Into the Lair
Aulrax City.
Large luggage cases were neatly stacked onto the carriage.
Watching them being loaded, Eve was saying her goodbyes to her friends.
"Did you pack everything? You checked you didn't forget anything?"
"Hm, if I did, I'll just buy it at Harenx Port."
"What?"
"You all know, right? I'm rich."
"Yes, yes, must be nice, oh dear daughter of a wealthy family!"
They all chatted and laughed as usual, yet a shadow of sadness kept flickering across their faces.
Even if this farewell hadn't been planned, none of them could easily promise they'd see her again.
Once Eve's luggage was fully loaded, tears welled up in Elaine Holt's eyes, ready to fall at any moment.
"Eve, do you really have to go like this? Can't you stay home?"
That made Eve smile bitterly.
That was, more than anyone, what she herself wanted.
But—
"It's a family matter. There's nothing I can do."
That was all she could say.
"Your father's being too harsh! Couldn't he at least give you more time?"
"…Yeah, tell me about it."
And with that, the farewells came to an end.
"We'll meet again, okay, Eve?"
"Yeah. Everyone, stay safe and well!"
"You too!"
The carriage carrying her soon passed through the city gates.
The revolutionary city of Aulrax slowly receded beyond the road.
The sight looked like a white handkerchief waving farewell forever.
"..."
Eve gazed at it for a long while.
Ever since escaping from the Duchy of Wyler, she had lived there all this time.
It was practically her home now.
And yet she was leaving like this.
She tried to hold it in, but tears streamed down her cheeks.
"…Are you all right, Lady Regal?"
A voice came from the driver's seat.
Through the open window at the front, the coachman's gentle gaze reached her.
Eve quickly wiped her tears.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Sorry, but I'll close this."
"Yes, yes, of course, Lady Regal."
Officially, her name was Eve Regal.
Among the countless islands of the Lakasán Archipelago, there was said to be an island ruled by the Regal Family.
She was the youngest daughter of that wealthy household, studying abroad here in Aulrax.
And last week, her father ordered her return, so she had to go back in a hurry.
That was the story her friends, Elaine and the others, believed.
…But it was an utter lie.
There was no such thing as Regal Island or the Regal Family in this world.
Closing her eyes, Eve recalled the settings of The World Abandoned by God.
Eve's father died around the time she was born.
She wasn't Regal—she was Wyler.
The one who ruled that house was the Grand Duke Wyler himself.
An aged duke in his nineties, frail and clinging precariously to power.
And that power was trickling away like sand.
Who would inherit the title of Grand Duke next?
Who would become the new Wyler Duke and lead the duchy to independence from the Empire?
With no mediator, the rivalry grew uncontrollably—
And at last, the war of succession began.
Thankfully, it hadn't expanded into a full-blown civil war.
On the surface, the Duchy of Wyler remained calm.
Her brothers weren't that stupid, after all.
But secretly, the old Grand Duke had been poisoned—
And to install their own puppet on the throne, her brothers each built their own private armies.
The parricide that had already been committed, and the fratricide that followed without end—
It was all horrific beyond words.
And even Eve couldn't escape that fate.
Her second brother, Karis Wyler, extended his claws toward her.
True to his violent nature, he threatened to kill her unless she supported him.
Eve fled immediately.
Because she knew the future.
Whether she supported Karis or not, Eve Wyler's end was the same.
She would die, no matter what.
That was how the scenario went.
So she risked everything to defect to the Revolutionary Army—and managed to survive until now.
Living as though dead somewhere in the world…
Her name erased, her past forgotten.
She lived on as Eve Regal, the youngest daughter of the Regal family and a member of the Revolutionary Army.
She had escaped pursuit so carefully.
And yet somehow, the Duchy of Wyler had found her.
A letter had arrived.
It was from Therion Wyler, the eldest brother who ended the succession war and ascended as the new Grand Duke.
"If you wish your friends to remain unharmed, return home at once, my beloved sister."
A threat perfectly in character—cold, persistent, and cruel.
That had been just last week.
…How did Therion find out where I am?
She couldn't tell.
Eve had done everything to conceal her identity and avoid exposure.
Whenever she had to interact with anyone linked to the Empire, she took every precaution imaginable.
Even when she had abducted the Empire's Third Prince Gilroshan for experience points—
She had used an alias and even worn a Cloak of Bubbles to alter her appearance.
She had been meticulous.
And yet, they had found her.
"..."
If she went back to the duchy, she would die.
Without a doubt.
Because that's their role in the story.
Knowing her own tragic fate better than anyone, Eve had to find a way to survive.
Though she was leaving Aulrax for her friends' safety, she had no intention of returning to the Duchy of Wyler.
Her plan was simple:
First, take a ship from Harenx Port.
Then sail slowly southwest, pretending to head toward the duchy's harbor—
And then abruptly turn south.
There, she could catch the westward ocean current that ran nonstop to the western continent.
She'd make it look like she was sailing home, then vanish off course entirely.
That was her plan.
Once I secure a safe house, I'll just wait it out.
The Baltic Empire would soon fracture on its own.
And when that happened, the Duchy of Wyler would be swallowed by the chaos.
All she needed to do was wait for it to crumble.
"…Yeah. It'll work out."
She closed her eyes and leaned back against the rattling carriage seat.
And that was when—
"Whoa, whoa!"
The coachman's urgent shout rang out, and the carriage came to a sudden halt.
What?
A bad feeling crawled up her spine.
Eve instinctively rested her hand on the hilt at her waist.
"Hey, I'll go out on the left, you—"
Ah.
…Right, he's not here.
She had been thinking of him again—
That lunatic she had fought alongside for an hour straight in the fiery depths of hell.
