Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

120 – Are you here to save me?

“Is this way correct this time?”

“Just wait a little longer.”

“…How much longer must I wait?”

Beginning a while ago, Sino had just kept moving back and forth while asking him to wait.

How much longer must I wait?

Even aiding the Saintess, who’s utterly drained from constant running, is starting to tax my strength.

At first, it was simply wonderful.

The thought of being able to rescue Aria.

‘Hello? Jennison…or should I call you Baron Jennison?’

‘…Why have you come?’

‘Well…I figured it’s about time I told you, now that I’ve received the title—’

‘Let’s go immediately.’

‘Huh? Whoa… Wait just a second!’

He vanished without a backward glance.

Having heard those words, there was no reason to linger.

After all, he had only said that receiving the title was enough.

‘…’

‘Eh? Why aren’t you going?’

In the midst of that relentless flight,

he paused.

She had certainly said that Aria’s safety wasn’t in question,

but…

Preparing for any unforeseen circumstances couldn’t hurt, right?

‘Hold on, there’s someone we need to pick up on the way.’

‘Huh? More people?’

‘Yes, someone indispensable.’

‘I can hide them… but my ability has a limit of one person.’

‘That’s fine, that person is all we need.’

‘Where? Who are you— Are you insane?’

Her reaction, upon seeing where I was pointing,

was a little intense, but what did it matter?

The Saintess herself was willing to help me.

Anyway, one way or another, we

managed to escape the Royal Palace successfully.

Shino’s magic was convenient, to be sure.

Suddenly enveloping us in darkness,

then whisking us away in an instant.

Even now, it seemed a truly effective magic

for saving time.

‘Alright, you can open your eyes now!’

‘Ugh…something dark…doesn’t feel good…’

‘…Where are we?’

When they opened their eyes in the darkness again, the landscape was completely different from before.

Instead of a luxurious interior decorated with crimson carpets and beautiful chandeliers,

A snow-white cloak, as if fashioned from pure fur, greeted us.

“Where… where is this? No, more importantly, why did you bring me here?”

“….”

“So, this is where she’s being held… kidnapped?”

“Ki-kidnapped? Where on earth are you taking me?”

I reached out, my hand drawn to the stark white cloak.

Not because the tower was striking, or particularly beautiful.

No, it was simply because the cloak was so dreadfully,

familiarly burned into my memory.

“Jennison, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“….”

A cloak like a snow-white boulder.

I remembered this cloak.

The characteristic of the northern regions, riddled with snow-capped mountains.

And the impact of that, turning the wild animal’s fur a pristine white.

And using that fur,

a craftsman had painstakingly created, stitch by careful stitch,

this very cloak.

Emblazoned squarely in the middle of the cloak was

the emblem of a hammer and anvil, proof of its origin.

This emblem signified that the cloak was a creation

certified by a master artisan recognized by the Imperial family.

Needless to say, such a high-quality item wasn’t something anyone could easily acquire.

Not unless they were a noble of considerable power.

“….”

“…Are you feeling unwell, perhaps?”

“Your expression… isn’t good.”

“…Lady Charlotte.”

“Yes?”

“Could you… possibly tell me where exactly we are?”

Even this alone gave me a sinking feeling about the

identity of my kidnapper,

but I prayed I was wrong.

It couldn’t possibly be that person, could it?

Surely, not kidnapping his own daughter.

Especially not someone who had just been,

face to face with me, moments before.

My daughter kidnapped and locked in a room,

and as if that wasn’t enough, he dares

to show his face in public like nothing happened?

With such brazenness?

It would be more credible if Charlotte’s intel

were simply wrong.

Yes, that must be it.

‘Inside the Duke Reinhardt’s manor, no less?’

But, there was no twist.

Cruelly, devastatingly.

There were no more stories I wanted to hear.

I could only think of getting Aria

out of this godforsaken house

as quickly as humanly possible.

Had it been ten minutes since

I opened the door and ventured out?

We are now…

“No, not that way,

I’m telling you, we have to go this way!”

“No…my memory tells me

this is definitely the right direction…”

“Ugh, seriously!! We have to weave

around because of the alarm magic set up everywhere!”

We were diligently searching for the path,

inside this vast manor, befitting

the name of a Duke’s estate.

*

“Hah… hah…”

“..Hey, was it really necessary to

bring the Saintess along?”

Her head, while desperately catching her breath,

bobbed in a nod of its own accord.

Even she, considering it herself,

couldn’t fathom why she’d been brought here.

“Hah… hurt… someone.. was..”

“Just in case, you never know, Aria’s body

could have some other kind of issue.”

“..She didn’t seem to have any problems though?”

“…?!”

As her questioning words faded,

the Saintess’s gaze immediately snapped towards Jenison.

“So they say, but then why in God’s name

did you drag *me* here?” It felt like the words scraped out.

“…There’s always the matter of ‘what if,’ you see.”

