Stigma Effect

Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

The place Yuriel led them to was indeed the monster’s den, its entrance wide open and waiting for them.

Though it was obvious that it was her first time in this place, Yuriel found her way easily, navigating through the forest like it was her own home. She cast a proud smile in Raphlet’s direction, but he was looking at the den with a grave expression.

“Is that really the monster’s den?”

It seemed he had been hoping for her ability to be proven wrong.

The knights who went to survey the entrance came back and confirmed that it was indeed a den belonging to a monster. They then set fire to the entrance and efficiently disposed of the beasts that came out as they tried to escape.

Watching from a safe distance under the protection of one of the knights, Yuriel tried to suppress the feeling of disgust that rose up.

The sight before her was nothing but a ruthless slaughter.

She found something odd as she glanced at the knights’ movements and asked the knight beside her, “Why aren’t they destroying the monsters’ cores? Don’t the monsters only lose their strength once their core is destroyed?”

“You’re right. In critical situations, we choose to destroy their cores. However, their cores are also a powerful source of energy. There’s no other energy source that’s stronger than their cores, so when we’re able to subdue a monster completely, we collect their core instead of destroying it.”

“Then, the energy that supplies power to the train…”

“Yes, the train also relies on the core of a monster for power. In fact, the core it uses is from a strong monster that Commander Raphlet defeated himself,” the knight said proudly.

“The same is true for the clock tower and drawbridge. They were the biggest attractions in the capital before they became the victims of terrorist attacks. The view of the bridge opening up and the boat passing below it was so popular that people would keep track of the time in order to see it. Though it’s just a simple bridge now that the core is gone,  it was also built using the core of a monster that Commander Raphlet hunted.”

“Oh, that’s right, I heard that terrorist attacks are frequent in the capital?”

“Yes. You never know when or where you might get caught in an explosion, so it’d be best for you to be careful, Miss Yuriel.”

“I understand. Thank you for your concern.”

Yuriel nodded calmly, but in her heart, she felt a sense of uneasiness rising up.

Monsters didn’t die unless their cores were destroyed. She witnessed too many times the sight of a monster constantly regenerating and attacking humans.

If they weren’t destroying the cores and using it as a power source instead… Didn’t that mean the monsters could revive at any time?

Her eyes followed one of the cores that the knights were moving. Its size was about the size of an adult’s face, and there were still traces of a monster stuck to it.

It looked like the monster had tried to regenerate itself while still attached to the core, but ultimately failed.

The blood remaining on the core was particularly eerie.

For a moment, Yuriel thought it might have been fortunate that a terrorist attack destroyed the clock tower and drawbridge.

Yuriel’s ability had been proven.

After accurately predicting the location of the den, Yuriel officially became a member of Albraca’s strategy office.

It was already the third subjugation since she had joined, and Helio was very satisfied, as there had yet to be any injuries or deaths.

However, Yuriel was becoming noticeably thinner and weaker by the day.

Unlike her dreams in the past, which ended quickly after a monster appeared, it was extremely stressful to endure dreams in which she also had to actively search for the monster before getting killed by them.

There were times where Yuriel would abruptly wake up in the middle of the night, turn on the lamp in her room, and curl in on herself on the bed. But after learning that the lamp was powered by a monster’s core, she couldn’t bring herself to use it, and would stay up all night.

It was unclear how he knew she would be in such a state, but at those times, Raphlet calmly entered her room, lifted her in his arms, then carried her to his room.

Laying on his bed, Yuriel was able to calm down and regain her composure as she watched him work till dawn.

“Didn’t I say it would be dangerous?” he would occasionally say to her as he sat in front of his desk after lighting several candles.

Hugging her knees to her chest, Yuriel tilted her head and countered, “What do you mean? I’m not hurt at all though?”

Raphlet turned slightly to examine her face before letting out a sigh. It seemed she didn’t understand what he meant. He shook his head and told her to go to sleep.

And so, like this, Yuriel barely managed to get some sleep. Before she knew it, it was already time to leave for the next subjugation.

The fourth subjugation had begun.

Heading towards the subjugation site on her horse, Yuriel was lost deep in thought.

As she accompanied the knights on the subjugations, she continued to encounter monsters and consequently death in her dreams.

Though it was only natural for her to die helplessly when faced with an enemy she couldn’t overpower, a sudden question came to mind.

Were monsters really beings she couldn’t fight and win against?

‘If I’m able to subdue the monsters, how would my dreams end?’

What would happen if she were to blow up the monster’s den after she discovered it in her dream? Or what if she shot a monster with a gun?

As Yuriel continued to ponder over the possibilities, she saw Helio standing not too far away and walked over.

“Sir Helio.”

Helio became noticeably friendlier as they spent time together during the last three subjugations. Though he didn’t like how she was close to Raphlet, his behavior seemed to reflect how he still wanted to treat her well since her ability was useful.

