CHAPTER 6: Bluish-Gray Fouled by Crimson

CHAPTER 6: Bluish-Gray Fouled by Crimson

CHAPTER 6

Bluish-Gray Fouled by Crimson

“This is Glenn Dudley, who will be serving as our replacement Ralph.”

Eliane couldn’t believe her ears. Maybell had just introduced a new boy to the actors gathered backstage: an affable young man, his brown hair tinged with gold—who was most definitely not Felix.

Oh? Hmm? What’s this? Outwardly, Eliane gently tilted her head in confusion, but all the while, her bluish-gray eyes darkened. Why is Prince Felix not the replacement? I am the heroine, am I not? Why will Prince Felix not stand in for the hero? …Ah, I know. This Glenn Dudley fellow must have selfishly demanded the role. The nerve! That simply must be what happened , she told herself, calming her emotions.

Maybell, the acting director and the one who had brought Glenn backstage, pushed up the rim of her glasses and said, “Incidentally…Glenn was directly recommended by Prince Felix.”

Eliane desperately held back a very unladylike what?!

Prince Felix recommended him? The prince suggested this man play the role of my husband?

How could she tolerate such a thing? She could not. Felix was supposed to be her husband. Now he was pairing her up with someone else? She couldn’t bear it. And the man in question lacked even a shred of class or grace!

“Heya, I’m Glenn Dudley! Never acted before, but I used to pretend to be the hero Ralph all the time as a kid, so I’m sure I’ll do fine!”

Everyone present wondered how in the world he could draw such confidence from such limited experience, and Eliane was no exception. The others stared at the newcomer, distrust evident on their faces. She wanted to follow suit, but instead she offered a graceful, noble smile and introduced herself. “I am Eliane Hyatt, playing the role of Amelia. It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Lord Glenn.”

“You’re playing Amelia?” he asked. He blinked and looked down at her, seeming a little surprised.

Eliane was the daughter of a duke. She was sure he must be nervous at the thought of sharing a stage with such a high-class lady.

…But then he said, “You seem kinda different from the cool Amelia I always imagined.”

The other actors immediately froze. Eliane kept the soft smile on her face, but flames of rage ignited in her bluish-gray eyes.

Eliane wasn’t a good fit to play Amelia, and everyone knew it. But she’d been chosen anyway, because she was Felix’s second cousin, which made Duke Clockford her great-uncle. Since the school was under his jurisdiction, she enjoyed a status similar to Felix’s. Taking this into account, the other students had chosen to make her the heroine. Eliane knew there had been a secret, unofficial vote for who should play the role, and she hadn’t even made the top three.

So, while Glenn hadn’t meant anything by his remark, it had hit Eliane’s biggest sore spot.

Naturally, she didn’t let her anger show. She maintained the facade of a high-class noblewoman. “It’s true,” she said. “I may be a far cry from the great Queen Amelia. But I will still do my best to play the part.”

Her smile was tranquil on the surface, but deep down, she sharpened the blade of her malice and let crimson wrath burn in her eyes.

Ah, what a fool he is. I must make him aware of his position… Of how arrogant he is to even think of standing at my side.

“Why don’t you come witness Dudley’s valiant performance from the reserved seats?” Felix said, bringing Monica all the way to the front row, where he’d been sitting for the first half.

“I-is someone going to be mad at me for sitting here?” she stammered.

“You’re part of the student council. There shouldn’t be any issues.”

Lana was running around backstage making minor adjustments to the costumes. Apparently, she wouldn’t finish until the moment the play started, and it was unlikely she’d make it back to her seat.

So instead, Monica would watch Glenn’s theatrical debut seated next to Felix. Both parts of this situation were bad for her health.

As she held a hand to her stomach, Felix looked at the white rose decoration at Monica’s breast. “That flower… Let me guess. Did Cyril give that to you?”

“Huh? Oh yes.” Monica nodded vigorously. “He said it was a lucky charm so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself.”

Felix blinked in surprise. “…I see. Is that what he said? I suppose that’s very like him,” he muttered to himself, still staring at the decoration.

She thought she saw his eyes narrow slightly—almost imperceptibly—in displeasure.

That, for some reason, unsettled her deeply.

Monica began to fidget, and Felix immediately reverted to his usual gentle smile. “This is your first school festival,” he said. “Are you having fun?”

If she was telling the truth, there hadn’t been any time to have fun. That was partly because of her mission to guard Felix, but she’d also been running around that morning trying to retrieve the shamanic tool.

She smiled vaguely and tried to dodge the issue. “Well, it’s, um, only just started… Uhhh, are you having fun, sir?”

