Chapter 54 – To Four Seasons and Color
Let’s go back a little, to the events right after we pulled Alice-san out of the barrier.
When I felt that momentary surge of intense hatred and realized it came from Meishal Fazuajik, I discreetly took action, making sure not to let it show on my face.
I had wanted to keep Alice-san under my protection, but since that wasn’t possible, I had to be even more vigilant.
On the way back, I typed out a message on my phone and quietly showed it to Four Seasons-san. In situations like this, a smartphone is incredibly useful. Explaining it as a tool from another world stops people from asking questions, and no one would suspect that it can draft longer, more detailed messages than a communication crystal. Not to mention, no one else can see who I’m showing the screen to.
The message detailed that one of the Elder Council members likely bore malicious intent toward Alice-san, that something could happen, and that we would remain awake and alert—so if anything happened, they should notify us immediately.
Four Seasons-san’s expression grew stern as he gave a curt reply: 「Understood.」 It seemed that neither Four Seasons-san nor Color-san had any intention of leaving Alice-san’s side anyway, so all that was left was for us to stay vigilant.
After that, I placed my protective barrier on Alice-san. It takes conscious effort to maintain it for anyone outside my family, and it also has the drawback of losing effectiveness if I move too far away. However, thanks to the boost in magical output from the “Fairy’s Tear,” I was confident it would hold.
To ensure the barrier wouldn’t weaken and that I could respond immediately, I made up an excuse to stay at Emishi-san’s place—and then we waited. Half a day passed.
At midnight, when the entire household seemed to have fallen silent, it finally happened.
※※※
We sprinted down alleyways, leapt over parks, and cut straight through the forest, following a direct route with all possible speed. With Four Seasons-san’s guidance and the magical tracking I had used when Verde and the others were stranded, we knew exactly where to go.
It couldn’t have taken us more than two minutes.
We arrived at a mansion—likely Miyako-san’s residence.
「This is an emergency. We’re going in. Let’s keep it quiet.」
「Hmm. Leave it to me.」
Karen raised her hand toward the first-floor window.
「―― Regardless(夢) of dreams(問), it seeps in(沁) and stumbles(き), ants crawl(蟻)… 『Breaking through the mist』.」
The magic activated. A mist slowly emerged, covering the glass pane. Without a sound, it crumbled away into grains finer than sand.
「Thank you, Karen. Four Seasons-san, do you know the route from here?」
「Watanuki is on the third floor. But if you want the shortest path…」
「Got it. Chocola, I’m counting on you.」
「Bark!」
Chocola barked once, turning back to us as if urging us forward, then leaped inside the mansion. He had remembered Alice-san’s scent perfectly. What a clever boy.
Following Chocola’s lead, we ran down the corridor and up the stairs. Along the way, we spotted what appeared to be a servant’s form slumped in the corner. A quick scan of their magical presence told me they were simply unconscious, with no injuries needing treatment. With no time to spare, we moved on.
Finally, we reached our destination. We paused, then quietly opened the door.
「…This is it.」
I spoke as mother turned on the magical ceiling lamp, illuminating the scene before us.
On the bed lay Alice-san, still unconscious.
Standing over her, knife raised—or perhaps faltering mid-swing—was Meishal Fazuajik.
And pinning him down, glaring up at him fiercely, was Color-san.
Even Meishal seemed stunned, his eyes widening as he turned to face us.
「How… How did you get here?」
「Trade secret. Now, drop the knife.」
「Tch…」
「Drop it.」
At that moment, there was a loud crash behind us—the sound of glass shattering.
It was Four Seasons-san, likely breaking the window to summon help.
「What’s going on!? …What is this!?」
Before long, Miyako-san rushed in, her panicked footsteps stopping abruptly as she froze, speechless at the scene.
I glanced at her briefly before turning my glare back to Meishal.
「It’s over. Even if you swing that knife, it’s useless. My barrier can withstand the attacks of mutants… no, rare-existence-class beings. And escape is impossible. Chocola has your scent now.」
「Bark! Grrrr…」
Chocola growled, baring his teeth. Meishal, now surrounded and facing our magical pressure, finally gave up.
Grinding his teeth, he tossed the knife aside. Yet, even as he did so, his resentful gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Alice-san, as though he didn’t even register our combat-ready stances.
The tension in the air was suffocating, a mixture of unease and heaviness.
Breaking the silence, her voice trembling, Miyako-san finally spoke.
「……why, Fazuajik?」
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
「Why would you do something so… so horrifying?」
「Horrifying, is it?」
Meishal-san laughed bitterly.
That laugh—this laugh—was the first smile he had ever shown us.
His eyes darkened as he began to speak.
「I find your ideology far more horrifying. You twist and trample the lives of those who live in the present, leaving them miserable, all for the sake of your so-called Progenitors. And yet, you show not a shred of guilt, your eyes sparkling like naïve children as you prattle on about ‘the Progenitors’ wishes’ or how you ‘want to make the Progenitors proud.’」
His lips curled, distorting his face.
「How charming it must be, Miyako Vueda, to carry the same innocent convictions you held as a child. Truly enviable. I never had such a childhood.」
「…What do you mean? At this point, you might as well explain it so we can understand.」
「It has nothing to do with you. …Or so I’d like to say. But since you’re the one who brought the Progenitors back, I’ll make an exception. Even if it was just a commission, I won’t deny—I despise you as well. Fine, I’ll tell you. But it’s no intricate tale, no grand tragedy. Just a dull story that wouldn’t draw an audience even as a stage play.」
「That doesn’t matter. You’re not a character in a play; you’re a living person. I’m not interested in the circumstances—I want to know your feelings. What you’re thinking.」
At my reply, Meishal Fazuajik let out a sigh that carried a faint sadness.
Then, fixing Miyako-san with a sharp glare, he began.
「About thirty years ago, a man from a branch family of the Silkiya lineage fell in love with a woman. But the two were forcibly separated by one of your elders. The man was made to marry a daughter of the main Silkiya house. …And the woman, left in despair, eventually found another man. A man whose life, like hers, had been ruined by those bloodline supremacists.」
He chuckled—a dry, nervous sound—as his fingers clawed at his neck.
「I was born to those parents, raised for one purpose: to exact their revenge. To infiltrate the Elder Council and act as a tool to bring down the bloodline supremacists.」
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