Ch.429Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

The air touching my skin suddenly turns cold, and a rough wind swirls around.

Though I can’t sense any magical power, I instinctively realize it. I just teleported.

“……”

When I gently open my closed eyes, what I see is a vast, blue sky.

The city of millions shrinks to tiny dots below my feet in an instant.

As the rough wind gently supports my body and my fluttering clothes tickle my skin.

Against the backdrop of the vast sky, Camilla smiles with a radiance of pure innocence,

“…Are you awake?”

She was speaking to me.

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

Above the capital of the Kiyen Empire, Petrograd.

Red flames ripple across the blue sky.

“Haha, an Englishman appears!”

Camilla exclaimed this strange sentence while jumping up. Around her, who had emerged from the flames, embers that hadn’t yet disappeared were scattering profusely.

Camilla, with flames trailing behind her like a tail, pulled out a box from her chest. The cube-shaped box, which looked like it was carved from stone, was something I’d never seen before.

It was a magical tool.

“Yap!”

When she pressed a groove on the side with her thumb, click! With a clear operational sound, the cube began to move.

The upper part rotates twice to the left, the lower part three times to the right, and the left and side faces roll up and down.

Not even common noise came from the rotating stone. The cube, accepting magical power flowing through her thumb, was rotating smoothly and emitting a subtle light.

As the quickly aligning cube was about to stop operating.

-Pop!

With a bright flash bursting out, red magical power began to surround us.

“It worked!”

Camilla says.

“Now that the magical tool is activated, we don’t have to worry about falling.”

Camilla was standing with both feet in midair. As if there was an invisible floor.

“Try standing up.”

As I was looking at her with suspicious eyes, Camilla placed her hands on her waist and pointed to the void. With a very confident attitude.

I turned my head following the direction her finger was pointing, but no matter how hard I looked, there was no place to step.

“Come on.”

“……”

“Ah, you really don’t trust people.”

As I was looking around while riding on her back, Camilla, standing askew, began to glare at me as if she was frustrated. But I felt wronged.

No matter how much I looked around, there was nowhere to stand. If there had been a glass floor, I wouldn’t have worried.

But her appearance, standing with her feet in midair, was so peaceful. As if she were standing on the ground. Camilla is naturally walking on the sky.

“I’m telling you it’s real! Why can’t you believe me?”

Camilla, with a clearly aggrieved look on her face, started jumping up and down in place. She intended to show me directly that it was safe.

Of course, from my perspective, riding on her back, it was a chilling act.

“Whoa…!”

Like a redneck riding a bull, I grabbed Camilla’s shoulders and struggled. Regardless, the magician couldn’t control her overflowing energy and kept hopping around.

Eventually, thinking I would surely die like this, I decided to get down. Wiggling my legs to find a spot where my feet could touch, I barely managed to get down.

“……”

Despite my worry about suddenly falling through to the ground, the sensation of stepping on the void was incredibly comfortable.

“Huh?”

“See? It’s safe.”

It’s real.

I muttered while tapping the void.

I thought my feet might slip through and I’d fall, but even after separating from Camilla, my feet were still stepping on the void.

Clouds flowing beneath my feet and the blue sky visible when I turn my head.

After looking around blankly, ah, a small exclamation escaped.

“Look at this!”

While I was standing there dumbfounded, Camilla began sprinting across the sky.

Whoosh, she ran off and attempted a powerful jump. Then she bounced around between clouds.

She looked like a frog in water. Sprinting across the sky at full speed, jumping up and crossing over to the opposite cloud.

After completing the teleportation, Camilla was casually striding across the clouds. As I was just blinking at this surreal scene, she turned around and spoke to me with a beaming smile.

“This is your first time experiencing this, right?”

I nodded.

While there are magicians who fly through the sky on broomsticks and magic carpets, Camilla was the only magician who jumped around in the sky like this.

I had never seen such magic, not even in the national defense departments of powerful countries that research magical engineering under state leadership, nor in magic towers and ivory towers that delve solely into magic. Wondering what kind of trick she was using, I asked how this was possible, and this was her answer.

