Episode 54. Trap
“Huh!”
Bercheria’s eyes widened as she awoke to find a blade flying towards her face.
Instinctively, she rolled to the side to dodge.
With a thud, the pillow Bercheria had been sleeping on exploded, sending round fluffy cotton flying into the air like snow.
“Where are you? Where are you?”
The woman roared like a madman, glancing around the room.
“Bercheria—come out here.”
The room’s layout was so simple that there was no room for escape.
The woman turned around and slowly walked to the other side of the bed.
“There you are!”
Bercheria, curled up in the corner of the bed, spotted the woman and straightened up.
The middle-aged woman was smiling broadly, as if she had just experienced something joyful.
She had never seen her face before.
She didn’t know Bercheria.
“Who ordered you to kill me?”
“You're going to die anyway, so what’s the point?”
Bercheria crouched on the floor, tripping over the woman's legs. She stumbled past the woman, who fell with a beastly squeal, and leaped onto the bed.
Just as she was running toward the door, Bercheria suddenly slammed into a large wall that had suddenly entered the room, sending her tumbling onto her butt.
"Where are you running to?"
The woman had risen from the floor and was lunging at Bercheria again.
Bercheria, already missing her chance to escape, clutched her head.
"...?"
But why wasn't anything happening?
Bercheria lifted her neck, stiff with tension.
"Ha."
The woman who should have been right in front of her was now lying on the floor.
And before her stood Lacrahan, her expression filled with worry.
"Lacrahan."
Just saying his name aloud made Bercheria feel her anxiety subside.
She was weaker than ever.
The few abilities she had possessed had vanished, and she couldn't even use a weapon.
If someone came and attacked her with determination, she would be helpless.
Even in the tower, she hadn't felt so alone in the world, but now, amidst the crowd, she truly felt completely alone.
If this was the Emperor's scheme, and he had deliberately chosen to put a middle-aged woman in the role, he deserved praise.
The mere fact that the middle-aged woman reminded her of her mother was enough to sink Bercheria endlessly.
This misery, never experienced even in the tower, was something she had only experienced after finally entering the world she had longed for.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. What happened?"
Lacrahan took Bercheria's hand and supported her as she stumbled to her feet.
His anxiety was clearly conveyed in his grip, which was even tighter than usual.
It had only been a few hours ago that he had assured her that everything would be alright, that he had reassured her.
The fact that he had placed Bercheria in such danger as soon as Emperor Gerard arrived was suffocating Lacrahan with self-loathing.
"It was my mistake. I should have been more careful."
When Lacrahan first saw this woman outside the castle, he should have anticipated this turn of events.
He should have anticipated Bercheria's danger and prepared to protect her, ensuring not a single hair was harmed.
He knew what kind of person Gerard was.
If he had been careless, his carelessness could have resulted in Bercheria's death.
The woman lying on the floor right now might not have been the first he'd seen.
Just the thought of it made his heart ache.
Just as he'd lost his family on the battlefield, just as he'd failed in his duty and caused his mother's death.
Lacrahan couldn't bear Bercheria's death.
"I need to find a safer place to live."
Bercheria closed her eyelids deeply, then opened them.
Every word from Lacrahan seemed to pull her back to the surface.
"I can find it. If it doesn't exist, I can make it."
Even after lifting her up, the hand that held her still, keeping her from sinking, was also protecting her.
"You can let go now."
"No."
When she asked him to let go, he only tightened his grip.
“Hold on tight until we get to a safe place.”
“...”
“Answer.”
“I will.”
He was just about to walk out the door with Bercheria when suddenly, steady footsteps were heard in the hallway.
Laurent had climbed to the highest tree nearby and was watching Lacrahan’s castle.
While Laurent was bored, Beloveye, who had transformed into an owl, was dozing on Laurent’s shoulder.
“Did they have a wedding or not? I can’t tell.”
It seemed certain that the Emperor of Periat had arrived and interrupted them, but he was growing impatient because he couldn’t confirm exactly what had happened.
