Kaze no Kishihime v2c8

The news that Karin had infiltrated Archduke Eustache's mansion, been captured, and was to be executed reached Cendrillon and the others the very next day, shortly after her infiltration.

Cendrillon and his companions immediately gathered at Vivian's residence to discuss what should be done.

Eustache had made a great spectacle of the affair.

Newspapers under his influence had printed sensational broadsheets, and before long the entire city was talking about the incident.

The contents were highly sensational. "Former Mage Guard apprentice Karin infiltrates Archduke Eustache's mansion in league with vampires!" proclaimed the headline in enormous letters. Beneath it was a "speculation" regarding Karin's motives.

The substance was almost identical to the story Eustache had told Karin, but it was written in such a skillful way that the reader was led to wonder whether this might not be part of a broader conspiracy by the Mage Guard.

"'Where, one wonders, did he first make common cause with vampires?' That's what it says here."

With a face like he bit into something bitter, Bacchus read the line aloud and flung the broadsheet aside.

"It even goes on to say, 'The Mage Guard has long been entangled in a series of mysterious incidents. It is difficult to believe that those incidents are unrelated to the present affair. Perhaps the Mage Guard has joined forces with the demi-humans and is plotting something so monstrous that it would make even God tremble.'"

Narcissus picked up the broadsheet and read from it.

"At this rate, all the incidents we've been dealing with will be seen as nothing more than an internal power struggle within our own organization."

Cendrillon muttered the words under his breath.

Honestly...

The whole situation made him want to bury his head in his hands. Of course, he did not believe a word of what was written there.

Knowing Karin, she had probably snuck into Eustache's mansion hoping to obtain proof of the conspiracy.

But where did she meet a vampire?

In any case, the timing could not have been worse. And her method was disastrous. It was exactly the sort of reckless stunt a simple-minded fool who knew only how to charge straight ahead would pull.

And, as a result, she walked straight into Eustache's trap.

That idiot...!

If she had been standing in front of him at that moment, he would have slapped her.

"The execution is the day after tomorrow."

"A public execution. Eustache is serious."

The two men looked at Cendrillon.

Their expressions plainly asked, So what are we going to do?

"What else is there to do? We have to stop it."

Both men visibly relaxed.

At this point, their only hope was His Majesty. Even if Karin was dismissed, surely the king would not stand by in silence while one of his daughter's favorite nobles was executed.

At that moment, Vivian appeared in the guardroom.

"His Majesty wishes to see you concerning this matter. Prepare yourselves."

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The moment they entered the familiar audience chamber, Philip III shouted at them in open fury.

"W-We had absolutely nothing to do with this..."

Bacchus and Narcissus had already gone pale. Cendrillon's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was no calmer than they were.

"Did I not tell you? At present we are preparing to install a new prime minister! We cannot allow Eustache the slightest opportunity to exploit our weakness! And yet one of your own sneaks into his mansion and attempts to assassinate him! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

As Philip III raged, Vivian spoke in her usual calm tone.

"Has Your Majesty personally confirmed that point? That she truly attempted to take his life?"

"How exactly was I supposed to confirm such a thing? Should I say to Eustache, 'My good Eustache, regarding the intruder who broke into your home, I should investigate the matter personally, so kindly hand the culprit over to me'? Nonsense. The incident occurred within Eustache's residence. Unless it is formally a political matter, judicial authority belongs to him. And what would happen if I overturned that? It would only embolden the great nobles."

"Then Your Majesty intends to..."

"We have no choice but to let Eustache do as he pleases."

Those words were effectively the same as signing Karin's death warrant.

Bacchus immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty! Karin once had the honor of serving as an apprentice in the Royal Guard—"

"And that is precisely the problem! Good grief, how much trouble does that headstrong child intend to cause me?"

"And how deeply will Her Highness grieve? Ah, what a pity..."

Narcissus invoked Marianne in a last attempt to change the king's mind.

"I know that very well. This pains me too. But my daughter must grow up. She must take a husband who will one day inherit the throne after me."

Philip III spoke with the expression of a commander deciding which troops must be abandoned on the battlefield.

Then he looked over the assembled guards.

