An Unexpected Turn
An unexpected tightness and heat flared deep inside my chest. I wanted to beat my breast to cool the burning sensation, but like in any dream, my body felt bound tight, unable to budge an inch. As I groaned, the area around my heart grew hotter and hotter. Was it because my heart was beating too fast? Or was it because of a fire? But why would my chest catch fire? What was I doing again? My mind was too hazy to think straight. A series of unpleasant sensations washed over me, like trying to force a wrong puzzle piece into place. Who was I going to save? I was going to save the black-haired one. But aren't I black-haired too? Everyone has black hair.
Save Ratel.
An ownerless voice inside my head spoke to me. Right, Ratel! I had to save the protagonist of the novel. If he wasn't around, the world would be in danger, and so would I. But why did I feel like I'd somehow lose out even after saving him? The world spun. No, was it moving up and down?
"You reckless child! Wake up!"
Ah, this time I was sure. My head was shaking from side to side. Was the owner of this worried voice shaking me? I appreciated the concern, but shaking the head of an unconscious person like this proved they lacked basic common sense.
"I said, wake up!"
Along with the urgent voice, a small hand slapped my cheek. Unable to ignore the persistent effort, I forced my eyelids open. A pair of golden eyes looking down at me filled my vision.
"...If you wanted to save me, didn't it occur to you to move the two guys on top of me first?"
My vocal cords burned terribly as air scraped past them. Damn it, the inside of my throat must have swollen after Dito choked me. But that was nothing compared to the crushing weight of the unconscious Ratel and Jing pressing down on me.
"Do you have any idea how shocked I was! All three of you collapsed and wouldn't wake up, so I...!"
El chattered, hovering busily around me. Ignoring the frantic creature, I painstakingly dragged my body out from under Ratel and Jing. We were inside the secret passage connecting the Temple to the Capital. Right, I had collapsed from exhaustion while dragging Ratel and Jing here. My transformation must have undone itself as my stamina depleted. I sighed, looking at the two grown men sprawled out around me.
"What are you going to do now? The area is crawling with people and the Imperial Family. Even if we head toward the center, we won't be able to escape the Capital. The Second Prince must have already blockaded it."
El, calming down to match my demeanor, muttered worriedly.
"...Tollin prepared a carriage to help the Young Duke escape. We'll use that to escape the Capital."
El frowned at my answer. "Where did you put your ears? Didn't I just say the way out of the Capital is blocked?"
Letting his words go in one ear and out the other, I stared at the two who still hadn't regained consciousness despite El's shrill voice. If things had gone according to the original novel, these two would have secured the Red Book by now and leisurely escaped the Capital. But lying here instead were two main characters who had gained nothing, suffered injuries, and been utterly defeated.
A sudden wave of reality hit me. The original plot had gone off the rails, my own escape had failed, and now I was directly involved in the protagonist's adventure. It would be a lie to say I wasn't anxious. But there was no other choice. I couldn't imagine a future where Ratel didn't save the world.
Feeling a tiny trickle of strength return to my body, I stood up. El, who had been chattering non-stop until then, finally shut his mouth. I looked down at him as his eyes darted around anxiously.
"Your resolve hasn't changed, has it?"
"About what?"
"Your resolve to help the protagonist destroy the Imperial Family."
At my question, meant to secure his final commitment, El's eyes filled with an unfathomable depth.
"My entire thousand years of waiting was for this. Right now, I wouldn't even regret giving up my life."
Then that was enough. It was an adventure starting under highly unfavorable conditions. I couldn't afford to turn down an ally willing to lay down his life. More than anything, I needed his help right now.
"A single carriage carrying a member of the Imperial Family should be more than enough to slip out of the Capital."
Even if they searched the carriage, they wouldn't easily find him if he transformed into a squirrel.
El silently nodded, understanding my point. I stood up, hoping the other two wouldn't wake up just yet. Moving these two massive guys was impossible in my current form.
Rattle.
The carriage jolted violently as it hit a stone. Startled by the impact, the Duke snapped his eyes open and reflexively reached for his waist as he sat up. It was a physical reaction born of his body remembering the crisis right before he lost consciousness.
"Don't move. It's bumpy."
