The Rubble of a Nightmare
Did I say something wrong?
Sensing the ruined atmosphere, Lefonya clamped her mouth shut and cautiously studied their faces.
I really am fine, though.
Of course, bruises and scrapes lingered, but it didn't hurt all that much.
I don't know what I'm supposed to say.
Lefonya fidgeted. According to her original plan, she was supposed to greet their reunion with a line like, I was waiting for you to come get me. But now, her lips refused to part.
The plan had succeeded, yet staring at their furious faces, she couldn't gauge whether telling them she had been waiting was safe.
After all, every "angry face" Lefonya had ever known in her life had led to a terrible end.
"First things first."
Without hesitation, Pelens stripped off his heavy coat. Wrapping the voluminous fabric securely around Lefonya, he lifted her straight into his arms.
"Let's get out of here."
Warm body heat seeped into a frame that had been chilled to the bone. It felt as if every nerve in her body clung greedily to that warmth, melting into his chest.
Her chin resting against his shoulder, Lefonya turned her head. She caught sight of the children huddled in the dining hall, lost and trembling.
It felt as though her five-year-old self from the past were still trapped among them.
"Brother. Wait, just a second."
At Lefonya's voice, Pelens came to a halt.
"You said the orphanage my teacher originally tried to send me to was a good one, right?"
At her innocent question, Havelian went stark white, looking as if a dagger had been driven straight into his heart.
Breezily ignoring his distress, Lefonya turned toward the Duke.
"I want those children to go there instead. The director here has an illegal gambling habit, so he makes the kids do forced labor, and if they make a mistake, he beats them. He even sells them off as slaves for money."
"...What?"
The Duke's face drained of all color. At the exact same moment, Pelens's arms tightened around Lefonya with crushing force.
While Pelens barely swallowed a string of vicious curses, Havelian muttered that a few punches were nowhere near enough and strode back outside with murderous intent.
"So please, send those children to a good orphanage, too."
Duke Craitan pressed a massive palm against his eyes. He gritted his teeth so hard that thick veins bulged along his neck and jawline. He drew in several long, shuddering breaths before he could even form a reply.
"Fonya."
Lowering his hand, Duke Craitan gently stroked her hair.
"I believe I told you this once before."
His broad hand drifted down, cradling her cheek, before gently covering her eyes.
"Close your eyes and don't worry about a thing. Leave everything else to your father."
Ah. I remember now.
Back when she had set fire to her own bedroom to escape the threat of the vassals—
Duke Craitan had charged straight through the blaze to rescue her, uttering those exact same words. Back then, hearing him say that, she had scoffed internally, thinking, What kind of father is there to rely on?
"...Okay."
Things were a little different now. While she still couldn't bring herself to accept him as her father, she could at least acknowledge that leaving the aftermath in his hands was safe.
As Lefonya nodded, she felt cool metal brush against her collarbone. The Duke lowered his hand from her eyes, revealing a pendant.
"Wear this at all times, Fonya."
It was a Return Stone.
"So that no matter where you are, you can always return."
Return.
No matter where she ended up, she could return to the Craitan Duchy Estate—directly to the Duke's office.
"Uh-huh."
"Good. That's that, then."
The second Lefonya gave her assent, Pelens chimed in sharply.
"Let's get out of here. I don't want to spend another second in this sickening hellhole."
Holding Lefonya securely in his arms, Pelens took long, brisk strides forward.
...Back when I was really five, I had to climb over the fence and run away in secret.
A strange, overwhelming emotion welled up inside her.
It was around the same time of day, and she had the body of that same age, but unlike back then, Lefonya walked proudly out the orphanage's front entrance, cradled securely in Pelens's arms.
If only someone had come to save me like this back then, too.
"Brother," Lefonya began tentatively.
"Thank you for coming to get me."
Pelens froze in his tracks. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, and his jaw clenched audibly.
Why? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong again?
"Fluffball."
"Huh?"
"How could you say thank you?"
"......"
"At times like this, you shouldn't be thanking me. You're supposed to get angry." Pelens clenched his fist tight. "That way, I can beg for your forgiveness."
"I'm really fin—"
"You're not fine, Fonya."
Pelens hugged his tiny five-year-old sister tighter.
"This is... this is really something that can never be fine, Fonya."
A wave of stifling heat radiated from his body, showing just how desperately he had sprinted to reach her.
"I'm supposed to be your guardian. I never should've left you alone. I should have taken you with me."
"Brother."
"I failed to protect you."
Lefonya gasped softly as she saw bloodshot streaks spidering across Pelens's eyes.
"I can't lose you twice... Not twice."
His muttered words trembled violently.
She had known the lingering trauma and anxiety of losing the real duke's daughter in the past still haunted him, but she never imagined this incident would trigger it so fiercely.
