Chapter 29
“……How tiresome.”
Hair that she would normally have pulled neatly up now fell in loose curls over her shoulders.
A woman dressed in light, casual clothing—having not taken a single step outside her room—murmured quietly.
In an effort to calm herself, she hastily lifted her teacup and took a sip, but the aftertaste was unpleasant, and the aroma was no better.
Even though it was a tea she usually enjoyed.
As the faint scent of roses only worsened her mood, the woman irritably set the teacup down.
“Did you use different tea leaves? The smell is enough to make me retch.”
“No, my lady. As usual, with honey added—”
“That is enough excuses. Remove it from my sight at once. Now.”
“……Yes.”
The maid, who had been stammering out excuses, shut her mouth immediately, bowed deeply, and carried away the still-steaming teacup.
Even after the scent faded, it felt as though the cloying fragrance still lingered around her.
It must have been because of the various dishes laid out on the table.
The food prepared for the woman, who had been confined to her room since her condition suddenly worsened last night, was all bland and watery.
The soup tasted like plain water, the bread was so soft it resembled melting mud, and even the charred edges of the sliced bacon irritated her.
She unfolded the fan on the table and waved it to drive the scent away.
“The smell is unbearable. Absolutely unbearable. It makes me sick…….”
“My lady, then shall I open the window again?”
“Do not do anything I did not order! How dare you offer such an opinion beyond your station!”
“Y-Yes……! I am sorry!”
“That is enough. Remove everything! Take every last thing out of here. And do not let anyone in until I say so!”
“Yes. Understood, my lady.”
The flustered maid bowed repeatedly and began clearing the untouched food from the table.
The sharp clatter of dishes rang out several times, and then the door closed, leaving complete silence.
Now, in this vast and lavish room, she was alone.
Her mood could not possibly be worse.
Worse even than on her wedding day—
No!
It burned her insides just like when she had first met ‘that hateful child.’
Fiery red hair flickered in her vision, as though it were right before her eyes.
“Aquila……!”
The woman let out a dreadful voice, as if her flesh were being pressed against a red-hot iron plate.
Those who had secretly gone outside yesterday had delivered shocking news to her.
Aquila Reschenhardt was alive.
‘Alive. Alive……!’
Celsia Reschenhardt’s shoulders trembled with rage, her breathing growing unstable.
At first, Celsia had refused to believe it.
But in the end, she had no choice but to accept it.
To her, who worshiped a great and beautiful being, her faithful servants would never dare utter a lie!
Then how could he possibly be alive?
She had done everything she could.
There was no chance of failure.
She herself had endured the pain of her soul being torn apart.
And yet—
Outside the window, it had been noisy for some time now.
A name that should never be heard was already beginning to crush her ears.
Celsia began biting down on her tattered nails until they were mangled.
Blood flowed again, but she paid it no heed.
“……How, how, how are you going to deal with this? I did everything exactly as you told me!”
Celsia screamed hysterically.
“You said this method would work, that I should not worry about anything else!”
“Of course, I understand very well why you are angry. However…….”
A small voice flowed through the room that had been occupied by her alone.
From the darkness in the corner, someone revealed himself.
A man clad in a deep navy robe.
He had been in the room the entire time, yet his presence was so faint that no one but Celsia had noticed him.
With his hood pulled low, his face was obscured, only his unshadowed jaw barely visible.
“We, too, were quite surprised by this unforeseen situation.”
“You think you can end it with just saying you were surprised? I have waited for this day with all my heart, and yet—how could this be!”
“Ah, yes, yes, I know it well. Such a beautiful lady has made a sacrifice more splendid than any other. And yet, oh my! I cannot comprehend how he managed to survive while casting aside your noble sacrifice. What trick did those despicable Sun worshipers of Portplum use, I wonder!”
The playful tone of his voice cut sharply through the air, in stark contrast to Celsia’s desperate cries.
“But please do not worry, sister. Water merely flows, and because it does so, it follows the natural order. Thus, he will die according to that order. Is that not obvious?”
“No! It has already gone wrong, already gone astray! How can you not see that! His revelation was correct—!”
“Our sister.”
In an instant, the atmosphere changed.
A chilling pressure radiated from the man, and the air grew heavy at once.
Sensing it, Celsia swallowed a dry breath and fell silent.
It felt as though something had tightly gripped her throat, making it impossible to speak.
“It is admirable to faithfully carry out His great will, but doubt is unacceptable. Do you intend to stray forever?”
“N-No, I, I did not! I had no such intention…….”
Celsia’s face drained of color in an instant.
Instead of forming proper words, she desperately shook her head.
A pitifully earnest motion.
The man in the navy robe stared intently at her, then withdrew his pressure.
“Ah, of course I know! Your blind faith, your devotion, your utter dedication! How could the flawless and noble one fail to know that?”
The man spread his arms and whispered dramatically.
Excitement thickly colored his voice as it rose.
“Your prayers have reached Him well, beautiful one. Therefore, there is no way for him to survive. We will take action once more.”
“A-Ah……! O Night God Helitica……!”
A hint of color returned to Celsia’s face.
If they acted directly, then surely it would be fine.
She had heard plenty of stories about their reputation.
The man in the robe smiled faintly.
“Even if he tries to scheme, we have burned every last piece of evidence. Nothing remains. Sister, therefore remain silent. Act flawlessly, just like Him. Nothing will happen.”
