The Master's Aching Heart
My master's heart hurts. Because his heart hurts, his body hurts too. There's no collar around my neck like usual. Nothing that lets me exist as myself. I am a wretched sinner and a runaway. He is a mighty warrior and a noble judge. The only salvation I can receive is being collared and dragged around by him. The leash. Lady Elena and Lady Elisabeth both objected, saying it wasn't a suitable accessory for a ballroom. He accepted that and removed the collar from my neck. That's why I am now someone who cannot live without him.
And that man is now—
"Hello, my Shu."
Shu. An unfamiliar name. What connection does it have to the name Goshugir von Breitenfeld? He completely froze at the black-robed mage's words. The man who usually seems to live without a single thought has turned to stone. And then he cries. The northern legion commander. The noble judge. The mighty warrior. The man who survived alone in that hellish Northern Wall. His mouth hangs open, drool spilling out. Tears mix with the saliva and fall to the floor.
"Aah, aah… aaahhh…"
He makes a sound carrying an indescribable emotion. There are no words in that voice. Then, with a soft thud, he collapses.
"Master?"
I cried out instinctively. In that instant, everyone else vanished from my sight.
"Master!!"
I rushed to him and pulled his body into my arms. He's heavy. But warm. When I pressed my ear to his chest, his heart was still beating. I felt nothing but relief that he was alive. If he disappeared, my world would collapse. He is someone who must never disappear. Therefore, I cannot forgive the one who did this to him.
I glared at the black-robed mage. She wasn't looking at me. She simply wore a sorrowful expression as she gazed at him. Her red eyes wavered for the briefest moment.
"You're still as handsome and beautiful as ever."
What is she saying?
"No wonder so many women get tangled up with you."
I don't understand. Who is this woman? Who is she that she could reduce him to this state?
That day, I saw it. Hundreds of spears summoned into the air, slaughtering three knight orders that had charged at me. The man who possessed such overwhelming power lost consciousness in an instant.
"Hah."
The woman laughed. It was a strange laugh. Not one of joy, nor mockery—only thick with sorrow. As if someone long dead was merely imitating the living. She speaks again.
"I could never forget you."
She stares intently at his face.
"But you've forgotten me."
An unknown story. I know nothing about him. I thought I knew him fairly well. The man who survived ten years on the Northern Wall eating monster meat and rotten water. The man who blocked a hero's holy sword with a pig bone. The man who once said, without thinking, that he wanted to drink something called "cola," a beverage I'd never heard of before. That's what I knew about him. Yet this woman seems to know him very well.
She murmurs softly, almost to herself.
"It's fine. In the end, only I will remain by your side."
The woman reaches out toward him. I clutch him tightly and speak.
"Don't touch him…"
My voice trembles. I can feel an immense magical power. At least a 7th-circle mage. Possibly even stronger. I'm afraid, but I can't back down. I am his dog. A dog must protect its master.
The woman looks at me for the first time. Then she speaks with pity.
"…Shu hasn't changed at all."
"Shut up!!"
"Shu could never just pass by pitiful children like you."
She gives a small laugh.
"He's always been that way."
The word "always" stabbed at my heart. This woman seems to know his past very well. I know nothing of his past. Just realizing that fact makes me feel like I'm going mad.
Just in case, I pull out an explosive vial from the alchemy bag I'd prepared separately and try to throw it at her.
Whoosh—
She vanishes. Just as suddenly as she appeared, she disappears.
That's when it happens.
Crunch.
The sound of something being chewed.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"S-save me!!"
"Monsters! Monsters have appeared!!"
It was the sound of monsters chewing on people.
"Open the door!! Open the door right now!!"
Creak—
The door opens and people begin fleeing the ballroom. Around that time, all the lights in the ballroom suddenly turn on and sweet music begins to play again.
