The first rays of morning sunlight fell upon his face, tickling his skin. Sensation gradually returned to his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw a fragmented sky above, sliced apart by tangled branches.
Sitting up, he examined himself. Every part of his body that had been severed was restored. After being utterly crushed by the Authorities of the two Archbishops, his own "Authority" had finally activated—he had resurrected.
"So… about half an hour later? This is… the back mountain forest?"
His mind was somewhat confused. Lillian stood, staggering as he tried to walk. His memory also seemed to contain blank spaces. He knew he had mobilized all his mana to fight, but the process of the battle itself was gone from his mind—lost in unconsciousness. He only remembered that, when victory seemed impossible, he had transferred all his remaining mana to Ram and burned to ashes like a sacrificial offering.
What about her?
He needed to return immediately… Yet after taking a step forward, he suddenly stopped.
His body began trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, slid down his cheeks, and dripped to the ground—revealing the emotion consuming him.
Fear.
"Yes… he already killed me once. If there's a second time… I won't be able to revive. If I encounter him again now, there's only death waiting for me."
The physical traits he gained from the Sin Archbishop of Greed had little effect.
Regulus's true strength lay in his Authority—something that could not be inherited. In other words, this death had brought him no significant benefit. His strength had barely improved.
Which meant that if he met Regulus again, no matter how desperately he struggled, he would still not be his opponent. He would die again—and if he died again, there would be no resurrection.
"I… I'm afraid?"
Lillian stared at his trembling hands. Emotion urged him to go back immediately, yet reason and his body's instinctive response told him otherwise:
Run. Leave this place at once. Until you gain the strength to rival Regulus, you must never face him again.
Should he run? If he did… could he face the person who had knowingly rushed to her death for his sake?
[Hahaha! And going to your death would make it right? Instead of that, wouldn't it be better to gain power first and take revenge later?]
But… but she might still be alive! With her vampire constitution…
[Didn't you see it? She was already cut into pieces.]
"Shut up!!"
Crash—crash—!
The birds resting in the forest were startled by the shout and scattered into flight. Fallen leaves landed on his head and shoulders, and Lillian regained a bit of clarity.
Gritting his teeth, he turned to leave—taking a step forward, only to suddenly stop.
Would that still be me?
"Damn it!"
He abruptly turned around and sprinted up the mountain, racing toward Roswaal's mansion.
Yes, at a time like this, the logical choice was obviously to run—to flee as far away as possible! He should find a way to grow stronger, unravel the Sin Archbishops' Authorities, and then seek revenge. Yes, that would be the most rational course of action.
"But… I don't want to do that…"
He ran wildly, desperately wishing to cast time itself behind him. The rushing wind, the cries of birds, the snapping of dry branches beneath his feet—all of it fueled his urgency.
He was getting close. The burning mansion stood right before his eyes. Yet Lillian could not sense anyone's presence—neither Greed nor Gluttony, neither Rem nor Ram. All of them were gone… Even what had once remained on the ground had disappeared, as if someone had cleaned up the scene.
He walked in a daze across the charred black earth. He knew this was all his doing. The flames he had unleashed had not only burned him completely, but had also turned the lawn into scorched wasteland.
"Where is everyone…"
They were all gone. Where had they gone? He didn't know.
His footsteps suddenly halted. In the early morning sunlight, something lay upon the burnt ground. Lillian crouched down and carefully picked it up.
It was a strangely shaped dagger, still stained with fresh, drying blood.
This was all that remained.
He suddenly realized that.
---
The Royal Capital.
"He's probably not coming, is he?" Subaru checked the time and said to Emilia beside him, "It's already noon. The time he agreed on with you was this morning, right?"
"…"
Emilia glanced toward the entrance of the tavern. She was still wearing her magic cloak to conceal her appearance. Just as Subaru had said, the appointed time had long passed, yet Lillian had not shown up.
People came and went at the tavern's entrance, but the one she was waiting for never appeared. Her hands unconsciously clenched. Last time, he had arrived very punctually. Yet this time… she did not want to assume that he had forgotten or anything like that, but at moments like this, she couldn't help recalling that he had deceived her once before.
That time, he had lied in order to escape—at least that could be explained. But this time, what reason could he possibly have? As Emilia fell into troubled thought, a discussion within the tavern caught her attention and made her unable to remain seated.
"Things are in chaos over in the Mathers domain."
