Chapter 280: You Are Like Sand (21)

Boom!

The door burst open with a thunderous crash, and the knights stormed in.

"By imperial decree! Marquis Leandro, cease your rampage at once!"

In that instant, the focus gathered on his blade wavered. His strike missed its perfect mark. He severed one strand of the web, yet failed to tear away the silver veil.

Shhhk!

Though his sword had slashed only empty air, violet fluid splattered onto the floor. It wasn't something of this world. The knights froze in shock.

Did he fail?

I couldn't even fully comprehend what he had just attempted. Though, one thing was clear: it was dangerous. A strike that shaved through the skin of dimensions. The moment the blade moved, I felt the distance between myself and the marquis collapse.

By slicing apart

this

plane, he had attacked an unseen enemy hidden

there

. To think that simply swinging a sharpened steel could cross the boundary of dimensions... Leandro von Batyenne's talent was terrifying.

With a seemingly hollow gaze, the marquis flicked the violet substance from his blade.

"What was that?"

Something small clung to the steel. It was a pulsing sucker. It dropped to the floor and squirmed toward the knights.

"What... did you cut?"

The knight who'd kicked the door in scowled, stabbing the thing with his sword. Whether out of fear or caution, his blade was infused with faint Sword Energy.

Splurt!

The violet sucker burst apart.

"You interfered. Because of you, I failed."

The square-jawed knight's scarred face twitched. "

Khmm...

!"

From their movements, I realized they had come to arrest the marquis outright. Still, knowing how impossible such an order was, they only hesitated and glanced at one another.

The marquis prompted. "Well? Get on with it."

They reluctantly drew their swords, pointing them at the marquis.

Shiiing.

The knights' faces twisted with distaste. They clearly hated this duty.

The marquis's gaze swept them, as if asking if they truly meant to end such a long life here and now. "What is the meaning of this?"

"A petition signed by the nobles was submitted, and His Majesty has issued an edict. As of this moment, the regent diamond theft is transferred to Duke Tartier."

"Why?"

"Two of the Blue Lion knights have fallen, and a priest of light was slain. The court has deemed you unfit to continue the investigation."

The knight ground out each word, but I could see the fear in his eyes as he stole glances at Leandro. Of course, that was nothing but pretense.

From what I had heard through Necron, the trained livestock were distributed secretly to the nobles. The gifts were tailored so they couldn't refuse. Once they accepted, their weaknesses were bound, reducing them to Necron's dogs. Of course they'd feel threatened when Biblio was investigated thoroughly.

The marquis barely looked at them as he asked, "Where is your commander?"

One of the younger knights quietly answered, "He raised his voice, saying there was no reason to hinder you. For that, he was ordered to stand down."

Leandro's brow twitched. "If you wish to end the investigation, then fine. Have it your way. The diamond search ends here."

He walked out with slow, heavy steps. The imperial knights stood frozen as they watched him go. Only once he had vanished into the distance did they speak.

"Are we going to investigate...?" a younger knight asked.

The square-jawed man snapped, looking around in weariness. "What's there to investigate, fool?!"

"Let's go. Gods, I've lost ten years of my life today."

They left, and silence reclaimed the duke's residence.

"..."

I replayed the marquis's strike in my mind, the slash into empty air.

What if he had succeeded? Could he have truly severed the barrier? Could he have cut the net tied to the Demon Realm and unearthed its secrets? Still, not even his extraordinary detection could uncover the truth hidden in this chamber. Even though his knights had stabbed their swords into every crevice, they still missed the passages below.

The concealment here was absolute. All of it was worth reporting back to Biblio. When the house stood empty, I checked the secret map the old man had entrusted to me.

Clunk.

The floor opened easily beneath my hand. The passage that stayed hidden until the end revealed itself.

I descended the tongue-like staircase. The cold, dark maze waited below, filled with traps for intruders. With the map, I didn't falter. The narrow passage carved beneath the capital stretched onward. Perhaps, it even connected to Naneow's secret routes, or to the Empire's hidden archives. That could be investigated later. For now, Erast came first.

Choosing swiftly among the branching tunnels, I moved toward the outskirts of the city.

Rumble...

The underground path spilled me out onto the Red Fox Plains. From here, only Erast remained. The wind passed coolly across my bones. I thought of Rubia. Duke Biblio's help would already have secured her lordship. The thought filled me with a trembling lightness. My hazy mind flickered awake for a moment, then blurred again.

***

I ran hard, and soon, Erast loomed before me. The gray fortress rose in the distance. This time, I was certain things would be far better. The unprepared girl of before was readier as ever. Her followers also weren't imprisoned or tortured. Well, she'd excelled even back then.

Now? I recalled the translucent Governance Level hovering above her head. Her fief would grow, and her people's faith would deepen. Her tenure as Lady of Erast would be more stable and prosperous than ever before.

I slipped quietly into the keep.

The villagers embraced each other, tears glimmering in their eyes.

"Is it true? Lady Rubia has become our lord?"

"Yes! You didn't hear sooner?"

"I was away in another city... this is wonderful, truly wonderful!"

I hadn't expected such a reaction. It seemed this Rubia had earned goodwill across her entire life, her kindness remaining in the hearts of her people. It stirred the same odd satisfaction I'd felt saving the goblin village.

I crept deeper into the inner castle.

Detection.

I wanted to find Rubia before alerting Biblio of my arrival. Once I reached the inside of the castle, everything felt blurred. Shimmering distortions, bent outlines, cloaking forms. The deeper I went, the thicker it became.

A barrier?

Perhaps the old man had erected it to protect her. In that case, I needed to see him first. I noticed groups of Necron followers, marked with coiling snake tattoos. When I dropped Concealment, the humans paled, gasping.

"Where is Duke Biblio?"

