The Brand (4)
An owl?
Two pairs of eyes burned in the darkness, bright and unblinking. The knight frowned at the sheer brazenness of that stare.
Is it looking at me?
No. Lower than that. A little further down.
Then… surely not. This child?
───…
───…
As if answering the thought she had only murmured in her heart, a long cry unfurled through the air. An uncanny hush settled over everything. The only sound that remained was the fevered breathing of the child gathered in her arms.
I don't know what you are, she thought, but I don't like it.
She reached to draw the window curtains—and in that instant, her eyes met the owl's, and a voice of perfect clarity drove itself into Rebecca's mind.
"A stubborn human, I see."
She flinched and swept the room with her eyes—but the owner of that voice was nowhere to be found.
"That you cherish the child my dear friend sought to protect is truly admirable. But you would do well to remember that it was you humans who brought all of this upon yourselves. What you ought to be wary of in this moment is not me. It is yourself."
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
She could not sense the speaker at all. Her hand was halfway to the sword lying beside the table when the next words fell upon her like a commandment.
Every phenomenon, every law of the world—stopped.
"?!"
The world drowned in black and white. Even the snow that had been falling endlessly beyond the window hung suspended in midair.
"Within the Mother's domain, those of good will cannot take up arms. This arises from the Mother's faith and love for every living thing that walks this earth."
What was that supposed to mean? One thing, at least, was certain: just as those words claimed, she could not so much as twitch a finger. The sensation was unreal. But this was no dream. Damn it all—why couldn't she move?
"You are supremely suited to be a guardian. Is this Ramon's arrangement as well? To you who have passed the Mother's trial, I have one request. The child appears to be in pain, so for now, this would be the most proper choice."
Words whose meaning she could not grasp.
A flash of light. Fragments of memory swept through Rebecca's mind—images as if seen through someone else's eyes. The viewpoint was remarkably low, as though she had become some small wild creature, and everything around her loomed unnaturally large.
Wait. This is…?
A familiar scene. She knew this place. The Imperial History Museum, on the outskirts of the capital.
A neglected corner of a museum that no one ever visited. Behind the glass of a display case, a single garment of purest white.
"I ask this of you. Return that to the child's embrace."
The cloth glowed softly, as if it had gathered sunlight into its threads. Delicate vine embroidery wound around the midpoints of the sleeves—and that was the only ornament it bore. A garment of quiet, unadorned grace.
What? I'm supposed to give this back to the child?
"Ramon, my dear friend. With this, I have kept every promise I made."
Color seeped slowly back into the world. The heavy snow began to fall once more.
"Please…"
"Rest in peace."
"—!"
By the time she came back to herself, the owls were already gone.
The Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty! By the new accord with the Beastkin Nation of Kuverta, the Imperial Desert Crossing Train, the Silk Serpent, has been granted passage through five major cities. With this, the securing of desert resources will grow still easier, and it is our belief that we may thereby stimulate the domestic production of magical goods and pursue a grand integration of trade between our two nations."
A minister on his knees, delivering glad tidings. It ought to have been an ordinary hour of state reports… save for the peculiar silence that had settled over the hall. Cold sweat crept down the reporting minister's back.
"Y-Your Majesty? If there is some point that does not please you…?"
A deep-rooted worry clouded Her Majesty's countenance. Why? He could not begin to fathom the depths of her mind. The negotiations with Kuverta had concluded in success—had they not? They had expanded the train's passage rights from the original three cities to five. C-could it be?! Had she believed they could extract even more? Indeed, with Her Supreme Majesty's vision, even every city in Kuverta would hardly be suffici—
"Ahem."
The Chancellor's pointed cough. The Empress upon the throne at last turned her gaze upon them.
"…You have done well on the negotiation. I shall grant a week's leave to the ministers who served on the envoy. Rest fully before you return to your duties."
"Y-Your grace is boundless!"
"Chancellor. See that no expense is spared in supporting the Silk Serpent's safe crossing of the desert."
"It shall be done without fail."
