The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: A Rift Between Us

The air was thick.

Heavy with the lingering scent of blood.

Zareth clenched his fists.

Ed stood there, sword still in his hand, his expression unreadable.

The body—no, the absence of it—was the only thing between them.

The old woman had vanished.

Disappeared.

Zareth’s chest rose and fell. He turned toward Ed, his eyes burning with an emotion he didn’t fully understand yet.

“…You killed two people.”

His voice came out lower than he expected. Heavier.

Ed, however, remained unfazed.

“Were they innocent?” he asked, his tone flat.

Zareth’s jaw clenched.

“That’s not the point.”

His words came sharper than intended.

Ed tilted his head slightly, his gaze almost bored.

“Then what is?”

Zareth took a slow breath, trying to calm himself.

“Who are you to decide? Who are you to punish people?” His voice grew louder. “Are you a god?”

Ed remained silent.

Zareth took a step forward.

“I won’t deny it—” His voice wavered slightly before he steadied it. “They were evil. But what you did? That wasn’t justice.”

The silence between them was deafening.

Ed didn’t react. Didn’t defend himself.

That was what made Zareth even angrier.

“Me and Vynesaa…” Zareth gestured between himself and his sister. “We didn’t even know what was happening! We don’t know who was right, who was wrong. You expect us to just accept it?”

Ed finally blinked, but his expression remained unchanged.

“I wasn’t asking you to.” Ed said.

Zareth’s fist clenched.

That simple answer. That uncaring tone.

Ed wasn’t even trying to explain himself.

He wasn’t even trying to see Zareth’s perspective.

“…It’s not like I don’t trust you.” Zareth finally said, exhaling sharply. “I know you wouldn’t lie to us.” His voice softened for a brief moment before hardening again. “Or why would you lie to us?”

Ed remained silent.

But that silence only made Zareth’s words spill out faster.

“But even then… even knowing that you weren’t lying—” His voice lowered as he stared at Ed, “That still wasn’t how it was supposed to work.”

He could hear his own heartbeat now.

The weight of everything—the mind control, the strange false death, the woman vanishing into nothing—pressed down on him.

Zareth wasn’t naive.

He knew this world wasn’t fair.

But Ed…

Ed didn’t even hesitate.

Didn’t even waver when he ended those lives.

And now, standing before him, there was something about Ed that felt—

Distant.

Like they weren’t standing on the same ground anymore.

Zareth slowly exhaled, his emerald eyes darkening.

A cold realization settled in his chest.

‘I don’t trust you anymore.’

The thought struck him harder than expected.

But he didn’t say it.

Because deep down—

Some part of him still wanted to believe that this was just a moment of weakness.

That Ed wasn’t becoming something else.

——-

(POV: Ed)

The cab rattled as it moved along the dirt road, the tall trees of the elven forests blurring past the window.

Ed stared outside, lost in his thoughts.

“You should not have done it.”

The words echoed in his mind.

“Whose voice was that?”

He wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t the old village head or his wife. It wasn’t even Bloodmoon. It was… something else.

Was it regret? No. That wasn’t it.

He didn’t regret killing them. If given the same choice again, he would do it without hesitation.

But still, something felt off.

He exhaled and leaned back against the seat, staring at the reflection in the window. His own eyes stared back at him.

The atmosphere inside the cab was thick with tension.

Zareth sat on the far end, staring out the window, headphones on.

Vynesaa sat next to Ed, her arms crossed, a small frown on her lips.

The rift between them was painfully obvious.

As of now —They had covered three parts of the elven territory—north, east, and south. What remained was the west, where elven and human lands met—a place riddled with tension, disputes, and unspoken conflicts.

The most controversial land of all, Ed thought.

It wasn’t as if they were meticulously covering every city and village; rather, they passed through the major settlements that lay along their path. Even so, there was still much ground to cover.

They had three months left before this journey would come to an end.

‘This was the first major event in seven months of their journey,’ Ed thought to himself, ‘and I have a feeling that this land will be the stage for many more, especially with the human and elven controversy simmering just below the surface.’

“Hey, Ed, it’s fine,” Vynesaa finally broke the silence. “It happens. Don’t take him too seriously. He just… feels like law is absolute.”

Ed glanced at her.

She was watching him with an expression that was hard to read—part amusement, part frustration.

“I know,” Ed said after a moment. “And he’s right.”

Vynesaa scoffed, turning in her seat to face him. “No. He’s not.”

“They deserved it,” she said.

“You think those kinds of people could’ve been redeemed? That they would’ve magically changed if we just handed them to the authorities? They were monsters, Ed. And monsters should be killed. Simple as that.”

Ed didn’t respond immediately.

He just stared at her.

“You really believe that?” he finally asked.

She tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “I don’t just believe it. I know it.”

Ed exhaled, looking forward. ‘She really is novel Vynesaa I guess,’

“…Maybe you’re right,” he admitted.

Vynesaa grinned. “Of course I am.”

.

A comfortable silence settled between them after that.

Vynesaa shifted in her seat, stretching.

“Ugh, how long is this drive? My legs are getting stiff.”

Ed snorted. “Maybe you shouldn’t have worn a dress.”

She kicked him lightly. “Shut up. I look good, and you know it.”

He chuckled. “Sure, sure, whatever makes you feel better.”

But Zareth.

He hadn’t spoken since they got into the cab.

He hadn’t even acknowledged the conversation happening next to him.

Ed glanced at him, at the way his face was completely unreadable as he stared out the window.

He wasn’t sulking. He wasn’t ignoring them out of anger.

He was thinking.

And that worried Ed more than anything.