"Yeah, I heard from a merchant group that just came from there. They said even the Border Count's estate… was burned down…"
"That chaotic?! Could it be the people in his territory—"
"Isn't the Border Count the foremost court mage? Who could possibly—"
"Excuse me!"
A sudden voice interrupted their conversation. The voice sounded clear and bell-like, and they initially assumed it belonged to a young girl. But when they turned around, they found an ordinary-looking man, and their interest immediately faded.
"Is what you just said true?!" the man asked anxiously.
"Yeah," one of them replied. "That's what the merchants who just came from there said."
"Could you tell me the details?"
"The details? We don't know," the man said after a moment's thought. "We only know that something happened in the Mathers domain, and the Border Count's mansion was burned down. We don't know anything else."
"…Thank you!"
Emilia immediately rushed out of the tavern. Subaru followed beside her and asked, "Are we heading back now?"
"Yes! We don't know what happened—we have to return immediately!"
"Roswaal's nowhere to be seen either. His own house was burned down and he still hasn't shown up?"
"…"
Emilia was frantic with anxiety, so restless she could hardly stay still. She had no idea what had happened. As the easternmost region of the continent, the Mathers domain could not possibly have been attacked by another nation. Then why had unrest broken out? Was it because Roswaal had declared his support for her, a half-elf? If that was the case… then she too had to step forward and face it.
Taking a deep breath, Emilia steadied her resolve and immediately brought Subaru back to their rented inn.
Along the way, she couldn't help thinking—if Lillian hadn't invited her by letter this time, she should have returned to the territory two days ago. If that were the case, she would have encountered this disturbance directly… Considering that Lillian had failed to appear this time, could it have been intentional? Had he deliberately deceived her to keep her here? And for what reason?
Emilia shared her speculation with Subaru. Startled, he blurted out, "Could it be that he wanted to attack the mansion while we were away?"
"…That can't be."
Emilia could think of no reason why he would do such a thing. What benefit would there be in attacking the mansion while avoiding them? Rem and Ram were innocent, and Roswaal, the Border Count, was also away on business… She could not imagine what anyone would gain from such an act.
"I don't think so. Anyway, we'll know what happened once we hurry back!"
After packing their belongings, Emilia and Subaru rented ground dragons and departed at once. She thought to herself that if what Subaru had suggested turned out to be true, she would never trust Lillian again… Yet after their previous conversation, she had felt his sincerity. She believed he was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.
After leaving the city gates, they soon encountered a returning military unit. Among them was someone she recognized well. The other party also recognized her despite her disguise, and as they drew closer, she asked, "What are you two doing here—?"
The one being addressed was Priscilla, seated inside a carriage. She glanced at Emilia, her attitude far from friendly, and her words equally harsh.
"You've been quite leisurely, playing around here for days. And yet it is I who must clean up the mess left by the one supporting you."
"What do you mean?!" Emilia was confused. She had almost no influence within the royal capital, and her access to information was extremely limited—nothing compared to the other candidates. For example, during the recent White Whale subjugation, she, despite being one of the candidates for the Dragon Priestess, had not even known it was happening.
"Hmph… So his request to me was for your sake. I truly cannot understand what he was thinking."
After saying this, Priscilla lowered the curtain and refused to speak further with Emilia. However, Al, riding a ground dragon nearby, spoke in a friendly manner:
"Lady Emilia, there's no need to worry. I've already driven back the Witch Cult members who attacked the village. As for the mansion, Lillian has gone there as well. With his strength, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"The Witch Cult?!"
"Huh? Lady Emilia doesn't know about this?"
"No, I… thank you for telling me. Please allow me to properly express my gratitude later!"
After saying this, she turned to Subaru and urgently said, "Let's go!"
The two hurried away side by side. After they had left, Priscilla pulled back the curtain again and asked Al, "Tell me, does that fellow Lillian intend to support that half-elf? Otherwise, why would he have us help deal with what's happening in her territory?"
"Uh… to be precise, it's Roswaal's territory. But well, not necessarily. Didn't Lillian say he didn't want to support anyone?"
"Then why help her?"
"Well… maybe he's just a genuinely good person. At that age, isn't it normal to want to become a hero who saves everything? Princess, don't underestimate the heroic spirit of us men!"
Watching Al flex his arm and show off his muscles, Priscilla let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph. Being a hero never ends well. In my eyes, they're nothing but fools who charge ahead without understanding their own limits."
"Hey, hey, Princess, you're questioning the very core of all hot-blooded stories! The protagonist of that light novel you were reading wanted to be a hero too—"