Chapter 241 - 3−45
This was the second time I had been thrown into a dungeon, though this room seemed different from the last. Just how large is this place?
The last time I was here, I could do nothing but wail. I had despaired at my own powerlessness and lamented a reality I couldn't change. But this time was different. If I stayed here, I would only be used by the Emperor and Lute-sama again, resulting in harm to the country, the people, and the man I loved. I could indulge in regret and reflection later. For now, I would resist with everything I had.
I traced a magic circle in the air and held my hand over its center. A Pure Magic Stone materialized in my palm. The Emperor had craved this stone and used it; if I hadn't created it, he might never have achieved Dragonification. However, this stone held the power of the spirits. Surely, it would help me now.
"Please. Help me get out of here."
I squeezed the stone with a prayer. In response, the stone grew warm and emitted a dazzling light. At that moment, the sound of large wings flapping reached my ears.
"Kyuu!"
"Rose!"
I caught Rose as she darted through the bars and dove into my chest. She narrowed her eyes happily and rubbed her face against my neck. "Kyuu, kyu!"
"Eh? What is it? You want me to come this way?"
Rose suddenly nipped at my sleeve and tugged me toward the bars. Puzzled, I followed her lead. I peered out through the iron grates, and soon, a small black shape came running down the corridor.
"Could it be! Kuro!"
"Nyaa."
Kuro replied with an adorable meow. Reaching the bars, he twisted his body, trying to squeeze through, but the gap was too narrow. He let out a mournful cry. I reached through the bars, and Kuro pressed his head against my hand.
"Good boy."
As I stroked his head, I felt my face soften. I had intended to stay strong, but I must have been lonelier than I realized. A gentle warmth spread through my chest.
"But how did you get here?"
As my contracted spirit, Kuro could sense my location. But unlike Rose, who could fly through small gaps, I hadn't expected Kuro to make it this far on his own. "Thank you, Kuro. And you too, Rose."
I patted their heads in turn. Rose flew circles around me in delight, while Kuro wrapped his tail around my hand. Suddenly, Kuro snatched the Pure Magic Stone I was holding in his mouth.
"Ah, Kuro!"
He dodged my hand as I tried to stop him, glanced back at me, and then bolted away.
"Kuro! Where are you going... Kuro!"
I gripped the bars and called his name repeatedly, but only my own voice echoed back. Kuro did not return. "...Where did he go?"
My brief moment of relief vanished. I couldn't imagine Kuro taking the stone without a reason, but I had no idea what he was planning. I paced the cell anxiously, watching Rose fly happily around the room, worried about the vanished Kuro.
Regardless, I had to get out of this cell and find him. I didn't know the current state of the Imperial Castle, but I had to escape. "The key... Lute-sama has it. But there must be a spare. One of the guards who passed by earlier might have it."
As I muttered to myself, Rose began circling the lock, chirping as if to say something. "Eh? You'll look for the key?"
"Kyu!"
"Thank you, Rose. But please, don't push yourself!"
Rose narrowed her eyes happily at my words, then beat her wings and flew off in an instant. The cell felt suddenly quiet and vast without them. I had to do what I could while trusting Rose. I began experimenting with various spells to see if I could break the lock.
"Next... maybe a combination of water and wind magic? Or..."
As I struggled with the lock, I saw Rose flying back from the distance.
"Rose! Welcome back."
Rose flapped her small wings, returning exactly as she had left. "No key... I see. It's alright, I'll just have to find another way."
I forced a smile so she wouldn't feel discouraged. However, Rose didn't look dejected at all; she let out a cheerful chirp. Then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
Wait, what?!
The footsteps were definitely heading straight for my cell. I reflexively grabbed Rose and ducked behind the table in the corner. I held my breath, shrinking back. Metal clinked against metal.
"Kyu!"
Rose suddenly broke free from my arms.
"Ah, Rose!" I hissed.
I leaned out from my hiding spot. Rose was darting toward the bars, where Kuro stood on the other side. And beyond them, I saw a familiar figure. My eyes widened in shock.
"Kuro... and Theodore-sama?"
"Nyaa!"
Rose dove toward Kuro just as he let out a satisfied meow.
"Theodore-sama, why are you here?"
Theodore-sama looked up at my voice. In his hand was a ring heavy with numerous keys. "Those keys, how did you..."
"The guard at the dungeon entrance had them on his belt. I assumed one would fit these cells, so I borrowed them... Ah, this looks like the one."
Theodore-sama turned his attention back to the lock, testing keys one by one. After a few tries, the mechanism clicked open.
"There, it's open."
He pulled the door wide. I stood there dazed for a moment before snapping back to reality. "...Ah! Theodore-sama, it's dangerous! By the Emperor's order, Lute-sama is—!"