“Well, I’m the host, so I’m supposed to be making sure everyone else has fun.”

Monica knew this festival was partly meant as a public debut for the second prince and to show off his grandfather Duke Clockford’s power and authority to the kingdom’s nobles.

But it seems like…

Felix’s words sounded sad to Monica. She couldn’t help recalling the night they’d spent in Corlapton. He’d called himself Ike during the Bell-Ringing Festival and gallivanted through the nighttime streets with her. He’d grinned mischievously, twisted her around his little finger, spoken at length about the things he enjoyed… It seemed to her he’d had a lot of fun that night.

“Monica?”

Felix looked at her anxiously as she fell silent. His brows lowered slightly into a frown, and for a moment, she wondered whether she was looking at the prince or at Ike.

This was Serendia Academy. The one beside her was Felix Arc Ridill, the second prince. But it seemed so sad to write off the boy named Ike as a single night’s illusion.

I can’t be thinking about this right now. I have to focus on protecting him. Monica stifled the sadness bubbling up inside her and awkwardly spoke up. “Um, I wonder if Glenn is going to be okay…”

She had to admit her change of topic sounded forced, but she was worried about Glenn. She recalled their ballroom dance class, when he’d enthusiastically declared, “I’ll just try and mimic everyone else,” then proceeded to fling her around the room. The memory was still fresh in her mind, and, in all honesty, she couldn’t imagine his acting going much better.

But Felix didn’t look particularly worried. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said. “He has a lot of spirit. Just as I’d expect from a famous mage’s disciple.”

“…Huh?”

Monica knew Glenn was a mage’s apprentice, but not that his master was famous. Come to think of it, he said his master was the one who sent him here.

But Felix had spoken without hesitation. Who could his master be? Monica idly called to mind the high mages she knew of, but none of them quite fit.

Besides, if a famous mage’s pupil was going anywhere, wouldn’t it be Minerva’s…? Why would Glenn’s master choose Serendia?

The bell rang, interrupting her thoughts and signaling the start of the show. The second half of the play was about to begin.

The student doing the narration explained the events thus far, ending with a description of how the main character Ralph arrived at the black dragon’s lair.

“Seems they’ve abbreviated the story a bit,” murmured Felix.

“D-did they?”

“Usually, they act out the events leading up to his battle with the dragon. They must have omitted it all.”

The curtains opened, and a papier-mâché dragon entered from the stage’s left side. It was made of paper and cloth plastered onto a wooden framework, but it was of excellent quality. And above all, it was big . Several people were inside, moving it.

The black dragon’s wild, piercing scream echoed through the venue. Then two people appeared from the right: the main character Ralph and the heroine Amelia.

Glenn, playing Ralph, smoothly unsheathed the sword at his waist and pointed it at the dragon, reciting his line. “It is I, bestowed with the divine protection of the seven Spirit Kings! You have brought ruin enough to this land, dragon! Taste my blade!”

Even those confused by the change in actors were pulled back into the story the moment they heard that voice. Glenn wasn’t a particularly talented actor, but his voice carried well, and his sharp movements easily drew the audience’s attention.

“Haaah!”

Glenn leaped into the air and brought his sword down on the dragon. Then, as he landed, he delivered a flashy horizontal slice.

Felix murmured, “His swings are a little exaggerated for real combat, but they’re perfect for the stage.”

Glenn’s swordsmanship was the opposite of the elegant style favored by nobles—it was unpolished and boorish. But his long limbs moved freely, and the sight of him cutting into the dragon certainly brought the play to life.

With power borrowed from the Spirit Kings, the hero Ralph would steadily drive the black dragon back. Eventually, the cornered creature would use the last of its strength to open its mouth and spit flame. The heroine Amelia would then block it with a defensive barrier, while Ralph delivered the finishing blow, right between the dragon’s eyes. At the end, Amelia would run to Ralph, give him a celebratory kiss, and the curtains would fall. At least, that was the traditional sequence of events.

“Damn human!” roared the dragon. “My flames will burn you to cinders!” It spread its wings wide as a burst of sound ripped between Ralph and the dragon. The stagehands had used explosive powder to achieve this effect.

Ralph took a step back as Amelia, waiting behind him, raised her voice. “Lord Ralph, I will create a defensive barrier. Take that chance to pierce the dragon’s brow!”

Then she chanted the spell to put up the barrier. It wasn’t an actual chant, of course. It was just a performance. Or it was supposed to be.

Monica, though, felt something was wrong.

…Huh? she thought. That chant, it’s… It’s just acting, right?

