Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Night of Betrayal
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Clop clop.
Late at night, in the dark corridor of the mansion.
Someone in human form, hooded in black all the way over their head, was slowly walking down the corridor.
The way they made no sound at all was suspicious enough to catch anyone's eye.
"......"
"......"
Even the knight walking right beside them passed by as if nothing was amiss.
Of course. This hood had an effect called Shape Concealment.
In simple terms, invisibility. It blended the wearer into the surroundings and objects, making them invisible to others' eyes.
Normally, using such an artifact on a person would weaken the effect due to mana resistance in the body.
But that also meant it would work perfectly fine without any mana.
For someone congenitally low on mana, as long as they poured all their mana into the artifact right before use...
"Hoo..."
They'd end up just like her.
As the clanking footsteps faded into the distance, Maylin let out a sigh of relief.
The late night after Young Master Dane's celebration banquet had ended.
She knew security was more lax than usual, but that didn't make it any less dangerous.
Maylin caught her breath for a moment, then started walking slowly again.
-Clop clop.
The faint sound of beastkin hooves echoed softly.
The artifact hid her form but not her sounds, so she had to be careful.
Her target: Young Master Dane's room.
The plan was simple.
Slip in with the duplicated key, stab the dagger into his body, and done.
If she could just do that...
'......I can save my sibling.'
Maylin let out a hollow chuckle.
What could be more clichéd and boring than this?
Betraying the family that took her in, all to save her own kin, by murdering someone.
It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it.
But prioritizing family over a stranger's life... that was unavoidable, wasn't it?
Humans were selfish creatures by nature, after all.
-Click.
She carefully unlocked the door and slipped inside.
A human shape lay on the bed.
As she drew closer, she saw Dane's face, peacefully asleep under the covers, oblivious to the world.
'As expected...'
He hadn't woken at the sound of the door, which meant the sleeping drug in his drink had worked perfectly.
There had been meaning in slipping through the noisy banquet hall using the artifact.
If she just plunged the dagger into him now...
-Shing.
The dagger, about forearm-length, gleamed as it was drawn.
The sharp metallic ring unique to iron.
Maylin stood before the bed and raised the dagger high with both hands gripped tight.
"......"
Her heart felt like it would burst from tension.
Guilt churned in her gut.
Her hand trembled so badly she might drop it, unable to muster strength.
Her first murder.
Maylin had lived a life far removed from fighting.
Whether wielding a sword or learning magic, it all required mana.
Maylin and her family all had congenitally minimal mana.
That's why the Hilton Count family, scheming against the ducal house, had noticed her—and why she'd been hired without suspicion.
But.
"Ugh...!"
A total stranger covered in red would be one thing, but killing someone she knew...
Someone younger than her, whom she saw every day... that wasn't easy.
Just a glimpse of his face in the corner of her vision brought back memories of him smiling brightly and greeting her in the library.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
It was the moment of choice.
Young Master's life, or her sibling's.
The deliberation was brief.
-Whoosh.
Maylin swung her arm.
Even if she were caught and killed here, her sibling outside would be saved.
The flung dagger wobbled but flew toward his heart.
The sharp blade tore through the blanket and sank straight into Young Master's body...
-Clang!
"......Clang?"
It was blocked.
What? What was that sound?
That wasn't the sound of a blade hitting flesh.
That was when it happened.
-Thud.
"Meeeh!"
The hand of Dane, who she'd thought was asleep, grabbed her arm.
Huh? Wasn't he asleep? She'd seen him drink the drugged beverage.
No, wait—before that, how did he grab her while she had the artifact on?
-Rustle.
Dane's sleeping form slowly sat up.
Falling from his clothes... dirt?
Moonlight faintly filtered through the window, and their eyes met.
The emotion on his face wasn't confusion at the sudden situation, nor fear from nearly dying.
What was it... anger?
"I trusted you... I trusted youuu...!"
"Y-Yes... yes?"
"I trusted you, Mayliiin...!"
Dane's kick slammed into her abdomen.
"Meeeh...!"
Startled by the sudden impact, Maylin tumbled backward.
It wasn't infused with mana, so it didn't hurt much...
But more shocking was hearing her own name from Dane's lips.
"Do you know... do you have any idea how much I agonized? How many days and nights I pondered how to reject you if you confessed?!"
"Eh? Eh?"
"How dare you toy with a man's pure heart!"
Dane slowly rose and approached the direction where Maylin had fallen.
The situation had veered far from her original plan, and Maylin's thoughts couldn't keep up.
Had he known her identity all along?
She'd hidden it so well...
But me confessing? And him rejecting?
If he planned to reject from the start, why call it pure heart?
No, no—more importantly...
"Young Master, your personality's cha—"
"Even so, since we know each other, I worried you'd be hurt if disgust showed on my face when rejecting you... do you know how much I practiced?!"
"Disgust...?"
"Because of you, I even practiced rejecting a confession while staring at a horse's ass in the stables!"
"Eek."
Lately, she'd thought Young Master's gaze in the library kept drifting downward oddly.
He was staring to get used to it.
She'd thought he was interested in her assets.
But disgust? Toward a beastkin?
"That's racist..."
"Shut up!"
"Meeehk!"
Dane started kicking toward where the fallen Maylin lay.
He was swinging at empty air sometimes, confirming she was invisible.
But oddly, if she dodged to the side, his leg followed perfectly.
Even though he couldn't see her.
"How, how, how...?"
"If you wanted to hide it, your heart shouldn't have raced!"
"Heart? Racing...?"
In the rapidly unfolding chaos, Maylin's mind went blank, reduced to simplistic thoughts.
The kicks hurt.
