An Unfair Fight
Even lying down and closing his eyes would let him sleep for days on end. Both his body and mind were utterly exhausted.
After holding back the vile wyverns as much as possible in the imperial capital, entrusting the cleanup to Archduke Arpis, Lua immediately began teleportation. Crossing from the center of the empire all the way to its northernmost edge through instantaneous movement was something that would shave away at even Lua’s lifespan. The physical damage she had taken was severe as well; searing pain tore through every inch of her body without pause. Her right eye in particular had grown so blurry she could hardly see what lay ahead.
“Your Highness. Are you all right…? Perhaps I should carry him instead…”
Angelica noticed that Lua’s condition was far from normal and moved to take Sia from her arms. But Lua simply shook her head as if to say it was fine.
“You’re injured too, Angelica.”
No matter how heavy her steps, the archduchess could not stop. In an empire plunged into chaos, the moment she halted, the entire archduchy would freeze forever. Lua gently laid the brother she had carried all this way onto the bed. Still half-delirious, Sia reached out toward her.
“Lu… a…?”
“Yes. I’m here, Brother.”
Lua smiled and pressed his hand to her own cheek.
“Ah…♡”
Though they had not been apart long, it was the face of the little sister he had longed to see more than anything. Sia tried to cling to consciousness, desperate for one more look at her, but the accumulated damage in his frail body was too much. His eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and he soon slipped back into darkness.
After tucking the blanket around her brother, Lua turned to Angelica.
“I’m leaving Brother in your care. The medics will arrive shortly as well. The chief physician is traveling by airship, so she won’t make it today.”
“Understood. But… Your Highness…”
“What is it?”
“Does Lord Sia… have a lover?”
“……”
Though she asked the question, Angelica had never truly considered the possibility. No one had watched over Sia more closely than she had. The slave brand etched above his womb, the ever-present erection lodged inside him, the thick white fluid that had constantly filled his belly—only one person could have done those things without Angelica noticing.
“I’ll explain… later. I’m not avoiding it. The story is simply too long for right now…”
“You must explain it. Without fail.”
Lua gave her a small nod before leaving the room.
“Haa…”
With every step, the urge to collapse nearly overwhelmed her. The pain in her heart hurt far worse than the pain in her body. Though she strove to maintain the mask of the iron-blooded, cold-blooded archduchess, she was, in truth, still a sensitive young fairy woman.
“…I expected Sister Lina and Mina to betray me. Lina has always loved power, and Mina only ever thinks about her.”
Before she realized it, Lua had reached the lower levels of the fortress and the detention facility. She murmured toward the figure beyond the iron bars. The human soldiers guarding the prison snapped to attention and saluted her.
“I also anticipated that far more people would turn their backs on me than those who remained loyal. Yet I never once imagined you would be among them.”
Chained inside the cell was Ruben, former commander of the White Rose Knights. His body was covered in dark bruises, his limbs shattered. Anyone could see he had been brutally beaten. Lua had done it herself, methodically, with her bare hands and no weapon.
“Your family—your father, his father, and his father before him—has served the archducal house faithfully for generations. How could someone like you… raise a sword against my brother?”
“Your Highness… this is a misunderstanding…”
Ruben struggled to move his swollen lips.
“A misunderstanding?”
“I only wished to protect the World Tree Seed… in case Lord Sia found himself in danger… But Lord Sia did not trust me, so…”
“Then you should have left it where it was. What you were meant to protect was not the seed, but my brother.”
“I simply judged that it would be safer in my possession…”
“So you coveted the power of the World Tree that badly? Was serving as the archduchess’s greatest knight not achievement enough for you?”
“Your Highness… I told you it is a misunderstanding…”
“You have given up on remaining an honorable knight. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to ensure you meet the most dishonorable end imaginable.”
“Your Highness…! Your Highness…!”
Turning her back on the desperate cries of her former knight, Lua walked away.
“Still, you have taught me something. That I have no eye for people whatsoever. That I must not trust anyone.”
Lua felt her eyes growing heavier. She needed to finish the cleanup as quickly as possible and steal even a few moments of sleep.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”
At Sia’s scream, Lua—who had been dozing in a chair in the infirmary—bolted upright.
“Wh-what is it? Brother? Are you all right?”
“I-I’m fine, but D-Dimaria…!”
“I am also fine. Please calm yourself.”
Dimaria had returned to Inarinax and immediately taken over Sia’s treatment. Unable to even sit up, Sia whimpered like a lost puppy. Dimaria had rolled up her top, exposing her lower abdomen. A familiar tattoo glowed brightly there.