“Ugh.”
Laurent chose a thick branch, sat on it, and let his long legs hang down.
If he had known this would happen, he would have attended the wedding like Beloveye suggested and watched the whole thing.
It’s not like he didn’t know Gerard was here.
“I should go find Gerard and find out what he’s up to.”
That man, though stupid, wouldn't have come all the way north without a plan.
Even if he used the portal, that wasn't the case. From his travels through Periat, Laurent had felt that Gerard wasn't in his right mind. He was sinister and shallow, the perfect candidate for trouble.
Those who didn't know him well argued that Gerard was being manipulated by the government and ruining the empire, but Laurent, who had observed him closely, had a different perspective. Perhaps it was because of Lyone that Gerard was less likely to cause trouble.
If it had been the Empress, who couldn't even swear a word in front of the Emperor, the Periat Empire would have been conquered by another nation by now, or even fallen.
"People always fail to see the essence."
It was foolish and idiotic to think everything was awry because of the disappearance of Bercheria's protection.
It was clear that they had forgotten that human selfishness had ruined everything in the first place.
"I should go and find out."
Laurent gently wrapped one hand around Owl, hoisting him onto his shoulder to keep him from falling, and stood up from the branch.
“Hold on tight.”
“They say that when the weather goddess becomes one with the beautiful awakened one, there will be no one in the world who doesn’t love Bercheria.”
“Why are you so sentimental today? Huh? Perhaps you, Beloveye...”
Laurent let out a playful sigh and laughed at Beloveye, who had already returned to being a lizard and was rolling her eyes. Laurent’s face hardened as he turned his head with a smile.
“What is it?”
Purple smoke was rising from Lacrahan’s castle.
As she was about to climb down the tree with an ominous feeling, he saw a condor change its flight direction in the sky.
“Damn it!”
A giant divine beast, carrying Dipper, began to fly straight towards Lacrahan’s castle.
Laurent also started running in that direction.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Thud thud thud thud thud, thud thud thud.
It wasn’t just one or two people.
At least dozens of people were coming this way, matching their pace.
“Ha.”
As expected, everything had been planned.
Whether the middle-aged woman was dead or alive, Bercheria was to be dragged to the imperial palace as the culprit for touching the Emperor's person.
"It's a trap."
Bercheria's face turned pale and hard at Lacrahan's voice.
He turned to Bercheria.
"The Emperor's Royal Guard will be there soon."
Lacrahan met Bercheria's frozen face and smiled gently, as if to tell her not to worry.
"I'll take care of everything, so just stay still. Nothing will happen."
In this tense moment, his soft voice flowed into her ear.
Lacrahan's expression, as he scanned Bercheria's face, was deeply sullen.
Blood splattered across his flawless features, but it was neither unclean nor jarring.
He took a step toward Bercheria.
The scent of Lacrahan and the cold wind swept towards her simultaneously.
In an instant, she felt as if the space she was in had become a different place.
At that moment, Bercheria strangely remembered the sight of Lacrahan looking down from the tower.
“Huh!”
Bercheria’s eyes widened as she awoke to find a blade flying towards her face.
Instinctively, she rolled to the side to dodge.
With a thud, the pillow Bercheria had been sleeping on exploded, sending round fluffy cotton flying into the air like snow.
“Where are you? Where are you?”
The woman roared like a madman, glancing around the room.
“Bercheria—come out here.”
The room’s layout was so simple that there was no room for escape.
The woman turned around and slowly walked to the other side of the bed.
“There you are!”
Bercheria, curled up in the corner of the bed, spotted the woman and straightened up.
The middle-aged woman was smiling broadly, as if she had just experienced something joyful.
She had never seen her face before.
She didn’t know Bercheria.
“Who ordered you to kill me?”
“You're going to die anyway, so what’s the point?”
Bercheria crouched on the floor, tripping over the woman's legs. She stumbled past the woman, who fell with a beastly squeal, and leaped onto the bed.
