No one is there. A strangely quiet space where low, ominous music seems like it might crawl up from underfoot. As if mocking that thought, laughter intermittently bursts out from sowhere.
Cackle cackle cackle, like a clown or perhaps a demon. Cider ignored it and boldly moved forward.
Long chairs wrapped in red velvet were lined up in rows, and from the wall facing the door to the ceiling was densely filled with religious paintings. Up to this point, it was the appearance of a typical chapel.
However, the giant hourglass floating in the center of the chapel reminded him that this place was now the dungeon's center. In the red sand that had fallen more than two-thirds, a cunning face briefly reflected. A long red tongue flickered teasingly. But when he looked away for a mont and looked back, it had disappeared.
Cider took out his pocket watch from his inner pocket. About 40 minutes remaining. Esperanza was still quite far away. He irritably swept his hair up.
He didn't like it. Neither the current situation of being separated from Esperanza, nor having to act as the leader of these burdens he had dragged in.
At least it was fortunate that Esperanza seed to be enjoying the situation. The breathing that still lingered in his ear proved that Esperanza was running wild to her heart's content without having to read anyone's mood.
Cheeks flushed with excitent from the combat situation and sparkling eyes. Movents mixed with skill, sharpness, and even cheerfulness.
'But the duke is watching all that.'
It was ridiculous to show interest now. Right, it must look different seeing it directly? Thought it was a rock but turns out it's a gem, so now you're tempted?
He climbed onto the platform and leaned against a pillar, taking out his last cigarette and lighting it. Looking down at the chapel where the duke would have held services every weekend, even the inside of his head, which had been unknowable, seed to co within grasp.
He must have felt threatened by Esperanza. Perhaps he thought she was similar to the blackmailers who wouldn't go his way. Judging and despising her as he pleased, then arbitrarily feeling goodwill.
—It's over!
Then the voice he'd been waiting for ca through his ear. The cheerful voice was mixed with excitent. Ah, how unpleasant. He wanted to separate her from the duke. Cider slowly exhaled. Would she dislike it if she slled Paoran? He stubbed out the Paoran, which was more than half remaining, against the lectern and leaned obliquely.
"Are you coming to ?"
Sensing sothing was strange, the voice that was about to answer stiffened for a mont. But as excited Esperanza always did, that was exactly where it stopped. Though he had only seen that side of her once.
—...Right?
"Slowly?"
—As fast as possible!
A smile played around his lips. It was an utterly satisfying answer.
"Good."
With those words, the communication cut off. Ti passed slowly. Cider watched from a distance as people settled the injured and seated them in the chapel chairs.
Those people would think everything was over now that they'd arrived here, not knowing they had the biggest battle remaining.
Even if they'd co this far, it would all be over if Esperanza didn't co.
Twenty more minutes passed after that. There wasn't much sand left in the hourglass either. The demon's cunning face that passed by briefly beca even clearer.
The chapel door burst open. Cider straightened his body that had been casually leaning against the lectern.
"...What happened?"
Fifteen people had entered through the door. Seven were seriously injured, four were lightly injured, and the rest were reasonably fine. However, Esperanza was not among them.
"Your Highness, you need to explain."
The tip of the walking stick that had tapped down from the platform beca a gun muzzle pointed at the duke's neck.
"What is this! He is His Highness the Duke!"
"If he dies here, he's just a corpse. If he's dead, what use is a duke's title?"
The man who would have been shot dead long ago if not for his count's title spoke easily.
"Put that gun down imdiately!"
What trendous loyalty, to still have the leisure to call him Your Highness even when they were all facing the crisis of death together. The duke himself, without a single complaint, rely handed over the maid he had been carrying to the other maids' hands.
"Lily! Goodness, too much blood has flowed. What should we do? Are you okay?"
"Let's stop the bleeding first."
Cider didn't even glance at the maid who had been swinging her axe fine just monts before but was now on the verge of death. His gun muzzle was still pointed at the duke's nape. After confirming that Lily Runderford was laid down on a chapel chair, the duke answered.
"Miss Hunter went to save Henry Bayman."
"Only 20 minutes left."
"Miss Hunter herself said she would go."
"You must have asked her to. What connection does Esperanza have with Henry Bayman that she would volunteer?"
The duke didn't answer.
"Well, fine. Anyway, if Esperanza doesn't co, we'll all die here together."
At Cider's words, the duke turned pale, and beyond his shoulder, people scread in despair. Cider felt his mood, which had been stuck in the gutter, revive a little.
"What do you an by that?"
"You never said such a thing! Then why did we co all the way here?"
A beat late, the duke asked.
"...Didn't you say the central area was safe?"
Cider's lips twisted up diagonally.
"If Esperanza had been here, that is. Did you think this was so escape ga? When all the sand in that hourglass falls, the final monster will appear. Different from all the small fry so far—the real disaster that Your Highness's blackmailers sent for Your Highness."
So it's all because of you. That's what he seed to be saying.
"Miss Hunter will return."
"She will. I hope so. But when making decisions, you should have considered the possibility that she might not be able to. Isn't that right?"
