My Escape is Set in Stone
My future of running away was set in stone.
As soon as the imperial banquet ended, I went straight to bed. I insisted that I was perfectly fine and that we should head to Cazar's place immediately, but Franche held me back, pointing out how terrible I looked and urging me to rest first.
The next day arrived.
"Let's go get you treated," she said.
I was practically dragged out of the estate and toward Cazar's house. The fact that she didn't use her authority to command me suggested she was deeply shaken by the symptoms I had displayed at the banquet.
Rumble. The carriage wheels rolled along the cobblestones. Along the way, Franche spoke up.
"By the way... what kind of illness could possibly reduce a Sword Master of your caliber to such a state?"
Believing that a touch of theatricality was necessary when discussing my terminal condition, I put on the most bitter expression I could muster.
"It is because of the Transcendental Mage, My Lady. Because of her, I was unable to fight properly during the war with the Empire."
This was a deduction woven from the fragments of information I had gathered so far and a healthy dose of imagination. After all, there was no way the kingdom's greatest Sword Master—a man hailed as the continent's strongest blade—would have been captured without a single scratch on his body unless something underhanded had occurred.
Well, if I were to dig into the details...
Before Jin Barenberg could even join the fray, the kingdom had been overwhelmingly crushed. The Transcendental Mage must have blocked Jin from participating. Once the Empire's victory was absolute, she likely offered him a deal: surrender quietly, and the surviving citizens of Barenberg would be spared.
Yes, that must be it.
Having lived in this world for some time, piecing together the rumors and filling in the blanks made the picture clear.
"The Transcendental Mage..." Franche murmured, a bitter smile touching her lips.
She was likely realizing that her own life had begun to unravel because I was captured by that mage, and that my current suffering was also the mage's doing. The collision of those two realizations must have stirred a tempest of complex emotions within her.
To clear the heavy air, I decided to steer the conversation toward a different topic—one that had recently piqued my curiosity.
"My Lady, there is something I would like to look into."
"What is it?"
"I wish to know how the people of Barenberg are faring these days."
The possibilities were grim. They might have been enslaved like me, exiled to some barren frontier, or perhaps even used as cannon fodder to hold back the Wave of Calamity.
I hope they aren't living too wretchedly.
Even if it was a past life, I was still the sole surviving royalty of that fallen kingdom. I couldn't help but worry for my people—
Ah.
The synchronization was worsening. To think I was unconsciously worrying about others when my own survival was hanging by a thread.
Franche pondered for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
"From what I gather, they aren't living as miserably as you might fear. I overheard some nobles talking at the banquet; apparently, they've been relocated to the outer borders."
That was a relief. I had been worried they were enslaved, having their labor brutally exploited or subjected to unspeakable horrors.
"The Empire's territory is vast and its population immense, so they could afford to make such a concession," Franche continued. "Besides, that borderland was completely uninhabited, and the soil isn't particularly fertile."
Just how bad was it, then? I pressed further.
"Surely it is not a wasteland where humans cannot survive?"
"No, nothing like that. It's a region where they can at least achieve self-sufficiency."
Perhaps the Empire wasn't entirely heartless. To go so far as to allocate land for them showed a surprising degree of leniency. But if they were left to their own devices, wouldn't the spark of rebellion linger?
"Is the Empire not concerned?" I asked.
"About what?"
"That the citizens of Barenberg might quietly plot their independence."
"Ah, that's not an issue. Imperial inspectors are stationed there to oversee them."
...Well, that's concerning in its own right.
As if reading the apprehension on my face, Franche quickly added, "There won't be the kind of tyranny you're imagining. The Empire conducts regular audits. Even if they were once prisoners of war, they are considered valuable imperial assets now."
Hmm. They were far more pragmatic than I had expected. A policy of extreme efficiency, then. Truly fitting for the continent's preeminent superpower.
As we exchanged these thoughts, the carriage gave a final, gentle lurch and came to a halt.
"We're here. Let's get down," Franche said.
We stepped down from the carriage, and Franche knocked briskly on Cazar's front door.
