Chapter 2: Return
Meanwhile, a few moments earlier... The eastern skies welcomed daybreak as light reached the western skies and the ground below.
“Ah...!” The people present in Liselotte’s garden were all looking up at the sky in a daze. There, soaring through the skies was the black dragon-like creature Liselotte’s party had witnessed just the other day. Its mouth was open as it breathed a jet-black flame down at the city walls towards Amande’s northwest area.
However, the breath did not reach the ground. It collided with a single beam of light that stretched up from the ground and competed for dominance. In the next moment, the jet-black breath was pushed back, and a blinding flash of light tore across the sky.
Pretty... Liselotte vaguely thought about how beautiful the scene was. It was probably a magic of the highest grade, packed with tremendous destructive power, yet she couldn’t help but feel captivated by its beauty. Next to Liselotte, Celia was also looking at the sky in awe.
“...It’s retreating,” she mumbled quietly. The black dragon-like creature swiftly evaded the light that pushed back its breath, proceeding to change directions and fly away. Those in the estate garden watched on, astonished. After some time had passed, Aishia approached Celia with light footsteps.
“I’m done here, too. You can cancel your magic now,” she said in a casual tone, as though she had returned from a stroll. The revenants that had overrun the estate garden mere moments ago were all eliminated, leaving no trace behind. It really was nothing more than a walk in the park for Aishia.
“O-Okay. You’ve worked hard.” Celia deactivated the Magicae Murum barrier she had maintained until now and looked at Aishia as though she wanted to ask something.
“Haruto is fine,” Aishia informed her shortly, having guessed her thoughts. At that, Celia’s expression loosened slightly. Hearing Rio was safe from Aishia’s own mouth lightened the burden on her chest a little. She couldn’t ask for details in front of Liselotte, but she would believe in Aishia’s words.
“O-Oh,” Celia stammered in a light tone.
“...Thank you so much, to the both of you. Your assistance has helped minimize the damage that could’ve taken place here. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart.” Liselotte bowed her head to Aishia and Celia.
“N-No, I didn’t do anything useful. It was all thanks to Aishia.” Celia shook her head in a fluster, looking at Aishia.
“I only fought for Haruto’s sake. The situation still isn’t resolved, so we should consider what happens next,” Aishia said, looking around the estate. Thanks to Aishia’s participation and the fact the revenants were toying with the knights while fighting, the damage wasn’t as great as it could have been, but there were still casualties. Some of the knights among them were unconscious, so it was too early to think optimistically. There was also the possibility of fights breaking out elsewhere, outside of the estate grounds, too.
“...Of course.” Liselotte focused her expression into a serious one.
“Please pay us no heed and return to your post, Lady Liselotte. If you need an extra healer, I am able to use Cura and can lend a hand,” Celia said, urging Liselotte to take action.
“I’m sorry for putting you in this position. Could you please accompany me, then? I must confirm the situation with haste,” Liselotte requested with a bow of her head.
Cura users were few and far between. The effectiveness of recovery varied between users, but Celia’s use of magic in the earlier battle was of a rather high skill. There was much to be expected.
“Yes,” Celia agreed immediately. There was a high probability she knew the people inside, and though she was currently in hiding from the world, there was no way she could turn a blind eye with lives at stake.
“Follow me, then.”
Thus, Celia and Aishia accompanied Liselotte inside the mansion.
Meanwhile, in the living room inside the mansion, Roanna was healing Duke Huguenot. She used her healing magic to treat his abdomen, which had been punched by the Alphonse revenant.
“Guh... What’s happening... outside...?” Duke Huguenot asked, his face distorted from the pain in his torso. His mouth was stained red with blood he had spat out.
“Please refrain from speaking. Your internal organs are difficult enough to heal already,” Roanna scolded the stretched out Duke Huguenot with a serious expression. Squatted right beside her was Stewart, who was watching the treatment go on with a terribly panicked face.
“Lady Roanna, Father... Father will be all right, won’t he?!” Stewart asked in disarray.
“Calm down. The healing will take time, but there should be no fear for his life,” Roanna answered bluntly.
“...Okay,” Stewart fidgeted restlessly and nodded.
I don’t know why he passed out, but Sir Hiroaki is safe. But I worry for what happened to Princess Flora, who escaped outside... Even as Roanna devoted herself to healing Duke Huguenot, she worried for the safety and whereabouts of Flora. While there was no mistaking the fact that remaining in the room at that point was dangerous, she knew revenants had appeared outside soon after. She couldn’t help but worry.
“Has the knight who went out with the message still not returned?” Roanna asked in frustration and looked outside the door.
