Chapter 15

Her silver hair was long, neatly cut above her slender chest.

Under her thick fringe on the right side, her blue eyes, like a mysterious lake deep in the mountains, caught sight of Hikaru.

—She is beautiful.

To Hikaru, she was a girl of almost otherworldly beauty.

The day she saw her—when the Earl was killed—was too dark to examine her appearance in detail.

She was not in her pajamas as she was that day.

She was wearing a wine-red dress.

In the dim orange light cast by the magic lamp, she seemed to be reading a book.

Hikaru wore a mask of the Sun God, his face firmly hidden.

He turned off the "Stealth" skill. Changing his "Occupation" would require showing his guild card, which was too much trouble.

"I came to save you."

She must have been startled by his sudden appearance, as she flinched.

"Who are you...?"

"...Someone you saved."

"Yes—The one who killed the Earl."

She deduced it so quickly.

Well, even if his face was hidden, his build was clearly visible, so it wasn't surprising that she figured it out so quickly.

"Thank you for coming to save me. But, I can't leave here."

"Is it a magic cell?"

"Magic prison. Yes. The master of the Alchemist Guild constructed this magic prison. Only he can open it."

She said this matter-of-factly.

Her voice, like the tinkling of a small bell, showed no emotional fluctuation.

Despite being imprisoned and facing the real culprit, her emotions remained unchanged.

(Giving up? Or does she have no emotions at all... No way.)

"I see. I didn't expect the key to the cell to be a living person."

"Killing the master of the Alchemist Guild would also unlock the key. But, you can't kill him."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because your heart is not tainted. You cannot kill an innocent person."

"...The master of the Alchemist Guild might be a wicked person who deserves to die."

"No. He is a true human, disciplined and a seeker of magic."

"Do you not want to leave here? You helped me. I have a reason to help you. If you wish—"

"I don't wish to."

"Why not?"

"Because my purpose has been fulfilled."

For the first time, Hikaru felt a flicker of emotion in the girl.

"Because you killed that man."

The emotion that surfaced was relief.

It seemed as if she was saying that she felt better now that the Earl was dead.

"...That Earl was quite a disliked person, wasn't he?"

"Very few people liked him."

"Really?"

"I want to die just because his blood flows through my veins."

It was then that Hikaru finally realized.

"Are you the Earl of Morgstadt's... daughter?"

He had killed her father.

"In terms of blood, yes."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that. Did your parents lock you inside the house? Haven't you gone out in years... since you moved to this mansion, four years ago?"

"What...?"

She was being held captive by the Earl?

Why?

Questions swirled in Hikaru's mind—

"—He was afraid of me. But he couldn't dispose of me because I had value to him."

She preempted his questions.

The way she used the word "dispose" to describe a human life was probably a term the Earl used regularly, Hikaru thought.

"Why do you think the master of the Alchemist Guild came to construct a magic prison just to lock up a single girl? It's because—"

Hikaru gasped.

A faint blue light, like a diluted version of her eyes, began to gather around her.

The density of the air changed.

It became so hard for Hikaru to breathe.

"...Because I can use a tremendous magic... a magic that can only destroy."

The light suddenly vanished.

Hikaru felt as if his body had become lighter.

He was drenched in sweat. He knew it was a mass of magic. He had activated the "Magic Detection" skill. The magic prison was filled with magic, to the point where his Soul Board couldn't even activate.

(Must be the magic prison... Damn.)

The moment he tried to use his Soul Board, the blue letters that formed the prison glowed white. It was being interfered with.

Her magic was also being shut out by the magic prison.

Of course, the prison was not just the iron bars but also the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Yet, she had changed the air around Hikaru, who was outside the magic prison. It was an incredible power.

"Thank you for coming all the way here. I never thought anyone would come to save me. Of course, I never thought it would be you, the murderer."

"Who made you the murderer?"

"Anyone will do."

"No, it won't. There are too many things I don't understand. Do you hate the vast magic you just showed me? Why did you show it to me?"

The girl tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"That's the answer to the question you asked earlier—about who made you the murderer."

