Episode 153
Meanwhile, Artius and his group arrived at the academy, slightly later than Elonia’s group. Although they couldn’t use the warp gate due to the shortage of mages, their advance was swift, and they arrived sooner than expected.
The academy professors’ faces brightened at the sight of the Imperial reinforcements.
“Imperial reinforcements!”
“His Majesty! His Majesty is here!”
Caroline and Gunnar, who had been holding back the chimera, also looked relieved.
“Your Majesty!”
Gunnar spotted Artius first. Artius asked,
“The students?”
“The Theology and Academic Department professors evacuated them.”
“Is Gaia Academy safe?”
“I almost died protecting it.”
Caroline boasted, but her pale complexion betrayed her exhaustion.
Artius asked,
“Where did that chimera come from?”
“It flew in from the sky and attacked the academy. From the east.”
East of the academy was the Peace Treaty Zone. But there was nothing there that could spawn a chimera.
Their priority was to eliminate the chimera. Gaia Academy and the students were safe. Artius drew his sword.
“According to Elonia, its weak point is its mouth. Mages, including Professor Caroline, provide support and minimize collateral damage.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Professor Gunnar, let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Artius and Gunnar drew their swords simultaneously. The chimera, unfazed by the presence of two Sword Masters, charged towards them.
Shriek! Keee-eeeek!
The chimera, choked by Elonia’s mana chains, let out a piercing cry. She had stopped it, but in her haste, she hadn’t controlled her strength properly, and the chimera plummeted towards the ground.
‘Oops, mistake.’
Noah would be crushed along with the building.
She couldn’t let Noah die. Elonia quickly pulled on the chains, catching the chimera before it hit the ground.
The chimera, despite its wings, was helpless against Elonia’s strength, tossed around like a rag doll. Elonia, tightening the chains around its neck, summoned another sword from her subspace.
‘I never thought I’d have to use Chelon’s swordsmanship again…!’
The swordsmanship she had learned from Lady Asta was elegant and precise, but unsuitable for the brutality of war. Chelon’s style, on the other hand, was optimized for killing.
There was no time for hesitation.
Elonia imbued both swords with mana and slashed at the chimera’s mouth.
Kyyyaaaa! The chimera’s tongue writhed in agony. Elonia cut it off, then plunged her hand into its mouth, reaching down its throat, and pulled out the green orb.
The chimera died instantly.
“Haah…”
Elonia, catching her breath, sheathed her swords. She dragged the chimera’s corpse to the ground, then approached Noah, lifting the debris with her magic.
Noah, who had been mesmerized by Elonia’s battle, finally stammered her thanks.
“T-thank you for saving… Ugh!”
But Elonia grabbed her by the collar before she could finish.
She looked down at Noah, her expression unreadable.
“Y-Your Highness…?”
Noah whimpered, but Elonia ignored her, her gaze fixed on Noah’s curly brown hair.
‘Thick curls, just like Olivia’s.’
And brown. Easy to dye blond, easy to dye back to brown. And she was about the same height as Olivia.
Elonia pulled Noah closer.
“Ugh…!”
Noah stumbled forward, and Elonia glared into her blue eyes, her voice cold and sharp.
“You shouldn’t be here. Why are you in the Peace Treaty Zone, Noah?”
“T-that’s…”
Noah swallowed nervously. Her relief at being saved was quickly replaced by fear.
“Your Highness, please calm down and listen to me…!”
“My ears are always open. Speak freely.”
Noah wanted to cry. Ignorance was bliss, or perhaps foolishness was courage. She couldn’t believe she had tried to manipulate this terrifying girl back at the academy.
Noah, raising her hands in surrender, quickly explained,
“It’s not what you think! I haven’t left the place you assigned me, not even once, until yesterday! But…”
“But?”
Noah hesitated, biting her lip. She knew this would make her sound crazy.
But lying would be even worse if she was caught.
“Y-you might think I’m crazy, but please listen. I saw Princess Olivia near my house a few days ago!”
It had happened a few days ago. Noah, unable to sleep, had gotten out of bed.
“Why can’t I sleep…?”
Some nights were like that, but the air felt strange tonight. She sat by the window, looking out at the quiet street.
She usually enjoyed the peaceful view from her small, two-story house.
“Yawn.”
The quiet atmosphere calmed her down, and she started feeling sleepy. Just as she was about to go back to bed,
“…!”
She saw someone outside. A figure wrapped in a worn robe, wandering through the night.
It was a woman. And Noah’s sleepiness vanished instantly.