“He has just returned with Lady Liselotte, my lady!” the knight on guard outside the door replied. A short while later, Liselotte appeared alongside the messenger knight. Beside her were two attendants, as well as Celia and Aishia.
“Ugh...” The newcomers looked at the disaster around the room with solemn faces. There was a great hole opened in the wall of the hallway, and the interior was a battletorn mess. Laid to rest in the corner of the room were the corpses of the two knights that had been guarding the door before the attack.
Celia had a solemn face too, but when she noticed Duke Huguenot and her former students Roanna and Stewart, she readjusted her hood lower in a casual manner.
“...You two heal the wounded knights,” Liselotte ordered her two accompanying attendants, thinking it best to begin treatment on the knights that appeared to be less wounded.
“Yes, my lady!” The two attendants nodded, promptly taking action.
“May I ask what happened here?” Liselotte approached the wounded Duke Huguenot lying down and looked at the idle people for confirmation.
“M-Monsters came in! Humanoid ones! What was the mansion security doing?! My father was injured because of this!” Stewart cried out, scolding Liselotte in agitation.
“I apologize for my delay in noticing the monster’s attack...” Liselotte apologized with a shamed expression.
“S-Stop that, Stewart,” Duke Huguenot said with a grimace. “Roanna, you explain in his place.”
A bitter expression rose on Stewart’s face.
“Then I shall heal in her place.” Celia immediately walked over to Roanna and swapped out her healing duty.
“And you are...?” Roanna looked at Celia with her face hidden under the hood and tilted her head curiously.
“A helper. Report to Lady Liselotte first,” Celia said before placing her hand over Duke Huguenot’s wound and chanting the spell “Cura.”
“A swarm of humanoid monsters came surging into this room. We somehow managed to make it through thanks to Sir Hiroaki’s efforts, but Duke Huguenot was wounded severely...” Roanna reported on the situation with a small breath.
“...Is the hero safe?” Liselotte looked at Hiroaki and asked nervously. Hiroaki had been laid on the floor, still unconscious.
“Yes, after he drove away the monsters he suddenly passed out, but there’s no particular danger to his life. Also, if I may ask — where is Princess Flora? We managed to get her away from the room, but...” Roanna asked in a panic.
“I’d like you to listen to this calmly...” Liselotte began, looking at Roanna.
“...Please, tell me.” Roanna had a bad feeling, but urged her to continue.
Liselotte gritted her teeth and stated the truth bluntly. “Princess Flora has been kidnapped by someone.”
“W-What did you say?! Why... How? How could that happen?!” Sure enough, Roanna was extremely upset.
“The details are unclear. When the monsters were rushing into the garden, a strange man came running out of the mansion with Princess Flora and escaped outside of the grounds in the chaos.”
“N-No...” Roanna looked like the end of the world had come as she sank to her knees weakly. “...Sir Haruto is currently pursuing the man alone, but we cannot afford to sit idly in the meantime, either. First, there is still the possibility that the man’s accomplices are in the area, so could you tell me the events that took place when Princess Flora was taken out of the room?” There may be a clue there, Liselotte thought as she asked, but Roanna was white as a sheet from the shock.
“I heard a gentleman’s voice in the confusion when the humanoid monsters were swarming into the room, s-so I told her to... I can’t believe that man was... W-What h-have I done...” Roanna said in a trembling voice. In all probability, that man must have been the culprit that took Flora, which left Roanna feeling like she had the responsibility for entrusting Flora to him.
“...There’s no point in worrying about what has been done. The only thing we can do now is believe in Sir Haruto. Your judgment was the correct one in that situation, Roanna. Liselotte, you too. The situation here is being handled. You should return to giving directions to everyone else,” Duke Huguenot said with an ashen face.
“A-Are you really all right, Duke Huguenot? Please don’t push yourself...” Liselotte asked in a fluster.
“No, I can tell the pain has lessened from before. It’s all thanks to your wonderful skill,” Duke Huguenot said, looking up at Celia as she used her healing magic.
Celia looked at Roanna from under her hood. “...No, my lady over there had already completed all the preliminary treatment with her Cura. All I did was continue that. Once the finishing touches have been applied, you should be good,” she said humbly. She was a little scared that her former students, Roanna and Stewart, would recognize her from her voice, but the two of them seemed to be preoccupied with other things at the moment.
“F-Father! You have recovered!” Stewart brightened with a smile when he saw Duke Huguenot’s complexion return to normal.
“...” Duke Huguenot averted his eyes from Stewart awkwardly. The difference in enthusiasm between the two showed their warped father-child relationship.
