Chapter 92
Alessandro opened his mouth hurriedly, as if trying to make excuses. Desperate hands reached for me. In his eyes burned the clear emotion of someone who didn't want to be hated. Staring straight at him, I slowly parted my lips.
"But even setting all that aside, I cherish you."
Alessandro froze. The Basilisk's black blood trickled down my forehead, slightly blurring my vision, but I kept my gaze locked on him.
'More precious to me than hatred for injustice.' That's what Alessandro was.
I smiled softly at him as he stood there dazed.
"Don't worry. I... Ah!"
A bright light suddenly enveloped us. Powerful mana surged nearby. I paused mid-sentence and shielded my eyes. When I opened them again...
"Shushu!"
Familiar faces appeared: Kaiser, Rainer, Serenon, Julian, El. Priests and holy knights too. The tension drained from me at the sight. With a sigh of relief, I dismantled the barrier I'd maintained near the Basilisk's corpse, pouring in every last drop of my remaining mana.
'Others have come, so it's leaving.' I sensed the eerie presence that had been watching us from the tree on the right fading away.
No need to pursue. I already knew who it was.
It carried the scent of a wolf.
Feeling my mind growing hazy, I turned to Alessandro—still wearing that stunned expression—and flashed him a grin.
"I really cherish you."
My body, propped up like a cane with my sword, lost its balance and crumpled. Firm arms caught me, and with the sharp scent of lilies at my nose, I blacked out.
"Nngh..."
Consciousness returned like lights flickering on in a pitch-black room. My body felt much lighter than before I fell asleep.
"...Shushu."
As I slowly sat up, a low voice calling my name made me whip my head around. My eyes widened.
"El."
Sky-blue hair tied low in a single ponytail. Silver eyes sparkling like morning dew. It was Elrior Ra.
A bit flustered, I glanced around. The space where I lay was so opulent it was hard to believe it was a tent. White and sky-blue tones throughout, giving it a sacred air. The carpet bore the temple's emblem. And the faint lily scent wafting from every direction.
This was unmistakably El's tent.
'Why am I... here?'
I'd glimpsed El arriving via teleport just before passing out, but it hadn't occurred to me that he would bring me to his own tent. I'd assumed Kaiser, who arrived with him, would take me.
As I looked at him sheepishly, El's eyes sharpened.
"Do you have any awareness that you need to protect yourself? You should've waited for backup. How could you two possibly think of facing a Basilisk alone? Do you want to die? Seeing you collapse right in front of me was how...!"
"W-Wait, El."
Flustered by the torrent of scolding, I cut him off. He looked furious but stopped at my interruption.
Glancing at him warily, I ventured cautiously, "Um, so... first off, how long was I out?"
"...Just about three hours now."
With a sigh, El reached out and gently straightened my tousled hair. I shrank back a little but accepted his touch without protest. It was a familiar gesture, after all.
"You can sleep more."
"B-But how could I presume to rest in El's tent..."
"Who else but you could possibly sleep in my tent?"
His sunken silver eyes captured me clearly. The intense gaze piercing right through me left me embarrassed, and I scratched the back of my neck.
'Three hours since I crushed the Basilisk's windpipe... The hunting contest award ceremony should be starting soon.'
My body was still exhausted, so more rest as El suggested would be ideal—but to see this contest through to the end, I had to get up.
I pushed the blanket aside slightly.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I think it's best I get up now."
'Gotta settle things with that Audi bastard.' My bet with Audi was infamous in high society. If I didn't show, rumors would spread that I'd tacitly lost.
'Ridiculous, squabbling over animal kills after slaying two Great Calamities.'
I snorted softly and shifted to perch on the edge of the bed. That's when I noticed the Basilisk poison that had coursed through me was completely gone. Puzzled, I blinked.
"I treated your poisoned body with my holy power."
As if sensing my confusion, El answered before I could ask. I rolled my shoulders experimentally—feeling light as air—then stared at him with wide eyes.
'No wonder it was perfectly neutralized... Basilisk poison is so lethal, even five minutes' exposure kills a normal person outright. A Sword Master like me would need over three days to recover naturally. Only someone like Pope El could detox it in one go.'
"Thank you for helping with my recovery."
I smiled faintly and bowed my head politely. El watched me with complicated eyes, then let out a heavy sigh.
"...I personally led the purification of the forest exposed to the Basilisk poison. It'll take a few more days for a perfect cleanse, but oddly enough, the Basilisk's corpse oxidized and vanished, so the poison won't spread further. And the man from the Atara delegation who was with you."
His silver eyes fixed on me steadily.
"...Do you know who he is?"
'He's asking if I know Leo is Alessandro.'
I hesitated briefly on how to respond, then nodded carefully. No reason to hide it from El.
