Chapter 55: Mother’s Secret (3)

Chapter 55: Square 49: The Threat of Ronnet Marks

"There, that’s it."

Choosing a spot as inconspicuous as possible, I quietly parked the carriage. Right in front of me stood Duke Vade’s mansion.

"In the end, dealing with Shiran’s situation comes down to talking to the duke directly, that’s the fastest path."

I lit a cigarette in a spot hidden from view of the mansion.

"The problem’s the blue man. Guns and fire didn’t work on him, if I remember right..."

But every opponent has a weakness. And the reason I believed that was gripped in my left hand right now.

"Something this stupidly simple... actually worked."

I tapped ash into my portable ashtray, exhaling the smoke I’d held in my lungs. A vivid memory replayed in my mind. When I’d thrown ash into that man’s eyes, he’d flinched, without question. Pained by the ash in his eyes. A man untouched by bullets and fire. Which meant there had to be some mechanism behind why attacks failed on him.

"...Guess I’ll test it."

I pulled my bag from the carriage and got to work preparing.

"Not showing up..."

Preparations done, I leaned against the wall of Duke Vade’s estate, reading a novel. I’d figured this position would draw him out eventually, but it had already been over thirty minutes. The tension was starting to fade, ...and that’s when it happened.

"What are you doing there."

Startled by the sudden voice, the book slipped from my hand. I scrambled to pick it up and looked up.

"...There you are, blue bastard."

Never going to forget this. He’d slashed my right eye, taken Shiran, and slaughtered Flaut. Against a man who’d killed a child without hesitation, I couldn’t hide my hostility. Seeing my open hostility, the blue-clothed man’s brow twitched, his voice rising.

"You dare... this is Duke Vade’s own trusted blade you’re addressing. Insult Ronnet Marks!? Retract that statement immediately, or I’ll tear you apart right now!!"

The sheer force behind this man, Ronnet, made me instinctively pull back. This level of genuine bloodlust and violence, even without having seen it firsthand, sealed it: this man had been the one to kill Flaut. Part of me wanted to fire back right here, but doing so would only get me killed. First, put distance. Don’t panic. Keep emotions in check.

"My bad. Marks, right? I apologize, retracting what I said. I’ve got no interest in fighting you."

Just those few words, but that alone was enough to shift Ronnet’s expression from murderous rage to blank neutrality.

"Hmph, that’s more like it. Now, I’ll ask once more. What are you doing here?"

Figured he’d ask that, so I already had an excuse ready.

"Ah, came here to borrow money from a friend. I ride through this area often by carriage, so I was just waiting here. That’s all."

"...I see."

The next instant, Ronnet grabbed my tie and lifted me clean off the ground, higher than his own head, with just one hand.

"Ngh!?"

"Then disappear, now. Trash like you disgusts me."

His eyes held the cold, dismissive look of someone staring at a bug in a toilet. Struggling against the weight pulling at my neck, I gave a small nod. Ronnet tossed me aside carelessly, like discarding garbage, and turned to walk off without another word. ...But of course, I wasn’t about to let it end there.

"...Hey, you dropped something."

"What? ...Guaah!"

An attack aimed straight for his eyes as he turned back. Same as last time, ash to blind him.

"........You."

"Pissed off, huh? Same here. Come on, blue slug, come and get me if you can!"

Shouting that, I drew the gun and pulled the trigger. The shot, aimed for between his eyes, missed and hit his right shoulder instead. But it had no effect. The bullet stopped dead against Ronnet’s skin, dropping to the ground with a metallic clatter. Already expecting that outcome, I’d already turned and started running.

"...I’ll kill you."

Bloodlust intense enough to feel against my own back. My legs trembled with fear, but I forced them to keep running. Going in a straight line, he’d catch up in no time. I ran cutting through as many corners as possible, breaking his line of sight. With his vision blinded by ash, he shouldn’t be able to catch up right away.

"The ash worked, but attacks still don’t land. Which means, his magic is..."

My words got drowned out by a loud crash. From the sound of crumbling stone, he was tearing straight through walls to catch up.

"Damn it! Why is everyone in this world some kind of monster!?"

No time for complaints. Just run. Toward that spot I’d prepared.

Ronnet’s footsteps drew closer. Having managed to lose him and reach my destination, I held my breath, hiding. He had to be close now. I prayed I wouldn’t be found, and that the timer would kick in soon.

