The magic stone was secretly purchased in the alley of the night market in Hoshi Square half a year before leaving the capital.
Inside the mansion’s treasure vault, there were indeed many magical items, including magic stones, but they were all kept under the strict supervision of the steward. Even if one was the owner of the mansion, taking a magic stone required specifying its purpose and leaving a record.
When asked why it was done this way, they said that a few years ago, the court had started cracking down extensively on everything related to magic, or something like that.
Anyway, there was no point in leaving a record while trying to take it on the pretense of recuperation. Of course, the magical stones purchased at the night market were more like imitations than genuine ones, and despite being expensive, it was better to have something rather than nothing.
“This is enchanted properly. When uttered, it binds the feet of the desired people,” the old woman selling the stones with her cloak turned inside out explained plainly. Memorize the spell, and the magic would activate, binding the feet of people within 10 yards.
The effect lasted up to 10 minutes, which would be enough to flee as much as desired during a crisis, they explained. Hearing this, I decided to purchase without hesitation.
So, what was that spell again?
I remembered everything the old woman explained, but strangely, I couldn’t recall the spell itself. It was a short word, what was it again? Just until yesterday, it was vivid in my memory…
“…works. Count?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you lost in thought like that? I called you and you didn’t listen.”
“Why did you call me?”
Caught up in recalling the name, I didn’t realize my name was being called.
“I need the blood of a baron too.”
“Ah….”
That’s why she split Valerie’s blood in two places. She obediently offered her arm to the approaching knight. It seemed resisting would likely not work.
“Oh.”
I remembered. The activation spell for the magic stone that the old woman had told me.
“Frolrabore.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh, nothing. Forget it.”
I may not know the meaning, but it was probably just a string of meaningless words. Why aren’t original spells straightforward like “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”?
Frolrabore. As I thought of it, I felt a bit more assured. In case of any trouble, I had just decided to activate the magic stone and flee with Hannah and Valerie. As I discreetly scanned the surroundings like that.
“Ouch.”
The knight’s blade lightly grazed my fingertips. Still, I’m grateful it only left a scratch on the back of my hand like a detective.
“Uh….”
That’s when it happened.
The bottle of medicine wobbled and then, with a small thud, toppled over. No one had touched it.
“Right now….”
“An earthquake.”
“What?”
Looking closely, even the table was shaking. The fallen bottle rolled on the table and fell down, and the clock that Karl had set up also couldn’t withstand the vibrations and fell forward.
“An earthquake?”
So suddenly? Out of the blue? No, of course, natural disasters don’t usually give warnings, but this was too abrupt. Karl swiftly moved, releasing his arms.
“It’s the smell of gunpowder.”
The vibrations were now spreading beneath our feet. The knights quickly surrounded Karl as if on cue.
All I could do was hold the child in my arms tightly to prevent any harm.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, no one paid attention to the bottle on the floor as the ground shook, and dust and sand fell from the ceiling.
One of the three potions is a completely untouched new one. Keeping it might serve a purpose someday. With everyone’s attention elsewhere, someone planned to secretly swap the potion.
Thud.
“Uh, Mom!”
Just as it felt like a strong shock hit the entire cabin, a flash of light and a tremendous roar erupted from the back of the kitchen.
Boom. Crash!
“It’s explosives! Take cover!”
A knight with a red badge, maybe trying to protect Karl, leaped towards him shouting.
His scream was soon drowned out by the explosion, and the previously quiet room now turned chaotic.
Choking on the acrid smoke, in a split second, I instinctively enveloped the child’s face and body with my whole being as if anticipating inhaling dirt, dust, and explosive fumes.
“Spread the alarm!”
A massive shockwave, incomparable to the two previous bombings, transmitted through.
The intense fumes of explosives made it impossible to open eyes. With each breath, coughing fits erupted.
Someone seemed to be shouting nearby, but due to the deafening final explosion, it felt distant, like speaking through a thick wall.
“….Celeste.”
And another explosion.
This final impact didn’t cease at assaulting vision, smell, and hearing. The ground beneath trembled as darkness engulfed the surroundings.
Unable to endure the consecutive bombings, it felt like the ground was about to collapse. I braced myself, expecting the impending impact.
“Celeste!”
At that moment, it felt like someone was pulling my shoulder, but amid the collapsing debris, it was indiscernible whether someone held onto me or if I hit my shoulder against the rubble.
Am I going to die like this?
In that brief moment of falling, thoughts of Celeste’s dark life ending here raced through my mind, bringing dreadful despair.
The impending collapse would surely be unbearably painful. I curled up tightly, preparing for the impact.
How much longer passed in this state of darkness?
I regained consciousness as a child’s cries pierced through the air.
“Ugh….”
Surrounded by darkness whether eyes open or shut, my body felt suppressed.
Thinking my eyes were injured from the explosion, I realized someone was lying on top of me, casting the darkness.
The warm weight pressing on my chest felt familiar yet strange.
“Are you all right? Are you awake?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The weight on me was none other than Karl.
“Are you all right? Count!”
“Ugh, yes… I think I’m fine. Just, don’t shout.”
Every shout made my head pound. I mentally checked my fingers and toes. Everything seemed intact. At least my limbs weren’t severed.
Wait, Valerie!
I looked down at the child nestled in my arms. The child, situated between me and Karl, was crying with a mix of surprise and sorrow, but appeared unharmed, without a scratch on them.
Phew, thankfully.
Come to think of it, this man had called me ‘Celeste’ a while ago. Did I mishear?
“Your Highness! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. First, check if there are any other injured.”
“Aaron has only a minor injury.”
As the footsteps of approaching people could be heard nearby, Karl slightly raised his body, and the dark vision lifted as we moved out of the darkness. I was the first to face Karl’s furrowed face.
“Your Highness, you’re bleeding…!”
“It’s nothing. I can move just fine. We should clear the debris first.”
So, it seemed Karl was the one who had grabbed my shoulder just before the ceiling collapsed.
Karl lay down, embracing both me and the child, protecting us from the falling debris. As a result, his noble clothes were stained with blood trickling from his torn shoulder.
“Are you really alright, Viscount?”
Karl’s face was too close. As the knights rushed in to start removing the wooden planks piled on his back, he gritted his teeth in pain.
“…You should take care of yourself first.”
It was sincere. Even a three-year-old would know that using one’s body to block explosives and piles of wood was a reckless act, no matter how robust one’s physique might be.
“As long as you’re not hurt.”
A groan escaped as the largest plank was being lifted off, entangled with blood and debris. Who is worried about whom, really? As Karl, supported by the knights, slowly rose to his feet, his uniform was a mess of blood and ashes.
“Clovis, take the child.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As he took the child from me and handed them to a knight, the blood flowing down his shoulder dripped onto me. The warm drops of blood, with body temperature, seemed to reassure me that this was not a dream.
“Can you stand up?”
Karl patted my back with a worried face. Until the explosion, he had suspected me as a suspect for assassination, and the man who looked like a madman seemed genuine.
“Slowly.”
Even though there seemed to be no injuries, my arms and legs felt weak. Helplessly, I relied on Karl’s support, slowly rising from my position.
“Even if it doesn’t look like there’s any external injury, we don’t know what internal injuries may have been sustained. Acting rashly could lead to trouble.”
“…You speak as if you have experienced such a thing before.”
“It’s because I have endured it countless times in battle.”
The child, who had been on the verge of hysterics, gradually calmed down in the arms of a man named Clovis. He was a tall knight who had been fairly skillful in comforting the child just a while ago. The knight himself also appeared more disheveled than before, but didn’t seem to have any injuries.
