Chapter 288: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (81)
Chapter 288: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (81)
Celine bolted upright the moment she heard Arthur’s words, her temper flaring.
“Listen here, mister, I’ve heard just about enough of your nonsense!”
Celine was already pushed to her mental breaking point.
Unable to contain her rage, she grabbed Arthur by the collar. As others stood up to pull them apart, the reception room dissolved into utter chaos.
Shouts and sobs intertwined in a dismal harmony.
Beyond the fray, Ria shook her head, her body trembling violently.
“N-no… I… I love my brother so much… I loved him so much it hurt… S-so how could I…?”
Ria looked down at her quivering hands.
“I…”
Her snow-white hands were stained red with blood.
It was the blood of the brother she loved.
“I, I, I…”
Ria shook her head in a desperate attempt to deny reality, dragging herself backward across the floor. She struggled to get away, but she was already backed into a corner.
There was nowhere left to run.
The bloody handprints left on the floor bore witness to her sin.
Unable to bear the sight, Ria collapsed facedown and squeezed her eyes shut.
A pitiful, trembling voice leaked from her throat.
“……No.”
The surrounding noise grew muffled, leaving Ria alone in the pitch black.
In that hollow space, only the sound of her sobbing remained.
“No, no, no…”
The girl writhed there for a long time until—
“NOOOOOOOO!”
With a scream, she snapped her eyes open, gasping for breath.
It was a dark, damp place.
Ria wrapped her arms around her body, which still hadn't stopped shaking.
Her teeth chattered, letting out sharp, clicking sounds.
She was drenched in a cold sweat, and tears welled in her eyes before rolling down her cheeks.
Ria wept.
“N-no… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to. Hic, ugh… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Brother. I…”
Everything had been stripped away from her.
Ria was not a ‘Percus.’
No, she couldn't even be sure if she was human anymore.
She had stabbed the brother she adored from the depths of her heart with her own hands.
What kind of human could do such a thing?
In her broken mental state, Ria’s thoughts spiraled.
The more she thought, the clearer the conclusion became.
It was exactly what the Administrator of the Empire had shouted while pointing his finger at her.
“……I must be a monster.”
Ria was missing.
It had already been several days since she had gone into hiding in a place no one knew.
Ria, her body already gaunt, began to dry heave.
She loathed herself for feeling hungry despite being a monster.
The girl was slowly letting herself wither away.
The moment I heard the news of Ria’s disappearance, I immediately prepared to head out.
Naturally, the resistance was significant.
“Ian, you can’t! Your body isn't back to normal yet! As you can see, most of your muscles have atrophied from the long coma… Kyaaaaah!”
As the Saintess’s nagging grew longer, I silently pulled a potion from my pocket and chugged it.
It was the Strength Enhancer Emma had given me.
I had struggled even to stand using mana, but once the medicinal effect kicked in, I was finally mobile enough to move.
Of course, the Saintess looked as if her world were ending.
“Y-you’re crazy! You’re crazy, crazy, crazy…! After pushing yourself that hard, you’re taking more medicine?!”
“If you try to stop me again, I’m drinking another bottle.”
The Saintess stomped her feet in frustration, but she didn't try to restrain me anymore.
Instead, she glared at me resentfully with tear-filled eyes.
“……My feelings don’t matter to you anyway, do they?”
Mixed with anger and shame, the Saintess spat the words out.
The intensity of the emotion in those light pink eyes was no joke.
It looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second.
I stared at her silently.
“Every single time… I’m the only one worrying, feeling anxious, feeling lonely… B-but you don’t even care! Do you think I’m that easy?! I-I’ll have you know, there’s a line of men who want to be with me—”
“Saintess.”
The Saintess flinched at my solemn tone.
As I took a step toward her, her body instinctively shuddered.
Looking into those wavering pink eyes, I thought to myself.
Reto had told me once.
He said there was a way to soothe a woman when she was angry.
Searching for that answer, I opened my mouth and spoke softly.
“……You’re beautiful.”
The Saintess’s breath hitched.
Her lips parted and closed, repeating the motion for a while. Finally, she took a deep breath and managed to speak.
“W-wh-what did you say?”
“I said you’re beautiful. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
The Saintess’s momentum vanished instantly.
Her pink eyes, still glistening with tears, darted away from mine. She blushed and began to fidget.
Her index finger aimlessly twirled a lock of hair by her ear.
“……R-really? W-well. I-it’s obvious, of course.”
“Yes, you’re beautiful.”
The Saintess, who was trying to act nonchalant, began to hesitate again.
Glancing at me tentatively, she asked while wiggling her fingers.
“I-I’ve been through a lot lately, so I might look a bit haggard……”
“You’re still beautiful. Just like you’ve always been.”
At my string of compliments, the Saintess’s face brightened considerably.
