Haldran's finger traced a slow circle on the worn grain of the table. He looked up, a casual smirk playing on his lips.
Haldran: ["Officially, the border between Vollachia and Lugunica is sealed. Tensions aren't at the breaking point, but there are... skirmishes, every now and then. To smuggle you across is a significant risk for not just me but Vollachia entirely."]
Lacerta: ["Then why agree to it? Our business is already concluded after all. I fulfilled my end of the bargain; you have Caro Mendin back. I only asked as a long shot—I never actually expected you to say yes."]
The smirk on Haldran's face softened, replaced by something more contemplative. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting towards the low, marble ceiling as he gathered his thoughts.
Haldran: ["My daughter, Althea... the one you saved and the one who started this whole... thing. She isn't my own by blood. I imagine you've already suspected as much."]
Lacerta's mind flashed to the contrast—Althea's shock of pink hair against Haldran's stark white. It had been obvious, but in a world of strange fates, it hardly seemed worth questioning.
Lacerta: ["Go on."]
Haldran: ["Let's just say I seem to have a weakness for children in difficult situations. You are remarkably, unnervingly powerful—more so than most people could ever dream of becoming. And yet..."]
He leaned forward again, his eyes locking with Lacerta's, the intensity clear in their depths.
Haldran: ["...you're still just a child in the end. So, let's call it a 'whim,' as you said. Sometimes, that's all fate needs, isn't it?"]
Lacerta's eyes widened at Haldran's declaration. A heavy silence settled between them, stretching until Haldran's voice finally cut through it.
Haldran: ["Akigami. You are listening, yes?"]
Lacerta glanced toward the door, a silent question in his expression. A moment later, a slightly familiar brown-haired woman emerged from the adjoining room. Her maid uniform was pristine as she gathered her skirt and offered a formal bow.
It was the same woman he'd saw when first entering the Estate alongside Althea.
Akigami: ["Forgive the intrusion, Haldran-sama. I do not doubt your strength... but an outsider introduces an unknown variable."]
A low chuckle rumbled in Haldran's chest. He gave a theatrical shrug, his eyes never leaving Lacerta, who remained a statue of watchful stillness.
Haldran: ["'Outsider,' she says. Come now, Akigami. I know you've never been one for trust, but I swear on my name: this boy is on our side."]
Akigami's professional composure wavered, her own eyes widening slightly.
Akigami: ["An oath of that magnitude is—"]
—CLAP!
The sharp sound echoed in the room, cutting her off completely. The sudden and explosive sound catching the attention of both people in the room.
Haldran: ["Excellent then. With that little bit of housekeeping out of the way… shall we? The desk, if you both please."]
As he and the woman approached the desk, Lacerta thought he heard a subtle sigh from his right.
From a pocket, Haldran retrieved a rolled parchment. He unspooled it across the wooden surface between them, flipping it with a deft hand so it faced Akigami and Lacerta.
Lacerta merely blinked, though he didn't miss the flicker of acknowledgement in Akigami's eyes.
Lacerta: ["So, it's..."]
Haldran: ["A map, yes. It leads North from the Velin Estate, toward the very border separating our nations. Of course, a crossing like that wouldn't go unnoticed, so I advise a... different approach."]
He calmly tapped his finger onto a specific part of the map.
Haldran: ["...The Aihiya Swamp."]
——————————————————————————
The Aihiya Swamp. An area well-known by the entire world for the battle that took countless lives multiple decades ago during the "Demi-Human War".
As Haldran had described it, the swamp was a vast, corrupted marshland teeming with Witchbeasts—the likes of which Lacerta could never even imagine.
Its very landscape was described as a weapon; uneven and unstable, the ground seemed to conspire against intruders. It not only attracted all manner of foul creatures but also actively interfered with the most powerful of warriors, smothering their magical abilities.
Haldran estimated they had a few hours, at most, before the toxic 'miasma' would begin to affect even them.
The thought made Lacerta glance at the woman accompanying him. For Haldran to place her in their league meant she was a fighter on par with Rusk, or perhaps even Haldran himself.
