110. Traces

I tossed aside Samaella's arm, still clutched in my right hand, and let out a deep sigh.

It was over.

Thump-thump— I could feel a heart pounding fiercely.

I couldn't tell if it was my own heartbeat, or Stella's, pressed against my chest.

"...H-hic... h-hic... hic... h-hic..."

Her sweat-damp breath tickled the nape of my neck.

"E-Eli... Eli... h-hic... Elia... rnes..."

"You okay?"

She wore a completely dazed expression, like she couldn't follow any of what had just happened. Still, it was a hell of a lot better than the look she'd had before, like she was about to drop dead.

"I-I'm, yeah. I'm okay. But you, y-you... what you just... said... no, I mean... are you okay?"

"For now."

"...For now? What does that— h-hyak?!"

I dumped Stella, still clinging to me, and got to my feet. My whole body ached. I'd bled out of every hole in my body, so I was cold. Dizziness squeezed my skull, and my vision was blurry.

Even so, my heart pounded hard.

The Gate Opening was still active.

Samaella had fled and the labyrinth was vanishing, but my work was only just beginning.

So I couldn't collapse yet.

The longer I maintained it, the worse the backlash would get... but there was no helping it.

"Haa..."

I rummaged through the clothes I'd taken off and chugged every Potion I had. Then, after slapping my head to steady myself, I staggered over to where Pina had been.

"Shadowless."

Shadowless was already standing there, having caught Pina as she fell from the air. I couldn't see her expression, but it looked like she had a horrifying number of things to say.

"What you saw today... k-hek, hup... haa... please keep what you saw today a secret."

As I spoke, I spat out a mouthful of blood. Shadowless's body flinched. Then she looked at me and tilted her head.

"If you, Pina there in your arms, and Stella... ptoo. If just the three of you keep your mouths shut, it can stay a secret, can't it?"

After hearing me out, Shadowless deliberated for a while, then carefully set Pina down and approached me.

[I have many things to say and many things to ask. But this is not the place for such a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conversation.]

Then she carved words into the bare ground with the tip of her foot.

[Come here for now.]

"...Why?"

[If you don't come, I will.]

Why is she suddenly acting like this?

Frowning, I crept closer.

The moment I stood in front of Shadowless.

A flick to the forehead that was absolutely unavoidable.

"What's this sudden—"

Thwack—!

"Eek?! Hup...!"

Eek?? Aaaaah??

Shit, what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hell kind of scream did I just let out...?

I glared at Shadowless, rubbing my forehead, which felt shattered, and my mouth, which had let out that pathetic shriek.

"...Are you insane?"

[How is your body? Any pain? You have too many injuries. Fortunately, the bleeding seems to have stopped, but is there anywhere numb, or any severed nerves?]

"The forehead you just hit hurts the most, actually?"

[Anywhere else?]

Anywhere else.

I was completely fucked up.

It'd be faster to find a spot that didn't hurt.

Same for the injuries.

The sensation across my whole body was dulled. Nerves? All severed.

The reason I was still moving around like nothing was wrong was because I was moving my body with Mana.

Of course, I had no intention of saying that.

If I invited pointless worry, things would get delayed.

So I had to look as fine as possible.

"...As you can see, I'm fine. No internal injuries either. What you see on the outside... it'll heal if I drink some good Potions and get some sleep. I've already taken some, and you can see my condition with your own eyes, can't you?"

To Shadowless's eyes, I probably looked incredibly spry right now.

I couldn't help it.

My acupoints were still wide open even now.

If anything, I probably looked far healthier than before.

She might even mistake it for my Realm having risen from this fight.

"Anyway, please keep what happened today a secret."

My swollen forehead... it seemed a bump had formed after all.

I said it while rubbing the bump.

Shadowless stared at me for a long while, then wrote new words.

[You certainly don't seem to have internal injuries. If anything, you look healthier. Strange.]

[Even so, today's events cannot simply be buried and forgotten.]

[That Black Wizard just fled. So, even for the sake of protecting you, today's events must be reported to Eustetia.]

"You don't have to. I can beat most of them myself."

Shadowless raised her head and looked at me.

It was a mask with no expression, just a pair of eye holes, but for some reason I could feel an expression behind it.

Anger, worry, guilt, confusion, anguish.

