CH 161

Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, former 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Veritas Perfectio, 1st son of the Earl of Aldridge, Sapphiras’ former older brother

I was thrown into the basement of the northern tower, where, after being beaten a lot, my hands and feet were bound with chains and I was crucified on the wall. It may have been intended to weaken my will to resist, but my mind and body are not soft enough to be broken by that level.

Although I was left literally helpless, there are knights from Vanderwall lurking in Kelsas, just in case something happens. If they continue to lose contact with us, they will move quickly, but it will still be some time before father is informed of the situation.

The sight of the Sternkurst knight roughly carrying the limp Sapphiras away is clearly etched in my mind. A searing anger and a sense of my own worthlessness up.

“Shit……!”

The chain is pulled with force, but naturally it doesn’t move at all, only a grating sound echoed.

The protection I received from Sapphiras worked well at important times. Since it was beyond my power, I was unable to take advantage of the good opportunity that the War Maiden had created for me. But there’s no point in lamenting it now. That male Crown Prince’s aim must be to disturb my mind and make me lose my composure. If I have time to lament, I should think about how to get out of this situation.

I take a deep breath and calm my head.

Even if Vanderwall moves immediately to rescue Sapphiras, the other party is royalty. The crown prince of this country. I don’t think we can do anything about it immediately. On the contrary, they may even use us as hostages.

I want to somehow turn this situation around, but I can’t start without first recovering my magical power.

The Oath of the War Maiden in my bosom has become cold and silent, as if it were a lie that it was so hot. It was fortunate that the Sternkurst people thought that it was Sapphiras who summoned the spirit, so the oath was not taken away1oh thank goodness. I hope Sapphiras can get his ring and wand back asap., but I don’t know whether this magical tool will be activated again when the magical power is restored. But for now, I’m placing a glimmer of hope on this.

Now that I think about it, adding something to the tea was a simple matter.

I’ve always wondered. Why did they change the tea so much? It is common to serve several kinds of tea at a tea party. But even so, the number of times seemed to be too many. Why did I ignore that discomfort?

Perhaps the drug had been applied to the spout of the pot. Along with the tea that is poured, the drug flows into the Sapphiras’ cup. So it was always Sapphiras who was poured tea first.

It would be impolite not to take a sip of tea when it was offered by someone of higher rank. Even if the wary Sapphiras only took a sip of the tea poured into his cup, if repeated several times, his body would certainly be affected by the drug. I fell for such a simple trick.

My Belisario intuition has rusted a lot in the time I’ve been living in peace and quiet.

But still, there is a very thick magic essence in the air here. What in the world is in this basement? Surely they didn’t build the castle on top of the abyss? If it has this much magic essence, it must be an abyss of a certain size.

“How are you feeling, Belisario-kyou.”

I heard footsteps and was alerted, but it was Sapphiras’ brother with two Sternkurst knights in tow who appeared. Or should I say former brother?

Sapphiras had seen this man in Kelsas. His appearance is no surprise now. He may have lost his place in his homeland and fled to this country, but that no longer matters.

“……Why do you have that wand and ring?”

I am disgusted by the fact that Sapphiras’ wand hangs on his waist as if to show off, and he wears the symbol of sworn friendship on his finger.

There’s no way Sapphiras would obediently hand over the wand and ring. Is he still unconscious, or is he in a situation where he cannot resist……

“Ah, this. He is now His Highness the Crown Prince’s pet slave. He doesn’t need a wand or a ring. So, instead, I’ll use it effectively on his behalf. He should have been given a collar suitable for him by now. “

“……”

He’s probably referring to a slave collar. That magical tool does not work on Sapphiras.

But……in case it is a new magical tool that can block the magic of Sapphiras……

Anxiety slowly rises.

“More than that, Belisario-kyou. You have been bestowed to me.”

“Bestowed?”

“That’s right. I have been welcomed as a magician in the royal palace of this Kingdom of Sternkurst. Sternkurst will soon become a great power that rules this continent. As the great magician of that great power, you’ll become the knight of the excellent me, feel honoured.”

Was this what the man was talking about when he said he had a place to stay?

The mystery of why Sapphiras is so disrespected in this country has been solved. Even though he doesn’t have a family name, he scorns Sapphiras who has the protection of the Duke and Margrave families of Solmontana.

However, it makes sense if the Earl and his former brother were involved in this plot. The Earl has long treated Sapphiras like a thing, even though they are related by blood. Even though they cut ties with him, he still hasn’t been able to change his mind. They see nothing and do not want to understand anything. They are really stupid.

“……This is ridiculous. How could I ever be your knight?”

“Why not? I’m much better than that. I’m offering you a special promotion, even though you’re only the third son of a Margrave’s family.

Is this man really related to Sapphiras? It can be said that there is a slight resemblance to his facial structure, but his evil nature is reflected in his expression, and it is even ugly.

“In the first place, I am not the Crown Prince’s property. It is weird for him to bestow me as a gift. Even if that were not the case, I would rather die than serve you.”

I have decided that I will live with Sapphiras no matter what. 

“Nah! ……Don’t regret it!”

Sapphiras’s former brother, in a fit of rage, kicked the bars of the prison as hard as he could and returned to the surface. I will get the wand and ring back. They belong to Sapphiras.

Is Sapphiras with that Crown Prince now? There is no telling what that man would do to an unconscious Sapphiras. Clearly, he was looking at Sapphiras with that kind of eyes. To satisfy his own greed, he could take away Sapphiras’ dignity without hesitation. And that is an easy way to break his heart.

“……Sapphiras……please be safe.”

“Percival!”

Suddenly, Sapphiras appeared in the basement and jumped into the prison.　

“Sapphiras!”

While I was surprised, he shattered the shackles restraining my limbs with his magic without difficulty.

Considering Sapphiras’ magical ability, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to escape on his own if he regained consciousness. He must have already taken off the collar.

I was relieved to see that he wasn’t as drugs by the medicine as I expected. It must have been a very small dose indeed.

There was a moment of relief when I saw that he was safe. At the sight of Sapphiras’ appearance, my heart beats in a disgusting way.

Dressed like a male prostitute in a brothel, Sapphiras’ white skin is mostly exposed, with only a pair of uncomfortable underwear barely covering his pubic area. Looking at his feet, he is not even wearing shoes. The sight of him makes me want to cover my eyes, and I am speechless.

“It’s cut……”

Sapphiras’s fingers gently touch the wound around my mouth. Even though he says he’s just looking out for me, his appearance makes him look strangely glamorous.

“Shit……they did this to Percival.

“I’m fine, I don’t have a soft body that can’t handle something of this degree. More than that, Sapphiras……that appearance…….”

“Oh, this? I kind of found myself dressed like this.”

When Sapphiras said it like it was nothing, I hastily took off my jacket and put it on him.

He is disturbed by unpleasant thoughts, but judging from his usual demeanour, Sapphiras is probably still pure.

However, he has been made to look so exposed. Someone has not only touched Sapphiras’ skin, but has even seen the scars on his back. I want to cut off the hand that touched Sapphiras without my knowledge and crush the eyes that saw the scars……I clenched my teeth in order to suppress the unspeakable feelings that stirred in the pit of my stomach. But no matter how hard I try to suppress it, the ferocious emotions will not be quelled.

“An-anyway, let’s get out of here.”

Sapphiras said this in a hurry and grabbed my arm. My vision, which had been dark, suddenly became brighter, and when I squinted my eyes, I found that we were already in Vanderwall’s castle.