Scarlett frowned as she looked at Leon. The bright golden light that had risen to surround him writhed, almost like a beast confronting a threat, and the man was staring at her with an intense expression.
“…I am afraid I do not know what you are referring to,” she said after a moment of silence.
What had caused this sudden reaction of his? Neither she nor Evelyne had said anything in particular, and there had been no sounds from outside the room either. Him asking what she’s hiding could refer to a number of different things.
“Wait, what’s happening? What is he talking about?” Evelyne asked.
Leon once more turned his head upward, staring at a specific spot on the ceiling. The scowl on his face deepened as he completely seemed to forget where he was.
Was there something happening in another part of the mansion that he was sensing?
Suddenly, he started moving towards the door.
“Sir Leon, what do you think you are doing?” she asked, but her words were ignored as he left the room. She hurried to stand and follow him. “Sir Leon!”
What the hell was this man up to?
Evelyne accompanied her out of the parlor as she tried catching up to Leon, but the knight had already made it to the end of the corridor and disappeared around the corner.
Clenching her teeth, Scarlett quickened her pace, passing by a confused servant girl.
The man himself didn’t seem to quite know where he was going, since even after they lost him while moving through the mansion, they encountered several other servants who’d seen him and pointed them in different directions each time. Eventually, though, Scarlett spotted the back of his black uniform once again after they had entered the east wing.
“Leon! Stop right this moment!” she called out.
The man disappeared down another corner and, along with Evelyne, Scarlett rushed forward. She paused as she rounded the corner and saw him take a left, where there was a set of stairs leading up to the other floors.
She realized where he was going.
A moment later, she spotted a confused Fynn appear further down the hallway. The young man must have been wondering about the noise.
“Fynn!” she called out as he approached them. “Follow Sir Leon and ensure that he does not reach the top floor. And do not destroy anything!”
Without a word, he took off.
Scarlett turned around to the disoriented Evelyne behind her. “You will stay here for now.”
“What—?” The woman gave her an incredulous look. “Why?”
“Because the identity of the person living on the top floor is something that I have vowed to keep secret. Do you recall?”
“Yes, but—”
“This is not up for discussion, Evelyne. You will remain here or return to your quarters. Is that understood?”
There was a hint of defiance in the younger woman’s eyes for a second, but then she lowered her gaze and nodded. “Yes. But we’re talking about this later.”
“Good.” Scarlett turned around and started moving down the hallway. “I will come and see you again after this has been resolved.”
She quickened her steps as she reached the stairs, annoyed at having to rush like this. She was wearing a dress instead of her usual exploration attire, and it hampered both her movements and made hurrying like this a lot more embarrassing. If she’d at least worn the [Garments of Form] underneath, she might have been able to make use of its teleportation ability, but it was far too conspicuous when she was only wearing a dress.
Noises sounded out from above, and when she reached the second highest floor, she encountered a ruffled Fynn that was beating his fists against a barrier of light that encased him. Cracks shot through it with each blow, but it looked like it would be a while longer before he broke free.
She gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment before continuing up the next set of stairs.
As she reached the top floor—where the Countess’ accommodations were—she saw Leon near the end of the single corridor here.
“Leon! Stop right this moment!”
The man continued ignoring her as he stopped before the door to the Countess’ room and reached for the handle. As the door opened, Scarlett spotted parts of the woman’s robed figure inside as a surprised scream left the room.
She hurried down the hallway, grabbing hold of Leon’s arm as the knight seemed to have frozen at the entrance.
Then she paused as well when she caught sight of more of the room’s insides.
The curtains were pulled together, leaving the place shrouded in darkness. Floating near the ceiling were over a dozen stars; gold and silvery shapes embroidered onto thin white napkins. At their center was a large moon, decorating the face of a round pillow that Scarlett recalled having seen on the Countess’ bed before. It hovered gently in the air, surrounded by a strange, glittery haze that almost looked to support its flight.
It was like gazing up at a night sky projected onto a kid’s bedroom ceiling.
“Ah, ah, ah, no-no-no,” a distressed cry sounded out.
