Chapter 631: Last Will (5)
Chapter 631: Last Will (5)
Tap, tap.
The rhythmic sound of a cane striking the ground echoed through the air. I adjusted my pace, walking slowly to match the stride of the one-legged woman.
We were inside a vast building.
After Alphenhauser's Golden Fortress was reduced to ashes, Senior Sienne had moved her office to the Old Temple located in a corner of the Academy. Until recently, it had been the place where the victims of the vampires were gathered.
There were several reasons why Sienne had chosen this location.
First, security.
Since ancient times, temples had been among the most vital facilities. Not only were they religiously sacred, but they were also responsible for the treatment of the sick. Naturally, their defensive capabilities against intruders were exceptional.
That remained true regardless of how much time had passed. The site of the Old Temple still held traces of numerous barriers, and the Alphenhauser family had spent an astronomical sum to revive the security wards here.
It was a miracle achieved in a mere two days—a feat of magic that only Alphenhauser gold could perform.
Despite this, Senior Sienne maintained her irritable demeanor.
Then again, it was understandable. A makeshift barrier would hardly stop an opponent that even the 'Golden Fortress' couldn't hold back.
Still, Sienne had no other choice.
There were few places capable of housing dozens of critically ill patients. This was the second reason she had moved her office to the site of the Old Temple.
"Has still no one regained consciousness?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
My genuine question was met with a sharp, annoyed retort.
She had always been prickly, but after losing an arm and a leg, Senior Sienne had become even more sensitive. It was only natural, considering the burns that covered half her face were constantly weeping and raw.
However, my own mind was just as troubled.
Not that I could afford to show it. Suppressing the slight flicker of annoyance, I calmly waited for Sienne to speak again.
Leaning on her cane, she gestured toward her surroundings with her eyes. Everywhere I looked, there were knights groaning in their sleep. The only ones awake and moving were the priests tending to the patients.
"It's strange how none of them can wake up. Their wounds keep festering, and sometimes the fires even reignite on their burns... To be honest, it's a nightmare. And they're all suffering from strange hallucinations..."
"Hallucinations?"
"That their bodies are melting, or that they're burning alive. It's hard to tell for sure since it's mostly sleep-talk, but..."
"Hmm," I hummed thoughtfully, listening more closely to the patients' groans.
"Please, no... No, my body is melting... Save me..."
"Aaaaaagh! It's hot! It's so hot!"
Quite a few of them screamed out in fits. I wondered what scenes they were witnessing in their dreams.
Were they seeing Celine?
Had Celine truly committed such a cruel act?
Just as I was about to groan from a burgeoning headache, Sienne spoke again.
"There's even talk that their souls might have been stolen."
"Their souls?"
My voice rose instinctively at the sudden hypothesis. Sienne took another step, leaning heavily on her cane, and continued her explanation in a low voice.
"The soul and the body share a powerful bond. Apparently, even after a soul is taken, the body can sometimes react to the soul's experiences from afar."
"Then the hallucinations they're seeing are...?"
"Likely what their souls are witnessing. Burning, melting... I have no idea where they're being held, though."
It was an ominous thought.
A soul was a material far more valuable than a physical body. The things one could achieve with just a single soul were endless.
But the souls of dozens of experts?
The souls of knights and mages who had tempered their mental imagery were incomparably more valuable as sacrifices than those of commoners. Even compared to hundreds of orphans, the souls of these dozens would fetch a far higher price.
What could they possibly be used for?
Even as I sank into thought, Senior Sienne didn't drop her characteristically insolent tone.
"Of course, it's just a hypothesis for now. But if it's true... you understand, don't you, Sir Hand Axe? For the sake of humanity, there's no choice but to execute your childhood friend—Ah!"
A momentary slip.
The woman's field of vision must have been narrowed by the loss of one eye. The loss of an arm and a leg had likely compromised her sense of balance as well.
Her cane slipped, and her body naturally pitched forward. Left alone, she was destined to tumble onto the floor.
Of course, as long as I was beside her, there was no need to worry about that.
My hand shot out and firmly caught her remaining arm. As she regained her balance, her startled gaze met mine.
I asked as if it were nothing.
"Shall I support you?"
Then, thwack.
Sienne's frail arm shook off my hand. I couldn't help but feel bewildered by her unexpectedly harsh reaction.
But in the very next moment...
"I... I don't need it..."
I saw her trembling voice, her shaking body, and her eyes frantically darting away to avoid my gaze.
She looked like a young wild animal terrified of the mere concept of touch.
It was a reaction only possible for a human whose fear had burrowed deep into their very marrow.
I was forced into silence for a moment by this sight I had never imagined. I hadn't expected that a woman once so proud would show such a fragile side.
On the other hand, an ominous thought crossed my mind.
Was Celine's handiwork truly this cruel? No matter how deep the grudge, the Celine I knew would never...
At that point, I turned my head away without a word. It was the final courtesy I could show a woman so miserably haunted by nightmares.
In truth, it was none of my business what happened to Senior Sienne. It was only the fact that my childhood friend might have made her this way that held me back.
