The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

”But it’s far too dangerous...”

”Don’t worry. Something like this hardly counts as danger.”

What were they talking about? She seemed about to face her uncle’s side in the tournament. Still, the lordship? Had they struck some hidden pact to wager the outcome of a so-called friendly match?

Just then, attendants came to report other matters to Rubia, cutting short the women’s conversation. I watched Christina continue her training in the clearing with deliberate defiance, and my thoughts grew heavier.

What was Kirk planning? Perhaps, he’d secured the aid of the imperial ghosts hiding in Erast. Would those ghosts, who claimed to intervene only in special incidents, truly involve themselves in something as trivial as a tournament?

This is worth investigating.

***

I slipped into the place where Rubia’s uncle and his pack were holed up. Kirk’s hair was a tangled mess, and empty bottles of strong liquor littered the table. He appeared much more of a mess than the last time I’d seen him. Would the duke’s ghosts really help such a filth?

For now, all I could do was wait. They had dealings with Botis’s envoy, which was difficult to track because of the Blessing of Concealment. Existing in seams sewn by the Demon King’s protection beneath the world, they were free to mock, rob, or kill those who passed by unaware.

But so did I. Rayleigh’s Stealth had already become part of me. I’d know if Kirk contacted the ghosts. The first to reveal themselves always lost.

Night fell.

”Cough!”

Thick smoke billowed from a pipe, choking the cramped room. Eyes reddened, lips flapped wordlessly as they drew in each drag. Their mouths and noses pulled the fumes deep, only to spew out even greater clouds. And what was left to them wasn’t only smoke.

”Haah... this is wretched,” the man muttered, his face bloodless. Filthy dark-red blotches mottled his cheeks and neck. His eyes were sunken, ringed with heavy wrinkles.

”Why are you whining?” interjected another man.

”What idiot called this opium? At this purity, it won’t even lift your mood.”

”Yublam’s been strange lately.”

As they sucked down the cheap drug, they turned toward Kirk. ”Boss, even the lord... and Asphode, that bastard... don’t they both seem off?”

A chill of dissonance gripped me. Asphode was alive? That was impossible. I had killed him with my own hands. His heart, his throat, and his body were severed and destroyed. I snapped my head around in shock.

”Who knows.”

The subject ended there. Addled by the drug, they lapsed back into worthless chatter, inhaling filth and spewing it back out. I kept my watch, but no ghosts appeared. Half a day passed without the slightest sign.

Just then, someone stumbled into the room.

Kirk greeted the man eagerly. ”Oh! Did you bring the goods?”

The narrow-eyed newcomer shook his head and set his bag on the table. ”Haah... we’re finished. Completely finished.”

Clack.

He slumped his shoulders as he opened the bag. Inside was nothing but a few silver coins, an unused promissory note Kirk had signed to repay debts once he became lord, and dust.

The others scowled instantly.

”What the hell? No goods?”

”No one’s willing to trade with us.”

”Again?”

”Damn it... what do we do now?”

Kirk’s gaze darkened as all eyes turned to him. ”Don’t worry too much. I have a plan.”

”A plan? You mean, they’re finally going to help us?”

”Shut it! Watch your tongue unless you want to die.”

”But we’re desperate. Don’t we have a right to know? You’ve been hinting as much to the others.”

Are the ghosts involved after all?

Kirk hesitated, then exhaled heavily. ”They seem busy. I haven’t been able to reach them in some time.”

”In times like this?”

”But I’ve prepared a plan of my own!”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

Busy? Impossible.

Their only role was to monitor Erast for irregularities. They had nothing else to do. No, they had simply abandoned him, unimpressed by his incompetence. That would only make Rubia’s competence shine all the brighter by comparison. Unless they were directly provoked, they wouldn’t move.

”So what’s the plan?”

Even standing at his side, I leaned in closer to listen.

The anxious newcomer pressed on. ”Let’s be honest. We have no warrior who can match that ogress. She’s strong and fast. A single swing of her blade shreds armor like paper.”

”Tch! Then we’ll half-kill her so she can’t even step into the match.”

Doubtful eyes fixed on Kirk. ”You’re sure?”

”Of course! What do you take me for? This time it’s real. Everything is going according to plan.”

The man seemed on the verge of saying something, then swallowed it. ”Hmph...”

Taking the silence as consent, Kirk smiled in satisfaction. ”Imagine the disgrace. How will she stand after such humiliation? One move, and everything turns around.”

The group sitting around the liquor-stained table nodded reluctantly, their faces still clouded with doubt.

No ghosts. That much was certain. Relief washed over me, though I still couldn’t discern how Kirk meant to strike Rubia and Christina. There was no written plan.

For a moment, I considered tailing them, but then I shook my head. It’d be foolish to intervene directly in the inauguration. The lordship ceremony of Grassmere would be held on a grand scale. If even one mage capable of armor penetration or disguises were present, all the careful work I had done to support Rubia through others would collapse like foam.

Once more, I was painfully reminded of my restraints. The only choice was to warn them in advance, so that those directly involved could prepare themselves.

***

”Rubia.”

Buried in paperwork and working herself ragged, she nearly slumped over her desk before jolting upright with wide eyes.

