<Chapter 7>
Bang!
With a noise loud enough to make the door seem like it would fly off, a knight in white armor shot into the room like a bolt.
“Are you all right? I sensed demonic blood in here!”
Huh?
Elschnein blinked upon seeing his face. Though it was a more mature version, she recognized him.
He was someone she had saved in the past by convincing Kilian and later became one of Kilian’s most loyal subordinates in the original story.
‘He sensed it even through the barrier?’
As expected, he’s grown into an exceptional knight. Elschnein smiled proudly to herself.
It was largely thanks to her that such a knight ended up by Kilian’s side.
Ahem.
“Mikhail.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Right. That was his name.
“Ugh… Forgive me, my lord. Even though I knew a demon might infiltrate… I should have caught it…”
Mikhail checked the demon’s corpse in a rush and looked distraught. His normally healthy, tanned face was visibly discouraged.
“It’s a Class 2 Snakeblood. They specialize in infiltration. Not easy to detect.”
“Class 2…!”
So he had known there was an intruder.
Noticing Elschnein glancing back and forth between them, Kilian hesitated for a moment before jerking his chin toward the mistflower he’d taken from the vase earlier.
“Thanks for the gift. You should go back to your room with Mikhail now.”
“…What?”
The confused response didn’t come from Elschnein, but from Mikhail.
“What do you mean…?”
He looked at Elschnein, then at Kilian.
Tilting his head in puzzlement.
Elschnein tilted hers as well.
‘I did think it was strange how he was pretending not to know me…’
She hadn’t expected such indifference when standing in front of someone she hadn’t seen in a long time—especially someone whose life she had saved. A spirit, no less.
Had he already forgotten her?
“Hello.”
“Wh-What?!”
Startled by her greeting, Mikhail jumped where he stood.
…What’s up with him?
Elschnein, startled in turn, blinked rapidly to calm her thudding heart.
“Eek! M-My lord, the illusion… it moved! I-It spoke!”
Illusion? What illusion?
With a pale face, Mikhail pointed at her. Then he gasped and clapped quietly as if he realized something.
“Ah! Your illusion magic has already reached this level, my lord? Incredible! I almost thought she was the real Elschnein…”
“I am.”
“…Sorry?”
“I am Elschnein.”
Mikhail’s eyes widened like saucers. His mouth fell open. Elschnein thought idly that his teeth were very straight before—
“W-What?! You’ve returned, Lady Elschnein?!”
“That’s right. Though I’ve lost my memories.”
Kilian leaned back on the sofa with his arms crossed and spoke slowly.
“I erased them myself.”
“…”
Not much to say to that. It’s not like someone with no memories could argue.
Elschnein just sat there with a blank expression.
Haha. I don’t know anything.
“You erased them yourself…? Then you don’t remember me? Lady Elschnein, you saved my life.”
Oh, I remember. I remember very well.
That dying little boy.
Elschnein tilted her head with innocent eyes.
“I don’t know.”
“Guh…”
Mikhail looked heartbroken at her pure reply. His voice trembled as he asked,
“Then… do you not remember Lord Kilian either…?”
“I know we’re friends.”
“What a tragedy… Lord Kilian cared so much for Lady Elschnein…”
You mean he hated me?
“Mikhail.”
“Y-Yes!”
His sentence was cut off by Kilian’s icy call. He looked nervously at his master, his posture stiff.
Kilian’s voice had been chillingly cold.
Elschnein instinctively tensed, glancing back and forth between the two.
“The demons must’ve planted blood puppets throughout the estate. My powers won’t recover for another two days, so you’re responsible for eliminating them all in the meantime.”
Blood puppets were dolls made of a demon’s own blood. Even if their master died, they could move on their own for about a day—annoying things.
“Yes, understood.”
“You’ll take responsibility for letting demons into the estate.”
“Yes, sir!”
Mikhail quickly got up and walked to the door, ready to escort Elschnein as ordered.
Elschnein stood up awkwardly. From the look of things, she was supposed to follow him.
Just then, Kilian called out to her softly.
“Elschnein.”
“Hmm?”
His handsome face looked oddly somber.
He hesitated, then took something from the desk and handed it to her.
