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Chapter 27
“Crondel?”
Cilia stopped in her tracks to get a grasp of the situation.
“The prince?”
Crondel was nowhere to be seen. Around her stretched a maze of gleaming white walls. Through the glass doors set into each wall, she could make out the silhouettes of various items. Multiple layers of these floors stacked above and below, and the transparent hallway floors revealed everything between them.
Then came a sound from behind.
Skreeeak.
The sword at her waist vibrated violently. Cilia immediately drew Periot and tried to infuse it with mana—
“…!”
But the mana circuits refused to open properly, as if something were interfering. Only about half the amount of mana she meant to use responded. There must have been some kind of device in this treasure vault that restricted the flow of magic.
“Great. Just what I needed.”
Still, thanks to her experience, her body didn’t panic. She turned and thrust the sword precisely behind her.
Skreeeeech! A long, shrill scream rang out, accompanied by the stench of something burning. More screams erupted from every direction.
“If I’m not careful, I’m going to get surrounded.”
Whummmm.
Periot resonated in her hand.
“Yeah, whatever you’re saying, I agree,” she muttered.
Either it meant this is bad news, or we should get out of here fast. Whichever it was, she didn’t have time to dwell on it—because a larger, more massive entity was charging right toward her.
Cilia raised her sword and slashed it in a wide arc.
And then—
Ahhh.
No…
This time, the cries weren’t the vague, monstrous shrieks from before.
“…What the—?”
I want to live…
The final voice faded out, small and fragile.
It was a wail too full of sorrow for mere thieves breaking into a vault. A chill crept into her chest.
“…First, I need to dodge that thing.”
From behind, masses of black, ghostly forms were surging toward her like a flood. Cilia bolted forward. Just then, from a blocked corridor beside her, a voice called out:
“Cilia! Are you there?”
The prince’s voice.
“Hey! Prince!”
“…Cilia!”
“You’re in the next corridor, right? Can you cross over here?”
“If you go a little farther ahead, the paths connect!”
“Then run!”
Cilia shouted and pushed herself to move faster.
Crondel wasn’t as physically capable as she was. If something went wrong, she’d need to help him. When the two paths finally joined, she planned to grab him and—
“!”
Skreech!
At the junction, Crondel appeared—running nearly as fast as she was, and barely out of breath.
‘I was sprinting full speed just now…’
“…You run well.”
At her odd tone, Crondel gave a crooked smile.
“I’ve had practice. I used to get chased all the time. Dodging bodyguards means a lot of running.”
“That’s all?”
“…Well, some training too…”
“‘Some’?”
“…Yeah, just a little. I sometimes joined the Diaman knights’ drills in disguise.”
Training with Diaman’s guards wasn’t light by any means.
“So you acted weak on purpose when we first met in the greenhouse.”
“Haha, you caught me. But I’m not that skilled—just basic self-defense. When we were chased by those wraiths, I really couldn’t fight back.”
“You sure it wasn’t on purpose?”
“No way. I really thought I was going to die that time.”
The prince smiled bitterly.
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. It’s just…”
Just his habit—to hide things, to conceal what he really thought.
Cilia didn’t call him out on it. She simply shrugged.
“You could’ve learned swordsmanship in the royal palace.”
“They don’t exactly want to teach me anything.”
Skreeeee!
Before they could continue, an enormous number of wraiths swarmed right up behind them. Instinctively, Cilia grabbed Crondel and yanked him closer.
“Run faster!”
As she pushed off the ground, Periot suddenly trembled violently, pointing toward a door ahead. Crondel’s eyes widened.
“We have to go in there!”
Instead of replying, Cilia shoved him hard in the back.
“Go first!”
She couldn’t make it that far while dragging him along. She’d just have to reduce the number of enemies coming after them.
“No helping it, then.”
Her mana circuits were still unstable, but even taking the loss, she could manage. Any injuries from a wraith attack—she could deal with later.
Thump.
Forcing the circuits open made something rise violently from within. Her insides churned. She couldn’t help but let out a twisted smile.
“This is nothing.”
With Illod’s power, she’d recover quickly anyway.
“It’s nothing at all.”
