Volume 2 - CH 3(4/4)
After the vibrations from the collapse settled, Lux told so to Krulcifer who cast her eyes down and stood up.
Probably because of the shock, most of the light around disappeared and darkness wrapped the vicinity.
“..I am sorry.”
He heard a faint voice from the girl who hung her head down.
“No. Don’t worry about it. More importantly ––eh?”
When Lux was going to state his concern about Krulcifer’s body, her thin fingertips softly held his hand.
“Could you allow my selfishness just for a little bit? I would like you to hear my story.”
“........”
“I am not a human of this world. I am–– a survivor of the ruins.”
“A survivor..?”
Lux couldn’t help but become speechless at the words suddenly spat out.
“I see, so –– were you able to confirm her function as a “key”?”
The same time at Fort City.
In a room of a stately mansion located in the dwelling district of the wealthy, two figures were sitting, facing each other.
They were Barzeride Kreutzer called “Title Holder of the Kingdom” and an existence wearing a jet-black robe.
“Yeah, I expressly tagged along for sightseeing, but in order to protect that woman from the Abyss’s explosion, it looks like I was drawn to the ruins. When you expressly came here to say that I should marry a woman of the country Ymir, I wondered what it was about –– but with this, I understand now.”
Barzeride contentedly muttered so and inclined the wine glass in his hand.
“If we get that “key”, it will be possible to arrive at the depths of the ruins. Wonderful. With this, I will get the “strongest power” and the “greatest fortune”.”
“That’s good for you. Then in order to control her easily, shall I sell you a special medicine? I can make a docile –– living doll for you.”
The figure in robe said so as he warped his mouth.
Although his eyes couldn’t be seen as they were hidden under a hood, his voice was distorted with bottomless malice.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t use those kinds of means.”
But, Barzeride calmly shook his head while returning a smile.
“I took a liking to that woman, you see? If I don’t make her yield directly with my own hands, I won’t be satisfied. Be it the pride or dignity she has piled up, I’ll pin all of it and make her become my thing. In this country, women are no more than tools for us men to push on our way to the top. I have to make her thoroughly understand that. Her skill as a Drag-Knight is also excellent, and besides –– even as a tool for night time, it looks like I can enjoy it for a long time.”
“What a good hobby you have, “Title Holder of the Kingdom”.”
The figure in robe who understood his intention contentedly nodded.
“But for the engagement with her, it has turned into a strange duel. Do you have any chances of victory?”
“That’s a stupid question, brethren.”
As Barzeride replied immediately, he softly touched the hilt of the Sword Device hung to his waist with his fingers.
“The Divine Raiment of <A?i Dahāka> which I bought from you is the strongest. I don’t feel like losing no matter who the opponent is. Even if that legendary “Black Hero” is to appear, he won’t be a match for the current me.”
“Yes, Speaking of which –– there is one thing I have to tell you about that, Lord Kreutzer.”
The figure in robe changed his frivolous voice to a serious one and told so.
Opening his gray pupils, hidden in the shadow, wide to the limit, the man laughed.
“The Old Empire’s legend –– the Black Hero’s true identity and his Divine Raiment. Don’t you want to buy this information?”
“I am not a human of this world. I am–– a survivor of the ruins.”
To Krulcifer’s words, Lux could not help but freeze.
In this altar room where they couldn’t move from due to the collapse, a quiet voice resounded.
“A human of the ruins.., don’t tell me––”
“I was found in the ruins of Ymir––, a place called the “fourth ruins – Hole”. No, saying that I was excavated would be correct.”
“By that, what do you mean?”
“Do you remember the <Box> of a little while ago? A treasure box in which the inheritance of the old times sleeps in. Similarly, it seems that I was sleeping within a box with a form different from that. I, who was still very young, that is. At that time, the Head of the Einvolk House who was doing the ruins’ investigation –– and currently my foster father found me.”
“Then, for the Einvolk House..”
“Of course, since it is a proper House, I was taken in as an adopted child. Or so I thought. They probably have some kind of expectation from me. They should have wanted me as a clue connected to the ruins –– and a lost past. I, who had no memory at all of the past, was living in the Einvolk House, knowing nothing about such a thing.”
“........”
