Stan Robinhood heard from Johan that Cattleya had refused.
It wasn’t an unexpected outcome.
To Cattleya, the Robinhood family was practically her sworn enemy.
So, he understood when she said she didn’t want to meet.
But there was one thing that puzzled him.
Cattleya Tales said she didn’t even want to see Emily.
Why would that be?
Could it be that she resented her younger sister for living in luxury as part of an enemy family, while she herself lived in misery?
If that was the case, then there was nothing to be done.
It would be better for both of them to remain strangers.
However, one day, Stan noticed someone lingering near the mansion.
Cattleya Tales…
He recognized her instantly.
Because he already knew she was alive, it was easy to identify her.
She seemed to think she was hiding and watching from a distance, but there was no fooling Stan’s eyes.
His vision was so sharp and far-reaching that people might mistake it for an awakened ability.
That was how he could see the expression on Cattleya’s face as she watched the mansion from afar.
“Emily.”
“Mhmm?”
“How about taking a short walk in the garden today?”
“Mmm… but it’s hot.”
“Still, you need some sunlight once in a while. Going back and forth between the lab and the house all the time isn’t good for your health.”
“Ugh… fine.”
Stan understood Cattleya’s feelings as she watched the mansion from a distance.
She was just like him—
Wearing that unique look of someone burdened with guilt, unsure if they even had the right to approach.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
To survive while evading the eyes of the imperial family, she must have committed more than a few crimes without batting an eye.
She had crossed the line a long time ago.
That was why she couldn’t show herself in front of her unsuspecting family. Only watch from a distance and silently wish them happiness.
“I’m glad.”
“Hmm? About what?”
“Just… I’m glad you seem to be loved.”
“Huh?”
Leaving Emily who tilted her head in confusion, Stan quietly steeled his resolve.
It was time for the crouching hunter to stretch and rise.
***
Stan’s eyesight was exceptional.
So much so that others might mistake it for an awakened ability. He was able to see far and with absolute clarity.
And his ability was…
“Unshaken.”
A heart that could never be swayed.
Stan climbed to the top of the tower of the Robinhood mansion.
Compared to other noble mansions, this tower stood exceptionally tall. It was built to make the most of Stan’s far-reaching vision.
However, even if he could clearly spot something at a great distance, Stan had no means of making use of that sight.
Simply put, he lacked the means to close that gap.
“I didn’t think you’d actually use something I made.”
“I can’t keep running away in disgrace forever.”
But now—
Stan had secured that means.
Until now, he had avoided revealing Emily’s inventions except for simple devices.
But this time, he had decided to borrow her power.
A massive firearm. So large it was difficult to even hold steady with both hands.
The weight was immense, yet his hands did not tremble.
Even his breathing had stilled to perfection.
In a silence so complete that even the sound of his heartbeat could not be heard—
He simply pulled the trigger.
Boooom!!
A deafening roar shook the tower.
A single beam of light cut across the land between territories.
There’s no turning back now.
That beam pierced through the black miasma lingering in the distant ruins and drove straight into the target’s heart.
The Robinhood family was like a bat, clinging here one moment, switching sides the next.
They had never achieved anything by their own strength, always relying on someone else to survive.
Even this incident was the same, just like when the family once sided with the Second Prince and now had aligned themselves with the Third Princess.
A house incapable of atoning by its own power—
No wonder Cattleya despised them.
That was why, this time, he acted personally.
Shouldering the risk, he pulled the trigger and pierced the heart of an imperial family.
“Phew…!”
Releasing his ability, Stan gasped for breath and muttered,
“Clear.”
It was a perfect shot.
***
Loki was in shock.
Something had pierced his heart—
A sudden surge of heat and crushing impact.
This isn’t magic. What… is this? Lead? Metal? It can’t be an arrow. Where did it come from?
A storm of questions swirled in his head in an instant.
At the end of that storm, Loki reached one conclusion—
If this continues, I’ll die.
He finally realized he was seeing the flashes of his life before his eyes.
He couldn’t die like this.
For now, he had to find a way to treat the wound in his heart.
Did I bring a potion…?
Where had the hidden member of Elysium been stationed again?
A rush of thoughts surged through Loki’s mind.
First and foremost, he needed to get out of here.
“Damn it.”
He had just lost the perfect chance to kill Lobelia, all because of some unknown attack from afar.
Bang!
Instead of striking Lobelia with the decay and corruption he had prepared, Loki slammed that power directly into the ground.
The earth beneath them seemed to ripple, then suddenly began to crumble like brittle cookies.
He had collapsed the entire foundation of the area.
Rumble—!
Buildings toppled, rocks shattered into sand, and a huge pit opened from the center outward.
In moments, Loki and everyone else were swallowed into that hole as if pulled down by an unseen force.
***
I woke in pain to realize I was buried underground.
No…more accurately, I had been underground and had just been pulled out.
“Gah!”
After coughing up a mouthful of dust and grit, I looked up at the person who had hauled me out.
“Your Highness?”
“Yes, Johan. You… were quite far from the center, yet still ended up in this state.”
“Let’s just say I couldn’t really tell what was happening from so far away.”
“Judging by how you’re running your mouth, I’d say you knew exactly what was going on.”
Honestly, even if I had known, what could someone like me have done?
Everything had suddenly started collapsing toward Loki’s position.
I had expected Stan to snipe Loki—
That was, after all, my Plan C.
But I hadn’t imagined Loki would, in his final thrash, pull something like this.
It must have been because of the location.
“I didn’t expect there to be such a huge underground space here.”
“It seems this was one of Ex Machina’s laboratories… really, such greed for land.”
“Haah…”
At Lobelia’s words, I looked around, and sure enough, I spotted equipment you’d expect to see only in Ex Machina.