“Then I shall excuse myself for now. Sir Haruto may return at some point, so Lady Cecilia and Lady Aishia should come with me. Grace, you continue with Duke Huguenot’s treatment. I’m leaving this place to the rest of you,” Liselotte said.
“Understood. Please leave this to me, Lady Cecilia,” Grace requested respectfully, approaching Celia to heal Duke Huguenot.
“Thank you.” Celia removed her hand from the wound and passed the task on to Grace.
Meanwhile, Rio was carrying Flora in his arms as he ran along the rooftops of the noble district at the northwest of the city. His destination was, of course, Liselotte’s estate.
“...” Flora stared intensely up at Rio’s face from close range. However, Rio didn’t say anything despite noticing Flora’s gaze.
Sir... Haruto... So close, yet so far. It made Flora feel so sad. She grasped at Rio’s clothes tightly.
At that, Rio landed on the ramparts surrounding the noble district in the inner city and paused for a moment.
“The mansion is in view now.”
“Yes,” Flora whispered with a near inaudible voice.
“...Are you feeling unwell, by any chance? I held back as much as I could, but all that leaping must have shaken you up and down a lot. If you’re feeling a bit of motion sickness, you can rest here for a moment.” While Rio had a guess as to why Flora was being gloomy, he chose to offer another excuse out of consideration.
“N-No, I’m fine.” Flora shook her head quickly; she wasn’t feeling bad because of the motion. Rio’s consideration had been seemingly off, but he had purposefully acted considerately in the wrong way. The murky feelings within Flora grew larger when she suspected that.
“Then, let’s hurry. I’m sure everyone is worried too,” Rio said calmly before leaping once more. This time, Rio’s body floated lightly in the air, as though his feet had sprouted wings. He landed like that on the roof of a nearby building.
Hop, float, hop, float. Flora felt like she was a flower petal dancing in the wind. Her body felt light, but her heart felt as though it was heavy and being swallowed by the ground below.
The short but endless silence resumed between them, and the two of them arrived at the mansion roughly a minute later.
Rio leaped over the estate walls he had crossed once in his pursuit of Lucius and returned to Liselotte’s estate grounds. With Flora still in his arms in a princess carry, he headed towards the garden of the estate at a walking pace.
“Haruto!” Celia noticed Rio’s presence first and came running over in a hurry. Aishia was right beside her, so they probably knew he was approaching in advance.
Rio smiled gently in response to Celia and Aishia. “Sorry for worrying the two of you.”
“It’s okay. Princess Flora, I’m glad you’re safe,” Celia said awkwardly, looking at Flora. She noticed that Flora’s complexion was off, but she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at the novel sight of Rio holding Flora in a princess carry. It was something she never would have imagined during their academy days.
“Yes. You’re...” Flora looked at the hood-covered Celia and tilted her head in question. Just then, Liselotte noticed Rio’s return and came running.
“Sir Haruto! Princess Flora! The two of you are safe!” Liselotte called out excitedly. Her expression was one of utmost relief, as though all of her worries had been eased.
“I have brought Princess Flora back as promised. Unfortunately, the kidnapper managed to get away...” Rio said with a bitter expression once Liselotte ran over.
“Not to worry! I can’t thank you enough for bringing Princess Flora back,” Liselotte vehemently denied his words. The situation had been on the brink of utter despair, but they somehow managed to avoid the worst possible outcome with this. Just having Flora return unharmed was the most fortuitous stroke of luck she could have asked for.
“Then, may I leave Princess Flora to you?” Having completed his duty, Rio wanted to entrust Flora’s safety to Liselotte.
“Of course. For now, let us move inside the mansion. You can tell me the details on the way,” said Liselotte.
“Understood. Then, Princess Flora, I’ll let you down here,” Rio said, moving to set Flora to the ground. However, Flora suddenly grabbed at Rio’s clothes in clear refusal to get down on the ground. Celia and Liselotte both looked wide-eyed at Flora with surprised expressions.
“U-Umm, my legs still feel numb... I’m sorry.” Flora realized she had done something awkward and made an uncomfortable face, explaining herself with a barely audible voice.
“...I understand. Then if it isn’t too presumptuous of me, I shall escort you to the mansion like this,” Rio stated without batting an eye.
“Thank you for your assistance, Sir Haruto.” Liselotte bowed her head apologetically to Rio. She had the mistaken idea that Flora was still frightened from being kidnapped.
Celia had the same thought as Liselotte and spoke to Rio softly, “Umm, thank you, Haruto.”
