C73 - 74
Chapter 73: Banquet of Blood (6)
Humans are creatures who, once accustomed to familiarity, naturally become careless.
I suppose I’m no exception.
Perhaps I’ve been lulled into a false sense of security by the familiarity of being able to handle things thus far, forgetting her true nature for a moment.
Kaeram is a demonic sword.
Not a benevolent holy sword that aids its wielder in achieving noble goals, but a malevolent weapon with a tendency to lead its wielder into chaos and destruction, ultimately aiming to consume them.
It never offers an easy path but rather brings hardships upon its wielder.
Due to the eavesdropping barrier, I couldn’t hear the conversation between the prince and Aschel.
Therefore, I had to take Kaeram’s words at face value and act accordingly.
From what she described, the prince’s plan roughly goes like this:
Using the forbidden summoning ritual called ‘Marionette’, create a battalion of assassins,
Initially infiltrate as simple musicians, then initiate the operation with additional assassins planted in the banquet hall,
Utilize summoned creatures similar to hellhounds to stir up chaos in the palace and eliminate the predetermined targets using the ‘Daze Stones’ placed in advance.
It wasn’t so much surprise as it was incredulity.
If this is truly a plan concocted by the Crown Prince, who can be considered the next ruler of the empire, and Aschel, who is called the second guardian of the continent, would people believe it?
The Daze Stone is an artifact strictly prohibited not only for its use but also for its creation by the Imperial Magic Society.
Of course, not everyone is subject to this prohibition.
If one has the means to cover up its usage, even if it’s discovered, and if one holds the status that guarantees your identity to be hidden, then ultimately, instead of being prohibited, it becomes an available artifact.
We should consider that our omnipotent first prince of the empire meets all these conditions.
Setting aside all that, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Why would Louisnel, the Crown Prince, and Aschel cause such chaos in the palace?
Setting aside the turmoil in the palace, what could be the reason for giving us that stone and causing us such distress?
Because they see us as a threat?
It seems too abrupt for that.
While there may be some doubts, I have not yet done anything to pose a definite threat to Aschel.
There hasn’t been any direct interaction with Prince Louisnel, and Princess Arin has done nothing significant other than diligently attending the academy.
So, were they perhaps planning to use us as sacrificial pawns to concoct some other scheme?
This seems quite plausible.
The youngest of the royal family and the youngest of the ducal family.
Although they may not have power or influence, they still hold titles of status.
In other words, they’re perfect for being used as an excuse to do something.
If they were considering assassinating us amid the chaos and then shifting the blame onto someone else, it might be somewhat possible…
But this is just speculation and not certain.
In the end, it’s difficult to ascertain their true intentions in the current situation.
But…
I think I made a mistake.
Looking back now, shouldn’t I have first understood the intentions of the demonic sword by my side, rather than those of those guys?
“What’s the scheme, Kaeram?”
I asked, raising my suspicions, and she laughed as if incredulous.
pWho would think I gave you false information? I told you. They decided to pass the Daze Stone not through themselves but through my third party, who knows nothing. One to the young princess, and one to you!]
Right, that’s correct.
As it turned out, Princess Arin actually had the Daze Stone in the pendant she wore around her neck.
According to Kaeram’s words, it was likely sent to her by the prince as a gift.
Then what about me?
Coincidentally, I didn’t receive anything.
Or rather, I hadn’t received anything.
The moment I heard those words, I knew exactly who was supposed to pass the Daze Stone to me.
It was undoubtedly Emily.
However, not only did she not give me the Daze Stone, she didn’t give me anything at all.
Was it intentional?
In my opinion, she just forgot.
Entering the palace for the first time in her life, she was so overwhelmed with wonder that she probably forgot to pass anything to me.
It’s typical of her to do something like that.
Sure enough, hidden within Emily’s pocket disguised as a butterfly bowtie was the Daze Stone, and I immediately smashed it on the spot.
If things had gone according to their plan, they would have blamed Emily.
Did they expect me to hand it over while showing my face to them?
Sure enough, it was clear from the beginning that they brought her with a specific purpose in mind.
Although I didn’t expect her to be such an immature and naive maid…
Anyway, I didn’t mishear Kaeram’s words.
If there’s a problem, she wouldn’t speak about it.
Both the princess and I, relying on a third party who knows nothing, for that stone…
Wait.
Suddenly, a thought pierced through my mind sharply.
“A third party?”
As mentioned earlier, the Daze Stone is an artifact prohibited by law in the empire, its creation itself being impossible.
Even if the prince decided to use it, since its commercialization was banned long ago, there wouldn’t be any of those stones within the empire.
So, what should I do?
It’s simple.
I just need to obtain or receive it from where the stone is.
It refers to the only group on this continent that still makes and uses the Daze Stone without any hesitation.
