[Chapter 8] Choice

The clock turns back several minutes, to moments just before Christina’s execution was to be carried out. A magic ship carrying Vanessa Emerle had just arrived at the port of the Galarc Kingdom, and the instant she disembarked, she enhanced her body with magic and sprinted toward the royal castle with all her might.

She attempted to burst through the castle gate with the same desperate momentum but was swiftly stopped by the guards. Procedures had to be followed. She insisted there was no time, trying to force her way through and causing a commotion—

“Inform Flora-sama at once and take me to Lord Amakawa’s residence!” Vanessa pleaded, her voice strained and her dignity forgotten. “Please, there’s no time! It’s an emergency! Someone’s life is at stake! She will understand if you tell her my name!”

Fortunately, a guard recognized her, and a messenger was dispatched to summon Flora. In the meantime, soldiers escorted Vanessa deeper into the castle grounds. Just as she neared Rio’s mansion, Flora arrived, her face pale. Roanna, Hiroaki, Kouta, and Rei were with her.

“What is the meaning of this, Vanessa!?”

“I need Lord Amakawa’s help,” Vanessa urged, her expression fraught with a terrible urgency. “Please, come with me to his residence at once!”

And so—

“From this point forward, I will vouch for this person’s identity,” Flora declared, taking Vanessa with her as they hurried into Rio’s mansion.

◇ ◇ ◇

After Vanessa explained that she had urgent news, Rio promptly arranged a place for them to talk. The reception room was crowded. On one side were the pressing new arrivals—Flora, Vanessa, Roanna, Hiroaki, Rei, and Kouta. On the other were the mansion’s residents: Rio, Celia, and Charlotte.

“Christina-sama has been captured by Duke Arbor,” Vanessa stated, her voice tight with suppressed panic. “She is to be executed.”

“…”

The words fell into a stunned silence. Rio, Celia, and Charlotte, who had received no such report, could only stare, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“…Why? I haven’t heard anything about Onee-sama being captured,” Flora murmured, dazed with shock. “That she’s about to be executed…”

“It is only natural that you were not aware,” Vanessa confessed, her gaze filled with guilt for defying a direct order. “Christina-sama instructed Restoration’s upper echelons to ensure no information reached any of you until it was over. She commanded me to do the same.”

“What do you mean…?”

“…By ignoring her command, I may be creating a situation that Christina-sama does not desire. Are you prepared for that?”

Vanessa posed the question, her voice heavy with the weight of her betrayal.

“Of course!” Flora answered instantly, without a shred of hesitation.

Vanessa then took a letter from her breast pocket and offered it to Flora across the table. “Then, this letter. It was entrusted to me by Christina-sama, with instructions to deliver it only after confirming her execution. It is addressed to you, Flora-sama.”

“Th—!”

Flora’s hands trembled. Normally so composed, she ripped the wax seal apart with frantic force and her eyes flew across the page.

“…To Flora.”

She began to read the letter aloud, her voice wavering. It began with an apology, explaining that Christina was accepting execution of her own will. It then detailed the secret agreement she had forged with Duke Arbor in exchange for her life.

The agreement had two conditions.

First, that the nobles of the kingdom should not deplete the nation’s strength with needless internal strife, but rather seek a path forward for the country. To that end, if members of Restoration chose to join the home government, they were to be given opportunities for appointment according to their abilities. And—

“Second,” Flora read, her voice cracking as tears began to stream down her face, “if Flora does not intend to stand on the political stage, the royal and noble families belonging to the kingdom must protect her person for the rest of her life. If this promise is not kept, Flora will have the right to make the contents of this letter public. Sniff, sob…”

At the end of the letter was a personal message.

—I want you to choose your own life.

“This is cruel! This isn’t what I wanted!” Flora cried, crumpling the letter in her fist as sobs wracked her body. “What I wanted was to stay by Onee-sama’s side…! I wanted to help her more! I told her that! You said you spoiled me too much… and yet, this, this…!”

