Free Web NovelRoyal Knights Academy, Underground Storage Area.
Eleanor held the girl's hands, looking at her with some distress.
Pavela wore the academy's standard female uniform, with a dark gray cloak over it.
The hem of the cloak was worn in several places, with stone chips and some unknown powder clinging to the edges.
Her short silver hair was a mess, covered in dust and dirt, but those pale gray-blue eyes shone exceptionally bright in the dim light.
There were a few gray marks on her face, as if something had rubbed against it.
Her uniform collar was crooked.
Her shoes were covered in dirt.
There were a few small holes in her skirt.
She looked like she had just crawled out of some mine.
Filthy.
Disheveled.
But that red strip of cloth was tied neatly around her wrist, completely unaffected.
Her gaze was also clear.
So clear it made Eleanor a bit uneasy.
Eleanor took a deep breath.
Then slowly exhaled.
A few minutes ago.
She was still urgently reinforcing the outer defenses of the Underground Storage Area.
The fire in the Old City tonight had drawn too much attention, and more than half of Eisenburg's Garrison had been redeployed.
At a time like this, things were most likely to go wrong.
So she had prepared in advance.
Sent extra manpower.
Checked the passages.
Confirmed the seals.
Everything was going according to plan.
Then, someone fell from the ceiling.
Right in front of her.
Without any warning.
Without any hint.
One second the ceiling was fine, the next a hole cracked open, and a humanoid object fell out from above.
If Eleanor hadn't been so familiar with Pavela's presence, her first reaction would have been to draw her sword.
But she didn't.
She caught her.
Then, that hole... filled itself in.
Rubble and dirt surged from all directions, sealing the newly formed gap tightly.
As if nothing had ever happened.
The reaction of Eleanor's subordinates at the time was quite interesting.
Armed with live ammunition.
Aiming at the target.
Ready to attack.
And then—
And then they saw their superior catch the intruder falling from the sky in an extremely unprofessional posture.
It was a princess carry, no less.
They looked at each other.
Then, with perfect understanding, they put away their weapons and took a few steps back.
A few more steps back.
Back to the corner of the hall.
Pretending they hadn't seen anything.
Pretending they hadn't heard anything.
Pretending they were just decorations on the wall.
"So,"
Eleanor spoke, her voice full of helplessness.
"How did you find this place?"
"Return Power,"
Pavela replied.
Her tone was matter-of-fact.
"I can see the structural weaknesses of the building; I just had to dig down along those weaknesses."
"...How deep did you dig?"
"About... sixty meters?"
"Sixty meters."
"Mm."
"By yourself."
"Mm."
"Using the Return Power to dig."
"It's the Path of the Tower, after all; it excels at destruction. By utilizing the natural release of structural stress, I made the collapse happen in a specific order, so the passage could be filled as I descended."
Eleanor fell silent.
She was pondering a question.
Whether she should praise this little girl's cleverness or pin her down and give her a beating.
The temptation of the latter was quite strong.
"Little Pa."
Her voice was very soft.
"Hmm?"
"I recall I never told you the specific location of this place."
"You didn't."
"I didn't even mention the existence of this place, did I?"
"...Mm."
"Then how did you know?"
Pavela looked at her.
No guilt.
No dodging.
Only a calm, almost calculating gaze that felt somewhat unfamiliar to Eleanor.
"Fire of Freedom,"
Pavela said.
"They told me."
Eleanor's expression changed.
"You—"
"Their true goal in Eisenburg was never to create chaos and then frame the Army; those were all smokescreens."
"Their goal is the sleeper."
"The thing you have hidden here."
Eleanor's hand tightened.
"Tonight's fire in the Old City," Pavela continued, "isn't just to frame the pro-peace faction for the massacre of the people." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"They just need a large enough disturbance to draw the entire city's attention to the Old City. The Military Police, the fire brigade, anyone with a conscience, all the forces that can be mobilized—all dragged into that sea of fire."
"Then, they can raid this place amidst the chaos."
"And take the sleeper away while things are frantic."
Eleanor fell silent.
A long silence.
In the hall, there were only the footsteps of soldiers patrolling in the distance and the hiss of steam flowing through some pipe.
"Then why did you come here yourself?"
She finally spoke.
"You could have clearly told me this information and let me handle it myself."
"You shouldn't—"
"I should."
Pavela interrupted her.
"You have quite a few troops loyal to you, and three lines of defense, but you don't know how many people the other side will bring or what methods they'll use."
"The Fire of Freedom is no ordinary organization. They have people in Usar's military, in the Imperial government, and even in the Royal Knights Academy."
"If they dare to risk everything tonight, it means they're confident."
Her eyes flickered in the dim light.
"But I—"
"I know how they operate."
"I know where they will attack from, what tactics they'll use, and when they'll retreat."
"So."
The corner of her mouth curved slightly.
"I came."
"To wait for them at their destination."
Eleanor looked at her.
Looking at this filthy little girl who had fallen from the ceiling and clearly done something dangerous again.
She should be angry.
She should send Pavela back to the surface and give her a good lesson.
She should tell her that she was an Imperial Army Lieutenant Colonel, a battle-hardened officer, the 'Blood Rose' Eleanor von Schwartz, and didn't need—
But she couldn't say it.
Because Pavela's gaze was too earnest.
So earnest it reminded her of another pair of eyes.
Night of Calderburg.
Those eyes that never went out even in despair.
"Little Pa."
Eleanor's voice softened.
"Do you know why I didn't tell you about these things?"
"...Because you were afraid I'd be in danger."
"Yes."
"Because you wanted to protect me."
"Yes."
Pavela looked at her.
"But you promised me."
"What?"
"You promised me you would put yourself first."
"You promised me that if you encountered an enemy too powerful, you would flee regardless of /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ everything."
"But I also know you won't run."
Her hand gripped Eleanor's.
"So I came."
"The enemy is coming soon."
"I won't let you carry it alone."
Eleanor's breath hitched for a moment.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But.
BOOM—!!
The sound came from the other end of the hall.
A massive explosion.
The entire underground space vibrated.
Dust trickled down from the ceiling.
The lights flickered.
Shouts came from the distance.
And—
And some kind of prickling sensation on the back of the neck, a fluctuation belonging to the Return Power.
...
"See, they've arrived."