Lefonya lifted her tiny hand and gently patted Pelens's head. Pelens simply stood motionless, holding his little sister close against his chest.
"Brother. I wasn't scared at all."
"......"
"To be honest, I was surprised at first. But I wasn't scared, and I didn't cry." Wrapping her short arms snugly around his neck, she squeezed. "Because you're my guardian. I knew you'd come save me."
Lefonya flashed a bright grin. Bathed in her smile and small warmth, the tremors running through Pelens's frame slowly began to subside.
Meanwhile, the Duke led all the children out of the building. After ushering them a safe distance back, he drew his blade.
A pitch-black aura, dense with an ominous pressure, rolled off the steel like dark mist.
Drawing the aura up to coat the entire length of the blade, he swung it in a single, merciless arc.
A piercing shriek, like a colossal javelin fired from a siege engine, tore through the air. A vortex of wind erupted, and a massive section of the orphanage collapsed with terrifying precision.
...Insane.
To wield aura around a sword like that... It was on a completely different level of power and control compared to how Pelens had handled his aura before. The cut was as clean as a knife slicing through soft sponge cake.
The already decrepit, dilapidated building crumbled to the ground. This orphanage was where Lefonya's living hell had begun.
If her life hadn't started here, perhaps she would have lived an entirely different life.
If only she had grown up in a kind orphanage, or been adopted by a loving new family...
If only she had never crossed paths with the Pope.
It felt as if she had traveled back to the very first mistake in an endless chain of regrets and cleanly erased that first stain from existence.
"Look, brother. The Duke smashed the whole building."
Pelens lifted his head. Thankfully, the redness in his eyes had faded.
"So wrecking buildings is genetic," Pelens chuckled weakly in disbelief.
"By the way, brother, how did you find out I was here?"
"A blackmail letter arrived."
"A blackmail letter?"
"Said that if we didn't arrive by today, they'd take you away."
"...Who sent it?"
"No idea. The second we saw the letter, all three of us coated ourselves in aura and bolted straight here. We figured that bastard of a director sent it to shake us down for cash."
It seemed Rudeum had intended to take Lefonya away if the three Craitan men didn't show up before the day was out.
So that's why he asked so boldly if all he needed to do was get them here.
To think he would send a blackmail letter straight to House Craitan.
Well, that was one thing, but...
"You came running all this way without even checking who sent it?"
"Of course. Who had time to check? Fluffball, if they say you're there, of course we're going."
"What? What if it was a trap?"
"Even if it were a trap, it wouldn't matter. If they say you're there, I'll run through anything to see it with my own eyes."
Hearing the faint tremor that still lingered in his voice, five-year-old Lefonya gently patted the grown-up Pelens on the back.
A short distance away, Havelian tossed the battered, unconscious director into a dusty corner and approached the Duke.
"A messenger bird has arrived. The knight order following behind us has nearly reached the area."
...The knight order? Don't tell me they mobilized House Craitan's entire knight order over this?!
Lefonya whipped her head back toward the men in shock.
"Pelens," the Duke called out, crooking a finger. "Signal our exact coordinates with a beacon fire. When the knights arrive, hand the children over to their care."
"Why do I have to do that? You or brother can do it. I'm Fluffball's guardian! Can't you see how exhausted and scruffy she looks?"
At Pelens's retort, both men's gazes snapped onto Lefonya in unison.
Scruffy?!
Sure, she hadn't been able to wash properly and was a little dirty, but still... Blushing with embarrassment, Lefonya's cheeks flushed crimson.
"Pelens."
The Duke let out a heavy sigh and repeated his name with finality. Pelens grimaced in annoyance.
Then, shifting the bundled-up Lefonya in his arms, he unceremoniously handed her over to Havelian.
"...Huh?"
Finding herself abruptly transferred into Havelian's arms, Lefonya's eyes went wide as saucers.
Wait, this wasn't the intended destination! P-Put me down instead!
"Hold onto her tight," Pelens warned Havelian, his face turning cold and stern.
"If you pull that kind of bullsh—ahem—stupid stunt again, I swear to God, brother, I will—"
Havelian awkwardly cradled Lefonya with stiff, frozen hands and gave a solemn nod.
"...I know."
Clicking his tongue in distaste, Pelens turned on his heel.
Where are you going?! Don't leave the two of us alone! Lefonya screamed internally.
Completely oblivious to her silent panic, her so-called brother strode away without once looking back.
Suffocating in the awkward atmosphere, Lefonya squirmed and wriggled, desperate to get down from Havelian's grasp.
"Lefonya."
Instead of letting her down, Havelian tightened his arms around her in an awkward embrace and called her name.
That gentle voice felt utterly foreign. An instinctive aversion sent a shiver through her small body.
"I'm... I am so sorry."