"Cazar! Open up, it's urgent."
Silence. Given the early hour, she was likely still fast asleep.
"Can't be helped. She always was a heavy sleeper," Franche sighed.
A faint shimmer of mana gathered at Franche's fingertips. A wisp of black smoke snaked into the keyhole, and with a soft click, the lock turned.
"..."
She was already capable of manipulating mana with such precision? Her talent was truly terrifying.
The moment we stepped inside, a pungent odor assaulted our senses. Franche grimaced, pinching her nose shut.
"...I told her to clean up after herself," she muttered.
"Indeed, My Lady..." I agreed, looking around.
The place was an absolute disaster zone. Research apparatuses lay scattered across the floor, half-read grimoires were left splayed open, and there were even plates of half-eaten food rotting on the tables.
"I'll go wake her up. Wait here," Franche said.
"I could at least tidy up a bit while I wait, My Lady."
"Absolutely not. I'm not letting a patient do manual labor."
With that, Franche marched up to the second floor. A few moments later—
Crash! Thud!
The violent sound of something heavy tumbling echoed down the stairs.
"...What in the world?" I muttered.
I had no idea what was happening up there, but it certainly didn't sound peaceful. I wondered if Franche had resorted to blasting Cazar out of bed, blanket and all, because she refused to wake up.
After a brief wait, a thoroughly disheveled Cazar trudged down the stairs, followed closely by Franche.
"...What's going on this early in the morning?" Cazar grumbled, her face scrunched up as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Jin's condition has taken a turn for the worse," Franche said gravely.
"...What?"
The drowsiness vanished from Cazar's face in an instant. Her eyes went wide as she whipped her head toward me.
"His condition worsened? How, exactly?"
"He collapsed from sheer agony," Franche explained, "and he was even coughing up blood."
Cazar's expression hardened. A Sword Master writhing in agony and coughing up blood was a medical impossibility under normal circumstances.
"...Did you seriously pick a fight with a dragon or something?" she asked, her face blank with disbelief.
There's a very complicated story behind this...
"A dragon?" Franche tilted her head in confusion. "Where did that come from?"
"Ah, no, nothing! I just meant... his condition sounds far more severe than I anticipated," Cazar stammered, her eyes darting away as she avoided Franche's gaze.
Franche shook her head dismissively and pulled up a chair. "Anyway, tell me what's wrong with him. How did he end up in this state?"
Cazar nodded dumbly, then cast a furtive glance in my direction. Her eyes practically screamed, What do I say?
I mouthed back silently: Just make something up.
Cazar gave a barely perceptible nod.
I sat cross-legged on the floor, maintaining a dignified posture. Since we had to put on a show of conducting an examination, Cazar placed her palm against my back and channeled her mana. I felt a strange, wriggling sensation coursing through my veins alongside my blood.
"...Huh?" Cazar tilted her head.
Franche leaned forward anxiously. "Did you find something?"
"Uh..."
Cazar scratched her head in confusion, then flooded my back with mana once more.
Hummmm!
A massive surge of mana, incomparable to the gentle trickle from before, invaded my body. It began to thoroughly probe my insides, as if hunting for something hidden deep within.
"...I found it," Cazar whispered.
What? Found what?
"What is it?" Franche pressed. "Do you know exactly what's causing this?"
"Yes. But... this is far more serious than I thought."
"What do you mean? Don't keep me in suspense, just tell me!"
Cazar grimaced, biting her lip as she pushed her mana even deeper. "This isn't a simple illness."
"Then what is it? A curse?"
Cazar shook her head. "No, it's not a curse either. I've spent my entire life researching all manners of magic, but I can't decipher this structure at all."
Could she be talking about the force behind those system messages? I wondered. I kept my mouth shut, needing to hear more of her analysis first.
"Then... is there no cure?" Franche's voice trembled.
"It's difficult to explain in detail."
"Just tell me whatever you can!"
Cazar looked half-dazed. Her pupils trembled violently, and she kept shaking her head in disbelief.
