Chapter 212: A Rose and a Death Sentence

The golden circles gradually began disappearing from Schierke’s hand.

The Bloody Eclipse tattoo visibly absorbed them, swallowing every last one as though they were food.

And the moment the final circle vanished, Schierke’s blackened hand melted away and fell to the ground.

A dark substance continued dripping from the stump where her hand had been.

"Ah... How disgusting. I really liked that hand."

Despite losing an entire hand, Schierke showed no sign of pain.

She merely looked annoyed, nothing more.

Ethan, on the other hand, could barely breathe a sigh of relief.

He slumped helplessly within the chains, unable to muster even the slightest strength in his body.

Schierke took his weakened state as a sign that it was finally time to release him.

With a single snap of the fingers on her remaining hand, the chains disappeared as though they had never existed.

Ethan collapsed onto the ground at her feet.

She looked down at him with a broad smile as he reached out with a trembling hand and clutched her leg.

"W-What... did you do to me?"

His question made her tilt her head to one side.

"I already told you, didn’t I? I transferred the gift to you. If you want to discover what it truly is, you’ll have to survive the Ordeals that lie ahead. That’s the only way."

"Fuck the Ordeal... And fuck you."

"Don’t look at me like that. I’m on your side now, you know. Show me a little kindness."

Schierke gently patted Ethan on the head before taking a step back, moving away from him.

Schierke gently patted Ethan on the head before taking a step back, putting some distance between them.

"I suppose it’s time for us to say goodbye for now. We won’t be seeing each other again for a while, but rest assured, I’ll always be close to you."

Schierke had delivered the message and bestowed the gift upon the bearer of the curse.

With that, there was no longer any reason for her to remain.

The role of the Apostles was to observe and deliver whatever their Night Lords wished to convey. Nothing more, nothing less.

And Ethan was beginning to understand exactly what kind of beings they were.

The thought of some vile creature watching him while wearing the face of someone close to him, without his knowledge, filled Ethan with disgust.

Especially since he had no way of identifying Schierke beneath her disguises.

He wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.

His mind was still in complete disarray after what had happened moments earlier, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that his body was slowly transforming into something entirely different.

Yet despite everything, Ethan managed to retain enough composure to call out to the Apostle of Balance one more time.

"Wait!!"

He shouted just as Schierke turned her back on him.

"Hmm?"

She slowly turned around to face him as he struggled back onto his feet.

"I want it," he said, his voice trembling. "I want the advice."

"Wow... I thought you’d at least pass out after receiving the gift, but not only have you managed to stay conscious, you even have enough composure left to bargain with me..."

Schierke couldn’t conceal the excitement spreading across her face.

The cursed man standing before her had exceeded her expectations.

At that moment, Ethan was simply trying to make the most of his situation, despite everything that had happened.

Apart from her role as one of the Night Lords’ Apostles, Schierke was known for something else.

She was something of an oracle, offering players remarkably accurate advice in exchange for a certain price.

Previously, she had given Ethan three pieces of advice for free, all of which pointed toward events that had yet to occur.

"Your last three warnings were... Don’t approach Old Ashvarn, don’t get involved with the Second Hunting Squad, and don’t try to discover what’s beneath the ground..."

The advice had been deceptive.

Avoiding whatever she warned against didn’t always lead to the best outcome. In fact, sometimes the opposite was true.

But Ethan believed he had enough experience to see through her warnings.

Or at least, that was what he thought.

The warning about what lay underground had concerned Matheus, while the meaning behind her warning about Old Ashvarn had also become clear.

That left only the warning concerning the Second Hunting Squad.

And Ethan still hadn’t discovered what it truly meant.

"I want another piece of advice. Make it as specific as possible," Ethan demanded.

Schierke’s smile widened.

"My advice comes at a steep price. Are you sure you can afford it?"

"Don’t be so stingy... Consider it compensation for that damned gift and all the pain you put me through."

"Not enough."

Schierke rejected his proposal without hesitation, drawing a weary sigh from Ethan.

"Then what do you want?"

The Apostle of Balance didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she took some time to seriously consider what she wanted in return.

Her deliberation didn’t last long, however, and soon her sadistic gaze settled upon Ethan once again.

"I’ll give you a good piece of advice. In exchange... you’ll have to carry out a task for me."

Ethan immediately caught on to the last part of her proposal.

"What kind of task?" he asked cautiously.

Schierke’s expression gradually darkened.

"An assassination."

It was the last answer Ethan had expected.

His brows drew together in a deep frown.

Killing was one of the few things he preferred to avoid whenever possible, especially because he feared growing accustomed to it now that his emotions had begun to grow increasingly numb.

The memory of killing James Heart still lingered in his mind.

On that day, he hadn’t felt anything at all, despite having taken another person’s life.

And that was an extremely dangerous sign.

If he became capable of killing without the slightest emotion and continued down that path, it wouldn’t take long for him to reach a point of no return.

Ethan was inclined to reject the price, but Schierke noticed his hesitation and offered a few more details.

"I won’t ask you to kill an innocent person, nor will I force you to target a member of your clan. Instead, I’ll have you kill someone who could be considered your enemy. What do you think?"

"An enemy? And what makes you think you know who’s an enemy and who’s a friend to me?"

"I know you better than you think, my dear Ethan. Now then... what’s your decision? Will you accept, or will you refuse?"

It was a difficult question, one that required careful consideration.

’Someone who could be considered my enemy... That could just be another one of her tricks...’

Ethan understood that once he accepted, there would be no turning back.

He wouldn’t be able to cancel the task after receiving the advice.

The risk seemed considerable, but Schierke was an Apostle of Balance, and that fact made him lean more toward accepting than refusing.

’Balance is founded on the principle that the price must equal the benefit... If the risks are high, then the reward must be equally great...’

That was the philosophy of the Demon of Balance and everything associated with him.

And for that reason, Ethan finally made his decision.

"I accept. Give me the advice and tell me who you want me to kill."

Ethan tried to put as much conviction into his voice as possible, but he couldn’t completely conceal his nervousness.

Schierke seemed delighted by his answer.

The sickening expressions crossing her face only grew more disturbing with every passing second.

"An excellent choice."

She nodded repeatedly before finally giving him the answer he’d been waiting for.

"Every day, immediately after sunset... Take a red rose and bring it to the fourth princess of the Arden royal family. If nothing happens the first time, repeat it the following day, and keep doing so until something happens."

Schierke had delivered her advice.

And Ethan was genuinely surprised.

"Specific and straightforward advice... I wasn’t expecting that..."

"What do you think? I really can give good advice when I feel like it."

Schierke placed her remaining hand on her hip, looking rather proud of the advice she’d given him.

Ethan, however, maintained his composure as he waited to hear the price.

"Who do I have to kill?"

"I won’t give you a single name. Instead, I’ll let you choose from among all of them."

Schierke’s words made Ethan frown.

"What do you mean?"

"It’s very simple. Before the next full moon, you must kill one of the princes or princesses of the ruling Arden family. Whether you choose a prince or a princess is entirely up to you."

Ethan froze as the identity of his intended target finally became clear.

Schierke had given him a choice among numerous names.

But that wasn’t the problem.

"You want me to kill someone whose orders I can’t disobey? How am I supposed to accomplish something like that?"

"You’ll have to figure that out yourself," Schierke replied indifferently.

As she spoke, her body began to gradually fade away.

"I’ve given you the advice, and I’ve told you the price. Everything is in your hands now, Ethan Heart."

Schierke let out a soft laugh at the sight of Ethan’s deeply furrowed expression.

And as her figure continued to disappear, her final words echoed through the air.

"May the balance favor you... for now."