* * * “Gah?!” Rintarou smashed the window and leaped outside, rolling on the ground in the inner garden on the church grounds. If he hadn’t jumped, he would have been bisected in two, stippling the place with his entrails. Using his momentum, Rintarou regained his balance to stand again and looked up behind him. “I wonder what in the world could be going on here… Merlin.” At a ledge before the crumbling second floor stood a young girl shouldering a claymore and looking down at Rintarou with maddened eyes that glared. “Lamorak, you—?!” Rintarou yelled, and the second floor fell behind him, collapsing loudly. “You underestimated me. I had a bad feeling and came running home. And here we are, with my beloved lord in this state of disarray… This is going to be difficult to overlook.” Sir Lamorak beamed as though she had been waiting for this all along. “Shit…” Rintarou ground his teeth, uncharacteristically discomposed. Why?! Why is Lamorak here?! My secret boundary was perfect! Even a wizard from the legendary era couldn’t break it, much less a knight like Lamorak! But then why is she here?! How did she break through?! Rintarou thought while gnashing his teeth. “…Sir Lamorak…you…saved me…” As she collected her clothes, Emma made her way over to Sir Lamorak…and nestled in next to her. The Carved Seal of Control had disappeared. It must have been because their session was cut short. “Oh, it must have been so scary, Emma… I’m sorry. This happened because I was careless…” There was something shameless in Sir Lamorak’s outward kindness. “I thought that…I could leave Rintarou Magami to you. But…I couldn’t have guessed this would happen. I never would have thought he would toy with your heart and betray you… I couldn’t even imagine that! I’m really sorry, Emma… I’m a failure as a knight.” She voiced regret and atonement of her own blunder, but there was definitely something behind them. But Emma didn’t even notice that. “…It’s okay… I’m fine…so…” Wet with tears, her eyes steadily burned with extreme loathing and rage. “My beloved lord, please give me an opportunity to atone for my sins. Allow me to use my weapon to fix my blunder. Now…what would you like me to do, Emma? What would you like me to do with that backstabber, that bottom-feeder, that vulgar boy?” Sir Lamorak asked. “…Please…kill him…” Fwoosh. Something ghostly and black rose up from Emma’s body… “Rintarou Magami! You betrayed me…! I won’t forgive you… I’ll never…! This is a royal order…! Kill that unsightly traitor… Slaughter Rintarou Magami! Murder Rintarou Magamiiii!” Emma shrieked, releasing her wrath. “You got it, my beloved lord—ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” replied Sir Lamorak. Overflowing with indescribable delight and divine euphoria, she headed toward Rintarou with a smile—degenerate, morbid, and insane. It felt almost as though she had finally gotten her chance to fulfill a long-standing wish. I see. There are still things I can’t figure out, but…I’m starting to see behind this charade. Rintarou glanced at Emma next to Sir Lamorak. The faint and strange aura that wrapped around Emma couldn’t have been discerned without spiritual sight. It was reddish black, as if concentrated down from human malice. It was nauseating. …That’s…a Curse of a Changed Heart… A Curse of a Changed Heart was one of the evilest of curses, and it could chillingly sever irreplaceable bonds—between the platonic bonds of a King and a knight or the romantic ones between a man and a woman. The curse was simple. The cursed would experience ten times the amount of hatred, disgust, and resentment if the designated party “betrayed” them. But relationships without any betrayal or lies didn’t exist in this world. At times, there was a need to lie or conceal the truth for the sake of the other person. However, the Curse of a Changed Heart made those trivial things unforgivable. This isn’t the work of Lamorak. She’s doesn’t know the first thing about magic. I don’t know who did it, but it looks like Emma was specifically selected for this purpose. Wasn’t there a wicked witch during ancient times who used that curse to interfere with the Round Table and other countries…? Now wasn’t the time for him to take that into careful consideration. Fwsht. In front of Rintarou, Sir Lamorak jumped down from the second floor in full armor. “You heard her. Fight me, Merlin.” “Why you! …Was that your real aim all along?” “Hmm? I have no idea what you could be talking about,” Sir Lamorak said, a bald-faced lie… She unsheathed her claymore and calmly walked toward Rintarou. Then, the Rothschild formed around her… Ha-ha. This is bad… There’s no way I can win! Rintarou couldn’t help but laugh. He took in Sir Lamorak’s stance, spirit, aura…and he knew this was fact. It was almost exactly the same as when he had squared off against Sir Lancelot and Kujou just the other day. It was one thing if he were Merlin in his heyday, but as Rintarou Magami, this was far out of his reach. Lamorak with the red shields, the Rothschild—Sir Lamorak of Gales. Back in the day, she was the top brass and one among the strongest knights