“Oh, this? It’s the power of the magical tool.”

Camilla, showing the cube-shaped magical tool, smiled brightly.

“To fly in the sky, you need a broomstick, right? But broomsticks are expensive and, above all, cumbersome.”

Jingle jingle. The cube held in her small hand made a mysterious sound as it shook.

“So I asked the professor if there was another way, and she gave me this.”

“What is it?”

“A sky-flying cube!”

Camilla exclaimed, holding up the cube.

“Of course, it’s not really something that makes you fly, but it helps you walk in the sky as if you were on the ground. It was a gift from the professor’s friend a long time ago, but the professor said she had no use for it and told me to just keep it.”

“By friend, do you mean the Grand Magician?”

“Yep.”

I stared at the cube with a dumbfounded expression. A magical tool of the Grand Magician.

Since the war with the Church, possessions of the Grand Magician have gained tremendous value. While some are highly valued for their historical significance as items of a great figure, even apart from that, the Grand Magician’s possessions are known for their exceptional magical value.

This is because even common household items carry the magical traces of their user.

While magical traces are famously used in forensics to investigate crime scenes, they are also an important concept in magical research. With just those traces, one can study the owner’s magic to some extent.

That’s why all household items and clothing used by the Grand Magician have been designated as treasures. Not just any treasures, but national treasures.

And this wasn’t just a simple item, but a magical tool.

“……”

Considering that the Magic Tower is pouring enormous budgets into securing magical tools left by the Grand Magician, this was astonishing.

And the Grand Duchess’s decision to entrust it to Camilla without hesitation was shocking.

I looked at Camilla with a blank expression. She was caressing the cube with very careful gestures.

Sigh.

“First you were horrified about receiving stolen goods as a gift. Now you’ve even pilfered a national treasure. You really are English, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

*

As the Grand Duchess had promised. Participating in Camilla’s magic practice gifted me with unique memories I had never experienced before.

“Hyah.”

Camilla, who has climbed onto a cloud, is showcasing various tricks.

Running through the void and flying between clouds has become familiar now. After repeatedly sprinting at full speed and jumping, Camilla began to attempt something different, something eccentric.

“Trust leap!”

Shouting this strange technique name, Camilla threw herself between the clouds. It was a peculiar posture, jumping with both legs together and hands behind her back.

After imitating an assassin with a severed ring finger, she immediately began to imitate something else.

She lay on her stomach, shooting flames and pretending to be a psychic, or making gestures as if shooting spider webs with only her thumb, index finger, and pinky extended.

Her imitations weren’t limited to fictional characters. She also pretended to be a singer, wiggling her feet against the backdrop of the faintly visible moon.

“Camilla. That’s not a British singer, but an American one.”

“Music knows no borders.”

“No, and you’re not even Black…”

Since the topic came up, she even sang.

Camilla sang a song by a British rock band that debuted in the 70s and dominated the era, without accompaniment. This legendary music, also widely known as a movie title, was a masterpiece that still occasionally came to mind even after 29 years.

I silently watched Camilla singing enthusiastically. Her face was brighter than ever as she jumped around on the clouds, humming the lyrics.

“Ah, that was fun!”

After singing and moving her body for quite some time, Camilla smiled broadly. It was as if she had played enough.

“You seem to be enjoying life in the Empire?”

“Don’t even mention it.”

Camilla, answering brightly with a radiant smile, looked happier than ever. She added that she was happiest right now.

“I’m never bored. Every day is different. I’m having the most fun right now.”

It shows.

As Camilla, who had been playing excitedly, approached me, I habitually began to scan our surroundings.

In the open space without a single cloud, there was nothing around us but the clear sky.

“What are you looking around for?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad you seem to be doing well.”

After directly confirming that there were no listeners, I opened my mouth towards Camilla. In truth, my coming to the Empire wasn’t simply out of concern for her safety.

“Has anything unusual happened while staying with the Grand Duchess?”

“Unusual?”

“I’m wondering if there have been any suspicious circumstances. Like surveillance from counterintelligence or intelligence agencies.”

