A woman with neatly braided violet hair appeared.
Celeste Aisha Louisette, who had recently adopted Albrecht’s surname, stepped forward. The crowd murmured, and Franz’s face turned pale.
Karl didn’t miss the moment Franz’s expression abruptly changed.
“Why are you here, how did you get here?” Although he didn’t voice it, Karl read Franz’s lips moving, realizing he was speaking to himself. Celeste’s unexpected arrival visibly flustered him.
Yes, it would be surprising. Celeste’s appearance in Rahat was indeed astonishing. Karl recalled the previous night.
It had been three months since he left Celeste and Valerie at the Grand Duke’s castle. Their plans to bring her to the capital had been thwarted by an unexpected attack, leaving them struggling to find a clear solution.
While he suspected that Franz had backtracked to the Septfera region, it was impossible to resolve everything before the prince-elector voting. Physical time was insufficient.
It would take several days just to travel from Rahat to Septfera. Even if they sent knights to rescue Celeste and her group, it would take at least ten days.
Even with the use of magic stones, solving everything in half a day was impossible.
Yet, Celeste stood before him, slightly disheveled but otherwise unhurt, without any visible wounds.
For a moment, Karl mistook her presence for an illusion and thought he must be extremely tired.
But what he thought was an illusion was real. As she approached and embraced him, he realized that this was not a fantasy, but reality.
How on earth was she here? Where had Valerie gone?
He had many questions about the safety of the other members of their group, but for now, he focused on hugging her tightly, reassuring both Celeste and himself.
***
The way to save Valerie.
Without even a moment to confirm if I properly understood his words, Linke lost consciousness. The powdered magic stones he had hidden in his body had depleted their power.
The magical curtain that concealed the eyes of the guardians, as well as the healing magic that had briefly alleviated the pain, vanished together.
Blood began to flow again from Linke, who was tied to the chair and unconscious. Since the guardians’ eyes were now directed at us, we must not speak hastily.
To ensure I wouldn’t forget the way to save Valerie that Linke had told me before losing consciousness, I mentally reviewed our conversation.
“I told you that Miss Valerie is not a soul belonging to the present.”
“Yes.”
“I also mentioned that a tremendous amount of magic stones would have been used to send Miss Valerie’s soul from the future to the present. It must have been an astronomical quantity. The anomaly with Miss Valerie’s body occurred because the Grand Duchess was pregnant with her, leading to a clash of souls…”
“And you said that unless we separate them quickly, Valerie might disappear completely. I remember.”
“Yes. We need magic stones to return her to her original timeline. I don’t know how many stones remain from the ones that would have been used to send her from the future to the past, but once those stones are exhausted, Miss Valerie will likely return to her original time naturally. My concern was whether any issues might arise with her soul before that.”
“You mean that once the used magic stones run out, the effect of the magic will naturally dissipate.”
Linke nodded, though he appeared strained even with that. Growing anxious, I tried my best to grasp his words.
“There probably isn’t much left… Given that Miss Valerie’s current form isn’t fully refined into a living being, yet her soul is overwhelming her and rendering her body transparent, we can deduce that the magical power holding her from the future is extremely weak.”
While I couldn’t be certain, it implied that Valerie, who had crossed time and space, was gradually losing her strength to hold on here, being overshadowed by the current Valerie in her womb. If that were the case…
“Are you saying that the only way to save Valerie right now is to return her to the timeline she originally belonged to?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“We can’t just sit back and wait for the magic stones to run out, right? Is there any immediate action we can take here?”
“There are two ways to return a being that has crossed time and space back to its original place. One is for all the magic stones used in the spell to be completely consumed,”
“And the other…?”
“You need to recite a spell to return to the original place.”
“So, you mean that I just have to recite the spell to bring Valerie back?”
Coughing, Linke spat out a drop of blood, possibly indicating that his healing magic was weakening. Time was running out.
“Yes. As soon as you recite the spell… you can send Miss Valerie back.”
“But I need a magical stone to recite the spell. I don’t have anything right now… everything I had was taken when we were attacked.”
“If the reason Miss Valerie was taken was for a dark magic sacrifice…”
“Would they have prepared the necessary magical stones for dark magic?”
“Yes. It’s highly likely that there are considerable magical stones hidden somewhere around here. They probably aren’t officially processed or circulated, but rather illegally mined and carelessly processed. Such illegally processed magical stones could have powers much greater than those in circulation. Of course, there would be significant side effects.”
“So you’re saying that the magical stones prepared for sacrificing Valerie could instead be used to secure her safety. I understand. But…”
I still didn’t know where Valerie was in this old castle. How could I possibly pinpoint the moment the dark magic was cast to snatch Valerie and the magical stone? It seemed nearly impossible.
“You don’t need to steal the magical stones.”
“Really?”
“At the exact moment she’s being sacrificed. No, you just need to recite the spell beforehand.”
“The spell to send Valerie back to the future.”
“Yes.”
“Please tell me.”
Linke struggled to convey the words of the spell before he immediately lost consciousness. His condition had worsened significantly, perhaps because he held on as long as he could to relay this information despite the magical stones being almost depleted.
“…I will definitely make it happen.”
Linke’s drooping head looked pitiable. I silently promised him my sincere commitment, even though he couldn’t hear me.
“Hey!”
I called for the gatekeeper immediately. Still, they didn’t budge.
“Please summon His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Their expressions showed disbelief at my audacity. It was absurd to ask them to summon their leader while being a prisoner. But I couldn’t back down.
“Right now, you have to call them. If not, the dark magic you intend to wield will backfire and kill your master.”
There’s more than just threats involved in moving people. Especially with those who don’t respond to rational conversation.
It was an initial threat borne out of concern, but it worked. The guards looked at each other and seemed to have a brief discussion before one of them opened the door and stepped out.
It worked. If I can bring Franz back, that’s already a third of the plan accomplished.
Thud, thud. Footsteps echoed in the hallway. I stretched my head out to assess the situation outside. I couldn’t see anyone, but the footsteps belonged to more than one person. Besides the guards, at least two more had come here.
While I quickly organized the next plan in my mind, a black-haired knight, who was Franz’s closest aide, made his appearance.
“If you have something to say to His Grace, please tell me.”
His respectful words were contradicted by his disrespectful expression. It was as if he were thinking, who are you to summon our Duke like this?
“Go fetch your master.”
“I’ll convey any message. Other demands cannot be fulfilled.”
“I’m not trying to negotiate with you, so it would be best for you to go and bring your master.”
“If there’s nothing to convey, I’ll take my leave then. Farewell.”
“Alright then. If your master, and all of your knights here were to turn into dust and disappear, that would be your fault.”
“What… does that mean?”
At this point, I had no intention to be courteous.
“I don’t intend to explain. Go call your master.”
A rude retort to rudeness, a threat to a threat, an attack back for an attack.
“Now!”
I drew the deepest breath I could muster. The shout I released from my abdomen was based on a breathing technique I learned from Hannah. They say a fight is all about intimidation.
If I hesitated, I would lose Valerie and everyone else. The black-haired knight seemed taken aback, thinking for a moment before leaving. Please, bring back Franz.