I forced my voice into a flat, emotionless tone.
"Suit yourself."
I took a step forward with an air of indifference.
Sienne watched me for a moment, then began to follow behind me with hurried steps. Even so, with only one leg, her cane had to tap-tap-tap rapidly to act as a substitute.
Our walk had a fixed destination.
In the deepest part of the building lay the sleeping princess.
Her skin was as white as a freshly painted wall, and her hair was so pale it looked translucent. Her gently closed eyelids made it seem as though she were waiting for a play to begin.
A play where she waited for a prince to come and save her.
If only she could be awakened with a kiss.
The protagonist of this tragedy was Luna Alphenhauser, none other than Senior Sienne's twin sister.
Standing before her younger sister, Sienne remained silent for a long time. I also kept my silence for a while before finally speaking up, finding it strange that Senior Luna hadn't uttered a single groan.
"...Was it Alphenhauser's doing?"
Her faint silver pupils drifted toward me, as if trying to read the intent behind my question.
It was a painful gaze. Nevertheless, I had to ask.
I didn't have much time.
"The downfall of the Haster family, I mean. In truth, because of that, Celine..."
"It wasn't us."
The statement was excessively flat.
For a moment, I failed to grasp the weight of her testimony and frowned slightly, wondering what on earth she was talking about.
Yet, Sienne continued without wavering.
"To be precise, it wasn't Alphenhauser as a whole, but a specific faction that led it. You know, don't you? That the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire must line up behind a powerful successor to the throne early on..."
It was as she said.
The successors of the Five Great Noble Families were essentially determined by the next Emperor. The only ones free from this were those with overwhelming legitimacy in their bloodline, like Senior Delphine.
However, the society of high nobility was one of infinite competition.
Naturally, cases with so few descendants were rare. This was why conflicts inevitably arose within the succession lines.
The Alphenhauser family was likely no different.
Numerous legitimate heirs, including Senior Sienne, would be competing. Each serving their own lord, each demonstrating their abilities to the fullest.
I already knew who Sienne's lord was.
"Just as you stood behind Princess Iris?"
"Heh, yes. But there has been competition for the succession within the Imperial Family for a long time."
Sienne let out a hollow laugh as she spoke.
"At the time, I wasn't mature enough to oppose it or anything. I mean, I was only born three years before you... Nevertheless, it's true that I have ties to the faction that urged the destruction of the Haster family back then."
"Who was it?"
"My lord."
In other words, it meant that the faction of the Second Princess, Princess Iris, had spearheaded it.
As she calmly delivered that fact, a sudden laugh burst from Sienne's lips. It was as if she found her own situation ridiculous.
"Hehe... So, shouldn't I, as a confidant, accept the price for that sin? However... however... I am human after all, and I can't help but think this."
It was the first time I had heard her true feelings.
Perhaps she was pushed to her mental limit. Or perhaps she couldn't help but crave the warmth of the hand that had briefly held her.
Sienne confessed, slightly avoiding my gaze.
"Is this my sin?"
Strictly speaking, yes.
You were born under the blessing of your family and rose to success using its name. Therefore, isn't even the family's infamy a burden you must naturally bear?
I wanted to say those words, but how could I, seeing the bandages covering half her face becoming damp?
After hesitating for a long time, I finally brought up the main point.
"Please be the bait."
The woman said nothing. She only bit her lip once.
"In truth, I don't have much time. Help me so that I can at least try to persuade her once."
"And if you fail?"
"I won't fail."
I declared with strong conviction.
"Even if I do fail, I will eventually make it succeed. Because that's who I am."
"Shall I be honest? I want revenge. I'm not looking to save anyone."
"Whether you do or not, you must cooperate."
At my firm tone, the woman let out a dry laugh.
Considering her lost arm, leg, eye, and face, my proposal was absurd. It was inevitable that Sienne would raise her voice.
"Sir Hand Axe, do you still not understand? Because of your childhood friend, I'm destined to live the rest of my life without ever showing my face...!"
"Those burns are a type of curse. They're the only kind of wound that cannot be healed with divine power."
She fell silent. I took the opportunity to continue.
"If you help me, I will take full responsibility. Even if a complete cure is impossible. Your burns, your scars..."
"That wouldn't be your sin, would it?"
"Even if it isn't."
Sienne didn't answer for a long time.
She only trembled, her lips parting and closing repeatedly.
Finally, with a venomous look in her eyes, she threw out a single sentence.
"......You crazy bastard."
The woman spoke with a voice that carried a faint trace of heat.
"Fine, do whatever you want. My body is already ruined anyway... I'll be your toy, just as you wish."
And two days later.
As expected, Celine launched an attack.
Only, it wasn't against the Alphenhauser family.
"Princess Iris is in critical condition!"
That was it.
The target my childhood friend was aiming for wasn't the Alphenhauser family. The attack on the Golden Fortress had merely been the prologue to her revenge.
Celine was intending to burn down the Imperial Household.
And she was dead serious.