The entire series of events that were currently unfolding were completely out of my expectations.
Was it because I had completely overlooked just how influential the Inverted Sky was?
‘No, that’s not the case at all.’
I was aware of their influence. There were times when I did overlook it, but that was mainly because they tended to never exert or use their influence within the Megrail Household.
But it looks like I was wrong… Not only did they show up as ‘reinforcements’ from the Princess, but they were also here to get rid of both Kiera and her aunt.
Given by how they hadn’t mentioned me, it was safe to say that they were aware of who I was.
It was just that…
‘Things will get extremely messy if Kiera dies.’
I looked towards one of my active quests.
[ ◆ Main Quest Activated : Prevent the Calamities from awakening or dying.]
It was my longest active quest and the first quest that I had received.
As far as I cared, Rose could die, but Kiera couldn’t.
Absolutely not!
‘But how? How am I supposed to stop this?!’
My head started to spin with all sorts of thoughts, and unknowingly, I found my head turning to stare in Kiera’s direction.
Her expression was lost, almost dazed. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to stand up and knock her out. Only that way would I be able to talk my way into sparing her.
The fact that I was part of the Inverted Sky wasn’t something I wanted her to know.
It was just that…
‘I can’t move at all, and even if I can, it’ll be complicated.’
Kiera knew too much.
The fact that there were ‘spies’ working in the Megral family was something that she wasn’t supposed to know.
The reason why they had to kill her was obvious.
‘Ah, shit.’
I pressed my lips tightly and tried to think of a way to get out of this situation.
As things stood, even if I were capable of moving, I wouldn’t have been able to beat them at all. They were stronger than I was.
The only way for me to do something to them was through Emotive Magic, but would they even allow me to get close enough to them without giving anything away to Kiera?
This entire scenario…
It’s messed up.
***
‘This situation is fucked.’
Rose’s gaze locked onto the figures before her, her fingers twitching as glowing magic circles formed in her mind. Her domain simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode at a moment’s notice.
She was outmatched at this moment.
There was no denying the reality of her situation. This became especially clear to her the moment she recognized the figures standing before her.
‘…They’re the Crimson Squad of the High Seat of Power.’
Within the Inverted Sky, there existed seven main seats. The strength of each high seat varied, with the general strength at around eight or higher. To be a High Seat, strength wasn’t the only important thing.
Each Seat had its own forces, with each having its own system.
The Crimson Squad was one of the most renowned units within the Inverted Sky. Its reputation stemmed not only from its affiliation with the High Seat of Power but because the forces belonging to the High Seat of Power were said to be the strongest within the Inverted Sky.
Far stronger than Dawn’s forces, but that was merely due to the fact that Dawn wasn’t one to care about forces.
He alone could flatten all forces.
To make matters even worse, the woman standing before Rose was said to have been one of the previous candidates for the Low Seat of Power, losing it to the current Leader, who went on to become the current High Seat.
Her title was…
‘The Lost Tyrant; Candice Rolum.’
“How do you wish for us to proceed? In honor of the Seat you serve, we can end this swiftly. Surely, you understand—resistance is futile. The only thing it will accomplish is ensuring your death is far more agonizing.”
Though the Crimson Squad Captain’s words were soft, an unmistakable coldness laced her tone, causing the air around them to grow colder.
Rose felt her skin prickle as the wound she had previously sustained started to sting.
“I’ll give you ten seconds to consider your answer carefully. If you remain silent, I’ll take it as a choice for the second option.”
As if…
Rose clenched her teeth, her eyes secretly scanning her surroundings.
Somewhere nearby, a device was hidden—her key to escape. She had arranged for it to be placed in advance, a safeguard in case things went south. And now that they had, she realized with a sinking feeling that it was nowhere in sight.
‘Where is it?’
Without it, she’d have no hope of getting out.
No, she didn’t even care about herself.
Even if she didn’t get away, at the very least…
“….!”
It was then that Rose’s gaze fell on Julien, and a thought struck her.
‘Wait, maybe…!’
“—!”
But before the thought could fully take shape, a blur flashed before her eyes, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose in alarm.
“C-crap!”
A powerful blow struck her arms just as she managed to cross them in defense, sending her hurtling backward, crashing through several trees.
Bang—!
“Ukh…!”
