ch61-ch80 · 081-ch80
Chapter 80: The Omen of a New Turmoil
“Honestly, what a cruel thing to do.”
Standing atop the tower and gazing at the sunset sinking behind the mountain at the edge of the royal capital, Grandine in her dress with the deep neckline murmured to herself. It wasn’t a reprimanding sort of remark so much as one that carried the air of someone quietly enjoying herself.
“.........”
Behind Grandine, as she looked out through the tower window, the man stood there with his arms folded, saying nothing.
He was the same man who had once been meeting Grandine in secret at this very place.
With a small sigh at his lack of response, Grandine turned around.
“I won’t complain about your plan, but at least you could’ve told me in advance. Were you planning to send Berdigri in too and have him take out Lord Rock and Lord Lime together? If I’d known beforehand, I could’ve handled it much more smoothly--”
“It was not I.”
Cut off by the denial, Grandine blinked her long lashes.
“--What do you mean? Who else would send an assassin besides you...?”
“I don’t know! ...I only knew of one mirror in the first place!!”
The enraged man slammed a backhand into the tower wall, chipping away a few bricks.
“I had no intention of killing Lime. After my fight with Lime, if I had undone Unison and then had Fuchsia, controlled by Lilac, target her, that should have been enough to kill both Rock and his daughter! But that irregularity, Berdigri, stepped in and made them more cautious. And on top of that, the Blue Bird’s awakening...!”
“Right, right, that. You didn’t tell me about that either. I was told to look for a girl named ‘Ai,’ but who would’ve thought she was a royal princess?”
“.........”
The man glared at Grandine with a face twisted as though he’d bitten down on a bitter pill.
“Then what will you do? As someone who plotted to kill royalty, are you going to arrest me?”
“Heh, of course not. If I cut ties with you now, all the trouble I’ve gone through until now would be for nothing.”
Grandine spread her arms and laughed, while the man stared at her as if weighing her value.
It was a sharp gaze that seemed as though it could expose every lie and every true intent the moment it pierced her, but Grandine, who was speaking from the heart to begin with, didn’t even flinch.
“...Understood. Ria, then let us assume we are bound together in life and death, and I will issue my orders. Once Fuchsia returns, bring her here.”
“You’re not going to dispose of her like you did Mandarin?”
“So long as Lilac is involved, such rough measures would be impossible. More importantly, we must investigate the one who got in our way... the one who sent Berdigri. I want to hear what Fuchsia, who met Berdigri directly, has to say. And it would be wise to clear up the misunderstanding surrounding Lime as well.”
Grandine thought to herself that he was apparently taking some care with Fuchsia and Lilac, who were lent to him by the Purple Orchid Knight Order, but the man only deepened the crease between his brows.
“...If Lord Lavand was the one who sent Berdigri, then there should be some sort of response from Fuchsia and the others. If they’re going to stand as enemies after that, I will show no mercy.”
At his boldness and ambition, which made it clear he would even clash with the venerable Lavand Closiel of the Seven Knights, Grandine let out a second sigh.
‘All the Seven Knights besides Rock must be ridiculously overconfident, huh. Or maybe the nature of men who aspire to be knights is just the same, Seven Knights or not.’
― ◆ ―
The basement beneath the garage where Rokuro’s food truck was parked.
There, the captured Berdigri slept wrapped in a blanket on the futon he’d been given.
“.........Mm... huh, is someone there?”
Awakened by a strange presence, Berdigri opened his eyes, but there was no one else in the dim basement.
--And yet, someone was there. Strengthening that uncanny sensation, Berdigri immediately stood and went on guard. One ankle was still chained to a floor anchor, but he could still move with a fair bit of freedom.
“Who is it! Is this some kind of eiyō technique?!”
“--I’ve got a favor to ask. Mind lending me your body?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
Not to his ears, but directly inside his head.
And Berdigri recognized that voice. It was the voice of the knight who had sent him through the mirror... into Limilaru.
“Hey, come on, that’s fine, right? It’s not like you can get out of here anyway. Really, I just need to borrow it for a bit. I’ll give it back once I’m done.”
“You... don’t tell me that was your goal from the start... Guh!”
Berdigri doubled over, clutching his chest.
Mixed in with the heartbeat he felt under his palm was another pulse.
That was the source of the presence.
‘So you set something up inside my body before I even crossed through the mirror--’
With that, Berdigri’s consciousness rapidly sank, sealed away into the depths of his mind.
But he didn’t collapse onto the futon again. Instead, another personality took control of Berdigri’s body.
“.........Hmm, feels a little weird, but our builds are pretty similar. I should get used to it quickly enough.”
The voice was still Berdigri’s, but the tone had changed.
The usual edge was gone, replaced by something gentle and mild.
“Now then, let’s go claim it. For the sake of me and the princess’s future.”
With a light slash of his hand, the chain attached to his ankle snapped apart, even though it hadn’t actually been touched.
Watching that with satisfaction, the knight who had taken over Berdigri’s body then brought the tips of all five fingers on both hands together, forming a circle.
At once, brilliant light blossomed within that circle and flashed violently.
After the light flickered a while, it faded, and a round bronze mirror had appeared in his hands.
“Mirror, please carry me to a new stage.”
White smoke poured out from the mirror raised overhead with both hands.
The smoke spread through the room in an instant... and a few seconds later, as it thinned and vanished, Berdigri was gone.
〜 End of Act Two, ‘The Thing This Sword Protects’ 〜