The news of the demon race attacking the city of Rajeurn, in the Kingdom of Levaina, in the southern part of the Empire, had spread throughout the empire.
To be precise, it was an assault on the outer branch of the merchant guild in Rajeurn. In reality, the demons had attacked Rajeurn as well.
However, the damage wasn't significant, as the number of demons in the attack was quite small.
Nevertheless, a considerable number of casualties had occurred in an outpost area that had no guard forces.
That place was the outer branch of the merchant guild in Rajeurn.
Included in the list of victims was the name of the Duke of Grantz, Arthur de Grantz.
He has already heard the report from Sarkegaar.
He was manipulated by Bertus.
It was puzzling why the imperial family couldn't detect the revolutionary forces, but they already had. They just didn't take any action, fearing that it might cause significant problems if they did.
When the nameless monastery was attacked, Bertus had made a completely different judgment, seeing that the mere fact of a demon attack had buried all other suspicious aspects.
He decided that the revolutionary forces could be eliminated in the same manner.
The name "demonic remnants" is a kind of root of all evil that can cause all kinds of incidents and turn everything upside down in the current situation.
The corpses of demons, the traces of manipulated battles, countless victims, and newspapers containing photos of the scene and the names of the victims.
I was staring at it with wide eyes.
Duke Grantz.
Arthur de Grantz.
He had met his death due to a demon attack in a small country in the southern part of the empire.
"Why on earth did this happen..."
Harriet covered her face and cried, reminded of the day she had spent at the Grantz estate not too long ago.
Ellen was staring at the newspaper with bulging eyes, as if to confirm that she wasn't seeing it wrong.
"Let's go see Liana."
Ellen said this as she quietly put down the newspaper.
Swoosh
Winter rain was falling.
Cliffman, Adelia, Harriet, Ellen, and I, who had gone to visit the Duke's house, came to see Liana as we were.
It would take time for the body to be retrieved and returned to the Grantz estate. There were already many people at the Grantz estate.
Whether they were relatives or not, I didn't know, but the empty expression of the Duchess, surrounded by many people and receiving consolation, spoke of the shock she was feeling.
Liana was no exception.
"Huh? Ah... You, you came?"
Harriet gently held Liana's hand, but Liana seemed not to understand what had happened to her.
Liana's spirit was gone. She should have been grieving, but she didn't even seem to have a proper sense of what had befallen her.
No one knew how to comfort someone in such a situation.
The people around the Duchess were saying something, but we didn't know what to say.
I couldn't.
I didn't know what to say to Liana, who had experienced something that had become my doing, even though it wasn't.
I didn't do it.
I didn't do anything.
But I couldn't say that.
Harriet quietly held Liana's hand, while Ellen gently embraced her by the shoulders.
"..."
Liana stared blankly into the void, her eyes unfocused.
We stayed at the Duke of Grantz's residence.
The duchess, sensitive to nobility, did not treat us harshly as we stayed in her mansion amidst the turmoil.
At least, she was an adult.
"Thank you, everyone. Please look after Liana."
She seemed genuinely grateful that we remained here to tend to Liana's condition.
Unlike Liana, the duchess couldn't just wallow in sadness. Once the body was retrieved, she had to arrange a funeral. To do so, she had to converse with many people who came to visit. Someone had to keep their wits about them in this sudden situation, and that person was the duchess.
The next day.
The body of the Duke of Grantz was retrieved and returned to the mansion.
Liana stared blankly at the coffin, her eyes wide.
She knew what was inside, but it seemed she couldn't believe it was truly there.
The duchess staggered towards the coffin and opened it once to take custody of the body.
-Aaahhh!
We all stared blankly as the duchess collapsed on the spot. Liana gazed at her numbly.
"Oh, Father... Father...?"
Liana stumbled closer to the coffin. Harriet helplessly watched her, unable to stop or grab her.
Liana cast her gaze down at the half-opened coffin.
Liana didn't cry.
