NOVGO.NET Chapter 228: Un Deux Trois [3]
Chapter 228: Un Deux Trois [3]
The Lily of the Valley, whether spirit or demon, fed upon the innermost desires of its guests. It was the first of its kind to have taken on a tangible form.
A structure born not by hand, but by will.
If this truly were still the game, if the game itself had ever been real, players would have already dissected every inch of it. They would have mapped the corridors, written the rules, discovered loopholes, and sold that knowledge for profit.
“Marquess Astrea, I-I’m sorry… but I can’t take this anymore…”
One of the scholars was ready to end his life before the Lily of the Valley could claim him. However, Vanitas seized the man before he could fully commit to the act.
“Don’t be selfish,” Vanitas said. “You think to end it so insignificantly, when there are still scholars here fighting to decipher the very nature of this place?”
The scholar’s knees buckled under Vanitas’s cold gaze, beginning to weep.
“Life is not yours alone to discard,” Vanitas continued. “The moment you came here, your existence became part of the answer. Die here and I’ll make sure it doesn’t just end with you.”
The weeping scholar buried his face in his hands. Everyone in the hall knew what kind of man Vanitas Astrea was. If he meant to make good on a threat, he would.
After the matter was settled, the remaining scholars assembled in a single room for a formal briefing.
“First, the matter of time,” Vanitas began, his gaze fixed on a certain Scholar. “As Scholar Jenny has hypothesized, the concept of time here does not align with our standards. Further study is required to confirm this, but such confirmation is impossible without outside reference.”
The problem was that no one could leave. Without a point of comparison, the seconds and minutes of the Lily of the Valley could not be measured properly.
“Still, I’ve made contingencies,” Vanitas continued. “I instructed my people outside to enter this place if an entire week passed without our return. Yet no one has come. Tell me, Scholar Jenny, how many days has it been here?”
“Nineteen days, Marquess.”
“Which leaves us with two possibilities. Either the outside has forgotten us, or the time within the Lily of the Valley flows differently from the time outside.”
Jenny adjusted her glasses as she added, “If the latter is true, then the longer we remain here, the more we diverge from the world beyond. What may feel like weeks to us could be only hours or days outside.”
Another scholar spoke up.
“Now, on to the second matter. Regardless of what time itself is doing, it is clear this hotel has no intention of letting us leave. I had Scholar Allen test the reception desk. His request to depart was met with the same answer each time. That his stay had not ended. Which means one of two things. Either they truly never intend for us to leave… or they intend to wipe us out until none of us remain.”
The room grew tense at that.
“Then are we prisoners?” one scholar asked.
“No.” Vanitas’s reply was immediate. “The Lily of the Valley’s guise as a hotel is absolute, which means we are bound by its rules of hospitality. That façade is both its strength and its weakness.”
“Then… what are we to do?”
“Fortunately,” Vanitas said, “I’ve discovered the means of our escape.”
At once, hope glistened in everyone’s eyes.
“How?” someone pressed.
“Is that true, Marquess?” another asked.
“It is.” Vanitas nodded. “But for it to work, you will all need to trust me. I know some of you blame me for bringing you here. I don’t care. Trust me or don’t, but act when I tell you to.”
“Whatever it is, please, tell us,” Scholar Jenny urged.
“That’s the problem. I can’t.”
Discussions echoed once more. Vanitas raised a hand, silencing them.
“The Lily of the Valley,” he continued, “no matter where you are, no matter who you’re with, it is always listening. And it is listening to us now.”
The scholars fell silent. Some glanced at the walls, others at the lamps, as though expecting the hotel to respond.
“Like I said, whether you like it or not, you’ll have to trust me.”
At his words, every scholar present swallowed hard.
* * *
“What is the meaning of this, Grand Duke?”
“That question is not meant for me,” Friedrich Glade replied, turning to Selena. “But for your maid.”
“Grand Duke….”
Vanitas’s orders were absolute. Both Margaret and Selena understood this well, that under no circumstances was the Saintess’s identity to be revealed until his final assessment.
