Episode 32

The social gathering was halted by Arnica’s declaration. Wrapped in an unnatural atmosphere, the invited guests headed home. Each of them was bewildered by the sudden shift from the glamorous mood before the event.

Without showing any particular agitation, Zeke tried to leave as if nothing had happened. Aktor’s instruction had been to provide security at the gathering. If the event itself was over, there was no reason to remain in the royal castle.

Zeke started walking, casting a sidelong glance at Aaron, who was groaning “Mmm!” with a glass of wine in hand—when Aktor stopped him.

“Please wait a moment…”

“Get lost.”

“…Her Highness wishes to speak with you again.”

“Disappear.”

Aktor’s face twitched. He nearly blurted that the serious mood was being ruined, but he swallowed it.

As he wondered when he had started being treated like this, Arnica moved first.

“Please wait, Lord Zeke.”

“Don’t add ‘Lord.’ It’s annoying.”

“Then… Zeke. Please give me just a little time.”

Arnica held Zeke back. The Royal Guard Corps moved to intervene, but Aktor stopped them.

“Thank you for dealing with the intruder.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t do it for you.”

Zeke did not change his attitude even toward Arnica, a royal princess. He spoke casually to almost no one—not even family, save a select few. It felt strangely unreal.

“…Then I’ll be brief. As a member of the royal family, I want to discuss what comes next— with you, as Lagias.”

Zeke’s blue eyes pierced Arnica. Even though some nobles and knights trembled from a mere glance, Arnica never looked away. She had never intended to earn trust with words alone.

“Hmph. If it’s pointless chatter, it won’t be free.”

“Thank you. Then—people say strike while the iron is hot… so let’s make it tomorrow.”

“…Are you bored?”

Zeke’s reaction lagged for a beat. He did not show it on his face, but she could tell he was surprised. Arnica could not help looking smug. A smile rose naturally.

“Then tomorrow, I suppose I’ll make it a tea time occasion.”

Aaron stood beside Zeke, looking cheerful—perhaps satisfied with the wine.

“Are you an idiot? I said I’d use you up. …You’re coming too.”

Aaron sucked in a breath.

Arnica did not understand what meaning had been packed into that statement, but for Aaron it must have mattered. She felt a kind of joy in him, as if he were savoring it.

“Yes… my lord.”

“…Hey. There’s a sick person here.”

Arnica felt a flicker of envy at their odd relationship. Given her position, she had never had anyone she could truly call a friend.

“We’ll escort you back to the royal castle in the ducal house’s carriage. Both of you, come to the manor tomorrow.”

“? I don’t think Mr. Aktor was invited.”

“Are you shameless? You cling to power that badly?”

“!? It’s because if I leave you two alone, I have no idea what you’ll do!”

Arnica stared at the three of them with wide eyes.

News of an intruder appearing in the royal castle—an abnormal incident—spread through the Royal Capital almost immediately.

Some residents felt uneasy; others blamed the knights’ failure; still others spun conspiracy theories, claiming it was a sign of an impending coup.

“Bad weather today, but let’s keep our hearts bright and lively!”

“Shut up. Don’t scream in my ear.”

Even with ominous news and a gloomy sky, the lives of Spirito’s citizens did not stop. The civic district carried on with its usual routine.

“Why are you even here?”

“It’s not strange. This world is overflowing with mysteries!”

As always, communication was impossible.

When Zeke left the hotel where he had stayed the night, Aaron was simply there—like it was obvious.

Zeke also could not see the point of deliberately passing through the civic district on the way to the ducal manor, and more than that, he did not know how Aaron had even found the hotel.

“Hm? Isn’t it common knowledge that you’re staying at that hotel?”

According to Aaron, it was information many people could know—Aktor, Ciel, Selen, adventurers, and others.

Apparently the hotel was loudly advertising itself as “the go-to place for famous A-rank adventurers.”

Zeke was left speechless at the sheer carelessness of their personal-information handling. He vowed internally to change hotels.

Zeke and Aaron advanced along the road leading into the noble district and the Royal Special Ward. Compared to the center of the civic district, foot traffic thinned little by little. Ordinary people generally could not enter the noble district, and unless they had business there, they did not even approach.

“Hah, hah… I found you, Aaron!”

A noble-looking young man blocked their path. He was breathing hard and glaring at Aaron.

“…”

“What’s with this brainless-looking idiot?”

“Y-you—! I am the first son of House Izosaar, the next head of the marquis house—Clotted Izosaar! You don’t know me, you country—… L-Lagias!?”

Clotted flared up, then recoiled in shock all on his own. Zeke sighed at the whiplash.

“Why is Lagias here!?”

“Hey. You’re calling yourself Izosaar—are you related to him?”