He raised both hands, pressing together only his index and middle fingers, and crossed them over his mouth.
A sacred and complete silence.
The sign of the Night God’s followers.
Celsia mirrored the gesture and nodded with an entranced expression.
“He will arrive soon. Welcome him with joy…….”
As soon as the man finished speaking, a faint commotion was heard outside the door.
Celsia looked toward the corner where the Night God’s follower had been, but whether he had melted into the darkness or slipped out through a window that had somehow opened, he was nowhere to be seen.
The noise paused for a brief moment.
Then the door burst open with a bang.
Celsia turned toward it.
Her expression had cooled and hardened, cruelly so, as if nothing had happened.
BANG!
The door slammed violently against the wall, producing a thunderous sound.
“Aah……!”
A maid nearly screamed as she tried to rush forward, but before she could even approach, another hand blocked her path.
Thus, Aquila was able to look inside without restraint.
Contrary to his expectation that she would be with someone, there was only one person in the room.
A woman seated on an antique sofa, staring toward the open door.
Judging by her complexion, the claim that she had been ill did not seem false; her face was pale and she did not look well.
It was likely worsened by what she was wearing.
Unlike the blood of House Reschenhardt, who always accented their attire with red as a family symbol, the woman’s clothing was dominated by pale whites and blues.
Her subtle gray eyes fixed sharply on Aquila.
And then—
For the first time, their gazes met.
【Information on the keyword ‘Celsia Reschenhardt’ has been unlocked!】
【Celsia Reschenhardt — Daughter of Ludovika, fervent follower of the Night God, ????
Actions prior to the 30th run: The one who placed the ‘Curse of Deadly Poison’ on Aquila Reschenhardt. After casting the curse, her condition weakened due to the price she paid.
Through the revelations of a genius alchemist and his close friend, her collusion with the Guild of Darkness was exposed, and she was ultimately executed.
Special notes: ????
Contains information that cannot yet be unlocked!】
“……?”
Aquila narrowed his eyes at the notification window that appeared instantly.
The first thing that caught his attention was, naturally, the part stating that she was the one who had cast the Curse of Deadly Poison.
Of course, this was something Aquila had already expected, so it was not particularly surprising.
There was ample evidence that Celsia Reschenhardt was the culprit, and the keyword information was merely a confirmation.
Considering that he would have to forcibly use the Scales of Judgment, having a clear answer was actually welcome.
However, the fact that parts of her information were obscured by question marks was a serious issue for him.
Normally, if a specific keyword had not been obtained, the information itself would not be revealed at all.
Yet on rare occasions, it appeared like this, filled with question marks.
That only happened when the character had been assigned a significant role.
In other words, only characters closely tied to the story or a quest displayed these question-mark hints.
‘……So she is not just a simple villain?’
After repeating twenty-nine runs, he had thought he had erased every last question mark.
He had never expected to encounter this mark again.
“What is all this commotion? Can you not even understand the order not to let anyone in? Do you truly require a beating?”
“I-I am terribly sorry, my lady!”
The maid trembled violently as she bowed again and again.
Aquila tore his gaze away from the window and quickly scanned Celsia’s face.
‘Exactly the personality I expected. Why do noble characters always have dispositions like this?’
Aquila tilted his head.
The sudden question marks had made him pause for a moment, but he would naturally obtain the answers as he progressed anyway.
It was practically the System handing him a hint, as if telling him not to overlook it.
Having settled his thoughts, Aquila was about to say something to Celsia while pointing at the maid—
When fingertips touched his back.
A hand hardened from long years of gripping a sword.
It was Cahena.
Which meant—
‘So it is here.’
Unconsciously curling one corner of his mouth upward, Aquila stepped forward.
He inclined his head toward Celsia.
“It has been a while, Lady Celsia.”
“Hah! To barge in so brazenly, you are shameless beyond belief. What are you doing here—!”
“Aquila Reschenhardt seeks the truth from Celsia Reschenhardt.”
“……What?”
Celsia uttered a confused sound at the sudden declaration.
But Aquila paid her no heed.
He drew a small knife from the inner pocket of his coat and sliced his own palm.
Blood flowed instantly from the hesitation-free motion.
Chelsey, who had approached his side without notice, held out a triangular ornament.
“As the price of impure suspicion, I stake my soul—”
“Stop!”
CLANG!
Sparks flew as blades met.
Cahena swiftly intercepted the blade that rushed toward Aquila.
“Kyaaah!”
“……I swear.”
Ignoring the maid’s scream beside him, Aquila calmly finished his words and let his blood drip onto the Scales of Judgment.
CLANG! CLASH!
The Guild of Darkness member lunged at Aquila once more, but Cahena expertly blocked him.
As a result, the emblem of Raspalara, now soaked in blood, began to glow red.
Ding!
【Forcibly initiating a dialogue without the other party’s consent will result in the highest-level penalty!】
【Proceed?】
【Yes No】
Without hesitation, Aquila pressed ‘Yes.’
The background began collapsing in a familiar way.
Of course, to the others’ eyes, it looked as though Aquila’s and Celsia’s bodies were melting away.
“H-How can this be……!”
“No!”
With Celsia’s panicked cry and the man in the navy robe’s scream as the last sounds, Aquila’s body vanished completely.