Chapter 26
“There are two ships.”
It wasn’t as if the Cartiel man and Mirta would each be taking a separate room—or rather, a separate ship.
I had just raised an eyebrow when—
―Fwoooosh!
“Huh?”
One of the two ships suddenly burst into flames.
……What could possibly cause a ship to suddenly catch fire in the middle of the sea?
Meanwhile, the waters under my control were already driving our ship quickly toward a nearby deserted island.
And the closer we got, the more I almost forgot to slow down.
Because of the figure standing there. Someone I hadn’t expected to see.
“……Dielo?”
It was Dielo.
He wore a crisp white shirt and black uniform trousers.
The uniform jacket was gone—perhaps cast off in the heat, or discarded somewhere.
He stood shading his eyes with the beret tilted in his left hand.
In his other hand, he held a longsword lightly.
And along that blade, red liquid clung and dripped down.
“……”
I saw Dielo turn to face me.
Was it because he had crossed the deep sea? Or was it because of the blood spattered across his cheek?
His pale eyes looked unusually deep and dark.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his cheek and his sword.
“……Dielo?”
Sword still in hand, he began walking slowly toward me.
When I stepped off the ship and onto the sand, his figure became clearer.
Behind him trailed someone unmistakable—Mirta.
Mirta was already dead.
At that moment, it was obvious who Dielo’s sword had cut down.
And next to Mirta lay another collapsed figure.
He didn’t seem to be breathing—likely one of the Cartiel men.
“……”
I looked at them, then back at Dielo.
Up close, his eyes seemed different than usual.
Above all, he too looked as though he hadn’t expected to see me here.
“……How did you come all the way here?”
His voice was calm, subdued.
I answered, unable to take my eyes off the blood on his cheek.
“I received a report from your office that Mirta’s contract was burning…… but.”
How could Dielo be here?
Hadn’t he gone out on an expedition at sea?
Did he come straight after hearing the news?
Well, if he was already out at sea, catching Mirta on the water wouldn’t have been hard.
But still……
I couldn’t continue.
The sight of him holding a sword felt foreign to me.
And yet, to him, it seemed utterly natural.
“……Ah.”
Perhaps noticing my gaze drift back to Mirta, he set the beret back on his head and unfolded a handkerchief, gently placing it over my eyes.
I didn’t know if he realized that a few drops of blood had stained its edge.
“I’ve shown you an unpleasant sight, Crua.”
From behind the cloth, I could feel warmth.
Or maybe it was heat.
After a pause, Dielo spoke again.
“I didn’t expect you to come, Crua.”
“Nor did I expect to see you here, Dielo.”
The words that slipped out stuck in my throat.
More precisely, I hadn’t expected to see this side of him.
And certainly not to witness it myself.
Of course, he was the head of house, and he had signed those deadly contracts himself, so perhaps it was inevitable.
But seeing it in person was so much more……
“……”
Then Dielo stepped closer and gently drew me into his arms.
He held me carefully, avoiding the bruised spots, and shifted me slightly aside—so that Mirta would no longer be in my line of sight.
Then he removed the handkerchief from my face.
And the first thing I saw in the cleared view was Dielo’s strained expression.
“Carrying out contracts is always a sad thing. They’re written with the hope that they’ll never be broken.”
Regret shadowed his face.
But the bloodstains remained.
“―Thank you for coming all the way here, Crua.”
With the same hand that held the handkerchief, he cupped my cheek.
“Mirta’s matter is Argenta’s matter.”
His fingertips brushed away seawater from my skin.
He gave a faint smile.
“I’m sorry you had to see something so grim.”
I couldn’t tell if he meant Mirta’s corpse—or himself.
“Crua.”
Then, he whispered my name.
A voice so neat, so steady, it was hard to believe it belonged to someone who had just killed.
“Yes.”
At my reply, he tilted his head slightly.
“You also said you’d be leaving this place, didn’t you?”
His tone was the same as always.
But just a glance aside would reveal Mirta’s body.
……Cut down by his sword.
Executing a traitor was natural.
It was Dielo’s duty as head of Argenta, and it was written clearly in the contracts.
Yes, it was natural—but……
Was this really the kind of man Dielo Argenta was?
“……I did say that.”
I answered slowly.
“Not that I would go around blabbing about Argenta.”
We would never have to cross paths under such grim circumstances.
I looked straight into his eyes.
Dielo listened, then suddenly said:
“Just stay, Crua.”
“…What?”
He smiled brightly.
“You’ve come to know Argenta now. How we move differently from other houses.”
He held out his hand.
“You fit with Argenta, Crua.”
―Drip.
At that moment, blood fell from the tip of his sword, staining the sand.
The crimson seeped away between the grains, disappearing as if it had never been—like a drop of water.
“Not only me—many in Argenta want you.”
His gentle words continued.
“So please, become Argenta.”
“But that—”
It was already a finished story.
No, a story that should never even begin.
When the real Pero appeared, I would no longer be Argenta’s duchess.
And for Dielo to awaken properly and defeat Aloze, I couldn’t interfere between him and the true Pero.
But Dielo softly cut across my thoughts.
“I’ll persuade Pero myself.”
Somehow the word “persuade” sounded strangely off.
Dielo smiled.
“I trust you, Crua. You know Argenta’s law.”
Only one phrase came to mind.
“…Do, or do not.”
At that, Dielo smiled beautifully once more.
“Yes, Crua.”
As if I had given the correct answer. He extended his hand toward me.
“Will you become Argenta?”
Of course, I couldn’t return to Aloze.
I had no intention to.
And becoming Argenta wouldn’t be such a bad choice.
……If only he could truly awaken.
“…Dielo.”
I was just about to say something when his gentle voice overlapped mine.
“Pero’s will doesn’t matter, Crua.”
His words pressed on.
“I can make it so it doesn’t matter, Crua.”
Then came a strange addition in the brief silence.
As I parted my lips slightly, his fingertips brushed against my hand.
“Will you become Argenta—or……”
His blue eyes, shadowed by sorrow, lowered faintly.
The long lashes cast shadows that made his irises look darker.
“…Will you make me sad?”