"Listen well. I know the Mage Guard prides itself on its iron solidarity, but this time you are not to interfere. We cannot allow Eustache to gain any further advantage. If any of you become involved, everyone concerned will be sentenced to death. Is that understood?"

The three guards and Vivian left the palace in complete silence. After escorting Vivian back to her residence, the three men continued on together.

Without discussing it, their steps carried them to Cendrillon's room.

Once inside, Cendrillon dropped heavily into his chair. Narcissus sat in the chair Karin used to occupy. Bacchus leaned against the wall, visibly agitated.

Bacchus was the first to speak.

"...We're going to save him."

"How?"

Narcissus asked, twisting his lips into a grim smile.

Bacchus clutched his head for a while, thinking furiously. Then he suddenly broke into a broad grin.

"Look! He'll have to be transported on the day of the execution, right? So if we strike when he comes out of Eustache's mansion..."

"How many soldiers and knights do you think will be guarding him? At least two full companies. Naturally they'll be expecting exactly that."

"S-So what? If we fight seriously—"

"You think the three of us can handle that? Two companies of knights. The moment we make one suspicious move, they'll fill us with spells. If we're lucky."

"It won't just be the three of us! Our comrades will—"

At that point, Cendrillon cut in.

"Have you already forgotten what His Majesty said? Anyone who interferes will be executed. Even if the entire Mage Guard joins in, all we'll do is hand Eustache exactly what he wants."

Silence fell.

A tremendous crash echoed through the room.

Turning, they saw a large hole in the plaster wall. Bacchus punched it with all his strength.

"Then... then what are you saying? That we should let him die? That we should abandon someone as brave as him?"

"..."

"Do you two understand? He's only fifteen years old! Fifteen! He doesn't even know women, and he's only just begun to appreciate the taste of wine! He hasn't experienced a single good thing this world has to offer, and you're telling me we should let him die?"

Bacchus seized Cendrillon by the front of his shirt.

"Didn't he basically do it in our place? I wanted to make that Eustache suffer a setback too!"

"Stop it," Narcissus cut in.

"...We cannot drag everyone into danger for the sake of one person," Cendrillon said in a weary voice. With a "damn it!" Bacchus stormed out. Narcissus shook his head as well and went outside.

Cendrillon held his head in his hands for a while, then slammed the table. "Damn it! That idiot... honestly! I told him over and over to restrain himself!"

But there was another feeling in him too.

Somewhere in his heart, there was a part of him that applauded Karin for it.

Whatever else could be said about him, he had judged right and wrong for himself and acted accordingly. For him, that was probably what "becoming a knight" meant.

Compared to that, what about himself?

Unable to bear the guilt of having killed his lover, he left home and somehow drifted into the knight corps. And then had lived without ever taking anything seriously.

Drowning himself in drink, dragging that shadow behind him all the while...

And yet that lover still existed even now.

And come to commit acts like some kind of devil.

Even so, he was such a soft fool that he thought, "I'm happy you're alive."

And the moment he learned she never loved him, he was selfish enough to lose himself in hatred.

In other words, to the very core, he depended on Karina. That alone was him. That dependence alone had been his self.

How could someone like him blame Karin?

In the end, he never had the slightest intention of solving this incident. Eustache, his conspiracy—none of it had mattered to him.

The only thing in his head was Karina.

The reason she returned to life.

And... what she thought of him.

He only wanted to know what had been in her heart.

Cendrillon bit his lip.

He muttered inwardly.

"How far do I have to drift before I'm satisfied?"

No wonder Karina deceived him.

Cendrillon looked at the wand hanging on the wall. It was an heirloom passed down through his family. He did not know why he felt like taking it with him when he left home.

Before he knew it, it was in his hand.

Usually, nobles like Cendrillon contracted with only one wand. Unless it was contracted to them and grown familiar in their hand, they could not cast spells with it.

Cendrillon usually used another military wand. His natural dexterity made it possible for him to contract with two.

That ancestral wand was one he gripped and used to cast spells since childhood. He was confident he could handle it as well as the one he used in daily life. It was simply a wand he refused to hold out of guilt toward his ancestors.

It was with this wand, too, that he pierced his lover's chest.

His lover?

Cendrillon gave a self-mocking smile.