“Yes, of course.” Rio turned a gentle smile to Celia and walked forward immediately.
“Uh...” When Flora witnessed the smile Rio directed at Celia, she frowned at the difference in treatment she could feel compared to herself, but Celia and Liselotte began walking along with them to the mansion none the wiser. For the record, most of Liselotte’s attendant girls were occupied by the cleanup efforts after all the commotion inside and outside the mansion, inevitably leaving Liselotte the role of guiding them to the mansion.
Liselotte explained the situation to an attendant nearby before inviting Rio and the others to follow her. “Now, Sir Haruto. There’s just one thing to address before I ask you about the kidnapper. Earlier, a black dragon-like creature near the northwest area released a breath. The one who forced that breath back was...”
“...It was me. I don’t know whether it was coincidental or not, but just as the kidnapper was pushed back into a corner, that breath came down. I used my enchanted sword to counter it immediately, but the culprit got away...” Rio’s face stiffened and he spoke in a flat tone.
“So it was you...” Liselotte must have expected that, as she didn’t seem all that surprised at his reply. That being said, there were many thoughts she had about it...
“I have an idea of the kidnapper’s background. Rather, I knew of the man in question... The moment he appeared in the garden, I realized I had heard that voice before. That’s why I tried to chase after him. Of course, with the intention to rescue Princess Flora as well.” Rio didn’t go too deep into the irregular and unpredictable actions of the dragon-like creature, but spoke of Lucius instead.
“Is that... true?” Celia asked Rio in a daze.
“...Yes,” Rio confirmed, ashamed.
“Do you know the man’s name?” Liselotte asked nervously.
“Yes. The man’s name is Lucius. I believe him to be the same person as the leader of the mercenary squad, The Heavenly Lions — also known as The Griffins,” Rio revealed in a sharp tone.
By gathering information in the Strahl region whenever possible, Rio had learned that Lucius was the name of the man that led The Griffins. He also found that descriptions of that man’s appearance aligned with what Rio knew of Lucius as well.
“I’ve heard of that. It’s the veteran mercenary squad comprised of a small number of elite warriors, right? They haven’t shown themselves in public recently, so there were rumors they had disbanded...” Liselotte nodded in contemplation.
“You’re as knowledgeable as I expected,” Rio said, turning to her.
“That’s how renowned The Griffins are in this line of business, so it was more like necessary knowledge for me... But how did you know that man, Sir Haruto?” Liselotte asked while examining Rio’s expression.
“...He’s someone I have a bit of a past with,” Rio answered evasively, an awkward look on his face.
...Someone Rio has a past with? Celia cocked her head and looked at Rio curiously. As far as pasts went, Rio had attended the royal academy from age seven to twelve. He shouldn’t have had many opportunities to interact with the outside world, either. This meant that this man named Lucius must have had something to do with Rio either before he turned seven, or after he left the academy.
However, contrary to Celia’s pondering, Flora — who had been listening to the words exchanged in the earlier battle — had a very sad face.
Liselotte read the situation and apologized in shame. “Forgive me, I have pried too far in my questioning.”
Rio dismissed this and changed the topic to the core of the matter. “Not at all. But the more important question here should be which force is trying to kidnap Princess Flora, would you agree? Both the appearance of the monsters and dragon-like creature was timed too conveniently for the series of events that occurred.”
“...I’ve never heard of a technique that could control monsters, so I do admit I am curious. By force, do you think that someone has hired this mercenary named Lucius?”
“Yes. During his escape, another man assisted Lucius. His name was Reiss.”
“Reiss...”
“Does it ring a bell?” Rio asked.
“...No,” Liselotte shook her head.
“While he managed to get away, Lucius suffered heavy wounds. At the very least, he won’t be able to appear again anytime soon. If you’re going to search, then you should look around the northwest wall.”
“Understood. Thank you for the information. Oh, we’ve been chatting for a while now. Here, come this way. We’re almost there.” Liselotte directed them to a T-intersection down the corridor they were walking.
There wasn’t a sign of a single monster left inside the mansion, but just in case, small numbers of attendant girls were patrolling every area with knights in tow, strengthening the security in the area. And so, they passed many people on their way.
Liselotte stopped at the corner before they turned to the destination room and spoke to Flora in Rio’s arms. “Most regrettably, two knights have passed away. However, the hero, Lady Roanna, and Duke Huguenot are all safe. Please show them that you are as well.”
