Ch.95Aftermath – 1

Upon returning to the imperial palace, the Royal Guard was waiting, likely because the Sword Saint had given them advance notice.

“The Sword Saint instructed us to escort you to the basement immediately upon your arrival.”

The Royal Guard greeted me respectfully and guided the way.

Considering that their status was much higher than that of an academy student, making such formalities unnecessary, it would be reasonable to assume that rumors about healing magic had spread.

The source of the rumors was probably one of the three Grand Mages who had attended the Mages’ Association meeting. They must have ordered everyone to protect me by any means necessary, as I was the only human who could use healing magic.

“This is the innermost prison.”

The Royal Guard continued deep into the basement even after we arrived.

The innermost prison in the imperial palace basement. This was once the room where the murderous demon Karna had been imprisoned.

“We’ve arrived. The Sword Saint—huh!”

As soon as the double doors of the prison opened, a murderous intent pierced my skin. Even though it wasn’t directed at me, it was so intense that even the Royal Guard hesitated.

It was completely different from what I had felt when I first met the Sword Saint. If that had been a feeling that forced you to either counterattack or die, this was purely a sensation that crushed both body and mind.

Well, from my perspective, it was much easier to endure than before. Now, I merely sensed the killing intent. Back then, I had struggled to suppress the urge to draw Eternal and counterattack.

“You’re here?”

As Karna approached with a smile, the Royal Guard standing beside me stiffened and saluted. Karna tried to stop him, saying he was no longer a captain and such formality wasn’t necessary, but the guard remained firm.

The Sword Saint was still glaring at the people imprisoned in the deepest part of the dungeon with cold eyes. Only after turning his head to confirm my presence did he relax.

“Good work. You may leave.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Royal Guard, composing himself with effort, saluted and left the basement. After the clanking footsteps faded into the distance, the Sword Saint heaved a deep sigh.

“I apologize for the unseemly display.”

“It’s fine. But what is all this…?”

It was the first time I had seen the Sword Saint display such intense emotion, except for when Karna had returned to being human. Even when he personally came after hearing that Brunhild and I had nearly died, he hadn’t been this agitated.

“In the past, that person said terrible things to me when I was still a murderous demon—”

“Enough, Karna. Don’t speak of those filthy memories. I’ll explain instead.”

The Sword Saint cut Karna off sharply and continued.

“You remember that I kept this child imprisoned for a long time, right?”

“Yes.”

“That day, I was endlessly repeating failures, when somehow that thing found its way here.”

His eyes sank as he looked toward the deposed crown prince.

“When I asked why he had come, he said he had never tried it with a murderous demon before and requested to have intercourse with her just once.”

“Uh…”

“He also spouted nonsense about how she might return to her senses if she felt good enough.”

“Why didn’t you kill him then? Why keep him alive until now?”

I looked at Igor, who was trembling under the pressure of the killing intent while imprisoned, with the same eyes as the Sword Saint.

He had seemed obsessed with women from the first time I saw him, but he was far more deranged than I had thought. I wonder what gave him the confidence to say such things to the disciple the Sword Saint cherished so much.

“…Long ago, I made a promise with the Emperor. As long as I lived, I would grant one wish in a lifetime to direct imperial bloodline members. It was in return for saving my life once.”

The Sword Saint frowned and rubbed his right arm under his clothes, as if experiencing phantom pain. That promise seemed to be related to the time he had been shattered after confronting the Demon King.

“Couldn’t you have just ignored that and killed him? If you had killed everyone who came with him, no one would have known.”

“But I would have known.”

Sorrow filled his eyes. The phantom pain seemed to worsen as his eyes trembled. Thin beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and cheeks.

“Although I’ve held a sword for a long time, the essence of Rachel as a person is ultimately that of a warrior. Denying a promise made to my sword would be like denying the path I’ve lived. Don’t you think there should be at least one line that must never be crossed? Consider my oath to the sword as that line for me.”

I had heard something similar from Priscilla. After the Sword Saint developed PTSD from the Demon King and became unable to wield a sword, he became even more obsessed with the concept of being a warrior.

It was probably a kind of self-defense mechanism. If the Sword Saint, unable to hold a sword, were to deny his very essence, there would be nothing left.

“Amusingly, when I became angry, that thing seemed genuinely surprised. He had come without even understanding why I hadn’t killed this child.”