The world they lived in permitted no carelessness. Anyone could be colluding with the cult, Araxys.
Selena herself had said the Pope was possessed. If that was true, then who was to say a Great Power could not be as well?
Who was to say Friedrich Glade wasn’t conspiring with the cult?
Who was to say it was even the true Grand Duke standing before them at all?
That was part of Vanitas’s intent. To peer through the Grand Duke, to determine whether he could be entrusted, or whether he could be turned into a weapon to wield.
His command was simple.
Trust no one but him.
The fact that Selena had broken those orders and revealed her identity to Astrid and Karina irked Margaret more than she cared to admit.
However, that had been the Saintess’s judgment. Selena had deemed it necessary, and once the decision was made, Margaret could do little else. After scolding her the previous day, she had no choice but to accept the outcome.
“….”
And now Margaret found herself in an even more precarious position. The bloodlust emanating from the Northern Grand Duke was so overwhelming that her hand, still gripping her sword, began to tremble without her realizing it.
Hiding Selena behind her, Margaret looked up at the Grand Duke.
“What judgment led you to conclude that my maid is responsible for your son’s death? Was it not the Thunderbird? Or is this merely an attempt to pin the blame on my Lord?”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed. If that were the case, she was ready to lay down her life here and now. No one, absolutely no one, had the right to conspire against Vanitas in such a manner, even if it were the Emperor himself.
“You defend him with such fervor,” the Grand Duke said at last. “But loyalty can be mistaken for ignorance. Tell me then, would you stake your life on the claim that your Lord is beyond reproach?”
Margaret’s grip on her sword tightened. Her chest rose and fell with a controlled breath before she answered.
“I already have.”
“Admirable. But I am a man who seeks reason first. As long as the Marquess is not here, I will refrain from executing judgment. And as for your question…”
Friedrich drew a folded piece of cloth from his pocket.
“That is…?” Margaret inquired.
Friedrich’s eyes shifted past her, landing on Selena. “It belongs to the clothes your maid wore on her first night here. The servants who handled her laundry confirmed it. Her garments bore a tear, and this piece of cloth matches.”
“….”
“But more than that,” Friedrich continued, “this was discovered at the scene of the crime. Found moments after my son’s death. A scrap of fabric that should not have been there. From what I know, only Marquess Astrea and Sigmund were present until I arrived and saw my son’s body.”
Margaret’s eyes widened. The accusation was absurd. There was no possible way Selena could have been at the scene of the crime.
Yet as she recalled that night, her breath caught in her throat. For a certain time frame, Selena had not been at her side, excusing herself for prayer reasons.
’Could that have been—’
Margaret shook her head, forcing the thought away as quickly as it came. To even entertain doubt toward the Saintess was preposterous. This was clearly nothing more than a misunderstanding.
“….”
Margaret felt Selena clutching at her clothes from behind. The girl was trembling. Margaret calmed herself. In this moment, she was the only one who could protect Selena.
If she allowed fear to take hold of her as well, then who would protect the Saintess?
Meeting Selena’s gaze, Margaret said, “We have no choice but to—”
Before she could finish, Selena shook her head firmly, pressing her lips tightly.
The Saintess, who had so confidently revealed her identity before Astrid and Karina when there had been no need, now chose to keep it hidden when it mattered most, when her very life hung in the balance.
Margaret’s fist tightened at her side before she gave a resolute nod. “I understand.”
“So, care to explain yourselves?” Friedrich said. “My patience is wearing thin. I would rather not resort to force. But if the need arises, I will not hesitate.”
The death of his son demanded answers, and nothing less would suffice.
“Grand Duke, would it not be possible to wait for my Lord’s return?” Margaret asked.
“Then are you suggesting this is a conspiracy by the Marquess himself?”
A vein throbbed on Margaret’s forehead. “This is blatant antagonization, Grand Duke. Innocent until proven guilty, have you never heard of such a concept?”
