BTCATL 55

Chapter 55

What’s with these people?

The sharp sword that hovered near my neck made the butterflies flutter menacingly.
Not that these people could see them—only a Spirit Master could.

“I… I am Spirit Master Asila, here on an assignment from the Tower, at His Majesty’s request due to his ill health.”

Before the situation could turn stranger, I unfastened the pocket watch at my waist and showed it to them.

The Tower’s insignia was practically common knowledge—anyone but an utter fool would recognize it as a form of identification.

The hall fell silent.

—Clang.

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground rang out.

Starting with one, the swords of the knights surrounding me and Kallios clattered to the floor in unison.

The knight at the front, who had been glaring at me most sharply, stared blankly at the pocket watch.
Then, as if only now realizing the situation, his face went pale and he bent so low his head nearly touched the ground.

“My apologies. I am the Captain of the Imperial Guard. There have been many intruders in the imperial castle of late, so I mistook you for one of them…”

“What did you say?”

It was then that Kallios, who had been standing silently beside me, reacted.

“Pardon?”

“What did you just say—that there have been many intruders here in the imperial palace? In Kantana?”

I blinked.

Kallios had been oddly sharp since we’d run into that maid earlier.

What was wrong with him?

“…Yes.”

Realizing belatedly that he had just spoken of palace matters to an outsider, a flicker of dismay crossed the man’s face.
But since the words were already out—and perhaps because a Spirit Master belonged to no nation—he made no move to smooth over the statement.

“Why? This isn’t a country weak enough to be invaded from outside.”

Judging it wiser not to ask further, I edged back slightly, but Kallios pressed on without hesitation.

Perhaps it was because this was the nation of his birth, where he had once been a prince?

I couldn’t tell. The aura Kallios radiated wasn’t quite concern—it was far too sharp for that.
And yet, to call it hostility or malice didn’t seem right either; it was too faint for that.

Either way, this wasn’t something I could interfere in.

“…Even for a Spirit Master, I cannot divulge imperial secrets.”

Apparently, the Guard Captain felt this wasn’t a matter for Kallios to meddle in either, for his reply came cold and curt.

The man who had bowed to me in pale-faced apology now had a hard, unyielding expression.

“If not from outside, then from within?”

Again, Kallios did not stop speaking.

His characteristic, mocking tone filled the air.

“So just because the Emperor collapsed, intruders are suddenly so common that even a mere maid walks around with an artifact?”

“…Spirit Master.”

“Has Kantana’s imperial authority fallen so low?”

“Spirit Master!!”

Unable to take any more, the Captain shouted and lunged at Kallios—

—only to hesitate and recoil at what he saw.

“…Red… eyes?”

He was muttering about Kallios’s eye color.

A sudden sense of déjà vu made me frown.

The maid earlier, and now this… why were these people so sensitive about the color of his eyes?

True, eyes as vividly red as Kallios’s were rare, but their reactions seemed more like fear.

Perhaps already annoyed since running into that maid, Kallios yanked back his hood without hesitation.

Then he strode forward, grabbed the Captain by the collar, and growled in a low voice.

“Then I’ll ask differently, Captain Berrett. As the lifeline keeping this imperial family alive, and as the Emperor’s only surviving brother—tell me, who dares trample the imperial authority I risked my life to protect?”

If they knew each other, it showed—the Captain’s eyes, frozen a moment ago, now shook violently.

“…Even so, I cannot tell you. You left Kantana, and—ghk!”

“Kallios!”

Seeing the ominous gleam flare in Kallios’s red eyes, I seized his arm.

He had already tossed the Captain aside like a discarded rag, but the oppressive force he radiated was alarming.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but calm down.”

Kallios had been unusually on edge since we entered this place; if I let him go on, I feared he might cut down everyone here.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought so—the knights behind the Captain were visibly tense.

I bit my lip and pulled on his arm, but he didn’t budge.

Whatever the reason for his agitation, we weren’t here to fight.

We were here to treat a patient.

His deep red eyes, glinting with menace, met mine head-on.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that before—

“…Asil… la.”

The dangerous light in his gaze gradually dimmed.

He let his arm drop limply, his earlier ferocity completely gone, and pulled his hood low again.

“Lead the way.”

His voice still held a growl, but the Guard Captain seemed relieved enough to bow deeply in silence.

The knights who had been blocking the way quickly withdrew.

Not long after the Captain disappeared, the palace’s chief chamberlain appeared, his white hair neatly combed back.

“Welcome, Spirit Masters. I hear there was some rudeness earlier. My deepest apologies.”

“Just show the way.”

At Kallios’s curt words, the chamberlain’s eyes widened briefly before regaining composure.

“This way, then.”

Bowing deeply, he led us down the long corridors of the palace.

Our footsteps echoed in the lofty halls, the only sound within the tall, wide structure.

Lavish decorations filled the palace, overwhelming in their grandeur—but the air itself was cold and desolate.

I couldn’t say how long we walked.

One thing was certain: aside from the pale, collapsed maid from earlier, we hadn’t seen a single servant.

Nor had we seen any guards on patrol, though they should have been present. The only knights we’d encountered were the ones who had arrived with the Guard Captain.

“Is it always this… empty?”

Unable to ignore the ghostly atmosphere—luxury on the surface, but lifeless beneath—I asked without thinking.

The chamberlain, walking ahead, hesitated before shaking his head slowly.

“Normally, no. But after His Majesty collapsed… he ordered that no one enter or leave the palace interior except the minimum necessary staff.”

The answer came quietly.

We walked on for some time before Kallios finally spoke, his voice low.

“When, and where, did he collapse?”

“…Two weeks ago, at the Foundation Festival banquet.”

Of all times.

Kallios muttered something I couldn’t make out, but his mood—which had already been foul—darkened further. I could hear his teeth grind.

“I will open it.”

It was only when the chamberlain took an artifact from his robes that I realized a thick barrier was laid over the door ahead.

No—thick wasn’t the right word. Many thin layers were stacked atop one another.

Strange.

All different mana.

The butterflies whispered in unease; every layer of the barrier was woven from a different mana source.

I’d been too focused on Kallios to notice.

“This is…”

“These are the preliminary measures taken by the Spirit Masters who have visited before you.”

A barrier as a “measure” instead of treatment was odd—but when the artifact activated and the barrier vanished, I understood why.

“Ugh.”

It was the kind of stench I’d encountered all too often in my work, dealing with monsters great and small.

But this—

Horrible.
I hate it.
Who would do this to nature? To a human?

Even on an empty stomach, bile surged up. I clamped a hand over my mouth.

This was supposed to be an infectious disease? Absolutely not.

Even the spirits were certain—it was the work of someone.

“…Asila.”

Kallios’s expression was dark and fierce as he looked at the door.

And the worst part? We hadn’t even opened it yet—only removed the barrier.

A groan from beside me made me turn sharply.

I had completely forgotten the chamberlain’s presence in the overwhelming stench.

“…Ah.”

This wouldn’t do. If it was this bad for a Spirit Master, it would be unbearable for an ordinary human.

—Thud.

With a dull sound, the chamberlain collapsed.

“How did you endure this until now? Stubborn fool, then and now.”

Clicking his tongue, Kallios struck the chamberlain lightly on the back of the neck and laid him on the floor.

Yes—better for him to be unconscious.

“Opening it.”

Kallios gripped the door handle and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite name.

Swallowing back another wave of nausea, I gave a slow nod.