Chapter 27
Episode 27
On a bright afternoon, a black-haired man stepped down from a black carriage framed in gold. The carriage he exited bore the crest of Herthas.
As the man, Yurta, descended from the carriage, the servants lined up in two rows, spaced one carriage apart, bowed their heads toward him as if they had been waiting.
"We've been expecting you."
Evantes's butler stepped forward before him. He bowed politely and introduced himself.
"I am the butler here, Fram."
Yurta nodded as if to say he understood. His current interest lay not in the butler's name.
Yurta carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Last time, he hadn't looked properly due to his eagerness to meet his sister, but as rumored, the interior of Evantes was beautiful.
A stone fountain with a baby angel pouring water from a vase, a garden adorned with all sorts of vibrant flowers, and an antique, elegant mansion style.
The rumor that Marquis Evantes pursued extreme beauty seemed true; the mansion's interior certainly lived up to it.
He wouldn't have paid much attention before, but since it was where his sister lived, he took special note.
"The Marquis is waiting. Allow me to guide you, Yurta."
"Yes, lead the way."
Yurta followed the butler without objection.
But the moment the butler turned toward the mansion, a 'boom!' exploded from inside.
The butler's expression, usually composed while greeting guests, hardened rigidly.
An explosion occurring while hosting a guest was a first in his 30 years as a butler.
"What is that now?"
However, his seasoned experience kept the panic from showing on his face. He immediately opened his mouth to reassure the guest.
"That is......"
Had it not been for the successive deafening booms—Boom! Boom! Boom!—he might have finished speaking.
Pale smoke rose from the mansion like it was seeping from a chimney.
"Something must have happened inside."
"We will ensure no harm comes to you, Yurta, so please do not worry."
Yurta thought: Is his sister in there?
Of course she is. Working as a mere servant in this mansion.
Yurta's brow furrowed neatly. The servants misinterpreted it, blaming themselves for failing to serve the guest properly.
At that moment, one servant rushed to the butler to report the mansion's situation.
"What in the world is going on?"
The butler questioned, and the servant replied with a face filled with terror.
"Th-that is, the monster......"
The servant glanced at Yurta and whispered quietly into the butler's ear. Unfortunately, Yurta Herthas was a Transcendent.
The words reached the sensitive ears of the Transcendent clearly. How ridiculous.
"The monster has escaped."
That was what the servant whispered to the butler.
Monster?
Ah. Yurta knew exactly what that was.
Evantes had no desire to reveal the monster's existence to the outside, but Yurta had planted spies here.
Several of them.
Pawns to be used once and discarded, hired without revealing his identity.
Yurta liked dangerous things but had a contradictory mindset that disliked anything harming him.
If it became known that he had planted the spies, it would create enmity with Evantes, which was problematic.
"The monster has escaped? What does that mean......!"
"That is...... We don't know exactly how it happened......"
"So where is that monster now?"
"From what we've heard, it's searching for a pink-haired maid......"
Yurta, who had unintentionally overheard their words, furrowed his brow. Pink hair was not a common color.
It was definitely his sister.
But why that monster?
Ah. In that moment, Yurta realized.
According to his spy's report, the monster was imprisoned with Mana Shackles.
Hearing that, Yurta had guessed it was a Transcendent. After that, he had dismissed it as outside his interest......
Damn it.
His sister belonged to him.
Not something a mere monster could covet.
"......Young master?"
The servants paled at the sight of Yurta drawing his sword.
But Yurta paid them no mind.
He needed to find his sister.
* * *
The low-temperature voice made warmth drain from my entire body, as if I had fallen into cold river water.
In this bleak situation, I quietly closed my eyes.
Then, in the pitch-black darkness, glowing text popped up like an electronic billboard.
[Dragged away by Rihart vs Lost in the Maze Garden for days.]
......Choices? What is this?
"Whoever's there, it would be best to come out obediently."
"......"
"Should I come to you, or will you come to me?"
He said it as if either was fine, but it carried the threat that the latter would be better for me.
Should I go out and beg for my life?
At that moment, I heard Rihart take a step forward.
The rustling of grass being crushed made me instinctively pull back.
If he caught my scent, it would be a disaster.
"You might regret trying to run now......"
The eerie, lowered voice was terrifying.
I would regret it even without running. He's trying to kill me!
If I was going to be caught and killed anyway......
I turned to look at the Maze Garden.
Rumors said that if you entered carelessly, you could wander lost inside for days.
I seriously pondered how long I could survive in there without eating anything.
The breakfast from this morning had long been used up as energy, and all I had left was potatoes.
Could I last a few days in there with that......?
Between being caught by Rihart or the maze, I ultimately chose the maze, as it offered a higher chance of survival.
If I didn't go too deep, I could probably get out quickly.
"Even if I tell you not to run, you keep backing away. Is that your instinct?"
Don't you have survival instincts! With that thought, I was about to enter the maze.
Choke. The suffocating sensation hit.
It wasn't just the situation tightening around me; it was physical force.
The air circulating around me swirled violently, as if tearing me apart.
My head throbbed, and my vision blurred.
It was Rihart's power, unrestrained by Mana Shackles.
The horrific sensation of my body disintegrating and blood surging backward made me unable to hold back a groan.
"Ack!"
I had only let out one syllable of pained scream when the torment suddenly stopped.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
The world spun.
As the tree in front of me suddenly multiplied in a dizzying illusion, I clutched my head and gasped for breath.
"Ah, so it was you."
Rihart leisurely stepped forward.
Before I knew it, the rounded tip of a black shoe entered my view.
Cold sweat dripped down my cheek.
I didn't want to look up. I just wished time would stop like this.
And understandably so, because standing before me now was......
"I thought it was a rat, but it was you, maid."
A voice tinged with strange amusement dripped down from above my head.
Ah. Could I just faint right here?
"But why are you avoiding me?"
"......Are you asking because you don't know?"
Rihart knelt on one knee right in front of me.
Then, he gently stroked my cheek, which was bowed so low it nearly touched the ground.
My body flinched as his cold hand touched my skin.
"No need to be startled, maid."
He softly lifted my head.
And with his thumb, he wiped away the physiological tears gathered at the corners of my eyes from the pain.
He's wiping them?
But Rihart smeared the tears across my cheek. What is he doing right now......?
"Ah, as expected. Even your crying face is pretty, maid."
