Delusion (16)

The carriage took a few scratches, but we managed to make it back to the Academy's vicinity.

The horses were far more willful than I'd expected.

"My heart was pounding the whole time; I was afraid we'd crash into something."

Estelle, who'd been sitting beside me, let out a relieved sigh when the carriage stopped.

"I should take the reins sometime.

"I bet I'd do better than you."

She looked at me and laughed playfully.

I just shrugged in reply.

"Anyway, what are we going to do with this carriage?"

Bringing it here was a good idea, but it was Levina's carriage to begin with, so I wasn't sure how to handle it.

At least it wasn't an extravagant, conspicuous one.

"Hmm, just give me the carriage and the horses, and I'll take them somewhere appropriate."

I felt like the problems were just piling up one after another.

Now that I thought about it, we'd captured Levina, but it was still daytime.

Moving an unconscious person in broad daylight would draw attention.

"Let's head to the church for now."

Estelle said it like it was nothing.

She pulled a straw mat from the back of the carriage and rolled up the unconscious Levina in it.

Then, as casually as could be, she tucked the bundle under her arm and started walking toward the church.

She looked like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone carrying a large vegetable home from the market.

She wasn't wearing her white priestess robes, just black clothing, and she'd taken a veil from her robes to cover her face, so she didn't stand out much.

Now and then Levina's arm would slide out of the mat, but I'd tuck it back in as we walked, so it wasn't a problem.

After we reached the church, before tossing Levina in the basement, Estelle said:

"I need to run to the cathedral for a moment.

"There's something I have to take care of.

"If she looks like she's waking up, just choke her or something and wait."

She said that and headed out with light steps.

Only the unconscious Levina and I remained in the room.

I left Levina, unconscious and breathing faintly, on the floor and sat down in a long chair, draping my arms over the backrest.

Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting long ribbons of color across the floor.

The light fell across Levina's face, painting strange patterns across her features.

I got down from the chair and sat beside Levina's prone form on the floor.

Her face looked peaceful.

I lifted my hand and gently stroked her hair.

It was soft and cool to the touch.

I wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Her breath was so faint it was hard to tell—hard to tell if she was alive or dead.

I gazed down at her face for a long moment.

Then, abruptly, I laid my head on her stomach like a pillow and stretched out.

I stared up at the high ceiling of the church.

The paintings there, so old they seemed to writhe and squirm, were so unsettling I simply closed my eyes.

Eyes closed, just as I was drifting off, I heard the church door open.

It seemed Estelle had returned.

I sat up straight.

"Uh, hey. Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"Just felt hot."

"What about Levina?"

"I left her on the floor."

Estelle, who'd returned around evening, fastened something around the neck of still-unconscious Levina.

It was a cold metal collar, faintly smeared with blood.

Looking closely, I could see faint engravings.

"What's this?"

"A mana suppressor. We used to put them on the heretics in the church basement, but we don't need them anymore."

Estelle said that, then casually slung Levina over her shoulder and headed for the basement.

I followed her in silence.

When we opened the basement door, a stale, musty smell assaulted my nose.

Estelle lowered Levina onto the floor.

At the sound, Duchess, who was huddled in a corner, raised her head.

When she saw Levina, a look of utter devastation crossed her face.

"L-Levina...!"

After a long moment of hugging and caressing the Levina on the floor, Duchess rose to her feet.

Her face twisted with malice, she spat out a string of curses and lunged at me.

But before she could get close, Estelle kicked her shin out from under her.

Duchess fell in an ugly heap and started sobbing.

It wasn't a very noble sort of display.

Looking down at her, Estelle and I left the basement.

We made do with a light dinner of fruit again that evening.

"What now?"

Estelle asked, biting into an apple.

"Live as I've been living."

I answered.

"So I'm supposed to keep looking after that crazy bitch Levina?"

"There's no one else I can ask."

Estelle tried to look angry, but the corners of her lips trembled, then she burst out laughing.

"Well, what can you do?"

She shrugged as she said it.

After that, I led an exceedingly ordinary life.

I woke up in the morning, went to classes, and since Levina's money was no longer coming in, I ate just enough to get by.

In the evenings I sometimes went to see Estelle, but not often.

Because I was afraid I'd end up burned alive again, I turned her down every time she invited me to wander around together.

Estelle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked disappointed, but didn't press further.

And I never once went to check on Levina and Duchess, who must have woken up by now.

The Academy was in absolute chaos, beyond uproar.

It wasn't so much that the student council president had vanished, but the Heir Apparent of Edelgard had gone missing—of course it would be pandemonium.

Rumors spread that someone had a grudge against the Edelgard family and committed the crime.

If the sickly Family Head died at this rate, with Levina gone, the position would pass to the Duke's only sibling—his younger brother.

But that man had also disappeared at the same time as Duchess, his whereabouts unknown, so the only person with a blood claim left was me.

Yet no letter or communication came from the Edelgard household.

A few people came to ask me about Levina's disappearance.

But no one knew I'd been with her that day—whatever she'd been up to.

I just said I didn't know.

Quite a bit of time passed that way.

And the day I was supposed to go out with Serepina arrived.

In the morning, I let Serepina in, and we were inside my room gathering things for our outing when we heard a knock.

Serepina, not me, went to answer it.

A stranger stood outside.

He glanced at me, his expression twisting slightly, then turned to Serepina.

"Are you the lady of House Belluz?"

When Serepina confirmed, his expression relaxed.

Serepina looked at me with a troubled face, so I rose and approached the man.

"The Family Head summons you."

He pulled out a paper bearing a seal from his coat.

I took it, looked it over, and handed it back.

Serepina looked extremely flustered by the sudden turn of events, but she didn't intervene.

After all, she must have known what had been happening lately.

"Looks like I can't go today."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went to Serepina, gave her a light hug, and whispered in her ear.

"I hope we can go next time. I'm sorry."

His tone somewhat softened, the man spoke after Serepina and I pulled apart.

"Follow me."

I followed him and asked,

"Are you a knight?"

"I am."

"A simple errand boy would have done for a bastard son. Why bother with a distinguished knight?"

He didn't answer, changing the subject instead.

"Contrary to the rumors, you seem quite close with the young lady of Belluz."

I didn't like his tone, as if he were praising me.

It felt like being evaluated by a superior.

"Damn rumors."

"......."

A carriage far grander and larger than Levina's usual one was waiting.

The Edelgard crest was clearly emblazoned on it.

I climbed aboard and gazed out at the scenery.

Familiar Academy sights flashed by.

I didn't have time to get sentimental.

After the carriage stopped, the mansion's huge iron front gate opened.

The carriage went inside and halted before the main entrance.

The knight who had fetched me had a sword at his hip now.

He opened the carriage door.

The looks around me weren't exactly welcoming.

The servants whispered as they eyed me.

Yet I found myself smiling.

The atmosphere in the mansion was strangely light.

It felt almost refreshing.

It was clear the mansion wasn't the suffocating place—what had been terrible was wherever Duchess was.

I followed the head butler, who bowed to me, into the mansion.

We went up to the second floor, walked a long hallway, and entered a room with an open door.

My father was lounging in a comfortable-looking chair, legs crossed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sipping what looked like a strong drink.

He looked at me, a faint, slightly sad smile on his face.

"Ravin, my son. Did you do it?"