Camilla shook her head.

“I haven’t seen anyone suspicious. But why are you suddenly asking this?”

I answered honestly.

“My informant was assassinated.”

“…Assassinated?”

“More precisely, executed.”

I explained to Camilla what had happened. That my informant had been killed by what appeared to be an imperial intelligence agency.

In the past, I would have omitted the context and only told her what she needed to know, but given the situation, I disclosed all the specific information.

“The National Security Bureau. There was a journalist managed by an allied intelligence agency. After confirming that contact was lost during a regular meeting, they sent someone to the lodging and… found the assassinated informant.”

“Did you find out who did it? Did you check the surrounding CCTV?”

“We couldn’t. The hotel’s generator and magical power supply went down during that time. The assassination team probably arranged it.”

The fact that they knew the lodging location and even turned off the surveillance equipment proves this was a planned crime. It’s also the method of intelligence agencies.

Camilla’s expression became serious, perhaps reaching the same conclusion. She began to ask questions with a dark face.

“Was information leaked?”

“That’s not it. It seems they were assassinated as a dissident, not suspected as a foreign spy.”

“Is the specific situation under investigation?”

“Personally, yes.”

“Personally? What does that mean?”

“It means the company isn’t investigating.”

It’s an unfortunate reality, but the death of informants is common.

Intelligence agencies that maintain national-level information networks manage numerous informants. That’s why when counterintelligence agencies start to sweep through information networks, multiple informants inevitably lose their lives.

Because intelligence agencies are not omnipotent gods.

Intelligence agencies monitoring hundreds of countries with limited budgets and personnel prioritize all matters, and the death of informants is no exception.

Unlike the death of intelligence officers, which involves thorough investigation, agency-led funerals, and compensation for bereaved families, the death of informants tends to be far from the focus of attention.

Because they’re outsiders unrelated to the company.

It’s the field intelligence officers and operatives who hire informants, not headquarters. If weighing the lives of employees trained with millions of dollars against subcontractors bought with pocket change, intelligence agencies would always choose the intelligence officers.

“……”

Hearing this story, Camilla began to make a sour face.

Avoiding her gaze, I casually began.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Didn’t you already know this?”

I judged that Camilla was disappointed by the dark reality of the industry.

But my assumption seems to be wrong.

“…Are you okay?”

She was speaking to me with a concerned voice.

I was about to answer, but seeing Camilla gazing at me intently, I swallowed my words.

What came out instead was an incomplete sigh.

“…How could I be okay.”

I sighed softly.

“I’ve been working with this person for years. And they died without me being able to do anything.”

“……”

It’s not the first time I’ve lost an informant, but I still can’t get used to it. I don’t want to get used to it either.

As I sighed deeply and lamented, a small hand landed on my shoulder. Camilla carefully stroked my shoulder, offering comfort.

“So that’s why you asked me? If I had met any suspicious people?”

“Yes. You never know what might happen.”

“……”

Camilla, who had been contemplating with a pensive look, suddenly began to speak. It was about something that happened last week.

“Actually, last week, people who seemed to be from a counterintelligence agency visited the mansion.”

“Counterintelligence agency?”

Camilla nodded.

“Why would they suddenly…?”

“I didn’t hear the details either. But I did hear that they checked the overall safety and security of the mansion.”

The safety and security of the mansion. Perhaps a regular security check?

Well, if it’s the Grand Duchess’s mansion, it makes sense for counterintelligence to conduct security checks. Places where royalty stay are national security facilities, after all.

But something felt suspicious.

Camilla, mentioning what happened last week, began to tilt her head. Ssup, smacking her lips, she continued her explanation.

“The guards and police people dismissed it as nothing special. But the professor said something strange?”

“Something strange?”

“She didn’t say exactly, but…”

She added.

“She said an important guest would be coming.”

An important guest.

