184. Night of Chains (2)
184. Night of Chains (2)
- 1 -
"I should apologize to your sister."
"How can you say such a thing."
At my remark after hearing the full story, Elena lowered her head with a gesture of refusal.
There was no wavering in her eyes. If anything, they seemed to have grown even firmer.
"His actions were merely a manifestation of his nature."
The world of 'Dreamlike Awakening' the Driaz Duke claimed to have witnessed was, in truth, nothing more than a hallucination.
What he had consumed was not ordinary drugged liquor, but alcohol laced with a drug created by blending this world's narcotics and my curse into Echidna's special poison, the 'Flowing Chain'.
That drug shattered his reason and drew out the desires he had never been able to restrain. It had made him delude himself into believing he had attained enlightenment.
In the end, the scheme succeeded.
However, the risk management had not been perfect.
"Is it not true that Adelaide could have been unintentionally harmed? If I hadn't foreseen it and warned you, things might have escalated further."
If that had happened, Elena's loyalty would have traced a real-time curve of decline.
Whether brief or prolonged, that wound could not have been ignored.
Desiring wholeness in love is close to instinct for any being with intelligence, and harboring resentment when that fails also precedes rationality.
I had been monitoring events in real-time to prevent such an outcome, but it was also true that complete prevention had not been achieved.
My point concerned this part.
"That is not so."
But Elena's loyalty seemed greater than I had thought.
It was only human to waver if she imagined a failure in this matter. Yet a solid loyalty still emanated from her gaze.
"... I initiated this matter... so if an apology is needed, I shall be the one to give it. It is my responsibility. Master."
She directed the cause of this misstep toward herself.
While Talhan had devised the scheme, she had been the one to execute it. Thus, her words and actions were rational, but also idealistic.
Therefore, it was only proper for me to give this order regarding the matter.
"I was your master. So it is right that I take responsibility. I will tolerate you trying to share my burden, but do not overstep your bounds."
"... My apologies, Master."
As Elena spoke her apology, her heart was tinged with a measure of deep emotion. The rims of her eyes were visibly reddening.
I nodded and followed up.
"Aside from the part concerning Adelaide, the matter itself went well."
"Yes."
Setting aside the emotional aspects, the Duke's attempt to drag Adelaide away by force was the most decisive event that led to the scheme's success.
Even if he had revealed his lust toward another noble... even toward a man, the plan would have succeeded, but because the target was a descendant of a Border Count, the effect was amplified several times over.
"It is a shame I couldn't personally handle the final step."
Ultimately, the Duke's 'summons' back to the home country had been decided.
If the original command had been to 'suggest' he return voluntarily, the coercive intent behind it had grown far stronger.
Now, his political life was as good as over.
Moreover, the drug the Duke ingested had the effects of visualizing desire and manifesting a sense of omnipotence.
He had deluded himself into believing he could do anything in this world, and in that delusion, he had walked the path to his own ruin of his own accord.
'On top of that, there was the effect of the 'Flowing Chain'...'
The original power of the 'Flowing Chain', the Mana Condensation effect, was the most vicious among toxic effects that acted on mana.
Having felt a fleeting sense of omnipotence, he would now pay the price with the decline of both his power and his abilities as a mage.
It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but he would never again live as a normal mage. From now on, he would never escape the abyss of his fall.
His fate was essentially sealed.
'I can decide his final end after a little more time has passed.'
Killing him now would cause the consequences of this scheme to backfire.
Elena or Adelaide would be branded with the stigma of having killed him out of spite.
Artemis and Talhan were already taking turns guarding him in secret.
He had to live. At least until he safely left this region.
"How is Adelaide?"
"She seemed to have been quite shocked, but she is fine now."
Elena spoke earnestly, but I was thinking otherwise.
I had already received Maria's report scrutinizing her condition.
"She may have pretended to be fine because you were by her side."
"Huh? But..."
Elena wore a puzzled expression. It was a face that seemed to insist there was no way that could be true.
"Do you not believe me?"
"How could that possibly be!"
"I was joking."
I smiled at Elena, who was bowing deeply.
It was plausible for her to take it that way.
Adelaide was, after all, a woman who had spent many years pretending to be 'strong' in front of her younger sister.
Even if one realized there might be a somewhat tender side beneath, it would take some time to fully accept it.
"Go. Your sister will need you."
"... Thank you for your consideration."
