Chapter 74: It’s Done
Vayrie
Karin continued carrying me around the encampment while I kept my gaze fixed on everything around us, forcing myself to stay alert despite the exhaustion weighing heavily on my body.
I tried not to miss a single detail.
Every wall, Every broken structure, Every abandoned corner.
Still, no matter how long we walked, it slowly became obvious that the entire place had truly been deserted.
"Master, we can rest here for a while," Karin finally said softly.
A low sigh escaped me because I knew she had to be exhausted. Since the start of our journey, she had done nothing but support me, and now she was carrying me as well.
It didn’t help that most of her strength was still human.
The only abilities she possessed came from the small amount of mana stored within her core and the potions she created herself.
She wasn’t an elemental witch.
That much had always been obvious.
I weakly gestured for her to put me down, and she carefully lowered me against one of the wooden walls surrounding the encampment.
"Should I look around and find us something to eat? We can rest for a while, search again, and then leave," she suggested, her voice carrying a faint hopefulness.
But I knew she was pretending.
If Karin had her way, we would already be gone, searching for somewhere safer to hide.
The truth, however, was that I no longer intended to keep running with her.
At this point, with her constantly carrying me, I would become nothing more than a burden.
Worse, we would only be found faster.
And Karin would end up in even greater danger because of me.
Her worried lemon-green eyes remained fixed on me, dull in a way that clearly revealed how weak her magic lines truly were compared to the average witch.
Karin was not powerful.
She had only managed to awaken her core because I spent nearly every resource I possessed helping her achieve it.
Because she was all I had left.
"Come sit with me," I told her instead.
There was no reason to waste food when eating would do absolutely nothing to improve my condition.
At least if the supplies remained untouched, the food in Karin’s bag would last longer.
Long enough for her to survive after I was gone.
She didn’t question my command.
She quietly sat beside me.
I wanted to reach out and touch her black hair, but even lifting my hand felt unbearably heavy now.
Her eyes remained dull, her face stoic and unreadable, but I knew it was only an act.
Karin cared deeply.
Just not for many people.
"Karin..." I began softly.
Almost immediately, she interrupted me, as though she already knew exactly what I intended to say.
"Master, you should save your strength. There’s no reason for you to keep speaking and—"
"Don’t interrupt," I sighed.
The moment the words left my mouth, she fell completely silent.
"Loretta wants to completely wipe out the werewolves," I continued.
"The original plan was only to subjugate them."
Karin gasped sharply and turned toward me in shock, clearly unable to believe what she was hearing.
"...they killed her family or something close to that. For Babbel, it’s humans he hates. I believed every side needed to be kept in its place, but exterminating all of them?"
I shook my head weakly.
"Even the goddess would never agree to that."
Every word strained my lungs more painfully than the last, but I forced myself to continue anyway.
"We do not have much time left, so I need to tell you what must be done."
After taking a shaky breath, I closed my eyes briefly, trying to push through the pain tightening viciously inside my chest.
Without Karin rescuing me when she did, I would already be dead.
Loretta would have taken my core completely.
And that was exactly what she wanted.
Power.
Enough power to become the strongest witch alive.
She wanted to turn the coven from one ruled by a council into one ruled by a single leader.
Something I could never allow.
"...I cannot find my daughter. My time has already run out," I admitted quietly.
I could feel the anger radiating from Karin despite the fact that she remained silent.
I knew she wanted to argue.
Wanted to insist that if we found somewhere hidden enough, somewhere safe enough, I might still survive.
But we both already knew the truth.
As long as Loretta possessed part of my life force—or even stored remnants of what she stole—she would always be able to find me.
There would never truly be anywhere safe for me again.
"...as the final will of your master, Karin, daughter of magic... you will find her," I whispered.
The moment I said those words, Karin silently dropped to her knees before me.
Tears streamed down her face immediately.
She understood what I intended to do before I even began.
She bowed her head lower, crying silently as though begging me to reconsider without daring to interrupt me again.
But it was already too late.
I had already made my choice.
"You will find her and give her my core," I continued weakly.
I would rather die by my own hands than allow Loretta to claim it.
"...even without magic, my core will ensure she awakens."
Karin continued crying openly now, but we no longer had time left.
"Yes," I whispered softly, my voice trembling despite myself. "I love you the way a mother loves her child."
The confession itself broke one of the greatest laws of the coven.
Duty above all else.
Love meant nothing.
Affection weakened judgment.
Attachment created betrayal.
That was what we were taught from the moment we became witches.
But despite everything, despite the rules and laws I had followed my entire life, I could no longer deny what Karin meant to me.
What she needed to hear!
Without wasting another second, I began chanting beneath my breath with every ounce of willpower I still possessed, ignoring the searing pain inside my chest as the spell began to take hold.
Karin gasped sharply.
"Mother, don’t!"
But it was already done.
