༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (45) ༻
“…Stay back!”
A scream tore out of Cien’s throat as the head maid stepped forward.
Advanced magic began to form in her hands.
Although she was a first-year student, she was at the top of her class within the Magic Department and had outstanding combat ability.
Yet, the head maid merely tilted her head, still seemingly puzzled without understanding the situation. Coming to a stop, a faint voice leaked out as she murmured, but soon, even her voice became eerily twisted as she began stuttering like a broken record.
“W-why, why? W-Why is e-e-everyone? Eee– H-How- uuuhii! ah… aaaaah- hiii-KKAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Then, spasming with violent convulsions, the head maid clutched at her throat as if overtaken by a seizure while her limbs twisted into unnatural angles with gruesome noises.
It was an abnormal sight.
Tears welled up in Cien’s eyes upon witnessing such a grotesque scene for the first time. She had only just become a young adult, and she did not have the mental fortitude to remain calm in the face of closely looming danger.
After creaking and jerking a while longer, the head maid’s body found its calm once more.
The atmosphere took a drastic turn.
If the head maid gave off a soft, gentle air until now, she now exuded an inexplicably sinister chill.
Her head, which had been bent back, sharply jerked forward once more.
Her brown eyes gleamed with a faintly bloody glint, and her mouth distorted into an eerily wide smile.
“Pleased to meet you for the first time, Your Imperial Highness.”
Her voice sounded as if it had forcibly clawed up her lungs.
Cien instinctively trembled and came to a realization as she sensed the underlying madness contained in the voice.
Something was amiss. It was different.
Her voice no longer contained the ever-present affection and was instead replaced by a harsh, jagged tone.
It was clear that the being in front of her was not the head maid despite using her body to speak.
Cien mustered her courage and opened her mouth even while struggling to maintain her composure and conceal her quivering hands.
“…Who are you?”
“Pfft- huhuhu.”
The ‘head maid’ let out a frivolous laugh, a flicker of ecstasy passing through her eyes.
She bowed her head. It seemed like a gesture of respect, but it was far from it. There was not a trace of respect in her actions. It was more akin to a mocking bow.
“Ah, to think the descendant of the dragons would grace me with her beautiful voice… How could this humble being possibly refuse to answer? Yes, Your Imperial Highness! Even though I had hidden my identity for decades, I shall introduce myself in honor of our special, fateful meeting today.”
After quipping sarcastically, the ‘head maid’ lifted her head.
Then, with a single step, she reduced the distance between herself and the princess, causing Cien to hurriedly scream in terror.
“D-Don’t come any closer! If you come any clos-Kyaaaaaaa!”
However, her warning fell on deaf ears, and she soon cried out as the ‘head maid’s’ hands moved like lightning, quickly shooting two poison needles that pierced her shoulders.
Staggering backwards, the magic she had been conjuring in her hands scattered away.
“Princess, warnings should be shown through actions rather than words. Who would listen to the pleas of a girl shaking in fear?”
Cien glared at her adversary as the ‘head maid’ advised her mockingly.
“I… I’m not just a regular girl! I’m the fifth princess of the great emp-“
A rush of emotion bubbled up, and her voice soon rose. However, rather than anger, it was more the desperation contained within the last stand of pride of someone pushed to their limits. It was just that she was currently unable to clearly distinguish her emotions.
“A girl all the same.”
Yet, she was immediately shut down.
The ‘head maid’ shrugged and spoke as if calmly stating an undeniable fact.
“Or will you prove me wrong? It should be simple. Use the strength of that oh-so-mighty empire you’re proud of to defeat me.”
Faced with the taunt, a previous memory drifted past Cien’s mind.
She had heard something similar from Ian Percus, that spiteful man who also instilled fear in her.
“Well, I guess it’s impossible for you… Haha, I’m just playing. It seems my introduction has become delayed.”
The ‘head maid’ continued on, disregarding Cien’s evident distress. It was an unshakable confidence that Cien wouldn’t be able to escape no matter what she did.
And that confidence was justified.
They were inside a secret tunnel only known to the imperial family, and even the princess’ knights had become incapacitated just moments prior.
Furthermore, the princess and her entourage hadn’t notified anyone of their destination due to the secretive nature of the passageway.
The confidence exuded by the ‘head maid’ was not unfounded, and aware of her overwhelmingly advantageous position, she finally disclosed her identity.
“My name is Mitram.”
Her voice was full of friendly pretense, much like a clown’s, and judging from her voice and how she didn’t bother hiding her snickers, she indeed seemed to be enjoying herself.
“I am but a servant of the true master of this world. To put it simply…”
Suddenly, the princess’s knees buckled as a faint moan escaped her lips. The poison inflicted by the needles started to take effect as they circulated throughout her body.
Her trembling, gray eyes turned towards the ‘head maid,’ who was still scornfully giggling.
“…I am a dark priest.”
Cien’s eyes lost their light as they reflected Mitram’s twisted smile.
‘Dark Priest’ was something she had only heard of through word-of-mouth. They were the hands and feet of the Evil God Omeros and the god’s representative, Delphirem.
She had heard that their forces rapidly declined after the War of Gods and Demons, leaving only remnants. It was hard to believe that they still had this much power.
It was difficult for any organization within the empire, no matter how secretive, to escape the eyes of the imperial court, especially if the organization had the ability to command hundreds of demonic beasts.
But the reality in front of her attested that Mitram was, in fact, telling the truth.
Creating and commanding such large numbers of atrocious demonic beasts and even manipulating the closest confidants of the imperial family… They were impossible feats for all but the Dark Order, an organization that had once almost succeeded in destroying the world.
Yet, doubts persisted in Cien’s mind, and her shaky voice leaked out as she clung to her fading consciousness.
“…W-What have you done?”
Puzzled by the princess’ question, Mitram stared back at her.
“The head maid, what did you do to her…!”
“Ah. Mm, mm…”
Realizing what this was about, Mitram examined the body she inhabited and nodded in approval before breaking into a maniacal grin.
“She’s a human subject I cherish very much. You could say that I tweaked her a little to my liking after I caught her during her time as an agent. In fact, there were more like her…”
It was then that Mitram’s expression turned dark. Unlike her previously playful attitude, it was a clear sign of displeasure that she showed when things didn’t go according to her plans.
“…but Knight Zeros just had to go and get his arm cut off by some crazy noble.”
The name ‘Zeros’ had a familiar ring.
Cien searched through her memories.
Right. He had formerly served as one of her escort knights, but he had left to recover at his hometown not too long ago, and it just so happened to be Ian Percus who had sliced his arm off.
Her thoughts became increasingly complex and muddled.
It could just be a mere coincidence, but it fell into place along with her previous doubts and suspicions.
The advice to bolster her knights, Zeros’ departure…
More information that affirmed her suspicions soon emerged.
“Haaa…”
Mitram let out an exasperated sigh and tilted her head while Cien was lost in her thoughts.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve been observing you closely all day long, and there didn’t seem to be any opportunity for you to break the curse, so I wonder why the demonic beasts didn’t react…”
“…Curse?”
Hearing about a curse for the first time, Cien inadvertently asked back.
“Ah.”
But instead of replying immediately, Mitram let out a sound of realization.
Cien swallowed dryly.
She intuitively sensed that the information regarding the curse was the key to connecting all the pieces of the puzzle and finally resolving her creeping suspicions.