"It's a form of mana I've never encountered in my life. I didn't even know something like this could exist. It's like a human trying to decipher Dragon Tongue. It feels like... magic from an entirely different dimension."
Is it related to the reason I was transmigrated into this world? That was the only logical conclusion. After all, a game-like system interface shouldn't exist as standard magic in this world.
"Is that what's causing Jin's pain?" Franche asked.
"Most likely, yes."
The mana that had been probing every corner of my body finally withdrew. Her examination complete, Cazar pulled her hand away from my back.
"The structure resembles human magic, yet it behaves like Dragon Tongue. It's a contradictory, indescribable anomaly. I can't make heads or tails of it."
I had told her to make up a lie, but she had stumbled upon a genuine, baffling truth. Still, even if she knew something was there, it seemed she couldn't solve it.
"Can you at least alleviate the symptoms?" Franche asked, her voice laced with desperation.
"I'll have to do more research," Cazar replied quietly.
"Jin..." Franche sank to her knees, grasping my hand tightly. "Please, don't be sick. You know you're all I have."
"Do not worry, My Lady," I said, offering her a reassuring look. "I have no intention of leaving you behind."
Franche looked as though she might burst into tears at any second. Sensing the heavy mood, Cazar forced a bright smile to reassure her.
"I'll find a way, Lady Descartes. Don't worry too much."
"Yes... I'm glad we have you," Franche murmured, her shoulders slumping.
To break the gloomy silence, Cazar clapped her hands together loudly.
"Alright! Now, Mr. Patient over here needs to stay behind for further tests. You, My Lady, should head out to take care of your business."
"What? With Jin in this state, how can I leave him and go alone...?"
I looked at Franche and offered her a gentle smile.
"My Lady, isn't it time to prepare for the boutique's grand opening? I trust you to handle it. I know you will do wonderfully."
"By myself? Can I really do it? Without you, I'm nothing—"
"You can do it," I interrupted gently. "You've learned so much, and you've managed everything beautifully up to this point, haven't you?"
Franche was trembling slightly. I squeezed her hands and gave her another warm, encouraging smile. Pouting her lips, she finally gave a reluctant nod.
"...Fine. I've worked so hard to get this far thanks to you. I can't afford to ruin it now."
"A wise decision, My Lady. I will head over the moment we finish here, so please go on ahead."
Franche stared at me in silence. Her eyes were a swirling vortex of conflicting emotions—worry, anxiety, and deep-seated fear.
Noticing her hesitation, Cazar chimed in with a cheerful laugh.
"My Lady, do you not trust me? I am Cazar Uplain, the future Transcendental Mage! Lady Uplain herself! I'll have this guy patched up in no time, so don't you worry!"
Cazar's bright, energetic reassurance seemed to do the trick. Franche managed to force a small smile.
"Alright. I'll trust you. Please take good care of Jin."
Franche's expression hardened with newfound determination. She turned on her heel and left the house. Soon, the rattling of carriage wheels echoed from outside, indicating she was heading straight to the boutique.
I had already taken care of all the backend preparations for the store, so all she had to do was greet the customers.
A moment after she left, Cazar let out a heavy sigh.
"What is the deal with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where on earth did you get branded with a spell like this...?"
Cazar shook her head, massaging her temples. "I'll be completely honest with you. It's a dead end."
"A dead end?"
"Yes. I can't decipher the magical formula at all."
"So we've identified the source, but there's no way to fix it."
Cazar gave a wry, bitter smile. "Exactly. It's frustrating, but... your only option is to figure out the exact triggers and do everything you can to avoid setting them off."
In the end, my survival depended entirely on my own choices. If that was the case, escaping from Franche's side was my only option.
Masking the turmoil in my chest, I pushed myself up from the floor and offered her a casual smile.
"I see. Thanks for looking into it."
"...You really need to be careful," Cazar warned, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Whatever is inside you, it's highly dangerous."
"I know. I'll be off, then."
Leaving Cazar's worried gaze behind, I stepped out of the house and looked up at the vast, empty sky.
Just how much of myself had merged with Jin by now?