Chapter 58

Leaving the Great Cathedral, I wait for nightfall before heading to the house where the boy and girl are staying.

Using wind magic, I wake only the girl and call her outside.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she steps out and looks at me with a puzzled expression.

“Yawn… Hein, what business do you have at this time of night?”

“I’ve simply come to check on things, as the deadline is only two days away.”

I speak as calmly as possible.

“Ah, is it already that time? But there’s no need to check on us. I can at least keep a promise regarding the time.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

It is painful to look at her as she speaks of keeping the deadline as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I want to drag out every single person who made her this way and kill them.

“If you have no particular business—”

“No, there is something I wish to confirm.”

I ask the question.

Had my plan been effective in the slightest? Or was it entirely meaningless?

I must know.

“I have been watching from afar, My Lady. You looked happy when you were with him. …Are you truly alright with parting from him like this? Do you have no regrets about undergoing the ritual and never being able to meet him again?”

“…Th-that was quite sudden.”

The girl looks slightly bewildered.

Only slightly.

“Please, give me your answer.”

I ask, carrying my final hope.

In response, the girl brushes aside her slight confusion and answers with an expression of firm resolve.

“I do not mind. Thanks to you, Hein, I was able to experience what an adventure is like. By touching a fragment of Saint Tiara’s life, my admiration has turned into conviction.”

“Do you not feel that you want to continue adventuring with him?”

“That is a wish that cannot be granted. Becoming a hero—becoming Saint Tiara—is my dream, and it is the very reason I was born.”

There was no hesitation.

I grit my teeth at that lack of doubt.

Steeling myself, I move to challenge her convictions.

“Even if it is a sham…? Even if everything you have been up until today is a ‘manufactured’ lie, and you have been deceived and utilized this whole time…!?”

I hurled the truth at her with desperate intensity.

Willing to let her suffer, for the sake of her future happiness.

Willing to let her rage at me, to let her despise me—

“‘Manufactured’… Even if that is so, I do not care.”

But the girl answered quietly, without wavering.

There was no sign of suffering, no anger, no contempt.

Upon hearing the word ‘manufactured,’ she didn’t even ask for clarification; she simply said she didn’t mind being utilized.

She spoke as if she already knew everything.

Her face was that of someone who had long since made their peace.

Ah…

In other words, I had misjudged her yet again…

I hadn’t understood the heart of this girl, not even three years old, in the slightest…

Lastiara had understood the truth behind her “manufactured” nature long ago. She understood that this was the life she was meant to lead without anyone having to tell her, and she had already finished preparing herself.

Whether that was the result of external factors or internal ones—it was all over.

It had been over for a very long time.

I could only bid her farewell in a hollow voice.

“I see. I understand… Then, I shall return to the Great Cathedral…”

“…? Very well, I understand.”

I depart.

I walk while lamenting the thinness of the hope that remains.

I wonder just how far this piece called Hein Helvilleshine can advance.

Thinking only of that, I returned to my room in the Great Cathedral.

—The next day.

I take all the magic items from my room and depart from the Great Cathedral.

After thinking through the night, I have narrowed down my viable options.

In short, it is a choice between taking down a nation or taking down a single girl.

Judging by her demeanor, no amount of persuasion on my part would convince her to defect. She has been adjusted and perfected to be that way.

In that case, I have no choice but to knock her unconscious and take her away by force.

I can do that now. Thanks to Palinchron, I have found the resolve.

As I walk, I am clad in heavy equipment so intense that a passing subordinate asks in shock, “What kind of monster are you going to slay?” I simply gave a wry smile and dodged the question, saying, “Just a bit of personal business. But it’s something like that.”

I head to the 20th floor and wait for the boy and girl.

I wait until they appear, then I bow to them.

“—I have been waiting for you… My Lady…”

The girl looks slightly surprised—but she quickly responds while staying in character.

“Hello, Hein. Are you alone today?”

She likely thinks this is an extension of our previous agreement to play-act. This is convenient.

“Yes, it is just me today.”

“Are you here to challenge my knight, Christ, to a duel again?”

A duel?

Ah. Come to think of it, that was the procedure we established.

I was ready to seize them both this instant, but doing it that way isn’t bad either.

“Yes, I shall challenge him to a duel. But before that, there is something I wish to discuss.”

“Discuss?”

“Yes, with your knight, Christ.”

Saying so, I turn my gaze toward the boy.

“What is it you want to talk about, Hein?”

“Well, fighting isn’t everything. For instance, I could provide you with something you desire in exchange for you conceding the match. That is what I wish to discuss.”

As a final confirmation, I attempt to win the boy over.

If I can win him over, the steps moving forward become much simpler.

Things that would be difficult for me alone might be easily accomplished if the boy and I work together.

“That’s true.”

“Therefore, tell me what it is you desire.”

“What I desire…?”

“Whether it be money or honor, I will provide whatever you wish. If you seek entertainment like the young lady, I can provide any pleasure imaginable. …So, will you lose this duel for me?”

I am resolved to risk my life to provide whatever the boy wants.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the cowardice of my past is gone.

“…You cannot provide what I desire, Hein.”

“I cannot?”

