The Approaching Truth
Through a spray of vivid crimson blood, I saw her.
"Alina…?"
The person standing before me was unmistakably Alina.
As I stared at her in a daze, she averted her eyes from mine and walked straight toward Bordin.
"Alina…! What in the world do you think you're doing?"
"…Master."
While Alina stood there for a moment, shaken as she looked at Bordin, he seized a dagger in his remaining hand and swung it at her.
But Alina had clearly expected it. She reacted at once, slipping past the blade, then snatched his remaining arm and wrenched it hard the wrong way.
"Ghk—!"
"You taught me yourself never to let my guard down, Master."
At last the pain forced the dagger from Bordin's grip. Alina immediately kicked the fallen blade across the floor, sending it skittering far out of his reach.
"Kh-heh-heh… So that's it. I thought something felt off."
Both arms gone, his weapon stripped away, Bordin let out a small, entirely inappropriate chuckle.
"No one survives basilisk venom this long. You did something, didn't you."
When he flicked a glance toward me, Alina stepped between us, blocking me from his sight.
"I swapped it for a poison that produces the same symptoms—but does no lasting harm to the body."
"Kh…"
A hollow laugh escaped him. For a moment he closed his eyes.
"Why did you betray me?!"
When Bordin opened them again, every trace of amusement was gone. His face twisted with fury and murderous intent as he roared at Alina.
"I picked you up from a cold, dark alleyway and poured everything I had into raising you into a proper assassin. And this is how you repay that kindness?!"
At his bellow, Alina's gaze began to tremble violently. But she squeezed her eyes shut once, hard, and forced the wavering in her heart back down.
"I have always thought of you as a father, Master."
"Then why?!"
"…The young lady has done nothing wrong."
"…What?"
"We have already committed an unforgivable sin against her. I will not allow her to be hurt any further."
Bordin stared at Alina with a look of pure disbelief—then burst into enormous, booming laughter.
"Unbelievable!! You betrayed me out of that kind of pity? And you think that changes anything?"
"I simply no longer wish to walk any further down the wrong path."
Seeing the stubborn resolve in Alina's eyes, Bordin let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Fine… So what now? Do you mean to kill me?"
"Please stop, Master. I have absolutely no desire to take your life."
"Stop? If I stop now, do you honestly think that monster will spare me?"
"You have the Imperial Seal, do you not?"
"…"
What?
It was only for an instant—but Alina's words reached my ears with perfect clarity.
The Imperial Seal?
I knew what that was. It had been mentioned in the original story.
The Imperial Seal. A medal of enormous merit and privilege granted to only five people in the entire Empire. A treasure crafted by the Emperor himself and bestowed personally upon those who had rendered great service to the realm.
Simply possessing it meant that even most nobles dared not treat the holder lightly, and it opened the doors to every courtesy the Imperial Palace could offer.
And once—just once—it granted absolute pardon for any crime short of assassinating a member of the imperial family.
In the original, it had been given to the protagonist after he saved the Empire from crisis.
So why did Bordin have something like that?
"Hand the Seal over to me. If you do, I will protect both you and the young lady."
"You overstep yourself. Who exactly do you think you are?"
"I will confess that I alone committed every crime."
"What?"
Bordin stared at Alina as if she had lost her mind. She pressed on, her expression set with resolve.
"I will align our stories so that you can escape the charges. After that, with your abilities, Master, you should have no trouble surviving."
"Even if—by some miracle—I live, you will most certainly die."
"That does not matter."
"…"
Faced with the gravity in Alina's eyes, Bordin fell silent for a moment.
She looked at his face once more, then turned and came toward me.
"Alina…"
"Young lady."
"What on earth are you—"
But before I could finish, Alina laid a finger gently against my lips, stopping the words.
"I'm sure you have many questions, young lady. But there is no time. Please listen carefully to what I say."
"…"
There was so much I wanted to ask her.
But for now, I nodded, willing to hear her out.
"I will give you the Imperial Seal. Take it to the Imperial Palace, and they will protect you there themselves."
"…What?"
"Don't worry. Even Lady Athena could never defeat the Empire alone."
"What are you talking about…"
"As for the slave brand, the Grand Sage at the palace should be able to remove it safely."
"Al… Alina."
"Once you're at the palace, you'll be far better off than—"
"Alina. Wait."
I held out a hand, telling her to stop. Only then did she break off.