“…From what I’m hearing, it seems you didn’t need to call me here. You could have just killed him and explained what happened, and I would have understood completely. I had no intention of letting him live anyway.”

Even being enthralled by a succubus wouldn’t be a mitigating factor for someone like him.

“You two suffered the most harm, didn’t you? That’s why I was waiting to see if you had a preferred method of execution, or if you wanted to kill him yourself. I should have asked Laura too, but… she’s shut herself in her room and won’t come out.”

“I don’t have anything specific in mind, so you can do as you please. However, I would recommend delaying Igor’s disposal for a few days, though the others can be dealt with immediately.”

“Why is that?”

“By then, the Tower Masters should be able to learn healing magic. Having learned a new spell, wouldn’t they need someone to practice on?”

They’re not the kind of people who would misunderstand the hidden meaning in my words. The Sword Saint nodded with a brightened expression. Karna looked somewhat tense beside him.

“Your Highness, I am deeply concerned for your well-being. Would you please open the door?”

The servants packed densely in the corridor were stuck in front of Laura’s room, unable to move forward or backward. I observed the scene from a distance.

“I beg you, Your Highness. What has happened? Please confide in us if something is troubling you.”

Despite the desperate pleas of the maid at the front, the firmly closed door showed no sign of opening. I approached the crowd. Some turned at the sound of my footsteps, flinching when they recognized me.

Either rumors about me had spread here too, or someone had given them advance notice. No one tried to stop me. The maid who had been desperately knocking on the door stepped back a few paces.

“I heard that Her Highness has awakened.”

“Yes. She certainly did. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she screamed at the sight of us and drove everyone out. She’s been shut in ever since.”

I see.

I had thought it strange that there was such a commotion over someone being locked in a room for just a few hours, but if such an incident had occurred beforehand, their concern was understandable. After all, no one knew what might be happening inside.

“Your Highness. It’s me. Let’s open the door, shall we?”

I knocked on the door instead. After a brief silence, there was finally a proper response.

“…If you’re coming in, come alone. I won’t open the door for anyone else, even if I die.”

The servants and I looked at each other, startled. Beyond the cracked and hoarse voice, the tone itself was absolutely nothing like the usual Crown Princess.

“I’ll leave this to you. She has vowed never to open the door for us, so our presence would only be a hindrance. Please take care of Her Highness.”

Their judgment was quick. The servants, convinced that her stubbornness would never yield, handed me a tray with porridge and withdrew in a group. Left alone, I knocked on the door again.

“Everyone has gone. It’s just me, so you can open the door.”

“…Alright. Come in.”

The door creaked open halfway. Laura peeked out with just her head, looked outside to confirm no one else was there, and then gestured that it was okay to enter.

“…”

As soon as I entered, I was shocked. The entire room looked as if it had been bombed.

All the furniture was completely destroyed, the carpet was torn to pieces and lay limply scattered, and the walls and floor were all burned. Not a single spot remained intact.

Laura, who had come to open the door, was in the same state. Her clothes were reduced to rags, and her hair was a complete mess. Dark circles filled the area under her eyes, making me wonder what she had been doing in such a short time.

“Your Highness. What is—”

“Don’t call me that! It makes me sick just hearing it… you know.”

Laura, who had reflexively shouted, looked up at me, flinched, and awkwardly added a formal speech ending. Something was definitely wrong. She didn’t seem like the usual Laura.

Trembling fingers grasped my wrist and pulled me along. There was no strength in her grip, but I followed obediently. As we went deeper inside, the smell of burning assaulted my nose.

Laura’s right hand still clutched that notebook of hers.

“What exactly happened while I was gone? And why are you speaking so differently?”

Laura, who had been chuckling for a moment at my question, looked down at her notebook. The red eyes that had always been full of confidence were half-dead.

“Something you couldn’t even imagine.”

“Whether I can imagine it or not is for me to decide. Tell me.”

A faint sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth. It was a “we’ll see about that” kind of look.

“Would you believe it if I told you this world was created by someone’s hand?”

“Of course I would.”

With four people including myself who have been dragged into this ‘created’ world, how could I not believe it?

But despite my easy affirmation, Laura still maintained that faint sneer.

“Then, what if I told you that I was the one who created this world?”