The Protagonist (2)
The time engraved into this flesh. The hatred rooted in the depths of my soul. And the presence of an uninvited guest who had invaded Netionpis's body.
All of these were my thoughts, and yet they were not. I stared up at Emperor Astellnerca and the five heroes on the dais, lost in confusion.
It felt as though someone was interfering with my mind — my thoughts warping, memories I had never encountered washing over me in waves. I sensed the anomaly again and looked up at them once more.
In that frozen tableau of a landscape, only one man stirred with life.
The man's ruby-like eyes turned toward me with an air of insolence. He looked exactly like me, yet bore traces of being somewhat gentler and younger — it was Netionpis.
Netionpis spoke.
「How fortunate you are, puppet child.」
At that, I instinctively trusted what I felt.
"You... don't tell me you're the real Netionpis?"
To my question, he declared in a haughty voice, "Of course. I am the Founding Noble, the extraordinary being who ascended to the heavens of the Eld Empire itself."
The dissonance between his youthful face and the old man's speech was jarring. He was the very portrait of arrogance — and yet that, ironically, gave me certainty.
This guy's the real deal.
「The only fake in this place is you.」
"You even read minds? What a trash ability — worse than the Emperor's."
「What could I not do in my own mindscape? If there were such a limit, it would be the reason I cannot devour you right now.」
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
Netionpis gave a scornful snort. His manner seemed half self-deprecating, half amused.
「That woman played a rather amusing trick on her body. Condensing my Corrupt Qi to its absolute limit — even the saints of the Age of Great Chaos could not manage that.」
It was an episode from the day I first encountered Irelphi. Unable to control the Corrupt Qi myself, she had suppressed it in my stead with her guardian ability, Holy Memory.
"Well, Irelphi's a monster. Us fossil nobles should stay holed up in some back room if we don't want to die. Push me out all you want — you're never getting her."
「Insolent child. Do you not fear me?」
Ha. Insolent. INSOLENT?
I let out a silent, furious outburst inside.
I'd been isekai'd into this villain's body of all things and put through absolute hell — why on earth would I stand on ceremony? Besides, Netionpis was a villain with a track record that made manners worthless. It was baffling that someone like him would even dream of demanding courtesy.
I held my twisted attitude firm and pushed back.
"I've got the gist of the situation. In a word: thanks to Irelphi, I hold control of this body. Survival of the fittest, so you can shove your manners where the sun doesn't shine."
「Heh heh...」
At my unbridled tongue, Netionpis looked somewhat taken aback. He had spent his entire existence as a ruler, an object of terror. So this situation must have been a thoroughly novel experience for him.
I wasn't afraid of him. No matter how strong he was, in front of a vengeance-fueled version of Irelphi he was nothing but a rag doll to be kneaded. And I stood beside her every day, watching my step. Manners? Fear?
Don't make me laugh.
"If you lost to the new generation, just stay buried. Your era ended ages ago."
「From the way you speak, it seems there is nothing you are curious about. Such as why you, of all souls, came to inhabit my body.」
"Yeah. Not interested."
「Hoh?」
Netionpis fixed me with a gaze tinged red. By now even the most stubborn old codger should have been provoked to rage, yet he only seemed more intrigued.
"From the 'puppet child' crack to this — it's obvious. Even I can guess: I was called here for your convenience, right? Well, tough luck. This body is mine for the next thousand years, even if it means ticking you off."
「You've been so dull-witted until now that I underestimated your intelligence, child. I shall revise my evaluation.」
He said you're an idiot with the grace of a courtier. Maybe nobles really were built different.
"Shut up. How many centuries are we going to stand here having a staring contest? Hurry up and let me out."
「There is no gain in prolonging this, so I shall, child. However...」
Netionpis trailed off, then let out a sinister smile.
「Now that I look at you... I find myself rather fond of you?」
"Ha? Are you insane?"
I shot back, wearing my best look of disdain. In response, he began walking down from the dais toward me, striding across empty air. Soon Netionpis's footsteps drew close enough to touch me.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
I already knew it was impossible to shake off Netionpis. But this unexpected move had caught me a little off guard, that much was true.
「My essence is immortality. Even without the power of Corrupt Qi, I possess the right of a conqueror who once ruled the world.」
"I know that better than anyone. Maybe the old fossil should work on keeping his upper and lower halves coordinated, huh?"
「Alas, that is not to my taste. It doesn't look pleasant, so I shall teach you a little about how to use the body.」
"...What's your game?"