He, who did nothing but watch Karina's mood, wwas her lover?

He, who even when taking her hand and running away was thinking only of confirming her feelings, was whose lover exactly?

Had he ever, even once, no matter what it was, just once, judged something by his own will and acted on it?

Quietly, Cendrillon murmured.

"A knight, huh..."

Karin's face rose in his mind.

The fifteen-year-old who had cried out, sobbing, that he wanted to become a knight.

The knight apprentice entrusted to him.

Cendrillon thought.

Had he ever shown him anything even once that was worthy of a knight?

The morning two days later...

In a dim haze of consciousness, Karin opened her eyes. It was dark around her. Since everything was creaking and swaying, she realized she had apparently been put into a carriage. Her body was tied with rope, and a gag was placed in her mouth.

Beside her, she saw Dulcinea and Armais lying in much the same state. When the two met Karin's eyes, they bowed their heads apologetically.

It's all right, she signaled with her eyes.

...Because this was something she decided to do herself.

The carriage rumbled along the road. Through the window she could see familiar spires, but it did not feel like the usual Tristania.

She had probably been given some kind of drug. Her consciousness remained blurred and hazy. Um... what was going to happen now?

Eustache said, she was fairly sure, that he would have her publicly executed in the central square...

"Public execution."

Only then did the fear of death come rushing over her all at once.

Am I going to die?

I'm going to die.

With a start, her mind became clear. Her eyes snapped open, and she began to struggle violently. But the tightly bound ropes did not budge.

"I don't want to die."

She hated the thought of dying so suddenly, so pointlessly. Somehow, somehow, was there no way to be saved?

Was she naive?

Did she think that, carried away by a moment's passion like that, she could charge in and succeed?

Why did she not think about what would happen if she failed?

Regret and terror surged together and seized Karin's heart in one mass. Cendrillon's warning returned to her.

"Courage and recklessness are not the same."

When the carriage carrying Karin left Eustache's mansion, the knights who were waiting immediately surrounded it. More and more knights followed behind. It was a guard detail so elaborate that even a royal procession might have admired it.

Standing in an alley, Bacchus pulled his hood low and gave a firm nod to Narcissus beside him. The two turned their horses' heads and began following the procession while keeping some distance from it.

"So Cendrillon isn't coming after all?"

"No," Narcissus nodded.

"Cold bastard!" Bacchus spat.

Narcissus shook his head.

"He has a point."

"So his life is that precious to him? He was the one who looked after him the most. And Karin's saved him before too."

Narcissus did not answer. Their plan was this: when the procession reached a certain crossroads, barrels of gunpowder and smoke bombs planted in the road would explode.

Taking advantage of the confusion, they would rescue Karin from the transport carriage.

"Well, this is the best we can do," Bacchus said, as though consoling himself. After all, they didn’t have enough time. Just preparing this much of a plan pushed them to their limits. They didn’t tell any of the other Mage Guard members. It was to avoid increasing the number of sacrifices if they failed, but...

"I wish Cendrillon had at least helped us," Bacchus said, still lingering on it. They told Cendrillon the plan, but he gave no answer.

And then... the carriage approached the point where the trap was laid.

The magical device Narcissus, an expert in earth, set up reacted to the carriage and exploded. That said, it was only a diversion, so it was not especially powerful. Even so, the carriage lifted for an instant. The knights around it were thrown into confusion.

Then the smoke bombs exploded, and the area was wrapped in smoke.

"Now!"

Bacchus and Narcissus pulled their hoods low and spurred their horses into a gallop.

"Intruders!"

Scattering the knights who shouted and tried to block their way, they raced toward the carriage. In front of the stopped carriage, two knights stood side by side, blocking the way.

"Uooooooooh!"

With a roar, Bacchus cast a spell. Flames danced and engulfed the knights. Ignoring the screaming knights as they writhed on the ground, Narcissus reached for the door.

At that instant...

Like a gust of wind, a single knight rushed toward Narcissus.

"Nrgh!"

A flash like a whirlwind flickered, and the back of Narcissus's hand was cut open. Narcissus immediately drew his wand and tried to counterattack. But the knight was too quick, and moved to strike Narcissus in the chest with Blade.

"Get back!"

