~Chapter 120~
“Nocturne, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed in the lobby? Don’t overdo it.”
“I’m really fine. …By the way, did you just call me Aria earlier?”
“I made a mistake because I was flustered. You also call me ‘Duke’ all the time.”
“That’s not the same. Even for a temporary pair, calling me by your ex-girlfriend’s name is a really serious mistake.”
The Manager glanced at the two bickering people.
‘What kind of conversation is that?’
He couldn’t understand everything, but it seemed like Aria believed she wasn’t Aria, but a clone. And that she had Cambiata’s soul.
‘So… Capgras syndrome or something like that?’
Capgras syndrome is a mental illness where you think close people or yourself are a fake or a copy. This seemed a little different, though.
Anyway, it was clear Aria wasn’t in a normal state. That’s why Nocturne kept worrying about her.
But Nocturne started trying to leave Aria in the lobby ever since the sudden blackout in the theater.
But was it really just a blackout?
Normally, a blackout would have been a perfect chance for the Manager. He could still command the Sacrifice, and in the chaos, could have controlled the knights watching him and escaped.
But when darkness fell, the Manager couldn’t do anything.
At that time, he was watching Nocturne and Aria. If they had been on guard, it would have been hard to observe, but Aria was unwell, and Nocturne’s eyes were only on her.
Even when the blackout happened, everyone else looked up at the ceiling, but Nocturne kept looking at Aria.
So, the Manager almost looked at the ceiling by instinct, but then stopped and stared at Aria.
Then, for a moment, he saw it. Darkness was pouring out from above Aria’s head. It happened so fast, it was almost impossible to notice with the naked eye.
‘What was that?’
It was too clear to ignore as a mistake. The Manager stared at Aria intensely.
‘Could it be…?’
A twisted smile appeared on his lips.
The passage leading to the isolation room between the first and second floors was narrow. The Manager warned that the room inside wasn’t big enough for everyone.
Nocturne ordered the rescue team to wait outside with the hostages. Only the assault team would enter the isolation room, with the Manager as well.
When they entered the pitch-dark room, the Manager showed them the light switch. When the lights turned on, they saw the Sacrifice.
It was the same silver-haired boy Aria had sensed at the Cambiata meeting. But now, he looked much worse. Back then, his eyes were lifeless, but his body looked okay. Now, his face was pale, and his lips were completely dry.
“It’s only been a day since he became the Sacrifice, so he should still be okay.”
Aria glared coldly at the Manager. Noticing her anger, Nocturne asked in a chilly voice,
“Should I just kill you now? You’re useless anyway.”
“I was just giving you information. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on…”
The Manager was more afraid of Aria’s reaction than Nocturne’s deadly threats, because Nocturne only acted for Aria’s sake.
When Aria sighed and walked toward the boy, Nocturne finally looked away from the Manager. The Manager let out a breath of relief.
‘Something interesting is about to start. I can’t die here.’
“Release his restraints.”
At Nocturne’s order, the knights quickly undid the boy’s restraints. The ropes were removed in no time. The boy collapsed forward. Only then did Aria’s tense expression ease.
At that moment, the boy’s eyes snapped open.
“A, a, ah…”
He grabbed his head with both hands.
“Aaaaaah! AAAAAAH!”
The knights supporting him flinched at the piercing scream. Nocturne frowned.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I-I’m not sure. He doesn’t seem to be attacking us, he just looks like he’s in pain…”
A knight answered while trying to calm the struggling boy.
At that moment, Lance was seen holding his own head in pain. Nocturne reflexively turned to Aria. She was also clutching her head, staring at the boy.
“Sera? Why…?”
Just then, the Manager burst into a sly laugh behind them. Nocturne turned to see him grinning.
“The death countdown has started again.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Cambiata learned from the last war. They set up a fail-safe, so the Sacrifice would self-destruct if freed from the chair, taking all the Eshafes he controlled with him. That means, all the rescued Eshafes and the guards in this theater will die too.”
“That means you’ll die too.”
Nocturne grabbed the Manager by the collar and lifted him. Because of the size difference, the Manager’s feet dangled in the air.
“If you don’t want to die, stop it right now.”
“Cough… Impossible. I didn’t set this up. It’s Dr. Karno’s work.”
The Manager grinned even while being strangled. Nocturne’s killing intent seemed to amuse him.
‘He’s realized I’m recreating the war.’
In the final war, the two had to fight brainwashed allies. They tried not to hurt their comrades, but Cambiata made the Eshafes kill themselves in front of Aria when they lost.
Each time her allies died, Aria lost a part of herself. In the end, she completely broke and was put in the chair.
Even though this Eshafe boy wasn’t Aria’s companion, it seemed she was suffering serious war trauma.
Maybe that blackout earlier was a sign she’s breaking down.
The Manager couldn’t hold back his laughter, and Nocturne punched him. With his body battered and blood filling his mouth, the Manager still spoke.
“Wait, wait. Don’t kill me. The princess saved my life.”
“Aria saved you? What do you mean…”
Nocturne stopped, sensing something.
The Manager smiled and explained,
“In the final war, Cambiata used civilians as human shields, just like today. The princess saved my life back then.”
That country was the biggest one ruled by Cambiata, and loyalty from citizens was very high. They used Eshafes as slaves, and human experiments were common.
At the end of the war, Cambiata took ordinary citizens as hostages and killed them in front of Aria. Because Aria was a mental-type Eshafe, even seeing strangers die in front of her damaged her deeply.
Aria did her best to protect everyone during battle, and some citizens survived thanks to her. But as far as the Manager knew, none ever thanked Aria or the imperial army.
Humans don’t thank those they look down on when they are saved—unless they feel humiliated.
The Manager spoke on their behalf.
“Thank you for saving me! Thanks to the life the princess spared, I’m enjoying myself like this!”
As soon as he shouted, Nocturne struck the back of his neck.