El exhaled softly and blinked slowly.
"Major figures like the Emperor and the Duke already know his identity, but making it public would be problematic. Even for an allied nation, a king visiting the Empire incognito isn't the kind of rumor anyone wants spreading."
Every word rang true, so I nodded steadily.
After gauging my expression, he continued cautiously. "I can't question you two about killing the Basilisk. Word's already spread among all the nobles at this hunting contest. Everyone's buzzing for the full story... But if we reveal the truth, all eyes will turn to him. Someone might figure out he's the king."
In other words, the Empire's key players didn't want the nobles' attention on Alessandro. Their position was understandable, so I nodded.
"While you were asleep, there was a meeting between the imperial family, the temple, the ducal house, the two marquess houses, and the Atara delegation. About how to hush this up. Thanks to me, Crisis Duke, the crown prince, Ainheart marquess, and that king being at the scene, we skipped interrogating you. It's not like you're guilty of a crime, but as you know, imperial interrogations are grueling."
'Wow... they can skip that...?'
Not even interrogating the main player in such a massive incident? It was overly generous consideration.
I pursed my lips, struck anew by how extraordinary the people I was close to truly were.
"But keeping your presence at the scene under wraps... I carried you—poisoned and all—straight to my tent in front of every noble there..."
'El must've been shocked seeing me collapse.' As I eyed him coolly, he averted his gaze.
"So yes, every noble already knows you were there."
'I wanted the attention...'
It was time to solidify my image as a swordswoman in high society. But becoming the perpetrator of an incident this huge was unexpected. I wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or dismayed, so I twisted my lips.
Putting together everything El had explained so far, his point was clear. I slowly stroked my chin and met his eyes directly.
"The perpetrators are me and Leo—or rather, His Majesty the King—just the two of us. But since the king is incognito, it's hard to reveal his involvement. So, they'll officially announce me—the one whose involvement is already known—as the sole perpetrator."
"Is that what you mean, El?"
El bit his red lips. His face full of guilt, he squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.
"...The Emperor's stance was too firm on handling it this way."
In short, the higher-ups planned to wrap up the incident of a giant magic beast appearing in the hunting grounds by scapegoating me. Skipping interrogation meant they wouldn't make it an official matter. They'd investigate how the beast got in, but they wouldn't suspect me.
However, an official announcement naming me as the perpetrator would expose me to all the unofficial rumors.
'The bizarre duke's daughter who felled a giant magic beast alone.'
That title would spread from noble mouth to noble mouth.
I drew in a breath, then thumbed my lips.
'...This is actually perfect.'
I forced down my rising smile. Right now, it felt like an unexpected windfall.
'It was time to spread my name anyway... If they're handing me the fame on a platter, I'm grateful.'
The mysterious duke's daughter who slew a suddenly appearing giant magic beast. A fantastic title. I felt a twinge of guilt toward Alessandro for hogging the credit despite our teamwork, but overall, the rumors from this would be a huge boon.
"...I'm sorry. Really."
I snapped my head around at the sunken voice as I fought to keep my smile in check.
Perplexed by his apology, I tilted my head. "What do you have to be sorry for, El?"
"You're hiding that you're Mir. And because of my mistake, now others will suspect Shushu..."
He seemed to feel guilty for failing to stop the official announcement.
"I'll make sure the rumors don't twist strangely. So please forgive me, okay?"
He gently lifted my hand and rubbed his cheek against it. My fingertips touched the warm blush blooming on his pale skin. His silver eyes shimmered pitifully.
'Like a puppy... His beauty is stunning no matter how many times I see it.' El was so breathtakingly gorgeous, I half-suspected the papal selection criteria were based on looks. It felt like my heart was being ripped out as I forced my gaze away from his face.
"No need to control the rumors."
"...Huh?"
El echoed my firm words a beat late. I grinned.
"The more twisted and exaggerated they get, the better. Go for a vibe like 'the mysterious, bizarre duke's daughter who survived a giant magic beast single-handedly.'"
"Huh?"
El blinked in confusion, repeating himself. I kept smiling.
'Normal nobles would hate scandals like this, but I desperately need them.'
I needed to make my name known. To as many people as possible. So they wouldn't oppose what I had to do next.
"It's fine, El. I'll be someone far greater than any rumors that come up."
Mir. A name far grander and weightier than any passing exaggeration.
"So don't apologize. Everything's going even smoother than I planned. Just watch the path I carve ahead and follow along."
I curved my eyes into crescents and stroked his cheek. His soft skin brushed my fingertips. A dazed look clouded his silver eyes watching me.
'Whatever they expect from me, I won't disappoint.'
I was the Black Calamity Mir. A name called both enigma and hero. No matter what people anticipated, I was confident I could exceed it.