Remembering that the Emperor had ordered Theodore-sama's disposal, I tried to explain, but my panic made the words stumble. Theodore-sama's expression softened slightly.
"It's fine. I know. The Emperor ordered the Young Lord Calria to kill me, didn't he?"
He ran a hand through his hair and smirked. It was an expression I had seen many times before, and I found myself momentarily captivated. Does he know everything? Even though his memories were stolen and he was forced into loyalty?
"...Could it be, your memories!"
"They haven't returned. This is my own decision." Theodore-sama shook his head and looked me straight in the eye. "I have defied the Emperor's orders of my own will."
He's helping me not because of an order, but because he wants to?
"But why..."
Lute-sama and the Emperor both said the Dragonewt power was absolute. If that were true, it should be impossible for Theodore-sama to defy the Emperor. Yet, here he was, risking his life to save me. Is this really happening?
"Is this a dream...?"
"Hardly. If it were a dream, you'd be somewhere you actually want to be, not in a place like this."
He was right. In this nightmare, I had dreamed of returning to Louis-sama's side countless times.
"Then, why..."
"Who knows? Perhaps I simply felt I was too valuable a talent to die for a false loyalty." He made a show of thinking it over, and though his expression remained stiff, his joking tone brought hot tears to my eyes.
"From this moment on, I am no longer the Emperor's knight." Theodore-sama's gaze turned serious, then his lips curled into a grin. "...I've discarded the name Nana as well. Won't you choose a good name for me?"
Stunned by his request, I gaped for a second before wiping my tears away. "That's already been decided, hasn't it?"
I smiled at him through the lingering moisture in my eyes. "...Theodore-sama."
When I called his name, a faint smile graced his lips. "So it's Theodore, then. Is it because that's what you've always called me? It feels strangely familiar."
"Of course it does. You have always been Theodore-sama."
Theodore-sama narrowed his eyes as if looking at something brilliant. A gentle atmosphere settled between us, but a question suddenly occurred to me. "By the way, how did you know I was in the dungeon?"
I understood why he came, but not how he found me. Theodore-sama reached into his pocket and held something out.
"Because of this."
A purple magic stone glowed in his hand, radiating my own mana.
"That... is that my Pure Magic Stone?"
Theodore-sama nodded and looked down at Kuro, who had been sitting quietly at his feet. "This cat brought it to me."
"Kuro did?"
Kuro let out a proud meow, making me smile.
"I see... I thought he had just run off with it, but he was going to find you."
Even when Theodore-sama had lost his memories, Kuro had always brought him to the garden. As my contracted spirit, Kuro could always find me, but perhaps he also knew exactly where Theodore-sama was.
"He was worried about you too. Right?"
"Naa!"
"I said what I did earlier, but until this cat came to me, I believed the Emperor's orders were absolute. I might have been killed by the Young Lord Calria without a word of protest."
I gasped at his words.
"But when he gave me your stone, I felt the fog lift. I realized this wasn't where I belonged. I felt like there was someone... someone I wanted to protect." Theodore-sama's ruby eyes met mine, and I found myself drawn into their depth. "And I hoped that person was you."
"...Theodore-sama."
His direct gaze and steady voice resonated deep within me, warming my heart. Just as I was about to speak, Theodore-sama raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence as he scanned our surroundings.
"Is something wrong? Are there guards?"
"No... it seems we haven't been noticed yet."
I breathed a sigh of relief, but Theodore-sama remained alert. "But we don't have time to dawdle. Fortunately or not, the Emperor's attention is currently fixed on the remaining royals. We'll use this chaos to escape the castle."
"Is that even possible?"
I had been a prisoner here for a month. I knew the military might of the Tratia Empire. It wasn't just the Emperor and Lute-sama; the guards were all elite warriors, and the castle was layered with enchantments. The entire fortress was a cage.
Theodore-sama gave me a confident smile. "I don't intend to just walk out the front gate."
"Then, how?"
"We'll take a path where neither the Emperor nor the Young Lord Calria can find us."
A path they can't find? Is that even possible?
"Such a path exists?"
I blinked in surprise as Theodore-sama began walking quickly through the dungeon. "Yes. I have the entire layout of this castle—including the parts not on any map—memorized." He tapped his temple with a smirk.
"When did you..."
Until moments ago, he had been bound by the Emperor's absolute command. Now, he spoke as if the escape route had been in his head all along.
"Every castle has evacuation routes for emergencies."
"But those are usually for the royal family... Even an Imperial Knight wouldn't know them, would they?"
"Normally, no. But it seems I am not exactly 'normal.'" Theodore-sama looked back at me, his smile deepening. "I'm sure you're curious how I know, but escape comes first. I'll tell you once we're out of here."
Though he wore the uniform of a Tratian knight, in that moment, I saw the Theodore-sama who wore the robes of the Dutoit Order of Mages. I followed his broad back without hesitation.