“What I desire is at the ‘Deepest Part’ of the Labyrinth. That is why you cannot provide it.”

The boy states it flatly.

The boy desires the legend among legends that lies at the ‘Deepest Part’ of the Labyrinth.

It means he carries some burden that can only be resolved by relying on that legend. It isn’t something that could be paid for by my life alone.

As I thought, he is a protagonist through and through.

I immediately gave up on trying to win him over.

“Are you wishing for that ‘Miracle’…? The ‘Miracle’ at the deepest part of the Labyrinth…?”

“Yes.”

“Then I certainly cannot provide it…”

My slight spark of hope is extinguished, and I lower my gaze.

I had come here prepared to capture both of them from the very start.

However, it was a fact that I had hoped for the boy’s cooperation.

“This is the worst…”

In the end, things remain at their worst.

I have no choice but to resort to my final measure.

But my piece can only advance to that one spot.

Because I can go nowhere else, I have to go there.

If possible, I wanted the piece known as the “Boy,” but—

“This is terrible. Your wish is the ‘worst’ possible thing for me… It is fine to wish for a miracle. But not in this Labyrinth. Not here. Ah, what a—terrible choice of location.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

I weave my words without waiting for the boy’s reply.

“It cannot be helped. Let us duel.”

“I don’t mind, but…”

“As usual, if you win, I shall never show my face again. Does that sound fair?”

“Yes, of course. But—”

What I want is simple.

“Then, if I win, you and the young lady will leave the Allied Nations.”

“Eh?”

With that, the battle begins.

I release my magic, intending to settle everything with the opening move. However, since I cannot kill him, controlling my strength is difficult.

“—Sehr Wind.”

The wind magic, released with perfectly calculated force, immediately knocks the girl unconscious.

However, the boy is unexpectedly tenacious. His positioning helped, but he also managed to fully withstand the wind magic with a magnificent defensive stance.

He truly lives up to his role as the protagonist.

Mixed with my irritation that things aren’t going as planned, I feel a sense of joy.

I manage to break several of his magic items, but I fail to knock him out.

We trade spells and clash swords, but both of us lack a finishing blow.

No, it might be more accurate to say that both of us are too good at holding back.

Neither of us truly wants a fight to the death.

From my perspective, it would be a waste to kill the boy. He has so much potential use; he holds the possibility of fulfilling any role.

While I hesitate over the boy’s life or death, I catch a glimpse of the girl starting to regain consciousness in the corner of my eye. Realizing my time is up, I let the strength drain from my body.

“I never imagined you would go this far, Christ… You’ve ruined my plans…”

The moment the boy failed to lose consciousness during the opening surprise attack, capturing them became impossible.

The boy’s combat ability has reached that level now.

I will need more preparation and more personnel.

Depending on the situation, I might even need to resort to cowardly tactics.

“Why are you doing this…?”

The boy speaks, looking completely bewildered.

I answer him honestly.

“…Perhaps it’s because I saw the young lady playing so happily with you.”

“Lastiara, playing happily…? But why would that…?”

“I was wrong.”

Looking back, everything has been a mistake since the day we met.

Even after three years, I understood nothing of the girl’s heart and messed up the plan.

For now, I’ll end this by driving a wedge into the boy.

He is one of the most important measures I have left.

“At this rate, the young lady will die. I’m begging you, Christ. Please, help her escape…”

“Eh?”

The boy’s mouth hangs open in surprise.

“My words no longer reach her, so I have no choice but to take her away by force…! Christ, please…! Whatever you do, do not listen to her words…! Her words may seem open and honest, but in truth, they are all ‘manufactured.’ That expression, those emotions, that way of thinking—it’s all ‘manufactured.’ I took part in it, so there is no doubt. Don’t listen to that distorted, unstable, inhuman entity called ‘Lastiara.’ Listen to the true heart of ‘the girl standing right there’…!”

With that, I reached my time limit.

Seeing the girl sit up, I turn all my resolve into words.

“No matter what, I will take her away… somewhere far from here…”

Then, I retreated from the Labyrinth.

This should be enough for the boy to grasp the general situation.

If things go well, the boy will press the girl for answers. If that happens, there’s a chance the girl might waver.

However, I cannot rely on that alone.

I hurry back to the Great Cathedral to prepare for the next operation.

I incite my subordinates, prepare equipment, and gather the military strength necessary to capture the two of them.

I fully intend to throw away my status in Huzya. I will use every connection I have, consolidate my power, and hurl it at those two. A war of attrition using sheer numbers is the quickest way.

—But reality isn’t so kind.

That plan fails halfway through.

It happened while I was gathering reliable subordinates for the man-to-man tactics.

A knight clad in black armor appeared before me.

“Hein Helvilleshine… What on earth is the meaning of this?”

Perciona Quagar, the Grand Master of the Celestial Knights, had arrived with a group of subordinates.

I was surrounded by knights radiating an ominous atmosphere.

It’s too early for them to have detected me.

That’s what I thought.

Not even three hours had passed since morning.

The only people who would be troubled by this plan are the higher-ups. And those higher-ups are shut away deep within the stage; there’s no way they could grasp the movements on the ground. Despite that, the Grand Master appeared as if she had anticipated my actions.

