Interlude 1
“Ha!?”
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the infirmary of the castle. What had happened since then? I remembered being ordered by the Princess to kill Mizumoto Shu and Rio-chan.
Then, I had attacked Rio-chan, who had let her guard down, and stabbed her. But I was countered by Mizumoto and…
As the memories flooded back, a chill ran down my spine, causing me to tremble. That was an experience I never wanted to relive. I had taken a direct hit during the counterattack and lost consciousness. After that, I couldn’t recall much, but it seemed I was still alive.
“Wait… I don’t feel any pain.”
I had woken up a few times during the ordeal, but each time my body had been in agony, rendering me immobile. Yet now, I felt fine. Had I healed? Why was that? Did someone cast Healing Magic on me?
No, wait a minute. This is…
“Ah… I can feel Rio-chan’s Magic Power…”
Why was the Magic Power of the very person I had stabbed still lingering? Could it be that Rio-chan was the one who healed me? If that were true, then why…?
—No way.
Haha, surely not. But that was the only conclusion I could draw. What if Rio-chan actually had feelings for me? After all, I had stabbed her. Yet, despite that, she chose to heal me. It was impossible to do that without some affection.
It had to be true. No doubt about it.
“Ahahaha… ahahahaha!”
With this newfound certainty, my laughter echoed uncontrollably. When I had taken on the role of an assassin, I had despaired at the thought that dark powers resided within me. But perhaps that was fate, a thread of destiny tying me and Rio-chan together.
“I can’t just sit here.”
I leaped off the bed in the infirmary and hurried toward my room. I had no idea how Mizumoto would react when he was with Rio-chan. I needed to prepare thoroughly. Moreover, I had to escape the castle before the Princess found me and issued another order. As long as the assassination orders against the two of them were in place, returning to them would not be considered a violation…
“…Huh?”
Upon reaching my room, I finally noticed something odd. The sense of duty to carry out the orders I had felt before was completely absent. I instinctively touched my neck.
“…It’s gone.”
I sat down on the bed, pondering deeply. Why was the Collar of Subjugation removed? Did the Princess take it off? No, that was impossible. That arrogant Princess would never release her own pawn. But the only one who could remove it was the Princess…
“Ha! Could it be…?”
Is this the power of love? Surely, Rio-chan must have poured all her strength into breaking this collar! Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to feel the remnants of her Magic Power within me now.
“Kuhehehe.”
Yet, why had Rio-chan vanished from my sight? If she truly loved me that much, there would be no need for her to disappear.
As I contemplated this, the image of a man flickered in my mind. Yes, it was Mizumoto Shu, the one who had inflicted such grave injuries upon me.
Come to think of it, he had been with Rio-chan. Why was that? Did Rio-chan follow him? …Or was it that she had no choice but to follow him?
Ah… so that’s it…
No matter how I thought about it, that was the only possibility that came to mind.
“Mizumoto… Shu!”
It’s your fault!
Rio-chan must be trapped by Mizumoto. Just like I had been bound by the Collar of Subjugation, there must be something holding her captive. I will definitely rescue her, so just wait for me!
With that resolve, I burst out of the Royal Castle, embarking on a journey to save my beloved Rio-chan, who was ensnared by the Demon King known as Mizumoto!