If someone as significant as the Grand Duchess of the North and a senior member of the imperial family describes someone as important, they are certainly not an ordinary person. The Grand Duchess’s authority surpasses even the Minister of Internal Affairs, who holds high importance in the cabinet, as well as the Director of the Imperial Guardian Office, who is the head of intelligence agencies, and the Chief of the General Staff, who commands the military.

Who could it be?

As I was rubbing my chin with a puzzled expression, Camilla, who had been recalling her memories, said “Ah” softly, as if she had remembered something.

“Family.”

She said.

“She said her family was coming.”

*

After hearing all the subsequent explanations, I began to organize my thoughts.

Alexandra Petrovna is a senior member of the imperial family. As the younger sister of the previous emperor, she is, by generation, the great-aunt of Nicholas VI and the great-grand-aunt of the Crown Prince.

In other words, family in her context means royalty. Let’s exclude her maternal side since Alexandra Petrovna is the last of her line.

The important information here is what the Grand Duchess said.

The Grand Duchess said that royalty was coming to her mansion, and at the same time, emphasized “important guest.” For her, a senior member of the imperial family, an important guest would surely be from the direct line, not a collateral branch.

Since Nicholas VI is suffering from dementia and unable to move, it’s likely referring to the Crown Prince. Broadening the perspective a bit, it could also be the Crown Prince’s younger sister or another high-ranking member of the imperial family from a different mother.

“……”

Whoever it is, it’s certain that a member of the imperial family is on the move. There’s also a possibility that a high-ranking official from the Magic Tower Oracle Committee or the Ivory Tower might be coming, but if someone from that side were coming, I could find out through Francesca.

But to communicate with her in Petrograd, dominated by fierce surveillance and control, I would have to go to the embassy. More precisely, to the embassy’s anti-eavesdropping security room.

Having organized my thoughts, I immediately shifted my gaze to Camilla.

“Let’s go down.”

“Okay.”

Camilla, who had clung to me, took out the cube.

With the cube emitting a subtle magical power in her hand, she inserted her finger into the groove on the side. And as she pressed the groove with force, the wind swept over our bodies, and,

“Aaaaaaah…!!”

We began to fall straight towards the ground.

I was connected to Camilla using equipment. As we cut through the wind and fell to the ground, I stretched my arms and legs in front of Camilla to maintain a stable posture.

Through the windproof goggles, small dots move chaotically. The place where these small dots gather to form a group was the city on the ground.

“Do you have a way to land?!”

I shouted.

Camilla, wearing her goggles, raised her voice.

“I’ll do it with magic!”

For safety reasons, the arrival point of the teleportation was fixed to the airspace above Petrograd. If something went wrong, we might teleport underground or between building walls.

Considering that not only teleportation but even flight is not permitted in the capital, this was a very exceptional case. If the Grand Duchess hadn’t obtained government permission, we might have encountered combat magicians from the air defense unit deployed for interception as soon as we appeared in the airspace.

“Why did we come up so high!”

“It wasn’t me! It was the professor!”

Of course, we received the Grand Duchess’s help even at the moment of using the teleportation magic.

Although Camilla is an outstanding magician, there’s a limit to how many times she can use magic in a day. Magic isn’t a skill that can be spammed just because magical power is full.

But the Grand Duchess, as always, found a way.

Alexandra Petrovna engraved magical formations in the mansion to help Camilla practice. The location was the backyard. Although it was a limited area, as long as she didn’t leave that place, Camilla could use magic freely whenever she wanted.

Thanks to that, with the Grand Duchess’s assistance, Camilla succeeded in soaring to the high sky in one go. Of course, since we’ve left the backyard, it’s now impossible to use magic freely, but one spell for landing would be enough.

As the city visible through the clouds gradually got closer, Camilla, who had descended to a safe altitude, prepared her magic.

“…Huh?”

Camilla, who was preparing magic, made an unexpected sound.

I looked at Camilla with a puzzled expression. Camilla, who had been diligently preparing something, was attempting magic several times.

-Crack.

The magical power gathered in her hand scattered with an ominous sound. It felt like I heard a sound that shouldn’t be heard.

I had a bad feeling instantly. In the moment I blinked, Camilla, who had tried various things, turned her head to look at me.