Most of it was little more than scrap metal now, probably because they’d already pulled out, but still.
In any case, I understood now that this was one of Ex Machina’s laboratories.
“That damned Scriptwriter.”
And I knew exactly who had the means to build and then erase a facility of this scale.
Just what the hell had that guy been up to here this time?
Good thing the lab was empty. If it had been like the one in Creta with a nuke lying around, we’d have all crossed the Jordan River together.
“Do you think Loki knew about this?”
“Hmm… I’d say probably. Even if it was just a coincidence, I imagine the result would’ve been just as disastrous.”
“Haa…”
Because of this unexpected turn of events, we’d lost Loki.
Given that his heart had already been pierced, you could say it was halfway over…
But as long as we couldn’t confirm his death, the danger remained.
The Jörmungandr under his command would keep coming for us.
“Your Highness, you can still fight, right?”
“Merciless, aren’t you…? You just stood there watching, and now you’re already trying to shove me back onto the battlefield?”
At a glance, Lobelia was…
Well, by the Cradle’s standards, moderately injured.
But by imperial standards, she was probably still in her prime.
At least, according to the imperial standards in my head, she was still active-duty material, so she should be fine.
“What about Yuna?”
“And you can still bring up another woman’s name after seeing me in this condition?”
“Your Highness, please be careful with your choice of words. I’d rather not have this scene repeat itself.”
“Mhmm… I’ll be careful.”
As the saying goes, a frog dies from a joke. It was that kind of remark from the princess.
“Anyway, I’m not sure of Yuna’s exact condition. But she was in far better shape than I am, so I doubt there’s any need to worry.”
“That’s true.”
Yuna hadn’t fought at all. She’d just been wandering around the area.
If it was just to distract the enemy’s attention, then she was probably still closer to active duty by even a civilian’s standards, never mind the Cradle’s.
Even if she had run into an enemy underground, as long as it wasn’t Loki, there wouldn’t have been any problem.
If it’s just something on the level of a Jörmungandr, she’d be able to either take them down or get away without trouble.
“Johan Damus.”
“Eh?”
“I’m giving you an order. Support me.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? Did you just ‘hmm’ at me?”
Well, honestly, if she’s hurt that badly, it is a bit awkward.
We’re in the middle of enemy territory right now. Supporting Lobelia, who can’t even fight, would just sap my strength.
If we ran into enemies like this, we’d both die together.
“You’d better start thinking about what’ll happen when I get back alive.”
“Oh, of course. I was just clearing my throat from the dust, not expressing any dissatisfaction.”
“You really are consistent. Maybe that’s why I trust you. Though it’s funny that unshakable distrust has become trust in this situation, isn’t it?”
“Oh, definitely. Very funny.”
For now, I supported Lobelia.
If I abandoned her and she somehow made it back alive, I’d have to answer for leaving an imperial member behind.
“Just so we’re clear…if we run into the enemy, don’t even think for a second about dropping me and running.”
“…Your Highness, I may be trash, but I haven’t sunk quite that low.”
Even for me, that would be too much.
I’m someone with a sense of responsibility. If someone’s death would be on my hands, I can’t bring myself to run, even if I tried.
“Good. I’ll trust you, then.”
“Your Highness?”
The moment I put my arm around her shoulder, she hooked her arm and clamped her hand around my neck.
I could feel the solid strength in her grip.
“With that kind of strength, can’t you walk on your own?”
“No. Right now I only have enough strength to prevent a treacherous comrade from betraying me.”
“I see.”
So, what now?
Honestly, I wasn’t worried about Loki.
That bastard was as good as dead already.
What I was worried about were the Jörmungandr guards who didn’t yet know he was dead.
Those guys had their very lives held as collateral, so unless Loki’s death was confirmed, they would target us.
If it were only their own lives on the line, it might have been different. But with Loki, he would have also taken their families’ lives as leverage.
“I miss Yuna.”
“…You really dare to say that in front of me.”
“I told you to watch your choice of words.”
“Ah, ahem! Right. You dare to defend a woman other than Ariel in front of me, the one who has Ariel as a subordinate.”
“Much better.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be wiser to come up with another excuse?”
“There’s nothing for me to excuse.”
It was true. I did want to see Yuna right now.
Ariel wasn’t even here to begin with.
It was because Lobelia had sent her away, calling it a matter between the imperial family.
Thankfully, Stan had tried to handle the matter on his own initiative…
“To be that shameless… Sometimes I envy you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Aren’t you free?”
“Huh? What do you mean? There’s no one whose life is more bound than mine.”
See? Even now, Lobelia’s arm was wrapped around my neck, restraining me.
“Quiet, and keep moving. If we happen to run into Loki like this, we’re both finished.”
“Well, I don’t know. I’m more afraid of something else than Loki.”
Like I said earlier, Loki wasn’t a problem.
The moment he took Stan’s shot, he was already done for.
There was something else we couldn’t afford to forget.
This place was neither Loki’s stage nor Lobelia’s.
This was the lair of a monster.
***
After using whatever he had on hand to finish emergency treatment as best he could, Loki couldn’t help but frown when he saw who had come to find him.
“You are…”
“Did you know?”
Step, step.
With light, unhurried footsteps, she appeared as if she were merely out for a stroll, looking like a fairy from a storybook.
The woman drew her swords.
Twin blades, one in each hand. At that clear display of intent, Loki’s expression hardened.
“They call this a farmer’s gain.”
“It’s the fisherman’s gain.”
“That’s wrong information. Seems even an imperial member isn’t as smart as someone like me.”
“…Unbelievable.”
Loki thought,
Was he really going to be done in by an idiot like this?
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