“Two... knights... I-I understand.” Two people had died because of her — Flora frowned in shame at that truth, but her dignity as a princess made her nod while biting her lip (incidentally, Flora was yet to be informed by Duke Huguenot that Alphonse and the knights dispatched to the forest had gone missing). Then, somewhat unconsciously, she tightened her clinging grip around Rio.
“...” A slightly uncomfortable expression showed on Rio’s face. Celia glanced at his side profile.
“Then please, come this way.” Liselotte began to move once more. She turned the corner and walked out into the corridor with the room where Roanna and the others were waiting.
The two knights guarding the outside of the open door immediately noticed Liselotte’s appearance. When they spotted Rio carrying Flora, they yelled into the living room in a hurry. “P-Princess Flora has returned!”
“I-Is that true?! Princess Flora? Princess Flora?!” Roanna came rushing out of the door in a panic. The normally-calm girl was terribly shaken at the moment, leaping through the door and looking around the corridor wildly. Then, when she spotted Flora being carried in Rio’s arms, she approached Flora on shaky legs.
“Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness you’re safe...!”
“Roanna...” Flora called Roanna’s name weakly.
“Are you... are you hurt anywhere, Princess Flora?! Please accept my utmost apologies. My thoughtless action led to Your Highness being placed in such terrible danger. Oh, however will I repent for this...” Roanna kneeled as soon as she reached Flora, lamenting with deep regret.
Flora shook her head with a fleeting smile. “It’s not your fault, Roanna. Sir Haruto saved me, so I’m fine. Are you all right yourself? You kept protecting me...”
“Of course! I am unscathed. Duke Huguenot suffered a deep wound, but his life is no longer in danger after healing. The hero is safe too.”
Flora smiled weakly. “I’m glad. But I heard there were knights that had passed away too...” she said, frowning regretfully.
“...Yes. The two who were originally guarding the outside of the door were killed... Umm, I understand how you must be feeling to a painful degree, but they died for the just cause of protecting Your Highness. If possible, please praise them as brave heroes.” Roanna chose her words carefully, as though to encourage Flora.
“...Right,” Flora bit her lip and nodded.
“But I’m truly, truly glad to see you’re safe, Princess Flora. If something unforgivable had been done to you, I... I... Oh, Sir Haruto, thank you. Thank you so much. I simply cannot thank you enough.” Roanna shuddered at the thought of what could have gone wrong and thanked Rio imploringly.
Rio shook his head gently. “No, it’s nothing to be thanked for. I’ll carry her inside the room, but please look after Princess Flora after that. She still seems to be frightened.”
“Of course. I will repay this debt in the future. Please, come this way,” Roanna nodded with determination before inviting them inside. Rio and the others proceeded to follow Roanna into the living room. Hiroaki was still lying unconscious, but the bodies of the two knights had been moved away somewhere.
When Rio entered the room, Duke Huguenot welcomed him and Flora with a powerful voice. “Ooh, Princess Flora! You’re safe...! Haruto, you have my gratitude!”
“Uh...” In contrast, Stewart averted his eyes from Rio awkwardly.
“It was nothing,” Rio said.
In the meantime, Roanna immediately prepared a chair for Flora to sit in. “Please, have a seat here.”
“I’m letting you down now. Excuse me.” This time, Rio made sure to put Flora down.
“...Okay. Thank you... very much,” Flora said with a somewhat reluctant face, then released her grip on Rio’s clothes. Even after being placed to sit in a chair, her gaze was locked on Rio’s face.
Rio felt awkward on the receiving end of Flora’s gaze. He looked at Celia and Aishia. “...I’m going to take my leave now. Shall we go?” he suggested now that their business was done.
“P-Please wait a moment. Where are you going?” Liselotte asked, stopping Rio in a hurry. She had received a report earlier that things had calmed down outside, so she was hoping to exchange a little more information with him.
“I’ll only be a bother if I remain here like this, so I was thinking of going outside to help,” Rio said while looking at Stewart.
He had just been in a dispute with him the other day. It was more than enough reason for the two of them to feel awkward about being in the same room as each other. That being said, his actual intention was to avoid Celia being in the same room as Beltrum’s royalty and nobility as much as possible.
Liselotte recalled the discord between them and immediately directed the conversation to their departure. “Oh, I do apologize. May I request that of you, then?” Normally she would have noticed much sooner and moved to separate them, but the emergency situation had prevented her from getting that far, much to her regret.
Gosh, I’m hopeless. I must be tired. She’d inform Duke Huguenot and the others of what had happened after the crisis passed instead. It wasn’t something she needed to prioritize at this moment.
“Leave it to me.” Rio placed his right hand against his chest respectfully.
