Chapter 43 - <9>
Edward, who had left the labyrinth first, awoke alone in a basement. He had expected to meet his brother as soon as he exited the labyrinth, but his prediction was way off.
It seemed his brother had avoided keeping the labyrinth close by. Hearing it was a labyrinth that trapped royalty, it was probably creepy to him.
In any case, he should probably be glad to have been given some preparation time.
The basement was dim, with almost no light. Edward was standing in the center of a circular formation where ten barely-lit, flickering candles remained.
"I see, so this is where they activated the labyrinth."
Edward, who knew how the labyrinth worked, understood immediately. The Infinite Nightmare had been left there in the same state it was in when the ritual was performed.
From the remnants of the candles, it seemed several hours had passed since the person who performed the ritual had left.
The lack of guards around the labyrinth was likely due to the carelessness of those who had performed the ritual. They probably never thought Edward would get out of the labyrinth so quickly.
"I'll be taking this back."
Muttering to himself, he picked up the Infinite Nightmare lying at his feet and put it in his pocket. Edward, who understood the mechanism of this labyrinth, had no resistance to wearing it.
This was a treasure of the kingdom that should be completely sealed. Besides, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be misused in the future. He couldn't just leave it in a place like this.
Edward looked around.
Beside him, three bodies lay motionless. Ritz, Anna, and Franz. Their luggage was carelessly thrown about nearby.
He tried shaking them just in case, but as expected, none of them showed any sign of waking up. In fact, their breathing was abnormally deep, completely different from when they were sleeping.
He figured it would be fine to be a little rough and tried hitting just Ritz, but there was still no reaction. It seemed this was different from a normal sleep.
To become an empty shell meant to become bedridden like this, without ever regaining consciousness. If the three of them didn't return, it would all be Edward's responsibility.
After thinking about it so seriously, Edward gave a wry smile at his own thoughts.
If the three of them didn't return, Edward would have to take responsibility with his own life. After all, he would have to fight his brother Stewart all by himself.
Of course, he wouldn't lose in a one-on-one fight, but it was unthinkable that a man like Stewart would fight directly without using his followers.
In that case, it would be a tough fight for Edward, who had already aged and was past his physical prime.
He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. The time was still early morning. The remnants of the candles, and the current time.
He had thought that the time spent in the labyrinth was just a moment, but several hours had passed since he had fallen asleep. It seemed they had been sent into the labyrinth after sleeping for a bit.
He couldn't say he was well-rested, but maybe he should be a little grateful. He thought this sarcastically.
After looking around the dim room, he decided there was nothing else here and decided to leave.
He saw a staircase leading up in one corner. He could also see a door at the top. If it was locked, he could just break it, so there was no problem.
Preparing for guards, he climbed the stairs leading out of the basement, concentrating his senses. It would be fine if there was only one guard, but more than two would be troublesome.
But that too turned out to be a needless worry. When he pressed his ear to the door, he couldn't hear a sound, let alone sense any presence.
Slightly exasperated by his brother's lack of caution, he opened the door. It seemed to be at the very end of a corridor, but he couldn't see what lay beyond.
He could get a general idea from the arrangement of the rooms and the large window that continued on one side.
"The hired help… where did they go?"
Muttering to himself, he drew his sword and took a stance. Whatever the situation, it was better to be cautious.
The sky outside was gradually brightening. The light was probably the dawn. Edward squinted at the scenery visible from the window.
Come to think of it, what happened to the inspectors?
As Edward cautiously advanced down the corridor, step by step, the scene outside the window came into view.
He was momentarily at a loss for words.
There was the sight of the flustered inspection team. The inspectors were nearby, so it didn't seem he had been transported to an unknown place while he was asleep.
This meant that Stewart, who was supposed to be in the far north and forbidden from leaving that land, had come all the way here.
Just being here was highly likely to be considered treason. To come here knowing that meant his rebellious will was firm.
It was true that being closer to the Royal Capital made it easier to work behind the scenes and get information faster. But he had never imagined he would come this close.
After watching the inspection team for a moment, he could see they were in quite a panic. They were pointing at this mansion, but it seemed the mansion looked like something else to them.
They had passed right by the window where Edward was several times already, but no one had noticed him.
Kenny gave orders to the frantic inspection team. His voice was loud, so Edward could barely hear him.
"Everyone, calm down! It's impossible for the mansion to have turned into a rocky mountain! We were deceived from the start. We will rescue His Majesty… His Highness Edward!"
Kenny, deathly pale, desperately began to climb the mansion. It seemed he knew there was some kind of mystery here. But the sight from Edward's perspective was bizarre.
