Chapter 361 : Duchess Arnett’s Final Request

When Duchess Arnett collapsed onto the ground which was carpeted with lilies, Miss Violetta looked utterly shocked. She was stunned because she had just heard Duchess Arnett speak.

"Mother!" Miss Violetta cried out.

She hurried toward Duchess Arnett, but after taking only a few steps, she stopped abruptly, struck by a sharp pain in her chest. Looking down, she realized that Duchess Arnett’s whip was still piercing her chest. Miss Violetta grasped the whip with both hands to pull it free. Her hands were injured by the thorns covering the weapon, but she slowly extracted it while enduring the agony. Finally, she managed to pull the whip from her chest. She set the weapon aside and rushed back to Duchess Arnett’s side.

"Mother!" she called out again.

She knelt beside Duchess Arnett, who lay amidst the lilies. Duchess Arnett appeared incredibly frail; her eyes were already drifting shut. Miss Violetta remained silent, gazing at her mother’s face as tears continued to stream from her own eyes.

"Mother," she whispered.

She took Duchess Arnett’s hands in her own.

"You said you would always love me, and I feel the same way. I will always love you, too."

"You are free from that person's control now, Mother. You can go in peace," Miss Violetta said.

Upon hearing Miss Violetta's words, Duchess Arnett turned to look at her face.

"Violetta..." Duchess Arnett said.

Miss Violetta looked utterly astonished to hear Duchess Arnett speak; she had not expected to hear her voice again. She had assumed that the words Duchess Arnett spoke before throwing herself down were the last ones she would ever hear from her. Moments later, Miss Violetta responded.

"What is it, Mother?" Miss Violetta asked.

"It seems... I cannot leave just yet... not before saying this. Thank you for... granting me a beautiful death... by letting me pass away amidst the bed of... lilies you created. The lilies you created... remain as beautiful as ever... I never imagined... that you would still remember what I said back then," Duchess Arnett said.

"Of course I remember, Mother. It is a precious memory to me, so I must hold onto it," Miss Violetta replied.

"I see. I also want to... apologize to you for having hurt you... and even for intending to kill you. At that time... for some reason, I couldn't seem to control... my own body's movements. I couldn't even... control my own thoughts," Duchess Arnett said.

"It is alright, Mother. You need not apologize, for I knew that you were being forcibly controlled by that person," Miss Violetta said.

"That person? Who... do you mean?" Duchess Arnett asked.

"Father," Miss Violetta said.

Duchess Arnett fell silent for a moment. Shortly thereafter, she spoke again.

"Ah, that's right... I just remembered. Before I felt... unable to control my body and mind, your father... suddenly injected a red liquid into... my body," said Duchess Arnett.

"He is the one who made you like this, Mother. He may have once been my father, but he is no longer; I severed all ties with him after leaving the San Quentine family. Moreover, knowing that he is the one who caused your condition makes me loathe him even more, Mother," said Miss Violetta.

"Even if you hate him... and refuse to acknowledge him as... your father anymore, he remains your father, Violetta," said Duchess Arnett.

Miss Violetta fell silent upon hearing Duchess Arnett's words.

"I have one... final request, Violetta," said Duchess Arnett.

Miss Violetta, who had previously been silent, immediately responded to Duchess Arnett.

"What is that request, Mother?" asked Miss Violetta.

"Please stop your father, Violetta," said Duchess Arnett.

Miss Violetta fell silent again for a few moments. Not long after, she spoke once more.

"Very well, Mother. I will stop him, just as you asked," said Miss Violetta.

"Thank you. In that case... it seems I must say goodbye once more."

"Goodbye, Violetta. Thank... you for keeping me company... in my final moments," said Duchess Arnett.

"Yes, goodbye, Mother," said Miss Violetta.

Tears were still streaming down Miss Violetta's face as she spoke. Slowly, Duchess Arnett’s eyes began to close. Moments later, they were shut tight. She no longer moved or made a sound; Duchess Arnett had passed away. She died with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Miss Violetta, who had been holding Duchess Arnett’s hands, gently let go. She then carefully positioned Duchess Arnett's hands over her chest. After doing so, she spoke to Duchess Arnett who is lying before her.

"Until we meet again in the next life, Mother."

Miss Violetta wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand. She stood up and looked once more at the Duchess lying there.

"Now, I am going to fulfill your final request, Mother. I will stop that man... by killing him," said Miss Violetta.

-

At Rid's place, at the very moment Miss Violetta was battling Duchess Arnett.

Commander Dayne and Senior Vyn were relentlessly attacking me in unison with their swords. Yet, I was able to easily dodge and parry their strikes. I also managed to land several hits on both of them with my sword, as well as a few punches and kicks. However, the attacks I unleashed upon them had little effect, as they were currently clad in black iron armor covering their entire bodies.

Meanwhile, the two iron dragons created by Senior Vyn were still locked in combat with the six dragons I had previously summoned. Although the pair appeared overwhelmed due to being outnumbered, they had managed to withstand the onslaught from my six creations thus far.

"Those two dragons are quite tough. Furthermore, I hadn't expected the armor worn by Commander Dayne and Senior Vyn to be so resilient; the attacks I launched against them were rendered largely ineffective because of it."

"If those dragons and their armor were made of ordinary iron, I might have been able to damage them. But because they are infused with ~Dark Magic~, they have become far stronger than usual. Perhaps I need to envelop my entire body in a more potent aura of Mana to successfully strike both the dragons and the armored pair," I mused.

No sooner had I thought this than Commander Dayne and Senior Vyn closed in to attack me again. I dodged their strikes with ease and immediately launched a counterattack.

~Secret Sword Art - Dragon Slayer Technique: Dragon Slayer Slash~

Caught close together, both of them took the full force of my blow. They were sent flying backward, slamming hard against a massive tree trunk some distance behind them. Yet, they rose to their feet almost instantly. There were no visible injuries on their bodies; the only mark left by the attack was a deep gash across their armor. The scratch looked quite deep.

"Even with the ~Dragon Slayer Technique~, I couldn't slice straight through their armor. If it were just ordinary iron, I’m certain I could have cut through it and wounded the wearers in the process. It seems I need to boost the mana enveloping my body to slice through and shatter that armor, or... I have to use *that* magic," I thought, glancing at Commander Dayne and Senior Vyn, who had just gotten back on their feet.

Then, I turned my gaze toward the connecting corridor where Miss Violetta was fighting Duchess Arnett.

"The battle between Miss Violetta and Duchess Arnett doesn't seem to be over yet. That means Miss Violetta won't be returning here anytime soon. In that case, it should be fine for me to use *that* magic."

"I could defeat both of them without using *that* magic, but it would likely take quite a while. Right now, I need to take them down quickly so I can go after Charles and Chloe. That is why I have no choice but to use *that* magic, ~Light Magic~," I thought.

-To be continued