”Hm? My lady, what is it?”

”Pretend you didn’t notice. I have a message to deliver.”

Only then did Rubia set down the fountain pen she was still clutching. Midday sunlight poured through the window. I cast no shadow in that light, but Rubia clenched her fist, as if she had sensed me clearly.

”It’s nothing, Chief Steward. I was just about to take a short break.”

”Ah, forgive me. I pushed you too hard, thinking only of my own stamina. Heh... Please rest. I’ll step out for a moment.”

With a faint guilt and no small pride at how hard she worked, the chief steward looked at Rubia beyond the mountain of documents, then left the room.

”It’s been... a long time...”

I went straight to the point. ”At the Grassmere lordship inauguration, Kirk Ray is plotting something.”

”Still... it really has been a while... At least say hello.”

”...”

Smiling warmly into empty air, where to others there was nothing at all, she said, ”You kept helping me from the shadows, didn’t you? Thank you. Truly, thank you. Because of you, people who should have died lived, and those who would have been hurt walked away unharmed.”

Moisture trembled in her voice. She sounded as if she were laughing through tears. In the echo inside my head were loneliness, gratitude, sorrow, and resolve.

I didn’t want to lose Rubia. I wanted to fix this successfully, alter the past in place. I wanted to end the scenario quickly... Yet as a result, I spent far less time with her than before. The more I failed, the longer I could stay by her side. Even as I said I wanted to keep saving her, perhaps I now wanted to abandon Rubia.

”Kirk is plotting something at the inauguration...”

Rubia opened her eyes and smiled softly. ”I know.”

”You... know?”

She nodded. ”I have a countermeasure. Christina may be in a little danger, but I won’t tell you what it is.”

”...”

”I’m the one who’ll become lord, so just this once, please trust me. The help you’ve given already is more than enough.”

Not even knowing where I stood, Rubia gazed at the air and smiled, her large eyes glistening.

As if making up her mind, she gently clenched both small fists. ”Even so, I could still help... Your words alone, just knowing you’ve worried about me this much, already moves me. But this time, please watch. I’m confident too.”

I could only fall silent. I remembered when Rubia had spoken of killing Kirk Ray outright. What scheme was she weaving now? Yet to me, her face seemed too pure for the word ”plot.”

I decided to attend the inauguration. If any threat to Rubia’s life arose, I’d position myself to intervene at once. Whatever followed would still be better than watching her die before my eyes again. There were certainly better ways, but with Isaac locked in my inventory, I had no one to ask for counsel. A thin emptiness spread through me.

Rubia glanced my way, about to change the subject, when I sensed a presence approaching fast. It was one person. They came straight down the inner keep’s corridor toward the office, moving as if they knew the layout perfectly. Not a guest. Their stealth was so refined I only noticed them at this range. Even while maintaining concealment, their speed was that of an arrow just loosed from the string. This was no ordinary opponent.

A ghost? No, the Demon King’s blessing felt different. If it were Botis’s method of stitching things into another world, I wouldn’t sense them at all. There was no impact of footfalls, no scrape of friction on the floor. It was pure superb physical control.

Could this be the one Kirk Ray trusted so blindly? How could someone like him hire a being like this?

Sword Energy.

Blue aura rose instantly along the entire length of my sword. It was a clear, straight, azure blade of force. The presence drew nearer to the office without slowing. I was about to step out and deal with them for Rubia’s sake when I recognized who it was and froze.

Rena...?

The figure was as familiar as Rubia, perhaps more so. I knew without seeing. Still, had Rena’s stealth ever been this good? Even for her, it was hard to believe she had grown this much in so short a time.

Flap!

Rena slipped into the office as if no one were there, shrugging off a cloak I’d never seen before. Thorn-vine patterns ran at the waist, and a serpent was embroidered at the collar. While it covered her, it shrouded her in pitch-black shadow. Once she spread her arms and half-shed it, the fabric thinned into a light, translucent violet.

”I’m back. Am I visiting too often?”

Rubia greeted Rena with a beaming smile. ”No. It’s been a while. I’d love to see you more, but you’re busy, aren’t you?”

Judging from the deeply familiar way she smiled, surely this wasn’t their first or second meeting. As I reeled at how warmly Rubia welcomed her...

Thud.

”Have you been well? Here you go. First, a special capital bulletin. The one at the center is a volatile case named Leandro.”

Thud.

”And this is the monthly intelligence report. We added reconnaissance zones oriented to the south-central region, so it should be useful enough. Do you like geography? Read it for fun.”

”Wow... You must be swamped with your regular duties, and yet, Rena, you’re incredible. I’m impressed every time.”

Rena gave an awkward smile and rolled her shoulder. ”Not really...”

The scene was so oddly cozy that I couldn’t hold back any longer. ”You and Rena know each other?”

Rubia tipped her head in a small nod. ”Didn’t you help T&T support me?”

True enough. But I hadn’t expected this level of goodwill.

Rubia smiled warmly. ”Rena, you seem unusually excited today.”

Cloaked in violet, Rena paused, stepped back half a pace, and finally spoke, as if only now revealing the real reason she had come.

”But...”