“Yo-you… truly… *huuh*…”

And as Jennison met that glare,

his eyes flickered away for a moment, and in that same instant

her own irises

began to burn with an intensity unseen before.

With the negative charge of resentment.

“…Even so, the Holy Maiden

appears to be having a rather difficult time.”

As if agreeing with his words,

the Holy Maiden’s head bobbed weakly up and down.

Pleading with every fiber of her being that they

please, slow down, just a little.

‘H-how…are these people not exhausted…?’

To an outsider, someone might scoff and say that

who gets tired from this little bit of exertion?

But for her, those meager ten minutes

felt like a grueling five hours.

After all, her usual sphere of activity

was strictly confined to the interior of the Order, and even when

she ventured out to heal people,

she always traveled by carriage.

Even if the destination was so close

you could practically trip and bump your nose.

‘Umm… couldn’t we just walk this part?’

‘Absolutely not, Holy Maiden!!’

‘We cannot allow your noble feet

to touch such unrefined, earthy ground!!’

‘Umm… I *am* wearing shoes…’

Ultimately, it was this excessive consideration from the Order

that caused her physical capabilities

to atrophy over time.

Until, finally, she couldn’t even manage

a mere ten-minute sprint,

becoming the perfect example of someone utterly out of shape.

‘…Putting that man aside… how is Lady Sino perfectly fine even after running like this?’

‘…I think the Holy Maiden is glaring daggers at me…’

“Did… did I do something wrong, perhaps?”

“..Isn’t there some way

to manage it with other magic?”

“What kind of magic?”

“Like… restoring the body’s fatigue with divine magic…”

“Ah! I’ll try it now..”

“..Will it work?”

The moment she heard Jennison’s words,

the Saintess immediately drew upon her divine power.

Inwardly, she swallowed a sigh of relief.

Though she didn’t express it verbally,

she knew that her own lack of stamina

was causing a nuisance.

But if she only had her divine magic,

this paltry fatigue was nothing..!

“..Huh?”

However, here,

another problem arose.

Namely, that the divine magic

wouldn’t activate.

She wondered if there was something wrong

with her divine power, and quickly examined it.

Thankfully, her divine power was being drawn out perfectly fine.

“Huh… Then why…?”

“I had a feeling that might be the case.”

“…?”

“I didn’t say anything, but there’s a barrier

erected around this entire mansion that nullifies magic, you see?”

“Th-That’s…!”

“If that weren’t the case, there wouldn’t be a need to walk like this… I have my own magic, after all.”

It was a bolt from the blue.

She’d thought that her nuisance status

might change even a little─

“H-Hey! What are you doing?!”

It was then.

The Saintess’s body, which had only been sitting slumped down,

was drawn forward.

And at the same time, her body levitated into the air with a flash.

No, to be precise, she was

settling on top of someone’s body.

“W-wait… Let me down!!”

“Time presses, and so I must beg your

understanding for this breach of manners.”

“I don’t understand!! I tell you, I don’t!!”

“Miss Charlotte, please continue with the directions.”

“Y-yes.”

“Ugh…! Listen to what I’m saying, please!!”

*

‘…If only I could sever this.’

At that very moment,

the bird trapped within this vast and luxurious mansion,

a gilded cage of sorts.

Aria was, for once,

displaying a rare show of determination.

Perhaps she had finally realized that

remaining so pathetically passive

would solve absolutely nothing?

‘Firstly… if I can just somehow break this, I can manage somehow with my magic…!’

She was currently exerting all of her strength to break free from the mana restraints,

adorning her right wrist with a graceful,

bracelet-like facade that was easy to confuse.

Of course, she mustn’t be caught by

the other servants.

For they, too, were ultimately people of the Duke’s household.

The eyes and ears of Duke Reinhardt, that is.

‘Now… if I can just somehow break this…!’

Knock-knock─

It was then.

The sound of someone rapping at her door reverberated.

Aria paid it no mind.

It was surely just servants, after all.

For who in their right mind would barge into

the princess’s room?

All she needed to do was refuse to answer.

Knock-knock─

Knock-knock─

Knock-knock─

But as if unfamiliar with the concept of giving up,

the servant outside continued to rap at the door.

A knocking began,

and with it, Aria’s patience thinned, growing ever so fragile.

She tried to ignore it, though.

Since without her permission,

they could never, ever enter this room…

*Creak─*

With the sound of the door opening,

Aria hurriedly wrapped herself in the blanket.

For fear of the truth being revealed, that she’d been trying to break free of these restraints.

“Entering a room without

permission… are you insane?”

“…?”

“..Hah, get out, quick. You’re already annoyi─”

“…Aria?”

Suddenly, buried deep within the blanket,

her head shot up.

A voice she should never, under any circumstance, have heard, had drifted in.

He should not be here,

nor *could* he be,

and yet, it was a voice she desperately longed to hear.

“…Brother?”

Her family stood at the doorway.

Gazing at her with those ever-familiar dark eyes.