She must have unconsciously grown used to relying on him.
I'm losing it.
Shaking the thought away, Eve cracked open the carriage window and called out.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
The coachman laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, well, there are some fellows demanding a toll."
"A toll?"
"I don't have any money on me, so… I think you'll have to come out, Lady Regal."
"..."
At that, Eve's instincts flared.
She had crossed the line between life and death countless times since the Duchy—
And survived it all.
I may not be a talented card player, but I was always the last one still sitting at the table.
Running through possibilities in her mind, Eve slowly pushed the carriage door open—
Ready to draw her sword at a moment's notice.
Ready to throw a smoke bomb the instant things went wrong.
I won't be caught off guard like last time.
The moment she stepped out into the open, having readied everything.
Bang!
"…!"
The carriage door burst off and struck her.
Even as Eve was swept by it, she managed to trigger a smoke bomb at her feet.
At the same time she activated skills.
[Auxiliary Skill: Sense Expansion]
[Special Skill: Accelerated Focus]
Time slowed and her sensory range widened dramatically.
Beyond the smoke, she felt the coachman's face go blank and the grip of a sword in his hand.
'So the coachman was bought off after all!'
But that wasn't all.
Scanning the surroundings, her face twisted.
'Five—no… six?'
The story about them simply blocking the road was not an empty boast.
Assassins, swords drawn in unison, were swarming in to encircle the carriage.
Only then did Eve realize Therion's true scheme and her jaw dropped.
'That madman! He didn't even plan to wait for me to come to the duchy!'
The moment she stepped outside of the revolutionary-guarded Aulrax, they meant to kill her on the spot.
'How do I get through this?'
[Time remaining: 3 seconds]
Accelerated Focus was running out.
Eve thought desperately.
'First, toss a dagger to the nearest side, lure them with the Dance of Arrows, then fall back…'
What then?
…If they're Wyler men, they'll try to behead me without hesitation.
'Right! Cut the carriage reins, jump onto a horse and bolt!'
[3]
[2]
[1]
The instant the skills ended—
As the veil fell away, something she hadn't expected happened.
The horses, their reins cut, bolted wildly in every direction.
"…!"
As if reading her intention, the assassin disguised as the coachman cracked his whip and drove the horses off.
A cold, prickling premonition crawled across her skin.
'I have to fight.'
Just like in that last hunting ground.
'I didn't expect to end up dying in the street like this.'
…it didn't matter.
After all, this was how the player's fate went.
That person had died that way too.
'So of course I'd meet the same end.'
This time she would never grovel for mercy.
The children were safe; she had no regrets.
[Offensive Skill: Shadow Sever]
"Come on, then! Bring it on, you bastards!"
As Eve resolved herself to die and activated her skill—
Rumble!
Suddenly the shadow beneath her feet boiled and convulsed.
"…W-what?"
This wasn't an effect of Shadow Sever.
The shadow moved with no relation to Eve's will.
Like a great white shark swimming beneath the surface—
Crack!
"Aaah!"
It lunged at the assassins, tearing into them from the ankles up.
They were thrown into chaos.
"Th-this is Imperial magic?"
"No way! Could the Empire's knights be protecting her?"
Eve was just as stunned.
'What on earth is going on?'
She watched, dumbfounded, as the assassins were swiftly dealt with by that shadow.
When the shadow revealed its true form—
"…!"
She froze completely.
'Shadow assassination art!'
She recognized it as the technique used by the Empire's seven-star knights.
"Phew! Finally we meet properly, my charge."
A woman with deep brown hair hanging loose and a mischievous smile extended her hand to Eve.
"You're my charge? Who are you, exactly?"
"I'm a First-Class Special Duty Knight, Senis Edryn. I work under Captain Elron Reut. You know— that ridiculously handsome swordmaster."
Of course Eve knew—she'd seen Gilroshan take his blade earlier.
Dazed, Eve shook the woman's hand.
"But how are you here? Since when have you been tied to my shadow…?"
"Hm, since yesterday. I've been doing overtime because of that—who should I bill for it?" Senis asked with a chuckle.
"Y-You've been here since yesterday? Who ordered this mission?" Eve demanded.
Senis gave a light laugh.
"Well, Prince Gilroshan himself, of course! Who else could make a Special Duty Knight work overtime?"
Her cheerful tone almost made Eve forget about the corpses strewn around them.
"…Do you know why Gilroshan sent you to me?" Eve managed to ask.
Senis snorted softly.
"Hmm. That's what I want to know. What's your relationship with our prince, Miss Wyler?"
"Relationship…?"
The questions kept coming, more awkward than the last.
"By the way, whatever happened to our little hell-raiser prince? I'm dying to know—tell me if you can!"
***
"Achoo!"
"Would you like more warm soup, Your Highness?"
"Ah, thanks."
I sniffled at the tickle in my nose and pushed the bowl forward.
Who's been badmouthing me?
"Achoo!"
"Ah—sorry. Looks like I put too much pepper in earlier."
"…So it was Master who did it."
"My love is expansive, you see."
At that moment another thought occurred to me.
'Senis should be getting into motion about now.'
Just before we left for the Azure Mountains—
—At Captain Roight's order, I attached that envoy knight to Eve to tell her I was watching.
Sending that knight to Eve was an impromptu, but clever move.
It accomplished two things with no extra effort.
First, it lets me focus on the Four-Dragon's Nest without needless interruptions.
Second, that emotionally damaged Eve Wyler will—
'Come back.'
She will inevitably return.
I stifled the smile at my lips, set down the bowl and rose.
At dawn we'll go into the Four-Dragon's Nest.
Preparations are complete.
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