“Don’t ignore me! We met at the gathering!”

Clotted’s face reddened as he shouted. The way he stamped his feet looked like a child throwing a tantrum.

“…Brother. What do you want? I have an important duty right now.”

“Don’t get cocky, third son! —I’ll be direct. Aaron, hand over the ancient relic you have.”

Aaron narrowed his eyes.

“Playing dumb won’t work. I know you have it. …We’ll change how the world works. Everything is for Izosaar. Obey me.”

“I don’t know who filled your head with that, but I can’t do that. You know nothing.”

The air turned dangerous. Tension thickened.

“A third son like you dares to defy me?”

“It would be wasted on you.”

“—Hey. This is a waste of time. Disappear.”

Clotted took the full force of Zeke’s pressure. Cold sweat poured off him in an obvious line.

“T-this is an Izosaar problem…”

“Didn’t hear me? I said disappear.”

“Ugh…”

Zeke glared harder, and Clotted faltered further.

Trembling with fear, Aaron’s brother muttered and pulled something from his pocket. In his hand was a small bottle filled with an uncanny liquid. Zeke felt a jolt of recognition—and something deeply wrong.

“A-Aaron! If you’d obeyed, I would’ve acknowledged you in the new world too, but it’s over! Die with this world!”

Clotted slammed the bottle onto the ground. It shattered with a sharp crack, and the strange liquid flowed out.

“Brother… what are you—”

“!? Damn it—Pariaach’s doing!?”

Zeke cast magic on reflex, freezing the liquid.

Clotted shouted instructions at the substance now sealed under hard ice.

“Kill him! Kill Lagias!”

The liquid darkened to black. It writhed as if taking shape, and an intense surge of mana erupted.

The ice shattered, and something humanoid crawled out.

“This mana… and that form—”

It was pitch-black, like a thing birthed from shadow, taking on the shape of a person. Its silhouette overlapped with a “demon” that was, in a sense, infamous in the Kingdom of Diabalet.

“It reflects the being with the strongest soul… Hahaha! I did it. It’s not according to plan, but what a happy mistake! Now I can bury that meddlesome Lagias! This is my power! You’re not in my league, Aaron!”

“My friend… what is that?”

The shadow’s form blurred—and vanished. A speed granted only to Zeke. Aaron stared in disbelief as another existence moved the same way.

A harsh metallic screech rang out. Zeke and the shadow were clashing swords.

“As you can see. This weird thing was made by copying me. I don’t like it, but still!”

The shadow calmly dodged spells fired from blind spots. It stood atop a building it had moved to, looking down on them.

“So it’s a fake my friend… that’s the worst.”

Aaron drew his rapier. He immediately shaped lightning magic and took a cooperative stance.

“—Thunder Arrow!”

A lightning arrow struck a building near the two of them and dissipated into sparks. Zeke narrowed his eyes at the attack—its power was far lower than Aaron’s magic. It was so harmless that Zeke had unconsciously dismissed it from his awareness.

“Tch. You dodged, huh. Lucky bastards.”

“Hey. What is that idiot plotting? A new kind of diversion?”

“I don’t know. My brother has always been… peculiar.”

“—You bastards! What’s with that look!? Don’t look at me with pity!”

Maybe it was pure pride that drove Clotted to this. More likely, Pariaach had played him perfectly—using him without him even realizing it.

“Let’s ignore my brother for now. We have to deal with the fake my friend.”

“…You stay here.”

Zeke and the shadow vanished again—then reappeared locked in a blade bind between Aaron and Clotted.

“I don’t think that brat is done with this. There’s a chance he’s planning something else.”

Still locked in a stalemate, they traded magic overhead in a fierce exchange. Under the violent barrage, Clotted shrank back.

“‘Spearize’ won’t break no matter what happens. Worst case, he could even self-destruct and recover it afterward… You know my strength, don’t you?”

“…Yeah. Terrifyingly well.”

If a being that copied Zeke unleashed all of its power in the Royal Capital, Spirito would be annihilated. Zeke and Aaron understood that. And so, probably, did Pariaach.

“I’ll kill this thing. You go to the ducal house. They should be able to recreate the capital’s barrier. —Lie low there until it’s over.”

“…If it’s a safety zone, it doesn’t matter who holds it. I’ll entrust it to Mr. Aktor and rush back immediately. —Please, stay alive.”

“Are you an idiot? …I’m more special than anything in this world.”

The moment the conversation ended, both moved.

Zeke and the shadow, still violently colliding, headed toward the civic district. Aaron ignored Clotted and sprinted for the ducal house.

—Even if this choice would later decide which of them saw light and which saw darkness, neither of them stopped.

Believing it was the best option, they pressed on.