“You should go too, Liselotte. We’ll get the details from Princess Flora,” Duke Huguenot urged.
“Thank you for the consideration. There’ll be a need to go over what is going on sooner or later, so I’ll arrange a meeting once the danger has passed. I’ve increased the security inside the mansion to the maximum, so please rest your body. I will also apologize for my failures on another occasion,” Liselotte spoke fluently, bowing her head.
Duke Huguenot smiled faintly. “There’s no need for you to worry. Pay us no mind and continue your direction over the situation. Haruto, allow me to thank you for saving Princess Flora on a later occasion.”
“Your words are enough for me,” Rio lowered his head respectfully.
“Umm, Sir Haruto!” Flora suddenly called out to Rio with all her might.
“...Yes?” Rio replied, turning his fixing gaze on Flora.
“Ah, umm... Thank you very much, for what happened. Could we please talk some more later?” Flora asked with a somewhat frightened expression.
“Of course. Now, if you would excuse me. Lady Liselotte,” Rio nodded respectfully with his right hand on his chest before looking at Liselotte.
“All right. I’m leaving the rest to you, Grace. You can give orders to the attendants and knights patrolling the area if you need anything,” Liselotte bowed her head deeply, then called out to the attendant girl waiting in the room.
“Yes, my lady!” Grace nodded humbly.
“Then, the three of you, come this way.” Liselotte led Rio and the others out of the living room.
“Lady Liselotte, I’d like to return to the northwest area of the city to try and search for traces of the kidnappers. Would this be okay?” Rio asked once they’d left the living room with Flora and the others.
“Of course. There’s nothing more I could ask for if you’d investigate,” Liselotte agreed while examining Rio’s expression. With her hands full with dealing with the monsters and no personnel free to send, the offer was something Liselotte would have gladly bowed her head to request herself, so for Haruto to volunteer was perfect. It wasn’t a job to leave to an amateur, but she had no complaints if it was him.
“The kidnapper is someone of interest to me as well. I’ll go and check if there are any clues,” Rio declared firmly.
“Understood. I’m counting on you,” Liselotte nodded.
“Leave it to me. I’d like to ask the two of you to stay here and assist Lady Liselotte. The three of us will talk when I return,” Rio said to Celia and Aishia.
Celia suppressed her worries and smiled innocently. “...Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
“Thanks,” Rio nodded with a smile to reassure Celia.
“See you later. Leave Cecilia to me,” Aishia said, sending Rio off as she usually did.
“I’m counting on you, Aishia.” Rio smiled.
If anything happens, let me know through telepathy, he added through said method of communication.
Yup. We won’t be able to connect if you go too far, so be careful.
Rio and Aishia’s telepathy range was roughly a radius of one kilometer. While it was technically possible to communicate over one kilometer, the connection quality rapidly decreased after that point. The distance from Liselotte’s mansion to the area where Rio and Lucius fought was actually the limit for a clear telepathic connection.
Got it. If anything happens, prioritize the professor’s safety over anything else.
Yup, nodded Aishia.
“...I’ll be going then, Lady Liselotte. I intend on having a look around the west gate on my way back, so I’ll report to you later,” Rio said, having passed those instructions on to Aishia.
“Thank you very much. Please allow me to thank you officially on a later date.” Liselotte bowed her head deeply.
Several minutes later, Rio left the mansion once again, heading for the outside of the walls to Amande’s northwest. The area where he had fought Lucius earlier was battered with violent scars from their fight. The remnants of their battle weren’t only visible by the naked eye, however.
There’s still a large amount of ode jumbled together. I won’t be able to investigate with spirit arts. When Rio felt the accumulated remnants of magical essence nearby, he sighed quietly. There was a spirit art that could detect other people’s essence by releasing one’s own essence into the area, but with this much of it around, there was no way it could detect anything effectively. And there were ways of completely suppressing essence anyway.
Which means I’ll have to look around myself. But before that... Rio immediately changed his thought process and headed to the place he had last seen Reiss holding Lucius.
The ground’s been completely gouged away. I guess he removed any traces of blood before leaving. But if he had to move while carrying Lucius, then there should be blood sprayed somewhere...
Rio touched his hand to the ground and checked for any stains of blood. Since Lucius had been bleeding profusely from his entire body, there had to be something left behind along the route they took. As long as he could find that, then he could follow those tracks.
Rio looked around for a while, but —
...There’s nothing.
There were no stains that resembled Lucius’ blood anywhere. At the very least, not within a 10 meter radius of the scene...
During their fight, Rio’s attention was directed to the attack from the sky for a single, mere instant, and the interception of dark and light had obstructed his vision. There weren’t many ways of disappearing so abruptly in that limited time period.