I didn't know why she was feeling those things, but I shrugged and glanced at Pina lying on the ground.

"So Nameless didn't know what kind of Beastkin she was either, huh."

[Don't change the subject. Answer me.]

Zing— Shadowless's sharp gaze pierced into me.

[Why are you trying to hide it? Hiding something like this from your parents is a very bad thing.]

"Well, yes, but... if they find out, they'll worry. Especially my mother, since she can't leave the estate, she'd worry even more. So please keep it a secret."

Shadowless, who had been about to carve words into the ground, flinched violently. Then, a moment later, scratch-scratch— she wrote something with trembling fingers.

[Why do you call ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Duke "Dad," but call the Lady of Eustetia "Mother"?]

...?

I did? I called Father "Dad"?

I suppose I did... apparently. Good lord.

"...Why are you suddenly asking that?"

[If you answer this, I will not report today's events to the Duke.]

The writing had grown rough from being scrawled in haste.

And the scent of blood that had vanished now wafted out again.

Not as thick as before—faintly.

This was probably Shadowless's Intent.

Just as Samaella had given off the stench of rotting reptiles, Shadowless gave off the scent of blood.

When Intent grows strong enough to surpass perception, it manifests as a phenomenon like that.

Well, if you surpass a certain stage, you can hide even that.

Anyway.

"No, why are you poking into someone else's family affairs..."

Why do you keep meddling?

[Eustetia and Nameless are not strangers.]

[In a sense, I am no different from family.]

I frowned and glared at Shadowless.

She looked back at me without backing down an inch.

In the end, I sighed and opened my mouth.

If telling her this... was the price for burying today's events, then it was cheap...

"That's..."

Then I stopped mid-sentence and whipped my head around.

Stella, who had crawled over on all fours, had gotten to her feet and was tugging at the hem of my clothes.

"Cover your ears for a second."

"...What? Why?"

"Hurry."

Stella glared at me, chewing her lip, then sighed, turned around, and covered her ears.

"Hey, you ditz."

Silence.

"You beggarly, third-rate Wizard."

Silence.

"You piss-baby who only bathes once every four—"

"Yaaaaah!! No! I said no! I didn't! Pee! Myself!!"

"Cover your ears properly."

"Hrk...! Why! Why am I the only one who has to cover my ears!"

"...It's family business. You want in on it too? Stella Eustetia. Hm, doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."

"S-Stella Eustetia...? F... f-f-f-f, f-f, h-hic... family?! Y-you, y-y-you... with you? Me?! A-are you c-c-crazy?!"

Stella, who had been backing away slowly with her face dyed bright red, plopped down on the spot.

"M-mine... you mean... th-that... th-that's what you...?"

Then she started muttering something incomprehensible.

"I said cover your ears."

"Hut... o... okay..."

Stella buried her face in her knees and covered her ears with trembling hands. Her ears and the nape of her neck were bright red.

She'd probably really covered them now.

I turned my gaze back. Shadowless. She was looking back and forth between me and Stella.

Clearly... no expression was drawn on the mask, but somehow she looked shocked.

Why is everyone acting so weird today?

"Anyway, that... this... if I tell you, you'll keep it a secret. You promised."

[If I relay this to the Duke of Eustetia, I will give you Nameless.]

"No need to go that far... um, well... if I call her 'Mom' or him 'Dad'... I feel like I'd keep crossing a line."

[A line?]

"I... I feel like I'd end up acting my age."

[What does that mean?]

"...Well, you know. There's... that kind of thing, right? Throwing tantrums, talking in that cutesy girly voice... stuff like that."

In truth, that was exactly it.

From the moment I'd called Father "Dad"... strangely, it felt like a wall in my heart had crumbled.

And... I felt like I'd pick up bad habits.

Because when I called him Dad, he'd grant me anything.

It... it felt like I was turning into an ungrateful brat.

The biggest problem was.

That I hadn't really felt it at the time. Only after going back to my room, washing up, and lying down... did I realize it belatedly.

The things I'd said while talking with Father... my actions... my voice, things like that.

So... it was a bit horrifying.

That I, Ronan Luzarak, who'd looked like such a man...

...Fuck.

"Anyway, so... Mother is a bit, well... Shadowless, you. Have you met my mother?"

[We are very close.]