He greeted her as she approached, eyes crinkling.

“What is it, Miss Yuriel? Are you bored?”

“No, that’s not it. You’re the last person I would choose to joke with even if I was bored. Rather, I was wondering if you could provide me with a gun and some explosives before I take the sleeping pills this time?”

Helio tilted his head, frowning at her request.

“Are you planning on sleeping while armed?”

“If it’s not too dangerous.”

“The gun won’t be dangerous if you put on the safety lock, as for the explosives… Well, it should be fine as long as they’re not lit… But would they be of any use in your dream?”

“Wouldn’t it be useless if you can’t use it?” Helio muttered, looking straight ahead. Re-examining Yuriel’s words, he nodded his head after another moment of thought.

“The gun would do you more bad than good since you don’t know how to use it. I’ll just prepare a couple of explosives for you instead.”

“Hm… I might get caught in the crossfire if I use bombs. Would it be possible for you to provide me with just a gun instead?”

“No, I can’t. Once this subjugation is over, I’ll teach you how to use one. Once you’ve learned how to use a gun, I’ll provide you with one. But until then, you’ll have to wait.”

Yuriel nodded regretfully. Helio was right. If she was caught early on by a monster after rushing in with a weapon she didn’t even know how to use, the chances that her dream would end before she could even find the den was high.

As always, Yuriel’s role was to be the bait.

Her bottle of sleeping pills had already dwindled to half of its original amount. Although Yuriel was told it wouldn’t be good to take too many, it wasn’t easy for her to be able to fall asleep willingly, knowing that she’d end up having a dream where her life was always in danger.

Dipping her feet in the small lake behind the campsite, she swung her feet absentmindedly. It was already nearing the end of summer.

Helio came over and sat down roughly next to Yuriel, who was staring blankly at the sky.

“Once this subjugation is over, there’ll be a short break.”

“I see. It’ll be nice to relax.”

There was a momentary silence as Helio stared at the sky like Yuriel, but he soon opened his mouth to speak once more.

“Miss Yuriel, did your fits after dreaming get any better?”

“Well…”

“It seems the answer is no.”

During the last subjugation, Helio had been the one by Yuriel’s side instead of Raphlet, as the latter was temporarily absent due to being called away by the temple.

Helio had been completely taken aback when Yuriel-who had experienced getting torn to shreds by a monster-woke up screaming.

She eventually had to be sedated by a medic as her screams showed no signs of ceasing. While under the effects of the sedative, she had barely managed to give the details regarding the monster she had seen in her dream before passing out.

When she had woken up again, horrific screams followed.

At a loss of what to do, Helio had pulled her into his embrace and tried to comfort her. But it had all been in vain, as Yuriel hadn’t been able to calm down in the slightest until Raphlet held her.

It was only once she was in Raphlet’s arms that her breathing had managed to start evening out.

For some strange reason, when Helio saw the two of them like that, he felt like his place had been stolen.

It had been quite bizarre.

He noticed Yuriel’s legs were thinner than when they had first met. She had originally been thin, but perhaps it was because she suffered through many hardships during the last subjugation that her legs dangling in the water of the lake looked pitifully frail.

“What are you looking at like that?”

It seemed he was staring at her legs too obviously. Yuriel covered her legs while shooting a side glance at him, but Helio simply gave her a smile and passed her a large towel.

He had seen Yuriel playing in the water and had purposely come to give her this.

Receiving the towel, Yuriel patted her legs dry. Her white legs looked even paler under the sun.

She lowered her skirt, which had been pulled up to her knees, and was in the middle of putting on her shoes when she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, but I think I found a solution now.”

“A solution to your breakdowns?”

“Yes, though it’s a little embarrassing…”

“Well, now I’m curious. What is it?”

Gathering her legs and wrapping them in her arms, Yuriel turned her head towards Helio, her loose braids hanging off to the side.

Yuriel fidgeted with her sweet, cream-like hair with her fingers as she awkwardly spoke, “If Raphlet touches me while I’m sleeping… I’m able to wake up feeling a bit more comfortable.”

Helio opened his mouth slightly in surprise at the unexpected answer. In fact, he wasn’t able to close it.

Yuriel stood up with a pout on her face and continued, “That’s why… Today, I’m going to ask Raphlet to keep touching me.”

“...But are you sure you’re okay with that, Miss Yuriel? You’re going to let him touch your body however he wants while you’re asleep…?”

“Yes, but it’s probably a bit too bothersome, isn’t it? Asking him to stroke my hair for two hours, I’m sure it’d just be a nuisance for him…” Yuriel muttered sheepishly.

“Ah, your head… No, that should be fine. He’s a knight after all. Tell him to touch you as much as you want.”

Gaining courage from Helio’s words, Yuriel ran off to find Raphlet.

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