Lady Airen shed tears as she recounted her long story.
To summarize the contents in one sentence:
“…Are you saying you were attacked by a masked stranger?”
“Yes, yes… If my memory is correct, then that’s right.”
The voice of the hesitant Lady Airen was devoid of confidence.
She even seemed to doubt her own eyes.
I had to scratch my head at the sudden emergence of this new puzzle.
A hint of irritation crept into my tone.
“No, is that all? Why is such a suspicious person only appearing now?”
“W-well, I’m not sure… Ah! Now that I think about it, there was a flash of light before I collapsed!”
A flash of light, huh.
That was hardly helpful information.
As my expression soured, Lady Airen quickly buried her head back onto the floor.
The sound of her head hitting the ground ripped through the silence.
“I-I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry… Lady Liya stood up as if possessed, and I relaxed for just a moment…”
“…No matter how relaxed you were, that’s just too much.”
Even I had my limits of patience, and I couldn’t help but scold her.
In response, Lady Airen tearfully placed her sword at my feet.
“P-please, kill me… If this foolish life can’t help my master or return to the Imperial Princess, then it’s better to…”
“No, why are you being so extreme?”
Meanwhile, Lady Airen, being the daughter of the Lupemion family, had high-quality equipment.
Though I said so with genuine distaste, Lady Airen appeared to be earnest.
She slowly raised her upper body while still on her knees.
The Lady Knight wiped her tear-soaked eyes with her hand.
“It seems that someone as useless as I am isn’t even worth dying as a knight, I understand. Enduring humiliation must be part of responsibility too. I guess I should stop being a knight and quietly take up priesthood lessons…”
“Enough.”
I interrupted her in a firm tone.
I didn’t want her to say more and risk what else would come out of her mouth.
Lady Airen, looking even more deflated, lowered her head.
She mumbled softly.
“B-but still, I’ve been told I have decent looks from back then. It’s not like I’m completely useless as a guard knight…”
“If you bring that up one more time, you’ll be in trouble.”
Lady Airen obediently closed her mouth at my cold tone.
She merely kept her gaze downcast, lacking strength.
Regardless of her actions, I had to fold my arms and think deeply.
Lady Airen was an expert knight.
She had been living as a knight for several years. Even if her position in the succession line was diminished, she was responsible for the protection of royalty.
Even if she had been taken off guard, she wasn’t an opponent who could easily knock someone out with one blow.
At least, it was impossible for me.
So, there was only one possibility.
The masked stranger was even stronger than that.
That was what made it even more confusing.
If a guard knight was defeated, the possibilities of what could happen to Liya were endless.
They could kidnap her and hold her hostage, or even kill her right then and there without anyone being able to stop it. It was unlikely that someone of that caliber would be defeated by Liya.
But the option chosen by the masked stranger was the least desirable.
Neglect.
It was a decision that was hard to grasp in terms of intent.
My head throbbed with the overwhelming problems. I was never one to have a particularly sharp mind.
With all the stress piling on and injuries added, it was becoming increasingly hard to think.
This was a matter that needed to be left to Reto or the Lady Virgin Saint.
Ultimately, the direction in which I needed to go was set.
As I stumbled forward, Lady Airen exclaimed in surprise.
“M-Master! The Lady Virgin Saint said she needs to take a while to stabilize…”
“That’s enough, Lady Airen, just get up… Every hand is precious right now.”
Lady Airen had no choice but to rise, albeit hesitantly.
A subtle sense of relief was evident on her face. She seemed glad to have received forgiveness.
Though it was more akin to simply being let off the hook.
I hadn’t noticed at first, but she had a subtly inferior disposition.
Or perhaps she had become that way due to some incident.
Either way, I couldn’t abandon Lady Airen.
Not only had I received powerful skills from the ‘me’ from the future, but as mentioned, I was in a situation where I needed even the assistance of a cat.
It was impossible to let an expert-level power be left idling.
Thus, I took the lead, while Lady Airen followed hesitantly behind me.
An ominous stillness lingered in the manor’s lobby.
That oppressive atmosphere originated from the reception room.
As expected, everyone was gathered in the reception room.
The Percus Family, of course, along with my companions, Mr. Raymond, and Arthur, the imperial official.
It could be said that only Liya and Ceria were absent.
As I stumbled and opened the door to the reception room, everyone looked at me with bewildered expressions.
Even the Lady Virgin Saint stood up in surprise.
“I-an! Your wounds…”
“I’m fine.”
I immediately raised my hand to stop the Lady Virgin Saint.
I had already anticipated that she would respond this way.
Instead, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
“More importantly, where is Liya?”
The Lady Virgin Saint still wore a worried expression, but soon let out a deep sigh and stepped back.
It was as if she realized she couldn’t change my mind.