He turned away from the duke as he was. The young servant standing behind him drew in his breath. A murderous light flashed in the picture-perfect count's eyes. It seed like he would imdiately pick up that walking stick and shoot everyone in this room to death.
However, he rely climbed back onto the platform and leaned against the lectern, doing nothing. Truly nothing.
"...Miss Hunter will definitely return. Until then, let's focus on treating the injured."
There were monsters outside this room. At least the monsters hadn't entered this room. People who had been about to rush out in anger also realized this fact. That waiting for Hunter Esperanza to co was all the options they had.
There couldn't be no complaints. Why wouldn't there be people who wanted to grab the duke by the collar and shout that we're all dying because of you? However, the duke had always been a fair and good master, and the mansion's people respected him. So worried about the consequences if by any chance they survived.
About half sat down in corners and swallowed their fear again, while the rest hesitantly followed the duke's orders.
Cider, watching this scene from the platform like a god, sneered.
He knew too. Esperanza would return. If she seed to be late, she would co even if it ant abandoning Henry Bayman. Esperanza wouldn't leave Cider to die. At least she cared for him that much.
But he wouldn't tell them that. It was enough for him alone to know that fact in the world.
Even while helping to tend to the injured, the duke occasionally looked back at the hourglass. It wasn't just the duke. Everyone did. Mrs. Kirkfield wiped her sweat-soaked forehead with a handkerchief and sighed. Every ti sand fell from the hourglass, it felt like her throat was being strangled.
"How is Miss Runderford?"
"There's no dicine here... I've stopped the bleeding for now."
Lily Runderford was half out of her mind with pain, covered by the duke's jacket. She had co here on the duke's back without properly treating her broken leg. The duke tore the end of his shirt and stuffed it into the maid's mouth as she bit down hard enough to damage her teeth. There was still a silk piece crumpled round in Lily Runderford's mouth.
The duke looked down at the tear-stained cheek of the maid he had been carrying until just monts ago.
Before arriving at the chapel, Lily, who had been swinging her axe to the end even while lightly injured, was seriously wounded in the final battle. Esperanza imdiately excluded Lily from the combatants. It was a natural decision.
'In this condition, she absolutely can't fight. Miss Runderford? Get your wits about you, soone needs to carry Miss Runderford.'
Since the number of injured already exceeded the number of combatants, the duke volunteered to carry the maid. While Hunter Esperanza single-handedly broke through the monster-infested study, the duke constantly spoke to the maid who was about to breathe her last.
'Miss Runderford, you mustn't lose consciousness. Say sothing, anything.'
'I can't... think...'
Lily, gasping with a pronunciation leaked from a mouth full of silk, dropped her head onto the duke's shoulder. The duke's heart also lurched.
His arrogance, his wrong judgnt had injured, killed, and was now killing the people under his protection on his back.
But even if he could turn back ti, he would make the sa choice. Because he would seek out Hunter Esperanza and look for ways to eliminate 'those people,' that's why he felt even more sorry.
However, the maid on his back was still alive, and behind him were people who, though half were injured, were still alive. There would be living people in the chapel too.
'Say anything, anything at all.'
Lily Runderford dry-coughed, and Hunter Esperanza split the last monster's body vertically. The mont the giant body split in two and poured down, thud, the entire study shook and the head resting on his shoulder also trembled.
'I want to see my mother.'
He couldn't say anything more after that.
When they arrived in front of the chapel and discovered Henry Bayman being chased by a three-headed monster, when he asked Esperanza for his safety, when Esperanza grumbled but ran to save Henry Bayman, when the path between them split again. Even until the mont Cider Claiborne pointed his gun muzzle at his neck.
'Hypocrite.'
Not a word wrong. The duke laughed self-deprecatingly.
The hourglass was now dropping its last handful of sand. Whether it was his imagination or not, the speed of the sand falling seed faster. The air beca heavy. It felt like giant hands were pressing down from the ceiling. The intermittent monster laughter that could be heard scraped against his sharpened nerves.
Cider stared intensely at the inside of his pocket watch. Esperanza was not far away. But still, the communication wasn't connecting. She knows she did wrong too, doesn't she?
"Almost there?"
No response.
"Won't you answer?"
It would be nice if she at least let him hear her breathing. Even knowing she wouldn't respond, or perhaps because he knew, he added one more thing.
"...I'm worried about you."
Murmuring sounds mixed with crying. Now only a pinch of sand that could be picked up with fingers remained in the hourglass.
[00:01:03]
A giant door more than twice a person's height opened. Kitchen maids poured in. They embraced those who had co first and burst into tears mixed with relief. Cider straightened his leaning body and opened his eyes wide.
Henry Bayman limped through the door. Cider was still staring intently at the door gap. Shadows gathered in the door crack.
Even joy has a form.
[00:00:48]
Sweat-soaked hair had completely co undone and rippled at her waist. Her shoulders and chest rose and fell busily. Black blouse, suspenders, navy skirt and combat boots. The rifle that Cider's hands had touched everywhere. A confident smile and a pair of shining purple eyes.
Thud. The door closed.
Inside the chapel was narrow, crowded with people, and full of blood, pus, moans, and tears. A space of nothing but despair.
"Sorry I'm late!"
And his small hope.
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