders with menacing glare.

“Is this funny to you? Is killing makes you that happy? Is taking lives… is it just a joke to you?” Merleona said with her voice cracking.

She gritted her teeth trying to suppress the tears of anger that slowly building up on her eyes.

“Stop playing heroes, you goodie-two-shoes… bastards!” Elizabeth cursed coughing up some blood as she remained lying on the ground. “Pigs are meant to be slaughtered!”

Yvan couldn’t contain his anger anymore. He harshly stepped on the mouth of Elizabeth and said “You have the audacity to call them pigs yet you belong to much lower grade of swine.” He then grinds his shoes on her mouth making her lips bleed more.

“You will pay for this… You will for this when my father heard about you!” Elizabeth yelled through maffled voice.

“I don’t like hurting kids so please don’t speak anymore, you’re only making it hard for me.” Yvan said not sparing her a glance.

“Yeah, you better tell him yourself.” Luna said and throw two severe heads in front of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth’s cries echoed through the entire manor. Seeing the severe heads of her parents is something that made her mind jump between the thin line of sanity and madness.

Bawls of madness rang through their ears. “Father! Mother! Father! Mother!” She could only wail, repeatedly calling her parents.

Writhing under the foot of Yvan, she crawled using her chin to go to the head of his father. “No, no, no, no, this can’t be happening, no…” She mumbled slowly losing her sanity.

“That’s right… feel the pain. Embrace it… Isn’t it delicious? Let the taste of your own medicine soaked your soul.” Merleona whispered as she looked down on her with her eyes full of blazing hatred.

She looked down at her with her eyes holding grudge that is deeper than the deepest part of the deepest trench on earth.