BREAKOUT ARC:
Secrets & Conspiracy
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—Continuation…—
The last of the bandits' frantic footsteps faded into the woods, leaving behind a suffocating silence broken only by the buzz of flies and the thick, metallic scent of blood.
G6 did not spare a glance for Edmund or Zen. With a detachment more unnerving than any fury, she wiped her blades clean on a dead man's tunic, sheathed them with twin, soft clicks, and walked to her horse. The silence she left in her wake was heavier than any shout.
She clicked her tongue, urging Akira forward. The horse stepped delicately over a body, its hooves making soft, wet thuds in the dirt. She rode past the two motionless men as if they were mere scenery, her gaze locked on the road ahead.
After twenty paces, her voice sliced through the quiet, flat and carrying. "I hear a river. We're stopping to clean up. Don't fall behind."
It wasn't an invitation. It was an order. And in its utter, mundane normalcy, it was more terrifying than any screamed threat.
Zen and Edmund exchanged a single, wide-eyed look—a silent conversation screaming with shock and primal fear—before scrambling for their own horses.
G6 had already vanished into the tree line. They followed the sound of rushing water, guiding their mounts through a thin veil of trees until they found a clearing. Kira was there, tethered loosely to a branch, drinking from the slow-moving current. A few paces away, G6 knelt at the water's edge, scrubbing blood from her hands and with methodical, efficient strokes.
Edmund took a steadying breath that did little to calm him and dismounted. He approached her slowly, the gravel crunching like broken bones under his boots.
"Lady Reise," he began, his voice tighter than he intended.
G6 didn't stop scrubbing, the water swirling pink around her wrists. "Are you not afraid anymore?"
The question, so blunt and unexpected, felt like a physical blow. "P-pardon?" he stammered, all prepared words evaporating from his mind.
She stopped and looked at her reflection in the water, her expression unreadable.
"I could smell the fear on you and Zero earlier." She said it without any emotion, as if stating a simple fact of nature.
Edmund's brow furrowed, a knot of shame and frustration tightening in his chest. "Lady Reise… I…"
"I understand." G6 cut him off, finally turning her head to look at him. Her grey eyes were clear and sharp as shattered glass. "For a noble like me, to kill them so brutally… as if it were nothing. It is indeed terrifying." For a fleeting second, he thought he saw a flicker of something almost like understanding. Then her lips curled into a small, cold smile. "For a wimp."
She turned back to the river and splashed water on her face, the moment of false connection severed.
The word wimp hung in the air, sharper than any blade she carried. It wasn't delivered in anger, but with a casual, dismissive finality that cut deeper than any accusation of malice.
Wimp.
The word was a precise sting. She is right, Edmund's thoughts churned. I can't deny it. The moment she moved, I stopped being a butler and became a spectator—a terrified child watching a storm tear through a forest. I was so consumed by the horror of her methods that I forgot the crucial fact: the storm was on our side. I feared my lady, my anchor, and in doing so, I was utterly useless.
He looked from the river's steady current to G6's impassive profile. "I was indeed afraid of you earlier, Lady Reise," he admitted, his voice low but clear, refusing to hide from the truth. "For a moment, I forgot the woman I pledged my loyalty to and saw only… the Reaper. And in that fear, I failed. I was too occupied with my own terror to even think of protecting you."
Zen stood a few paces behind them, a silent observer, his own mind a chaotic whirlwind he couldn't calm.
"Ah." G6 said and sat on the stones and sand of the riverbank. She folded her knees up, resting her arms on them. "Tell me, Edmund," she said, staring at the trees across the river. "After all that, will you still be loyal to me?"
Edmund didn't wait a second. "Yes."
"Blindly?" G6 asked, her gaze still fixed on the distance.