She braced herself, stepping between the wraiths—
“…Don’t.”
The whisper came so suddenly it almost brushed her ear.
An arm wrapped around her from behind—Crondel’s—and pulled her backward, sending her stumbling past him instead. Normally she’d have reacted fast enough to counter, but the turbulent energy roiling through her body slowed her down.
“Crondel…?”
When she looked back, his eyes—so gentle and warm, ill-fitting against his cool colors—met hers.
“You don’t need to.”
His lips shaped the words softly.
“Go.”
And then came a memory—of comrades who had once gone ahead of her, only to fall before the monsters.
In the same instant, the wraiths engulfed Crondel.
Crunch.
The sound of something breaking that should never have broken.
“Fortunately, the hosts had some fine tea prepared.”
In one of the lounges beside the banquet hall, steaming tea filled a porcelain cup. Plier lifted it carefully. The liquid swirled, glowing a deep crimson.
Not as beautiful as his, though.
“Diaman certainly brought in quite the remarkable person.”
“Yes.”
“To be honest, if it weren’t for my family’s position, I might’ve found this rather entertaining.”
A sharp glint flashed through Alec Phillips’ dark eyes as he gave a thin smile.
“The Phillips family won’t forget this insult.”
“Nor will Diaman.”
“So we’re even, then?”
Phillips took a sip of tea, speaking lightly as if joking.
“In any case, let’s handle this before it escalates.”
“I thought you were furious.”
“Well, we’re talking about my little brother, after all.”
Alec Phillips was known for being unusually calm for a man of his house—famous for his cold, rational mind. The fact that he’d insulted Plier moments ago and now spoke so pleasantly was proof enough. Brazen, yet businesslike.
“When Alec Phillips inherits the marquisate, many things will change,”
Carla had once told him, urging him to pay attention to social politics.
Now that Plier was face-to-face with Alec, he finally understood.
Alec unclasped his fingers and continued,
“Diaman is growing rapidly, and Phillips can’t afford to lose its standing.”
“……”
“It would do neither of us any good to let this affair get out of hand.”
“I agree.”
“Still, what’s done is done. I can only warn you ahead of time.”
He took another sip, smiling pleasantly.
“My brother may formally challenge her to a duel soon.”
“I see.”
“My personal advice—keep her restrained. As her sponsoring house, you could issue a travel ban or at least limit her movements.”
“…I’m not sure that’s possible.”
And he didn’t want to.
It would be a shame to cage someone like her.
From the very first time he met her—she had always seemed strong. Even in the short time they’d spent together, she’d never shown a weakness, as if she needed no one’s help. Yet he’d still wanted to help her.
As always, Cilia would face down whatever challenge Alec Phillips threw at her—and push straight through it. Whatever she was discussing with the crown princess now, Plier couldn’t guess.
Alec watched his face and smiled thinly.
“She doesn’t seem the type to be held down easily. Unpredictable, that one.”
“Yes.”
“Still, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. Who knows what she’ll do.”
“……”
“Don’t look so grim, Viscount. I’m not out for her head.”
Not publicly, at least, though the thought stayed unspoken.
Plier stared into the red tea, its ripples spreading slowly until the warmth finally faded away.
Please… don’t walk that road alone again.
Alone.
She was alone again. Just like before—left behind, the only survivor.
“Crondel!”
Her heart pounded so loud it filled her ears. The horde of wraiths swarming around Crondel’s body merged into one massive, writhing shape.
“Answer me, damn it!”
For the first time since she’d come back to life, Cilia felt her chest seize in dread. Her mind went blank. She couldn’t think about disappearance, duty, or anything else.
He was dying—right before her eyes. Just like on that battlefield.
“Fall back! It’s a beast!”
“If we stay, the line will break—ahhh!”
Dying again. Leaving her alone again.
I couldn’t reach him.
She hadn’t been able to save him then—when he’d fallen to the monsters.
…No.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t reach him. She’d failed to. She could have stopped him.
If only she’d moved faster, judged quicker—if only she’d done just a little better—
If only she had been better.
“No…”
Her ears rang.
Something burst from her chest.
