Episode 28
Isollen locked her window as usual before going to bed. She had installed an anti-assassin magic tool on it, a high-quality item gifted by her family, the Count of Sien. Even if a monster charged at it with full force, the window wouldn’t break.
But this magic tool had one fatal flaw. While it reinforced the window’s durability, it couldn’t prevent the window from being opened.
Most intruders would see the faintly glowing window and give up, but those who knew this weakness were a different story.
The intruder picked the lock with deft fingers and swung the window open.
“Eek! What the— Mmph!”
“Shut up and come quietly.”
The intruder clamped a hand over Isollen’s mouth. She stopped struggling the moment she felt a sharp prick against her neck—a dagger was already pressed to her throat.
The intruder dragged her toward the open window, hoisted her over their shoulder, and jumped down.
And the moment they leaped—
“Help! Intruders! Over here!”
“Guh—!”
Isollen stabbed the assassin’s shoulder with a hidden dagger coated in paralyzing poison.
Having survived multiple assassination attempts over the years, Isollen twirled her dagger with practiced ease as the intruder collapsed.
“Ha! I’ve lived in this house for three years with intruders breaking in almost daily. Did you really think I couldn’t handle one like you? Knights! Over here!”
But.
No knights came.
Normally, they would’ve arrived immediately at the sound of her voice.
“What’s going on?”
A chill ran down her spine as she gripped her dagger tightly and cautiously moved toward the knights’ usual post.
“……!”
All the knights stationed on the west side were down.
One, still conscious and gasping weakly, raised a trembling hand toward her. He had something to say. Isollen rushed to him.
“Steve, what happened?”
“Assassins… mage… a mage…”
He pointed vaguely into the air. The moment Isollen followed his gaze—
“Hi there~”
A woman in a black robe sat casually on a third-floor windowsill, waving a doll in her hand.
“W-what the…?”
Isollen froze. A mage? She’d seen plenty of assassins, but never a mage.
‘Why would a mage get involved in something like this?’
Mages typically avoided messy affairs—they hated revealing their identities, much less taking assassination jobs. Most requests they got were either to become living weapons, perform impossible feats, or provide labor—all annoying tasks.
“Who sent you? Did the Emperor finally order our execution?”
“No idea who hired me. Just know it was some guy in a black robe.”
The woman stabbed the doll’s shoulder with a needle.
And Isollen—
“Ghk!”
—felt a searing pain rip through her right shoulder. Warm blood trickled down.
“Too bad~ Your Grand Duke won’t hear your screams. No one can enter this space except you and me.”
Goosebumps crawled up Isollen’s back. A puppeteer? She’d only heard of them in old fairy tales. But spatial magic? That was new.
The woman stabbed the doll’s left knee next. Isollen shrieked and crumpled.
“How’s that? Hurts, doesn’t it? Feeling powerless? Furious at how pathetic you are? Regretting your choice to serve a Grand Duke?”
“……!”
The blood loss was severe. Isollen’s vision swam, sounds fading into the distance.
The woman cackled and raised her voice.
“Ahaha! This is fun! So much fun!”
Then—thwack!
A rock flew out of nowhere and smacked the woman square in the head.
“What the hell is so fun about this, you creep?!”
Anna, seemingly appearing out of thin air, planted herself in front of Isollen. The woman clicked her tongue and rubbed her head.
“Tch. Another rat in my space.”
“You freak! Getting off on others’ pain? Disgusting!”
“Anna, stop…”
Isollen weakly reached out to pull Anna back, but the girl stood her ground, trembling but defiant.
“You little—!”
Just as the enraged woman twisted the doll’s neck—
CRASH!
The sound of shattering glass cut through the air.
“Who dares touch my food?”
“How did you— Ghk!”
Gremory, scaling the wall like a cat, drop-kicked the intruder square in the face. The woman flew into the bushes. Still furious, Gremory stomped over, yanked off her robe, and—
The blonde mage gaped at her in shock.
“Ghk! Wh-what are you?! How did you break my barrier? Are you a mage too?”
“A witch.”
“Huh? That’s bullsh— KYAH!”
Gremory stomped on the woman’s right shoulder—the same spot Isollen had been injured. A sickening crunch echoed.
Mages weren’t known for their pain tolerance. The woman immediately surrendered.
“S-sorry! My bad! Here, take my weapon!”
She held out the doll with her uninjured arm—
“Psych! Haha!”
—and the doll exploded.
As the smoke cleared, Gremory stood unharmed, glaring down at the mage.
“You lied to me.”
“……!”
“I hate liars.”
She stomped on the mage’s left knee.
“AAAAAH!”
By then, Cheshion and the knights arrived. The mage was captured and dragged to the underground torture chamber.
Cheshion checked Isollen’s condition—her white nightgown was drenched in blood.
“Hang in there.”
He sprayed Beauty’s Potion on her shoulder and knee. The wounds closed instantly, and Isollen, no stranger to such situations, dusted herself off and immediately scolded Cheshion.
“Honestly, Your Grace! Getting overpowered by one mage? I told you to invest in anti-magic artifacts, even if they’re expensive!”
“S-sorry. But if we’d spent that much, the people would’ve suffered through winter.”
“And who did you piss off enough to send a mage after us? The Duke of Lurnel? The Marquis of Nell? Again? I told you to stop making enemies outside!”
“N-no, it’s not like that! Let me explain—”
While Cheshion cowered under Isollen’s scolding, Gremory stared blankly at Isollen’s bloodstained clothes.
‘Renia was covered in blood like that when I found her too.’
Seeing Isollen alive and bickering made Renia’s image overlap with hers.
Friend.
My friend.
Isollen.
What if I’d been even a second later? What if you’d died like Renia?
A nauseating wave of emotion surged. She didn’t know what this feeling was, but one thing was clear—she was glad Isollen was alive and well.
“Anyway, Your Grace! Are you listening? Spend whatever you need to get those anti-magic artifacts— Huh? Mori?”
Gremory suddenly clung to Isollen’s back mid-rant. Isollen paused, confused, then burst into laughter when she spotted Gremory’s slightly reddened eyes.
“Ahaha! What, were you worried about me?”
Worried.
Yeah. That’s what this was.
“Yeah.”
“Scared I’d die?”
“……?”
Gremory pondered. Was she? Had she been scared? Afraid she’d fail to save another friend?
Me—who felt no fear even after ten years in solitary confinement in the demon world—now terrified of losing a single human?
She had no idea how she’d ended up like this. It was confusing, but… not unpleasant.
“Maybe.”
“Our Mori’s kinda cute today.”
“Let’s have that tea party you wanted.”
“Yeah, yeah. Tea party it is!”
Isollen ruffled Gremory’s hair playfully.
But then, a problem arose—Gremory refused to let go of Isollen.
That night, she claimed a corner of Isollen’s bed. The next morning, she followed Isollen around like a shadow. During teatime, she lounged on the sofa right next to her.
Finally, Isollen snapped and flicked Gremory’s forehead.
