Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Chapter 20: Hera Yamad

Edgar stopped a few steps away and watched.

One by one, the birds flew out of their cages while the owner looked at it helplessly.

Perhaps he was already paid, or perhaps he was too afraid to speak. Edgar wasn’t too sure.

Up close, Edgar realized she was even prettier than he had initially thought.

There was something unusually pure about her expression.

"What are you doing, miss?" he couldn’t help but ask.

Her emerald eyes shifted toward him beneath the veil.

She observed him for a long second before she replied. "Giving them the freedom they deserve."

Edgar genuinely didn’t understand her words.

He pointed at the sky like it was the most obvious thing.

"Wouldn’t the Eternal Night fill them with madness if they ever come in contact with it?"

The only reason the birds were normal was because they were kept close to the ’Unbroken Fire.’

Take it away and they will be nothing but mindless monsters.

The girl smiled, freeing another batch of colourful birds.

"That’s where you are wrong." She replied gently. "The Eternal Night doesn’t affect birds."

A dubious look appeared on his face.

"How can you be so sure?"

As if to answer his question, a bird flew from a window and landed on her shoulder.

The bird was a golden eagle the size of the girl’s head.

The girl smiled brightly. "She always returns to me even after roaming in the Eternal Night."

Edgar was too stunned to speak, mesmerized by her beautiful smile.

Though he quickly got a hold of himself when he noticed how all the shop owners were glaring at him.

’The fuck did I do?’

Ignoring them, he continued.

"That doesn’t make them free. These birds have lived all their lives in a cage; letting them out so suddenly will only make their lives hell."

He paused and added,

"They might become prey for Nightmares and die tonight."

The lady freed the last bird and turned to look at him.

Despite the veil obscuring his view, Edgar was sure she was abnormally beautiful.

Surprisingly, the girl nodded her head. "You are right."

She placed her hands behind her back and walked closer. "They might die, but it’s better than the alternative."

Edgar tilted his head. "The alternative?"

"They would spend their entire lives inside a cage." She replied. "And they would die exactly where they lived."

The girl and the boy walked side by side around the livestock market.

Her eyes lingered on the caged animals.

"It’s better to be free just for a day than live your entire life in a cage."

Edgar clicked his tongue. "Most people would rather survive than be free."

"Would they?"

"I would."

The girl looked at him. "You are boring then."

His lips twitched, but he didn’t refute it.

’If living a quiet life is boring, so be it.’

They strolled through the shops when the girl said, "I haven’t seen you around."

"I am not from here." Edgar replied. "I am from a faraway place."

The girl looked at him with curiosity.

"A faraway place?"

Edgar nodded. "Far enough that you’ve probably never heard of it."

"Try me."

"From where I am, people could fly in the sky."

The girl blinked innocently. "You are bluffing."

"I am not." Edgar replied proudly.

"Where is it?"

"...Far away."

The girl pouted. "You are definitely bluffing."

Edgar shrugged. He wasn’t interested in explaining the mechanics of an airplane to her.

As they passed another stall, she suddenly stopped.

Inside a wooden pen stood several goats, and one of them was missing an eye.

The girl’s expression immediately softened. freёwebnovel.com

She approached the enclosure.

The merchant behind the stall sighed.

"Lady—."

"It’s fine."

She approached the wooden pen as she replied.

Without anything else, she placed her hand over the eye of the goat that let her do it.

A green hue appeared over her hand, sweeping into the goat’s eye.

Edgar held his breath when he noticed the goat’s blinking eye that wasn’t there before!!

She restored the goat’s eye in an instant!!

The girl staggered, and Edgar quickly grabbed her to stop her from falling.

That earned him another round of glares from everyone.

Though Edgar was busy observing the girl.

’...She isn’t the princess, right...?’

But the beauty she held told him otherwise.

The girl finally stepped away from him after recovering her balance.

"Thank you." She replied meekly without looking at him.

Edgar nodded his head and strolled after the girl who walked away.

"Why bother healing the goat’s eye when it is going to die soon?" Edgar asked quietly.

"At least it will look at the world with both eyes before dying."

’What a foolish and selfish girl.’ Edgar kept his thoughts to himself.

Though he couldn’t deny that her ability was something that made him envy her.

’I wish I could just have her.’ Edgar thought before blinking. ’Wait, what am I even thinking?’

He felt like he wasn’t being himself around her.

’I remember Banjo once said that even Nightmares are attracted to her.’ Edgar glanced at the girl. ’Is this related to her abilities?’

The girl paused with a frozen expression.

"Oh no."

She quickly moved and hid behind Edgar when he noticed a maid rushing towards them.

Edgar looked down at the girl hiding behind him.

"...What are you doing?"

"Protecting myself."

"From a maid?"

"She’s scary."

The maid in question was a woman in her mid-twenties with sharp eyes and perfectly maintained brown hair.

She looked less like a maid and more like a veteran soldier disguised as one.

The moment she spotted the white-haired girl, relief flooded her face.

Then it immediately transformed into fury.

"MISS HERA!!"

The shout echoed across half the livestock market, and Hera visibly shrank behind Edgar.

The maid marched toward them.

"Do you have any idea how worried everyone is?!"

Hera peeked out from behind Edgar.

"A little?"

"A LITTLE?"

The maid nearly exploded.

Edgar wisely took a step backward.

Unfortunately, Hera matched his movement perfectly. The girl was using him as a human shield. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

’Why me?’

The maid finally arrived in front of them. She paused before bowing a little.

"Thank you for keeping Miss Hera safe."

Edgar immediately pointed at the girl behind him. "I wasn’t."

Hera poked her head out. "He was, Reeba."

"I wasn’t."

"He was."

Reeba’s face aged considerably. "Miss Hera, your father has been searching for you since morning."

There wasn’t a particular reaction; she just nodded.

"...Oh."

The maid crossed her arms.

"Do you know how many guards are currently searching for you?"

"I understand. I shouldn’t have run away without informing anyone."

Reeba let out a sigh and said quietly,

"You do understand how bad things are between the Northern Sect and our Yamhad Clan."

She bit her lip.

"What if they do something to you...?"

Hera only lowered her head without saying anything.

The maid finally grabbed Hera’s wrist.

"We are leaving."

The girl looked toward Edgar.

For some reason, her emerald eyes seemed reluctant.

"It was nice meeting you."

Edgar shrugged.

"You too."

Then she suddenly remembered something.

"I never asked your name."

"Edgar."

A look of realization dawned upon her.

"Green-Hat Edg—!"

She quickly covered her mouth before completing her sentence.

’Well, fuck you too, lady.’

Hera quickly took a jade hanging from her waist and passed it to him.

"Here, a token of my friendship!"

Then a bright smile appeared beneath the veil.

"I’m Hera Yamhad."

"I figured." He replied, taking the jade.

She pouted, but the maid immediately began dragging her away before she could wander off again.

A few steps later, Hera suddenly turned around.

"Edgar!"

"What?"

The girl raised a finger.

"Freedom is important!"

Edgar rolled his eyes.

"Survival is more important."

Hera gasped as if he had committed blasphemy.

The maid didn’t give her a chance to argue and continued dragging her away.

Soon the pair disappeared into the crowd.

’What a stupid girl.’

Edgar sighed and looked at the jade in his hand.

Only for a text to appear on it, which took away his breath.

⟨Nightmare Trance: Order of the Sun⟩

⟨Grade: ?????⟩