Elena looked suspicious yet pleased.
Even if there were facts she couldn't accept yet, her desire to be by her sister's side ultimately outweighed them.
I felt my smile deepen.
I found that aspect of her quite endearing, and it piqued my interest to see how this relationship between the sisters would change.
- 2 -
Elena was walking through the garden.
It was nearly time to vacate Cheoks Fortress and withdraw. She wanted to spend a little more time with someone dear to her in this pleasant fortress.
Palak.
At the end of the path Elena walked, Adelaide was seated on a bench reading a book.
As usual, she was absorbed in her reading, expressionless.
Amidst all the administrative documents, her small hobby was stealing a moment to enjoy literature.
'... My feelings have certainly changed.'
The sight that had once simply inspired respect now made one side of her chest burn hotly.
A successor who, though lacking in physical strength, presented a vision of leading the family through wisdom and diplomacy.
Adelaide had always been cold and aloof.
"Ah. Elena."
At some point, Elena found herself meeting Adelaide's eyes.
Though her face was expressionless as usual, Elena felt warmth in that voice.
And a tremor as well.
'Master was right.'
Elena thought this as she stepped closer.
Adelaide was wavering. And if so, the task Elena had to perform for her was clear.
Support and assistance.
This was a process of helping her stand upright while simultaneously allowing Elena to seep into her.
"I didn't know you were waiting. Shall we have a cup of tea?"
"I will bring it."
"You will?"
"Please wait a moment."
While brewing the tea, Elena thought.
To pour her heart into this single cup of tea.
Sweet like the faint scent of roses, her own darkness that would seep in like a subtle bitterness.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Handing over the teacup, Elena deliberately let her fingertips brush against her sister's.
She could feel her sister's fingers trembling minutely. It was a small moment of reward for Elena.
The moment her sister's lips touched the teacup, Elena's heart trembled along with those lips.
She had to suppress the urge to kiss them.
Forcing her attention elsewhere, she smiled.
"Is the book interesting?"
"Yes. But I must go in now. There is a meeting soon to organize the castle's withdrawal."
Adelaide stood, and Elena walked beside her.
"Let us go together."
And then she added.
"Now, I can protect you, Sister."
Adelaide's steps faltered minutely.
In that moment, Elena was certain. That her feelings were slowly being conveyed.
'In the end...'
Elena smiled faintly. Her patience was gradually waning, but it didn't matter.
Because it was certain that those feelings would reach her sister's heart.
- 3 -
Before entering the meeting, Adelaide habitually checked the mirror.
She had lived her whole life hiding her emotions.
The time she spent putting on a mask to protect her younger siblings, making it a part of her very self.
But recently, her reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
'... Strange.'
Adelaide murmured to herself.
Her expression in the mirror was the same as usual, but something was definitely different.
Yet, even identifying what that was proved difficult.
Tok-tok.
- Sister.
The moment her thoughts scattered, that voice came from beyond the door, along with a knock.
Adelaide instantly noticed that her heart had skipped a beat, but she didn't quite know what it meant.
"Come in."
Adelaide looked at Elena.
Elena, entering in her knight's uniform with a composed gait.
Adelaide wasn't entirely oblivious, but she understood what Elena's unwavering posture signified now.
Such posture was an element emphasized in etiquette through relentless discipline and training.
Her stillness was, in other words, strength.
Somehow, that sight seemed to resonate deep within her chest.
"Were you looking at the mirror?"
"No."
Adelaide's words trailed off. There was no need to explain.
But Elena gazed at her sister a little longer than usual.
"I have prepared some fruit."
"Personally?"
"Yes."
Lifting the fruit from the tray a servant wheeled in, Elena approached her and offered the plate.
Grapes with a lovely purple hue. A choice that perfectly matched Adelaide's taste.
The fact that Elena remembered her preferences soaked into a corner of her heart.
Unconsciously, she touched her own face.
"... Ah."
As she received the plate, their fingers grazed each other. A faint thrill brushed her fingertips.
And the tips of Elena's fingers, tapping her hand with a smile.
Elena's scent and body warmth felt much more vivid than the fragrance of the fruit.
"Sister?"
"... It is nothing."
Adelaide shook her head and set the plate down.
In the next moment, Elena caught her hand and raised it to her own cheek.
Adelaide felt the illusion of a flush rising to her own cheeks.
"Sister."
