Chapter 30
“. . .It’s a bit late to ask, but is it okay for me to see this hidden passage?”
“If it’s Lilyria-san, who is trusted by Emmanuella more than anyone else, it should be fine. Besides. . .Ah, it seems someone has recently passed through here. In that case, this place should be sealed. . .Well, I intend to do something about it. Even if one more person knows the current situation, it doesn’t change anything.”
“I see. Then, please don’t hesitate. . .Indeed, there are so many footprints. . .Judging by the size, there are both adult males and females, I suppose. . .?”
“Ah, it seems like the footprints here resemble those made by heels. In any case, we can say that the possibility of Emmanuella’s suicide has greatly decreased.”
Emma’s bedroom, at the end of the hidden passage opened by Rudy.
Dust had accumulated on the floor, which is usually hidden and unused, and there were clear footprints left there by several people.
While gazing at them, Lilyria and Rudy exchanged such a conversation.
Lilyria, who had been observing the footprints of the individuals who likely tried to kill Emma, as usual, calmly opened her mouth and softly spoke.
“Well, what should we do now?”
“Well, it’s not something that can be resolved by just killing them.”
Lilyria and Rudy, who spoke of dangerous things in a terribly calm voice, quickly averted their gaze from the footprints and exchanged eye contact, nodding at each other.
“If it were Emmanuella-sama, she would probably say to leave it to the judgment of the judiciary. . .”
“Ah, that might be a good idea, don’t you think?”
In response to Lilyria, who was filled with the momentum to immediately attack those who harmed Emma, Rudy easily agreed.
“Huh? Wait, Margrave-sama, you seem surprisingly indifferent. . .?”
Looking at Rudy as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Lilyria said so and stared at him intently.
“I see. As the husband, the Margrave, the Duke, my father, the gratitude and indebtedness to the king and crown prince, and finally, the beloved child of the goddess. If the people who care about her are deeply involved in the core of the country, it would be. . .”
Lilyria, who noticed the same anger and determination in Rudy’s eyes as her own, read the unspoken words behind Rudy’s vague statement and nodded in satisfaction.
“Yes, you’re right. It shouldn’t become a psychological burden for the victim. Let’s leave it to the country. . .We don’t know what unforeseen accidents or mistakes might happen behind Emmanuella-sama’s back. We have no knowledge of such things.”
Rudy also nodded firmly at the latter half of Lilyria’s added words.
“Well then, now that it has been revealed that this path has been used, it will be a sufficient reason to question all the people who know about this place. First. . .”
“Please wait, Margrave-sama. Something is coming.”
“. . .!”
Lilyria, who was the first to notice the approaching sound, interrupted Rudy’s words and warned him, and Rudy, upon sensing something, changed his expression.
Kokk, kah, katsukatsukakkatsu
As if expressing frustration, rough and short footsteps echoed from the end of the hidden passage.
Despite their puzzled expressions at the strangely confident figure that didn’t even seem to be hiding, Rudy readied his sword while Lilyria prepared her fists, remaining vigilant.
“What the hell did you do to me!”
As the person who eventually appeared shouted this while releasing an arrow of flames, Rudy countered with a slash and twisted his neck.
“No matter what you say. . .First of all, who are you?”
“Could it be that you’re the person known as Margrave-sama’s mother? You did come through here. Besides, there’s a resemblance between you and the two of them, at least in facial features.”
“But that person has purple hair. . .”
“You must have done something! My, my hair. . .Ahhh! It’s as if. . .it’s you!”
Amidst Lilyria and Rudy speculating on the identity of the person who appeared with a seemingly relaxed and composed demeanor, their voices were drowned out by the greatly agitated white-haired woman who clawed at her hair while screaming.
“Ah, I see. Margrave-sama, this person is the culprit who attacked Emmanuella-sama. We’ll confirm whether she’s your mother later, but for now, let’s apprehend her.”
As Lilyria said this, seemingly convinced, Rudy’s demeanor changed drastically.
With narrowed eyes, Rudy adjusted his sword and his atmosphere became more intimidating, causing the woman to gulp audibly.
“W-Wait. Wait. On what basis. . .”
“That, it’s Emmanuella-sama’s original curse. It seems we’ve only seen the hair color so far, but eventually, the hair itself will fall out. Ahahahaha! Serves you right!”
“Lilyria-san, I didn’t know you could laugh so wholeheartedly. . .A suspicious intruder who was cursed by Emmanuella and suddenly trespassed. There’s no reason not to strike her down.”
While Lilyria laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying herself, and Rudy showed a slightly taken aback expression, their movements, though different, synchronized as they steadily closed the distance with the woman.
“S-So, such a magic that continues to have an effect even after the spellcaster’s death, that can’t possibly exist. . .”
Despite her pale complexion and shaking her head, the woman created a wall of flames in front of herself, attempting to maintain distance from the two.
“Ahaha, you’ve fallen into the trap! Why do you think Emmanuella-sama is dead? The culprit has already been identified!”
“Emmanuella is alive. If there’s someone who thinks it’s better for her to be dead, I will eliminate them with all my might.”
Lilyria dispelled the wall with a spinning kick enveloped in water, and Rudy stepped forward from there, his sword closing in on the woman’s face.
“H-Hey, what are you doing to your own mother, you unfilial child!”
Dodging backward and avoiding the sword, the woman screamed while dispersing water that served as a distraction.
Rudy effortlessly evaded it.
“If the temperature is high enough to cause burns, I thought water would be a formidable weapon, but it doesn’t seem so. It appears that she can’t do much without an incantation. . .Weak, isn’t she? I don’t think she alone can defeat Emmanuella. Lilyria-san, the attackers who are not here right now are more of a threat. You go to Emmanuella.”