Just as she was running toward the door, Bercheria suddenly slammed into a large wall that had suddenly entered the room, sending her tumbling onto her butt.
"Where are you running to?"
The woman had risen from the floor and was lunging at Bercheria again.
Bercheria, already missing her chance to escape, clutched her head.
"...?"
But why wasn't anything happening?
Bercheria lifted her neck, stiff with tension.
"Ha."
The woman who should have been right in front of her was now lying on the floor.
And before her stood Lacrahan, her expression filled with worry.
"Lacrahan."
Just saying his name aloud made Bercheria feel her anxiety subside.
She was weaker than ever.
The few abilities she had possessed had vanished, and she couldn't even use a weapon.
If someone came and attacked her with determination, she would be helpless.
Even in the tower, she hadn't felt so alone in the world, but now, amidst the crowd, she truly felt completely alone.
If this was the Emperor's scheme, and he had deliberately chosen to put a middle-aged woman in the role, he deserved praise.
The mere fact that the middle-aged woman reminded her of her mother was enough to sink Bercheria endlessly.
This misery, never experienced even in the tower, was something she had only experienced after finally entering the world she had longed for.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. What happened?"
Lacrahan took Bercheria's hand and supported her as she stumbled to her feet.
His anxiety was clearly conveyed in his grip, which was even tighter than usual.
It had only been a few hours ago that he had assured her that everything would be alright, that he had reassured her.
The fact that he had placed Bercheria in such danger as soon as Emperor Gerard arrived was suffocating Lacrahan with self-loathing.
"It was my mistake. I should have been more careful."
When Lacrahan first saw this woman outside the castle, he should have anticipated this turn of events.
He should have anticipated Bercheria's danger and prepared to protect her, ensuring not a single hair was harmed.
He knew what kind of person Gerard was.
If he had been careless, his carelessness could have resulted in Bercheria's death.
The woman lying on the floor right now might not have been the first he'd seen.
Just the thought of it made his heart ache.
Just as he'd lost his family on the battlefield, just as he'd failed in his duty and caused his mother's death.
Lacrahan couldn't bear Bercheria's death.
"I need to find a safer place to live."
Bercheria closed her eyelids deeply, then opened them.
Every word from Lacrahan seemed to pull her back to the surface.
"I can find it. If it doesn't exist, I can make it."
Even after lifting her up, the hand that held her still, keeping her from sinking, was also protecting her.
"You can let go now."
"No."
When she asked him to let go, he only tightened his grip.
“Hold on tight until we get to a safe place.”
“...”
“Answer.”
“I will.”
He was just about to walk out the door with Bercheria when suddenly, steady footsteps were heard in the hallway.
***
Laurent had climbed to the highest tree nearby and was watching Lacrahan’s castle.
While Laurent was bored, Beloveye, who had transformed into an owl, was dozing on Laurent’s shoulder.
“Did they have a wedding or not? I can’t tell.”
It seemed certain that the Emperor of Periat had arrived and interrupted them, but he was growing impatient because he couldn’t confirm exactly what had happened.
“Ugh.”
Laurent chose a thick branch, sat on it, and let his long legs hang down.
If he had known this would happen, he would have attended the wedding like Beloveye suggested and watched the whole thing.
It’s not like he didn’t know Gerard was here.
“I should go find Gerard and find out what he’s up to.”
That man, though stupid, wouldn't have come all the way north without a plan.
Even if he used the portal, that wasn't the case. From his travels through Periat, Laurent had felt that Gerard wasn't in his right mind. He was sinister and shallow, the perfect candidate for trouble.
Those who didn't know him well argued that Gerard was being manipulated by the government and ruining the empire, but Laurent, who had observed him closely, had a different perspective. Perhaps it was because of Lyone that Gerard was less likely to cause trouble.
If it had been the Empress, who couldn't even swear a word in front of the Emperor, the Periat Empire would have been conquered by another nation by now, or even fallen.
"People always fail to see the essence."