"Don’t move."

In the dead silence, my own voice echoed. Not my actual voice, of course. A recorded audio clip playing from the phone.

"Why are you giving orders? Want to become mincemeat?"

"I said don’t move. Your mistake was chasing after me."

"What?"

The conversation was slightly disjointed, but flowing well enough overall. Hidden away, I carefully watched for an opening.

"By now, my associates should already have Vade restrained. Understand your position now?"

"..."

Ronnet said nothing. Hopefully that meant he was rattled...

"Let me ask one thing..."

"I’ll note now, I won’t be taking questions from you. Follow my instructions."

The timing landed so perfectly it nearly made me smile despite myself.

"First, hands clasped on top of your head, kneel, and close your eyes."

"...Fine."

Ronnet followed the instruction, kneeling. That position happened to leave his back turned toward me. Just a guess, but Ronnet’s magic was probably some kind of barrier. He was likely a user of magic that generated a defensive barrier around his body. But a barrier blocking everything entirely would suffocate him. Which meant it probably let through necessities like oxygen, while blocking impact and heat. That explained why fire and bullets didn’t work, and why the ash to the eyes had. It also explained why I’d felt his hand when he grabbed my tie. And the barrier’s weak point had to be the soles of his feet. A barrier there would cancel out impact with every step, making walking nearly impossible. By getting Ronnet to kneel, I’d maneuvered him into turning the soles of his feet outward.

"Listen carefully, I’ll give further instructions. Follow them exactly. Otherwise, consider Duke Vade’s life forfeit."

"Understood."

From here, five straight minutes of meaningless instructions played on loop. While Ronnet’s attention stayed locked on those orders, this five-minute window was everything. My hiding spot was across the street from where the phone sat. Ronnet was kneeling in the middle of a low-traffic road. I slowly pushed the manhole cover off my head using the strength of my neck. Fortunately, Ronnet remained exactly in the recorded posture. Positioning myself opposite the phone had worked out perfectly, aligning Ronnet’s stance exactly as needed. All that was left was landing the shot.

Stay calm. It has to land. A stationary target. I can definitely hit it...!

Even the sound of me swallowing felt deafeningly loud. My vision blurred with tension. The anxious urge to fire quickly flashed through my mind, alongside visions of failure.

Then, I felt a slight pull on my hand. Thanks to that, my aim steadied for just a moment. Now’s the only chance!! The thought and the trigger pull happened almost simultaneously. Wrapped in a dry gunshot, a lump of lead surged forward through white smoke. Like water rushing toward a drain, it struck Ronnet with no deviation at all. ...Yes, it landed a direct hit.

"...Why."

It had stopped. The bullet that hit Ronnet’s leg had only lodged slightly into his boot. ...That’s all.

"...So it really is there."

True, it hadn’t been a meticulously planned strategy. But I’d thought it through with everything I had, and it had gone exactly as planned. And still, ...it ended in failure. The words "Return to Start" surfaced in my mind.

"Damn it! Like hell I’m going back!!"

I fled deeper into the manhole. Beyond this point led into the sewers.

"Tender’s willing to help me..."

I climbed down the ladder as if falling.

"I made a promise with Elizabeth..."

I ran desperately along the path beside the water channel.

"I brought Shiran and Flaut somewhere safe..."

I ran through the pitch-black path, barely able to see anything. In this darkness, neither of us should be able to see the other. Yet Ronnet’s footsteps showed no sign of falling behind. He was closing in, without question.

"I’m so close! There’s no way I’m turning back now, not after coming this far!!"

I turned and aimed the gun into the darkness, pulling the trigger. But in the dark, all that rose was a faint spark and a metallic clang. A clean miss, obvious at a glance.

"...After coming all this way."

Thrown off balance by the gun’s recoil, my body was swallowed by the filthy water beside me, as if devoured by it.

"AAAAAAAAH! ...Glub!"

I couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Terrified to death.

"Mmph, ...pfhaaah! Ngh, cough!"

Something pulled me up. Debris in my eyes made it hard to open them properly. Still, forcing through the pain, I pried my eyelids open.

"...Disgusting. Someone like you, truly."

What I saw of Ronnet’s expression in that moment looked like he was smiling. The next instant, agonizing pain shot through me, and consciousness faded into darkness.