Chapter 61 : Immediate

In movies and dramas I’d seen as a child, I never understood the expressions of agony on the faces of people being hanged. They were just being strung up by a rope around their necks, yet they wore the most excruciating expressions in the world. And now, being in that very position, my past questions were neatly resolved.

“…Ghk…”

An unimaginable pressure, amplified by my own body weight, crushed my neck, and I heard Invidia’s urgent thoughts.

[Saya, hold on a little longer. I will try every possible way to save you.]

‘Until when…? I can’t hold on…!’

Perhaps because Invidia was constantly manipulating my body, I didn’t immediately lose consciousness, but I knew that if this continued for even a little longer, I would die.

[…Oh.]

‘Did it work…!?’

[It failed.]

‘Don’t get my hopes up…!’

[Ugh…!]

Along with Invidia’s gasp, my vision began to turn purple—a sign of oxygen deprivation—and I sensed that death was imminent.

Thud.

Then, an arrow came flying from somewhere, causing the rope around my neck to slacken and snap.

“Intruder!”

The guards’ shouts rang out loudly, and, suddenly freed from the constriction, I thrashed wildly on the ground. I knew it was an opportunity—whatever it was—but with my hands tied, all I could do was desperately roll my body.

‘Invidia, Invidia…!’

I called out to Invidia in my mind, but he didn’t respond, as if he had fainted.

‘No, how can an ancient species faint faster than a human…?’

With no other choice, I continued to squirm and move little by little.

I heard the sound of more arrows flying in from somewhere and hitting their marks, followed by the screams of guards struck by them. The attack, which I’d thought was over, wasn’t finished yet.

The pungent smell of gunpowder stung my nose, and a massive explosion slammed into my ears. Intense heat filled the execution ground, and I, already suffocating under the cloth over my head, could barely breathe.

‘If I stay here, I’ll die in a different way…!’

With all my might, I rolled my body and fell from the gallows. My face slammed hard against the ground, and my nose throbbed intensely. Thinking it was my only chance, I desperately crawled, trying to get away.

“Ghk…!”

But someone stepped heavily on my back, preventing my escape.

“Hey, the prisoner is trying to esca— Urk!”

The person trying to stop me was struck by a flying arrow, lost his balance, and fell on top of me. Thanks to that, the weight of a man in armor pinned me down, leaving me completely immobilized.

‘So heavy…!’

As I struggled to escape from the man’s weight, I heard the sound of hooves. As it grew louder, my body was suddenly lifted.

“…!”

Judging by the feeling of contact, it seemed I was being hoisted onto a horse, and the rope binding my wrists was cut with a knife.

“Hold on tight, Spirit Master. It’s going to be fast.”

The man’s voice, still tinged with youth, was familiar. I tried to say something to him, but because of the cloth covering my face, only a mumble came out.

“Right, your face was covered too!”

He removed the cloth, and the face of a masked man came into view.

“Chris…?”

Even though he wore a mask, I immediately recognized him as Chris from his distinctive dark gray hair. It was Chris Barnaba, Princess Isabel’s escort, who had once attempted to assassinate Violet.

“What did I tell you? I told you not to trust him, didn’t I?”

Chris spoke, glancing back at me, but I tapped his back and urgently exclaimed, “Look ahead, ahead…!”

“Is there something ahead?”

Soldiers were blocking the path of the horse Chris and I were riding, forming a line with their shields.

“The prisoner is escaping! Stop them at all costs!”

A barrier of shield-bearing soldiers stood in our way, so if we continued forward, we would undoubtedly be stopped.

“…Well, this is getting interesting.”

But Chris, facing the shield-bearing soldiers, smiled confidently. Seeing his expression, I asked in bewilderment, “Don’t tell me you prepared for this situation too, Chris?”

“…No. What do we do now?”

“Huh?”

His incredibly reliable answer made my mind go blank.

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, tree vines erupted from the ground and began knocking down the shield-bearing soldiers one by one. The vines swept them aside forcefully, and the soldiers, unable to withstand the weight, fell like dominoes.

Without much thought, I knew whose help that was.

‘Carne…!’

I smiled as I spotted Carne secretly casting magic from afar, and she shouted, “Don’t look this way, idiot!”

‘…Ah.’

At her words, I quickly turned my head. By looking, I’d almost gotten Carne caught for treason too.

“You have a good companion, Saya.”

“…I guess so.”

The horse Chris and I rode trampled over the fallen shield-bearing soldiers and bolted into the nearby forest. As we entered the trees, Chris finally took off his mask and breathed a sigh of relief.

“The other resistance members will catch up soon. I’ll take you to the hideout like this. Is that okay?”

“Resistance—you mean the one you mentioned before…?”

He was referring to the hideout of the Barnaba Resistance, which he’d once invited me to join, though I’d refused.

