How to Survive as the Wife of the Monster Duke - Chapter 141

He swung his sword in a wide arc. The monsters unlucky enough to be in its path fell to the ground, severed into pieces.

Starting today, he thought, the Mollys disappear from history.

The battlefield was soaked with blood, though the red was already vanishing under the white blanket of snow. So, it will be in all of Biflten, Aden thought as he swung again, a land of silence that covers the monsters forever.

“Second line!” Idith cried, “Keep your form!”

Idith’s sword shone brightly with the reflected blue light of the divine power, so strong that even at some distance from Aden its light glinted off metal. The knights methodically positioned themselves to surround the battlefield, to contain the remaining Mollys. This was a mission of extermination, and the Mollys were weak in close combat. Their strategy was to surround them and close in, and they couldn’t let a single one of the creatures escape.

Kyaaaaak!

The Mollys that had remained in the Yesters’ base had been taken care of quickly. Now only these stragglers remained, but – now clearly outnumbered – they became increasingly more vicious, even in the face of the divine power. They jostled among themselves, flailed around for an exit that didn’t exist. And as they moved, Aden noticed one of them holding something in its mouth.

He squinted to make out the details of it. Mollys were known for their sharp teeth and the biting strength of their jaws, but this creature was holding whatever it was gingerly, as though afraid of damaging it. Thankfully, the caution it was taking made it slow.

Idith’s dagger flew, slicing the air with a hiss. It hit the Molly right in the neck, vanishing to the hilt.

The battlefield was now almost cleared. Aden flared the divine power once again, the blue light covering the battlefield. Then, with the din of battle silenced and the monsters gone, Aden went to retrieve the strange box from where it fell.

Dirtied with the blood of the monster, it was hard to see details until he examined it closely.                                      It was well crafted, an intricate design in gold and red. Not something that belonged in the hands of a monster.

“Let me open it, Your Majesty,” Idith said, coming up behind him. Aden obliged, handing the box to Idith who examined the box suspiciously for a long moment before pressing a small button.

Click. They both peered inside as the top opened. Inside was a coiled length of red string, undamaged, still with a sheen as though it was new.

“A… string?” Idith asked.

***

In the Yesters’ base now stood a tent bearing the symbol of Delrose. The main pole, buried deep to keep the strong northern winds from pulling the tent from the ground, showed only a few feet above the bare ground. There were no longer any monsters to be seen in the base.

The Yesters were fast in April, and more vicious than normal. But they were also clearly outnumbered and at a disadvantage against Aden’s power. They wouldn’t dare to try retaking their base for quite some time.

“No sign that any of the Mollys escaped,” Idith reported. Both he and Aden understood what that meant – the history of the Mollys ended as of today. Only four monster types now remained.

“Good job,” Aden said, tapping absently on the desk. He was studying the red string. Or to be precise, the cloth – what he had initially taken for string was a tightly rolled length of cloth. Idith peered at it as well.

“It clearly seems to belong to the Mollys,” he said.

“Probably,” agreed Aden.  The Mollys had been carrying it with such care there was barely a scratch on the box. And only death had made them drop it.

“Cloths and fabrics aren’t – weren’t – part of the Mollys’ culture,” Aden said. They almost never wore cloth of any kind, and rarely accessories. Some of the leaders among them carried wands to use their magic, but little more than that. Cloth like this wasn’t something they would make.

Aden lifted the red cloth, examining it closely. It was soft, gossamer. It would have been ripped easily on a Molly’s claw or scale. He was amazed they could have kept it in this condition.

It was so thin he could see Idith’s face through it. So soft it would have slid out of his hand, gliding down his skin, if he hadn’t held it. It had no design or pattern, just a sheer red cloth.

“It’s pretty long,” Idith said. About four feet, both of them estimated.

“It doesn’t feel foreign,” Aden said. “Have you seen it before?”

Idith stepped to where Aden was sitting. Aden handed him the cloth to examine, and Idith held it up to the light. It was so sheer the light was almost unobstructed – but amazingly, the light that came through was yellow, not red.