The Countess was standing at the room’s center, her body and face hidden by her bandages and robes as she shied away from the door. She accidentally bumped into the side of the four-poster behind her and reached out to grab one of its pillars. The wood cracked in from her grasp and the entire top part of the bed came crashing down.
A moment later, the stars and moon floating beneath the ceiling also fell to the floor.
“Ah, ah, ah, no, I-I did not…no-no.” The anxiety in the Countess’ voice grew as she turned to stare at the ruined bed and the embroidery pieces now spread around the room. Her words turned into an incoherent rambling as she looked back at Leon and Scarlett.
The golden light from before appeared once more around Leon—like a protective armor—as he took a step forward, staring at the woman with a mix of uncertainty and apprehension on his face.
The Countess froze.
Suddenly, a disorderly mass of silvery light burst forth from the woman like dozens of messy tendrils, engulfing half of the room and shooting towards Leon. The knight raised his arms—Scarlett losing her grip on the one she was holding—and a golden shield appeared in front of him.
“STOP!!” Scarlett yelled.
The tendrils halted barely a finger’s width from Leon’s shield.
The Countess stood still like a statue, her mouth opening and closing as she stared at the man.
Scarlett turned to glare at him as well. “This is my home, Leon.” She didn’t even bother hiding the chill in her voice. “I will not allow you to assault my guests in this manner, no matter what wild misconception is running through your head, or whatever unfounded reasons you believe you might have. Have you forgotten that it is your duty as a knight to protect people? Not to scare unfamiliar women witless by acting like an impertinent brute.”
A brief look of realization passed over the man’s face, as if he just now recognised what he had been doing. Was the fool just acting out of instinct?
Whatever. It didn’t matter. She had to get him away from the Countess.
Neither of the two had dispelled their magic—or auras, she supposed it would technically be in their case—so Scarlett turned to the Countess with the best impression of a calming expression she could muster. “You can relax now. No harm will befall you. You have my word.”
The woman didn’t seem to hear her words, simply continuing to stare at Leon.
Scarlett turned to the knight instead. “Lower your aura.”
He eyed the Countess for a moment, giving Scarlett an uncertain look. The edges of the golden shield in front of him coiled and almost seemed to seethe at the silvery tendrils near it.
Eventually, he lowered his hands. The light surrounding him dissipated.
The tendrils extending from the Countess also petered out following that, losing their cohesion as if their reason for existing was gone. The woman herself still didn’t move, however, standing frozen in the same state of alarm as before.
Leon leaned closer to Scarlet. “Who is that?” he asked, the wariness and suspicion clear in his voice.
“You will wait with your questions,” she snapped. She pointed further back in the hallway. “Do not presume to act however you wish in my home when unaware of the situation. In case you are too blind to notice, you are not the one most agitated by the current circumstances.”
He looked at the Countess, a conflicted expression on his face.
“Leave,” Scarlett said. “I will speak with you after I have dealt with this.”
It took a while longer, but eventually, the man acquiesced and backed away from the entrance, shooting Scarlett one last look as he did. She ignored it and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her as she focused her attention on the Countess.
“It is okay,” she said, in what she hoped was a soothing voice, though it did not come out easily. She slowly started walking over to the woman. “He will not prove a bother to you anymore.”
The Countess’ eyes shifted from the closed door to Scarlett, and she almost stumbled over the broken door behind her as she finally seemed to unfreeze, trying to move back. “Ah, ah, they’re here… They’re here… They will take me…like my poor sister… No, no—they’ll kill me… H-Help…Baroness?”
“No one is here to take you,” Scarlett said, stopping an arm’s length from the woman. “That man was not one of those people. He was a Solar Knight, and he was solely acting under a preconceived misconception. There is nothing for you to worry about.”
The Countess almost appeared to curl into herself, casting her gaze to the floor. “T-They’re here…here…here… My poor sister…why…They’ll hurt me as well…”
Scarlett moved her hand forward, hesitating for a moment as she was about to place it on the woman’s shoulder. Pushing through the aversion to doing so—bordering on revulsion of the action—she rested it on the woman and pulled out a handkerchief from [Pouch of Holding] at her waist with her other hand.
