The Cult's Chosen Sacrifice
I wondered if there was really any need to call Ilisha, but I decided to trust Cecilia's judgment.
Even before my regression, she always made the best decisions right up to the brink of death, so this had to be the right call too.
"We're here, Saintess."
As we entered the temple and announced our arrival, she came out to greet us.
"I'm here, Cecil~ It's been so long."
Ilisha waved cheerfully at her, grinning like she'd just reunited with a long-lost friend.
"Yes, it has been a while, Ilisha. I only wish it weren't under these circumstances."
"Ehehe, I'd be happy just to see you, Cecil—no matter the reason!"
Cecilia smiled softly at Ilisha, who was acting like an excited puppy, then glanced down at her arm.
"So, you've hurt your arm again?"
"Y-yes? Oh, no! This is, um... from training with the sword after so long...!"
"Hmm, I see. Yes, of course."
Watching that exchange only deepened my suspicion that Ilisha was deliberately getting hurt just to see Cecilia.
As doubts swirled in my mind, Cecilia approached Ilisha and whispered something, as if struck by a sudden thought.
"Ilisha. Just to be sure, but... can you read the demons' language?"
"Not at all. My father or brother—er, my lord brother—might be able to, but I can't. Why do you ask?"
"If you can't, that's a relief. If you could, I would have covered it up before you came in. I didn't want your mind scarred by it."
"Aw, you're looking out for me... Thank you!"
Seeing Ilisha grab Cecilia's hand in awe, I couldn't help but wonder if she had any real thoughts at all.
She couldn't act like that if she knew how serious this was—enough to summon us specifically.
Cecilia smiled even at such an Ilisha and beckoned us to follow her inside.
Documents seized from the demon worshippers lay spread out on the desk.
Even without knowing how to read them, their twisted, serpentine script gave off an ominous aura.
"Before the contents, let me reveal the identities of those who wrote this. The ones lurking in the sewers were an advance team preparing to breach the wall."
Breaching the wall.
That phrase hit me like a punch to the gut.
I knew exactly what it meant—I'd endured it far too many times.
Before my regression, it was the demons who poured south after the Northern Great Wall fell that doomed the empire.
And the cause of that wall's collapse was Ilisha's corpse.
Could it be... they'd been targeting her all along?
Even before the regression, I'd heard demon worshippers occasionally raided the Airbalt estate. Was that for her too?
I clenched my fists, waiting for Cecilia to continue.
"Breaching the wall... You mean the Northern Great Wall, right?"
Ilisha spoke casually, as if she still hadn't grasped the gravity.
"Yes. The very one guarded by House Airbalt. They were planning to tear it down."
Ilisha blinked once, then let out an "aha."
Her reaction was so nonchalant that I wondered if I'd misheard.
"To be precise, they planned to sabotage the guardian contract upholding the wall—using the bloodline of House Airbalt."
Cecilia hesitated a moment, then steeled herself and pressed on.
"And their top-priority capture target... is you, Ilisha."
Suddenly, it all clicked.
The relentless raids on the Northern Duke's house before my regression. Ilisha, who could hardly leave home. And after her death, even her body being exploited.
My suspicions were confirmed, but there was no joy in it.
Yet the person in question showed no surprise at all.
"Oh, really?"
She sounded like it was someone else's problem.
Cecilia seemed a bit flustered but quickly gathered the documents and continued her explanation.
"...Yes. It's written right here: 'Top-priority capture target: Ilisha von Airbalt.'"
It's real.
"They originally planned to raid the duke's estate directly to secure you, but when they learned you'd come to the Imperial Academy, they requested a plan change."
Of course they did.
A treasure locked in an impenetrable vault had walked right out to them.
My head throbbed.
Part of me even wished her pain had been worse, keeping her from the academy.
At least then, we wouldn't have to worry about her.
"Why do they want me so badly?"
While my insides roiled, Ilisha still looked utterly serene.
Judging by her tone.
"Two reasons. First, your bloodline. Your blood would let them interfere with the contract linking to the Northern Great Wall. And second... among your family, you're the weakest, aren't you?"
"That's true. Father and Brother are much stronger than me. So... what's the second reason?"
"You yourself, as an individual. Your unique constitution makes for an ideal medium in their ritual... or so the plan states. I dread to imagine what profane rite they mean."
That alone made my head pound, but her next words felt like shards of glass shattering inside my skull.
"Live capture is ideal, but it notes you don't necessarily have to be alive."
My mind went blank.
The demon worshippers didn't care if Ilisha lived or died. Alive or dead, they just needed her in hand.
Gods above.
"Oh my."
Ilisha let out a small laugh.
"Guess I'm pretty popular, huh?"
"This isn't funny, Ilisha."
Her words, as if she still hadn't woken up, drew a sharp edge to my voice before I could stop it.
"Ah, right. Of course not. But..."
She responded with what felt like a sly smirk, tossing out words that turned my stomach without a care.
"Moping around like we're already dead won't change anything, right? And the academy's security is top-notch anyway. So... it'll be fine, don't you think?"
Is this the time for such carefree nonsense?
I'd never been able to read her intentions, but now I couldn't even guess what thoughts hid behind that face.
Or if there were any at all.
"Take this seriously, Ilisha. Your enemies are demon worshippers."
"I know. But I can't just tremble in fear forever, can I?"
Her words seemed thoughtless, but they weren't entirely wrong—I had no comeback.
Cecilia watched us quietly, then interjected in her gentle voice.
"Ilisha's right—the academy is safe. It's not easy to infiltrate."
I shot her a look, wondering if even she was taking Ilisha's side, but she quickly added,
"But Ilisha, as you saw in the sewers, the security isn't perfect. Please be careful."
At Cecilia's words, Ilisha immediately sobered up and vowed to stay vigilant.
She listens so well to Cecilia—why not to me?
Sometimes, the urge to confess my regression to someone bubbled up.
But it always stayed just an impulse.
I drove the point home to seal her resolve.
"Don't wander alone. At least for now."
"Will you escort me, Ern?"
"...Not in the mood for jokes."
"I was serious."
Serious my ass.
Cecilia let out a small sigh.
At least she thought the same.
If something happened to Ilisha, the wall could fall before I even finished preparing—and demons would flood the empire.
"...Anyway."
I forced my voice calm.
"Be careful. I'm dead serious."
This time, Ilisha didn't brush it off playfully.
"Got it."
I couldn't fully trust that answer.
But for now, it would have to do.
Cecilia neatly stacked the documents and tended to Ilisha's arm.
A brief silence settled over the temple.
Then, a chill crept up my spine for no reason.
I glanced around instinctively, but of course, no one was there.
Just the room as it was.
But still.
It felt uncannily like someone was watching us from afar.
I hoped it was just my imagination.
Yet the foreboding wouldn't fade.
I hadn't expected her to show up right away, but still, she was taking her sweet time.
My completely cold tea mirrored my growing irritation.
"Um, Lucia...? Sh-shouldn't we... get going...?"
Dorothea, oblivious to my mood, fidgeted and suggested we leave.
Argh, this is why you can't deal with magic nerds.
"Ilisha hasn't come yet."
"Th-that's true, but..."
Dorothea fidgeted with her fingers but pressed on, determined to say her piece.
As I pondered when this self-harm addict would finally arrive—tuning out Dorothea's mumbling—the cafe door opened, revealing white hair and a black tail.
"...Ehehe. Sorry to keep you waiting, Lucia."
It was Ilisha.
"You sure took your sweet time, didn't you?"