Chapter 25: It Was a Room on the Second Floor

It was a room on the second floor of an inn. The Bordeaux Estate had been rendered unusable with the fiend attack, so Count Malta had been forced to rest here. As an inn for adventurers, travelers, and merchants, it was not high-class by any means. The room contained only a bed, and two chairs. There was not a single decorative piece—no better than a pigsty, as far as this noble was concerned.

Count Malta smacked the table in a fury.

“Why is Helvetica alive?!”

“Don’t shout at me! I made sure a bunch of strong ones appeared at her manor!”

Charlotte, who was sitting in one of the chairs, was similarly irritated, tapping her heels into the chair’s legs.

The boy leaned against the wall—Byaku—opened his mouth. “Not too loud,” he said, sounding rather fed up.

“Silence!” the count screamed. “To hell with Solomon! He was of no use whatsoever!”

Charlotte’s face twisted into an expression of loathing at this, but paying her no heed, Malta paced about the room, practically stomping with each step.

“Sasha is incompetent in politics, and while Seren is an intellectual, she is still a child. Neither is fit for lordship! It would have been simple so long as Helvetica was out of the picture...”

Count Malta had intended to use the confusion to kill Helvetica, then make himself out to be the hero who saved the city. Then, with the backing of the anti-Bordeaux faction, he would seat himself as the regional lord, even if only as a proxy. Once that was done with, Sasha and Seren would be the least of his concerns.

He was a master of using his authority to rid himself of his political opponents—in fact, that was nearly all he did at the capital. Once they were assassinated or incarcerated for whatever reason, he was free to do as he pleased. Just like that, the opportunists would jump aboard his wagon, and the Bordeaux region would be his. At least, that was the plan...but it was all ruined now. With Helvetica alive and well, the anti-Bordeaux nobles couldn’t lift a finger against her. Perhaps they would even sell out Count Malta to save their own skins.

Malta stamped the ground, his flabby stomach jiggling as he cursed. “Dammit! Dammit! This can’t be happening! I’m surrounded by incompetents!”

“That’s why I told you to wait...” Byaku said with a sigh. “It would have succeeded if you waited for them to leave. You’re the incompetent one here, Count Malta.”

The count turned red, and it seemed like he might have an aneurysm. No matter what he tried to say, he was too choked for breath to utter a word, and his mouth was left puckering like a beached fish. He took a swig directly from his wine bottle to calm himself, red liquid dribbling from the corner of his mouth down his shirt collar.

Byaku was growing more aggravated by the minute that they had to form a cooperative relationship with such a foolish man.

Charlotte scoffed. “It’s not over yet. In short, we just need Helvetica dead, yes?”

Panting, Malta wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. “That’s right... We haven’t failed. Tonight...tragedy strikes, and Helvetica will be attacked by a new wave of undead, and perish... Ha...aha ha...” His eyes glazed over. Unable to admit his loss, yet unable to cast aside his lust for power—and what had it brought him?

Byaku watched him with cold eyes. “Sigh...”

As Charlotte stood and attempted to leave the room, the count called her to a stop. He muttered to her something unspeakable, and Charlotte immediately laid her disgust bare.

“Are you out of your mind?!” she cried. “There’s no way I could do...something that horrible!”

“We are defeated otherwise... You should understand the pain of losing family more than most. With that, we could easily rock them all to the core...”

“Enough!” Charlotte screamed and stormed out of the room. Byaku followed behind.

It was rowdy in the inn, as adventurers made merry on the first floor. Their loud, hearty conversations told tales of the first time they had seen an S-Rank adventurer fight, and how terrifying the shadow fiend’s magic had been. Watching stealthily from a corner, Charlotte furrowed her brow.

“This is the worst... They’ll forget about Solomon’s miracle at this rate.”

“Your methods won’t work against those who’ve got no complaints with the current system. It’s just a scam, after all.”

“Then what do you call what the Vienna Church is doing? Hmph...useless.” Charlotte gritted her teeth. She recalled Helvetica’s composed face, though she had only seen it for a brief instant. She was a woman who could take complete control of the mood just by being present. She carried herself as if happiness and good fortune were only natural—even though Charlotte had lost everything.

“I can’t stand it...!”

Charlotte had felt nothing but disgust towards Count Malta’s proposal, but now, she wanted to grant the unthinkable to the countess. Charlotte despised her. She understood how unreasonable she was being somewhere in her heart, but her rationality was not enough to keep her hatred and disgust in check.

