Episode 24

“How many dragon bones were stolen?”

Stolen? I blinked a few times at Reuden’s words, then looked at Sion. On his dry, expressionless face, there was a faint but unmistakable hint of embarrassment.

When no answer came for some time, Reuden let out a short breath and continued.

“If you’re thinking of saying that the one Count Sirius was holding was the only thing lost, don’t. Just tell me the truth. We need to prepare, or whatever else must be done.”

Reuden, who had been speaking calmly, soon furrowed his brow sharply.

“Why on earth did you not write it properly in the report? How could you conceal something from the royal family……”

“……”

“Have you no mouth? Say something. When, where, and how much was stolen? Don’t tell me it wasn’t theft, but merely a loss?”

Reuden seemed truly angry. Caught in the middle, I pursed my lips, not knowing what to do. Just then, Sion sighed.

“Immediately after subjugating the Windbird Dragon, some fragments of its bone disappeared. As though someone had broken them off and taken them. Compared to the original size of the bone, the amount that vanished was insignificant. Perhaps they thought a piece that small would go unnoticed if it disappeared.”

“And? So you decided the royal family would not know either, and did not report it?”

“……We immediately checked the other bone fragments as well. When we learned that five pieces had disappeared, including the Windbird’s, Daiwen and I discussed it. Whether or not to inform the royal family.”

“And the conclusion you reached after discussing it was not to inform them?”

Reuden sneered as though it were absurd. Somehow having ended up overhearing an important conversation, I stayed still, unable to do this or that. It felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

I see. So dragon bones had been stolen……. And yet the Hugo Knights didn’t report it.

Remembering the report I had seen a few days ago, I glanced at Reuden.

Indeed, that report had only said that they had subjugated a dragon; there had been nothing about anything being stolen. Reuden must have found it absurd too, since dragon bone had suddenly ended up in the hands of an ordinary person.

But who on earth had stolen dragon bone and given it to an ordinary person? Was it Count Sirius after all? Against the Hugo Knights?

“We……”

Sion, who had maintained his silence, finally parted his lips. His blue eyes were as cold as winter.

“We must not be bound to the royal family, Marquis.”

“……”

“If this matter becomes known, His Majesty, who wishes to make us royal property, will try to put us in the palm of his hand. Am I wrong?”

“……I cannot say you are wrong.”

“That is why we chose silence. But we could not simply sit still, so we split the knight order in two. One group was put in charge of recovering the dragon bones, and the other of subjugating dragons.”

Reuden’s frown deepened endlessly. Sion sighed.

“I am not claiming that we did all we could simply because we split up and acted separately. If His Majesty punishes us for this matter, we will accept it willingly. However, we must not only recover the dragon bones, but also continue the remaining dragon subjugations……”

“You’ve gone properly mad. Since you people have been going around subjugating dragons, there can’t be many dragons left in the world now. Why have you become so obsessed with dragon subjugation? There should be nothing more important right now than recovering the dragon bones.”

It was harsh, but Reuden had a point. Sion did not answer. Reuden let out another sigh.

“Consider yourselves fortunate that there were no casualties today. And you had better prepare whatever excuses you can, regarding the theft of the dragon bones, what happened today, and what comes next as well. You know as well as I do that His Majesty is not an easy man.”

Sion’s expression grew heavy, as though he had fallen into thought.

For some reason, I was looking at him with my brows lowered, feeling a little sorry for him, when Reuden looked down at me this time. Flinching at that overwhelming gaze, I covered my mouth with both clenched fists and looked up at him. Reuden’s frown narrowed a little more.

“What is that pose?”

“I’m acting cute. Don’t be angry.”

At my words, Reuden parted his lips slightly as though at a loss for words, and only then did the tension in his brow ease.

“If it seems like someone is angry, don’t fawn over them. Just tell them not to be angry. Why would you try to coax someone by acting cute?”

“Because you’re weak to cute things, Reuden.”

“……”

“Sorry. I regretted it as soon as I said it.”

When I spoke quietly, almost in a whisper, at his chilly reaction, Reuden let out a faint sigh and took hold of my arm.

“You’re not hurt anywhere else, are you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Good. That’s a relief, at least.”

“Wow. Reuden is worrying about me. I’m so happy that you’re worrying about me, I might have to consider going around getting hurt from now on.”

Reuden immediately looked at me with contempt. Even so, he did not deny to the very end that he had been worried.

I was so happy about that fact that I was laughing foolishly, when someone called my name from afar.

A clear and elegant voice. I knew who it was without even looking. It was Anastasia.

Had she come as soon as she heard the news? From inside a carriage that seemed to have just arrived, she wore an expression as though she was about to cry. Then she climbed down in such haste that she looked as if she might fall, and ran toward me without caring about anyone’s gaze.

At that scene, like something out of a novel, I murmured to myself.

Ah, I have to say it.

Looking at her fluttering silver hair and her moist golden eyes, I resolved myself.

I’ll say it today, no matter what. I’ll say I’m sorry for hitting her, and thank her for helping me yesterday.