It was in that moment of despair—

“Lord Amakawa!” Vanessa cried, dropping to her knees and pressing her forehead to the floor in a desperate prostration.

“Please,” she begged, her voice muffled, “save Christina-sama!”

“I understand I have no right to ask this of you! I know that the First Princess does not wish to be saved by you! But I can think of no one else who could possibly change this outcome! I have dedicated my life to protecting the princess, and yet, I can do nothing! All I can do is cling to you! So, please… please!”

Vanessa pleaded, pressing her forehead to the floorboards. “Please save the First Princess.”

“Please raise your head,” Rio said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension. “When is Christina-sama to be executed?”

When he asked—

“Today,” Vanessa answered, her expression twisting in bitterness. “Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s already been executed…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Hiroaki muttered, biting his lip hard.

“Even if we fly by magic ship, we won’t make it in time,” Roanna added, her face pale with despair.

“…We’re out of time,” Rio declared, his decision made. “I’ll go get Aisia.”

Even if Rio flew at full speed using his spirit arts, the journey from the Galarc Kingdom to the Beltrum Kingdom would likely take the rest of the day. But if he assimilated with Aisia… with the limit-breaking speed he had used against the golem, he might just make it.

He stood up and turned to leave, but before he could touch the handle, the door swung open.

“No.”

There stood Lina, possessing Miharu and in her transformed state. She had not shown herself to him for some time, yet she appeared now as if she had planned this exact moment. No, she almost certainly did plan this. She must have foreseen it all.

But this was no time to dwell on such things.

“…Please move.”

“Have you forgotten what I said?” Lina’s voice was calm, yet carried an unyielding authority. “It’s foolish to assimilate beyond your limits merely for travel. We don’t know what will happen to your body.”

“I don’t care.” Rio’s reply was flat and absolute.

“I’m telling you, you might die before you even get there. I can’t have you dying on me here and now.”

“I’m still going.”

“…I see.” Lina sighed, a sound of weary resignation. “In that case, I’ll take you.” Perhaps this had been her intention all along.

“…Are you sure?” Rio asked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Even if I stop you, you’ll just assimilate with Aisia beyond your limits, right? Teleportation magic is faster than you flying.”

“…Then, please.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

As Lina placed her hand on Rio’s shoulder, Flora wiped her tears and bowed her head. “Rio-sama, please, I beg of you…!”

“I promise,” Rio replied, offering her a reassuring smile.

Immediately after—

“《Teleport》”

With a single word from Lina, the two of them vanished from the room.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next moment, Rio found himself with Lina, high in the skies above the capital of the Beltrum Kingdom.

“Ugh…”

Reacting instantly to the sensation of falling, Rio activated his flight spirit arts to hover in the air. He glanced at Lina to check on her—

“《Force Wing》”

She chanted calmly, sprouting magnificent wings of light from her back.

With that, Rio focused his attention on the ground below. It wouldn’t be surprising if the execution was already over. But his eyes quickly found a crowd gathered in the city’s main square. A platform had been erected, and on it stood a guillotine. Furthermore—

Found her…!

Christina was on the platform, her crimes being read aloud to the assembled masses.

I can still make it!

He immediately prepared to descend, but—

“Wait,” Lina said, moving to block his path. “There’s something I need to talk about.”

“…Is this conversation necessary right now?” Rio asked, his voice tight with impatience.

“It’s necessary. There’s still a little time before she dies, I can tell. Besides, you should at least put on a mask. If you intervene as you are, you’ll incur a penalty.”

Her words brought a sliver of calm back to him.

“…Please be quick,” Rio urged, deciding that arguing would be a greater waste of time. He retrieved a mask and sword from his dimensional storage and equipped them.

“《Discharge》.”