Certainly, the time we had spent together had its benefits.
It meant less time for unnecessary discussions.
Before long, the answer returned from Celin.
“…She fainted.”
My gaze turned to Celin.
Though they had fought like dogs and cats since childhood, they had known each other for several years now.
It was shockingly surprising in many ways.
The way she bit her lips conveyed Celin’s complex emotions.
“It seems Liya was also quite shocked. She was murmuring in a daze… But why exactly?”
Celin finally posed a question at the end.
Her childhood friend, whom she had known from their early years, had suddenly been stabbed, and even the culprit—her sister—was now mentally broken and had fainted.
With no understanding of the situation, the suspicions could only intensify.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards my father, Viscount Percus.
Since my eyes were on them, it was unavoidable.
My parents and brother Aaron maintained a gloomy silence.
“Mother, Father. Why did Liya do such a thing? It’s as if…”
“Miltram’s test subject.”
The words Celin could hardly utter were taken up by Mr. Raymond.
He spoke with an unreadable expression.
“Viscount Percus, I believe an explanation is necessary… As you know, the Dark Cult is a scourge of the continent. If it is related to this matter, we have an obligation to uncover the truth.”
Mr. Raymond’s voice was level, devoid of inflection.
He simply conveyed the facts to express his intentions.
While it felt somewhat pressuring, I too was quite curious about the secrets of the Percus Family.
I intentionally kept silent to show my tacit agreement.
Arthur, who had been restless, finally let out a sigh of relief.
To him, the Dark Cult and whatever else mattered less than my will as the possessor of the Bloodword.
In the atmosphere where no one took sides, my father began to speak slowly.
“…This tale is over ten years old now.”
His voice was heavy with anguish and pain.
The recent series of events had taken a toll on my father’s mind and body. Amidst that, he had received news of his daughter stabbing his son.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if he collapsed right then and there.
Yet, the reason my father was still enduring was because the fate of the territory lay in his hands.
“Back then, a disease was spreading. It was an illness that could not be cured by either divine power or magic.”
“…It must have been ‘drain sickness’.”
The words came from the Lady Virgin Saint, who likely had the most knowledge on the subject.
Father nodded knowingly, affirming it.
‘Drain sickness,’ I had also heard of it.
Every life was born with innate magical power.
Whether small or large, there were no lives without magical power. This was directly connected to the existence of life itself.
The reason monsters are born was also deeply related to this.
Magic attracts magic.
Thus, even naturally occurring magic could not help but be drawn to those with magical attributes. When the density became excessive, monsters would be born.
However, there were some exceptions to this rule.
Those were the people born with the peculiar disease known as ‘drain sickness.’
‘Drain sickness’ was a disease where the magical power within the body naturally dried up. Usually, those afflicted did not live beyond the age of ten.
Because a life without magic could not survive.
There were tales of miraculous recoveries, but fundamentally, ‘drain sickness’ belonged to the category of incurable diseases.
It could not be healed by magic or divine power.
It seemed that my original Liya had once suffered from this illness.
“Yes, I intellectually understood. I knew I could not save my daughter by my own power… Wasn’t it the same illness that nearly took the life of Princess Iris of the royal family? But my heart just wouldn’t listen.”
What must have been the feelings of a parent facing a daughter destined for a short life.
I could not fathom it, but it was clear that my father fell into deep despair after that.
That was likely why he reacted so sensitively to the word ‘fate.’
As my mother reminisced about that time, tears began to well in her eyes. Brother Aaron sighed heavily as well.
Father let out a strained voice.
“…That’s when I heard it.”
“Hear what?”
“That there was someone who could even revive the dead.”
Arthur, who had been quietly listening to the story, jerked his head in disbelief.
He shouted as if in frustration.
“How could you trust such dubious rumors…?”
“If it meant saving my daughter, I would have done anything.”
Like a cornered rat biting a cat.
Desperation sought to confront the formidable foe known as fate.
With a sad expression, Father testified.
“There was no need for rumors. He contacted me first upon hearing the tale.”
“What did he ask for?”
It was a sharp question from the Lady Virgin Saint.
Father sighed and let out a sad laugh.
“He said he wanted to study my daughter. It seems those born with drain sickness have some peculiar quality… At that time, my daughter was on the brink of death.”
The subsequent story was obvious.
I lowered my gaze in silence.
“Foolishly, I accepted the proposal. I gave up my daughter in exchange for a ‘daughter.’”
What a strange tale.
Unlike me, who somewhat understood the situation, the others were still gazing at Father in silence filled with questions.
Father had to reiterate his assertion.
“The girl we are calling ‘Liya’ is not my daughter. She is a clone born with my daughter’s genetic information… Yes, the Percus Family made a deal with the Dark Cult.”
That was the secret of the Percus Family that had been hidden until now.
