Chapter 9: Agnes’s Desired Punishment
CIEL was up early in high spirits.
Today, he was chasing pine cones around the garden after clearly enjoying batting those mushrooms about yesterday. He might have a kitten-like body, but his chubby legs darting about were very cute.
Still, as you might expect from a sacred beast, he was very good at batting those pine cones hard and long. Ciel was zooming around the garden after them at unbelievable speeds.
Agnes was trying to sweep up the leaves, but Ciel kept dashing through the leaf piles and scattering them, meaning that the work was starting to seem endless. She’d mostly cleaned up the garden though, so perhaps she should leave it and move on to some other tasks.
“So, it seems Claude has headed off to the hole in the wall, eh?” Cesar approached Agnes, waving, and Agnes nodded back.
Claude left the house right after eating breakfast. Apparently, he was off to interview the knights stationed at the wall and get an update on the current situation.
“This is your first time in the Walled City, right? Come this way,” Cesar invited.
Agnes followed as they exited the garden, with Ciel dashing quickly after her. It was admirable that Ciel seemed determined to fulfill his role as Agnes’s bodyguard, but with that pine cone in his mouth, it seemed like he wasn’t quite done playing yet.
Cesar led Agnes around to the back of the house. The dwelling itself was built on a small hill, so they had a panoramic view of the surrounding area. At the foot of a large mountain stood a cliff with an exposed rock surface, and a mist-like substance clung to the base.
Odd that there should be fog on such a clear day. Perhaps it was smoke, then, or steam? It was blackish in color, so it seemed to be something else entirely.
“Do you see the cliff at the bottom of that mountain?” Cesar pointed at that very location.
“Yes. But there’s that weird area. It’s a bit unsettling.”
“Yes. That’s the hole in the wall.”
“Wall… You mean that cliff?”
“No. The hole isn’t in the cliff. The cliff just happens to be there.”
But what Cesar was pointing at was a large rock on that same cliff. Agnes couldn’t see anything that looked like a wall. Maybe she needed to be closer to see it.
“We call it a wall, but it’s not a wall in the physical sense. It’s a boundary, between two worlds. In essence, it’s a mass of black mist floating in the air. Ah, but it’d be quicker to just show you.”
So then that cliff face had nothing to do with it physically? It was all quite confusing.
“So that black mist we can see from here… That’s the hole?” Agnes asked.
“Yes. When the number of monsters increases, the amount of mist that leaks out also increases. Usually, you can’t see the mist from here. I’d guess a big wave is coming.”
Then that must mean the “hole” was filled with monsters right now. Claude was there… Would he be all right?
Cesar seemed to notice the concern on Agnes’s face and gently touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Claude will be fine. And the resident knights are skilled enough to fight most monsters without any problem.”
“…Right.”
Right. The knights are there, too.
Claude was strong, and monsters must have appeared before. Worrying too much about him seemed almost rude.
Agnes took a deep breath to calm herself and looked around at the scenery again. On the other side of the mountain was the cliff. Shifting her gaze a little, Agnes saw the Walled City. From what she could see, it was within walking distance.
“It’s closer to the town than I thought,” she observed.
“The town exists so we can monitor the hole in the wall and exterminate the monsters. In the present era, there are four Crest Bearers. In times past, sometimes there weren’t any at all. So, the city needs to have a strong military presence.”
“Wow…”
Agnes had no concept of the sheer number of monsters, but judging from the city and its defenses, no doubt they were formidable foes. The city was the frontline in case of attack. It wasn’t a place for people to live, but a fortress where people would fight.
After that conversation, they headed back to the garden.
“Oh…” Cesar muttered in surprise ahead of Agnes.
Agnes peered over his shoulder and saw that a man had appeared in the garden.
“Armand, eh? It’s been a while,” Cesar said.
The third-in-line prince Armand Visage, a young man with hair the color of lead, bowed to Cesar and came right over to them.
Armand had once plotted to weaken Claude by killing Agnes so that he could become the king, without himself having a Dragon Crest. Agnes knew that after his plan failed, he was sent to the monster suppression force as a knight in training. So, he was sent… Here?
Ah, but come to think of it, there was mention of Armand being stationed here at the hole when Agnes first learned of its existence. Perhaps he’d been here for a while, only no one was able to mention it before.
“Uncle, it’s been a while. You seem to be doing well.”
“Yes. Thanks to Agnes, I’m feeling much better. Have you seen Claude yet?” Cesar asked.
“I have. I heard that you and Lady Agnes would be coming, so I thought I should come around to greet you and apologize properly… Lady Agnes?”
“…Y-Yes?!” Agnes squeaked in response.