She seemed to want to pretend it was nothing, but she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upward into a grin.
The Saintess spoke, feigning a prim voice.
She lifted her head high and crossed her arms under her chest, looking quite triumphant.
“W-well, it seems your eyesight hasn't been affected, at least? Then again, when it comes to beauty, I’m second to none in the Academy—”
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
Leaving the gloating Saintess behind, I threw myself out the window.
If I went down to the first floor, there was a high probability I’d be intercepted by Senior Elsie, who was always looking for a chance to get close to me.
Or I might run into Seria, who followed me everywhere a step or two behind, or Celine, who made a fuss whenever I tried to do anything.
It was better to endure a bit of impact than deal with all that.
The Saintess realized my bold escape too late.
“I-Ian! Where are you— Kyaaaaaah! I told you you need absolute stability—!”
She screamed again the moment she saw me falling.
Thud. The shockwave rattled my body, sending a dull ache deep into my bones.
If my body were normal, this wouldn't have even hurt. But here I was, using mana just to survive a fall from the second floor, and I was still in this state.
I let out a faint groan but quickly forced myself up.
I waved to the Saintess to signal that I was fine.
Though she looked like she was about to cry, she finally let me go.
It seemed the threat of drinking more potions had worked.
She claimed she wasn't an easy woman, but from where I stood, she was a total pushover.
Though, that was part of her charm.
I moved quickly, dragging my stiff body along. It would be troublesome if someone came running after hearing the scream.
Nine times out of ten, they’d try to stop me.
As I crossed the back garden and headed toward the back mountain, a strange presence followed behind me.
It was a familiar one by now.
I came to a halt, and a name escaped my lips.
“……Senior Neris.”
“Yes, Lord Ian.”
A shadow descended, and the form of a woman revealed itself.
It was a beauty with brown hair and deep green eyes.
It was Senior Neris Findleston, an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Agency.
She kept her head bowed deeply, as if she didn't dare to even meet my eyes.
It was an attitude of complete submission.
I watched her for a moment, then suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
I actually had something to tell her.
The Sword Duke of the Empire was said to be part of the Imperial Intelligence Agency.
If so, it was obvious who had brought the Sword Duke here.
“I owe you for what happened last time.”
Senior Neris remained silent for a moment.
She simply looked up at me blankly, and only after our eyes met did she startle and bow her head again.
“N-no! I only followed Lord Ian’s orders……”
“That’s why I’m grateful.”
I gave a bitter smile and spoke again.
“……For believing in me without doubt.”
At the continued praise, Senior Neris turned her head away, her face flushing red.
It seemed she was capable of feeling embarrassment after all.
She was human, so I suppose that was only natural.
I gave her a brief nod and was about to continue on my way when she spoke.
“Are you looking for your younger sister?”
At the sudden question, my eyes flicked back toward her.
Senior Neris bowed even deeper.
“I tracked her whereabouts in advance, just in case. If you give the word, I can guide you immediately—”
“It’s fine.”
I gave her a small smile of gratitude and took another step forward.
“……I think I know where she is.”
I was her brother; it was only natural that I knew her habits and routes.
Before long, I began to climb the back mountain.
Perhaps because my body hadn't fully recovered, my breathing was already becoming ragged.
At this rate, I couldn't even brag about being an Expert.
A student of the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department should be able to run up a mountain much steeper and more rugged than this with a smile.
I could already hear Professor Derek’s booming voice scolding me in my head.
‘Willpower! Willpower!’
It was a terrifying thing to hear at first, but now I understood it a little.
Yes, willpower.
I climbed the mountain, dragging my legs that were already growing heavy.
Past the halfway point, on the path leading to the summit.
I veered off the hiking trail and headed into the brush.
After walking for a while, a secret place appeared—one known only to the local kids.
A field where Sepia flowers bloomed in profusion.
In the middle of it, a sudden pit had been dug.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Her choice of location and her actions were so predictable.
I glanced down to estimate the depth of the pit.
It was deeper than I expected.
It meant Ria was more heartbroken than I had imagined. Judging by how the pit led into a burrow, she seemed deeply wounded.
So, I hopped down into the pit.
Then, I cleared away the dry leaves blocking the entrance to the burrow and looked inside.
There, I saw a girl curled up, her body trembling.
Seeing her like this, she looked no different from a wild animal.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment against the sudden influx of sunlight, then slowly opened them.
Golden eyes met golden eyes.
Silence followed.
Ria sat there, frozen, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
I had no choice but to be the first to speak.
“……Hi, Ria.”
To my lovely younger sister, who had grown gaunt in the meantime.
“Have you eaten?”
I repeated the question I had asked her once before.
Ria’s eyes slowly began to redden.
It was a midsummer reunion between siblings.