Charlotte looked at Byaku. “We’ll need a bit of chaos. Byaku, we’ll take out Helvetica, no matter what.”

Byaku closed his eyes without a word.

○

Corpses scattered all throughout the estate emitted their fetid odor, the sheer stench making it all difficult to bear. Moreover, it was an inescapable fact that they had once been human; thus, the cleanup efforts were having a hard time getting anywhere.

Even so, servants and soldiers cleared away the undead corpses. Meanwhile, the bodies of those who had been slain in the struggle against them were gathered in one place, where they were prayed over in silence. Night had fallen by the time things had settled down, and Belgrieve let out a deep sigh in one of the rooms that had luckily remained untouched.

His whole body ached; he had overexerted himself once more, and even if it had been unavoidable, he lamented the pangs nonetheless. Angeline hadn’t awoken since the time she passed out on his back. She was sound asleep on the bed, snoring. Anessa and Miriam had pulled up chairs to watch over her, but as the night drew on, their own fatigue caught up with them and both had nodded off.

Helvetica and the others seemed to be discussing things elsewhere. Belgrieve would have liked to join in if he was well enough, but now that he had taken a seat, it felt far too bothersome to get up. And yet, he feared falling into sleep—he wasn’t sure he would ever be up on his feet again if he did.

He sat there, silently staring out the window until there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said, and Ashcroft made his way in.

“Sorry for bothering you when you’re resting, Sir Belgrieve. How is Angeline’s condition...?”

“Don’t worry about it... She’s just asleep, as far as I can tell. She’s not in any pain, and I believe she should recover after a night’s rest.”

Ashcroft looked at the girls asleep on the bed and let out a relieved breath. “That’s good... They’re all the saviors of Bordeaux. We must give them our gratitude.”

“Ha ha, you’re exaggerating. The adventurers and soldiers all put up a good fight together.”

“It is no exaggeration, Belgrieve... If you hadn’t fought through the mansion, then I—as well as Lady Helvetica and Lady Seren—we would all be dead...” Ashcroft said as he placed a small bottle on the table. “This is a token of my gratitude... Please take it.”

“Hmm?”

“An elven elixir. We don’t have very many, but it works wonders on wounds and fatigue. It’s completely different from the imperial elixir I took this morning.”

The elixirs mixed in the elven territory across the northern mountain range were far more effective than the ones compounded by the empire’s magicians. Their ingredients were rarer as well, and they went for quite a pretty penny. Ignoring high-ranking adventurers and powerful nobles, most people would never even see one, let alone use one in their lives. Ashcroft had spent a fortune on this bottle, saving it away for a time when it might prove absolutely necessary.

“I can’t accept something so valuable...” Belgrieve waved it off. “I’ll be better with some rest. Please save it.”

“No, I want you to have it. This isn’t even half of what it would take to repay you, but it is the most I can offer. Please, on my honor.”

It was hard to turn him down after he had said that much. Belgrieve scratched his head, troubled. “I see... then I’ll graciously accept.”

Ashcroft’s tense expression relaxed. Perhaps he had feared that Belgrieve would be obstinate in his refusal. He left with a bow, and the room was silent once more.

Anessa and Miriam still slept, slumped forward over the bed.

Belgrieve held up the bottle, closely examining the liquid inside. It was a little viscous, though the bottle’s blue tint made it hard to discern its actual color. He opened the lid and tried taking in a sniff of its scent. He had expected something sharp and medicinal, but it was almost as if he had been transported into the forest with its refreshing—and somewhat nostalgic—aroma. Just a whiff and his body seemed a little at ease.

It was then that Angeline let out a muffled voice. Belgrieve hurried to her bedside. Perhaps she was having a nightmare, as her brow was painfully knit, and her body shifted under the covers. Her breathing was a little labored as well.

Belgrieve reached out and stroked her forehead to put her at ease. She did not have a fever, thankfully, and she seemed to calm as he patted her.

“You don’t come across these every day... I might as well use it.” Belgrieve tilted the bottle, letting a single drop fall into Angeline’s mouth.

“Mmm,” Angeline mumbled as the taste spread across her mouth. For a moment, Belgrieve wondered if it was bitter, but this was dispelled as he saw her complexion improve right before his eyes. Her breathing was now tranquil, and her tension drained away.