“The Subjugation Curse? What happened?”
“I-I think I cast it. Wh-what do I do?”
“You did, Brother?”
“I know it was unintentional. It is truly all right. I can dispel it quickly, so there is no need for concern. However, for the sake of research, I will need to leave it in place for a short while.”
“Wh-what research?! Remove it right now!”
“Before that, there is something I must tell you both. Please listen carefully.”
After confirming no one else was in the infirmary, Dimaria locked the door to prevent any interruptions.
“Lord Sia’s abdominal condition is far better than anticipated. His internal organs are already regenerating on their own.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Brother is healing by himself?”
Both Sia and Lua spoke in small, disbelieving voices. Elves could recover from ordinary wounds unaided. A Grand Elf could even regenerate lost limbs. There were exceptions—such as severe poisoning from vile wyverns—but Sia’s regenerative ability had fallen to human levels. Until now, his wounds had refused to heal without dedicated treatment.
“It appears to be the effect of consuming the World Tree Seed. You said it could not be removed, correct?”
“Y-yes… Even when L-Lina tried to make me vomit it up, it wouldn’t come out… and it didn’t come out the other way, either…”
Sia trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the sentence. Dimaria seemed to understand.
“Has it… been digested…? I’m sorry, Lua…”
“No. That thing doesn’t matter anymore. It belonged to you from the start, Brother. All I need is for you to be safe.”
“B-but… that power should have been yours…”
Lua shook her head and gently stroked his cheek. The power of the World Tree meant nothing to her. Her only real concern was that other territories might cultivate their own World Trees and use that strength to threaten the archduchy.
“In my professional opinion, the true meaning of ‘planting’ the World Tree Seed appears to be this.”
“What do you mean?”
“For a person to swallow it. The seed’s power has stabilized and taken root inside Lord Sia’s body. It seems Her Majesty created it for exactly this purpose from the beginning.”
The World Tree Seeds had not occurred naturally. They were artifacts created through the Empress’s grand magic. There had never been any guarantee they would grow into ordinary trees if simply buried in soil.
“S-surely you’re not suggesting Brother Sia will turn into a tree or something like that?”
“I-I don’t want that…!”
Sia’s voice trembled as he began to cry. Lua quickly took his hand and held it tight.
“…We do not know that yet. My apologies, but let us move on to the next matter.”
Dimaria placed a hand over her own lower abdomen.
“This phenomenon also appears to be a result of consuming the seed. The World Tree does not merely grant power. It manifests the concept of ‘influence.’ Therefore…”
Dimaria turned her gaze to Sia.
“It seems Lord Sia has reached a state where he can spread the curses within his own body to others.”
“Th-then… wh-what do I do? Does that mean more victims could keep appearing because of me?”
“No. This is something Lord Sia should be able to control. In fact, it may be a blessing in disguise.”
“A blessing…?”
“At this moment, Lord Sia cast the curse in an instant—without conscious intent, without any contract—faster than even I, a specialist, could perceive. Such a feat would be impossible for even the greatest sorcerer. If utilized properly, could this not become a power with which Lord Sia may protect himself?”
“That’s true… The Subjugation Curse alone prevents the target from refusing specific commands,” Lua agreed.
If someone attacked him, he could simply cast the curse and order them not to. Or he could issue far crueler commands.
“Brother. Would you try casting the Subjugation Curse on me as well?”
“Wh-what?! N-no!”
Sia refused with surprising firmness.
“I only wish to confirm whether it works on a Grand Elf. You could find yourself in danger again while I am absent. Besides, Dimaria said she can undo it quickly.”
“Yes. With Lord Sia’s consent, I can dispel it at any time.”
“N-no matter what, how could I possibly dare do something like that to you…!”
The word “dare” stung. Lua felt an unexpected distance between them.
“There is no need to say ‘dare’… I am your little sister, aren’t I?”
“Still, you are the archduchess, so…”
“Before that, we are s-siblings. Can’t you think of it as a silly prank between brother and sister? Just try it once?”
“What kind of siblings do that!”
Dimaria quietly swallowed the retort that they had already done far worse things than that.
Lua did not want to place her brother in any more danger. She intended to keep him by her side like a puppy at all times, even if it meant pushing herself. Yet that alone was not enough. Her own abilities were ill-suited for protection. She needed to know the precise extent of Sia’s power. If it worked even on a Grand Elf, many of her worries would vanish.
The only other Grand Elf immediately available for testing—besides herself—was—
“…Ah.”
“Lua?”
—of course. The damned bitches currently marinating in vile wyvern poison inside the prison.