"No," Edmund responded, the word firm. "I decided to stop trying to figure you out long ago, my lady. But I know one thing for certain… you do not harm the innocent. And I have witnessed the… sharp-edged kindness you show to the weak." His mind flashed with images: her fierce, unasked-for protection of Lilia and Tina; the way she'd stood for him when no one else would. He thought of Pete, the beggar child she'd saved from a bully, her method cruel and pragmatic—stepping on the bread he desperately needed only to replace it with a gold coin, a transaction that saved his pride as much as his stomach. She moved through the world not with a noble's soft compassion, but with a brutal, effective form of justice he was only beginning to understand.
"Kindness, huh?" G6 said and stood up, brushing the sand from her pants. "You don't know who you're pledging your loyalty to, Edmund. What you've seen so far is just the surface." With that, she walked away towards Kira.
Just the surface… Edmund's thoughts echoed, a cold dread settling in his stomach.
The words were a chilling promise. "I am prepared," Edmund called to her retreating back, his voice gaining strength. "I promise you, this is the last time I will falter, Lady Reise. I trust you, with all I have to offer, and with my life."
She didn't acknowledge him, already stroking Akira's neck.
Zen then stepped towards Edmund. "Edmund," he called out, his tone low and measured. "We're both guilty of incompetence earlier. I will not ask anything of her. But I will wait, and observe. I will not judge her, but I am not pledging my loyalty to anyone. I am just here, paying a debt to the Queen."
Edmund turned to him, a small, weary but resolute smile on his face. "There is no need to worry about such things. I do not expect you to pledge loyalty to my lady, Sir Zen. She would not be interested in it if you did." His eyes hardened, the warmth vanishing. "However, this is a bold act for a mere butler, but know this: the moment you betray her, I will not think twice."
Zen went silent for a long moment, staring into Edmund's determined eyes. "It seems you have fully gathered your resolve," he finally said. "I will remember that." He then looked over at G6, who was now checking Akira's saddle. "You're serving a master… who is so ridiculously unpredictable."
Edmund followed his gaze, watching the woman who was both a noble lady and a force of nature. "That is precisely what makes her dangerous," he said quietly. "And I am willing to walk into the storm with my unpredictable master."
_____
[G6'S OFFICE AT THE COLLEGIUM]
Tina was positioned at her own desk, besieged by mountains of paperwork: Omnia's inventory, Sanctum's potion sales, and Bastion's financial ledgers for housing. Outwardly, she was a portrait of calm focus, but within the privacy of her own mind, a storm raged.
I swear, even if my lady gave me a whole annual salary upfront, it would be useless. Why? Why in the world would the young masters route this here? And why would His Highness assign the recruits' finance to this office… don't they realize I am just a servant? My boss has been strategically absent for almost half a week now. Tsk. You can't fool me, Lady Reise; I know you're up to something. But at this rate, I'm going to die of paperwork before I ever see my first paycheck.
Her mind was a whirlwind of complaints, yet she maintained a placid expression, her hand moving in steady scribbles across the documents. And why is Sir Keith here? It's bothersome. He's just using my lady's room to slack off, too. Tina allowed herself a slow, weary shake of the head before releasing a soft sigh.
While Tina navigated the administrative ruins G6 had abandoned, Lilia was diligently practicing her script for greater efficiency and reading a complex treatise on herbology—pursuits advised by G6 herself. "Sharpen your mind whenever your hands are idle," her lady had said. Now, the girl sat silently upon the floor, her work spread across the low center table, a study in quiet concentration.
And on the settee, Keith lay shamelessly asleep, a couch blanket drawn over him, utterly adrift in his duties.
The brief moment of peace shattered as the door burst open to reveal a furious Brenda. "You useless lazy wet bed!" she seethed, striding toward Keith. She yanked the blanket away, balled it up, and threw it squarely in his face.
He groaned, slowly rousing. "What the—? Get a life, you vile woman," Keith complained, turning his back to her.
"You have obligations! Why do you keep leaving Eliza with Earl? He was supposed to be training me and Zen!" Brenda yelled.
Keith sat up irritably, scratching his head. "Listen, Eliza's healing spells have already reached the median tier. And I am not in the mood."
"What? Listen to me carefully, you fool: whether you are in the mood or not, Her Majesty assigned you personally to instruct Eliza! She's hoarding all of Earl's attention!"
