episode_0108

“After going through all that trouble to come rescue you, it seems I came for nothing. Or perhaps it would’ve been better if I’d arrived even later?”

“Eh, Elia? You came to save us!”

“I’m already regretting my decision as we speak. If only you’d given me a proper explanation—”

Though Elia glared at the two of us with icy eyes, she must’ve noticed our sorry state, as she heaved a small sigh and tossed something through the crevice.

“Drink this. It’ll help restore your mana.”

“Ah, thanks.”

“Idiot, it’s not for you! Give it to Cecilia. It’ll help her recover her magic.”

“Where did you get holy water? With the church destroyed, it must’ve been hard to find…”

“Money solves most problems. Especially when it’s a request from the Crown Princess.”

Cecilia gave a small nod, carefully uncorked the bottle, and slowly drank its contents.

“Pwah… Thank you, Elia.”

“It’s too early for thanks. I expect a detailed report on what happened, so hurry up and get out. This is as far as we can reach from here.”

“As far as you can reach?”

“Exactly. The path we carved is only one-way—just a temporary breach made with magic, avoiding interference from other relics. Sending more people down won’t help with the escape. If you’re not leaving through this crevice now, then it’d be better for Cecilia to forge a new path with her divine power. At least now we have enough tools and mana to confirm your safety.”

Hearing Elia’s explanation, I understood.

“But how did you even find us? Not to brag, but our location was pretty hard to track down…”

“Chris helped. She whipped up a tool in just two days that could pinpoint a unique mana signature. I figured we’d be searching for days, but luckily, we got a lead faster than expected.”

“Ah…”

So it was that shockwave we felt back then. Pure luck, but she must’ve caught it. If Cecilia hadn’t held her ground back then—if she’d given up like I told her—we might’ve been swept away for good.

“Cecilia.”

“Shh. Now’s the time to focus on what comes next.”

“…Yeah. Then leave it to you, Cecilia.”

“Leave it to me, Eric. Ah!”

As if suddenly remembering, Cecilia lifted her head and looked at Elia again.

“Speaking of which, where is Chris now? And the others?”

“The Inquisitors are currently enjoying the hospitality of the imperial palace. Some fools tried cozying up to the church, but it didn’t amount to much. As for Chris, she’s currently weaving a transportation spell to get you two out safely. Want me to switch places with her?”

“No, no need. We’ve inconvenienced her enough already. We’ll get out soon, so don’t worry. Really, thank you. If not for you, we might never have made it out…”

“Hmph.”

Elia snorted and tossed us a few more recovery items and tools.

“If you can talk like that, you’re clearly well enough. Don’t waste my time. I’ll head out first.”

With that, she turned and began climbing back up the crevice as if scaling a cliff… Then paused to glance back down at us.

“Tch… This is taking too long. Eric!”

“Yeah?”

“Stop standing there and move aside.”

“Huh?”

“You’re in the way.”

A faint gust of wind—

“Whoa?!”

—and before I could react, Elia let go of the wall and dropped straight down.

“Hup!”

Amidst a small cloud of dust, Elia landed right in front of me.

“Climbing back up would’ve been a waste of effort. It’s faster to just escort you two out myself.”

“Even so, don’t just jump like that without warning! Bad for the heart.”

“It was the most efficient option. Now, let’s move. I’ll clear the way.”

“West, 20 paces. Then—”

BANG!

A clean opening large enough for us to pass through appeared exactly where Cecilia had pointed.

“What’s next?”

“Haha…”

Maybe I should’ve asked her to come down sooner.

“……” “……”

“…Ah, turn right there, 39 paces.”

Elia took the lead, Cecilia followed with directions, and I scrambled after them. The only words exchanged were Cecilia’s instructions and the occasional question from Elia, but there was no time to find the silence awkward—we moved too fast for that.

True to her word, Elia focused solely on clearing the path, saving the explanations for later.

Before long, Cecilia and I saw sunlight for the first time in what felt like forever.

“Ugh… Bright.”

“Careful.”

“We’re really out… Seriously…”

Cecilia warily scanned our surroundings, as if unable to believe it, but I couldn’t blame her. Even I was struggling to process that we were breathing fresh air again. After everything we’d been through, it felt surreal.

“Now, let’s clean up the mess.”

Elia stretched her arm forward.

“Clean up?”

“Look around. Count how many people are invested in your condition. The heir of House Grave and the Saintess have vanished—that’s fodder for endless rumors. Rest at the palace tonight. The investigation starts tomorrow.”

“Big bro! Big sis!!!”

In the distance, Christine came rushing toward us.

“How are you? Are you hurt? Did anything—”

“I’m fine, thanks to Cecilia’s healing. She’s okay too.”

“Thank you for worrying, Chris, but Eric and I are both fine. How about you, though? Any backlash from overusing magic…?”

“Who do you take me for?! I recovered ages ago! Stop fussing over me when you’re the ones who—”

“Enough. Save the reunion for later. Cecilia, Eric—rest. Like I keep saying, you’re patients. Even Cecilia’s healing won’t erase mental exhaustion.”

“Eh? I feel perfectly fine. Better than before, actually.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Rest.”

As she spoke, Elia’s gaze slid past me. I didn’t miss what those eyes implied—though fixed on me, their focus was on the crowd behind us.

I tugged Cecilia’s arm.

“Let’s go. For now, let’s just accept Elia’s kindness.”

“Huh? But—”

“Sorry, Chris, but stay behind and smooth things over with the others. They helped rescue us, no matter the motive. I’m sure they’re expecting something in return.”

“Oh! Then I’ll open a portal! Straight to the palace—easy travel. You’re not seriously thinking of walking there looking like that, are you?”

Taking Chris’s cue, I glanced down at myself. Though Cecilia’s miracle had healed my body, my clothes were a ragged mess. I looked like a beggar—no, worse, like someone who’d just crawled out of hell.

“Thanks, Chris.”

“It’s nothing, really…”

Chris looked like she wanted to say more, but Elia’s sharp stare kept her from pressing further.

With a flick of her fingers, Chris conjured a portal. Cecilia and I stepped through.

“Phew… It’s as huge as ever.”

“That’s your takeaway after seeing the imperial palace?”

“Hah… The palace isn’t new to me.”

Past loops had me visiting as often as I ate meals. Even in this loop, as Grave’s heir, I’d been summoned here a few times.

“But staying this deep inside is a first.”

“This area is reserved for the Emperor’s family. Honestly, we wouldn’t have gotten permission to stay here if not for Lady Elia’s influence.”

“Fair point.”

Right now, Elia effectively ruled the imperial palace—not out of any grand claim, but simply because her faction controlled it. And once seized, she’d never relinquish it.

“Tired. Let’s find an empty room.”

“Agreed.”

Easier said than done. Countless rooms, yet each one was occupied by resting Inquisitors.

The moment they spotted the Saintess, they leapt up, eager to offer their beds—No need, no need!—but convincing them only drained me further.

“Not easy, huh.”

“Indeed. Heh.”

Cecilia giggled as she steadied me.

“But still, I’m glad. We finally have a chance to talk—somewhere safe, with no worries.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t ask why you did what you did back then. Instead, I’ll ask this: Are you going to keep doing things like this?”