Not many people could instantly grasp the purpose of a spell just from hearing its chant. Plus, the stage itself was a ways back from the audience. Nobody else would have noticed.

But the Silent Witch, extremely familiar with magecraft formulae, just happened to be sitting up front in the reserved seating, and she could make out the words and understand them.

Eliane was neither reciting a script nor casting a barrier.

An attack spell?!

Eliane was standing on the edge of the stage to the audience’s right, atop a set piece meant to represent a cliff. They’d taken the balcony from the first half and covered it in paper and cloth so that it resembled a steep precipice.

She played her part, looking down at Ralph with worry as he fought the dragon, but her attention never left Felix. The person next to him wasn’t a guest but a female student. And it wasn’t Bridget Greyham, either. It was the unremarkable Monica Norton, another member of the student council.

What is that bland girl doing, sitting next to Prince Felix? That should be my place.

Each time Felix spoke to the girl at his side, it sent waves of dismay raging through her heart. Why was Felix bothering with a girl like that when Eliane was gazing at him with such longing? When she loved him so much? When she was supposed to be the one he loved?

Ralph’s fight with the black dragon was about to reach its climax. She had to act like she was casting a defensive barrier to protect the hero from the dragon’s attack. She couldn’t use barrier spells, of course, so it would just be pretend.

This scene employed explosive powder for its special effects. That was what she would use.

I have to make sure they all know—Prince Felix is going to choose me.

The Crimson Wrath—the vestiges of the curse—was making Eliane uncharacteristically aggressive. And now, with no room to think, she shut her ears to the whisperings of her reason and let anger cloud her bluish-gray eyes—let herself move at its whim.

As she pretended to cast a defensive barrier, she unleashed a real wind spell toward the powder. Nobody watching the play would notice that she was using actual magecraft onstage. The clump of air struck the device with the powder, and moments before it burst, it tumbled near Glenn. Now he’d be caught in the explosion.

It’s your own fault for making fun of me.

Sparks and smoke went flying toward Glenn.

He wouldn’t be badly injured—the powder was just for a special effect. But it would be enough to shock him and make him fall over. Maybe he’d be so scared, he’d freeze up! Naturally, if Glenn stopped moving, the play would stop as well.

And then Eliane would declare in her most sonorous voice: Behold, I knew that man wasn’t the true Lord Ralph! My eyes will not be deceived!

She would extend her hand to Felix in the audience: The true Lord Ralph… Look. He’s right here.

If she did that, Felix would climb onto the stage to save the play.

She could simply claim some servant’s ineptitude was to blame for the accident with the powder. And then, if she made it seem like her own quick-wittedness had rescued the play from the brink of ruin after an unfortunate accident, everyone would realize that she was talented enough to be with Felix.

Glenn Dudley would look stupid in front of everyone. Monica Norton would watch Felix go onstage and learn who was truly best for the prince.

Eliane’s face melted into an entranced, dreamlike smile as she looked down on Glenn from the artificial clifftop.

Eliane made two miscalculations.

The first was that she was a novice when it came to magecraft. The wind spell she’d released would do more than simply knock over the powder on the stage—it would provide the sparks with enough oxygen to form a roaring blaze.

The second was that the Silent Witch, an expert at unchanted magecraft, was in the audience.

When she realized Eliane was chanting an attack spell onstage, Monica wavered for a moment. She couldn’t tell what the girl was aiming at. But she could guess Eliane was trying to attack someone , so she followed the actress’s eyes to their target.

She was glaring at Glenn, still chanting the words of her incantation. Thinking Eliane might be targeting him, Monica wasted no time erecting a simple barrier around the boy.

It ended up saving him. Eliane’s wind spell caused the tiny flame in the special effects powder to burst into a blaze heading straight for Glenn. If Monica hadn’t put up the barrier, he’d have been badly burned.

The rest of the audience, ignorant of the situation, seemed to take the events of the last few seconds as part of the performance—Amelia’s barrier had indeed protected Ralph from the black dragon’s flames.

“I have to hand it to Serendia Academy. What incredible special effects.”

“That wasn’t just an explosive, was it? It was magecraft .”

“This year’s play is quite the elaborate affair, using real magecraft for the effects!”

The spectators leisurely expressed their admiration, but Monica had no time to do the same. The emergency wasn’t over yet. While the barrier had stopped the flames from reaching Glenn, the stage was full of wood and paper—all very flammable. Monica poured her focus into solving this problem, working to put out the flames.

Pouring water on fire was the quickest way to extinguish it, but then it would be obvious someone was using magecraft. Instead, Monica covered each of the leaping flames in a small barrier. She used the same basic technique as when she’d put out the Spiralflame, that magical tool used for assassinations. The small barriers kept out oxygen, quickly smothering the fire inside.