"And to the Great Chieftain of Kuverta… no. We are weary from overwork today. The rest can wait until tomorrow. You are all dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please take care of your precious health."
They bowed and withdrew with practiced speed. The door closed, and a long silence descended once more.
"Are you worried about the child?"
"Does it show?"
A smile without strength behind it.
"According to the reports, her condition has stabilized. I can send word to the Vice Knight Commander. It would not be amiss, perhaps, to pay another vis—"
"No."
The word cut clean through.
"Having seen what I saw, I cannot treat that child as a private matter. Have you not realized from this incident that my own hasty footsteps could stir up waves?"
"…This servant's thinking was shortsighted."
The Empress let out a long breath. The child who had wept and praised the Emperor like a broken doll. What had poured from her was an abyss of darkness whose depths could not be fathomed. Brief as it was, the sight of the girl in her arms—
The traces of long years of torture, carved into a frail body that looked as though it would shatter at a touch. Whip scars and burn marks, and the Magic Tower's brand. Even remembering it made her chest ache. And yet, even then, she had to weigh first the danger the child might bring upon the Empire.
"My head aches. What on earth am I supposed to do about—"
"Your Majesty! Seris:Theresia requests an audience!"
The booming voice of the guard posted beyond the door.
"…That damned woman. She's early."
"Haha. She arrived right on cue."
The Master of the Imperial Magic Tower. They had waited a long time for this.
"Admit her!"
"Seris:Theresia, present yourself before the throne with due ceremony!"
The guard's echo, and the doors opened, and the strongest 6th-Circle battle mage in all of humanity stepped into view. White hair followed the elegant line of her body all the way to her waist. Mana shimmered faintly over her robes, lending her a quality of something pure and untouched.
"Heehee. I came running the moment I received your summons~♪"
She had been Aria's classmate at the Academy, a comrade who had shared life and death on hellish battlefields. She had been a steadfast ally in the overthrow of the former Emperor's tyranny, and a fellow architect of the throne's seizure.
"I don't recall granting you permission for a trip to Tenrin."
"Oh my~? Since when have I ever asked permission before going anywhere?"
The words stretched and curled, playful and insolent. She was perhaps the only person on the continent permitted such cheek.
"Report on the trip."
"The hot springs in Tenrin are reeeally wonderful, you know~? Next time you should come with m—♪"
The sentence never finished. A crash, and the sound of solid wood splitting. The Empress was in no mood for Seris's games.
"Report."
"Tch. Aria's such a meanie."
The archmage's cheeks puffed out.
"Hmmm… first of all, some veeery bad news! The rumors of black mage activity in Tenrin turned out to be true, I'm afraid. I found several animals affected by Decay Mana, after all. Originally I should have taken more time to investigate it myself, buuut…"
She had been forced to cut it short and return in haste, then.
"Was it a formal request from the Dragon King?"
"That's right~!"
An investigation the Dragon King of Tenrin had requested of Seris personally. A more serious matter than expected, then. There would be no further reprimand.
"I left two veeery capable mages to continue the investigation, so don't you worry too much, Aria~♪"
"Fine. Then let's get to the point."
"Before that, one thing~!"
Her eyes narrowed to slits. Mana surged and coiled around her. All at once a chilling, dreadful aura claimed the room.
"The demon-detection stone showed no reaction. Therefore—"
"A high-ranking demon can deceive a detection stone easily enough."
Demons. The servants of the Demon God, the spawn of evil. Her hatred for them ran deeper than most. She could be all sweetness—until demons entered the picture, and then she lost her reason, just like this.
"No. Even if that were the case, that is one thing I cannot permit."
"Aria!"
"That is an imperial command."
Decay Mana, and the evil spirits that had been summoned. Perhaps the girl truly was a demon. Seris would have drawn her own conclusions from everything she knew.
"Don't make me laugh. If it turns out to be true, I won't just sit still."
"Chancellor. Take Seris to the child."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
But it wasn't true. She could not have said why, and yet she was certain. Once you meet the child, you'll understand soon enough.
"…I warned you♪"
"Don't jump to conclusions. That's a bad habit of yours."