She just stared blankly at something inside the coffin, as if she'd received an enormous shock.
Soon.
-Ah, uh...
From Liana's twisted lips, a suppressed moan began to flow.
-Ah, ugh... uh. Ugh! Uh! Ahhhhhhh!
Liana started tearing at her own hair.
And then.
-Crack!
Eerie lightning streaked across the pale winter sky, carving a path through the heavens.
-Crack! Crack!
-Rumble!
The dozens of lightning bolts and ensuing thunder that colored the sky fortunately didn't strike the ground.
-Ahhhhhhh!
However, it was clearly not a normal weather phenomenon.
Supernaturals awaken their powers under extreme stress or dire situations.
As I had strengthened myself through several self-suggestion sessions and eventually awakened word magic.
Liana de Grantz was no exception.
The dozens of lightning bolts now connected the heavens, but it was uncertain whether Liana, who had lost her reason, would strike the ground with lightning.
Everyone already realized that this bizarre weather phenomenon had originated from Liana.
The sky was going mad.
We must stop Liana.
Crackling, crackle-crackle!
And then, as if torturing herself, blue sparks began to furiously ignite around Liana, who was tearing at her hair.
This is dangerous. People around the area might be swept away by Liana's rampage.
Before I could say anything.
Whoosh!
Ellen charged through the sparks towards Liana.
Crackle-crackle!
Ellen, with her Magic Body Strengthening, broke through the currents surging around Liana and struck her precisely on the nape of her neck.
Without hesitation, Ellen dove into the lethal lightning, one strike of which could have been life-threatening.
Thud!
Ellen effortlessly caught Liana's body, which had been neutralized and collapsed in an instant.
Everyone looked at Ellen with wide-eyed expressions, as if they had no idea what had just happened.
In the midst of an already dire situation, Ellen had quickly averted a secondary disaster.
Ellen spoke to the duchess.
“I'll take her inside.”
“Th-Thank you...”
The duchess nodded her head, staring at Ellen with a complex expression.
A short while later, Liana awoke in her bedroom at the mansion.
“…”
Liana felt a throbbing headache as if her head was ringing.
Her body felt heavy, like a soaked cotton ball. Liana stared blankly at the ceiling.
It could be a dream.
A bad dream, perhaps.
She often had strange dreams after drinking too much.
So, although she didn't know when she had started drinking or when she had passed out, all these events could be just a dream.
Liana felt a vague hope.
Dreams could be agonizingly long, after all. It could be an extension of that.
In reality, hadn't she only heard unreal, floating sounds? Suddenly, her father had died, the authorities had come to the mansion, and inside them...
She saw something she never wanted to admit.
Dreams would break under excessive shock. She might have woken up from a terrible dream after seeing such a thing.
She wanted to believe that.
'I'm sick and tired of being treated as the only reason Mom and Dad's failed marriage has to continue.'
She wanted to swallow those words.
She shouldn't have treated him like that if she thought it would be their last encounter.
So, from now on, whoever she meets or talks to...
She should think that she might never see them again and be more considerate.
Especially to her father.
Since she had realized that.
Now she would apologize for those words, not be a daughter who worsens an already strained relationship between her parents but at least not be a hindrance.
Now she regretted all the days she had ignored her father's efforts and berated him.
She would change.
If it was a dream.
That's what she thought.
But it wasn't a dream.
It couldn't be.
Absentmindedly staring at the ceiling, her right and left hands were each tightly gripping someone's hand.
On one side was Adelia, and on the other was Harriet.
If only everything had been a dream.
These children wouldn't be looking at her with such worried gazes, holding her hands tightly.
Liana closed her eyes tightly.
If it hadn't been a dream.
She wanted to escape into a dream, but even that wasn't possible.
Tears of misery streamed down Liana's face through her closed eyes.
Aaaahhh
The funeral of Duke Grantz took place.
People in mourning clothes were digging a grave in the rain, and a cleric dispatched from the Tu’an Order stood with a scripture in hand.
