Concert (2)
The following day.
I boarded the carriage alongside Irene.
As always, our destination was the Astro headquarters.
Although I had casually referred to it as a date, we were actually on our way to address a rather serious matter.
Gazing out the window, the fox spoke as if she had expected this.
"Well... I had a feeling it would be something like this."
"Were you looking forward to something else? I feel a bit apologetic."
"Not really."
Irene responded indifferently, wearing a strangely unreadable expression.
Perhaps, having gone through various hardships recently, she had been anticipating a day of rest.
But right now, we were heading to headquarters because there was a separate matter to handle.
I spoke in a soothing tone.
"Let's definitely go out for fun next time."
"There's no need for that... I'm not particularly upset."
"I wouldn't feel right if I didn't."
"Well, if you insist."
The girl nodded.
Despite her indifferent expression, the tail behind her swayed happily.
I smiled softly and stroked the fox's head.
As I continued my gentle touch, I could clearly feel the texture of her perked-up ears.
As if mesmerized, I found myself fiddling with her large ear.
"Mm..."
The girl moaned as usual.
Even though her breathing became slightly ragged, the fox didn't avoid or pull away my hand.
She simply lowered her head and let out a hot breath.
A sudden question came to mind, and I asked,
"Irene."
"Hmm...?"
"About your ears. I was wondering why you tell others not to touch them."
"Ah."
I was referring to what had happened yesterday.
When I had tried to touch her ears in front of the other children, the fox's hand had swiftly flown out to stop me.
Then, with a flushed face unusual for her, she had shaken her head.
-No... That's only when we're alone.
-Don't do it outside. I'll let you touch them as much as you want in bed instead.
Irene had said, clinging to my sleeve.
I had to nod in agreement.
I had asked the question because I suddenly remembered that scene.
As I gazed at the girl with a questioning look, her black eyes averted my gaze and she leaned against the window.
She seemed to be avoiding answering.
"It's just... nothing."
"Hmm?"
"I was conscious of the eyes on me. I'm still hesitant around humans."
"I understand if that's the reason."
Indeed.
Even I had taken time to get close to her, so it was understandable that she would be reluctant to show a vulnerable side in front of complete strangers.
Especially since Irene's heart was filled with distrust towards humans.
Considering that I was the only person she followed, the prospect of building future relationships seemed truly bleak.
I playfully teased her.
"Well, I'm human too, you know."
"You're okay."
"Why?"
"Because I can trust you... No, because I've decided to trust you."
"What if I betray you?"
"I'll die."
"Huh?"
"I'll die."
Her eyes stared intently at me.
A faint smile played on her lips, but it couldn't completely erase the bitterness of the past.
"If even you betray me, I don't think I'll have the courage to live anymore."
"..."
"So..."
Her head tilted once more and rested on my shoulder.
Leaning against me as if intertwined, Irene whispered softly into my ear,
"Don't betray me."
"..."
"Don't abandon me, don't hate me, don't leave my side. If you keep those promises, I'll give you everything in return."
"Responsibility... Is that what you mean?"
"Something like that."
Responsibility is like a shackle that binds both parties.
Both the one who tames and the beast that is tamed are bound to each other by the time they've invested.
Perhaps it resembles a tightly stretched rubber band.
The moment one side lets go, the relationship collapses.
That's why people live their lives bearing responsibility for everything.
"...I'll try my best."
I nodded quietly.
The reason I couldn't answer with certainty was a mixture of hope that the promise would be kept and the knowledge that it might not be, leading to my evasive words.
It probably didn't sound very reassuring to the listener.
But as if that was enough, the fox had a gentle smile on her lips.
We spent some time like that, close together.
Clatter, clatter, clatter-
The carriage swayed slightly. Even as we talked, the carriage continued moving. As the foggy cityscape began to appear outside the window, Irene finally asked, sounding curious. It was a question about this current task.
“By the way… what are we going for this time?”
“Something quite serious has come up.”
“Serious?”
“One of the members was attacked.”
“What…?”
A few days ago. The report came in right after we returned from the field trip. I explained briefly.
“It's more of a cooperative relationship than membership,” I explain briefly. “She's affiliated with the Church. We've received a lot of help from hherim in various ways.”
“You had connections in the Church? Not that I'm surprised at this point…”
“It was necessary to keep an eye on the situation there as well.”
“Anyway, so what happened?”
“I heard there was an incident at the cathedral where she was staying. All the priests there have disappeared, the inside was covered in blood, and traces of Demonic energy were found nearby.”
“Demonic energy…?”
“I’ll explain the details later.”
“Alright. We’re almost there anyway.” Irene starts to get up from her seat.
I add, “Originally, this was a matter we would have handled ourselves, but now that Irene is a member of Astro, I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to accompany us and announce her joining.”
“I’ll do my best… if that’s what you want.”
“That’s a dependable attitude.”
The carriage comes to a stop. We head straight for headquarters. I push open the hidden door at the top of the stairs, and dozens of waiting members come into view. Each one is clad in a pure white robe.