“Around the time when I was also enough, I had understood that I was an adopted child. My parents, my siblings, the employees, everybody was somewhat distant, so I naturally became aware of it. That I–– was different from the people of this house. That’s why I worked very hard. In order to please to everyone and in order to have them accept me as a member of the family someday. Really no matter how hard things were, I endured them and kept working hard.”
“Krulcifer, san..”
“And like that, before I became aware, I was called a genius. Be it study or etiquette.. also as Drag-Knight, I was recognized as a first-class user. But.. in the end, the thing I wanted the most, I was not able to obtain it.”
“........”
The Einvolk Family, A distinguished family of knights and Drag-Knights.
Because she had no blood relationship, the girl struggled for a place to stay.
So, she piled up ability and results through years of hard work and reached the top.
But––,
“No. Far from it, before I became aware, they became more distant. The harder I was working, the bigger the distance to them became. I, who possessed a skill to the extent of being given a Divine Drag-Ride at this age, was avoided by my siblings before I was aware. As expected, it was because of the fact that I am a creature different from them. One day, I had accidentally heard about it when my father and my big brother were talking.”
Resignation and loneliness were mixed in the tone of Krulcifer who talked indifferently.
“And finally like this, I was also kept away from the House. The rampage that occurred in the ruins of Ymir; after that incident, I was treated like an angel of death and thus sent to another country. Not having taken my Divine Drag-Ride was probably in order to give some weight to it as an article for sale.”
“Is that why you were so obsessed with this ruins’ investigation?”
“Yes.. I always wanted to confirm it. Whether I was really a human of the ruins. I thought that maybe what I had heard until now was some kind of mistake, and that the real me is just an ordinary human and a person from the Einvolk House, but––”
Treasure and technology which slept in the ruins.
Lux understood that she was not interested in such a thing that many people sought.
“My true identity is, after all, a human of the ruins. After seeing the ruins’ reaction to me, I’m now sure of that. But–– I was not able to remember anything about the me and the events of the past.”
Quietly casting down her eyes, Krulcifer sighed.
“Y-You cannot jump to conclusions yet! It isn’t as if you examined everything here, too; and perhaps, there might be other clues in the ruins in Ymir––”
“No, it’s fine already.”
“Eh..?”
To the words which suddenly fell, Lux could not help but doubt his eyes.
Krulcifer’s lean figure was trembling little by little.
“I have already become scared now, so.. I wonder why. Even though I hated so much the family of the Einvolk House.. even though I wanted to know the truth, if I came to know that I am really an outsider and “different”, then I would become helplessly frightened. If I continued to explore the ruins here, and if there was any other people from the ruins like me or ordinary people accepting my existence –– When I think so.”
“Krulcifer..san”
To Krulcifer who showed a fleeting profile, Lux silently stretched his hands.
“I’m sorry. For having made you go along with my selfishness, for such a nobody like me––”
“That’s not true!”
Lux raised his voice, and grasped Krulcifer’s hands.
“Lux..kun?”
“Neither Ymir nor the Einvolk House matters. Krulcifer-san is a friend the same as us, and for now –– my love.. partner right?! So –– no longer say such lonely things..”
Lux, who became embarrassed at his voice which got excited, quietly looked away while saying that still holding her hands.
“........”
After Krulcifer stared at Lux with a blank face for only several seconds,
“Fu, Fufufu..”
She burst into laughter with a face as if she was enduring something.
“..Eh?”
“Lux-kun. I will give you one advice. You should not easily believe a woman’s complaints.”
“Eh, eeeeeeeeeeeeeh..!?”
Krulcifer who suddenly returned to a cool expression said so as to tease him.
“Wait, was what you said a while ago a lie!?”
When Lux confusedly released Krulcifer’s hands,
“You should stop sympathizing with other people’s misfortunes. Your only weakness is being generous with others, so I said that just to test it; but this reaction of yours was more than expected. Be careful at the time of the duel.”
“..Ah, Hahaha.”
To the words of Krulcifer who looked as if nothing had happened, Lux smiled wryly for a while.
“But really, why are you so softhearted. Even you were a Prince of that notorious Old Empire––”
“Though I think that it isn’t really like I’m softhearted. This is surely because such was my fate.”
To Krulcifer’s mutter, Lux answered with a distant look.
“Eh..?”