"? What do you mean?"

"I will be taken to the capital as a murderer. Then, the king will show my power to his subjects. The country, knowing my power, will incorporate me into the expeditionary forces. Under the pretext of atoning for the great sin of killing my father. If that happens, I will become a killing machine. I will continue to kill people on the front lines of war. I will die in the not-too-distant future. I will become a 'father-killer' and a 'rare killer.' This could be a stain on the historic Kingdom of Ponsonia. My existence will be buried in darkness."

"Wait... Are you saying that the one who made you the murderer is—"

Hikaru moistened his lips.

"Are you saying it's the king?"

The girl did not affirm but said:

"...At least, I wanted you, who cared about me, to know."

She had said everything.

It was a satisfied smile.

"..."

Fragile, Hikaru thought.

Why is this girl so fragile?

Why did she give up on life so easily?

"Thank you today. The patrol will come soon. You should go. ...And don't come here again. It's dangerous."

Hikaru thought their worlds were too different.

Hikaru himself was estranged from his parents. He was aware that this had made him somewhat twisted.

But what about her?

She was treated like a tool, and even handled like a sore spot.

(Does a tool not wish to live freely? Does it not wish for its own life?)

—No.

The girl's hands were folded.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

Hikaru took off his mask.

The girl looked at Hikaru's face—she seemed a bit surprised.

The boy she saw that night had changed a bit.

Now he was a completely black-haired, black-eyed boy.

"...I want to know your name."

Hikaru met her gaze and asked.

"A name that will be forgotten. There's no need to—"

"My name is Hikaru."

"..."

Did she give up on life?

No, that's not it—there's no way.

"Tell me your name."

If she had given up, her hands wouldn't be trembling.

If she had given up, she wouldn't read adventure novels.

If she had given up, she wouldn't feel resistance in saying her name—she wouldn't fear the hope that saying her name might bring.

"...Lavia di Morgstadt... No, I'm Lavia. Just Lavia."

If she had given up, what was wetting her cheeks?

"Lavia. I will definitely—"

"No!"

Lavia almost shouted.

"Don't say any more. If you say it, I'll start to hope. If I start to hope, I can't stop. I was happy just because the man who bound me was dead. I shouldn't hope for more."

But Hikaru couldn't stop.

"I will definitely save you."

Tears streamed down her eyes.

"No, no..."

Lavia, who had been prepared for a life of darkness, felt the dam of emotions in her heart break when someone reached out to her.

"Indeed, I have a resistance to killing innocent people. So, I won't kill anyone. I will help you escape without killing anyone. The chance will be when you are transferred to the capital. In three days. Adventurers will be escorting you."

Lavia didn't respond, just cried. The tears wouldn't stop.

Hikaru extended his hand.

His hand hit an invisible wall just before the magic prison.

He pressed his palm against it.

"You know... I seem to be quite arrogant. I'm confident, and I believe I can make what I just said happen. Whether you want it or not, I will save you. Just like I suddenly appeared in your life and killed your father... I will intervene in your life."

Lavia stumbled forward to Hikaru.

She pressed her hand against his palm, separated by the transparent wall.

"Can I trust you? I am a tremendous burden?"

"It's fine."

"If you save me, I will give you everything—"

It's fine.

Hikaru repeated.

"I was the one saved first. I don't like the idea of dying with a debt."

The lock clicked, and two knights entered. One was a sleeping knight, and the other was East.

"Oh well... I didn't expect to run into trouble like this."

"It's too much of a joke for a mission."

"Hey, don't get so worked up—oh, the girl is already asleep."

The knight saw that Lavia was in bed, facing away from them.

"..."

"What's wrong? East?"

"Usually, she reads books at this time."

"Maybe she's just tired."

"...That's true."

"You care too much about the girl."

"How can I not care..."

They didn't notice.

That the girl, who was facing away, was still awake. Her eyes were red from crying, and she didn't look at them.

And that a boy had left the underground warehouse behind them.

Three days until the escape plan is executed.

Remaining: 1,390 Gil ( +7,500 +α)