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The Grand Garden of Eldstrom Imperial Castle.
Guests invited to the Memorial Ceremony gathered in the lush green space, captivated by the singing voices. It was a magical melody, a healing tune that brought comfort to all who listened. Mages stood in formation, performing a multi-layered chorus, their voices weaving together beautifully. Leading them, singing with more passion than anyone, was the renowned Saint, Kirsi. This was the highlight of the ceremony—the concert by the White Whale Academy of Magic, <Noah>.
Arl watched their performance from a castle balcony overlooking the garden.
“…Magic was originally developed as a tool to fight monsters,” he murmured to himself. “It’s inherently aggressive in nature. Spells intended to heal others deviate from that core principle, making them significantly more difficult to master.”
Normally, as the Master of <Noah>, Arl should have been participating alongside them. However, he had received a message via Kei from a certain person and was waiting here on the balcony to meet them.
“And yet, even from this distance, they’re producing a sound that clears the mind and soothes the soul. ‘Impressive’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Don’t you think?”
“—Personally, I would have liked to hear your singing voice too, Arl.”
The person he was waiting for appeared beside him, resting her fingertips lightly on the railing. It hadn’t been that long since they last met, but somehow, seeing her face again felt like a reunion after a long absence to Arl.
“Healing magic isn’t my specialty. You know that, Fina.”
“That’s why I want to hear it,” she teased. “I want to see you struggle with something for once.”
“…Just listen to Kirsi and the others sing.”
Arl sighed. Princess Eilfina just smirked mischievously, clearly enjoying herself.
“You seem to have gotten along well with those girls. Haven’t seen you in a bit, and you’ve already got your proper ‘Master’ face on.”
“What kind of face is that?”
“Hmm,” she mused, tapping a finger to her chin, “like a parent watching their kids perform… bursting with pride, but still unable to shake off that little knot of worry? Something like that?”
“Why are your descriptions always so vague…”
And yet, frustratingly, not entirely inaccurate.
“You seem to have been busy too, Fina.”
“Well, yes,” she admitted with a sigh. “Preparations for the ceremony, endless negotiations, constant receptions… I haven’t had a moment’s rest. I’m sorry for leaving the entire matter of the Three Organizations up to you. I didn’t even have the time to contact you properly.”
“It’s fine. It’s rare for you to be pushed this hard. Unless… perhaps… the Serpents’ influence has managed to reach inside the castle walls?”
Arl’s casual probe made Eilfina’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. But only for an instant. She quickly slapped a hand to her forehead as if realizing she’d been caught.
“—Of course you’d figure it out. Yes, you would. I deliberately cut off contact with you and Kei, it must have been obvious. Augh, I really didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily.”
“I figured you were worried about surveillance or spies. Not being able to even connect via telepathy made it clear. Is the traitor among the Imperial family?”
“Among them, too,” Eilfina confirmed, her face etched with frustration as she rubbed her temples. “I haven’t narrowed it down completely yet, but there are several suspects. Honestly, I have no idea how many enemies have infiltrated the castle at this point.”
“Then, right now—is it safe to talk?”
“It’s okay. No one’s watching us now. Kei’s here too, after all.”
She glanced towards the door leading back inside from the balcony. Her reliable guard was likely waiting just outside, ensuring their privacy.
“I’m sorry. I knew about the incident with the Count a while back, but I couldn’t make a move recklessly. Summoning you back to the capital and assigning Kei to you… that was the absolute limit of what I could manage without revealing my hand.”
“No, it makes sense now,” Arl said, understanding dawning. “You couldn’t trust anyone inside the castle, friend or foe. That’s why you brought in an outsider—me.”
Eilfina’s original order had been simple: quell the rampage of the Three Organizations and bring them under control. Now, he understood the true objective hidden beneath that request.
“By becoming their Master, I would inevitably end up confronting the Serpents who were threatening the capital’s peace. The Three Organizations operate independently of the castle’s political structure… making them the perfect force to deal with the Serpents without alerting the traitors within.”
“…That’s about half right.”
Eilfina partially refuted his assumption, a soft smile playing on her lips.
“Like I said before, part of it was simply because I wanted to see you again, Arl. It’s true you were the only one I could ask for help, but… I also wanted to repay my debt to you.”
“Repay your debt…?”
Arl tilted his head, puzzled by the phrase he’d heard so often lately. It made sense coming from the girls he’d saved, but from Eilfina?
“I’ve received countless favors and support from you over the years, but I don’t recall the reverse being true.”
“…You really have no idea, do you?”
Eilfina sighed again, this time not bothering to hide her exasperation.
“From the moment I first stood before the public as the Third Princess at age five, you were always by my side. You rose through the ranks, even becoming an Imperial Knight, serving as my trusted blade, ensuring that I survived the brutal power struggles within the Imperial family.”
Her life story was inextricably intertwined with his own.
“The debt I owe you isn’t small enough to be easily repaid with simple favors. …I’ve always regretted it. The day you were driven out, stripped of your title as an Imperial Knight… I couldn’t do anything but stand by and watch you leave.”
