Oh, She's Broken
"We've arrived. Get out."
"Mmm... five more minutes..."
"Do I really have to scoop you up and carry you myself?"
"Huh? What? Yes...?"
Yuri's eyes slowly fluttered open. The moment she realized she had sunk into a deep sleep, she startled hard enough to jolt and tremble.
Sitting across from her were Aslan Belmont and Silvia.
And this place was...
the Imperial Magic Academy dormitory?
"I-I'm so sorry, Count! I dozed off without meaning to..."
"It's fine. Your escort duty ended the moment we left the Imperial Palace. You did splendidly."
"..."
Yuri bit down hard on her lip and could not say a word.
What exactly had she done so splendidly?
As his escort she had stuck close to Aslan Belmont the entire time, yet the ones who actually protected him had been Yulia, Charlotte, and Silvia. Aside from trailing after him like a duckling, she felt she had accomplished nothing at all.
I feel like I'm the only one falling behind...
Yulia and Charlotte had already been reborn as a formidable necromancer and a dark knight. All she had was being a little faster, a little tougher, and decent with a sword. If she truly entered Aslan's service and followed him with her whole heart, would she awaken some power of darkness as well...?
Hah! What am I even thinking!?
The thought had slipped out of her subconscious, and Yuri's eyes flew wide. No matter how badly she wanted strength, entertaining the idea of being corrupted by Aslan Belmont was going too far. Everything she was doing to entice him was for Charlotte and Yulia's sake—not for herself!
Yuri squeezed her eyes shut, steeled her resolve once more, and forced her mind back into order.
"Just so you know, that was not empty flattery. I meant every word. The fact that a close-range escort never had to step in herself means the threats never even got the chance to approach. Silvia has told you time and again: in security work, the ability to avoid crisis is more important than the ability to respond to one. Bringing you along as escort today was the right call."
"..."
What? Could he read minds or something?
She had been quietly berating herself and feeling a little dejected when Aslan's encouragement arrived at the perfect moment. Yuri felt her chest lighten at once.
"Today's hazard pay will be added to your next salary."
"No. Hazard pay? Doesn't the contract already list special assignments as part of regular duties...?"
"Spare me the unnecessary conscience. Go inside and finish sleeping. You'll be late for class tomorrow."
"Yes..."
A rough hand ruffled through her hair, tossing her head this way and that. There was not a shred of gentle consideration in the touch, yet somehow it felt wonderfully warm.
Yuri rubbed her eyes, rose from her seat, and stepped down from the carriage. Without further farewell the door slammed shut, and the carriage quietly slipped out of the midnight grounds of the Imperial Magic Academy.
"Ugh. I need to sleep already..."
Yawning, she trudged into the dormitory. Passing the attic room she used to occupy, she entered the single room her seniors had "voluntarily" vacated for her and collapsed onto the bed. Exhaustion nearly claimed her on the spot, but she forced herself upright long enough to change clothes. Only then did the drowsiness recede and her senses return one by one.
"Huh? Just now, what was that...?"
She brushed the place where Aslan's hand had touched her hair, and her expression went blank.
Just now. Aslan had stroked her head?
Just like that? Out of nowhere?
And why had she accepted it so naturally, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world!?
No matter how she turned it over, she could not understand. She still disliked Aslan Belmont. On a genetic level, revulsion should have been inevitable. So why, half-asleep, had she not rejected his hand?
It was a complete mystery.
"How did he know I was down and comfort me like some kind of ghost? This feels weird..."
One moment he was manhandling her like a boy; the next he was treating her this kindly. Or was it not kindness at all—just the way someone pet a puppy?
Her thoughts tangled in an instant, and Yuri felt dizzy.
"I'm the one doing the seducing... so why does he look like he's having more fun...?"
It was confusing. Had Aslan Belmont truly fallen for her temptation? Or did he simply think of her as an adorable child?
She did not know. She knew nothing at all.
Things that had looked simple from a distance only grew more complicated and difficult the closer she drew to him.
What did Aslan Belmont think of her...?
"Ah. Sunrise."
While she was still trying to sort the chaos in her head, the first light of dawn spilled through the window. Only then did Yuri rub her sleepy eyes and realize she had stayed up the entire night.
Oh no.
She had not slept a single wink...
Looking ready to cry, she yawned—then noticed a growing clamor outside and poked her head out.
