Chapter 34 : Demon Beast of Deception (4)

“Should We Pretend You’re Dead?”

“Yeah.”

Yuri responded.

“If I die in front of her, the goal of the brainwashing will be achieved, so it might have some effect on breaking it.”

“How are you going to pull that off? You know how sharp Carne is.”

Carne is the type of person who can read emotions from the subtlest expressions or movements. If we try to deceive her carelessly, it could backfire.

“Of course, we can’t do it alone. We’ll need some help.”

She pulled out a jingling pouch of coins from her pocket and placed it on the table.

“Money isn’t an issue. If we hire some people to create a realistic scenario, even Carne might fall for it.”

True. Involving outsiders would make it more convincing.

“Then, what kind of scenario are we setting up?”

“I’ll be taken hostage.”

“…That might be a problem.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine a situation where Yuri would be taken hostage.

Even though she’s somewhat indifferent to external stimuli, she’s not called a genius ice spirit master for nothing. With just a flick of her hand, she could freeze everything around her. The idea of her being captured is unrealistic.

“Unless they’re completely insane, no one would dare do that to you.”

“…What kind of image do I have, exactly?”

“…Uh, the Ice Queen?”

“Not as bad as I thought.”

Honestly, she’s more like a frost monster, but I figured it was better not to say that.

“What if we reverse it? What if I’m the one taken hostage?”

“Are you sure? To make it realistic, things might get a bit rough.”

“…How rough?”

“There might be some blood, but nothing permanent or life-threatening.”

Hearing her explain it in detail made it even scarier.

“It’s fine. I suggested it, so I can handle it.”

Honestly, I haven’t experienced anything more painful than the White Cat Captain’s punches, so I figured I could endure it.

“Then, leave all the preparations to me and focus on your acting. Let’s wrap this up.”

“…Is that all?”

“What else?”

“I mean, like… the general outline of the situation…”

“If I tell you too much, it’ll be obvious you’re acting. It’s better if you don’t know.”

“…Alright.”

It’s a bit unsettling, but I guess I’ll have to trust Yuri’s plan.

Later That Night

‘…Is it not time yet?’

It was early dawn, and I was lying in bed, listening to the sound of rain. Everyone else was asleep.

Yuri and Carne had disappeared somewhere in the middle of the night. Were they already preparing for the plan?

The room was empty except for me and Luna.

Since Yuri didn’t give me a specific time, I’d been waiting aimlessly, unable to sleep.

At least if she’d told me the time, it would’ve been easier.

A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a loud thunderclap. The rain was pouring down like a storm.

Could the plan have been canceled due to the bad weather?

Yuri hadn’t said anything, and it was driving me crazy.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and something slid under it.

“…?”

I quickly opened the door, but no one was in the hallway.

I picked up the letter and examined it.

[To Saya.]

The envelope was simply addressed, and the letter itself was wrapped in three layers.

After struggling to open it, I read the contents.

To Saya,

We have kidnapped two students to meet you.

If you do not respond to our invitation or bring other spirit masters, the lives of the two students will be forfeited.

Please come alone to the location specified below.

Location: Behind the old academy training grounds.

The letter was written in an extremely polite tone, but the content was anything but.

Very much like Yuri, but the location was interesting.

The old training grounds were quite far from the academy, located on a hilltop where no one ever went anymore.

‘Why did it have to be on a day like this…’

The people Yuri hired must have had their own schedules, but to carry this out in such weather… Talk about professionalism.

The wind was howling outside, and even with an umbrella, I’d be soaked in seconds.

I pulled up my hood and quietly opened the door.

“Saya?”

A voice from behind made me freeze.

“Where are you going?”

It was Luna, her hair messy and disheveled.

“…Luna, you’re still awake?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep for some reason…”

I could guess why Luna was awake.

The thunder that had been crashing all night was probably the reason.

“What’s that in your hand?”

When Luna noticed the paper in my hand, I quickly hid it behind my back.

“It’s nothing!”

“What is it? Why are you hiding it?”

This was bad.

Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me.

Luna’s special skill, “If I’m curious, I’ll find out no matter what,” had been activated.

It was a skill she’d had since we were in the orphanage—once she got curious about something, she wouldn’t stop until she figured it out.

In situations like this, there was only one way out.

“…Eek!”

I crumpled the letter in my hand and bolted.

“Wait…!”

I quickly closed the door and sprinted down the hallway.

Once Luna’s obsession kicked in, there was no stopping her.

She was much faster than me, but she wouldn’t chase me in her current state, right?

About halfway down the hallway, a loud voice called out from behind.

“Wait-!”

“…How?!”

She was already fully armored, her hair tied back, and charging at me with terrifying speed.

Her preparation speed was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.

Is this… a soldier?