The inspection team and the drivers were all climbing the walls at once. There were even some climbing up to the window where Edward was watching.
Just because it looked like a rocky mountain, they convinced themselves they could climb it. The illusion must have been cast by a very skilled practitioner.
He wanted to let the inspection team know he was here, but if he made a scene, the enemy would come flying faster than the inspectors. That would defeat the purpose.
After watching the scene for a moment, Edward came to his senses. This was no time to be standing around watching.
He had to find the mastermind quickly. Before they decided to dispose of the bodies of the four whose consciousnesses had been stolen.
He quietly left the spot and, with his spirit on high alert once again, cautiously made his way deeper into the mansion, step by step. It felt like the path ahead was much farther than it looked, but that was probably due to Edward's tension.
He reached the stairwell hall and then hid in the corridor he had just walked down. He had heard voices. Someone was there. He wasn't alone after all.
"Your Majesty, it has become a little noisy outside. What shall we do?"
The voice that asked was that of the mansion's butler. He had thought he was a man not to be underestimated, and as expected, Edward's intuition was correct. He was deeply involved in this matter. In response to his voice, the sound of rustling clothes as someone turned reached Edward's ears.
"Pay it no mind. They cannot enter."
Though it was a little hoarse and hard to hear, it was unmistakably the voice of his brother, Stewart, who had been exiled to the north after spewing curses at him long ago.
Hearing that voice for the first time in a long while, Edward felt no nostalgia. Only a sense of disgust at the fact that the person there was exactly who he had expected welled up within him.
In front of the civilians and officials, Stewart had begged, 'I was being manipulated by the Clan of Darkness all this time. I knew nothing! Are you going to kill your pitiful brother? You'll help me, won't you, Edward?' and pleaded for his life.
And the Clan of Darkness had laughingly acknowledged it. That was why Edward couldn't execute Stewart in front of the civilians and officials.
Instead, Edward sentenced him to confinement and farming as punishment.
If he repented while confined and farming, and lived alongside the people as a farmer, he would forgive him.
But Stewart didn't change at all. In the end, he continued to curse Edward while confined. Learning this, Edward ordered his complete confinement and isolated Stewart from the world.
And Stewart continued to be a small spark of rebellion for Edward.
Regardless of Edward's feelings, their conversation continued.
"Perhaps you should use Laria…"
The man who had been the butler had casually used the first name of the woman he had introduced to Edward and the others as his master. He had been faking his position.
"Ah, that spirit user."
Stewart's voice sounded as if everything was a bother. It seemed his brother had no interest in anything other than taking revenge on Edward and returning to the throne.
But the man who had been the butler pressed on.
"I do not think it wise to let those who have seen this mansion return alive."
As he said this, a low, amused laugh escaped the man's lips. Edward shuddered.
That man was used to killing.
"You say the strangest things. Was it not you who brought them here?"
As if finding it funny, his brother let out a low, hoarse laugh. The laugh was strangely high-pitched. Had the long years of confinement driven him mad?
Edward leaned against the corridor wall and let out a small sigh. For now, his enemies were just that man who had called himself the butler, and the spirit user Laria.
Judging by the tone of Stewart's voice, it didn't seem like he could fight. The only question now was how to let the inspectors know he was here.
It seemed the inspectors thought this mansion was a rocky mountain. Illusory magic belonged to the domain of darkness spirit magic. That meant if he killed the spirit user Laria, the illusion would be broken. Then it would be possible to capture them all at once.
If the conversation in the royal castle had been leaked, there must be informants and collaborators in Sears as well. To smoke them out, he wanted to capture them alive if possible.
Edward pondered. He was not skilled at fighting spirit users in the first place. It was said that a single high-level spirit user was superior to a thousand foot soldiers, so it was only natural.
Waiting for the spirit users Anna and Franz to wake up would be the surest bet, but it was a mystery whether they would be left alone until then.
Knowing Stewart, he would likely find joy in brutally murdering Ritz, his friend, and his companions in front of Edward, just to torment him.
As Edward was considering what to do, the butler's words reached his ears.
"What shall we do with those other than King Edward?"
"Crucify them all here. Do not lay a hand on Edward."
"Oh? And what will you do?"
At the butler's amused voice, Stewart laughed lowly.
"Is it not obvious? Before the eyes of the conscious Edward, I will drag out the entrails of his friend who will never awaken, and his companions. It will surely be a delightful sight!"