Shouting that, Bacchus forced himself between Narcissus and the knight. The knight's Blade slashed Bacchus across the abdomen.

"Bacchus!"

Narcissus caught Bacchus as he nearly collapsed. A veteran of countless battles, Narcissus understood the situation instantly. It was no good. The other knights recovered their formation and were coming toward them.

To remain here any longer would be suicide.

Narcissus adjusted his grip on Bacchus and unleashed earth magic. A wall of earth rose around them. An instant later, attack spells flew into it, blocked by the wall and throwing up clouds of dust.

"We're pulling back!"

Narcissus shouted this to Bacchus, who was groaning in pain.

"B-But Karin..."

"It's no good! It's impossible now!"

"Damn it!"

The two retreated while raising walls with earth magic.

Watching Bacchus and Narcissus flee, the knight who stabbed Bacchus in the belly with Blade lifted the hood of his helmet.

The face that appeared beneath it was none other than Eustache himself.

He was hidden among the escorting knights. But what was truly terrifying was the skill with which he handled Blade.

"So they came after all. Fools."

As Eustache smiled, his subordinate knights rushed over to him.

"Your Excellency! Are you unharmed?"

"Enough! Chase them! Do not let them escape!"

Eustache shouted.

Those men were most likely members of the Mage Guard. They could not abandon a comrade, it seemed. But that was exactly what Eustache wanted. He would capture them too and punish them all together for trying to rescue criminals who attacked him. This time, the Mage Guard would probably not escape dissolution. And in turn, this incident would fall upon Philip III, who had permitted the Mage Guard's reinstatement.

He really was a genius of conspiracy.

To think he could so easily accomplish the work that Noire had utterly failed to do...

"Today marks the Mage Guard's death."

With a fearless smile to the end, Eustache boasted.

The carriage arrived at the central square.

For the citizens, public executions were one of the few forms of "entertainment." Out of curiosity and a desire to see something frightening, the central square was packed to overflowing.

An execution platform was erected before the fountain in the middle of the square, and around it stood still more escorting knights. They were the Unicorn Corps, Eustache's own private men.

Their number easily exceeded a hundred riders. They kept vigilant watch over the area to prevent the excited citizens from approaching the execution platform.

As the carriage pushed through the crowd and arrived before the execution platform, the knights made space for it. The door opened, and when the vampire twins and Karin were dragged out, jeers flew from the spectators. Some of them were plants hired by Eustache, but even so, it was enough to show how deeply "vampires" were hated.

Karin, who had been reported to have conspired with those vampires, was mercilessly showered with curses as well. Karin was once something of a celebrity for rescuing the princess, but now she was already being treated like a vicious criminal. Truly, the hearts of the masses were fickle.

Thirty minutes before the carriage arrived at the central square.

At Vivian's mansion, now deserted and quiet with everyone gone, a lone "knight" suddenly appeared. Vivian, who greeted him at the entrance, gave a wry smile.

The man who appeared was dressed in the formal uniform of the Mage Guard. On the breast of his black cloak danced the emblem shaped like the phantom beast that represented his unit, along with the silver lily crest that marked him as a "Chevalier."

It was the mark of honor the man earned on a past battlefield.

The blue jacket was the color that showed his unit.

His riding boots were polished to a shine, and from every angle he looked like the very image of an ideal knight.

"You've certainly dressed yourself up, Cendrillon."

Cendrillon bowed elegantly to Vivian and said,

"I have come to receive my mounted phantom beast."

Vivian tossed him the key to the phantom beast cage.

"Use Athenais."

"Are you sure?"

To Cendrillon, who showed a faint look of suspicion, Vivian said,

"I don't mind. I have plenty of things I would like to say to that Eustache myself. Don't worry, I'll gather your bones. Go and rampage to your heart's content."

Cendrillon bowed his head once more, then headed for the phantom beast cages behind the mansion.

There, the riding phantom beasts were shrieking and squawking noisily. Cendrillon walked straight toward the cage of the phantom beast whose image was displayed on his chest.

The body and head of a lion, with the wings of an eagle. Its extended tail was shaped like a snake. It was the cage of the phantom beast known as a manticore.

