Chapter 55
“When exactly is the final match starting?”
“I don’t think the Grand Duke has appeared yet… Could something have happened…?”
It was well past the scheduled start time, yet no announcement was made, and those eagerly awaiting the finals were murmuring their complaints.
Eleanor also felt puzzled.
Hilliard’s youngest sibling, Teddian, was set to compete for the championship. From morning, everyone in the Grand Duke’s household, including Mathias, had been making a big fuss to cheer him on.
So if he suddenly didn’t appear, there had to be a reason.
‘Could it be… Charlotte?’
Eleanor jumped up from her seat.
She was certain she had just received news that Charlotte had appeared in the Iridescent Cavern.
The Grand Duke was such a schemer. Could it be that he hadn’t told her at all because he secretly went to take Charlotte away…?
“Kyaaaah!”
At that moment, a scream echoed from one side of the arena.
Reflexively, Eleanor turned her head and widened her eyes.
A person seated on the opposite stands was collapsing.
It was as if they were melting like sherbet under the scorching sun.
Black liquid pooled beneath the collapsing figure.
And this wasn’t happening in just one spot.
“W-what is this!”
“Run!”
Similar incidents were breaking out in various corners of the arena.
The crowd panicked, and the stands quickly descended into chaos.
Eleanor gripped the railing tightly.
“How…?”
This was a phenomenon that occurred to those contaminated by magic energy (Magi).
The Magi, which devoured the borders of the Hilliard domain, were extremely poisonous to humans.
Ten years ago, the former Grand Duke had died in an accident caused by the Magi, and the Dowager had been left unable to wield a sword.
‘But nothing like this happened in the original story…’
Eleanor quickly recalled that in the original timeline, no sword tournament had been held this year.
The original story had started a year and eight months ago, so the events should be reaching their conclusion by now.
At that time, the Grand Duke—who had been the antagonist—was busy receiving the consequences for all the misdeeds he had accumulated.
Since villains’ endings had to be tragic, the domain likely fell into chaos as well—land rotting, subjects leaving.
Could it really be that now is that time?
“Your Highness, Dowager! You must get out of here!”
The servants and knights rushed to take care of the Hilliard family.
The Dowager, who had difficulty moving, struggled to get up.
At that moment, a scream came from nearby.
“No, no…!”
“Margaret?!”
The body of Lady Margaret, who was helping the Dowager, was slowly collapsing from her feet upward.
Both the Dowager and Margaret showed clear signs of shock.
Terrified, Margaret clung to the Dowager.
“Save me… please, Dowager…!”
“Dowager! Let go of her hand!”
A knight pushed Margaret away to protect the Dowager.
However, Margaret didn’t let go, and as a result, the Dowager was pulled over the railing along with her, holding Eleanor’s baby.
“No!”
Eleanor lunged forward.
It was an uncalculated action.
She bent over to protect the Dowager, who was holding the baby, while Margaret’s fully collapsed body fell onto her.
Just as Eleanor thought everything was over—
Flash!
A blindingly white light erupted from her arms.
Even though Margaret had fallen onto her, and she was protecting the Dowager and the baby as they went over the railing, Eleanor felt no pain.
Instead, it felt gentle and warm, like basking in the spring sunlight.
Eleanor slowly blinked her eyes.
A bird…?
Above her head, a small bird was circling, radiating dazzling light.
Chirping cutely—piyororo, piyororo—the bird soon landed on Eleanor’s shoulder.
It had soft golden feathers, but Eleanor immediately knew it wasn’t an ordinary bird.
The light it had emitted was the same as the one that appeared when the baby healed itself with holy energy.
“A divine beast…”
The Dowager, seeing the same sight, muttered.
“A divine beast has appeared to protect the saint.”
“Eh?”
“Eh, Eleanor… behind you…!”
Eleanor turned her head.
The remaining contamination that hadn’t yet dissipated was pouring toward them.
No matter how divine the beast was, Eleanor couldn’t handle it all herself.
As she pushed the Dowager and the baby to safety—
Crackle!
Blue sword energy and red flames filled her vision.
“Mother! Are you unharmed?!”
The Grand Duke, whom Eleanor had assumed went to find Charlotte, appeared before her.
He wielded a massive sword enveloped in a blue aura.
And standing beside him was—
“Agarese?”
“Eli, hi.”
The Master of the Magic Tower, who had disappeared after only saying they would meet again, now appeared.
Agarese snapped his fingers.
Simultaneously, red flames erupted across the arena wherever the contaminated had collapsed.
No screams were heard.
They had already lost their human consciousness.
Yet, somehow, Eleanor could almost hear voices begging to be saved… or maybe it was just her imagination.
“I thought something interesting might happen.”
Amid the tense atmosphere, Agarese hummed to himself.
“It’s done.”
In a corner of the arena’s first floor, where almost no one was present, a woman in a black maid outfit muttered with a frown.
Originally, a bigger disaster was supposed to happen.
The plan was for the Grand Duke to desperately request outside help.
But now it ended on a smaller scale than expected.
It felt like a waste after all the long preparation for today.
“Miss, have you confessed?”
It would have been the last day she could see the Grand Duke.
Still, she had helped ensure that Miss Grace could play her role as the award ceremony assistant—something only the Duchess could normally do.
“Even though the main ceremony couldn’t proceed, I hope she was happy.”
The woman, who was delicate and kind, blinked tiny tears and turned away.
After she left, no trace remained.
The finals were temporarily suspended.
With people melting and collapsing in front of their eyes, the tournament couldn’t simply continue.
The fortunate thing was that no additional deaths occurred beyond those initially contaminated.
“Still, there are quite a few injured.”
Cornelia, with red-rimmed eyes, spoke in a tired voice.
“The panic caused everyone to try leaving the arena at the same time, which made the situation worse.”
“What about the medics?”
“They’ve been sent to the temporary infirmary with doctors. Injured people are being treated there.”
Mathias looked at the Dowager, who was sitting on a bed receiving treatment.
Fortunately, she was only a little startled, with no visible injuries.
But Teddian, the youngest, seemed deeply shocked.
He clung to the Dowager, sobbing.
“I couldn’t protect you, Mother.”
His face was pale as death.
“You were really important to today’s match. Nothing’s broken, I’m fine, so stop crying.”
The Dowager comforted her shocked son, which only triggered Teddian’s tears further.
He cried loudly, hugging the Dowager.
“A grown man crying…”
The Dowager patted his back, helplessly smiling.
At that moment, her gaze met Eleanor’s, standing a little distance away from the bed.