He recited prayers for the peace and rest of the soul, and for the purification of the spirit.
After the burial, those who had come to pay their respects lined up to throw flowers into the grave.
Without even using an umbrella, Liana stared at the scene with wide eyes.
Unable to cry, she stood in the cold winter rain. Harriet tried to cover her with an umbrella, but Liana firmly refused.
As if she wanted to punish herself.
In Liana's eyes, as she faced the rain with her bare body, swirled countless emotions.
Duke Grantz had been a powerful noble before he joined the revolutionary forces.
Many nobles, dressed in black, came to pay their respects, offered flowers, and expressed their condolences to the Duchess.
And among the visitors were the Royal Class first-year students.
"… Those demon bastards."
With eyes filled with pure rage, Ludwig, dressed in black, clenched his teeth in front of the Duke's coffin.
"I can't forgive them."
Unable to do anything but watch Ludwig's angry, retreating figure as he laid down flowers, I felt helpless.
Regardless of personal relationships, all the first-year students came to pay their respects.
Of course, Charlotte de Gardias was among them.
"…"
Not knowing whether she was aware of the situation, Charlotte didn't glance at Liana as she threw flowers and left after a moment of silent prayer. Charlotte and I briefly locked eyes, but she said nothing.
By her side for her protection was Saviolin Turner.
She didn't even offer flowers.
In this situation, there was something only I could see.
It seemed that Shanafel had completed her mission.
Otherwise, there was no reason for Charlotte to have such an expression.
And there was no reason for her gaze and expression to be so strange when looking at the drained Liana.
In a situation where there was no reason to feel guilty, there was no need for a guilt-ridden expression.
Naturally, Professor Epinhauser and Professor Mustlang came as well.
Regardless of his affiliation with the Black Order, he was fulfilling his duties as a teacher.
Seeing Liana's drained face, Professor Mustlang wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and gently hugged her.
After offering flowers, Professor Epinhauser stood before Liana.
"Whenever you need help, come find me."
"… Yes, Professor."
Liana repeated the words absentmindedly, as if she were an answering machine, seemingly without giving any thought to the words themselves.
Epinhauser, the teacher, left those words behind and our gazes met briefly.
He didn't say anything to me.
But somehow, he seemed to know that I wasn't responsible for this incident.
And then.
Bertus de Gardias had also come to the tomb to pay his respects.
"..."
With a solemn expression, Bertus threw flowers on the tomb and quietly stared at the coffin.
Next, Bertus stood in front of Liana.
Looking at the pale Liana, Bertus seemed to be pondering something.
Bertus had acted for the sake of the empire. It must have been something that only he could do.
But he had framed me, and killed Liana's father.
I couldn't say that I wasn't responsible, and Bertus wouldn't admit to his actions.
With a stern expression, Bertus, also drenched in rain, spoke a single word to Liana.
"I'm sorry, Liana."
"..."
It was an ambiguous statement.
I was the only one at the scene who could understand its ambiguity.
Liana, realizing that she was in front of the prince, clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.
"No... Thank you for coming, Bertus."
Liana was thanking someone she should never be grateful to.
I couldn't look at Bertus's face.
No matter what expression he wore, I couldn't trust myself not to throw a punch at him.
Among the numerous floral tributes, the nearly white-flower-covered coffin of Duke Grantz began to be filled with dirt.
"I'm sorry, Dad."
Winter rain ran down Liana's face.
"I'm sorry, Dad."
Her lips were so cold they had turned blue, but Liana stared straight at Duke Grantz's tomb.
"It's all my fault."
What was she so sorry for? What was she so regretful about?
In the end, Liana began to shed clear tears that couldn't be mistaken for rainwater.
"I... I messed up..."
So couldn't you come back?
I'll do better now.
I won't act crazy anymore.
I understand now.
I'll do better from now on.
Couldn't you come back?
Liana murmured while looking at the mound of dirt accumulating on the coffin.
But, of course.
Duke Grantz didn't return.