It’s incredibly effective, Belgrieve thought, startled.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t move tomorrow...” He offered his silent gratitude to Ashcroft before letting a drop of the elixir fall onto the back of his hand. It was amber and thick, like honey, but it flowed quite a bit more smoothly. Bringing it up to his mouth, he gave it a lick. Contrary to all the things he had been imagining, it was tasteless—though his nose was pierced by the scent of fresh grass. Strangely, his body felt quite a bit lighter. This single drop of medicine spread across him with every pulse of his heart. The warmth returned to his slightly chilled limbs.

“That’s quite something...”

Belgrieve left the bottle on the table. He leaned into his chair, and closed his eyes—the drowsiness was immediately upon him as if it had been waiting with anticipation for this very moment. However, he was still a bit restless, and couldn’t entrust himself to it completely.

When he nodded off, it was as if he still maintained awareness as he dozed. He drifted about an unconscious world in terrible comfort.

○

Helvetica had given the order to capture Count Malta, and Sasha left the estate in great haste. Malta would surely be in one of the inns; it was inconceivable that he would set up camp outside.

Sasha had no intention of forgiving that vulgar man who had put the House of Bordeaux—and more importantly, Bordeaux’s citizens—through hell. She had been told not to kill him, but...

Maybe I can take an arm, or two, or three... So her thoughts ran, before she tilted her head in a thoughtful gesture.

“He’s only got two!” she said, chuckling to herself.

The Bordeaux Estate was a short distance from the city, and she had to pass by the barracks and the tool sheds where all the farming implements were kept. The manor itself, while rough around the edges, was still built for nobility, but the land around it made it seem more like the house of a wealthy farmer.

There were also barns and stables, where well-trained horses munched on fodder. These horses were kept saddled, so they were ready to sally forth at any moment. Sasha hopped up and mounted one of them, masterfully riding it towards town with a lamp in one hand. She raced onward with a strange sense of unease under skies that were becoming cloudy once more, masking the glow of the stars.

She passed by someone along the way—two people, in fact. Sasha promptly stopped her horse before they passed from her sight.

“Halt!” Sasha stuck out her hand, circling around to the front of the party of two. “My name is Sasha Bordeaux. Aren’t you the fine lass who subjugated the shadow?”

Charlotte smiled. “I’m honored that you remember me.”

“Ha ha, I couldn’t possibly forget you after all you’ve done for us. In any case, where are you going at this hour?”

“I thought I should see Lady Helvetica. I overheard that the mansion was targeted before. I was worried, so I rushed out, neglecting the time.”

Young as she looked, Charlotte took on a strangely arrogant attitude, which didn’t quite sit right with Sasha. She has to be hiding something. While she was certainly the one who took care of the fiend, it was strange for her to be serving under Count Malta.

Sasha kept up her friendly attitude as she dismounted her horse.

“I commend your spirit. However, our house is still a mess—we haven’t finished cleaning up, and we are in no state for visitors.”

“Please, pay it no mind. I am a traveler, you see. I don’t mind a bit of grime.”

“No, this has to do with our dignity, you see... It’s already late. Won’t you come again in the morning?” Sasha asked, while stealthily sliding a hand towards her hilt. Sure, the girl’s words were coherent, but this was far too unnatural—she was perhaps far more dangerous than the count. It wasn’t as if Sasha had the sort of definitive rationale her sisters would act upon, but her instincts had been honed as an adventurer.

I’ll arrest them while I’m at it. The instant she began to draw her sword, she felt goosebumps on her skin and immediately leaped back. There was a thudding sound as something slammed into the ground where she had been standing a moment ago. Her horse whinnied in shock, turning and fleeing.

“Byaku?! What do you think you’re—!”

“Too late. She noticed. We should kill her.”

Byaku, who had been standing behind Charlotte, sent Sasha a sharp glare. His hood now hung over his shoulder, and his hair—which should have been white—was now a dark black.

“Sasha Bordeaux—blame yourself for being only halfway clever.”

“Damn you!” Sasha drew her blade. Yet again, she felt a chill and leaped aside; another crater pocked the ground.

Seeing Sasha pull back, Byaku grabbed Charlotte and gently set her down a safe distance away before racing into battle again.

“Curses!” Sasha chucked her lamp. Byaku swung his arm, and the lamp was smacked aside by the same invisible force. The field was now cloaked in darkness.