「Regrettably, we are bound to a single fate, child. If you should be sealed away once more in your weakness, we will both be hurled into an eternity of hell. And so...」
Netionpis's hand crept closer and closer toward my head. Try as I might to dodge, meeting those ruby eyes left my body rigid on its own.
「Live well. I am accustomed to waiting. However long a human lives, could they possibly last a hundred years? If the white-haired woman dies, then I shall devour her without compunction.」
"Ha, who would believe a word of that? Judging by your track record, you'd be lying in wait for your chance any moment anyway — gyaaaaaagh!"
Before I could even finish, black light burst from Netionpis's outstretched hand.
The sudden, bottomless pain stripped me of reason, reducing me to a mere puppet screaming. It felt like thousands of needles sprouting beneath my skin, like being crushed beneath an elephant, my body about to burst apart.
My consciousness sank beneath the surface, unable to endure the agony. Which was honestly the better outcome. Netionpis simply watched my convulsions with indifference.
「To distrust me until the very end... tsk tsk.」
Netionpis clicked his tongue, then suddenly curled his lips into a wicked smile.
「A wise child indeed!」
When I woke from Netionpis's mindscape, I was sprawled on the floor of the banquet hall.
Several people helped me up with worried faces. The moment I came to, my eyes went straight to where the Emperor was.
I could see the elegant railing adorned with obsidian. No golden chains, no crimson ornamentation. Judging by the earth-globe in the Emperor's hand, not much time had passed.
I asked the person supporting me.
"Sorry, but how long was I out?"
"Truly, only an instant. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Haha, I suppose staying up so late reading medical texts has taken its toll on my health."
"Oh dear! To work so hard for Marquess Yustiha's health — your devotion to each other is truly beautiful."
Those words snapped what little reason I had left back to life like a splash of cold water.
"It's not like that!"
"No need to be embarrassed. Now my wife has a story to tell. You see, my wife is actually a devoted fan of Marquess Yustiha... hoh hoh."
The man, having confirmed I was fully recovered, let go of me. Then he bowed his head in greeting and hurried away — clearly, to anyone watching, headed toward his wife.
Denied even the chance to correct him, I sank into exhaustion. That was when Irelphi came running.
"Nepi!"
"Irelphi, I'm fine."
"What? What do you mean? Anyway, that's not what matters."
Ah. So me collapsing isn't what matters, huh. Well, I'm immortal, so pain is technically impossible. Irelphi knows that too, right?
...God, I hope so.
"Not a single guard was escorting His Majesty."
"Right. You were outside for a while."
The warped sense of time in the mindscape, plus the pain, had made me forget everything. Irelphi ignored my words and pressed on urgently.
"Not just the Nelprugia Knights — there wasn't even a coachman driving the carriage. This is a clear anomaly."
"Definitely unsettling. Shouldn't we head over there right now?"
I gestured with my chin toward where the Emperor stood. Irelphi nodded and agreed at once.
"We must. Come with me, Nepi."
"Me too?"
"Yes. And — just to be sure, let me ask you something."
"What?"
Irelphi asked me with a stiff expression.
"Did you use your power, by any chance?"
I denied it immediately.
"Not at all. I actually blacked out for a moment. Just ask anyone here."
"You fainted, Nepi? I have a dozen questions, but first, His Majesty's side—"
That was when it happened.
Kurururur...
The entire banquet hall began to roar. As if some colossal castle were collapsing in a single day, the ground shook violently. The tremors were so great that people staggered and fell one after another.
Crash!
The sound of tableware and dishes shattering against the floor. The chandeliers, swaying precariously overhead, made the onlookers tremble in fear.
"Hey, get back — it's dangerous!"
"Evacuate, everyone, now!"
Someone's shout became the signal. In an instant the crowd panicked and surged toward the exits. When I glanced to my side, Irelphi was already at the Emperor and Empress's side.
I was about to head for the Emperor myself when the bewildered cries of those rushing outside caught my ankle.
What the— why?
Drawn by the commotion, I stepped outside — and an unbelievable scene spread before me. A dome of crimson membrane was unfurling across the vast space centered on the banquet hall. It looked transparent at a glance, but its texture resembled a tile with capillaries tangled through it in every direction.
A few grown men struck it with their weapons, but it was all in vain. Worse, the weapons rebounded with such violent force that they became a danger to the people around them.
"Nepi! I told you to follow me... no, what on earth is this?"