"What is it?"
"Do not try to bear it all alone. I will be by your side."
It was an ordinary statement. After all, Adelaide and Elena were now in a cooperative political relationship.
"... What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that from now on, you may be more honest with me."
But for some reason, Adelaide felt as if her tongue had grown heavy.
It was as if there was another meaning hidden within her words. Adelaide fixed her gaze on the plate and replied quietly.
"... I understand."
Elena stood there for a moment, looking at her sister, then excused herself, saying she would head to the meeting room first.
'... Strange.'
After the door closed, Adelaide looked back at the mirror.
Her expression was clearly the same as always. Yet, for some reason, her eyes in the mirror seemed to have grown a little deeper.
She touched her face again. The spot Elena's hand had touched was still warm.
"Haa."
And with a sigh, she turned her gaze out the window, where the moon was rising.
The quiet moonlight was shining on her.
The winter weather was certainly cold, but she felt a strange warmth around her.
Her heart was beating much faster than usual.
The reason why was still unknown to her.
- 4 -
The Duke of Driaz sat alone in his office.
His residence felt increasingly cold.
'Why... am I...?'
His hands trembled.
Even when trying to pour a drink, the bottle wouldn't catch properly in his grip. Now, he couldn't even lift it with magic.
It felt as if all his strength was draining away.
It was strange. Usually, the effects of the alcohol and drugs didn't last this long.
[You shouldn't keep taking drugs like this. Your body will break down.]
The healer's voice brushed through his mind.
But he had never imagined his body would break down to this extent. No, he hadn't wanted to think about it.
"How...!"
The loss of mana.
This meant the 'Flowing Chain' was affecting his body, but he could not know that fact.
He had only ever assumed that what he consumed was ordinary drugged liquor.
"Damned...!"
Beyond the room where the Duke vented his fury, the bustling movements of soldiers preparing for his return could be heard.
There wasn't much time left. It was time to leave Driaz Citadel and be 'summoned' back to the home country.
"The order from His Highness has arrived."
Reading the letter brought in by the attendant, the Duke confirmed reality once more, and his face turned pale.
Stripped of his consulship, his territories confiscated, effectively confined.
Everything he had was crumbling in a single moment.
"How dare... against me...!"
Rage surged, but soon dissolved into hollow laughter.
To think that an act committed while drunk on alcohol would lead to such monumental consequences.
Perhaps this had all been someone's scheme.
But what use was such a thought now?
He had neither the time nor the energy left to uncover that plot.
"Urgh..."
A sudden pain pierced his chest.
His body had been strange since then. He couldn't properly feel the flow of mana. It felt as if his power was slowly draining away.
'It must just be the alcohol...'
But his premonition was not good.
This sensation was a first. It felt as if even his talent as a mage was slipping away like sand through his fingers.
"Haha... hahaha..."
Laughter, breaking through the pain, echoed in the empty office. Now, only a sorrowful laugh could escape him.
His reflection in the window looked pitiable.
Shattered pride, collapsed authority, and an inexplicable loss of vitality.
Now the Duke of Driaz finally realized.
Just how insignificant an existence he truly was.
But his ruin had only just begun.
- 5 -
"Now that everything here is finished, I must return."
Ran, who had clung to me, sensing our parting.
At my words, spoken while stroking her waist and tail, Ran burrowed deeper into my arms.
Her warmth was comforting.
"I will finish matters here quickly and return."
"Yes. Once the state of war is sorted out, you can hand over command of the unit to Elena. She will have accumulated the necessary know-how by now."
"Yes..."
The reason Ran was here was ultimately because she was the one person who could properly command the numerous undead units while simultaneously assisting Elena.
Elena had also built up the know-how to handle Skeleton officers, so now things would be fine without her.
But what made her voice tremble slightly was a different reason altogether.
"Please be careful. The nobles of the Demon Realm are truly insidious."
"Yes. I will."
The invitation from Serica's father, the Vampire Marquis.
The time was approaching for me to visit the Demon Realm for the first time since arriving in this world.
And no one could guarantee what might await me there.
She trusted me, but worry was never a rational emotion.
'Once I harvest just one final, crucial thing...'
Then the last preparations for heading to the Demon Realm would be complete.
"Do not worry. As you all always say, things will ultimately go as I wish."
"Yes. My lord husband..."
Gazing into Ran's anxious eyes, I stroked her head once more.