“…”

It had been quite some time since I’d grabbed his waist and ridden the horse, but it showed no sign of stopping.

“Is that hideout pretty far away?”

“We have to reach the Semal border. Why don’t you get some sleep in the meantime? You probably haven’t slept properly in days.”

“…It’s okay. I’m not really sleepy.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried to sleep, but on a horse several times shakier than a carriage, it was hard to even rest properly, let alone sleep. Giving up on resting, I asked Chris, “Hey, how did you know to come save me?”

“I heard about your execution from the princess. I owed you one from before, so I thought I should help you this time.”

There was a time after the ball when I’d apprehended Chris, the assassination suspect, and then let him go. In the end, letting him go back then had come back around like this.

“What about your escort duty? If they find out you did this, you won’t be able to enter the palace anymore, will you?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was planning to quit soon anyway because the resistance needs to become more active. Well, it’s a little sad that I won’t see Isabel anymore.”

“Chris.”

Another person on horseback rode up close beside us. The woman, with navy blue hair tied to one side, threw off her mask and spoke to Chris.

“We detonated all the explosives planted at the execution site as planned.”

“What about the other members?”

“They’re scattered to confuse the pursuit, so they’ll be a little late. Let’s head straight to the hideout first.”

She glanced at me briefly, then glared and rode ahead of us.

Chris must have seen her expression too, as he smiled awkwardly at me. “That’s Sora. She has a particular dislike for you… Well, I think she’ll warm up with time.”

It was strange that someone I’d never met disliked me.

“…I’ve never seen her before…?”

“Everyone in the resistance knows about you. We’re almost there, Saya.”

The horse carrying Chris and me jumped over a large rock, and behind it, a rather large mansion came into view.

‘A building in a place like this…?’

It was sizable, but judging by the plants growing profusely on the walls, it seemed to have been abandoned in the forest for quite some time. Finally, Chris’s horse stopped, and he calmed it before jumping down first.

‘…’

When I didn’t dismount, he asked with a smile, “Need help?”

Normally, I would’ve jumped down easily, but after being restrained for days, my arms and legs weren’t cooperating. Reluctantly, I accepted his help to get off the horse.

“You must’ve been on a diet. You’re so light I could lift you with one hand.”

“Well, yeah, I was starving.”

It was beyond dieting—it was practically fasting.

“Sora will be inside. Wait a moment.”

He and I stood at the mansion’s door and knocked, waiting briefly. After a moment, a woman’s voice came from the other side.

“Password.”

“Sora, it’s me.”

“…Password.”

But the door didn’t open, and only the same voice repeated.

“…Password.”

“…Sigh.”

Chris turned back and sighed deeply. Seeing his expression, I suppressed a laugh and said, “The security training is well done.”

“…Too well done.”

Chris stood in front of the door again, hesitated for a moment, and then shouted the password.

“Meow meow.”

“Confirmed.”

After a moment, the door clicked open.

“Meow meow? That’s the password?”

“…Sora set this week’s password.”

“…Ah ha…”

The woman called Sora, staring at me with emotionless eyes, seemed to be the one who’d set it. She was still wary of me. Chris gestured for me to follow him and said, “There should be a room available. Follow me.”

The door he led me to had the name Luke written on it.

“Luke…? Is that the owner of this room?”

“Yes. He’s not using it now, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

‘Not using it?’

When I opened the door and looked inside, traces of someone who’d been living there until yesterday remained intact.

“…Where is this person named Luke now?”

At my question, Chris scratched his face awkwardly and said, “…That… he died. During a mission.”

“…Oh.”

I felt like I’d asked an unnecessary question and apologized to him.

“You don’t have to. We’re used to it.”

The ultimate goal of the Barnaba Resistance was to kill the emperor and establish a new government, he said. It was a task that would make the entire empire their enemy, so it wouldn’t be strange if someone died at any time.

“Rest well today. If you need anything, Sora or I will be outside—just let us know.”

“…Thank you, Chris.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected them to be this kind to me. He left, and I decided to look around the room. It was old and shabby, but it had everything I needed.

‘…I feel like I’m going to faint.’

I lay down on the bed and rested my tense body. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Invidia finally woke up and sent a thought.

‘…I don’t know.’

As he said, it was strange that they were taking care of me to this extent simply because I was related by blood. But there weren’t many other options.

‘For now, let’s accept the kindness they’re offering.’

For me, who had nowhere to go, this was the best choice.

“Do you really think that woman will be helpful to us, Chris?”

In a space like an empty first-floor living room, Sora said to Chris.

“Honestly, I doubt whether we should’ve brought her here, taking such a risk.”

“…Just wait a little, Sora.”

At her words, Chris replied with a smile completely wiped from his face.

“The power she possesses will definitely be of help to us.”