I don’t see any footsteps in the area either. Did they leave via the skies? Rio suddenly looked up. When Rio’s spirit arts collided with the breath in the sky, the surrounding skies had been shaken by violent shockwaves, but it wasn’t impossible for an experienced spirit arts user to fly through it.
...Was that man a spirit arts user too?
The possibility was there; the ball of light Reiss had conjured before leaving was created without a verbal spell. It hadn’t been created with magic, at least. However, if he had flown through the sky, that should have made the trail of bloodstains even more noticeable, yet there wasn’t a single trace of that.
Which means the remaining possibility is Transilio...
It was possible there was another method Rio hadn’t considered yet, but teleportation would explain everything else. Transilio was impossible to recreate with the modern sorcery of Strahl, but it was a different case when ancient artifacts were involved. However, ancient artifacts with some form of teleportation in them were hard to come by, and there weren’t many in circulation. It was hard to know if they existed at all.
At any rate, with no concrete evidence, Rio would have to withhold his judgment for the time being. Even if he could narrow things down, the mystery remained exactly that.
But they may have escaped through another method. I’ll look around the area some more.
Regardless of whether or not they used teleportation, the wound was fatal and required immediate treatment. If they were hidden nearby, then they shouldn’t have gone very far yet.
Thus, Rio first started walking towards the forest. However, after ten minutes of walking around, he hadn’t spotted any traces remaining.
Nothing in sight, huh. There were no signs of Lucius’ blood spilled anywhere, nor any signs of Reiss trampling the grass with his feet. The aftermath of the earlier battle had left the forest in a mess, making it hard to spot something, but Rio was certain he hadn’t missed anything.
...Don’t tell me they escaped into the city, Rio thought, looking around the city wall next. However, there were no signs there either, so he headed for the west gate for now.
“...Sir Haruto?” Aria appeared in a casual manner, dressed in her combat-use attendant uniform and equipped with her enchanted sword. Her eyes widened slightly when she spotted Rio.
“What are you doing here, Aria?” Rio’s eyes also widened.
“Things at the east gate have calmed down, so I was thinking of investigating the dragon-like creature that released that fiery breath. May I ask the same of you, Sir Haruto?”
“I received a request from Lady Liselotte to investigate the kidnapper,” Rio replied, his explanation brief.
“A kidnapper, you say?” The normally unexpressive Aria widened her eyes in great interest.
“Earlier, the mansion was attacked by monsters. In the midst of that chaos, Princess Flora was kidnapped.”
“...Princess Flora was kidnapped?” The unexpected information made Aria freeze, her voice showing a hint of doubt. Her reaction was understandable — Liselotte’s estate should have been the safest place in Amande.
“The extermination of the surging monsters has already been completed. Lady Liselotte wasn’t harmed in the slightest and I have already retrieved Princess Flora, so there is no need to worry in that regard.”
“...I cannot thank you enough.” Aria suddenly bowed her head toward Rio.
“It’s nothing worth thanking me for. I actually ended up fighting the kidnapper, but he managed to get away after I cornered him. Now that I’ve returned Princess Flora to the mansion, I’m back to search some more.”
“Is that so? In that case, the one who forced back the attack that came down from the sky was...”
“It was me. The culprit got away while I was leveraging a counterattack,” Rio said with a bitter smile.
“...I understand the situation now. If that is the case, then I shall assist in your investigation,” Aria offered.
“No, I’ve already finished my search. I was going to check on the state of the west gate before heading back to the mansion. Unfortunately, there were no traces left behind, so I do not believe the culprit is in the area.”
“Understood. Then I shall accompany you back to the mansion instead — that was my original intention. There are no problems at the west gate, so I believe it is fine if I continue with my mission and accompany you.” She still had many things she wanted to ask, but that would wait until they were on the move.
“I understand. Shall we go, then?” Rio asked.
“Yes,” Aria nodded her head respectfully.
Rio and Aria ran through the city until they returned to Liselotte’s estate. Once they were within the grounds, they came across attendants Natalie and Cosette.
When Cosette realized it was Rio, she welcomed him with a beaming smile. “Sir Haruto, welcome.”
“Long time no see, you two,” Rio replied with a friendly smile.
“Thank you so much for what happened earlier, Sir Haruto,” Natalie thanked Rio politely.
“It was a truly wonderful fight to witness. Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate the monsters surging the east gate,” Cosette praised Rio with a grin.
“I’m glad to be of help. However, it seemed like some of the humanoid monsters got inside the city...” Rio said with a faint frown.