Edward was once again convinced that his intuition had been correct. If he had chosen to leave the labyrinth with Ritz and the others, he would have played right into Stewart's hands.
But this way, he could buy time. Just as he was about to place his hand on the hilt of his sword with resolve, his hand stopped at Stewart's all-too-familiar words.
"Especially that dog of Edward's! There was no one more impudent than him!"
Edward's dog.
Though the man himself would have disliked it, it was a title given to Ritz by both friend and foe.
The much more childish and innocent Ritz of the past was called Edward's dog by his comrades with affection, and by his enemies with contempt.
Only a handful of people, including Edward, had not treated Ritz like a dog. But remembering those days made him smile.
Ritz was always by Edward's side, always looking at him with a beaming smile and absolute trust.
Ritz, whom he had met for the first time in thirty-five years, was completely calm, and Edward was relieved by that. He had grown up a little.
Had he healed some of the anguish and sorrow of the past? Had he become a little more positive about living?
Or perhaps the children who were with him now would teach Ritz something.
That's why… he couldn't let him die here. Nor Ritz's young companions.
Edward let out a deep sigh. He had no choice but to go out. As he had told Ritz, he had already made arrangements for his son to succeed him if he died.
"Ritz, Shasta… I'm counting on you."
Bidding farewell to his friend in a low voice, Edward entered the entrance hall with his sword in hand. The soft carpet silenced even his footsteps.
The two men, unaware of Edward's stealthy approach, did not notice him at all. They probably never even considered that someone would enter here.
Let alone that it would be Edward.
It was Stewart who found him first. He opened his mouth in a daze for a moment, then began to tremble.
Surprise, and indignation that he had escaped the labyrinth so easily, were written on his face, but Edward was under no obligation to live as his brother wished.
The moment he saw his brother's face, he was surprised at how much disgust he still held for this man. But he would never let that emotion show directly.
Instead, he smiled calmly at the two men.
"It has been a long time, Your Highness, former Crown Prince Stewart. Or was it former King?"
At Edward's light sarcasm, the man's eyes widened. Pure white hair and bloodshot eyes… there was nothing left that reminded him of the handsome, ruthless figure of the past.
Only a gleaming ambition and hatred remained.
"You… Edward!"
"Thank you for such an interesting welcome, brother."
Edward looked at his brother with a sarcastic smile.
"Why, why are you here! You were supposed to be trapped in the Infinite Nightmare."
Stewart's eyes, looking at the man who called himself the butler in a flustered manner, showed no sign of reason.
"All kings of this country are taught how to escape from the Infinite Nightmare when they ascend the throne. It seems you were not aware that I have been the king of this country for thirty-five years, brother."
"What did you say?"
Stewart's expression changed. He was stunned, and at the same time, burning with intense jealousy toward Edward for knowing this. He probably couldn't stand that he knew something he himself did not.
"You were only taught how to trap people in there, brother. Unfortunately, no one taught you how to get out during those chaotic times. Or was it that you had all the useful people killed?"
"Hngh, you impudent little… Kill him! Erase him from my sight!"
At Stewart's shout, Edward smiled calmly.
"It is useless to erase me, brother. If I die, my son Gerald will immediately become the next king. The prime minister and I have already decided this. Unfortunately, there is no place for you."
"Then before you die, you will write a declaration that that decision is invalid."
Stewart pointed a trembling finger at Edward and smiled at him.
"Why must I listen to you, brother? I am the king of this country, am I not?"
"You little… How dare you!!"
Enraged, Stewart turned to the man at his side and shouted, spittle flying from the corners of his mouth.
"Is there nothing! Prepare some plan!"
"Relying on your mother during the civil war, and now relying on others at a time like this? You are pathetic beyond words, brother."
"Shut up, shut up! Be quiet, Edward! Raven! Seize him and make him write the declaration!"
At Stewart's shout, the man called Raven let out a faint smile and approached Stewart.
"There is a better way, Your Majesty."
"What is it, speak!"
"Would you not grant me this man's life? I will ensure it is to your liking."
Edward's brow furrowed. But Stewart, as if drawn to those words, approached the man.
"How will you make it to my liking, Raven?"
Raven answered Stewart respectfully.
"It is simple. I will dispose of this man, and take on his form to go to the Royal Capital."
"Can you do such a thing?"
At Stewart's question, Raven's lips curled into a smile.
"It is simple."
"I see… I see! And what will you do then?"
Stewart's eyes gleamed strangely as he clung to Raven like a madman.