Armand’s wickedness had already been exposed and punished, and besides, Cesar was with her. She doubted he would harm her. Nonetheless, it was only natural for her to be guarded against someone who’d exhibited a murderous intent toward her in the past.
But Armand came in front of Agnes and bowed low. “I’ve caused you a lot of trouble. I’m deeply sorry.”
Agnes was stunned by his unexpected sincerity, but Cesar patted Armand on the shoulder, and that’s when he finally raised his head. The apology was not a superficial one; it seemed to come from genuine remorse.
Agnes could see that. But at the same time, he was so different from the Armand Agnes knew that she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Do you finally understand the gravity of the situation after seeing the wall?” Cesar asked.
“Yes. I’m ashamed of my past foolishness. If I had succeeded in my designs on Lady Agnes, I would not have deserved to live. Gerome and Xavier both told me how stupid I’ve been, and…they’re right.” Armand lowered his gaze and sighed. “There was a time in the past when there were no Dragon Crest Bearers. The intended role of the royal family cannot be carried out without at least one. My thinking was that royal blood would be enough, but…”
“Well, you’re not completely wrong. I take it you’ve tested that theory?” Cesar asked.
Armand’s shoulders shook a little.
Agnes wasn’t sure what was going on, but clearly something unpleasant had happened.
“Yes. Blood does count, but not fundamentally. The importance of Crest Bearers and their Dragonmates cannot be overstated. This city has been basically propped up by them.” Armand clenched his fists, and Cesar patted his shoulder with a smile.
“You seem to understand now, so I’ll say no more about it. You’ve grown, Armand.”
“Thank you. And, Lady Agnes…”
“Y-Yes?”
Armand and Cesar were acting like mentor and mentee now. Agnes was starting to relax, but now Armand was talking directly to her.
“Considering what I did to you, I cannot ask you to forgive me. The king has punished me already, but perhaps you could offer an additional punishment that would please you?”
“A… A punishment…?” Agnes hadn’t been expecting this.
“I’m still a royal, so I cannot offer my death as penance. But anything else would be fair game. If you want to never lay eyes on me again, I can assure you that you won’t.”
Personally, Agnes didn’t want anything from Armand. The king had already punished him for his crimes, and Agnes could see that he was remorseful for his actions. But it seemed that Armand needed more.
“…Well, then, perhaps you could swear to protect the Walled City.”
“Protect the…city?” Armand blinked, perhaps surprised by Agnes’s proposal.
As Claude’s blood brother, his expression reminded Agnes a little of him.
“I heard that this place is the frontline of danger, where the hole in the wall is monitored and monsters swiftly dealt with. But there aren’t always Crest Bearers posted here. So, it would be great if you could swear to protect the city at all times.”
“Is… Is that all…?” Armand asked.
“Also, please clean this mansion from time to time. There’s just too much dust.”
There was a pop at the end of Agnes’s speech, and a gray mushroom sprouted on Armand’s arm along with another cap with a stalk that appeared to be covered in white dust.
The Amanita griseofarinosa looked dusty again today, or was that baby powder?
Armand stiffened for a moment as he stared at the mushroom. Then he broke into an amused grin. “All right. I swear to do my best.”
There was another pop, and this time a white mushroom with a rough-looking stalk sprouted on Armand’s shoulder.
“The mushrooms are growing as well as ever. Claude will be very happy.” As Armand said this, he plucked the Coprinopsis lagopus mushroom and stashed it in his pocket. Agnes wondered if he intended to give it to Claude.
Just like with Gerome. It was a little scary to think that arrangements had been put in place for the transfer of mushrooms. If the mushrooms weren’t for Claude, though, then that might indicate mushroom fetishism in Armand as well. Agnes hoped not. She decided to believe that it was simply a brotherly favor he was doing.
“Prince Armand, why aren’t you staying at this house?” Agnes asked.
“Well, like you said, it’s full of dust. And since I’m here as punishment, I’ve been staying in the knights’ quarters. …Incidentally, Uncle…”
“What?”
Agnes realized that Cesar was crouched down, stroking Ciel. The two of them had become quite friendly over such a short period of time.
“I understand that my status means something here, but it’s not enough. I want to know how to fight monsters, and I’d appreciate it if you’d teach me,” Armand requested.
“Once your punishment is over, you won’t be posted here anymore. I doubt there’s much benefit for you to truly learn to swing a sword.” Cesar sounded dismissive, but no doubt he was right.
Gerome, too, had been to the wall only once. Expeditions were important, but there probably wasn’t much need for a non-Crest Bearing royal to be at the wall while other Crest Bearers existed.
But Armand shook his head.
“Because of my shallow thinking, I committed an unforgivable offense as a member of the royal family. I have to do my duty and fulfill my role as a royal.”