Though the voice was far from urgent, it made him lose all his tension.
Duke Fides discovered Ran Abaran sitting across from him, scanning a map with a serious expression.
"W-where are we?" he asked blankly, thrown off by the peaceful scene so disconnected from his last memory.
Only then did the black-haired prince look up from the map. His deep, dark eyes turned toward the Duke.
"We just left the Capital. In the next village, we'll ditch the carriage and ride horses."
"What?!"
Feeling his heart, which had briefly calmed, leap back into his throat, the Duke peered out the carriage window. It was just as Ran said. The Capital was receding into the distance behind the speeding carriage. Various faces left behind in the Capital flashed through the Duke's mind.
"W-we must go back. My son, Tollin, and the remaining retainers of the duchy..."
Watching the panicked man quietly, the prince spoke flatly.
"...You don't need to worry about Tollin and the Young Duke for the time being."
"What do you mean by that? If they catch anyone's eye in the Capital..."
"I've placed both of them inside the Academy, so no one will harm them."
At this, the Duke had no choice but to shut his mouth. If they were in the Academy, they wouldn't die. The problem was that getting out wouldn't be easy either. Still, simply knowing their lives were saved allowed the Duke to regain a bit of composure.
With that composure, things he hadn't noticed before slowly began to enter his field of vision. For instance, the presence of a young man boasting a presence so massive it was surprising he hadn't noticed him earlier.
The Duke sighed as he looked at Ratel, who still hadn't opened his eyes.
"...We really survived. Like a miracle."
"Don't let your guard down. Death will be constantly chasing us from now on."
Delivering such a bleak statement as if it were nothing, the black-haired prince folded the map he was holding and set it aside. The Duke stared blankly at him before turning his gaze back out the window to watch the receding Capital.
Even if they had taken refuge in the Academy, it was merely a temporary measure.
"We must return. We cannot leave the two of them in there forever."
"We are leaving in order to save them."
Offering another simple answer, the prince casually pointed a finger next to the Duke. Only then did the Duke recognize the young man sitting opposite him. To think he hadn't even noticed such a large human being—he must have been incredibly out of it. The Duke stared at him. At Ratel, who was still fast asleep as if dead, unable to open his eyes.
"You've probably already realized it. That man is the only key to defeating the Imperial Family."
At Ran's question, the Duke slowly nodded. Had he not already witnessed it with his own eyes? That man possessed the power to face the Imperial Family. Even if he had been defeated.
"He will grow stronger. The journey ahead is for him."
As if reading his worries, Ran Abaran added.
Perhaps he was right this time too. After all, Ran Abaran was also someone who worked miracles every time. Duke Fides had no other choice now. No, even if there were other options, he would have followed Ran's words. Ran Abaran was his savior, and the savior of his family.
"Then where are we heading now? Is it the East, as expected?" Duke Fides asked the Seventh Prince, who had buried his face in the map again.
"No. We have to go to the closest place first. We're going West."
Belatedly raising his head, Ran looked at the Duke. "Do you have some reason to go East?"
"No, it's nothing like that."
"We're heading somewhere we can reach as quickly as possible, so don't worry too much."
Ran, who had been looking suspiciously at the Duke's hasty reply, turned his gaze back to the map as he spoke.
The Duke wasn't worried. He had a sort of faith that the Seventh Prince wouldn't lead them into a trap. He owed Ran Abaran too many debts of life to harbor doubts. Granted, Ran's methods weren't exactly humane. Still, the fact remained that he had saved him and everyone else. A life must be repaid with a life to balance the ledger.
"Your Highness, if a dangerous situation arises on our way, please hide behind me. I will protect you no matter what."
At the Duke's grateful offer, the Seventh Prince furrowed his brow as if he had just heard something incredibly bizarre.
"Of course you should protect me. I'm the only one here who knows the way, and I'm the worst fighter."
Though he thought the prince was remarkably shameless given the content of his words, the Duke nodded. "Yes, so do not worry."
At his cheerful reply, Ran narrowed his eyes, seemingly displeased by something.
"And it's going to be problematic if you keep calling me 'Your Highness'."
"Then should I call you Lord Ran from now on?"