Those who have no constraints or restrictions when it comes to magic.
The Garam Kingdom’s Magic Society.
It’s nothing for them to make a couple of Daze Stones.
So, if there’s someone related to them within the palace right now?
There was only one person.
“…Luna Rainriver?”
——————
——————
[Our master seems to have finally caught on, huh?]
Kaeram was looking at me with an unbearable devilish smirk, not implying that she was the culprit.
Kellen, who came to see me before the banquet, clearly said there was some kind of scheme being concocted by the prince and Aschel related to Luna.
In other words, the target using the Daze Stone wasn’t just me and Princess Arin.
Luna.
She was also included in the targets.
* * *
After the masked man in black eliminated all the villains, reinforcements from inside the palace arrived, bringing the situation to a close.
“Still, thank goodness! The only member of the royal family who couldn’t make it to the shelter was Princess Arin, so His Majesty the Emperor was extremely worried!”
“Is Father alright?”
“He experienced a brief illness and had a seizure during the escape, but he’s currently resting safely.”
“And what about teacher Silica?”
“Ah, you’re referring to the eldest daughter of the Nigriti family. She’s also unharmed.”
Upon hearing that Silica was safe, Alice let out a sigh of relief.
“While I can’t exactly say it’s fortunate, the casualties from this incident are surprisingly minimal.”
Alice asked, seemingly surprised.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Before the palace forces even reached the Great Chamber, the masked villains had vanished without a trace. They were likely created using a magic called ‘Marionette,’ so they could have disappeared over time, but from our investigation, most of them were injured and destroyed.”
This indicated that someone had intentionally dealt with the villains and summoned creatures.
At this, a natural thought came to the minds of the three women.
“However, it’s not yet time to relax completely. It would be wise for the princess to go to the shelter. We will take you there too, so would you please come with us?”
“Yes, I will go with you.”
Arin readily agreed to the escort.
The disturbance caused by the villains at an event where everyone should be happy.
Even though the situation itself seemed to have ended, Arin and Alice couldn’t shake off their unease.
Who on earth, and for what reason, would carry out such an absurd act?
Regardless of how things unfolded, thinking about the aftermath and how to handle the situation didn’t seem smooth at all.
Unlike the two women, Luna’s gaze had been fixed on one thing since earlier.
It was the broken pendant that had been around Arin’s neck until recently.
There was a faint sensation of mana coming from the red powder.
Luna then pulled something out of her pocket.
It was a lavish silver bracelet adorned with various jewels.
“What are you doing, Luna? We should be going now…”
Arin, who was approaching her, stopped momentarily.
In the center of the bracelet was a red gem the size of an adult’s fingernail, which was strikingly similar to the gem that had been in Arin’s pendant.
“That, uh, looks very similar to the one in my pendant. Where did you get it from?”
“I, uh, received it from an associate of the society who accompanied me to the palace…”
She had also received it from acquaintances who suggested she wear it to the event, but she felt it didn’t suit her and simply kept it in her pocket.
Since Luna had only seen Arin’s face during their first meeting, she had no idea there was the same gem in the pendant.
Luna realized that this was definitely not just an ordinary gem.
As she began to sense the familiar magical energy she often encountered at the academy, she heard footsteps approaching through the flower garden.
“….?”
Without needing to be prompted, she lifted her head, and not far away, she saw a man urgently rushing towards them.
“Is that senior Cyan?”
The man the two women had been searching for throughout the event.
It was Cyan.
He was sprinting towards them with all his might, as if trying to prevent a tragedy.
His speed was so much faster than expected that the distance between them closed in an instant.
“Luna, watch out!”
Due to the somewhat flustered situation, Luna didn’t properly hear Cyan’s shouted words.
“What?!”
“Dodge!!”
It was clearly a command to dodge.
As she momentarily puzzled over why he was suddenly saying that, Luna soon felt danger looming behind her and turned her head.
“…..!”
It was the white-masked villain who hadn’t been dealt with yet.
The villain raised a sinister sword as if about to strike Luna down at any moment.
Instinctively, Luna tightly closed her eyes.
*Swoosh!*
“Aargh!”
The heavy weapon swung with tremendous speed.
But what it sliced through was just empty air; it didn’t hit anything.
“Ugh…”
The villain grunted in frustration.
Upon hearing someone else’s groans, Luna cautiously raised her head.
She could feel his fervent sweat and heat against her skin.
“S-Senior…?”
As soon as Luna opened her eyes, she knew.
Just before the villain’s sword could strike, Cyan had leaped in to rescue her.
Her body was securely held in Cyan’s arms, protecting her from harm.
*Drip*
A trickle of blood ran down his palm.
Of course, it wasn’t hers.