"Aren't you just being possessive? Besides, Zen isn't even here. You're acting like a jealous girlfriend. Heh." Keith teased.
"How dare you imply something so improper? Earl cannot focus on teaching me because Eliza never ceases her questions. You know how he is—he cannot ignore a charge personally placed under his care by both Their Majesties. And besides," her voice sharpened to a point, "I WILL TATTLE TO PRINCE DIO!"
"H-hey! You know that cold-hearted man will just lecture me endlessly. And… he's rather out of sorts himself at the moment."
"Why is that?" Brenda asked, her anger momentarily sidetracked by curiosity.
"Well, he went to Her Majesty's manor at first light to inform her he was moving into the main building. But guess what?" Keith's grin turned wicked.
"What?" Brenda mirrored his expression, anticipating the answer.
"Aunt forbade it! Ha!" Keith burst into laughter. "She said Duke Worthon would disapprove, as their engagement has not been formally announced. So he's furious—he cannot fathom the logic of being barred while Zen has a suite there."
"Serves him right!" Brenda cackled. "I suppose Lady Reise said nothing to stop him. She must have known when she proposed the idea that Her Majesty would never allow it."
Lilia watched their gleefully malicious reaction and casual disparagement of the Prince with wide-eyed confusion, while Tina had long since given up trying to understand their dynamics.
"Is it just me, or did it suddenly become quite chilly in here?" Keith said, fumbling for the blanket.
"You're right," Brenda agreed, a slight shiver running through her.
"Perhaps it is because you are idling here, rather than attending to your duties." A voice, cold and precise, sliced through the air from the doorway.
Lilia and Tina immediately stood and offered a deep bow. "Greetings, Your Highness," they chimed in unison before hastily resuming their work.
"Oh... D-Dio, I mean, Your Highness..." Keith stammered, slowly standing up, mindful of the Prince's sudden, chilling presence.
"It does not follow that because the owner of this place is currently away, you may act as you please here," Dio said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame with an air of cold displeasure.
"I am here to retrieve this fool! I was not running away from my duties!" Brenda retorted, a sharp edge to her voice.
"Duties?" Dio slowly stood straight. "The recruitment drive has ended, so you possess no immediate duties here. The only obligation remaining for you both is to fulfill what you lack, is it not? And by that, I mean resuming your training properly."
"Hey, we are aware of that! Do not grow so cranky with us!" Keith protested.
"T-that is quite right!" Brenda quickly supported him.
Brenda was the first to concede, stalking out with an annoyed huff, followed by Keith, who left with a visible pout. Before Dio closed the door, his eyes lingered on the empty desk, as if seeing the cold, almost tangible aura of G6 that still permeated the room.
_____
[Sertiz Manor]
"My Lord, why do you insist upon bringing this matter up again?" Viscount Tesco asked the man sitting behind the massive, imposing desk.
"Have you not heard the recent intelligence from our men outside the capital?" inquired Marquess Sertiz, his gaze grim.
"And what intelligence is that, My lord?"
"Currently, there are regions where the teleportation devices are not functioning," Sertiz revealed, his lips tightening into a thin line. "The Imperial Family and those damned Pillars have shown no interest in this possibility these past fourteen years! But if the irregularities continue, they will grasp at that small rope."
"You refer to the missing young master? Although no body was ever found, was it not generally accepted that he perished, consumed by the fierce fire that reduced this manor to ashes?" the Viscount asked, visibly sweating beneath the tension.
"Simply instruct the men to locate the Head Maid who disappeared prior to the accident!" Sertiz commanded, his voice growing sharp. "If that child is indeed alive, we must gain possession of him before any of the Pillars can. And we must utterly silence that bitch who ran away, for if word of her existence were to spread, you know precisely what those in the Upper House Court would do."
The tension heightened, surrounding the study in a palpable dread. Marquess Sertiz then glanced at the old family heirloom crest hanging on the wall. "And I would be most gratified if my one and only nephew were alive," he continued, a slow, malevolent grin spreading across his face.
—To be continued…—