"Just 'Ran'."
He emphasized his name without any honorifics, not hiding his discomfort, but the Duke didn't mind.
"Then please, just call me 'Jing'. You can't keep calling me Duke forever."
Ran spread out the map he had been scribbling on and pointed to a spot. "Just so you know, this is the first place we need to go."
It was an outlying area to the west, not too far from the Capital.
"Yes, I will follow your will, Lord Ran."
At his readily given answer, Ran's expression crumpled further.
"...We should have enough travel funds. Tollin packed everything we'd need in the carriage."
Surprised to learn that Tollin was the one who had prepared this carriage, the Duke's eyes widened briefly, but he soon nodded readily once more. "Yes, I shall leave that to you as well, Your Highness."
"Why are you leaving that to me? You're the original owner, so you manage it."
"Yes, I understand."
Staring at the Duke with a look of discomfort, Ran finally let out a sigh and delivered his final command.
"And stop using formal speech with me if you can help it."
Having said his piece, he threw his gaze out the carriage window, no longer listening to Duke Fides's reply. A single flake of premature snow drifted through the gap in the open window and settled upon his black hair.
Simply because a prominent candidate for the throne had met a mysterious death from an unknown illness, no one wanted to attend Rasiah's funeral. His funeral, which even the Emperor did not attend, was held at his castle on a scale just barely grand enough not to disgrace the name of an Imperial Family member's death. Opinions were divided on how to dispose of his corpse, which emitted no Manis, but a conclusion was reached faster than expected.
Burn it.
Nothing was more important than the Emperor's lazy command.
Rasiah's corpse, which had best suited the height of luxury, was placed not in a coffin filled with jewels, nor in a splendid gold-plated casket, but in a simple wooden coffin—the easiest to burn. In the backyard of the castle where Rasiah had lived, firewood was piled high enough to completely bury the wooden coffin, forming a massive tower.
His funeral was conducted in absolute silence. This was because rumors of his death by disease had quietly circulated. The discovery of "something" that could kill those who were supposedly immune to disease and poison carried heavy implications. One of the reasons death was so terrifying was its suddenness. In that sense, the Imperial Family had no immunity to the dread of sudden death. Even a venomous snake was terrifying enough. But what if it really was a disease? What if a disease that killed the Imperial Family, undiscovered for a thousand years, was spreading?
Rasiah's death instilled a new fear in them: "death by disease." A sticky dread clung to the spaces between the members of the Imperial Family. Since it wouldn't wash off, their anxiety swelled, and everyone grew highly sensitive.
And the event that would burst this fully inflated balloon of anxiety occurred right at the funeral.
Amidst the collapsing, burning firewood, Rasiah's coffin revealed itself.
A coffin without a single scorch mark.
When Rasiah's corpse refused to burn, screams erupted from all directions.
"Who dares play such a prank! Stop this at once!"
Those who still possessed a shred of reason shouted, remembering that only members of the Imperial Family could manipulate flames.
"None of the fire-wielders have that kind of power!"
Someone's hysterical retort quickly silenced the crowd.
Rasiah's coffin remained completely undamaged until all the firewood had burned down and the flames weakened. Just before the remaining embers died out, someone spoke.
"Let's postpone the funeral."
The voice, though not loud, echoed as if to fill the entire space. Everyone's eyes gathered on one spot.
It was Dito, who had rarely been seen since Rasiah's death. Having stripped the smile that usually hung on his face every day, he slowly approached the place where Rasiah's coffin lay. Everyone held their breath, watching the remaining flames subside under his touch.
"He left us so suddenly; we cannot bid him our final farewell like this. Let us hold the funeral again from the beginning. This time, with proper respect from everyone."
As if he had no fear of any disease, he opened the coffin and lifted Rasiah's corpse, which lay as if sleeping. Wrapped in the shroud, Rasiah looked peaceful in Dito's arms.
Dito ordered the others to prepare a new funeral and carried Rasiah's body to another room for the time being. No one found it strange that Dito, who had been extremely close to Rasiah, was taking care of him.
Consequently, Mentil was the only one who saw the sharp, clear curve of a smile drawn on Dito's face as he walked out the door.