"Then you'd know. My mother is, well... aha-ha... it's a bit awkward saying this myself, but. My mother is a bit overflowing with dignity, and elegant... isn't she? So, I'm afraid Mother would dislike it if I acted that way. After all, well... um... it's nice to be doted on, you know."

At that moment, Shadowless shot up from her spot.

Then she nodded her head so vigorously her mask shook, and picked up Pina, who'd been lying beside her.

"Whoa, hold on."

I called out to stop Shadowless and reached out my arms.

Then, Shadowless gently pulled me into an embrace with her other arm.

Uh, this is... somehow strangely comfortable and familiar and nostalgic and reassuring...

No, no no no no. What the hell is this crazy shit?

"...Wh-what the!"

I shoved Shadowless away with all my strength and glared at her.

"What's the sudden big idea?"

Shadowless tilted her head.

"I wasn't asking for a hug. I was asking for Pina."

She tilted her head further.

"I have something to talk about with Pina. Shadowless, you... yeah. Take Stella and go on ahead."

I tapped Stella, who still had her ears covered. She flinched, then slowly raised her head.

Her face, already red, had flushed even redder than before.

"...Are you done?"

"Go out with her. I'll follow after."

"What about you?"

"I'll go with Pina."

"Then we could all just go together."

"I have something to talk about with Pina."

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"...You don't have anything to talk about with me?"

"Nope."

Stella's mouth fell open.

"Y-you... y-you... y-you... Eliarnes, you... you heard... my story."

"Ah, yeah. I heard it."

"That... about that... you're not going to... say... anything?"

...Did she want to talk about it?

Stella had seemed like she wanted to hide it, so I hadn't planned to ask.

Still, well. If she wanted to bring it up herself, I wouldn't stop her.

I grabbed Stella's hand, still sitting on the ground, and pulled her up. She wobbled even so, so I held her firmly by the waist and said,

"Let's talk about that tomorrow night."

"...Tomorrow n-night?"

"Yeah. Come to my room. Wash up clean first."

"W-wash... wash? Why...?"

Stella's eyes started spinning.

Her tightly clasped hands squirmed, and I could feel the pounding of a heart that wasn't even touching mine from here.

Thump-thump.

That earlier heartbeat must have been Stella's after all.

"So you're not going to wash? You look like a beggar right now."

"W-wash... I'll... wash..."

"Good. So tomorrow night, when I send you a message, come to my room. Until then, I need to... rest a bit."

Pat-pat— I patted Stella's back, still trembling as if terrified, and sent her off to Shadowless.

And Shadowless.

Swish— scratch— she carved words into the ground with the tip of her foot.

[As the leader of Nameless, I believe we need to have a talk about what happened today.]

"I was planning on that anyway. Then Shadowless... let's meet the day after tomorrow."

[I will come to the academy. As quietly as possible.]

"Sounds good."

With those final words, Shadowless handed me a glass bottle. A Highest-Grade Potion.

Not just any ordinary Highest-Grade Potion, either.

The emblem of the Pnasensia Holy Kingdom was engraved on the cap.

A Potion that had received the baptism of the Pnasensia Patriarch.

Stella's eyes went wide when she saw it.

With good reason. It was worth about as much as a decent house.

I tucked it into my chest and snickered.

One bottle of this and all the wounds on my body right now would heal.

"Thanks for the meal."

*****

Some time after Shadowless's presence, having left with Stella, had completely vanished.

Blink-blink.

Pina came to.

"You're awake."

Blink-blink. Pina looked up at me with wide, clear eyes, as if she couldn't grasp the situation.

I pinched her cheek a little hard.

"This is what happens when you follow strangers around recklessly. Got it?"

At that, tears welled up in Pina's large eyes. Then, with trembling hands, she slowly caressed my face.

Along that touch, the power of the spirit... Sparkle's light flashed and seeped into my body.

Did the pain ease a little? Unfortunately, the wounds weren't healed. They were the kind of wounds that couldn't be healed by this much light.

"No time to cry. If you've come to your senses, get up. We're busy from here on."

Pina ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tilted her head.

Shadowless, and Pina too.

Well, Pina can't help it, but anyway.

Today of all days, I seemed to be having long conversations with people who didn't speak.

And yet the conversations flowed well, which was funny.

Snickering, I pointed at the massive stone door visible behind us and said,

"Let's go find some treasure."