"After eliminating the queen, the crown prince, and even the prince, his grandson, I will grandly guide Your Majesty to the Royal Capital…"
To go to the Royal Capital in his form…
Edward had a bad feeling. In the past, this Stewart had fought alongside his mother's lover, a member of the Clan of Darkness, during the civil war.
Could this man be a dweller of the darkness?
Why… why had a member of the Clan of Darkness appeared in this country again…
Though he didn't show it on his face, a cold sweat ran down his back.
This wouldn't even buy him time. What's more, if he was killed here, the harm would extend to his wife, children, and grandchildren.
If that happened, the peaceful kingdom he had built up until now would be ruined.
"Hee, hee hee! That is good! You can finish Edward, can you not, Raven?"
"Yes, as Your Highness commands…"
Stewart began to chuckle, and then again laughed in a high-pitched voice.
"That is good. But, it is a pity to just kill him… I will make him taste the suffering I have endured, and then slowly kill him."
Edward deliberately said nothing. If he wasn't going to be killed right away, there was a chance. He had never imagined his brother's cruelty would be his salvation.
"Raven, bind this man. Crucify him where I can see him."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
The butler… Raven clapped his hands and summoned someone. From out of nowhere, that flamboyant woman… Laria Ecarlate appeared.
But her attire was completely different. Her long hair was tied up so as not to be a hindrance, and instead of that flashy dress, she wore a revealing leather outfit that clung to her body.
He finally understood what Anna meant by 'it looks hard to move in.' Anna had intuitively sensed that Laria was uncomfortable in that dress.
"What is it, Raven?"
"It's your turn."
Bright red lips, dark skin and pitch-black hair… and her ears, which had been short when she came here, were now long and pointed…
"You're from the Clan of Darkness, too…!"
As Edward raised his sword and said this, Laria turned around with a bewitching smile.
"That's right. Me, and Raven, too."
What jumped into Edward's eyes when he turned around was Raven throwing off his three-piece suit. At the same time, his face changed. His face looked to be in his thirties.
"There is no way for you to be saved."
Stewart declared to Edward. It certainly didn't seem like he could be saved.
But, he had said he would not kill him immediately, but crucify him here. What on earth was he planning…
When he happened to look, he saw that the sword in Raven's hand was a tagger, the same as the one the bandit had. The bandit from that time was this man.
Raven raised his sword and took a stance. Edward also raised his sword. But in front of him was Laria, who clearly used spirit magic.
"Laria, crucify the king for me. Do not kill him, His Majesty wishes it so."
At Raven's words, Laria looked at Stewart with a dissatisfied face. She probably wanted to finish Edward off with her own hands. It was written all over her face.
Unaware that he was being watched, Stewart stared at Edward with gleaming eyes.
"This man belongs to His Majesty. He is not your prey."
So he was already being treated as an object. A sarcastic laugh welled up inside him. Perhaps noticing this, Laria shrugged her shoulders and winked at him.
"Oh, what a shame. I suppose it can't be helped. It's not often I get to hunt a king."
Before Laria's words had even finished, Raven closed in on Edward from the front. His speed was terrifying.
The sight that entered Edward's vision as he reflexively blocked the sword was Laria beginning to chant a spell with a strangely shaped staff in her hand.
But he couldn't afford to pay attention to that. Raven's tagger had a very sharp, recurved angle.
It was a strange, curved sword about sixty centimeters long with a blade on only one side, its shape drawing a semicircle from the hilt to the tip.
Edward had seen people fight with taggers before, but he had never faced one. Edward was bewildered by the completely different style of attack with the tagger.
If he challenged that sword with brute force, the power would be dispersed along the semicircle curve, and his own sword would be easily deflected.
It seemed he couldn't be easily captured. And the blade was gleaming as if something had been applied to it.
"…Poison?"
After pushing back Raven's sword and taking a step back, Edward muttered.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, it is not a poison that leads to immediate death."
Edward did not fall for Raven's taunting provocation. But he knew that the moment he was cut, it would be over.
He had to be wary of both Laria and Raven, but it was impossible to do so alone.
Edward was not young anymore. He knew he couldn't move like he used to.
As Raven charged at him, Edward braced himself and blocked with his own sword. As expected, the point where their swords met was unstable.
If Raven's sword were to knock Edward's sword upward, Edward would suffer a fatal wound.
As Edward desperately thought while their swords were locked, a dignified woman's voice echoed in his ears.
"Oh, Dark Spirit King, who governs chaos and fear, grant me strength!"
"Damn it!"
While he was fighting Raven, Laria's spell had been completed. Edward had no way to resist.
"Grant that man the sleep of darkness!"
