TAANG!

“Uh...!”

But the maid’s face, as she opened the estate doors, colored with confusion yet again. The inside was far too quiet, too.

She’d definitely said she’d set fires everywhere while she went to bring the soldiers and knights, didn’t she? Where was the fire? What the hell happened?

“What? You said there was a fire.”

“Why is it so quiet?”

“Where exactly is the fire?”

“Th-that...!”

At the knights’ and soldiers’ questions, the maid grew even more flustered. There needed to be a fire for more knights and soldiers to gather.

“Catch that woman.”

“......!”

A low voice came in at that moment. The maid whipped her head around, her eyes widening fast. Without realizing it, she stumbled back a step.

“Kgh!”

“Ugh!”

Because the two attendants who’d plotted with her were being dragged in, bound in something like iron chains.

And the one controlling those chains was Camilla.

Just before that, the two men who’d been about to light the fire watched the embers drop onto the oil they’d poured, and they grinned.

If the estate went up in flames like this, their mission would end cleanly.

“Huh?”

But the problem started right then. The fire that had caught so well suddenly went pff and went out.

One attendant, sensing something was wrong, lit it again.

“What’s wrong with this!”

But this time, too, it looked like it would flare—and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ then it vanished without a trace.

“What are you doing? Quit messing around and do it properly!”

“I’m not messing around!”

They tried several more times, but the result was always the same.

“Is this even real oil?”

“We prepped it together—what are you talking about?”

“Then why is it doing this!”

“How would I know!”

They had no idea this was the effect of the fire-resistant enchanted tools hidden around. All they knew was that it was driving them insane.

WHOOSH!

“Huh!”

“W-what is that!”

Something whipped through the air at them. A long iron chain flew in like a living creature, and wrapped them up tight.

They struggled to break free, but the more they fought, the harder the chain tightened around them.

“If you move, it’ll hurt more.”

“......!”

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t break that.”

The one who slowly revealed herself before them was Camilla. What bound them was the bracelet Ravi had given her as a gift before.

At Camilla’s will, their bodies floated up into the air, then were slammed down, over and over.

“Ah! Ah!”

“M-my back!”

“Ugh. You’re loud.”

Do they not even remember what they were trying to do? Why are they whining over this much?

Anyway, after catching the two of them, Camilla was about to move them elsewhere—dragging them along as they bobbed in the air—

“Where exactly is the fire?”

“Th-that...!”

And that was when she saw the maid entering the estate and stepped out.

“Damn it!”

Realizing something had gone wrong, the maid bolted on the spot. If she got caught, she’d die.

THUD!

“Kyaaah!”

But as she fled toward the entrance, she slammed into something and fell backward. A transparent film-like barrier had blocked her path.

“Ugh!”

Before she could even properly feel the pain, an unknown force lifted her up, and someone’s hand clamped around her throat.

“What? Is this the thing you were talking about?”

It was Arsian. He’d grabbed her with magic as she tried to run.

“What is all this?”

Petro appeared as well, scanning the situation.

“What are you trying to—”

Petro’s steps, as he approached the captives, stopped dead. Arsian slowly turned his head, too.

[An enemy.]

At Zeno’s voice beside her, Camilla also turned her gaze toward the entrance.

She still couldn’t hear anything or sense any presence herself, but judging by the three of them reacting, something had definitely happened outside.

SLAM!

“We’ve got trouble!”

A soldier burst in, rushing inside.

“There’s an unknown group outside—!”

At that, Petro immediately ran out, and the other knights and soldiers hurried after him.

“You stay here.”

After leaving Camilla a warning not to step outside even once, Arsian sprinted out as well.

“Zeno.”

Watching them vanish so quickly—leaving behind only a few knights to guard the estate—Camilla called Zeno softly.

“Let’s go to where the Guardian’s Sword is.”

[Got it.]

Avoiding everyone’s eyes, Camilla slipped away and ran straight toward where the Guardian’s Sword was kept.

The estate hadn’t caught fire, but she was certain someone was aiming for the Guardian’s Sword.

*****

“This is driving me insane!”

A woman in her late thirties moved quickly, grinding her teeth hard.

“How the hell did you do the job!”

The original plan was that by now, the estate would be burning in roaring flames, and the prepared people would storm in, plunging everything into chaos.

And in that chaos, she’d quickly grab the Guardian’s Sword and slip out unnoticed.

But no matter how long she waited, there was no signal.

Outside, it looked like the prepared people had already been inserted—so why was the estate still perfectly fine?