Upon Rudy’s words, the woman’s face flushed with anger or embarrassment. Lilyria showed a momentary sign of contemplation, then nodded immediately.
“I believe it will be fine over there since Callan is present. . .Understood. Good luck.”
“What’s wrong with you people, thinking you can interfere with someone as ugly as you!”
As Lilyria turned to leave, the woman shouted towards her back, releasing an arrow of flames from her fingertips.
However, it was easily erased by the sword swung by Rudy in the middle.
“Hah. Now, aren’t you much uglier than us? Oh, please tell me how you’re feeling right now. It will be a souvenir for my master.”
Glancing back briefly, Lilyria said with a disdainful laugh.
“. . .Kill you!”
“Oh, what a shame. It seems you lack the intelligence and reason to express a proper opinion.”
As the enraged woman shouted with a bright red face, Lilyria turned her back as if she had lost interest and rushed towards the room where Emmanuella was sleeping.
“I won’t let you go there. I will be your opponent.”
As Rudy stood in front of the woman who tried to chase after Lilyria and said so, the woman directed a gaze filled with anger and hatred straight at Rudy.
“You, trying to stop me with your mediocrity? Although my hair color has been taken away, I haven’t lost any of my magic power.”
“A magician who has come close enough for a sword to reach is not a threat, just a fool. You haven’t been able to cast a proper spell since earlier, have you? I heard that my mother is quite a formidable person.”
With a gaze that even contained pity, Rudy looked down on the woman.
“. . .Hmph! Well, you’ve grown quite insolent!”
“If that’s the case, it must be because of my birth mother!”
The woman, shouting in anger, wrapped flames around the whip she had at her waist and swung it, but Rudy swept it away with his sword.
The woman, who seemed to have the purpose of creating distance rather than attacking, took three steps back without pursuing and glared at Rudy.
“. . .And you’ve grown quite gentle. Aren’t you just defending yourself?”
Taking a deep breath, the woman regained some composure and smiled at Rudy.
Rudy let his gaze wander as if contemplating something, then slowly put his thoughts into words.
“Every time my wife, Emmanuella, hears about you, she looks forward to it as a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battle (physically). She wanted to beat you up, torment you, and see your pitiful crying face. She often talked about it to Lilyria-san. It seems that the curse of the white hair, which she wanted to do the most, has apparently succeeded.”
“What. . .?”
The woman showed a bewildered expression, but Rudy continued without paying any attention, speaking calmly.
“I want to grant Emmanuella’s wishes, no matter what they may be. I don’t intend to just let those who harmed her die.”
Rudy asserted, looking at the woman with a terribly cold gaze.
“I want you to be engulfed in despair, experiencing pain, suffering, humiliation, and trembling in fear, even if you wish for death. . .They say the beloved child of the goddess can heal any severely injured person.”
Feeling Rudy’s seriousness in his gaze and voice, the trembling woman looked at him, and Rudy continued to gaze at her impassively.
“However, it seems that I’m not good at holding back. Perhaps it’s because I’m always dealing with demon beasts, but when it comes to human bodies, all I see is visions of death no matter where I cut. Humans easily die from even a little bleeding. For example, from the neck. . .”
Swish.
Whether it was the sound or the fact that the blade came close to cutting through just a layer of skin on the neck first, the woman began to tremble.
“With this thinness, even a magic barrier cannot be erected. It will easily be shattered. In that case, you will die without even knowing what happened, won’t you? That won’t do.”
Rudy said, lowering his sword and sheathing it.
Ignoring the distance that should have been between them, Rudy somehow appeared right in front of the woman. The woman’s neck, which could only be felt, had indeed been sent flying a moment ago, so it was not surprising.
“Ah, ah. . .”
As if unable to believe that her own head was still attached, the woman held her neck and collapsed to the floor.
While looking down at the woman coldly, Rudy continued to calmly explain the reason for his one-sided defense.
“That’s why I hesitated to attack. You are too weak to the point where I’m unsure how much I should hold back. Although you can use magic to some extent, you rely on it too much, and your physical body is terribly weak. Slow movements, dull reactions, lack of thought, and on top of that, I can’t even sense your determination. . .In that case, I, who have no color, am much better off.”
After saying that himself, Rudy suddenly looked up as if he had realized something.
“. . .Ah, I see. You know, I am superior to you. The efforts I have made without magic have certainly paid off, I understand that now.”
At that moment, Rudy, who had a smile so beautiful that Emma would cheer if she saw it, suddenly spoke in a gentle voice.
“I appreciate it, Mother. Thanks to you, I understand now. Emmanuella was right. I’m not so bad myself.”
“Even if I lack magic power, I am actually able to fulfill the role of a Margrave. I won’t lose to someone like you, who had superior hair color. Yes, I can be of use to Emmanuella. Maybe it’s not the most refined way, but she wanted someone like me!”
The woman, staring at Rudy who trembled with joy with a gaze filled with fear. She struggled to crawl on the floor and create distance, but her movements were painfully slow.
There is no longer any strength left to rely on magic, which has been completely rendered useless like child’s play.
“If our future child ends up resembling me and has an unattractive appearance, I’ll just tell them that they can obtain weapons greater than mine or Lilyria-san’s. I want to show them the back of a parent who can be happy no matter how they look. . .That’s why I will live with her.”
Rudy declared this with a radiant smile and swung his sword down along with its scabbard. The woman could only gaze at him with a face filled with despair. She couldn’t do anything else.