It was a move that suggested this had been the arrangement from the start.

If I was being monitored, this speed would make sense. However, I am not so incompetent that I wouldn’t notice a tail. —And yet, there is a possibility even I wouldn’t notice.

Sensing magic.

If I were being watched from a vast distance, even I wouldn’t be able to detect it.

Right now, there is indeed an expert in sensing magic here in Huzya.

Palinchron. However, his goal seemed to be “my rampage.” It’s hard to imagine him cooperating with them.

I don’t know the truth… but either way, since the Grand Master has appeared before me with hostile intent, several of my options have been crushed.

I immediately move my thoughts to the next step.

At this rate, reinforcements will arrive soon. It’s only a matter of time before even the knights from my home, House Helvilleshine, are called out. If that happens, no matter how skilled I am, the chances of me being caught off guard will increase.

“—Sehr Wind!!”

Without bothering to make excuses, I chose flight.

I was fortunate that wind magic is well-suited for distraction and escape.

I blew the Grand Master back with a surprise attack and, along with a violent gale, successfully escaped the encirclement.

Perhaps the Grand Master still trusted me, her subordinate, somewhere in her heart. It’s highly likely that her momentary lapse in vigilance allowed me to escape.

I fled the Great Cathedral and thought as I ran through the back alleys of Huzya.

If possible, I had wanted to talk to Sera Radiant or Ragne Caicula.

The two of them are easy to win over and would be more than adequate as combat assets. I regret making the wrong call on my priorities.

But I have no time for regrets.

The pursuit by the Huzya knights after that was precise.

The knights, whose numbers had been increased for the Holy Birth Festival, were deployed throughout the city to catch me under the guise of patrols.

Fuming at the brilliance of the enemy’s encirclement, I moved further away from the Great Cathedral.

“Pant, pant, pant… Hahaha…”

I laughed along with my shortness of breath.

No matter how many times I steel my resolve, things just don’t go that smoothly.

Something always goes wrong.

In the end, I am just a minor piece on the edge of the board.

Not the protagonist.

While dwelling on that fact, I continue to hide in Huzya.

If I contact the boy and girl now, it might have an unnecessary influence on them. For now, I want the boy to keep shaking the girl’s resolve. If I mess up and cause Huzya to speed up the process of bringing Lastiara in, it would be the worst-case scenario.

My flight becomes a long-term battle spanning across the days.

It was my misfortune that the one in command was the Grand Master. Because she gave the orders, even Monet of the Celestial Knights, who had been free, joined the search, and I became unable to do anything.

Against the top two ranks of the Celestial Knights, the odds are against me.

I move while doing everything I can to avoid direct combat with the Celestial Knights, and time simply passes by.

It is frustrating to see the capture of the boy and girl becoming less realistic.

—And then, the next day.

Morning came, and just as I was wondering if I could somehow shake off the knights, they withdrew.

I understood that the girl had returned to the Great Cathedral.

The goal of the knights pursuing me was to capture the girl. If that girl has fallen into their hands, there is no longer a reason for them to push me so hard.

As long as they have the girl, Hein Helvilleshine has no choice but to show up at the Great Cathedral. They probably decided they could just wait and intercept me there with their full forces prepared.

I have few options left.

Among them, the most realistic is to launch an assault during the ritual. Only at that moment is there a chance the magic cast on the girl might be undone. They also need to focus their attention on the ritual.

—But there is no doubt that is exactly what they expect me to do.

After confirming the knights had withdrawn, I dragged my wounded body toward the boy and girl’s house.

I scouted the situation inside using wind magic.

The boy is there.

But the girl is gone.

I calmly accept the fact that the girl has returned to the Great Cathedral and carefully observe the boy inside the house.

I cannot grasp the details of what’s happening inside.

Wind magic isn’t that versatile. However, I can tell the boy inside the house is manipulating mana in an extraordinary way.

From that torrent of mana, I understand that it is magic intended for facing a large number of opponents.

The boy is training a new spell. With some purpose in mind, he is sharpening his fangs for battle while exhausting every nerve.

Perhaps because the boy’s expression mirrored my own, I could faintly see a new state of the board.

I began to understand the placement of the pieces surrounding tomorrow’s Holy Birth Festival.

As expected, the boy is the protagonist.

The only piece capable of putting the girl in check is the boy.

In that case, the role of a piece like me is surely—

“Ha, hahaha…”

I gave a thin laugh, realizing I still haven’t cured my habit of relying on others, and immediately take action.

I turn on my heel and move to a spot where I can see the Great Cathedral of Huzya from a distance, gathering as much information as I can. It is all for the sake of making the boy successful.

The boy will likely launch an attack tomorrow morning, in the middle of the ritual.

I don’t know whose idea it was, but he’s likely aiming for the moment the girl’s magic is undone.

In that case, I shall synchronize with him.

—I will blend into the darkness of Huzya.

Everything is for the sake of the story of the boy and the girl.

Thinking only of that, I continue to move forward.

Even if the piece known as Hein Helvilleshine falls at the end—I no longer care.