Everyone could see it. White dresses stained red. Shattered wine glasses. Nameless monsters chewing people down to the bone. And vampires sinking their teeth into necks to drink blood. The sweet music mixed with the screams of agony. It was horrific. My hands shook violently. It felt like I'd returned to that place again. But I can't abandon him. I can't let go. Absolutely not.
"Lady Anastasia."
I hear Lady Elena's voice in front of me. She speaks to me in a steady, unwavering tone.
"Take Lord Goshugir to the back."
"I don't want to… I hate this…"
"This is not the time to act like a child."
Blue mana rises from her fingertips.
"We must protect Lord Goshugir."
Those words make me feel like my breath has stopped. Why did I forget what I just resolved? I am his dog. And a dog protects its master. No matter what happens.
I grit my teeth and drag his body behind a table. Soon, Lady Elena's freezing magic pours toward the monsters.
Kweeeeeek—
The monsters let out grotesque cries as they fall.
"Hah, hah…"
Lady Elisabeth has also drawn her sword and is cutting down monsters approaching him. Even though she's just an ordinary swordsman who can't even handle aura, she forces her trembling hands to steady.
Lady Elisabeth speaks.
"Lady Elena."
"Yes."
"I'll cut down the ones that get close. You focus on the monsters farther away."
"Got it. I'll trust you, Elise."
At her words, I steady my own shaking body. I can protect him too. The explosives and toxic corrosive liquid I've made should be more than enough.
I pull out an explosive and hurl it with all my strength at a distant monster.
BOOOOOOM——
It explodes with a thunderous roar. Three monsters caught in the blast die instantly.
I can do this. I'm not running away this time. There's no more running in my life.
Just as I steel my resolve—
"KWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
A man's voice rings out, laughing like a madman. It belongs to that unpleasant noble, Duke Valdemar von Lindbergh. He shoves dried mushrooms into his mouth, chews, and walks toward the wall. Then he grabs the two decorative axes with both hands, kicks off the wall, and shouts.
"The descendants of the Skalds—"
He charges toward the monsters entering near the windows as if flying, then swings his axes like a madman. Covered head to toe in monster blood, he shouts again.
"Never retreat!!"
"Duke Lindbergh. I thought you were just some unpleasant noble trash, but you're actually pretty good."
That was Lady Elisabeth.
Thus, Lady Elena sweeps away monsters with freezing magic, Lady Elisabeth cuts down those that approach, and Duke Lindbergh laughs maniacally while cleaving heads with his axes. All I can do is throw explosives and toxic corrosives until my arms feel like they'll fall off.
How much time has passed? The number of monsters that seemed to fill the entire ballroom gradually decreases, and soon they begin fleeing out the windows. Silence falls over the once-noisy ballroom.
The ballroom is filled with blood and flesh, shattered glass, torn and blood-stained dresses, and corpses—some with chunks torn from their bodies, others with two holes in their necks.
"Aaaaaah!!"
Count Holzholt cries out from under a table near the door, his voice trembling. He looks around and speaks cautiously.
"I-is it over…?"
Of course it's not. I know it instinctively. The ballroom is still thick with magical energy.
Soon, the black-robed woman suddenly appears in the center of the ballroom. Black smoke-like energy rises from the dead monsters and corpses, then gets sucked into the crystal orb she's holding. She sighs.
"As expected, low-grade monsters are useless."
Her voice sounds genuinely annoyed despite the carnage before her.
"Haa."
Neither Lady Elena's magic nor Duke Lindbergh's axes can reach her. A murky, transparent barrier blocks their attacks. The woman raises her hand. Then the bodies of those who had already become corpses begin to twitch. Those with two bite marks on their necks are relatively intact. Those whose bodies were eaten move in even more grotesque postures—necks bent, stomachs split open, eyes rolled back.
Lady Elisabeth's hands begin trembling even more violently. I stand in front of him, gripping another explosive vial.
The black-robed woman speaks calmly.
"That was the first ball. And this is the second."
The corpses that had been people until moments ago begin charging toward us. As the woman vanishes, she murmurs softly.
"I hope you show me a good dance."