Nagi ran as fast as he could. He sprinted down the shortcut from Ronadyphe Prison and came out onto the first ring road. He then headed straight south toward the intersection with the western highway Saya was taking.
He suppressed his growing impatience as he covered a distance that would normally take half a day of walking. He simply kept running.
It had already been evening by the time he’d left Ronadyphe, so he arrived at the intersection in the dead of the night.
He wavered, wondering which way to go. If Saya had already passed through, he had to go south to chase her to Duke Griesfelt’s villa. On the other hand, if she had yet to come this way, Nagi had to head east toward the capital to intercept her.
It was highly likely that Saya was riding a cogwagon meant for nobles, so it would stand out considerably. If he asked around the local villages, he could find out if a cogwagon had passed through. He decided to take a short nap, wait until morning, then ask the locals for information.
However, his plan never came to be. When he arrived at the village he planned to rest at, he heard someone scream in pain. There was no way he would mistake the owner of that voice for someone else.
Nagi forgot about the fatigue from his journey in an instant and ran toward the voice at full speed. The screaming continued. Something bad was definitely happening. He could see three small shadows in the distance. One of them was Saya. He would have recognized her no matter what she was wearing. Another one of the figures was probably that knight, Jubilia. The last was a woman he didn’t know.
As he grew closer, he saw that Jubilia was fighting against the unknown woman. It looked like the familiar knight was protecting Saya behind her. However, she wasn’t in good shape, so she was being pushed back. In that case, perhaps the other woman was the assassin Crow had mentioned. Saya’s life was in danger. Nagi’s rage and anxiety bubbled to the surface.
He reflexively drew a Halahala-coated arrow from the quiver on his back, pulled back the string of his bow, and unleashed a shot. His target was somewhat far away, but this was still within Nagi’s effective range.
The assassin dodged Nagi’s arrow and yelled, “Reinforcements?!”
Nagi drew the knife at his waist and ran. Although his protective instincts had nearly taken over, a small part of him remained calm. He knew his enemy here was far beyond him. Regardless, Nagi didn’t stop.
It was clear that Saya would be in grave danger if the assassin wasn’t stopped now. Having grown as a warrior, Nagi could clearly envision his own death at the hands of this opponent. In terms of strength and power, she was way out of his league.
The assassin dodged Nagi’s knife and thrust at his vitals with her claws. He knew it would be the death of him, but this might give Jubilia a chance at victory. Even if there was the smallest possibility, he had to stake his life on it.
He used his very life to protect this girl, just as he had promised. He stepped forward, coming to terms with his demise.
A crimson butterfly fluttered through the air.
It was so beautiful, he thought he was seeing a hallucination on the verge of death. Both Nagi and the assassin stared at it as it flew—and then it swooped down upon her.
Her movements came to a sudden halt, and the life vanished from her eyes. Nagi wasn’t one to let this opportunity pass; he reflexively slashed at her throat. Strangely enough, the assassin didn’t even utter a sound as she collapsed. The butterfly fluttered up from her frozen body and danced about among the gushing blood.
It was a repulsive yet entrancing sight. The scene had his heart astir. The butterfly landed on Saya’s wounded palm and dissolved into her blood. There was a crimson crest on the back of her hand, and her eyes were dyed a deep red.
“Saya!”
Nagi ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders as she sat there in a trance. Saya’s eyes returned to normal, and at the same time, her consciousness returned.
“Nagi?”
He embraced her tightly. She was soft, warm, and alive.
“We meet again,” Saya said, feebly returning his embrace.
He could hear the beating of her heart, and she could hear his. How great it would be if their two hearts could become one. By doing so, they could share the same blood.
There was so much he wanted to say, but all of his words were lost in the warmth of her body, the feel of her skin, and the comfort of her scent. That didn’t go on for long, however, as Nagi remembered Jubilia was still nearby.
“You have my thanks for protecting Saya, but I’m going to have to ask you to release her,” he told Jubilia, putting his hand to the hilt of the knife at his waist, ready to draw it at any time.
“I cannot possibly comply with that. I have been charged with Lady Saya’s protection. I shall escort her to Duke Griesfelt’s villa.”
“There’s no guarantee it’s safe there anymore,” Saya said, turning to face Jubilia herself. “It’s entirely possible there are enemies like Ivara hiding there.”
“It’s still better than the capital.”
“No, there’s an even better place. I’m going with Nagi. To Cobalt.”
“You know I’m with Cobalt?” Nagi asked, surprised.
Saya nodded. “Lernaean told me. He says he has a common front with Cobalt.”
“No way. Lernaean is our enemy, right? We actually fought with him that one time.”
“He thinks his goals are in alignment with yours. He’s likely already in contact with someone there. He knew about you being a part of the group. How did you know I was here?”
“Crow told me. He said you were leaving the capital... Oh, I get it. Lernaean was the one who told Crow.”
That wasn’t all. Crow was strangely well informed of the situation in the capital. If his source of information was in fact Lernaean, nearly everything else made sense. Still, it was rather odd.
“In that case, why did Lernaean attack Cobalt?”
Saya looked straight up at Jubilia. “Tell us what’s going on.”
“I can’t,” Jubilia muttered, averting her gaze.
“Is she actually going to tell the truth?” Nagi asked.
“It’s all right. Jubilia must tell me anything I want to know.”
“Ugh...”
“You’re sworn to your duty as a knight, right?”