Lifting her head slightly, she could clearly see a deep cut on Cyan’s shoulder as if from the blade, vividly marked against his skin.
——————
Chapter 74: Tail Cutting (1)
“There’s a limit to charging in blindly. What made you think you could rush into that danger?”
My sister’s glare was sharper than any blade.
“I acted on instinct, feeling the need to intervene, but it wasn’t a calculated decision.”
As I spoke, avoiding her gaze, she let out a small sigh.
“Well, thank goodness it’s just this much. It’s quite remarkable that there weren’t many casualties amidst all this chaos.”
While rescuing Luna, I got grazed by the blade wielded by the villain.
The villain was swiftly dealt with by the knights, and since it wasn’t a major injury, I received simple healing and bandaging.
It might be a bit of a hassle, but it’s better to keep doing it for a while.
“By the way, Cyan, where have you been all this time? I heard there were quite a few ladies looking for you.”
“I wasn’t feeling well, so I was resting in my room. But then I heard screams in the hallway, and assailants were appearing. So I hurriedly ran outside.”
Of course, it’s a lie.
But until I met Emily and her group, I had always worn a mask, so there would be no witnesses to challenge my false alibi.
My sister stared at my face in silence.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, it just reminded me of someone who felt similar…”
She was smiling faintly.
“Seriously, Cyan, if you had seen it, you would have been amazed. It was a rare sight for one person to stand up against dozens.”
“Did you see their face?”
I asked nonchalantly.
“No, they were wearing a black mask, so I couldn’t see. Maybe they had no intention of revealing their identity from the beginning.”
I secretly thought it was a good idea to change clothes before meeting.
“But still, you were pretty cool when you saved that Luna, right? There wasn’t any knight riding a white horse like that. Usually, I would give you some nagging advice on how to treat women, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
For a moment, a question mark popped up in my head.
Did I do something wrong enough to deserve nagging?
Without showing any signs, I asked.
“What happened to that kid?”
“For now, the people from the Garam Magic Society took her. She’ll probably be investigated by the Empire soon.”
I sensed a somewhat downcast tone in my sister’s voice.
Luna and the Garam Magic Society side might even be imprisoned in this palace if they make a mistake.
Anyway, since the Daze Stone, who played a decisive role in this incident, was found in her hands.
At least Luna’s Stone wasn’t broken.
Since I revealed my face to save her unlike with Princess Arin, I couldn’t act recklessly,
If I had pretended to know about it and broke the stone, I would have been in trouble too.
“She must have been surprised. Coming to another country and getting caught up in such chaos, and then unfairly subjected to an investigation. Comfort her when you see her again, Cyan.”
“Got it.”
Well, assuming we see each other again.
Having saved her life once, I had no intention of getting involved any further.
-Tap Tap
It was a normal knocking sound, but I felt a tingling sensation all over my body for a moment.
As the blood rushed, my heart began to beat anxiously.
I naturally became aware of who was on the other side of the door.
“Can I come in, Cyan?”
It was a repulsive voice that I could never forget.
Eventually, the owner of the voice came through the open door and smiled hatefully at me.
“It’s good to see you’re okay, Cyan.”
It was Vert’s eldest son, Aschel, facing me again after a whopping 2 years.
* * *
Alice’s expression upon greeting her brother was unexpectedly not bright.
It seemed as if she was questioning why he was there.
However, she quickly concealed her true feelings and greeted him with a warm smile.
“Welcome, brother. Isn’t this our first time seeing each other at the imperial palace?”
Aschel, in return, smiled and replied.
“I came to see the prince. I’ve been quite busy with various matters, so I haven’t been able to pay much attention to you all. I’m really sorry about that.”
Was it just my mood that made me not feel his sincerity?
At the moment when Alice briefly avoided eye contact, her gaze suddenly shifted to Cyan.
“…..?”
In that moment when Aschel turned his head briefly to close the door, Alice clearly saw it.
A strong sense of murderous intent emanating from Cyan’s face, as if he was intent on killing the presence before him.
“It’s inappropriate, brother! I should be the one apologizing for causing you concern!”
However, as soon as Cyan raised his head, the hostility vanished without a trace.
Alice, somewhat dumbfounded, couldn’t utter a word.
“Now that I mention it, you’ve grown quite charmingly.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“But…”
As the conversation paused momentarily, an unknown tension filled the room.
“By any chance, did you not receive the gift I gave you?”
“……!”
Alice’s heart sank at the mention of the word ‘gift’.
While she trembled, there was no change in Cyan’s expression.
He hesitated for about two seconds before continuing.
“You mean the bow tie? Unfortunately, the servant that intended to deliver it lost it amidst the chaos. I’m truly sorry for not being able to safeguard the precious gift you gave me!”
