--- Previous Chapter

    *.*.*.*.*

    The former demon covered in mud and snow was gazing into my eyes that were a different color because of contacts.

    “Is it true?  Do you have Julia’s…”

    “Hey, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

    The hands he had placed on my shoulders suddenly grip tightly.  But, they immediately slacken and he apologizes in a low voice.

    “That’s not my intention.  I don’t intend to hurt you.  The injury to your neck… I don’t think you’ll forgive me for that, but…”

    “Like I said, I have no idea what you’re talking about.  Actually I want to ask questions.  Weren’t you unable to keep fighting!?  Why are you in a place like this completely alright?”

    I get my back away from the cold, stone wall and push against his chest with all of my strength.  Getting away from him when he staggered backwards, I ran blindly down the dark hallway.

    I was completely stunned.  I had no ability to think calmly.

    What do I do!?

    There’s no one here now.  There’s no one here to help me.

    Once I started running, I realized it would have been smart to run back into the dance hall.  No matter how irrational the man, he wouldn’t do anything reckless with that many people watching.  But, I had already run pretty far in the opposite direction and going back now would be dangerous.

    He’s definitely coming after me.

    His eyes said he wouldn’t let me get away.

    When I came to a stop, I remembered his dirty arms and glittering blue eyes and all the hair on my body stands on end.

    My ankle is starting to hurt from my intense fatigue.  My heart and pulse speeds up and my breathing quickly becomes difficult.  In order to get more oxygen to my lungs, I suppress my gasping and take long breaths.  In this empty and deserted temple at night, even the stagnant air was heavy.

    “…!”

    The sound of military boots on the floor was coming closer.

    Even though he was supposed to have been severely injured, his footsteps are fast and strong.  If it’s just for a little while longer I can run, but eventually the hallway will end and I’ll be cornered with no place to escape to.  My pursuer’s footsteps are rapidly getting closer.

    I ready myself and push my body into a recess in the wall and hold my breath to wait him out.

    The footsteps of the silhouette against the light of the snow slow down and approach carefully.  It seems like he’s holding a light as the surroundings turned faintly yellow.  My neck started to hurt.  A heat spread from the injury that was stretched and felt like it was about to open.

    Only the sound of my beating heart was reverberating loudly.

    “Are you there?”

    My breath stops.

    “Hey, is someone there?  Give up and come out.”

    It’s not Adalbert’s voice.  Apparently it’s a Shimaron soldier on patrol.  I heave a large sigh in relief and come out of the recess in the wall.  There’s no reason the security would chase me, but I still timidly step out into the hallway with my hands raised.

    “I’m not anyone suspicious…”

    The petite, middle-aged soldier looks surprised after seeing my outfit.

    “Are you a guest at the ball?”

    “Well, kind of.”

    It seems like he doesn’t notice that I am a victor in the tournament.  (1)

    “Why were you heading in the exact opposite direction?”

    “I was looking for the toilets, but I got lost.”

    It’s a common excuse, but it’s an effective one.  The soldier puts on an exasperated smile and lights the way for me.

    “Is that so?  I apologize for startling you.  Thieves have apparently gotten into the treasure room and they’ve even mobilized our forces to look for them.”

    “Thieves?”

    “Well, they’ll probably be caught real soon, but… A bathroom was provided right next to the staircase.  If you wandered all the way out here you must have been lonely.  Shall I escort you?”

    It happened when the soldier turned to look back at me.  Someone’s shadow floated up in a corner that the light didn’t reach.

    “Watch ou-!”

    I reflexively reached out.  The lantern fell out of the soldier’s hand and rolled after he collapsed onto his bottom and collided with the wall.

    A heavy sword swung down in the air vertically and a thick clang rang out when it hit the floor.

    A man’s pale face was illuminated by the dying flame.

    It was Adalbert.

    “When did that…”

    “Even if you ask when, it is difficult to explain.”