“Idiots! You can’t even light a single fire properly!”

Still seething, she hurried to do what she was supposed to do. She knew very well where the Guardian’s Sword was.

Even without the fire, the soldiers’ attention had shifted outside, so security was relatively lax.

“Finally!”

The Guardian’s Sword sat in a corridor hall near the head of house’s room. Defensive magic was set on it, but that didn’t matter.

FWOOOOSH!

In an instant, bright light formed in her hand, then shot toward where the Guardian’s Sword was.

CRASH!

Under the spell she cast, the case protected by defensive magic shattered to pieces. Years of struggle had paid off.

“Now it’s really over.”

How long had she wasted here, trying to discover the formula to break that protective magic guarding the Guardian’s Sword?

Satisfied, she stared at the broken transparent case, then reached to pick up the Guardian’s Sword.

THWACK!

“AAAAAGH!”

A kick flew in and knocked her body sideways.

“What? Aren’t you the head maid?”

Someone clicked their tongue at the familiar face sprawled on the floor, crying out in pain.

It was Camilla... no, Zeno inside Camilla’s body, who was smacking his tongue.

“Our house really has hit rock bottom. The head maid is one of them.”

“Ugh...!”

The head maid staggered to her feet and immediately cast offensive magic.

CRACKLE!

“W-what!”

But her attack vanished without even touching a single strand of hair—blocked by the enchanted tools hanging all over Camilla’s body.

“How can nothing ever go my way!”

She chose to flee. This looked like it had completely gone sideways—she needed to report up fast.

THWACK!

“Guh—!”

But even that didn’t go as she wanted. In an instant, Zeno struck the back of her neck and knocked her out.

“A mage, doing head maid work?”

How had she avoided being caught until now? Did she have a tool to conceal Mana? Zeno lightly shook his head.

“.......”

His gaze drifted to the Guardian’s Sword.

Countless emotions were tangled in his eyes as he looked at it.

For ages, wandering the world as a soul, he hadn’t come here on purpose—because he hadn’t had the courage to face this sword.

He’d lost too much because of it.

He’d lost his own life, and his brother’s life. He’d thought even looking at it would be torment.

But...

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

Well, he’d lived every day staring at the sword lodged in his chest. Why would he suddenly feel some overwhelming thing now?

All he felt was a faint bitterness.

If he hadn’t found this sword, would his life have been different?

No. Even if he went back to that moment, he’d probably make the same choice.

Back then, the desperation he’d felt to find this sword had been beyond his own control.

“First, I should move the sword.”

Another bastard might try to get their hands on it.

Camilla had told him to keep it safe until that unknown group was gone.

“But it’s strange.”

How does Camilla predict things like this so well? He’d watched her up close again and again, and it was always fascinating.

Slide.

Zeno reached out for the sword. No—he tried to pick it up.

WUUUUNG—

“...What?”

If only the sword in his chest—stabbed into his soul—hadn’t vibrated right then.

WUNG— WUUUUNG—!

“After all that chaos, it never moved once. Why now?”

The sword that had used his soul as its sheath for so long suddenly started vibrating nonstop, and Zeno couldn’t hide his shock.

Slide.

What happened next was even more unbelievable.

“Huh!”

The sword lodged in his chest pulled itself free on its own—then seeped straight into the real sword.

WUUUUNG—!

The sword started humming again.

Just like that day long ago—when he’d first found the Guardian’s Sword on the cliff—it was humming at him, over and over.

As if to say it was here, telling him to pick it up.

“.......”

Zeno stared at the sword in silence for a long time, then slowly reached out.

FWOOOOSH!

The moment he gripped the sword, a brilliant light poured out from the Guardian’s Sword, which had slept for so long.

*****

“Those bastards...”

“Yeah. They’re the same ones from then.”

Arsian’s and Petro’s expressions hardened fast. The people attacking the Jevillans were far too familiar.

They didn’t even let out a groan when struck. Exactly like the ones who’d attacked them at the hunting grounds before.

“This is a pain.”

The soldiers and knights facing them for the first time couldn’t hide their confusion—just like they had back at the hunting grounds.

Even if you drove a sword into them, they didn’t fall. They only threw themselves at you with more ferocity, and everyone’s nerve started fraying.

“Why are there so many?”

Arsian immediately dove into battle, cutting enemies down.

But there were too many. Just like the hunting grounds, the enemy numbers kept surging in without end, and even Arsian clicked his tongue.

“This is going to be a boring fight.”

Petro, too, kept them from reaching the estate and let out a short sigh.