“The evacuation of the residents had already been completed, so thankfully nothing big came out of it. Also, I heard that you defeated several of the monsters that made it into the middle of the city too,” Natalie said, bowing in gratitude.
Rio smiled gently. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Allow us to lead you to our master. Please, come this way,” Cosette said, taking the initiative to become Rio’s guide.
At that, Aria finally opened her mouth to declare her presence in exasperation. “You know, I’m here too...”
“Oh, if it isn’t Aria. Why are you with Sir Haruto?” Cosette asked her curtly.
“I was checking out the northwest city wall on my way back to the mansion when I bumped into him,” Aria replied with a small sigh.
“Ah, investigating the location of that breath attack.” Natalie inclined her head.
Cosette shot Aria a smug look before directing her question at Rio. “There’s no doubt that Sir Haruto was the one that forced it back, yes?”
“Yes, somehow,” Rio nodded with a strained smile.
“So I heard on the way here.” Aria had already learned this on the way, so she wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, she watched Rio’s side profile.
“Leave the idle chit-chat here and quickly show Sir Haruto to our master,” she ordered Cosette and Natalie.
“As you wish,” the two of them agreed respectfully.
The attendants led Rio to an area with several pavilions set up; a field hospital where the wounded were carried. Inside one of the tents, Liselotte and several of her attendants were using Cura to heal the wounded as assistants circled around them in feverish haste.
“Sir Haruto. Aria.” Liselotte was in the middle of healing a severely wounded soldier with a serious face, but she immediately noticed Rio and called out to them.
“Please pay me no mind and continue your treatment,” Rio urged.
“Much obliged. But I’m almost done anyway, so please wait there for a moment. ...Okay, all done.” Liselotte confirmed that the wound on the soldier’s abdomen was completely closed before deactivating her healing magic.
“T-Thank you very much, Lady Liselotte! O-Oww?!” The soldier immediately tried to spring up to thank Liselotte. However, he was soon reminded of the pain in his stomach and grimaced.
“Didn’t I just tell you that the wound may still open, so make sure you avoid rigorous movement for a few days? Don’t even think about using your stomach muscles. It was a pretty deep wound, you know,” Liselotte said with a sigh.
“I-I have no excuse.” The soldier hung his head in shame.
“Okay. If you feel anything weird, call one of the attendants nearby immediately. Now, take care of yourself,” Liselotte said, standing up with a grin. The soldier that received treatment was completely distracted, watching Liselotte’s retreating back with a sloppy expression. Meanwhile, the other wounded men were glaring at that soldier in jealousy.
Liselotte ignored the conversations going on behind her. “Sorry for the wait, Sir Haruto. Lady Cecilia and Lady Aishia are assisting the healing efforts in the tent next to us. Let’s move there first.”
“Are you sure you can leave?” Rio looked around the room.
“Yes. The rest will be left to the three over there. And you’re back too, Aria,” Liselotte beamed, looking over at Aria, Natalie, and Cosette.
“Yes. I just arrived with Sir Haruto,” Aria replied.
“With Sir Haruto?” Liselotte tilted her head.
“We ran into each other by coincidence,” Rio explained.
“I dropped by the northwest area after cleaning up the monsters at the west gate,” Aria added.
“I see. Do you have anything urgent to report on your side?”
Aria shook her head quietly. “...Nothing that can’t wait until later. I shall report the details to you at a later time.”
“Okay, sounds good. Then, Sir Haruto — please come this way.”
“Understood.” Rio followed Liselotte out of the tent.
“By the way, Sir Haruto. Did you find any hints about the kidnapper?” Liselotte asked, stopping outside of the tent.
“No. He should have suffered fairly fatal wounds, and yet I didn’t even see any stains of blood.” Rio shook his head in disappointment.
“Is that so... At any rate, I would like to organize all the information first. Extermination of the monsters at the east and west gate is pretty much completed, and the situation has settled a bit, but we cannot relax yet. I’m sorry to ask this, but could you tell me more at a later time with Princess Flora and Duke Huguenot in attendance?” Liselotte asked with an apologetic face.
“Of course — I have no objections,” Rio said readily.
“Thank you very much. Fortunately, the attendants dispatched to every area of the city have started to return, so the mansion won’t be lacking personnel any longer. There’s no need for you and your friends to trouble yourselves anymore. I will arrange for a room where you can rest immediately.” There was no way Rio and his companions could return to their room at the inn in this situation.
Rio decided to obediently accept Liselotte’s offer. “...I understand. I will gladly take you up on that.”
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