“No one will come for you or hurt you, and you will meet your sister again. Of this, you have my word. I will speak with that man, so you do not have to concern yourself with this any further.”
The Countess’ shoulders trembled, but the woman’s rambling soon calmed down as she looked up at Scarlett and the handkerchief in her hand. After a moment, she hesitatingly reached out for the piece of cloth and started dabbing it on her face.
Scarlett chose not to point out that that wasn’t her intended purpose for the handkerchief.
After a few seconds, the Countess stilled once more as she noticed the ruined bed behind her. Her eyes widened as she almost started rambling sorrys again.
“Be assured that I do not consider you to be at fault for the damages wrought just now,” Scarlett hurried to say. “I will ensure that the man just now takes responsibility, so do not worry yourself over it.”
The woman blinked several times, but thankfully, the words seemed to calm her down and she went quiet.
Scarlett turned her head slightly to peek at all the embroidered stars and the moon spread around the room.
So this is what the Countess had been doing with her time? She was curious what the purpose was behind it all, if there even was one. Maybe the woman was just doing whatever came to mind? The magic she’d been using to keep them afloat didn’t seem to have much more effect than that, but Scarlett assumed it was what had caused Leon’s sudden reaction.
“These…decorations,” she asked. “You made them?”
The Countess jolted, her eyes moving back and forth as she stared at all the items. “Ah, ah, ah, I-I’m sorry… Please…forgive me… Ugly…wasting your precious resources… Sorry…sorry…”
“That is not at all what I meant,” Scarlett said. “I was simply surprised you had this sort of skill set. They are all quite masterfully crafted. I presume Molly provided you with the materials?”
The woman looked at her with surprise. “Ah, yes…yes… She was very kind… Helped a lot.”
“That is good.” Scarlett gave a nod. “If I may ask, is there a reason why you created these items in particular?”
The Countess shook her head. “…They are beautiful… Like in my dreams…and the Baroness…”
“…I see. Thank you for the compliment. You may create as many as you wish while you stay in this mansion, so do not be afraid to ask Molly for more materials if needed.”
The woman nodded along to Scarlett’s words, though it wasn’t completely clear whether she actually paid attention as her gaze went a little vacant again.
Sending one last look around the room, Scarlett looked to the door and then back to the Countess. “I will have to deal with that knight now. Will you be all right on your lonesome for a while? I can have Molly sent up later to aid you in cleaning up.”
The woman nodded her head even more, not exactly filling Scarlett with confidence about how much she was listening. But it was unlikely that the Countess would destroy anything more for the time being, and Scarlett didn’t know what more she could do right now, so she let it be.
As soon as she was finished with Leon, she would have Molly sent up to get a better grasp of the situation.
“Then I will return later.” With those words, she let go of the Countess’ shoulder—the woman barely noticed—and made to leave the room. As she reached the exit, she sent one last look back at the woman before entering the hallway outside and closing the door behind her.
There, Leon met her eyes with a serious expression, arms crossed. “What in Ittar’s name are you up to here, Scarlett?”
She stopped for a moment, the anger from earlier rising up once more. “I could ask you the same, Sir Leon. For what reason did you think it acceptable to act out like this inside my home, and towards my guests?”
“I couldn’t just ignore whatever this is.” He waved his hand at the door behind her. “Who was that? What was that?”
“That was a person, just like you and me. One whose life was just threatened by your ignorance. As for who she is, that is none of your concern.”
A flash of shame crossed over the man’s expression. Her words clearly struck a nerve.
Despite that, he didn’t back down. “There was something wrong with that power of hers. It wasn’t necromancy, or any other dangerous energy that I have encountered before, yet it clashed more with my aura than anything I’ve ever experienced.” He stared at her for several seconds. “What is it that you’re hiding?”
“That, as well, is none of your concern.” She held his gaze. “I will ask you this. What exactly about her power is it that was ‘wrong’, as you put it?”
His expression hardened. “…I’m not sure.”