who gave the Round Table renown. “C’mon… Hurry and show me that power from earlier…,” said Sir Lamorak, closing in the distance on Rintarou. By that, she must have meant his Fomorian Transformation. “Merlin, you’ve got something special in you, haven’t you? It seems you still can’t use it to its fullest extent, but…that’s okay. I’ll be gentle while I teach you the basics, like it’s your first time. Show me the most dynamic version of yourself you can… Okay?” Dammit, what do I do? Rintarou desperately tried to think of a way to survive while savoring the adrenaline. If he was going to fight Sir Lamorak, the Fomorian Transformation would be essential, but even then, he would be far from what he needed. If he tried using the Fomorian Transformation to fight in this situation, he’d only get closer to a slow defeat. …What do I do? It just made no sense to fight here. It wasn’t wide. He wanted to make a strategic retreat, but Sir Lamorak wouldn’t let him escape that easily. In that case, he needed to find an opportunity to get away from the fight, but he would need the Fomorian Transformation to do it. The only problem was that it would put an immense burden on Rintarou’s body. After all, he was still recovering from the reactionary damage from the fight with Kujou. If he activated his powers now, he wouldn’t be able to continue on, even if he managed to escape. “Hmm? You’re not going to do it? Well, I don’t really mind…” She didn’t even give Rintarou the chance to figure out what to do… “…We’re starting now.” Bam! There was the sound of an impact, as though the air exploded. Sir Lamorak kicked the earth and readied her claymore as she launched herself at Rintarou. He couldn’t postpone it anymore. Heh! Guess I’ve got no choice! Preparing himself, Rintarou started to invoke his Fomorian Transformation— Rustle! Rustle-rustle! Suddenly, Rintarou was engulfed by a blizzard of scattered leaves. “Whaaa—?!” Rintarou, Sir Lamorak, and Emma were in shock. A maelstrom of dancing leaves whirled before their eyes and obscured their vision. However, Sir Lamorak didn’t so much as flinch, and the hair-trigger flash of her claymore cut through in that moment. It should have caught Rintarou, but—he had disappeared into mist, vanishing into the scattered leaves. Sir Lamorak’s claymore cleaved through the sky and blew away the entire fencing surrounding the church. Some seconds of silence elapsed… “…He escaped,” Sir Lamorak spat out in annoyance. She sheathed her sword and drew back her Rothschild. “That was Blood Sorcery of Elves. Secret Fey Road, huh? It must be the work of that little nymph Felicia. Hmph… I thought she was a worthless lackey, but I might have underestimated her. I can’t believe she pulled one over on me.” She had been robbed of her opportunity again before she could tear into her feast… Sir Lamorak’s expression put her emotions on full display as she ground her teeth. “…Sir Lamorak!” Emma carried her Excalibur in her hand as she came down. “We’re going after him. The Secret Fey Road is a type of magic that brings the designated party to the magic user using a Guide Pixie, but…its range isn’t that wide. She must be nearby. If we follow the traces of aura, we’ll definitely find them.” “Oh, Emma. You’re coming, too?” “Yes. He deceived me tonight, and I’ll make sure to punish him!” When Sir Lamorak looked, Emma was crying—from grief, even though her eyes flashed with anger. “I liked him, but…I loved him, but…! But Rintarou Magami rejected me…! He chose Luna…! I can’t forgive him…! I’m much better than her! As a woman and as a King! Rintarou Magami should love me and be by my side, but…! But…! There’s nothing I can forgive him for now!” She loathed Rintarou with enough intensity to stoke the flames of hell. At the same time, she had love deeper than an ocean for him. The flames of love and hate scorched her from within. For the first time in her life, she felt a strong impulse. It was ironic that this was the moment that Emma had clarity on her reason to fight amid her oscillating emotions. “I don’t care about saving the world anymore! I don’t care about a world where he doesn’t love me back! I don’t care about a world where no one watches over me, where nobody is kind to me! And you know what? I’ll break it… I’ll destroy everything about Rintarou Magami and Luna…! I’ll make him regret not choosing me while he’s in the pits of hell…! That’s the reason I’ll become King! I’ll become King in order to destroy their royal path!” Sir Lamorak watched as Emma burned with dark and passionate hellfire. “Aaah… Nice… Emma… I really like…this new you,” Sir Lamorak muttered as though she were in rapture. “Yes… That is why I risked my life to serve you, my supreme King…Emma Michelle. I dedicate my sword, my soul, my life, and my everything to you! Until death parts us, my body will be beside you! …Ah-ha…Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” She vowed her absolute allegiance to Emma. Sir Lamorak’s roar of laughter overflowed with delight. It was almost an ode sung for the birth of a lord. It echoed with glee through the night.
Chapter 27
9 min read