As he rose from his seat to bow his head, Aschel interjected.
“It’s okay. I had prepared something that would suit you well, but it couldn’t be helped. I’ll make sure to give you an even better gift next time.”
As their conversation continued, Alice’s anxiety grew.
It felt like she was looking at two ticking time bombs.
She couldn’t understand why she felt this way.
“I’d like to spend more time with you, but I should go now. Don’t worry about the aftermath. I’ll take care of everything to ensure your comfort.”
With those words, Aschel stood up and Alice hurriedly escorted him out.
——————
——————
“Take care, brother!”
Aschel replied with a smile and left the room.
Alice quickly turned to Cyan.
“…?”
Cyan’s expression was simply impassive.
* * *
“I’m truly relieved to see you unharmed, Your Highness! I can’t express how worried I was thinking something terrible might have happened!”
Ressimus seemed reluctant to leave Arin’s side.
“I’m, I’m fine, Ressimus! Why are you like this today?”
Unable to enter the banquet hall due to her status as a maid, Ressimus couldn’t stay by Arin’s side even after the incident occurred.
Perhaps she feared the princess might be in trouble when she couldn’t protect her.
Being unable to do anything when her mistress was in danger was akin to the worst situation imaginable for a servant.
To see Arin, who was usually strict during sword training, in such distress made her realize how precious she was to her.
As time passed and the situation ended, Arin’s face didn’t ease up.
With so much going on, her mind naturally became cluttered.
Yet, one scene kept replaying in her mind: Cyan holding Luna.
People tend to add elements of imagination to repeated thoughts.
While Arin knew Cyan had simply jumped in to save Luna, her mind kept adding strange elements to the scenario.
‘Obviously I was right next to you, but am I not even paying attention?’
Hours of effort seemed futile.
However, feeling pathetic for having such thoughts amidst the current crisis was embarrassing for Arin.
‘Who was that person?’
The mysterious man with the black mask.
He appeared in the midst of danger, saved them, and then vanished.
Arin couldn’t forget him, especially considering he destroyed the pendant she carried, which held the dangerous artifact called the Daze Stone.
It seemed like he approached them knowing about the pendant, and in other words, he could be seen as someone who saved them from the assailants.
Who could he be?
Arin couldn’t see his face due to the mask, but his presence felt familiar, like meeting someone you know well.
Just then, the princess’s door suddenly opened, breaking her thoughts.
Opening a royal family member’s room without notice was a grave offense.
Yet, the person who entered was none other than the first prince of the empire, Louisnel Sevellerus.
“B-Brother Louisnel……?”
While it was technically his sister’s room, it was still a girl’s room, a princess’s room.
It was an uncomfortable situation for Arin, but as per her position, she couldn’t show her discomfort and greeted him respectfully.
“Welcome, Your Highness. It’s an honor to have you here…”
Despite the courteous welcome, the prince’s face wasn’t bright.
He sat down without replying.
“I’ll be direct, Arin.”
The prince’s tone was indifferent and stern.
“Did you receive a pendant from my assigned maid before the banquet?”
While she did receive it, it wasn’t in the same state.
Arin suppressed her trembling heart and calmly replied.
“Yes. As it was a gift from Your Highness, I intended to cherish it, but unfortunately, it was damaged during the recent turmoil.”
“Hah!”
Seemingly displeased, the prince let out a hollow laugh.
“Pathetic.”
“What?”
Arin blurted out unintentionally.
“You must have heard. That pendant contained an artifact called the Daze Stone.”
“Yes, but…”
“I never instructed anyone to give you that pendant. Naturally, I’ve never seen it either. That maid’s actions were entirely her own fabrication.”
Although the prince had presented her with the pendant as a gift, in reality, it contained the mesmerizing power of the Daze Stone. As a result, Arin became a target for assailants and their summoned creatures, facing a significant threat to her life.
Although she managed to overcome it safely, it could be interpreted that Prince Louisnel intentionally orchestrated the tragedy to kill Princess Arin, making it seem like a mere scheme.
However, the prince immediately cut off any association with himself.
“So don’t even think about linking that pendant to me! Do you understand, Arin?”
Arin couldn’t offer any rebuttal. She could only nod in affirmation.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince, after finishing his business, immediately stood up from his seat.
“I wondered if you had grown a little, but you’re truly foolish. Did you really think I would send you a gift?”
Was there any doubt?
Only the faint remaining affection of family covered it up.
Yet, at this moment, the lingering thought that the prince considered her family was shattering into pieces.
“Don’t forget! Your foolishness, without a trace of doubt, played a part in today’s tragedy!”
With those words, the prince left the room.
No one, including Ressimus, dared to speak to her.
“… ”
All that could be heard was the desperate attempt to hold back tears, spreading a sense of pity.
——————