“I had been banished from the Imperial Court along with my mother and my little sister Airi because of an admonition of my maternal grandfather. My grandfather was a former feudal lord, and he had also worked as the person in charge of the imperial family’s education, so I think that he wasn’t able to remain silent after witnessing the Empire’s way of doing things. But––”
At that time, the Emperor and Prime Minister imprisoned his grandfather and also banished Lux and company from the Imperial Court as punishment.
And then, one day after two years, an incident occurred.
When the carriage that Lux and his mother rode on slipped down a cliff, the territory people, out of the grudge of being oppressed by the Old Empire, let Lux’s mother who was injured die.
They did not get rescued.
Because they had offended and were banished from the Imperial Court, his father the emperor did not even come to the funeral.
Lux and company were shunned and forsaken by both the imperial family and the people.
“That’s a really tragic story.. Did you not resent anyone?”
“I resented them, of course.”
Lux awkwardly laughed and replied.
“The Emperor who is my father, the imperial family, the Old Empire, the territory people, I resented everyone around me. I think that I probably cursed even this world. I became desperate. I became disgusted by anything and everything –– but”
“But?”
“Philphie saved me. I, who also lost almost all value as royalty, she had been by my side all the time––. She slipped out of her House and came to see me every day. But one day, she got lost, and I decided to go looking for her.”
Even to Lux’s wry smile, Krulcifer did not laugh.
“I noticed then. That I didn’t actually want to hate anyone. Because of the Empire, I didn’t want to hate those important to me–– or those who might become so.”
“........”
“That’s why I wanted to change the country. I wanted to create a country where no one would have to hate those that they like.. See, I also have something like lineage, but I was in the lowest rank of the royalty.”
He said so and turned a smile to Krulcifer.
“––You really are a good person, eh.”
“That’s not right. After all, I..”
At Krulcifer’s earnest words, Lux returned so.
“If you had ended up becoming the Prince of the New Kingdom, would you also have saved me?”
“Eh..?”
“No, it is nothing.”
The moment when Krulcifer returned again to her usual smile,
“Hey! Are you under here!? Lux! Krulcifer!”
From upstairs, Lisha came down with the sound of friction caused by metal.
“Lisha-sama!?”
“Ooh, they are here! Finally found you, Lux!”
When looking up at the broken ceiling, there were Lisha wearing the <Chimeric Wyvern>, and the three girls of the Triad respectively wearing each a general-purpose Machine Dragon.
They seemed to have dug through until nearby with the armament attached to the <Chimeric Wyvern>’s right arm.
“Everyone, have you come to rescue us!?”
“Yes. I was able to perceive your positions with my <Drake>, so –– it’s good that you’re safe above all.”
Lux heaved a sigh of relief at Nokuto’s voice.
“It’s almost the time when the gate will open. I’ll carry you, so let’s go quickly.”
When Lisha said so, she was about to first carry Lux with the <Chimeric Wyvern>’s left hand, but
“You should first take Krulcifer-san. She seems to be hurt.”
Nokuto calmly pointed out so.
“..Wha!? B-But.. Thinking carefully, my right arm is equipped with a drill, so there will be no sense of stability to hold an injured person. Hey Sharis, I leave Krulcifer to you whose both hands are empty.”
“Good grief, what an incorrigible Princess.”
While smiling wryly at Lisha’s order, Sharis wearing a <Wyvern> got down.
“We have already given the excavated ancient documents and Machine Dragons’ parts to the other members and made them wait near the “gate”. And now with you two safe like this, we can say that the strategy this time is a success.”
While Sharis said so, she picked up Krulcifer.
“What a relief. Everyone is safe. Well then, let’s go back.”
After Tillfarr added that at last, they all started moving.
On the way to the “gate”, fortunately no Abyss appeared and they were able to safely escape from the ruins.
“So in the end, there was no results obtained related to the “key”, huh? Even though your <Wyvern> was seriously damaged––”
When Lux returned to the girl’s dormitory and finished his medical checkup, he was given instructions of “complete bed rest” for a while.
In the medical office in the evening, there was no one else except just Airi and Lux now.
Although Lux had not suffered apparent injuries, since fatigue had accumulated due to injuries like bruises and his Machine Dragon’s operation, he was told not to fight for a while.
Krulcifer and the Knight Squadron’s members who travelled along also ended their medical treatment, and were now under rest.
“No, like I said, sorry.”