It was foolish and idiotic to think everything was awry because of the disappearance of Bercheria's protection.
It was clear that they had forgotten that human selfishness had ruined everything in the first place.
"I should go and find out."
Laurent gently wrapped one hand around Owl, hoisting him onto his shoulder to keep him from falling, and stood up from the branch.
“Hold on tight.”
Just as he was about to leap down, a strange cry rang out from far away.
“Ah. It’s a divine beast. Owl.”
At Laurent’s voice, Owl, who had been dozing, lifted his head. A large bird’s shadow spread across the ground, seemingly ready to obscure the entire sky. Owl and Laurent stared at the shadow blocking the sky. Then, Owl moved his short legs and approached Laurent’s ear. Laurent’s eyes, which had been pressed against Owl’s, widened.
“Dipper? That’s Dipepr, the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Contana?”
Red eyes followed Muha’s back as he flew towards Lacrahan’s castle.
“The guardian of the earth rides that condor?”
“Do you know anything about Dipper?”
Laurent turned his head and was startled to see Beloveye, whose face had suddenly transformed from Owl's body to a large one.
"Oh, my. Surprise!"
Beloveye blinked with a calm expression.
"Seriously, don't do this! Our lips almost touched again!"
Beloveye narrowed his eyes and turned her head forward.
"If you touch my face with your lips one more time, you will live forever. As a flea."
"...Hmph."
The two watched the divine beast flying across the sky.
"If you ever meet Dipper again, remember this."
"What?"
"There are some gods who are of inferior quality, and Dipper is one of them."
"...What?"
"It's not exactly well known. But if you think about it, it's simple."
Laurent nodded with a look of understanding.
"The barbaric kingdom of Contana."
"Yes. They are extremely cruel and vulgar."
"The rest?"
Beloveye yawned, as if annoyed.
“My country has always been wealthy.”
Most continents bordering the sea were like that. The sea Beloveye protected was always abundant and leisurely.
“And Bercheria... is fun. Always.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s ever-changing. One day it’s warm like spring rain, another day a bitter wind blows that stings your skin, and another day it covers the world in white.”
Laurent smiled faintly.
“I’m already looking forward to the day Bercheria regains all her power.”
“They say that when the weather goddess becomes one with the beautiful awakened one, there will be no one in the world who doesn’t love Bercheria.”
“Why are you so sentimental today? Huh? Perhaps you, Beloveye...”
Laurent let out a playful sigh and laughed at Beloveye, who had already returned to being a lizard and was rolling her eyes. Laurent’s face hardened as he turned his head with a smile.
“What is it?”
Purple smoke was rising from Lacrahan’s castle.
As she was about to climb down the tree with an ominous feeling, he saw a condor change its flight direction in the sky.
“Damn it!”
A giant divine beast, carrying Dipper, began to fly straight towards Lacrahan’s castle.
Laurent also started running in that direction.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
***
Thud thud thud thud thud, thud thud thud.
It wasn’t just one or two people.
At least dozens of people were coming this way, matching their pace.
“Ha.”
As expected, everything had been planned.
Whether the middle-aged woman was dead or alive, Bercheria was to be dragged to the imperial palace as the culprit for touching the Emperor's person.
"It's a trap."
Bercheria's face turned pale and hard at Lacrahan's voice.
He turned to Bercheria.
"The Emperor's Royal Guard will be there soon."
Lacrahan met Bercheria's frozen face and smiled gently, as if to tell her not to worry.
"I'll take care of everything, so just stay still. Nothing will happen."
In this tense moment, his soft voice flowed into her ear.
Lacrahan's expression, as he scanned Bercheria's face, was deeply sullen.
Blood splattered across his flawless features, but it was neither unclean nor jarring.
He took a step toward Bercheria.
The scent of Lacrahan and the cold wind swept towards her simultaneously.
In an instant, she felt as if the space she was in had become a different place.
At that moment, Bercheria strangely remembered the sight of Lacrahan looking down from the tower.
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