    “Well anyway,” I got angry while facing Conrad’s back because he wouldn’t turn around.  Maybe it was because I was more relaxed because there was no one listening, but my voice was gradually getting rougher.  “Anyway, how did you survive that explosion!?  It’s ludicrous that you’re in perfectly good condition after that!”

    “I apologize if I hurt your feelings.”

    That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear.

    “Why are speaking so formally!?  Explain properly, how you survived.  Why did you disappear and why is your arm back to normal?  Why did you leave me… why are you suddenly working for Shimaron…”

    After securing his leg, Conrad placed a splint against Adalbert’s elbow.

    “I am not necessarily working for Shimaron.”

    “… Then are you the subordinate of His Majesty and His Highness!?”

    Perhaps feeling cold, Conrad puts on the jacket he had cast off.  Now that I couldn’t see the bandage on his arm or the injury on his back, I honestly felt relieved.

    “Well, you did not come to ask me.”

    I suddenly became enraged.  I clench my powerless fist with the intention of somehow landing a good hit on him.  Lord Weller stood up straight and gave me his familiar smile.  It was a gentle expression that anyone would love and was steeped in good nature.

    “Even though I waited for you.”  He grabbed the sleeve of his plain, white clothes and playfully tugged on it.  “I prepared an answer that you wanted and put on this… dress suit that I am unused to.”

    It was the wrinkled jacket that he had thrown on the floor.  However, when he put it on it became a uniform.

    “You were there?”

    “Yes, I was.  I saw you dancing with a lady.  You were good.  It made me proud.  I was the one who taught you how to dance, after all.”

    “Then why didn’t you call out to me!?”

    Conrad’s silver-flecked, brown eyes narrowed as he smiled broader.

    “I am far beneath you in social status.  It would be unnatural for me to call out to you.  I said so, did I not?  From now on, I would strive to… not call you ‘Your Majesty.’”

    I was hit with an icy thrill as if I had stuck my head into a snowdrift.  My eyelids, my nose, the lining of my throat, all of the soft parts hurt.

    It was the same as if Lord Conrart Weller had declared that he was no longer my friend.

    “… You’re brainwashed, right?”

    Noise came through the broken door from the hallway.

    “You’re being controlled, right!?  Or that Beard guy got a hold of some weakness and is threatening you so you have to work for him, right!?”

    Guards who were securing the area and people who liked seeing the misfortune of others all came running together.  A woman with eyes wide with curiosity shrieked somewhat gleefully.

    “A feudal lord of a Shimaron territory seems to have suddenly collapsed.”

    Who!?

    “Go.  The lady is in a terrible state.”

    “Conrad.”

    I held out my right hand, believing that his left hand would grasp back.  I thought I would try to gamble on one final possibility.

    “Come.”

    Lord Weller slowly shook his head.

    “… No.”

    My gamble failed.

    ---------

    (1)    There was a pun here that I took out.  I vaguely remember making a footnote about this before, but a ball and a fighting tournament are pronounced the same in Japanese (butoukai), but are written with different kanji.  So, the original exchange went ‘Are you a guest at the butoukai  (舞踏会 / ball)?’ and then Yuuri comments ‘It seems like he doesn’t notice that I’m a victor of a different butoukai (武闘会 / tournament).’

    (2)    Pronunciation note!  The last ‘e’ in Garcione, Zomarce, and Page is not silent (kind of like the ‘eh’ in meh) and the ‘g’ in Paige is hard. So, pay geh.  Also, the ‘c’ in Zomarce is like the ‘c’s in Cecilie so it sounds like Zomartseh.  These humans with their complicated names!!  XD

    (3)    So the original joke was Yuuri yelling ‘Matsuzakaaa!’ and then correcting himself to say ‘massakaaa which is like saying ‘nooo waaaay.’  Basically it was a pun on how the name Matsuzaka (referring to Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Seibu Lions) sounds similar to ‘masaka’ (no way!  It can’t be!  You don’t say!)  I looked through a list of other well-known players on the team and Hiroshi Ohshita was the only one I could think up a pun for~