Chapter 10
âMargrave? How dare you act so insolently toward your auntâ!â
âYour Excellency, please calm yourself!â
The Margrave threw his bow to the ground and flew into a rage, only to be restrained by a short man who clung to him desperately.
That said, it looked more like he was being lifted into the air, dangling like a cicada from the Margraveâs flailing arm.
âIsnât it embarrassing in front of the Holy Knights? Youâre the one disgracing the family, so please stop!â
Even while drenched in sweat, he seemed like the type who said what needed to be said.
Brown curly hair and large horn-rimmed glasses. Alright, I acknowledge you.
âIs that man an aide?â
Wolfgang, who had somehow come right up beside me, asked.
That would make sense, I thoughtâbut Lothar gave an unexpected answer.
âHe is the Margraveâs husband. Though he did used to be her aide.â
ââŠHer husband? That man?â
Wolfgang muttered in disbelief.
Come to think of it, I recalled what I had learned before meeting the Margrave. She had fallen in love with a commoner aide ten years her junior and married him. Seeing it with my own eyes felt strangely surreal.
In any case, the curly-haired man seemed to have barely succeeded in pacifying the Margrave.
It was a bit irritating how he kept gesturing wildly in my direction, but the Margraveâs expression was gradually softening.
At last, she called out in a gentler voice.
âIâve kept my niece-in-law standing far too long! Come inside.â
Right. So Iâm the convenient excuse.
The Margrave and her husband quickly disappeared up the tower. Soon after, I heard a short click of the tongue.
âThis is one of the reasons I didnât want to come.â
Lothar brushed his bangs back, his expression sharp. Yes, it was a bit harsh.
Unlike the curly-haired man handling the Margrave, I didnât have the confidence to soothe Lothar. Instead, I picked up the remaining edelweiss on the ground and handed it to him.
âWin through mental victory. Imagine the Margrave placed each of these flowers herself.â
ââŠâŠâ
Now that I imagined it myself, it didnât seem so great. Lotharâs brows furrowed even more.
Still, he seemed to like the bundle of edelweiss in his arms. After a short sigh, he lifted the bouquet beside my face and whispered,
âIt suits you. A flower that resembles you.â
âHow so?â
âIn its tenacity.â
Is that an insult or a compliment?
While I was pondering, he placed the bouquet in my arms and started walking ahead. Wolfgang, standing beside me, nodded and added,
âI agree with that. After all, Saintess⊠you have a certain quality of not dying no matter how much youâre trampled, donât you?â
âWant me to try trampling you and see what happens?â
âOh come on, itâs a complimentâwhy so hostile?â
I kicked him in the shin once before following Lothar.
The interior of the castle we entered shortly after was modest yet elegant. The reddish lighting placed here and there, along with the crimson carpets, worked effectively.
The Margrave couple was nowhere to be seen. Instead, an extremely elderly head butlerâwho looked like he might collapse at any momentâgreeted us with a trembling body.
âWelcome, everyone. Hoho.â
The butler first instructed several maids to guide the Holy Knights to their rooms.
Then, saying he would personally guide Lothar and me to ours, he headed toward the stairs.
âYour Highness looks even healthier than the last time I saw you, hoho.â
âThanks, even if itâs just words. How are you?â
âAs for me, I could go any day now, hoho.â
âDonât say that. They say thereâs no order to who goes first.â
âŠWhat kind of conversation is that?
I half-listened to the exchange between the butler and Lothar while looking around the castle interior.
Three floors were visible. However, in a corner of the first floor, I caught a glimpse of stairs leading underground.
Judging by how openly it was placed, it didnât seem like a secret passage.
âButler. How is the underground space used?â
At my question, the butler turned his head.
For some reason, the tiny eye behind his monocle seemed to gleam.
âThe underground! A truly splendid space, hoho. It is divided into two levels. First, the upper level contains the prison, torture chamber, discipline roomâŠâ
ââŠâŠâ
This butler is a bit strange too, isnât he?
Still, what he said next was rather interesting.
âBelow that lies the treasure vault. You might say it contains spoils the Staufen family has diverted instead of offering to the imperial household, hoho.â
âLetâs start there. Right now.â
I smelled itâthe scent of a prestigious embezzlersâ high-end collection.
But even as we descended the stairs to the basement, I hadnât anticipated what awaited me.
ââŠHuh?â
That I would encounter the partner my soul had long yearned for here.
Letâs skip ahead a bit.
Despite the blatant intent of a new family member planning to plunder the vault first, the butler readily nodded and changed direction.
âWhy not take a look around the first basement level first? It holds many memorable experiences for me as well, hoho.â
What kind of memories could one have in an underground prison? With that question in mind, I followed him down the stairs.
The basement we soon reached had rows of iron cells lined up. No prisoners were in sight. Howeverâ
âOh my? That one hasnât been cleaned yet, hoho.â
âŠOne cell was splattered with blood.
I pretended not to see it. I should have done the same when I noticed an iron door standing alone among the cells.
Five locks hung from its handle. Above it was a sign reading: Torture Chamber and Discipline Room.
Why? In the Staufen family, are the tools for torture and discipline the same?
While I was contemplating the familyâs moral standards, the butler began feeling along the wall near the torture chamber.
Soon, the seemingly ordinary wall lifted upward with a metallic clank.
âFrom here on, please follow carefully.â
The path down to the second basement level was quite dark, lit only by the lantern in the butlerâs hand.
Then, when we reached the bottom of the stairs, I opened my mouth the moment I saw part of the underground illuminated by the flickering light.
âIf I were the Emperor, the Staufen Margrave would be executed immediately.â
âIf discovered, that might indeed happen, hoho.â
Ahâright. I was supposed to keep that to myself. But there was a reason my mouth had run wild with the truth.
Gold. Silver. Jewels and ornaments. Glittering treasures piled up like mountains. What the hellâdid they just dump everything here like some marketplace?
The butler walked through the darkness without hesitation, lighting the wall lamps. Soon, the second basement was fully illuminated. The moment I took it all in, a thought crossed my mind.
âI wonât have to worry about money for the rest of my life.â
âThat is, if you avoid being tracked, hoho.â
Ah, againâI said it out loud.
I wiped the drool from my mouth. It was right after that that I noticed something sticking out among the glittering jewels and gold.
âHuh?â
Unlike the other treasures, it was matte and black. Looking closely at the end of the rod, there was a round holeâŠ
ââŠHuh?â
It felt far too familiar. Enough to send chills down my spine.
Without hesitation, I dropped to my knees and pulled the object out from the mountain of treasure.
âElise?â
A startled voice approached from behind.
âThere are sharp jewels here. Please lift your knees.â
I heard the flutter of a jacketâhe was probably trying to place it beneath me. Unfortunately, I didnât have the capacity to care.
With some effort, I finally pulled the object free from among the heavy treasures and placed it on both my hands. Then, for a long while, I stared at it in silence.
âElise, whatâs wrong?â
A low voice settled by my ear, laced with a hint of tension.
I slowly raised my head and met Lotharâs gaze.
âLothar, do you know what this is?â
Lothar quietly examined the object in my hands before speaking.
âIsnât it an ancient weapon used by mages? I believe itâs calledâŠâ
âA gun, hoho.â
Yes. A gun.
I lowered my gaze again.
A walnut-colored stock. A slender cylindrical barrel. A trigger within the guard.
âIn my next life, I want to live a long time. With hands that are whole.â
The only reason I had made that wishâthe entirety of the one life I had ever lived.
The only weapon I knew how to use had finally come into my hands, in my sixth life.