“As you know, this situation is all according to the script Christina wrote,” Lina began, her tone analytical as she looked down at the scene below. “It’s quite something. Although much of it relies on wishful thinking, that girl’s plan will eventually bear fruit. The seeds of a future that cannot be achieved without her abilities and sacrifice are about to be sown right now.”

And then—

“But if you intervene here, that future might change. Because Christina Beltrum was originally fated to die here.” She revealed the truth of Christina’s destiny, and the risk of altering it. “Will you still save her?” she asked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

But—

“Is that a reason not to save her?” Rio’s resolve was absolute.

Whether she liked his answer or not, Lina’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Then go. If you go now, you’ll be just in time.”

“Hah!”

In that instant, Rio shot downwards with all his might.

◇ ◇ ◇

Everyone looking up at the execution platform stood frozen, their mouths agape. One moment, they saw a figure with a sword descend from the sky; the next, he had blocked the blade swung by the executioner.

“Thank goodness… I made it in time,” the masked Rio breathed, a sigh of profound relief.

And—

“Who the hell are you!?” the executioner roared as the knights on the platform surrounded Rio.

“S-Seize him!” Duke Arbor, who was also on the platform, commanded.

“!”

The knights surged forward at once, but—

“Ugh!?”

Rio closed the distance in a flash, sending the executioner flying. He moved through the other knights in a blur of motion, striking them down one by one and leaving them incapacitated. Witnessing the overwhelming power that so easily dispatched trained soldiers—

“…W-What in the world is he!?” Charles shouted at Duke Huguenot beside him. “Is he one of Restoration’s forces!?”

“N-No… such a person…” Duke Huguenot stammered, deeply shaken. He had never seen such a man. The situation was spiraling out of control. It was only logical to assume that anyone trying to save Christina must belong to the Restoration, but—

Just who gave the order…? he wondered, his face tensing. Could this interfere with Christina’s plan?

Meanwhile—

“Are you alright?” Rio asked, approaching the restrained Christina. “I’ll remove the restraints.”

Her hands were bound behind her back with magic-sealing shackles, her feet were chained to the floor, and her neck was locked in the guillotine. Freeing her would take some effort.

“Grh…” Duke Arbor stood frozen on the platform, grinding his teeth in fury.

“W-Who are you!?” Christina demanded.

“I am someone who has come to save you,” Rio replied, slicing through one of the chains on her legs.

“No one asked you to! Stop! I must die here!” she pleaded, her neck still fixed in the device. But Rio ignored her, cutting the second chain and freeing her legs. Their exchange was clearly audible to Duke Arbor.

…Princess Christina does not wish to be saved, he analyzed. In that case, it’s not as if she’s trying to back off on our agreement, but…

The entire agreement was premised on her death. If she survived, it would all be for nothing.

“Tch, what are you doing!?” Duke Arbor bellowed at the fresh wave of knights ascending the platform. “Stop him at once! Do you intend to let him release Princess Christina!?”

“Go!”

The knights closed in. Rio placed a hand on Christina’s shoulder and thrust his sword into the floorboards. And then—

“Gah!?”

A sphere of magical light erupted from the blade, blocking the knights’ approach. Furthermore—

Flora-sama, Vanessa-san, and many others wish for your survival. I do, too. That’s why I came to save you.

The telepathic message flowed into her mind through his touch. Rio spoke to her while maintaining the barrier of light.

“Wha—!?” Christina’s eyes widened at the words that echoed in her head.

“…I cannot be saved here,” she insisted, though her voice wavered. “If I don’t die…”

If Duke Arbor is the problem, I can capture him right here and take him hostage. If your parents are being held captive, I can rescue them. Rio’s telepathic voice was forceful, appealing to her with raw power.

“…It’s not… It’s not that simple a matter. This isn’t a problem that can be solved by just swapping out the leadership…”

Then, I can just take control of the capital as it is! So…!