Felix watched the play with a serious expression—oblivious to how hard Monica was working to fight the fires before them.

How many more left?! she wondered, her eyes racing across the stage. Just then, she heard a shrill scream from the right. The set piece under Eliane had begun to tilt. The flames had scorched one of its support beams; it was about to collapse.

Oh no! If that piece collapsed, the play would turn into a tragedy—both for Eliane atop it and Glenn below. It might even harm members of the audience. Monica could maintain only two spells at a time, and she was already maintaining two barriers to quench the flames. She was out of options.

During the few seconds she hesitated, the situation worsened. The wind changed direction, causing the smoke from the explosive powder to cover up the stage for a moment. Now she could no longer see Glenn and Eliane.

Monica could hear the wood cracking and breaking past the smoky veil. She was out of time.

No! I won’t make it! Her face paled. Just then something leaped out from the smoke.

It was Glenn, carrying Eliane in his arms.

Flight magecraft…! He’d used a flight spell to rescue Eliane, then burst out of the smoke into the air.

Flight magecraft was rare—not many could use it. And it became far more difficult when you had to carry someone at the same time. But Glenn was pulling it off with ease, sending a commotion through the audience.

Wait… I’m still not done putting out the fires. If I release the barriers now, the fire will only grow!

As Monica panicked, the stage set collapsed. But it didn’t scatter out into the audience. A powerful barrier had contained the debris.

The barrier was very precise, safeguarding everyone both in the audience and onstage. The only one who could manage such a feat was a certain master of defensive barriers—the Barrier Mage himself.

Mr. Louis!

Louis must have been waiting nearby, springing into action and putting up the barrier in the nick of time. He took longer to cast his barriers than Monica, who didn’t need to chant, but their precision and strength were several levels above anything she, or anyone else, could achieve. Around the time he disengaged the barrier, Monica finished her extinguishing work.

We… We made it…

Monica pressed a hand to her chest to calm her pounding heart and used the other to covertly wipe the cold sweat that had formed on her brow.

What? What’s happening? What’s going on?

Now lying horizontally in Glenn’s arms, Eliane was very confused. All she’d wanted to do was knock over the explosive powder and surprise Glenn. But then the flames had roared out of control, and she’d burned part of the set. Even worse, they’d scorched the faux cliff she’d been standing on. It was a simple scaffold—the kind that tumbled down easily if the support beam broke.

But just before she was thrown to the ground, she’d felt a different sort of impact. With a soft thump, someone’s chest struck her cheek. Powerful arms lifted her up.

The smoke made it hard to tell what was going on. She coughed, cracked open her eyes—and saw blue sky.

“…Huh?”

“Whoa… We almost didn’t make it!”

The voice was astonishingly close.

Finally, she realized Glenn was carrying her. Not only that—they were floating in midair.

What’s going on? What’s happening here?

“This can get dangerous, so don’t let go, ’kay?”

“Wh-what are you…? What is…?”

“Flight magecraft! Gotta say, they didn’t tell me about any of this… C’mon, Director! Give a guy some warning!”

Apparently, Glenn thought this was all part of the play, too.

Despite herself, Eliane screamed internally, Just what does he think plays are like?!

Below them, the smoke around the stage cleared, revealing an awful sight. The fake cliff had collapsed, and its pieces were scattered all over. It didn’t seem to have injured anyone in the audience, though. The papier-mâché black dragon was safe as well.

Only now did Eliane understand what a terrible thing she’d done. One wrong step and not only would the play have been ruined—people could have died .

What…what have I…?

She paled and trembled, and Glenn asked if she was okay. He seemed to think she was scared of heights.

“I’m really good at flight magecraft, so don’t worry!” he insisted. “But if you’re still scared, you can hold on as tight as you like!”

And who would want to hold on to you , exactly?! thought Eliane.

He flashed her an intrepid grin. “Anyway, why don’t we wrap things up here?”

“…Huh? What?”

“You know! Give ’em what they came for and all that!”

A moment later, they were hurtling down toward the stage. Eliane screamed and threw her arms around Glenn’s neck. She was loath to do so, but it was that or fall.

Glenn descended to a spot right above the stage and scooped up Ralph’s discarded sword with his right hand. Then, holding Eliane in his left arm and the blade in his right, he soared above the prop dragon’s head.

“It’s over, black dragon!”

Ralph’s sword pierced the beast’s brow. The actors moving the creature performed one last dying roar, then immediately withdrew to the wing.