For a moment, it felt like Edward's heart had stopped. The spirit magic had been cast upon his body.
Strength drained from his feet. He understood that he wasn't dead, but he couldn't tell anything beyond that. He knew that spirit magic was less effective if one concentrated one's own spirit on the magic.
But in this situation, it was impossible to concentrate solely on Laria.
Even the sensation of his body collapsing felt distant, and Edward completely lost consciousness.
The last thing he heard was Stewart's high-pitched laughter.
Meanwhile, Inspector Kenny Fort was pale. It was no wonder, since the king, whom the prime minister had entrusted to him, had disappeared.
When they woke up, the mansion had vanished, and there was only a rocky mountain. This wasn't even an abandoned village. It was truly a mountain with nothing remarkable about it.
Their luggage was safe, but without the king, it was all for naught. This country still needed King Edward.
And yet, Kenny, who was his guard, had failed to protect him. Where on earth had the king disappeared to…
To make matters worse, Ritz, the king's friend and minister, and his wards had also disappeared. If they were here, they might have been able to come up with a good idea.
In the past few weeks, Kenny had come to place great trust and liking in Ritz.
He had begun to feel that this person, who always seemed to be joking but had a certain depth to him, was someone he should look up to, just like Edward.
And yet, to lose both the king and the minister…
Kenny furrowed his brow and pressed his forehead with one hand. It had already been several hours since they had woken up. It was well past noon.
At this rate, it might get dark before they found the king.
As the captain of this unit, Kenny was thinking only of what he could do, but no answer came to him. If he calmed down, he should be able to see something. He had no choice but to believe that.
In the light of the morning sun, they had all climbed the rocky mountain together, but even from the highest peak, they could find no trace that this had been a village.
This was truly just a rocky mountain. It couldn't possibly be a mansion.
At a loss, the inspection team and the drivers sat down on the rocks wherever they pleased. It was a single inspector who broke the stalemate.
"Captain, I have an idea."
One of his subordinates proposed to Kenny.
"What is it, spit it out."
Kenny was usually mild-mannered, but his tone was sharp. But Kenny was not the only one whose nerves were frayed by this situation. Perhaps for that reason, his subordinate reported as usual.
"I have heard that high-level spirit users have the power to create illusions that can even deceive the sense of touch. Perhaps we are seeing an illusion."
That was what everyone had been thinking. But it seemed there was more to his story. Kenny nodded.
"…Continue."
"Yes, sir. I believe everyone here is wondering if that mansion was an illusion. But for my part, I cannot tell if that magnificent mansion was an illusion."
That inspector's thinking seemed to be slightly different from what everyone had been thinking up until now.
"Why do you think so?"
When Kenny prompted him, the inspector placed a hand on his stomach. No one quite understood the gesture, but they finally understood after the inspector spoke.
"The proof is that we are not hungry. It is because we ate the meal that was served. If we had eaten an illusion, we would not have been able to move like this since morning."
Indeed, they had rested sufficiently and eaten. Judging by the state of their bodies, it was highly likely that they had been staying in a proper place until this morning.
"In that case, could it be that this rocky mountain we are seeing now is…"
As Kenny muttered, the inspector nodded.
"It may be the illusion."
The one they were seeing now was the illusion? No one had considered that. Everyone had thought the mansion was the illusion.
But this inspector had considered that first. The reason was just the single fact that he wasn't hungry, but it was convincing.
"If that is the case, then this is still the courtyard of the mansion."
"This is the courtyard?"
The subordinate's story continued. It was a story he had heard long ago, but he said that illusions occur because dark spirit magic is cast on the mind of the person seeing it. But he also said that the true form of the illusion is reflected in mirrors or water.
"What do you think, Captain?"
Asked, Kenny stood up. He looked over his subordinates. It was worth a try.
"…Does anyone have a mirror?"
No one raised their hand at Kenny's question. On a journey with only men, there was no one who had brought a mirror this far.
"…No one?"
Perhaps it was a mistake to even ask if anyone had a mirror in this group of only men.
But the water that could substitute for a mirror was almost gone. They had been planning to draw water from the well when they left. And that well had now vanished.
"Really no one?"
As Kenny's voice unconsciously dropped to a whisper, one of the drivers' voices rose as if he had just thought of something.
"I have one, Captain! The carriage His Majesty was riding in, I believe it had a mirror attached!"
At these words, everyone became excited. This might be the breakthrough they were looking for.
"Alright! Remove the mirror!"
The men scrambled over each other and ran toward the carriage that Edward's party had been riding in.