“Y-You can’t possibly…”

Just as she was about to refuse again, the guillotine device holding her neck clicked open. As she slowly raised her face, she saw that a great number of knights now lay scattered across the platform and the surrounding stage, all groaning in pain, but none of them dead.

“…”

Christina was at a loss for words. She finally looked up at Rio’s face and saw that the mask he wore was cracked—

“Please don’t say you have to die with a face that looks so full of life,” he said, his own expression one of great pain.

“…”

What kind of expression am I making right now? She didn’t know. But she knew she was crying. Christina tried to wipe away her tears, but her hands were still bound by the magic-sealing shackles.

It was frustrating. She had thought she didn’t care what a pitiful figure she cut in death, but she didn’t want him to see her like this. She was bewildered by this useless emotion, an emotion unneeded by one who wished for death.

“W-What is this…” Duke Arbor, who had evacuated to the side of Charles and Duke Huguenot, stood there dumbfounded.

“I’ve never heard of such a monster in Restoration!?” Charles yelled at Duke Huguenot.

“I don’t know either!” Duke Huguenot asserted. “He is definitely not a combatant of Restoration!”

“Then who in the world is he!? Who is trying to save Princess Christina!?”

“I don’t know!”

While the two nobles were shouting at one another—

“We can talk later,” Rio said to Christina, his voice gentle. “Due to the emergency, please forgive the imposition.”

He then lifted her into his arms.

“Eh…” Christina’s face flushed crimson.

Immediately after—

“Let’s go.”

Rio shot into the sky using his wind spirit arts, intending to fly away from the grand plaza. But upon reaching a certain altitude, he stopped.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

Lina hovered before him on her wings of light, blocking his path. He now realized that a vast magic barrier, large enough to cover the entire area, had been spread in a dome over the sky.

There was no such barrier when I came down.

It had to be Lina’s doing. And indeed—

“Didn’t I tell you?” she said mercilessly, her lips curling into an eerie smile. “Christina Beltrum is fated to die here.”

“Is she… Lina?” Christina whispered, recognizing the figure before them.

“…Stop joking,” Rio said, his face grim.

“I’m not joking,” Lina replied, holding a hand out towards him. Several magic circles materialized in the air, firing orbs of light at them.

“Wha!?”

Rio, still holding Christina, narrowly dodged the assault. “Didn’t you cooperate to help me save Christina-sama!?”

“In a way, yes. But I’m not helping Christina Beltrum.”

“What do you mean!?”

“Don’t you think you know the reason?” Lina wore a knowing, meaningful smile. In that Instant, her previous words flashed through Rio’s mind.

—I think Christina Beltrum would be a good choice for your first vassal after Sora.

“N-No way!” Does she intend for me to make Christina my vassal in this situation?

“Yes way.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t have to do this!”

“That’s a lie. Unless I do something like this, you won’t make anyone your vassal.”

“Grh…!” Rio’s face twisted as if he had bitten into something bitter. He knew in an instant that he couldn’t persuade her.

Then, what should he do?

“Don’t think you can defeat me so easily while carrying such a burden,” Lina sneered, seeing right through him.

But—

“There’s no need to defeat you,” Rio retorted.

“Oh?”

“…I just need to break the barrier and get out.”

As soon as he spoke, he accelerated towards the dome, releasing the magic accumulated in his right hand to shatter it. But—

“I thought you would do that.” Lina remained where she was, watching him ascend without any sign of pursuit. Because— “Sorry. That’s a dummy made to look like a magic barrier.”

She knew from the start that he could not escape.

“Its effect is to teleport a marked target to an arbitrary position within the barrier,” she explained, though Rio was already too far to hear.

The powerful attack he unleashed seemed, at first glance, to have broken through. He pushed forward, trying to pass through the opening. However, the next moment—

“Wha!?”

The moment he touched the barrier, Rio was teleported back to Lina’s immediate vicinity.

“Welcome back,” she called out with a smile.

“…Where’s Christina-sama?” The weight in his arms was gone. Rio hurriedly looked around.