"Master. I have been waiting."
Neria stood before the assembled unit.
Long silver hair, transparent eyes.
I heard she was on a dispatch until a few days ago, but it seemed Lena had brought her back urgently after hearing the news.
The girl bowed respectfully.
"The unit is ready. I have selected only the elite, forming a group of 30."
"Let's depart immediately."
"Understood."
I signaled to Lena, who was standing next to me, and she began to create a portal leading to our destination.
The dimension slowly warped.
A door to another space opened, and the robe draped over my shoulder fluttered in the swirling mana.
We stepped towards our destination.
***
The Great Purge.
Five years ago, a war that drove out the dark mages who were rampant in the Empire.
The Empire, which had finally achieved peace, decided to deploy organizations in each city to counter cults, so that similar dangers would not be repeated.
Their name was Liszt.
In the ancient language, it meant 'light'.
They were a gathering of priests who protected a city, preparing for potential dangers and guarding their districts.
As they played the role of guardians, only some veterans held the position.
In short.
A spear established solely to check the cults.
A shield that covered the city with holy words.
If someone directly attacked a branch of Liszt, it meant only one thing.
"A declaration of war."
"I think it's likely related to that side."
Neria nodded in agreement.
The girl slowed her pace and calmly began her briefing.
"Only the cathedral was attacked. There was no damage, not even slight, to the nearby city. Perhaps they intended to openly express their hostility towards the church."
"That's a plausible guess."
The church.
During the Great Purge, the church was the most active force after the 'Red Swordmaster'.
The world doesn't know that Kyle is alive.
That's why they must have targeted the church.
By attacking 'Liszt', a symbol of peace after the Great Purge, they were trying to say something.
That they were back.
"It seems they are planning to make a full-fledged move."
"They must have judged that they had recovered sufficiently over the past five years. Still, they seem to be exercising caution. The branch they attacked this time was one of the smaller ones among Liszt."
"Well, aiming for the large branches in the capital would be burdensome even for them."
"Anyway... the problem is that our collaborator was stationed at that branch."
"Miss Medro, I presume."
"That's correct. The person missing from this attack is Medro Gardnier. She held the position of Deputy Chief and was in charge of the overall management of the branch. Currently, communication with her has been completely cut off."
"She was such a righteous priestess... I hope she is safe."
I lit the surroundings with the candle I was holding.
Light driving away the darkness.
In my flickering vision, the messy interior of the cathedral came into view.
As soon as we arrived in the city, we infiltrated the branch and were slowly investigating the scene.
We had roughly knocked out the guards who were guarding the area.
"...It's a mess."
The fox muttered softly.
As she said, the scene inside the cathedral was a complete chaos.
Blood, the origin of which was unknown, was splattered everywhere.
There were no broken, shattered, or damaged parts, but that was what made it even more chilling.
It was a scene that was somewhat out of the ordinary.
"There's so much blood... but you're saying no bodies were found inside the cathedral?"
"That's correct. Therefore, it has been treated as a disappearance rather than a death."
"This is quite a troublesome issue."
"The guards seem to have concluded that the priests were kidnapped. Most of the troops are concentrated in the city rather than the cathedral."
"Thanks to that, the infiltration was easy. I like that part."
We walked through the pitch-black background.
The unit members continued their thorough search.
Finally, we finished checking the basement.
Lena shook her head. It meant they hadn't found anything.
"We searched every nook and cranny, but there was nothing special. As the guards speculated, they might have been taken somewhere else."
"Hmm..."
I let out a deep groan.
Should we start tracking outside after all? I was pondering that when...
A small crack caught my eye.
"What's that...?"
A crack, so small that it was barely visible to the naked eye, was etched on the wall.
I consumed a bit of lies to cover my pupils.
Only then do I see the hidden traces beyond it.
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha.”
No wonder the guards couldn't find it.
Remnants of black magic, woven in dozens of layers, coated the wall, as if concealing something.
I channel power to my fingertips.
Then, I create a single bullet and aim it directly at the heart of the interwoven magical barrier.
Without hesitation, the incantation is uttered, and the bullet is fired.
“Shatter.”
Clang!
The wall shatters like a mirror, breaking into countless pieces. Through the scattering fragments, the space hidden behind the barrier is revealed.
A long corridor stretches out before them.
“Such petty tricks won't work on me.”
I step forward with an ominous smile.
Thud, thud.
A multitude of footsteps follow behind me. We move, our pure white robes billowing, toward the scene where the missing await.
A faint melody seems to drift from somewhere.
***
Meanwhile,
A girl watched the unfolding scene. Hidden on the stairs leading underground, she couldn't hide her surprise as she saw the group enter the mysterious space.
It was because she recognized a face among them.
“Judas Snakus…?”
Blue eyes blinked. Beneath the deeply hooded robe, strands of platinum blonde hair peeked out.
The girl's identity was none other than Charlotte. The First Princess of the Empire and one of the main characters of the original game.
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