"What in the world is going on?!"
Irelphi emerged belatedly, escorting the Emperor and Empress. And, of course, Duke Peita trailing after them in his usual twilight hours.
Why is THIS here of all places...?
I was bewildered by the true nature of the crimson dome.
Unless my memory was failing me, the crimson dome was Spirit's Blood. Not actual blood — the term referred to a spirit's aura released outward, which took on a crimson hue.
Anything imbued with Spirit's Blood possessed tremendous rebound against impact and diamond-like hardness. Acquiring Spirit's Blood in such quantity was, at present, an impossible feat. That was the reason for my bewilderment.
The lore says spirits went completely extinct. Setting that aside...
I turned my head, wondering if Irelphi knew something. But she was no different. Naturally, she hadn't the slightest guess as to what the crimson dome was.
"It appears that, by some means or other, we are all trapped in here."
Irelphi stared straight up at the crimson dome, as if organizing her thoughts about this sudden, unknown phenomenon.
Having finished analyzing the situation in short order, Irelphi pressed the Emperor.
"Your Majesty. I must ask a question essential to understanding this crisis."
"And that would be, Marquess Yustiha?"
"Why are you here, Your Majesty? And who urged you to visit?"
The Emperor answered lightly, as if it required no thought at all.
"What are you saying? You told me you had arranged the escort, so I simply came along."
Only after finishing did the Emperor's expression shift into something troubled. Irelphi pressed him further.
"Your Majesty — forgive my bluntness, but I have no memory of any such arrangement. Tell me the name of the person who made that claim."
"Vice Commander Etio Rescul."
"Etio... did you say?"
Etio Rescul, Vice Commander of the Nelprugia Knights. A commoner who had devoted long years to the order and the imperial household and been granted a title for it.
Anyone could hardly help but be swayed by the word of someone of Vice Commander rank in the imperial guard. And the Emperor, who read emotion and morality itself, could believe such a person without limit.
It was the kind of news that should have shaken her to her core, yet Irelphi remained composed.
"Your Majesty, it appears there is a traitor within our ranks. I don't know what this barrier means, but it must be connected to whoever lured you here."
"But Marquess Yustiha stands right beside me, does she not? If the scheme were to harm me, would that not be a clear failure?"
"That's certainly true, but..."
"Is it, though?"
I voiced my doubt toward Irelphi as she nodded along.
"Nepi? Has something occurred to you?"
"Hold on... something keeps nagging at me."
We were missing something, badly. Sealing the Emperor in the one place where the Knight Commander stood? Even without knowing Irelphi's true strength, that was far too loose a plan. Granted, that was if the Emperor was the target.
If they had an accomplice inside the Nelprugia Knights, it would have been far cleaner to simply tear the Emperor and Empress apart inside the carriage. There was no reason to attempt the Emperor's assassination in the very place where Irelphi was.
"The Emperor doesn't matter... no, in fact, the Emperor was playing the role of bait."
"Bait — using the sovereign of the empire? Who on earth could they possibly be targeting? That makes no sense."
"His Majesty is unquestionably the highest authority in the land. But think it through. If His Majesty dies, who profits?"
At my words, Irelphi couldn't answer easily.
"The empire is at peace, with no factions in conflict. The closest thing would be House Peita, but even they would never harm His Majesty in their own domain."
"Exactly..."
This was the assassination of the Emperor who ruled a great empire. If it were the work of a foreign nation, it would inevitably become the trigger for a massacre disguised as war. A faction would face the annihilation of its entire house; an individual would suffer eternally without even the mercy of death.
Ultra-low return, ultra-high risk. That was why I didn't believe the Emperor was the target.
Any plan worth its salt is built so that small risks bring big rewards.
The target of a grand design that had toyed with the Emperor and his escort of knights alike. Who could bring about an outcome worth shouldering the risk of entangling with the imperial family?
While Nepi and Irelphi put their heads together, the Emperor was reassuring the Empress — chiefly by praising Irelphi's peerless skill in an effort to calm her.
That was when it struck me. The absence of one figure whose presence had always been unmistakable.
"Hey, Irelphi. What if it's not the Emperor... but the Empress?"
"The Empress is right here."
"Yes, she's perfectly safe right here."
The Empress was here. But there was exactly one person at the banquet who had closer contact with the Empress than anyone else alive.
I called that person's name in a frantic rush.
"Then Sharle Millote... where is she right now?"