For someone like that to be just a maid seemed a bit strange...
Just what was that mansion... to hold so many beings of such power?
Sitting in the back of a wooden wagon as it rumbled along, he studied the woman opposite him, serene despite their surroundings.
She felt dangerous, in fact. That's what it was.
Though a powerful person accompanying him was not something he minded in the least, and he felt as if she was trustworthy enough not to stab him if he looks away from her.
Lacerta: ["Aren't you shocked or confused?"]
At his words, Akigami's eyes drifted open. Her expression was as placid as Lacerta's own.
Akigami: ["Shocked? Confused? Why would I be?"]
Lacerta: ["Haldran described where we're going as life-threatening, even for us. You might know why we're traveling, but you gain nothing from this. Only I do."]
A slight shake of her head was her only immediate response. She turned to watch the road disappear behind them, a scar of brown earth fading into the horizon.
Akigami: ["Years ago, I made a vow to Haldran-sama. He gave my life purpose. I would forfeit it now, in a heartbeat, if it meant advancing his ambition."]
The concept was alien to Lacerta's understanding. His world was one of balance, of equivalent exchange. A life for a life, an eye for an eye. To offer oneself for something as intangible as an 'ambition'… it was a currency he couldn't compute. But he remained silent; he didn't know her well enough to question her convictions.
Lacerta: ["He has an ambition?"]
For the first time, the ghost of a smile touched Akigami's lips. It was a flicker of warmth in a frozen mask, then it vanished as if it had never been.
Akigami: ["So I am told."]
A heavy silence fell between them once more, broken only by the rhythmic groan and crunch of wooden wheels on the packed-earth road. Lacerta welcomed it. In the quiet, the frantic noise in his own mind could finally recede, offering a fragile peace he so desperately craved.
Akigami: ["Why do you pursue magic, Lacerta-sama? Few in this world are adept with both blade and magic."]
Her perpetual indifference was like looking into a mirror, a stark contrast to the loud, emotional people he usually encountered. Still, the formal address felt strange, ill-fitting.
Lacerta: ["You don't need to speak to me so formally. 'Lacerta' is fine."]
Akigami just offered a single, curt nod.
Lacerta: ["As for why… it's because I need to be stronger."]
He knew it sounded greedy, but he'd learned a bitter lesson: weakness was how you lost the people you cared for. It allowed them to be torn away from you. He would never sacrifice his own life for Glenn—and he prayed Glenn would've never done the same for him. That kind of self-sacrificial nonsense was just a path to ruin.
That's why he needed strength. Absolute strength, so a situation where that is the 'only option' doesn't exist.
He shook his head, clearing the thought.
Lacerta: ["That's all there is to it. I need to get stronger."]
Akigami: ["And why do you need to get stronger?"]
Lacerta's brows furrowed. He debated giving an honest answer before letting out a weary sigh.
Lacerta: ["So that I can reach a point where nothing can hurt me again. To be so powerful that… that feeling… never returns."]
For a moment, Akigami's eyes flickered with something akin to understanding.
Akigami: ["I was once captivated by that same idea. 'Strength is the ideal.' 'Strength is infallible.' 'If I am strong, nothing bad will ever happen to me or mine again'…"]
Lacerta blinked, caught off guard by the sudden flood of words. He had clearly hit a verbal mark which Akigami found similar to herself.
Akigami: ["That is a lie. Omnipotence does not exist in this world. You cannot be everywhere at once. You cannot foresee every tragedy that comes your way."]
Lacerta frowned. If ultimate power was an impossibility, then what was the point? The thought was severed mid-stream by her next words.
Akigami: ["And.... you told a lie, Lacerta."]
His purple pupils contracted. He replayed the entire conversation in his mind, searching for the falsehood. When? He'd done no such thing.
Lacerta: ["What are you talking about?"]
Akigami: ["I see. So you don't even know it yourself."]
Her hand rose from the carriage's wooden frame in a slow, deliberate motion. She extended her arm, pointing an index finger straight at his heart.
Akigami: ["Your reason for desiring strength. That is your lie."]