When Cendrillon unlocked it, the young manticores cried and clamored. Ignoring them, Cendrillon addressed the mature female sitting calmly at the back of the cage.

"Athenais. It's your turn."

At that, the manticore called Athenais slowly rose. All at once, the young manticores fell quiet.

"War, is it, Cendrillon?"

Astonishingly, the manticore spoke. Mature individuals developed intelligence, and in this way grew into terrifying phantom beasts capable of using speech and even magic.

"Something like that."

Cendrillon took the saddle and set it on Athenais's back.

"Hohohoho, my claws are itching. And who is the enemy? The Germanians? Or Gallia?"

"No, the Prime Minister."

At that, the manticore let out a hoarse laugh.

"Ho ho ho! How amusing! You even kill among your own tribe! You humans are truly amusing creatures!"

Cendrillon mounted her and drove in his spurs.

"Laugh later, Athenais. We don't even know whether we'll survive."

The old manticore leapt into the sky.

Karin, placed upon the execution platform, was trembling. Beside her, three logs stood upright like candlesticks.

By the hands of several powerful men, Karin was lifted up and tied to one of the logs. Beside her, Dulcinea and Armais were bound in the same way.

Even if she wanted to resist, her hands and feet were tied, and there was nothing she could do. Just what method were they planning to use to execute them?

Firewood was piled at the base of the logs. When she realized how they intended to execute her, Karin could not stop trembling.

One knight climbed onto the platform and read out the charges.

"To all gentlemen gathered here, I shall announce the crimes of this person! Though formerly a member of the Mage Guard, this person plotted the assassination of The Grand Duke Eustache, Prime Minister of the Kingdom! Moreover, he conspired with vampires, the enemies of mankind! Such a crime cannot be atoned for even by ten thousand deaths! It is truly an act that fears neither the Founder nor God! Therefore, he shall be sentenced to death by fire!"

Screams rose from the gathered spectators.

It would not be an exaggeration to call burning at the stake the harshest method of execution. After all, one was burned alive. The terror and suffering were beyond imagination.

Oil was poured over Karin and the others, bound to the logs. The slick sensation of oil running over her skin crushed Karin's heart.

She would be burned to death.

No.

This was absurd.

Tears overflowed, and incomprehensible cries spilled from her mouth.

Unable to keep her eyes open, she squeezed them shut.

The memory of when she felt into the deep vertical pit known as the "Dragon's Footprint" as a child crossed her mind. The same fear of death, like a hand clamping around her heart, attacked Karin.

Back then, a knight who descended from the sky saved Karin. But, but... now there was no knight who would save Karin.

Right now, she was a criminal. To save her would be the same as throwing one's life away...

A man with his face hidden beneath a triangular hood approached, carrying a torch. Seeing him, Karin cried and screamed.

"No... no. Stop. I don't want to die."

She could not endure it. Shameful words spilled from her mouth. She had not done anything yet. She had not fulfilled her dream.

And then...

Cendrillon's face rose in her mind.

She did not want to die while he still thought of her as a child.

She wanted to see him.

All sorts of emotions mixed together like ingredients thrown into a bowl.

The torch was carelessly tossed at her feet.

With a roar, the flames rose up.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

It was at that instant that a vast amount of "water" poured down onto the execution platform like a torrential rain.

Splash! Splashashashash!

The sudden downpour of "water" extinguished the fire in an instant.

Water?

Drenched from head to toe, Karin instinctively looked up at the sky.

With the sun at his back, a knight mounted on a phantom beast descended from the sky.

What... was that?

First, the head and body of a lion came into view. Then the great wings spread wide like those of an eagle.

A manticore?

The image of the "knight" she had seen as a child overlapped with the knight now falling from the sky.

Who?

With a heavy thud that seemed to shake the pit of her stomach, Cendrillon, mounted on the manticore, landed on the execution platform.

At the same time, arrows of ice rained down and cut through the ropes binding Karin and the others. It was Windy Icicle, which Cendrillon had cast in midair after Waterfall.

The scene erupted into chaos.

Facing the panicking spectators and the Unicorn Knights, Cendrillon announced himself in a splendid formal declaration.

"I am Cendrillon, knight of the Manticore Unit of the Mage Guard! I have come here today to put a stop to this unjust execution!"