Early-rising students were racing around with morning papers, waking everyone else...
"Ah. Right."
News of the incident at the Imperial Palace must finally have begun to spread. Yuri hurriedly accepted the paper that had been delivered and started reading the article from top to bottom.
"What!? It says the uproar was settled by the efforts of Belmont Security employee Yuri—what on earth is this...!"
Her eyes went huge the moment she hit the strange section. Aslan's name, Charlotte's name, Yulia's name—none of them appeared even once. Only her name was printed, making it sound as if she had single-handedly stopped the palace terrorism!
"Yuri! You in there? I just saw the article—what is this even talking about?"
"There was a terrorist attack at the palace! And you stopped it!?"
"Tell us everything! Please!"
"Ah... ahhh...!"
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Fists hammered thunderously against her door. Yuri sank to the floor on the spot, her mind going blank.
She had only wanted a little quiet so she could focus on her studies—why did attention keep pouring down on her like this...!
"Mm. Turned out well."
The morning after the incident, I unfolded the newspaper the instant it was delivered, then folded it again with a satisfied sigh. The article had come out exactly as we had arranged beforehand.
"Sorry, Yuri. I needed a sacrificial lamb... no. I needed a protagonist."
Evil God 'Kali' resents you, wailing about why you keep tormenting our Yuri so badly.
Her Imperial Majesty—my older sister—had decided to bury the palace terrorism incident.
Of course, a catastrophe in which the Empire's highest dignitaries all collapsed in a single night, the Fourth Corps raised the banner of rebellion, and part of the Imperial Palace itself was reduced to rubble could never be completely erased. Classifying it was one thing; the press still needed some explanation. Revealing that a single warlock had toyed with the very heart of the Empire was impossible, so we settled on putting forward a hero.
That hero was Yuri.
The official scenario ran roughly as follows: a portion of the legionnaires brainwashed by Sefirot attempted to assassinate the Empress, and Yuri—present as my escort—single-handedly subdued every last one of them.
The title of hero who crushed an unprecedented palace terrorist attack is no light thing. An enormous spotlight would fall on her, yet I judged that the Yuri who would one day rise as a true Hero could weather it. More importantly, Yuri's rising star would become the greatest possible advertisement for Belmont Security. I had been weighing expansion of the business; if commissions suddenly flooded in thanks to this, I could decide without a second thought.
Hiring Yuri into Belmont Security had been an excellent idea after all.
"And... Reinhardt has been demoted."
Held responsible for the affair, Reinhardt was stripped of his post as Commander of the Fourth Corps. His rank dropped two grades. Being of imperial blood spared him prison, but the punishment was still severe.
As for Sefirot...
Better not to know.
I tried to imagine it for a moment and quickly abandoned the attempt. Whatever I pictured, the reality would be far more ghastly. They would not execute her immediately, of course. The Empire needed to wring every scrap of information about her sorcery out of her first. She was a tenacious little creature.
"Mister!"
"Aslan!"
"...?"
BANG!
The office door flew open with a crash. Charlotte and Yulia burst in looking thoroughly worked up.
Why were they awake so early instead of sleeping longer...?
"What on earth is the matter?"
"We heard everything! ...yo!"
"While I was collapsed from exhaustion, you tried to fight that huge monster all by yourself, Mister?"
"That's way too reckless...! Bow your head! Hurry! I have to check if you're hurt! ...yo!"
Evil God 'Kali' sheds tears of pure emotion at the devoted care of our necromancer and dark knight.
They strode right up to me, yanking on my sleeves and demanding I lower myself. Left with no choice, I dropped to one knee. Yulia immediately pushed up my sleeve to inspect my arm, while Charlotte peered intently into my eyes and face.
"I'm perfectly fine. Nothing hurts, nothing's injured, so there's no need to worry."
"H-hmph! Who said I was worried? I didn't come because I was worried or anything!"
"Unlike cold-hearted Yulia, I definitely came because I was worried! I'm so, so glad you're okay, Mister..."
Charlotte threw her arms around my waist and buried her face against my chest. Her words were playful, yet I could feel the faintest tremor of suppressed sobs.
Yulia, on the other hand, had gone suspiciously quiet. When I glanced over...
"C-cold-hearted... N-no... That... that's... I... I did worry a little, actually..."
Her pupils darted every which way while she stammered and short-circuited.
Ah. Yulia's broken.