Rose stumbled onto all four as her world started to spin. What in the world…?
“Don’t even think about it.”
A soft voice whispered in her ear as she lifted her head, only to find a figure kneeling before her, cold eyes staring down at her.
“I was originally planning on giving you ten seconds, but it looks like I was being too soft on you. We can’t have you hurt him. That’ll create too much of a headache for all of us. Dawn isn’t someone that anyone wishes to offend.”
A hand suddenly stretched toward Rose.
In the blink of an eye, it expanded, growing larger as it reached for her head.
At the same time, Rose noticed the Crimson Squad Leader’s eyes shift abruptly—slack and nearly transparent. Alarm bells rang in Rose’s mind as ferocious flames erupted from her body.
Though she wasn’t fully aware of what she was trying to do, all she knew was that she needed to act quickly.
Swoosh—!
Without an ounce of hesitation, she brought her head towards the approaching plam.
Although she understood that if the palm touched her, it would have disastrous consequences, she also understood that the Crimson Squad Leader would need to sacrifice her hand in order to do so.
It was just a matter of determining how far she was willing to go to her.
Would she be crazy enough to sacrifice her hand, or…?
“…..”
As expected, she wasn’t.
The moment Rose brought her head forward, the Crimson Squad Leader frowned. She could see through what Rose was planning and swiftly stopped herself.
Rose took the opportunity to press against the ground and swiftly retreat from the spot.
“Haa… Haa…”
Her breathing was heavy, and her hair was slightly disheveled, but otherwise, she was fine.
The Crimson Squad Leader stood a few feet away, first staring at her own hand before shifting her gaze back to Rose.
“Haha.”
Rose laughed, her chest slowly starting to grow even.
The situation was dire, yet amidst the danger, Rose felt a spark of excitement.
‘How long has it been since I’ve last fought with someone so strong?’
She licked her lips and prepared to go on the offensive when…
“Hm?”
Suddenly, not far from the Crimson Squad Leader, a familiar figure leaned against one of the three, gazing at her with a familiar half-smile.
Rose felt her entire mind grow numb.
“W-what?”
That… How was it possible for her to be here? She’s dead! It’s impossible!?
Her entire mind screamed at the sight that greeted her, and it was also that small distraction that created the perfect opening for Crimson Squad Leader to exploit as her figure faded, arriving before Rose in the span of half a second.
“…..!”
By the time Rose grasped what had happened, it was too late—a force struck her stomach, lifting her off the ground and hurling her back onto several trees.
“Uekh!”
The force of the impact left her at a complete loss for breath, knocking the wind out of her.
By the time she understood what had happened, she was on all fours, her arms trembling as she struggled to push herself up.
‘Pathetic…’
A voice suddenly whispered in her mind.
It was an all too familiar voice, bringing Rose to a daze once more.
As she slowly lifted her head, a familiar figure came into view, gazing down at her with that usual soft-eyed look.
‘Is this really the best you can do? Aish~ And here I thought you could protect Ki. I was wrong. I was very wrong.’
No, I…
Swoosh—
A hand phased through her sister’s body, hurtling toward her quickly.
Rose’s pupils quickly dilated as she rolled to the side.
“Ukh!”
She quickly tensed her stomach and kicked the ground, propelling herself in the air as she twisted her body and created some distance.
“Haaa… Haa…”
When she looked back, the Crimson Squad Leader stood not far away, gazing at her with a calm, unwavering stare. She was taking this calmly.
Way too calmly.
As though she was confused about something.
“You look distracted.”
The Crimson Squad Leader said, her head cocking to the side.
“…Is something wrong?”
The question was asked more to satisfy her curiosity than for the general well-being of Rose. From the very start to finish, she had made it very obvious that she was going to make the experience a painful one.
With no external forces threatening to make an appearance, she felt like she had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted to do.
Rose understood this well, and yet…
Yet…
‘The sister that I raised shouldn’t be this weak.’
Rose couldn’t focus at all.
Right behind the Crimson Squad Leader was a figure who continued to haunt her even in her sleep, refusing ever to leave her alone.
That half-hearted smile of hers…
‘Well, if you don’t want to suffer, you can always take the easy way out.’
Bringing her hands towards her neck, she smiled at Rose.
‘…It’s not hard. I’ve done it. You can too.’
Why?
Why do you keep haunting me?