The gathered spectators broke into an uproar. It was only natural, since a royal Mage Guard had suddenly stepped in to stop an execution.

Seeing this, one of Eustache's subordinate knights cried out gleefully.

"Look! The Mage Guard has come to protect the criminal! Now it is clear who has been causing this series of incidents! They have been committing evil deeds all this time in order to eliminate Archduke Eustache!"

Cendrillon did not flinch at all, and shouted back.

"Can you still call yourselves knights?! Who was it that used suspicious magic and made us suffer?!"

From among the knights, the very man himself, Eustache, appeared.

"How amusing. And where is this evidence of yours? Since you say such things before all these people, I assume you have proof enough to match your claim, Cendrillon."

"If I am granted a chance to explain myself, I shall refute you in whatever manner is required."

Cendrillon said so. It was a bluff, but Eustache's expression changed. Apparently, he believed they got a hold of something.

This bastard... for a villain, he seems rather small-minded.

Eustache shouted his order.

"Enough! You lot! What are you doing?! I have given no order to halt the execution! Carry it out, along with that ridiculous guardsman!"

The Unicorn Knights attacked all at once.

In a low voice, Cendrillon told Karin,

"Stay back. Athenais, I'm counting on you."

Trembling, Karin nodded. Together with Dulcinea and Armais, she crouched beside the manticore.

Watching the Unicorn Knights rushing toward him, Cendrillon smiled.

Indeed, petty tricks did not suit a knight after all.

To meet the enemy head-on like this was the true path.

Then he would simply give himself to that path.

He cast Blade.

A pale-blue blade of "water" wrapped itself around his wand.

The urge to roar at the top of his lungs filled his whole body.

Everything that had built up within him until now surged inside him, seeking an outlet. That surge became magical power, making Cendrillon's Blade shine in layer upon layer.

"Karin, I'll show you how a 'knight' fights."

Shouting that over his shoulder, Cendrillon charged into the mass of Unicorn Knights.

From behind the manticore, Karin watched Cendrillon fight, trembling.

Moving in a way impossible to imagine from his usual absent-minded face, he sprang at the enemy, dodged the wand thrust out by the man at the front, and cut that arm in two. Then he gouged deeply into the stomach of the next man who leapt at him, kicked him down, snapped his wand upward, and cut down another.

He fought like an ogre.

Every time Cendrillon swung his wand, blood sprayed, and members of the Unicorn Corps collapsed to the ground.

The Unicorn Corps, supposedly famed for its strength, was no match for him at all.

Karin could not tear her eyes away from the fighting of the man once hailed as the greatest in the kingdom.

In the blink of an eye, Cendrillon had cut down more than ten knights.

"Magic! Use magic!"

Eustache shouted. The Unicorn Corps spread out around Cendrillon and began chanting attack spells.

But before their spells could be completed, flames and magical arrows gouged into their throats, and they fell to the ground.

"Who goes there?!"

At the end of Eustache's gaze as he turned were the battered figures of Bacchus and Narcissus. Thanks to the attack spells their pursuers fired at them, both were in terrible shape, but they were still standing firmly on their own two feet.

"You're using attack magic in front of a crowd this size? What kind of bastards are you?!"

Bacchus, having given himself first aid, came stomping over and lined up beside Cendrillon.

"Hey, Cendrillon! Aren't you doing something awfully cool here!"

Narcissus lightly stepped into place beside them as well and held his wand at the ready.

"To think you would appear in full uniform and announce yourself. You're even more of a show-off than I am."

Cendrillon, whose mouth had fallen open, tried to say something. But then he snapped his gaze forward again and shouted in a dignified voice.

"Very well, Bacchus, Narcissus. Can you still fight?"

"Naturally."

"Yeah."

"Then advance!"

The three of them charged as one into the Unicorn Corps. Like incarnations of war gods, they rampaged freely in every direction.

Karin stared at Cendrillon and the others in a daze. Without a wand, she could not take part in the fight. That frustrated her, but...

For now, she wanted to keep watching Cendrillon's back as he swung his wand.

That man came to save her.

Her, who had acted so selfishly...

"...Thank you."

Before she knew it, Karin had spoken those words of gratitude.