‘It’s dangerous for a woman to be out alone at night, even if this area is safe.’
Or perhaps she was out because she was dangerous? The robe made her look suspicious.
But if she ignored her and found a dead body the next morning, she would be consumed by guilt.
“Damn it, why are you wandering around at night?!”
Noah quickly threw on a coat and rushed downstairs. Ronald, the former Count Rossi, startled awake by the noise, rushed out of his room.
“W-what’s wrong, Noah?!”
“Sorry, I’ll be right back! Go back to sleep!”
“Where are you going at this hour?!”
Ignoring his question, Noah ran outside. Fortunately, the woman hadn’t gone far. Noah grabbed her shoulder and shouted,
“Hey! It’s dangerous to be out alone at night!”
“…”
“Hey?”
The woman’s reaction was strange. She didn’t even flinch.
‘…Did I just step on a landmine?’
She shouldn’t have interfered.
A suspicious person wandering around at night probably had their reasons, their own means of protection.
Noah, feeling uneasy, released the woman’s shoulder and slowly backed away.
“O-on second thought, maybe it’s not that dangerous…? Have a good night… Haha.”
Just as she turned to run back home, the woman grabbed her shoulder.
“Eek!”
Noah shrieked.
‘I knew I shouldn’t have interfered!’
The grip wasn’t strong, but she was paralyzed by fear.
“P-please let me go…? I apologize for grabbing your shoulder earlier…!”
“…”
“I didn’t mean to scare you…! I was just worried about you being out alone…!”
Noah, squeezing her eyes shut, forced her trembling body to bow. But the woman didn’t react.
She cautiously opened her eyes and looked up.
“…!”
She gasped, not because the woman was smiling, or because she was beautiful.
But because she recognized her.
“P-Princess Olivia…?”
She hadn’t seen her since her expulsion, but she couldn’t forget the face of the person who had tormented her. Noah was speechless.
“W-why are you here…?”
Princess Olivia was supposed to be confined to the Bereta estate.
Olivia looked down at her, a doll-like smile on her face. Just as Noah was wondering if she was hallucinating,
“…!”
Olivia vanished, literally in the blink of an eye.
Noah collapsed, her legs giving way.
“W-what…?”
She rubbed her eyes, but Olivia didn’t reappear. Perhaps it was a blessing. She might have fainted if she had.
She didn’t remember how she got back home. She couldn’t sleep, her mind racing, and she greeted the dawn with tired eyes.
She tried to convince herself,
“I must have imagined it! It’s the lingering effects of my past life as a cultist.”
She should have lived a better life. She wouldn’t have joined a cult if she had known it would lead to hallucinations.
She dismissed the incident.
And then, a few nights later, the strange feeling returned. Noah opened her eyes.
“Ugh… not again…”
Her sleep quality had plummeted recently. She wasn’t a noble anymore. She had to work to survive, and lack of sleep was affecting her ability to function.
She pulled the covers over her head and turned over, annoyed. But then she felt it again, a chilling gaze from behind her.
She turned around, her body trembling, and screamed.
“Aaaah!”
Olivia was sitting by her window, watching her with that same doll-like smile. Noah, panicking, grabbed her pillow and started hitting her.
“Get away! Go away! Aaaah!”
She hit her surprisingly hard, considering her fear. Perhaps too hard.
Olivia vanished again.
“Gasp…”
Her fingertips tingled. She cautiously looked out the window.
“…!”
She covered her mouth, stumbling backwards, her body sliding down the wall.
Olivia was lying on the ground below, her limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
‘I… I killed someone…!’
Her worst fears materialized. Someone must have heard her scream. Someone would find Olivia’s body in the morning.
She would be arrested for murder.
“Noah, what’s wrong?!”
Ronald, a light sleeper, burst into her room, his face filled with concern.
“Noah!”
“F-father.”
“What happened?! What was that scream?!”
“F-father, I… I killed someone…”
Noah confessed, her body trembling uncontrollably. Ronald, realizing the gravity of the situation, rushed to her side and knelt down, meeting her gaze.
“Killed someone…?”
“I-I pushed someone… they fell…”
Before she could finish, Ronald rushed to the window and looked down. He turned back to her, his expression a mixture of confusion and relief.
“There’s nothing there. Are you sure you didn’t imagine it, Noah?”
“What?”
That was impossible! She had pushed Olivia!
Noah rushed to the window and looked down. Ronald was right. There was nothing there.
But she had seen Olivia’s body.