Before we left, the guards handed each of us weapons for self-defense.
Most noblemen learned basic combat, and though it was rare for a woman, Elder Sister knew how to use a lance thanks to her crown princess education. She took the lance without a second thought, while Lady Cynthia looked much more flustered, gripping her lance as if she didn’t know how to hold it. She was the daughter of a viscount, so I doubted she ever needed to learn to fight.
When he spotted her, Big Brother approached Lady Cynthia to take the lance back. “Wait, you can’t fight, Lady Cynthia. Why don’t you carry the book instead? I want as many of us to have weapons as possible.”
Big Brother’s personal guard handed her a wrapped bundle in exchange for her lance.
“…Is this the real one?”
I understood Lady Cynthia’s doubt. Big Brother smiled slyly.
“Who knows? Now, once we leave here, the guards will guide us to a carriage.”
Everyone nodded. As soon as we exited the hidden door, I was shocked to see how many enemies were patrolling the path to the carriage. They must have been hiding nearby all along. They hadn’t actually followed me back from the manor.
“Religious fanatics obey commands more easily, I see,” Big Brother observed. “Fascinating. I’d like to try using them myself sometime.”
We were moving stealthily through the forest behind the resort, but Big Brother didn’t sound like he was taking this dangerous situation seriously at all.
No, I’m sure he understands. He’s just not letting his fear show. Hearing my brother sound so calm put my mind at ease, strangely. I maneuvered through the forest as I kept a careful eye on our surroundings.
“The carriage is this way.”
Big Brother’s personal guard said that, then left us in the forest to go and confirm that the carriage was safe. …But suddenly, he jumped backwards and hit the ground. Only a millisecond later, the carriage exploded.
“They brought gunpowder with them?!”
It was a massive explosion, but larger than what any of us could have expected. How could they have physically carried enough gunpowder with them to produce such a blast?
“Oh no… It’s because of the fireworks…” Lady Cynthia put the pieces together.
That’s right. The Rhuddlan territory lights fireworks during its festivals. That must be where they got so much gunpowder. The festival meant for Big Brother’s protection had been turned into a weapon to use against him. How dare they corrupt such beautiful memories? I seethed with hatred.
“Over there! It’s the firstborn prince!”
Those voices probably belonged to the very people who packed the carriage with gunpowder. The horses bolted from the explosion, so we had no choice but to run.
Big Brother’s guard was fighting the men near where the carriage exploded. We dashed deeper into the forest, taking the few palace guards we still had with us, but more and more enemies were swarming our group.
These men fought for their God and truly believed they were doing the right thing. They wouldn’t hesitate to attack anyone—even members of the royal family.
“This is bad… We hit the sea.”
When Big Brother said that, I finally realized that we were at a dead end.
The once-glittering ocean I saw from up in that tree was now a murky omen spelling our doom. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The ocean was at the bottom of a steep cliff, much too high up to survive a drop from. Still, the enemies pushed us forward until our backs were against the cliff.
“Your Royal Highness! Take that hood off! Is it true that you’ve taken the form of a beast?!” one of the enemies shouted at Big Brother. If he were caught, he’d be forced to reveal his secret to all of them. But I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to protect my brother, as I had sworn I would.
Siraiya cut down a man who tried to grab Big Brother, then knocked down the next one who tried to launch a follow-up attack. He was really strong. But it hardly made a dent in the swarm of enemies. I stood at Siraiya’s side and fought off our foes, too.
“You there, girl! What’re you holding?! That looks suspicious! Hand it over!”
Oh no! I’d been so preoccupied trying to protect Big Brother, I didn’t keep close enough of an eye on Lady Cynthia. Elder Sister and the guards were protecting her, but there were just too many foes. One of the men slipped past them and reached for Lady Cynthia.
“Cynthia!”
Siraiya raced toward her. Lady Cynthia was staggering backward to keep the book out of enemy hands.
But that was when…
Lady Cynthia fell.
“Cyn-…!”
I was still in the middle of battle, but the second I realized it was too late, my entire body went limp. Lady Cynthia was gone. I fell to my knees…only to witness something even more unbelievable.
Siraiya tossed his sword aside and dove straight from the top of the cliff.
I remembered how he told me he wouldn’t hesitate to die for Cynthia. So he’d been telling the truth after all.
Two people I’d grown close to just perished right before my eyes. A wail of pure horror escaped my mouth. My entire body shook down to my bones. I needed to get back on my feet—to protect Big Brother like I vowed I would. But I couldn’t.
Even though it was probably only a few seconds, a storm of emotions consumed me. But just then, something large and white shot up from the ocean that they’d tumbled into.
“Wh-… What is that thing…? …A bird?”
The strange creature glowed like a divine being, moonlight reflecting off its back. A pair of large white wings flapped effortlessly, stirring up strong gusts of wind.
Someone on the cliffside broke the silence.
“It’s an angel…”