She honed every sense in her body, unable to wait for her eyes to adjust. The first thing she picked up was an intense presence of mana quickly approaching, which she swung her blade at. She could feel it slicing through something—a ball of colorless mana. She could only otherwise make it out by the way it slightly distorted its surroundings.

This was a first for Sasha. She swung and sliced through another ball of mana. She had to close in and force her foe on the defensive, knowing that she would be taken out if she let her guard down for a second.

It took a few exchanges before she finally saw her opportunity. His guard was down, and she shot towards him, swinging her weapon with all the momentum she had built up on the way there. Just one more step, and...

I got him! However, her blade stopped before striking his body. A translucent geometric pattern that flickered the color of sand had halted the sword’s edge.

Sasha’s eyes shot open. “What?!”

“No time to be surprised.” Byaku swung his arm.

Sasha was suddenly assailed by a violent impact from the left. Taken completely by surprise, Sasha flew away, bouncing a few times before rolling across the dirt.

“Ah...grah! Grr...agh...!”

Her left arm wouldn’t move. It was turned in an ominous angle. Her chignon came undone, and her hair was draped over her face. She rolled onto her back for a breath of air but could already hear approaching footsteps.

I have to stand, her mind screamed, but her body paid no heed. Byaku stomped on her right hand, with which she had just barely kept ahold of her blade. In the darkness, she could tell his hand was pointed at her, and she knew his next incantation would be the end of her.

How unsightly. Sasha gritted her teeth.

“See ya,” Byaku coldly muttered.

But that was when the magic bullets came flying. Something blocked them and they faded before they hit Byaku, but his attention was taken off Sasha for a split second. She used that chance to release her sword and roll, and by the time Byaku snapped to and fired off his magic, it missed her by a hair’s breadth.

Another volley of bullets came at him, and Byaku jumped away with a grimace.

“Lady Sasha!” Ashcroft and Elmore raced in, leading a number of soldiers. Their eyes opened in shock as they saw her on the ground.

“How could this be...!”

“Ashe... Elmore... How?”

“The soldiers were raising a ruckus over how your horse returned without you after your departure. I never thought I would find you like this... First, I should treat you.”

Elmore swiftly sent out orders for the soldiers to carry her. Meanwhile, Ashcroft’s face twisted in wrath as he lifted his sword and turned to Byaku.

“Bastard! Don’t think you’ll make it out in one piece!” He slid along the ground towards his foe.

Byaku let out a painstaking sigh. “Just what I needed...” His arm thrust out as if for a palm strike, and Ashcroft, who was but two paces away, was thrown back as if he had been punched in the stomach. He narrowly managed to land safely, but he was gasping for breath. Each inhalation seemed painful, as though he had broken something. He desperately held in the contents of his stomach.

Elmore looked doubtful. “Strange... What is that magic?”

But Byaku wouldn’t give him the time to think. Elmore pointed his finger and fired a magic bullet, but it was interrupted by a translucent sigil.

“Stay out of this, old man.” Byaku swiftly closed in and swung his fist through the empty air.

Elmore immediately deployed his defenses, but what an intense impact it was. The guild master fell to his knees, and Byaku didn’t hesitate to attack him while he was down. His defensive magic shattered with the next clash, and Elmore was sent through the air coughing up blood.

Ashcroft, who had mustered the strength to stand, was blown away again before he could take up a fighting stance.

Sasha, Ashcroft, and Elmore—three people known for their skills all throughout the city—hadn’t been able to hold a candle to this boy. The soldiers didn’t know what to do.

Byaku lorded his victories over them, a ferocious smile on his face, and a fiery madness flashing in his eyes.

“Not a single one gets away. I’ll—” he said before he shook his head. “Wrong... Stay in there, goddammit!”

His hair became a mottled mess of white and black, before it settled on black again. The smile vanished from his face, and he was back to his usual expressionless state. His ice-cold eyes pierced through the soldiers. Though seized with fear, they raised their weapons to protect the others.

“You fools! Run!” Sasha uttered in a painfully faltering voice. “Forget about us!”

Byaku thrust out his arms. The surrounding scenery swayed like a mirage, and the next instant, an enormous mass of mana approached them.

It’s hopeless... Sasha closed her eyes. But the impact didn’t come no matter how long she waited. She timidly peeked and saw a familiar back.

There stood Angeline.