I was confused.
I had no idea what she was even saying.
Why would I need to go to the Imperial Palace?
"Young lady, time is—"
"Alina. I don't understand. Why do I have to go to the palace?"
Alina answered without hesitation.
"…Don't you want to be free?"
For a moment, my mind went completely blank.
The word freedom felt so utterly foreign.
"Free…?"
"Not a life trapped in this place. A free life, lived according to your own will."
"……"
"Meet new people. Do everything you've ever wanted to do, young lady."
Looking at the warm smile on Alina's face, I could tell she wasn't joking.
A free life…?
It was all so sudden—but for a moment, I let myself consider it.
Somewhere that wasn't this suffocating mansion. Somewhere I could do as I pleased.
The free life Alina spoke of, unbound by anyone.
And yet, paradoxically—
I couldn't imagine being happy in that life at all.
"…No."
"Pardon?"
Alina's eyes went wide with shock as she stared at me.
The paralysis from the poison must have eased somewhat; my body was finally responding properly again. I took a step back from her and met her gaze.
"No. I don't want a life without Athena."
"…"
"You said it yourself. That someone like me is completely useless."
"Young lady… th-that was…"
At my words, Alina's eyes began to shake violently.
I could never forget it. The indelible wounds inflicted by so many people.
And the most decisive of them all had been the moment even Alina turned her back on me so completely.
The closer we had been—the more I had trusted her—the sharper the dagger she drove into me had felt.
"Thank you for helping me… but I'm staying here."
"…"
Honestly, I still didn't understand why she was going this far to help me now.
Was it pity?
Or had I simply looked so pathetic that she felt compelled to reach out a hand?
Maybe it was guilt.
None of those possibilities brought me any comfort whatsoever.
I had already had my fill of pitying looks directed my way.
"It's all right now, Alina. You don't have to do anything more for me."
"Young lady…"
When Alina looked at me with such sorrowful eyes, I nearly felt tears well up without meaning to.
Thank you. And I'm sorry, Alina.
"Kh-heh-heh…"
While Alina and I held each other's gaze, something raw and emotional passing between us, a soft laugh drifted from behind.
I turned my head. Despite his severe injuries, Bordin had his head bowed, struggling to contain whatever he found so amusing.
"…Why are you laughing?"
For some reason, the sound of it grated on me.
I pushed myself fully upright—my body had returned to normal—and faced him. He wore a smile that was closer to a sneer.
"Forgive me, young lady. It was simply too funny; I couldn't help myself. Still—you place quite a remarkable amount of trust in Lady Athena, don't you."
Despite Bordin's mockery, I looked straight at him and answered without flinching.
"Because I love her."
"Kh-kuk…! Love… love, she says…"
He kept laughing and laughing. My face twisted into a frown.
Why on earth was he laughing like that?
"Pathetic… You don't even realize you're dancing in that monster's palm, and yet you've fallen so thoroughly in love with her."
"…What are you talking about."
"Kh-heh… Curious, are you?"
As Bordin struggled to push himself up, Alina leveled a blade at him in warning.
"Master. Stay where you are."
"Alina. I am merely trying to tell the young lady the truth. You know it as well as I do, don't you? How foolish she looks right now."
"…"
"If you truly care for her, shouldn't you be the one to tell her the truth?"
At Bordin's words, Alina's body gave a single sharp flinch.
"…It's still too soon."
"On the contrary—if you mean to take her to the palace as planned, telling her the truth would be far faster than this pointless persuasion."
"…"
Alina glanced at me carefully.
Worry, sorrow, guilt—her expression seemed to hold every emotion at once.
…Why was she looking at me like that.
I turned away from her oppressive gaze and spoke to Bordin.
"…What exactly are you trying to say?"
I demanded an answer. He gave one readily.
"Listen carefully, young lady."
He thrust his broken arm straight out in front of him. A grotesque sound of twisting bone filled the room.
"Every humiliation, every shame, every self-loathing, every sense of powerlessness, every scrap of guilt you have endured since coming to this mansion."
A broad smile stretched across his lips as he looked at me.
"What if I told you that every last one of them was orchestrated by Athena? Would you believe me?"
"…What did you just say?"
One side of my face tightened. Bordin took one look at me, laughed loudly once more, and continued.
"Exactly what I said. Every incident that has taken place in this house—"
"—was part of Athena's plan. Because she desperately wanted you broken."