They nearly choked with fear, but steadied themselves as if prepared for this. "

Ah

! W-welcome, my lord! The High Priest awaits you. Please, this way..."

As expected, they guided me without delay.

However, as we neared the reception hall, someone said in an angry, nasal voice that rang through the doors, "

Hmph

! Hand it over already!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! Honestly... if it were a healthy man like Leandro, fine, but you? Your little games aren't even fun!

Ugh

, enough!"

That voice. A deep timbre forced into a falsetto, an ugly harmony. The effeminate duke, Lawrence Tartier. Had she tracked the diamond's whereabouts all the way here? The divisions between them ran deeper than I thought. A single regent diamond had pitted three powers in open conflict. Her grotesque persuasion had no effect on the old man.

"You're cruel...!"

The doors swung open. I ducked into the shadows instinctively. Out stepped a towering man, nearly two meters tall, with long hair streaming.

He scowled at the attendants outside. "Why are you staring? Want me to pluck out your eyes?"

They bowed frantically. "N-no, sir!"

Lawrence Tartier stormed past, fuming. The one who had slain Marquis Leandro, shattered the pendant, and killed me as if in jest. This time, she didn't even sense me hiding there.

Under Botis, I stood above even her. The strange superiority lingered in my chest.

When she finally left, the old man stepped out through the wide-open doors. "

Oh-ho!

My loyal, dependable one has arrived."

His voice brimmed with warmth, his smile stretched wide. Just meeting that kindly gaze should've filled me with ease, gratitude, and bliss. Yet I clung tightly to another thought.

I nodded and asked, "Where is Rubia?"

"Ah! She's coming just now."

Tak.

From the long corridor on the left, small footsteps echoed. I stepped aside as Rubia approached slowly and elegantly. I didn't need to greet her. Just seeing that she lived well was enough. She was dressed to perfection, every detail polished until she resembled a doll.

The mirror on the corridor wall caught her profile, more obsessively adorned than ever before. When she stopped, she bowed politely toward me. There was a faint tremor in her gaze.

Does she remember?

Yet the tremor sank quickly away, leaving only hollow eyes.

"That's the girl you've cared about, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"

Heh-heh...

I've put in special effort for her."

"Special...?"

The old man's eyes gleamed with benevolence.

"You asked me to make her a lord, did you not? I have made her into one, strong against assassins," he continued, "this lord needs no guards. Go ahead, strike her."

Strike Rubia? Absurd.

I took a step back. "That would be unacceptable."

A disquieting sense of wrongness gnawed at me. I had revealed myself openly, yet Rubia didn't even flinch. An unnatural lack of reaction, as if something was broken. Even the castle itself felt entirely different.

Where was Christina, whom I had entrusted as her special guard?

Not a trace of her remained. In fact, not even the steward, the head maid, or even the loyal humans who once supported Rubia in Erast remained. Only the Necron rabble, marked with serpent tattoos, filled the halls.

"If you won't, then another slave will do." The old man's yellow eyes gleamed as he looked at two nearby men.

"Attack the lord."

"

Ugh!

"

At his command, they lunged like puppets on strings, blades flashing.

"Stand still."

My legs froze for an instant.

Shhhhck!

Before their swords could touch her, both men's bodies split into four clean pieces. Two neat strikes, straight through. Their torsos collapsed, spilling blood and entrails across the floor.

Splatter.

Neither I nor the old man had moved. Rubia hadn't moved either.

I stared. From her shoulders, thin blades extended, unfurling like wings. They stretched three meters long, swaying gently.

One, two, four, eight...

The old man's eyes glowed with pride as he admired her. "What do you think? I poured all my finest materials into her. A masterpiece. It had to be."

I couldn't speak. Steel carved with inverted runes had replaced her bones. Some blades were poised to shoot like arrows, others stretched thin like whips, ready to carve any path. Her nerves entwined with steel, her muscles extending, her veins throbbing with alien pulses. All of it screamed with the craftsman's obsession.

"She is

special.

I preserved every nerve so she can feel everything. The sensation of her body opening, every moment alive."

His fevered tone forced the vision into my mind. Since she was the one I cared for, he'd sculpted her with passion and madness. This was just another obsession for him. A creation born of chance, resolve, and terrible investment.

I wanted to vomit every thought boiling inside me. Red emotions squirmed, tearing through my wounded mind. Grinding my teeth, bleeding tears. From her lips came a soundless sob, too faint for anyone but me. That was enough to scatter the fog.

"Tell me, what do you think? Dissatisfied with her function? She's quite exceptional."

His words carried no mockery. He gazed at me sincerely, expectant.

Shiiing.

I drew my sword, leveling it at him.

"

Hm

? What's this?"

From the beginning, this was wrong. Fear and rage crept out of the shadows, clinging to my mind.

The old man frowned. "Something's amiss."

"Obey. Admire the doll I crafted. Be grateful, be glad."

Thud.

A pounding force struck my skull. The thick blood-fog began to smother my mind again. I knew instinctively. If it closed over me now, I would never return.

"A pity... but even with your mind erased, you'd still serve well enough."

My thoughts blurred. Transparent power seized my arms. The Snake that Swallows the Night. No matter how I fought, I could never defeat him. I had only one chance to strike. If I failed, I'd spend endless years as a broken slave at Rubia's side.

Crunch!

Before the last ember of my will faded, I gathered the last shard of defiance. I opened my jaw wide and drove my sword deep into my own skull. My knees buckled, forcing the blade in harder.

"Wh-what...?"

The fog broke apart. Yet instead of clarity, only darkness swallowed me.

Crack.

Fragments of my skull scattered across the stone floor of Erast's inner keep. I'd borrowed Botis's power in hope of making Rubia a lord. Everything collapsed like a sand castle.