“Then tell me,” Friedrich pressed, his gaze narrowing. “Who is that maid, really? From what I’ve gathered from this exchange, you seem adamant to keep her identity hidden until the very end. Is this truly a conspiracy?”
“….”
Margaret’s jaw clenched, but before she could answer, Friedrich stepped forward, causing Selena to flinch behind her.
“I will ask one last time. Who is she? If her identity is as vital as you claim, then hiding it only deepens suspicion.”
“She’s…”
Margaret hesitated, but before the words could form, Selena’s grip tightened around her sleeve. The Saintess shook her head and whispered something meant only for Margaret.
“I don’t trust that man…”
——Is that so?
Before either of them could react, Friedrich was suddenly behind them.
Clang——!
His blade cut through the air toward Selena. Margaret intercepted the strike with her sword.
The clash thundered through the vicinity as the ground beneath them shattered under the sheer force. Pain shot through Margaret’s body as the impact rattled every bone, yet she held her ground, refusing to fold.
“Run!” Margaret screamed.
Selena swallowed hard and broke into a sprint, heading toward the leyline. But almost immediately, the knights of the Glade duchy moved to intercept her.
Prepared to retaliate, Selena gathered her magic, ready to unleash it, when suddenly, the world froze over.
“I’m unsure of the situation, but it seems serious. Still, if there’s anyone in this world I can trust, it’s you.”
Karina appeared out of nowhere, her power engulfing the area in frost. The chasers, knights, and even the air itself were seized by ice, locked in place as Selena was stunned by her sudden arrival.
Calming herself, Selena swallowed hard before running ahead, offering her thanks.
“Iridelle’s child…” Friedrich muttered, his eyes narrowing as he turned back to Margaret. “I do not understand. Do you play the part of a blind ant? Is ignorance your refuge, or are you simply playing the fool? Do you not see that maid is deceiving even you? I doubt you even grasp the weight of my words.”
Clang! Clang!
“I’m aware, Grand Duke,” Margaret answered, meeting his blows head-on. “But I am not meant to reveal her identity, for its significance demands silence.”
“That is where you’re wrong,” Friedrich countered. “Even that so-called identity you vehemently believe in, whatever tale you have been told, is nothing but a farce.”
Clang! Clang!
The clash threw sparks across the chamber. After only a few exchanges, Margaret was sent reeling backward, her body burning with pain from the sheer difference in strength.
“Either you are delusional, or you force a narrative, Grand Duke,” Margaret said through gritted teeth. “You speak as though you understand who she truly is.”
“The Saintess, is it not?”
“….”
“Even that, too, is a farce.”
Friedrich’s eyes gleamed as he raised his blade once more.
“You are absolute fools, you and the Marquess alike.”
* * *
“Haa… H-haa…”
Selena panted heavily, her legs nearly buckling as she reached the entrance to the leyline. All around her was a frozen pathway Karina had laid before her. Every Glade knight in the vicinity had been encased in layers of frost.
Truly, the heights of an origin’s power knew no bounds.
Forcing her racing heartbeat to calm down, Selena pushed open the doors.
* * *
Meanwhile, Astrid, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, pressed her fingers against her temples, already feeling the throb of an oncoming headache.
The political outrage this incident could ignite was staggering. Karina, one of Zyphran’s representatives, had antagonized the duke of a foreign nation.
“Is the Admiral even aware?!” Astrid muttered.
If the matter escalated further, Aetherion would have every justification to demand recompense from the Zyphran Dominion.
And once the facts were presented, other nations would have little reason to oppose an alliance with Aetherion in pressing their claim.
Even Astrid, whose temper had cooled in recent months, felt anger rise within her. For all the respect she harbored toward the Saintess, Selena’s recklessness was undeniable.
Astrid moved to intervene, but before she could stop her, Selena had already stepped into the Lily of the Valley.
“Ah, damn it!” Astrid cursed under her breath, following quickly after.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she too was greeted by the Lily of the Valley.