“…This isn’t working?”

“……”

Blink. Blink blink.

Camilla, awkwardly smiling as our eyes met. Me, staring at her blankly.

After keeping silent, I reached behind my back. But no matter how much I felt around, I couldn’t feel the parachute.

Only then did I suddenly realize.

Ah.

I didn’t bring a parachute when we left.

“…Kyaaaaaaah!!”

“Gyaaaaaaah!!”

At a safe altitude not far from the ground.

The screams of a sharp man and woman cut through the sky of Petrograd.

*

Fortunately, two unrecognizable corpses did not appear on the asphalt of Petrograd.

It was thanks to Camilla’s quick thinking.

“Gyaaaaaaah!!”

Camilla, hugging me tightly, screamed at the top of her lungs. The courage she had shown while jumping around on clouds was nowhere to be seen.

“What do we do? What should we do! What are we going to do now?!”

“Don’t ask me that!”

“We’re all going to die now!”

Camilla, plummeting towards the ground, started crying loudly.

Crying profusely saying we’re all going to die now, Camilla soon came to her senses and looked around. That’s when a place caught her eye.

“There!”

It was a lake.

Camilla pointed to the lake and shouted.

“If we jump into the water, we can survive!”

“If we crash into the lake from here, we’ll die! What are you talking about!”

“Ah, we can use magic!”

“You couldn’t use it!”

The plan to safely return to the ground using teleportation magic had already gone awry. She had tried magic several times, but all had failed.

But Camilla was a magician. Before being a magician, she was also a top student who had made it into a prestigious university.

Even while falling towards the ground, she analyzed why the magic had failed. Concentrating her mind, Camilla determined that there was still magical power left inside her, and judged that the cause of the magic’s failure was not internal but external.

“I still have magical power left! And the number of times I can teleport too!”

The cause of failure she identified was distance.

Alexandra Petrovna had spread numerous magical formations in the backyard. The purpose of the magical formations was to allow Camilla to use magic safely and as she wished, without being constrained by limited opportunities.

However, just before using teleportation, the Grand Duchess added another new magical formation. A magical formation that extended the range of teleportation.

“I can’t teleport to a far distance in one go! Without the help of auxiliary formulas, I would have teleported to the mansion’s roof, not the airspace!”

“Just tell me the conclusion!”

“The mansion is beyond the distance I can teleport to now!”

She was confident.

“I can’t go to the mansion, but I can teleport right above the lake!”

Camilla proposed teleporting not to the mansion but right above the lake. Based on her experience, when using magic, kinetic energy is greatly reduced temporarily, so if we teleport above the lake, we only need to withstand the fall from the reduced distance, was her logic.

Of course, her basis was her intuition.

I had never heard that kinetic energy is lost after using teleportation magic in my life. I’m not a magician, nor did I study science, so I never needed to study such things in the first place. But whether we crashed into the asphalt or the lake, the result would be the same. If we were going to die anyway, it would be better to take a gamble.

“Ah, then do it quickly!”

In the moment a passing bird flapped its wings, Camilla prepared her magic.

The destination was the lake.

There was only one chance.

“Eek…!”

A scream escaped through my gritted teeth. At the same time, sparks flew on our clothes.

Like a meteor breaking through the atmosphere, we gradually began to be engulfed in flames. I closed my eyes, watching the lake that was rapidly growing larger.

When the flickering flames finally engulfed us.

Magical power exploded, and a huge water splash scattered in all directions.

“……”

“……”

Drip-drop- falling streams of water. Fish that had fallen on the lakeshore were flapping, and passing citizens were staring at us blankly.

After staring blankly at the citizens, I turned my head to look up at the sky. The disgustingly clear sky of Petrograd was looking down at the ground as if nothing had happened.

“…Camilla.”

“…Yes.”

“Next time, let’s make sure to bring a parachute.”

Camilla nodded instead of answering.

Water streams pouring like heavy rain and fish flapping on the grass.

Lying flat in the center of it all, we silently gazed at the sky.

It was life’s final last dance.