“This bracelet has a divine stone embedded. If you place your hand on it and call my name, it will activate. Use it if you’re in danger.”
She didn’t know what it did exactly, but if Kilian told her to use it in emergencies, it was probably powerful. After all, if something happened to her, it would be a loss for him too.
Elschnein just nodded and fastened the bracelet onto her wrist.
‘Whew. Well, at least I succeeded in getting the demons out of the estate.’
She hadn’t expected one to appear right behind her.
Following Mikhail down the hall with a weary sigh, Elschnein let her thoughts wander.
The sunset poured in from the corridor windows, falling on the knight’s head in front of her.
His red hair looked even more vivid in the light.
“Though you don’t remember me, it’s an honor to see you again, Lady Elschnein.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Thanks to Mikhail pleading as soon as they left the study—asking her to treat him as casually as she used to—Elschnein was able to relax around him again.
“I’m glad to see you too, Mikhail.”
“Sniff… Th-Thank you…”
For some reason, he seemed emotionally overwhelmed since earlier. Scratching her head, Elschnein thought:
They probably never imagined they’d meet again like this, tied together by such an ill-fated past.
Mikhail had such a warm—no, burning—heart. It must’ve been painful for him.
Still, there was something she had to ask.
“Um… earlier, what did you mean by ‘illusion’?”
“Oh…”
Wiping his face with his sleeve, he turned to look at her.
…Was he crying?
Elschnein looked uncomfortable.
With a subdued voice, he cleared his throat and said,
“Lord Kilian would sometimes recreate your image and project it as an illusion.”
“…Huh?”
“So, the servants at House Hounbert are used to seeing you at his side, Lady Elschnein.”
Elschnein blinked.
He projected illusions of her?
Chills crept down her spine.
Was he watching that illusion every day, reaffirming some vow?
Something like:
I’ll get you for this, traitor.
Probably?
Elschnein shivered.
“I imagine the other servants thought you were just another illusion. Especially if you stayed near Lord Kilian.”
“…Ah.”
Now that she thought about it—when she entered the estate, not a single servant in line had looked directly at her.
She nodded slightly.
“Yeah, now that you mention it.”
And that maid was a demon, so of course she didn’t think I was an illusion. That’s why she wasn’t surprised when I spoke.
“Um, also, not just here at the estate but… ah, never mind. That’s not really something I should talk about. This is your room, Lady Elschnein.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Not just the estate?
Seeing Mikhail shake his head like he’d seen too much, Elschnein felt something unsettling.
But all she could do was see him off politely as he stepped away.
“Whew. That was a long day.”
After entering her room, Elschnein washed up and went straight to bed.
Rolling around on the massive bed, she mused,
‘A room for a spirit—what a strange idea.’
The first thing Kilian did after becoming head of the family was set up her room near his.
‘Huh? A room? Why?’
‘You’ll need it when you take human form.’
‘Do I have to?’
Elschnein hadn’t felt any need to take human form—it was far easier staying invisible to humans as a spirit.
But Kilian wanted her to spend time with him in human form more often.
Her eyes rolled to the chessboard still sitting nearby.
‘Even that chess set.’
He’d started bringing her games and items that required a physical form around that time.
“Well, thanks to that, I’m using it comfortably now.”
Though she hadn’t expected to return here again. She muttered softly and closed her eyes.
“The demons are mostly taken care of. Next up is the New Year’s Festival…”
Having confirmed that things were going according to plan, she began to think about the next steps—when a strange sound reached her ears.
Grrr…
Huh?
Elschnein’s eyes shot open, and her face turned pale. Figures—clearly blood puppets—were surrounding her, looking down.
‘Ugh.’
She quickly assessed the situation.
Five blood puppets. One unguarded spirit.
She couldn’t take down this many puppets instantly.
Her vessel’s powers hadn’t recovered, and she couldn’t rely on Kilian’s power either.
So, just as he’d told her, she quickly grabbed the bracelet and shouted:
“Kilian!”
With a swoosh, the scenery before her changed, and Elschnein’s mouth dropped open in shock.
From somewhere beyond the door, she thought she could faintly hear Mikhail calling her name.