“I am angry because Nii-san has not reflected on anything at all. In addition to that, the ruins are dangerous, and yet you acted recklessly again––”
About that, when he protected Krulcifer from the collapse of the ruins, he had hit his body here and there; so there was no helping it, but
“In the end –– that horn was not a “key”, huh?”
“Yes. In that situation, I was afraid to use it and even when I held it up inside the ruins, there was no decent reaction which made it look like a key.”
Something which was a possibility having arrived at the depths of the ruins.
But, he could not say yet that he had found a different “key”.
About the fact that the path to the door had been already opened by the power of the girl of the ruins that was Krulcifer.
“I see.. It’s regrettable that there was no progress with this, but there’s no helping it.”
With this, the ruins investigation rights that the Atismata New Kingdom owned had been fully used once.
In order to investigate the ruins once again, they had to win the off-campus confrontation battle against the neighboring countries by using Drag-Rides and acquire those rights.
For the off-campus confrontation battle in one month, a campus selection battle would begin in one week.
Lux also had to decide what he would do for that battle.
But, before that.. there was something he had to do.
“Then, Nii-san. Please, drink this.”
As Lux forcibly raised half his body, Airi held out a cup containing a dark brown liquid to him.
“This is––?”
“It’s a medicine. Since you will make it in time for the duel, please take a rest at least for now.”
“..Yes. Thank you.”
Lux took the cup containing the medicine and drank it up in one gulp.
“..Ngh, hum”
After a while, he closed his eyes and groaned a bit.
As he fell asleep before long, he started leaking small sleeper’s breathing.
“––Are you satisfied with this? Krulcifer-san.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Immediately after, Krulcifer entered into the medical office.
Then, after seeing Lux lying down on the bed, she leaked a small breath.
“Like this, we can feel at ease for the time being.”
With her usual cool expression.
“Is it all right? If you ask Nii-san, I think that he will fight with you.”
When Airi asked so wonderingly,
“He will certainly. But––”
Krulcifer muttered as she cast down her eyes with hesitation.
While Lux would still be sleeping due to the medicine with strong sleep effect, the duel would be over.
It was also Krulcifer who asked Airi for the concoction of a medicine for that purpose.
“I cannot afford to get your brother involved with my situation any more than this. He has already helped me a lot.”
“In any case, it will be impossible for Nii-san to fight tonight.”
Airi, staring at Lux’s sleeping as such, calmly concluded.
“Not only injuries and fatigue during the ruins investigation, but his <Wyvern> was also seriously damaged. He can’t fight properly with it just slightly repaired. And against two powerful people in the duel at that.”
“That’s right.”
With an attitude saying that she understood, Krulcifer turned her heels.
In any case, Lux did not have a Drag-Ride to fight with.
“Besides –– since we are talking about Nii-san, if compelled, he might try to use <Bahamut>.”
The “Black Hero” who destroyed the Old Empire five years ago.
If he used <Bahamut>, his true identity might be known by those two opponents.
If that happened, in exchange for victory, Lux would draw further danger to himself.
Therefore, Krulcifer, after consideration, made this decision.
A way to bring her fate to an end by herself without relying on Lux.
“Well then, I’ll leave him to you. You surely understand even without me saying it, but if he were to wake up, tell him that the duel was called off––. This request also will be over by tomorrow.”
Putting the request of the matter on a nearby table, Krulcifer left the medical room.
After the sound of her footsteps disappeared, Airi sighed.
“As expected, you still know nothing about Ni-san..”
Airi muttered in a resigned, amazed and somehow casual tone.
Suddenly, the door was strongly knocked on, and Lisha came in.
“Hey, Lux? Are your injuries all right? ––Wait, the little sister is also here, huh.”
Slightly disappointed, Lisha turned her gaze to Airi.
“Is there something the matter? Lizsharte-sama.”
“No. I checked a little with my authority about a matter which Lux had asked before. That man called Barzeride –– he is quite suspicious. He’s an ambitious person and it seems that he had hired bandits as private soldiers several times in the past.”
“That is certainly strange.”
“But, the situation is much worse now. It was written in the letter delivered from mother just a while ago. The reason why we mustn’t overthrown Barzeride and his aim. This New Kingdom’s crisis will be––”
And Lisha began to talk next to Lux who was sleeping.
About the conspiracy of the “Title Holder of the Kingdom” hidden in this matter.