She couldn’t help the scoff that escaped her. “So you admit to not even understanding it, yet you insist that it is wrong. Do you not see the inanity in that? Since when has it been illegal to practice something in the empire simply because it is not something that conforms to a Solar Knight’s preferences?”
“It’s not about me not liking it. Whatever that was, it directly opposed my aura. It directly opposed the techniques and methods taught by the Imperial Solar Knight’s order, and Ittar’s own power. If the Followers were the ones to notice this, they wouldn’t simply sit still either.”
Scarlett frowned. If that was true, she would have to be careful about not letting Raimond or anyone that might sense the Countess’ aura be around when the woman was using her powers in the future, then.
“I fail to see your point,” she told Leon, shaking her head. “I would be more surprised if her power did not clash with what you are familiar with, but that has no bearing on the intrinsic ‘wrongness’ of it. Water clashes with fire, but that does not mean that either is inherently bad, nor that they cannot work together. I would say that my own magic is an incontrovertible demonstration of this.”
The man went quiet.
“Ittar may be the patron deity of the empire, but as far as I am aware, the worshipping or observing of other faiths is not prohibited, no matter if they might superficially appear to clash with what you ascribe to him. Your behaviour just now has severely agitated an innocent woman completely unconnected to you, and the only justification you have is flimsy at best. You yourself have pointed out that the power she demonstrated is neither related to necromancy nor any other energy you know of, banned or otherwise.”
She stared at him, studying his expression. She wasn’t even completely sure herself what she was saying, but it seemed to legitimately trouble him.
“This woman is a guest of mine,” she continued. “One which has helped me several times and whom I have promised to aid in return. I will not allow you to cause her any further discomfort, no matter what you might think of the power she wields.”
“I…” Leon looked unsure how to respond, which, surprisingly enough, filled Scarlett with a small amount of satisfaction. She quickly pushed the feeling down for now. “You’re…right, Scarlett. I acted without thinking, and I’m sorry. I’m not even sure what came over me…” He sent her one last, earnest look. “…But I have to know what that was.”
“You do not. You are not entitled to that information, and I will most certainly not share it with you after the way you just acted.”
It was bad enough that he had seen the Countess. Scarlett might be able to salvage things if she made sure he didn’t speak of it to anyone, and he did not recognize what the Countess’ power was, but even allowing him to know this much was risky. Especially if he decided to share it with any of the Followers of Ittar.
“You will not be allowed to meet with her again, if that is what you are hoping,” she said. “Even if you were to wish to beg forgiveness for your behaviour. I will also ask that you show understanding of her situation and remain silent about her presence here. Do not speak of it to anyone.”
Leon’s expression changed, suspicion once again entering his eyes as he looked at her.
“There is nothing unlawful or illicit taking place here,” she said. “And she is of no threat to those that do not themselves threaten her first.”
The man cringed at that.
“But she has lived through very unfortunate circumstances not of her own making, and in order to stay safe, she has to remain hidden from a certain group of people that I cannot name. If you were to share your knowledge of her existence, no matter how safe you believe it might be, you may very well place her life into danger. As long as she is a guest in my home, I have a responsbility to ensure her safety, and as such, I will not allow you to leave here without first having your word that you will stay your tongue.”
His forehead creased together.
“Leon.” She gave him a serious look. “Do I have your word?”
“I don’t even know what I would be swearing to.”
“You would be swearing to keep the life of an innocent woman safe.”
“I can’t be certain about that.”
“Are you saying that your uncertainty is enough reason to endanger her life? Even when you were the one that forced your way through my home and nearly assaulted my guest?”
“I see what you’re trying to do, Scarlett.”
“I do not care if you see it or not. Do I have your oath?”
He went quiet again, the air between them heavy. Finally, he let out a long sigh.
“…I promise not to speak of this to anyone. As long as doing so does not expressly endanger the safety of someone’s life or that of the empire.”
She clicked her tongue. That was close enough.
“Good. Now, if you do not mind, I will have to ask that you return to the parlor while I clean up the mess you have brought about. I will be sending you an invoice for the bed later.”