But not too much.
When would it end? It wasn't stopping.
If someone came and she got caught like this, would she die?
Run... run...!
"Run!"
Maylin bolted up and dashed for the door.
She was invisible to others anyway!
If she could just make it down the corridor and out of the mansion...!
-Creak.
Just as Maylin reached for the doorknob.
The unopened door slid open, and a face peeked through the gap.
"...Do you need assistance?"
Silver-white hair.
Only one person in the mansion had that feature.
"Ah, Eirin."
The name slipped out unbidden.
Why was Eirin here?
Rumors said Eirin, who matched the Rovelen family's Knight Captain Hans in skill, was here?
A chill raced down her spine in an instant, strength draining from her body.
"I-I'm dead!"
"Who said you're dying! I've known you were a brat spy all along!"
"Spy...?"
"Spy, agent, mole, you bastard!"
"Meeeek!"
With all escape routes blocked.
All Maylin could do was curl up and take the hits.
A small part of her mind was relieved she hadn't killed him after all...
...But Young Master, so this is your real personality.
She'd thought he was just a sweet kid brother figure because he always greeted her brightly.
Turns out not.
She apologized to him inwardly over and over.
And with that, the guilt in Maylin eased a bit.
*
"How dare you... how dare you betray my feelings?"
"Unavoidable circumstances? Sibling? So what! That has nothing to do with meee!"
"Sorry? You're sorry? Then why do it in the first place!"
Leaving Dane's room, where he was kicking at empty air, Eirin simply stood guard at the door.
Fortunately, she'd warned everyone in advance, so no one passed by.
Still, she couldn't let the other servants hear those noises.
"Hmm..."
Clearly, no one was in the room except Young Master.
But in the corner he was kicking, something incongruous existed.
The impact sounds and leg recoil proved it, but if no one noticed... could she have spotted it?
"Possible."
Spreading her senses through mana sharpened her awareness.
It seemed the artifact only hid appearance, not sound.
A knight's heightened hearing, amplified by mana, could pick up even the tiniest noises.
-Knock knock.
Eirin walked to the next room and knocked.
Moments later, a golden-haired girl in white priestess robes appeared.
The temple priestess she'd requested via letter in advance.
"The situation seems handled, so you're free to return."
"......"
"Ah, and if you heard any voices just now, please don't mention it to anyone."
"......"
The priestess nodded in understanding and slowly walked back down the corridor.
Eirin didn't even know her voice, since the priestess hadn't spoken a word since arriving.
"......Looks like even the temple can't be fully trusted."
Eirin knew well.
The resignation, pain, and resolve to stand by in the priestess's eyes.
It was the gaze she often saw in soldiers on the northern frontlines.
The war wouldn't end, and they lacked the power to change anything.
Yet they fought on, for family and loved ones.
"......Brings back memories."
The hellish white landscapes.
She'd sworn never to think of the north again.
But memories surface at the slightest resemblance, leaving no room to block them.
Eirin pressed her brow and steadied her mind for a moment.
Then returned to her post and opened the door.
Time had passed; it should be wrapping up soon.
"What? You weren't even going to confess? Why wouldn't you?!"
"No feelings? Like a sibling? Then stop smiling at me!"
"Your upper body looks human—do you know how much that made my heart race?!"
...It'd take a bit longer.
Still, blankly watching somehow cleared her stray thoughts.
As if burying the past deeper, reminding her she was in the ducal house now.
...Or maybe it was just the bizarre situation forcing them down.
"Haa..."
Dane sometimes showed this mad intensity.
Like when fleeing criminals chasing them from the tavern.
Or boldly acting like the Duke's son in front of him.
From Eirin's experience, Dane only went wild like this when confident in his safety.
Like now—he knew she could handle any trouble.
Even so, from his view, nearly dying justified extra agitation.
"No matter how angry, at least give her time to—"
That was when.
-Wong.
"...?"
A brown furball spirit floated over and perched on Eirin's shoulder.
Stretching its body to point somewhere—it wanted something.
It pointed toward Dane, so she looked...
"......?"
Something was off.
Dane's leg, kicking Maylin, was trembling.
No mana, no real power, so not dangerous.
-Thump.
But some hits carried enough force to be risky if misplaced.
She'd survived so far because he avoided the head intentionally, and the spirit's dirt wrapping dispersed the impact.
His condition was off, and he was sweating profusely, clearly not wanting to continue.
"I'll take over."
Eirin grabbed Dane's shoulder to stop him.
"Hoo... hoo..."
His pupils dilated excessively.
Had he suffered some mental attack while she wasn't looking?
As Eirin moved to fetch the priestess again.
-Tap.
Dane grabbed her arm, as if to say he was fine.
"...Are you alright?"
"......Thinking."
He was probably desperately searching for the cause of this unfamiliar symptom.
Young Master valued his life too much to overlook this.
So her role was...
"I'll handle cleanup. Sit and have some water to calm down."
Cleanup.
Taking over Maylin's interrogation.
...Though it seemed more like an emotional dumping ground than interrogation.
"Now, answer. Who is the one behind you?"
Eirin turned to the corner.
The artifact's mana had run out; Maylin panted in the shadows.
...But her state was off too.
Breathing far too heavily.
Had she been injured by an attack even the spirit couldn't block?
Just before checking for wounds.
"Me... meeeh... "
"...?"
"Die... Maylin die... If Eirin hits, Maylin dies..."
"......Calm down. I won't hit you... sigh."
It was a mess.
She seemed to be hyperventilating, fearing Eirin would beat her like Dane had.
Both needed time to calm in this chaos.
Eirin cradled her head and waited.
...She needed time too.