“I told you to wait, Saya!”

Before I knew it, she was right behind me, reaching out with both hands.

If she found out about the letter, the whole plan would be ruined.

‘What do I do…?’

I spotted a slightly open window in the hallway.

‘That’s it!’

I crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it as hard as I could through the window.

“Haap!”

The paper didn’t make it outside.

It got stuck on something long and fell to the floor.

“A throwing knife…?!”

She’d reacted faster than humanly possible.

In the split second it took me to throw the paper, she’d drawn her knife and pierced it mid-air.

Faced with such overwhelming skill, I stopped running and stood still.

“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

She walked past me, pulled the knife out of the paper, and read it.

“…This is a threat letter…!?”

“Luna, it’s not a threat letter…”

“What do you mean it’s not? You were going to go alone?”

“Look here. It says if I bring other spirit masters, the two students will die.”

“It’s fine. I’m not a spirit master—I’m a knight.”

“That’s not the point…”

“Let’s go. We need to save the students.”

Luna, being as stubborn as ever, pushed me forward, and I had no choice but to follow.

“…The rain is pouring down like crazy.”

It felt like the heaviest rain of the year.

Luna, who had been bravely marching forward, suddenly clung to my shoulder as thunder crashed.

“…You are scared of thunder, aren’t you, Luna?”

She’d denied it last time, but it was obvious now.

“No, I’m just cold…!”

“…It’s pretty obvious.”

It was strange.

Back when we were at the orphanage, Luna wasn’t afraid of lightning at all. In fact, she used to want to go outside during storms to watch the flashes.

I’d always stopped her, but it was clear she hadn’t been afraid back then.

Had something changed in the ten years we were apart?

As we trudged through the rain, we eventually reached the designated spot.

“Luna, wait here. I’ll scout ahead.”

“Be careful, Saya.”

While Luna looked tense, knowing the truth, I couldn’t bring myself to feel nervous.

“…Hello?”

I expected to see the people Yuri had hired, but there was no one in sight.

‘Did I get the time wrong…?’

But the letter hadn’t specified a time.

Could the plan have been canceled due to the weather?

“We’ve been waiting for you, Saya. I didn’t think you’d actually come. You must really care about your friends.”

“…Huh?”

From the bushes, hooded men emerged, dragging two bound figures.

And then, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The bound figures were Yuri and Carne.

Their mouths were gagged, and they were tied up so tightly they could barely breathe.

‘Isn’t this going too far…?’

Besides, I’d clearly told Yuri that I was supposed to be the hostage.

“…Ugh!”

Just then, someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth.

The cold blade pressed against my face made it impossible to struggle.

“Long time no see, huh?”

“…You…!”

It was Julius.

The former royal guard who had planned to sacrifice the princess—a plan I had thwarted.

I thought the emperor had sent troops to capture Julius and his group, but they’d already made it to Semal.

“You caused me a lot of trouble. I can’t even remember how many days I spent walking because of you.”

“…How did you capture Yuri?”

If Yuri had even one hand free, she could’ve frozen them all in an instant.

Yet, even she was bound.

“Yuri? You mean that ice spirit master?”

He pulled out a vial of black liquid and held it up to my face.

“It’s Sarkas fluid. You showed my followers quite an interesting trick. Thanks to that, while figuring out your deception, I discovered something useful. When frozen, the fluid is preserved perfectly. I tried drinking it, and interestingly, it nullifies magic.”

“You drank that…?”

“The effect wears off over time, but as long as it’s in your system, it renders magic useless. I sprayed it in the eyes of your companions after interrogating the students for their names. After that… it was too easy.”

“You’re insane…”

I couldn’t believe someone would actually drink Sarkas fluid.

This went beyond obsession—it was pure madness.

“Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, my followers are pretty angry about your deception.”

I looked around and saw the resentful eyes of the betrayed followers glaring at me.

“Now, let’s get to work.”

He smashed the vial and splashed the liquid all over my face.

“Ugh…!”

“Better to be thorough. Not that your magic is much of a threat.”

“Do you really think the empire will let you get away with this?”

“Doesn’t matter. There won’t be any witnesses lef—”

Suddenly, a rock flew through the air and struck his forehead.

“…Who’s there?”

From the rain, Luna emerged, her sword drawn and eyes blazing.

“Let her go. Julius.”

Julius’s eyes widened as he recognized Luna.

“Luna…? Luna Grace…? What are you doing here?”

He looked back and forth between me and Luna, then burst into laughter.

“To think you’d be this spirit master’s knight…! And you came here to die with her? Such loyalty!”

Luna’s eyes were filled with nothing but killing intent.

“Fine… You’ve got me excited. How about a rematch, you defective knight?”

Luna Grace, the half-knight.

That’s what the world called her.