When I thought I was going to die because of the half-dragon, I had regretted not apologizing to her or thanking her, so I felt I had to do it before I regretted it even more.

I’ll apologize. And I’ll say thank you.

However, in that moment.

Ttiring.

A sound I did not particularly want to hear burrowed into my ears.

Mission Failed!

‘Instead of killing other people, you killed a strange life-form.’

A red window before my eyes dragged me out of my dream and back into reality. In an instant, the soft warmth that had been swelling in my chest went cold.

Right. I had a mission.

I had forgotten it completely, so it did not feel real. But only for a moment; before I knew it, I was frowning and tensing up. Before long, another notification sounded, and a new window appeared at the same time.

Ttiring.

A penalty will be given due to mission failure.

-Penalty: Seppuku-

-Time: ?-

Huh……?

Seppuku?

Just like the question mark floating beside the time, a question mark rose in my head.

Cutting open my stomach……. That?

I had thought it would be a high fever or an illness at most, so I was extremely flustered.

At that moment, beyond the red window, my eyes met Sion’s.

Sion’s eyes were wider than they had ever been. He looked even more surprised than I was.

But Sion…… it’s almost as if he can see this mission window…….

My thoughts did not continue for long. As the mission window disappeared, a pain more intense than anything I had ever felt surged through my stomach.

It was not something that could be described as a sensation like being burned by fire. I could clearly feel the sensation—no, the pain—of my stomach being sliced open.

Wh-what is this? It hurts so much. It hurts so much. My god, I feel like I’m going to die…….

The pain was so terrible I could not even scream. The moment I squeezed my eyes shut, blood streamed from my mouth before I even realized it.

“Rene!”

The moment I heard Anastasia’s horrified voice, I hurriedly clamped my hand over my mouth.

But it was not enough. The blood surging up as though in reflux flowed out between my lips even when I kept my mouth shut, and from between my fingers as well.

“Kgh……”

In the end, unable to stop the blood that surged up, I vomited it out, and it fell to the ground in clumps. That dark red blood seemed to turn my vision scarlet.

I feel like my head is coming apart. How can this, how can this happen…….

Why don’t you just kill me instead?

Cursing the sickening mission countless times, I let all the strength drain from my body.

My crimson vision turned pitch-black.

* * *

When she collapsed, coughing up blood, a commotion broke out. No one could move easily. Only Reuden remained, holding her fallen body in his arms.

With trembling hands, Anastasia reached toward her stomach. Then Reuden, who had been sitting there in silence as if his soul had left him, slapped Anastasia’s hand away.

Startled, Anastasia spoke as if she were about to cry.

“Lord Reuden…… We have to use healing magic quickly…… At this rate, Renee will die…….”

“……It won’t, it won’t work anyway.”

“What……?”

“Magic doesn’t work on this child. It’s been that way since she was young. Whenever she was sick, neither healing magic nor divine power worked on her. It’s useless anyway.”

Reuden’s voice was not merely cold; it was utterly indifferent. There seemed to be no emotion in it at all.

Sion, who had been looking down nearby with bewildered eyes, knelt like Reuden and Anastasia and immediately felt the pulse at her wrist.

“Even so…… Even so, we can’t just stay like this. We should call a physician at once…….”

“What is it? What happened?”

Just then, Daiwen, who had gone to pick up the greatsword, approached.

Reuden flinched and held her tightly, while Anastasia watched him warily with a sharp gaze.

Faced with the two of them and their inexplicably piercing wariness, Daiwen was momentarily overwhelmed and stopped in his tracks. If he moved from here, it felt as though the two of them might attack him.

Anastasia glared at Daiwen with tear-filled eyes, then clenched her trembling hand into a fist and barely managed to turn her head.

“Lord Reuden…… Hurry, we have to do something…… Ah, right…… Call Aiden, at least. He should be able to treat Renee.”

Reuden gave no answer. As if possessed by something, he only stared at her collapsed face.

At that, Anastasia trembled with clenched fists, then did something she would never have even considered under normal circumstances.

She struck Reuden across the face with her fist.

Anastasia cried out as if in desperation.

“Come to your senses, please!”

“…….”

“Do you know what I went through to make this happen? Why is the person who calls himself Renee’s family just sitting there doing nothing!”

The tears that had gathered in Anastasia’s eyes finally fell, drop by drop. Her face was twisted in anguish.

“If Renee dies, I’ll kill them all. This time, I’ll kill them all!”

After screaming, Anastasia finally covered her face with both hands and wept. Reuden stared blankly at Anastasia, then lowered his gaze again.

Her deathly pale face, her red-stained mouth and nape—what felt out of place about the strangely familiar sight of her was the fact that she was breathing.

Why it felt familiar did not matter.

What mattered was that she was breathing. Only then did his mind clear, as if a thick fog had lifted. Swallowing dryly, he blinked.

“Sollen.”

Then he called Anastasia. Only then did light return to Reuden’s dry, empty eyes.

“Bring the royal physician.”

Anastasia, who had barely been holding back her sobs, stared at him for a moment before nodding. In that instant, Reuden added,

“And Duke Budwords as well.”