The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 112 - 2.7
The town of Chivahon was the only town that Jannah and her people didn’t go through on their way to Philipia because its gates was closed when they arrived.
The town was a sight to behold, every surface marked by either blood or scratch marks.
The buildings were marred with long, deep scratches, the marks, every alleyway, every building, and every street, there’s no surface left free from the markings.
The streets were splattered with blood, the dark red liquid seeping into the cracks and crevices in the pavement— blood also spattered the walls and windows, the thick red liquid staining the surfaces in a disturbing pattern.
The town was silent, the only sound was the wind as it blew through the abandoned streets.
Despite the lack of life, the town still seemed to pulse to be alive with an unnerving energy that sent shivers down Jannah’s spine.
The deep gashes and scratch marks were engraved on the buildings and streets, a telltale sign that there were a few struggling victims of a brutal attack that left the town in a state of ruin and destruction.
"At least this one looks like it survived.." Jeriel spoke up and flinched slightly when a house suddenly crashed down to the ground a few meters from their spot, ".. Somehow?"
"Don’t sugarcoat your words, Lady Jeriel." Kirie hummed out as she watched the houses around them warily.
Behind them were the two men of the group.
The two men stood at the gates of the town that they just went through, their hands gripping the heavy wood tightly, their muscles straining with the effort as they pulled the large gate closed, making the veins in their arms noticeable for the eyes.
One of the men has hair that was jet black, the dark strands falling around his face in messy, but handsome disarray.
The other man’s hair was long and white, the color a different contrast to the darkness of his companion’s hair— the white strands fell nearly to his shoulders, the almost silvery strands framing his face in an almost exotic way.
Their faces were covered in a layer of sweat and dirt, their shoulders were squared and their grips on the gates firm.
The gate creaked and groaned under their weight, the heavy metal scraping against the ground as they shifted it into place, the gates being old and worn, the hinges squeaked as they were forced to bend to the men’s will.
Together, they grunted with the effort as they pushed the heavy wooden gates closed, the sound of the locks engaging and echoing through the town as the gates slammed shut.
By the time they got the gate closed, the duo were huffing lightly with their faces red.
The Duke and the Count nodded to each other in satisfaction, knowing that they are safe inside the town’s wall— at least for now.
"Don’t forget the other one in front." Jannah called out to the two satisfied men, making them flinch in their spot and turn to her with surprised expressions on their faces, having completely forgotten about the existence of the other gate.
"We’re on it, my lady." Duke Eulicies assured her, mounting his house and urging the animal to run towards the other side of the town.
"Have a safe patrol, my bride!" Count Nige told her as he followed after the Duke.
Jannah, Jeriel, Kirie, and Princess Huenazia watched as the two men of the group disappeared in the distance, each one of them letting out a huff.
"Jeriel and Princess Huenazia, go check the walls for any cracks and tell me immediately if you see one." Jannah said to the red haired princess and the youngest Rafelon, nodding her head in a single direction.
"Kirie will check houses with me just like what we did yesterday." Jannah added to her previous statement, making the three women before her nod their heads in understanding.
Princess Huenazia was the first one to break away from them and went to the west side, then, Jeriel broke away and went to the east side.
Kirie, on the other hand, followed Jannah as she made her way through the town.
Jannah looked around her, her eyes scanning every house for any sturdy looking ones that didn’t have cracks or molds, or anything that could potentially be a sign for the house to be unstable.
It was terrifying.
Every house her gaze landed on are either covered with deep scratch marks or splotches of dried blood.
She could only think of what had happened before everything turned into the worst— assuming that everyone had turned into a flesh eating monster, she would have seen children and adults alike among the horde she had encountered.
However, she saw no children.
What could possibly have happened to them? Did they manage to escape the town before the illness got the best of the adults’ minds? Or did they get eate—
Jannah shook her head almost immediately to erase the train of thoughts she just had.
The woman beside her shot a glance on her way, her eyebrows furrowed in worry after noticing the pale color of Jannah’s face.
"My lady?" Kirie called out to her, "Are you okay? You don’t look like you’re feeling well."
"I’m quite alright." Jannah said, shooting a smile over Kirie, to assure her and convince her that she’s feeling okay, "Just had a thought that didn’t sit well with me. That’s all."
".. If you say so, my lady." Kirie murmured, still worried despite her master saying that she was fine.
The patrol around the town was quick and relatively easy, Jannah had found a perfectly stable house and double checked its durability herself.
The house stands in the center of the town, its thick walls standing strong despite the blood and deep scratches that surround it while the outside of the building was made of thick, sturdy stones, the material solid.
The windows of the house were solid, their panes of glass intact even after the devastation that the outside of it went through, the glass miraculously not shattered.
The rooms inside might have been thrashed, the furniture upside down with a few marks on the walls, but still can be used.
The bed wasn’t as bad as the state of its surroundings so Kirie didn’t have to do much.
She only had to lift the mattress, beat it down like how she does with meat, flip it, beat it, and put it back on the bed frame, making her put a new bedcover she found in one of the drawers.
"She was badly injured when I found her and when I started healing her, I took her remaining energy. She needs to rest for as long as she can, if she wakes up, force her to go back to sleep." Jannah told Kirie as she carefully put Lucienta down on the bed.
"Yes, my lady." Kirie nodded her head and smiled.
"Here." Jannah said, bringing out Lucienta’s suitcase from the inventory and placing it down on the floor, the sound it made as Jannah dropped it was soft and gentle, "Change Lucienta’s clothes into something comfortable."
Kirie nodded her head once again and watched when Jannah walked towards the door.
"I’ll prepare something to eat." Jannah informed her with a small charming smile that made Kirie’s face flushed a beet red, "After you’re done taking care of Lucienta, you can take a rest in your room— or mine, your choice."
The woman Jannah had flirted with had her green hair fall in soft waves around her face, the locks shimmering brightly under the flickering lights of the torches inside the room.
Kirie’s eyes were a mesmerizing shade of lavender, a color that Jannah had grown accustomed to, loving their depths filled with emotion.
As Kirie found herself becoming flustered, her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink, the color standing out against her fair complexion— making it pretty obvious for Jannah that she became shy.
The green haired beauty fidgeted nervously, her hands clasping and unclasping in an unconscious gesture, her eyes flickering away from the person who was causing her such emotion.
Despite her flustered state, she remained poised and did her beast to her expression neutral, her presence a captivating sight.
"It wasn’t nice of you to tease me like this, my lady." Kirie stammered out, her voice shaking ever so slightly.
Jannah blinked and cocked her head to the side, her hand freezing mid acting of turning the doorknob, "But I wasn’t grading you? Well, it’s up to you if you don’t want to take up on my offer."
Kirie was too flustered to utter a word that Jannah could only shake her head, the amused smile plastered on her face.
Clack.
The sound of the door opening and closing had snapped Kirie out of her flustered daze, her head perking up and her mouth opening before she shut it.
My lady gave me permission! Why did I have to stand here like a fool and keep looking down on the floor?! Kirie exclaimed in her mind, her face getting warm, and if someone looked closely, you would be able to see steam come out of her head.
Kirie placed her palms against her cheeks, her cheeks cold to the touch which made her eyes squeeze shut.
Meanwhile, Jannah could only rub the back of her neck.
Was that too much?