“She’s back on the execution platform,” Lina said, glancing down at the stage.

“Wha…!?”

Rio instantly tried to descend, but—

“I won’t let you.”

Lina anticipated his move, cutting him off. She deployed numerous magic circles without chanting, creating a cage of magical barriers around him.

“Stop messing around!” Rio roared, imbuing his sword with magic and shattering the nearest barrier. He tried to slip through the gap and escape.

But Lina’s incantationless magic was faster. She instantly deployed a new barrier in the space he had just created. He destroyed another, and another, but each time a new one appeared in its place. It was a futile game of cat and mouse, and time was running out. To break through, he had no choice but to silence the caster herself. Making that split-second decision—

“Move!” Rio leveled his sword at her, his eyes blazing.

“Make me.” Lina showed no sign of yielding. “Between you and me right now, if we were to seriously fight to the death with no holds barred, you’d have the higher chance of winning, you know?”

“But…” She smiled fearlessly and touched the earring on her ear. In that Instant, Lina undid her transformation, rapidly returning to Miharu’s form.

“Hah!” Rio gritted his teeth, his face taut with a terrible anger. He understood exactly what she was doing.

She was taking a hostage.

“I wonder,” Lina asked, wearing Miharu’s face and a malicious smile, “can you kill Ayase Miharu?”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, Christina found herself standing alone on the execution platform once more. As she looked around in a daze, a stir went through the crowd.

“…Princess Christina?”

“She’s back…”

Eventually, a single voice cut through the murmurs.

“…Someone, anyone! Kill her!” Duke Arbor shouted. “Execute the sentence at once! For the prestige of the kingdom!”

But the executioner was unconscious, and the knights were all wounded and unable to move. Then—

“…I will do it.”

Duke Huguenot’s voice was heavy with resolve. He looked at a spear lying nearby, picked it up, and slowly ascended the platform. He approached Christina, who stood frozen on the execution stage.

I… I must do it…!

For the future of the country, to rise through the ranks of the home government as a supposed traitor, he had to kill Christina with his own hands. He had to prove to everyone that he had debased himself into Duke Arbor’s loyal dog. And so, Duke Huguenot stood before Christina, his face looking as if he were about to burst into tears.

“…Yes,” Christina said softly, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she recognized him. “You will do nicely.”

And then—

“Prove your loyalty.”

She faced him head-on, her expression serene, as if telling him to pierce her heart.

And indeed—

“My lifelong loyalty… to you…!” Duke Huguenot cried, his voice breaking as he thrust the spear forward.

The tip pierced Christina’s chest.

“Ugh…” Her body twitched slightly.

“I am so sorry…” he whispered, tears welling in his eyes. It was a small apology, meant only for her to hear. The hand gripping the spear was trembling violently.

“It’s… alright,” she urged, her voice strained but her smile gentle. “Now… twist it… properly… be… thorough…” Kill me.

“Grh!”

With a cry of grim resolve, Duke Huguenot twisted the spear before pulling it forcefully from her chest.

“U-gh… uh…”

Christina’s body lost its balance and she collapsed to the floor. Her ragged clothes were stained crimson, and a pool of blood began to stain the wooden planks.

“Well done, Huguenot!” Duke Arbor praised in a loud voice as he climbed the steps of the platform. But Duke Huguenot just stood there, staring blankly at the hand that held the bloody spear.

Immediately after that—

“Wha!?”

Rio descended onto the execution platform. Duke Arbor stopped in his tracks, startled, but Duke Huguenot remained lost in his daze.

“Grh…!”

Rio had no eyes for anyone else. He looked down at the fallen Christina, and even through his cracked mask, it was clear his face was contorted in anguish.

“《Discharge》”

He immediately chanted a spell, taking out a teleportation crystal from his dimensional storage. He lifted the dying Christina into his arms—

“《Teleport》”

—and with a final chant, vanished from the spot.

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