“There’s nothing for you to regret,” Arl insisted. “On the contrary, you’re the one who saved my life, who orchestrated my escape. You’re my benefactor.”
“I might have felt satisfied if you’d actually found happiness after leaving,” Eilfina countered, her eyes filled with a profound sadness as she looked at him. “But instead, you went straight into monster-infested territories, into conflict zones along the borders… helping people everywhere you went, always pushing yourself to the brink, running yourself ragged as if trying desperately to prove your own worth.”
“…How do you know that?”
“How do I know?” she interrupted, puffing out her chest proudly, a flash of her usual imperiousness returning. “Don’t underestimate the reach and power of a princess. Of course I’ve kept tabs on you ever since you left the Empire! I had agents tracking you, reporting back constantly on your movements. That’s how I could send you that letter so quickly, you know.”
“I… see.”
Her words, spoken so matter-of-factly, carried a heavy, almost suffocating weight of concern.
“I was worried sick the entire time, you know. You nearly died several times over the past five years, didn’t you, Arl?”
“That’s an exaggeration. I don’t plan on dying until I see the nation you eventually build.”
“See? There you go again, making it about someone else,” she chided gently. “You keep living like that, always ‘for others,’ pushing yourself to the brink of death. You have to think about how I feel, worrying about you all the time!”
Her retort left Arl momentarily speechless, a wave of unfamiliar confusion washing over him. If he had to put the feeling into words…
“…But… I don’t know any other way to live.”
“Mm, I know,” Eilfina said softly, her expression softening with understanding. “I know you were an orphan, taken in by the castle knights. I know you were trained relentlessly as a knight because you showed talent. I know you dedicated yourself entirely to the country, and to me. Your entire environment forced you to become selfless, to neglect your own needs.”
As his sovereign and companion for many years, she understood his past better than anyone. And, having observed him since his return, she could also sense the subtle changes in him now.
“But… being served by those girls… being cared for by them… it made you happy, didn’t it?”
She didn’t need to name them. The girls who adored him as the Master of the Three Organizations immediately came to mind – Prima, Rosetta, Kirsi.
“They affirm all your efforts as an Imperial Knight, and they accept the ‘you’ who isn’t a knight anymore. You, who only ever knew how to serve others, now have these girls devoting everything they have to you, trying their hardest to protect you. Didn’t that feel… good? Didn’t it feel comforting?”
“…Well…”
It was almost embarrassingly true. Their unwavering acceptance, their fierce devotion… it felt like a balm, a kind of salvation to the boy who had only ever known the harsh, demanding life of a knight.
“But… I don’t deserve their devotion. Eventually, I have to leave the country—I have to disappear again—”
“You won’t leave,” Eilfina stated firmly, cutting him off. “Or rather, I won’t let you leave. Don’t you dare give up on your own happiness so easily.”
Her eyes flashed with determination, forbidding any thought of escape.
“If the Three Organizations successfully capture the Serpents, their position and influence within the Empire will be solidified, unshakeable. And naturally, so will their Master’s. Even if your true identity as a former Imperial Knight is revealed, no one in the castle will be able to complain. I won’t let them. Not even His Majesty the Emperor, the one who exiled you.”
“Don’t tell me… that was your plan all along?”
He was summoned back ostensibly to save the capital from crisis. If that was only ‘half’ the reason… then the other half, the ‘repayment,’ was…
“Your place is here, Arl. You want to stay, deep down, don’t you? Relax. From now on, you’ll continue to be doted on and fussed over by those girls, and you’ll continue to be flustered and embarrassed by it all.”
Eilfina grinned, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes as she looked at her former knight. It was time for the boy who only knew how to serve others to finally receive his long-overdue reward.
“You deserve to be happy, Arl. You deserve to be cared for. So… take responsibility for saving those girls, properly this time, okay?”
“—”
He stared at her, stunned into silence, for a long moment. Then, slowly, the tension eased from his shoulders, and a genuine, unburdened smile spread across his face. She was, after all, the person he had dedicated half his life to serving. He never stood a chance against her plans. If this complicated, roundabout path was the ‘responsibility’ she spoke of, the path to his own place…
“…Gladly. —Thank you, Fina.”
“W-Whoa, seeing you blush like that is seriously rare! N-Now I feel kind of cheated… No, I mean, ideally, I want to be the one taking responsibility for you, but with my position as princess… it’s still too soon, and…”
She muttered to herself under her breath for a moment, then seemed to shake off her hesitation, pointing a determined finger at him.
“Just so you know, I haven’t given up on you! If those girls mess up, or if I ever decide they’re not worthy of you, I’ll snatch you back immediately!”
“…You don’t need to worry about that.”
Arl looked down at the concert in the garden below, a quiet sense of pride filling him.
“They will surely continue to protect the capital.”
The mages’ song was reaching its crescendo, approaching the final passage. The last piece soared through the air, powerful and resonant. But anyone attuned to magic would have noticed the melody had subtly shifted – it was no longer purely a song of healing and celebration. The magically charged notes drifted through the air, settling over the audience like a fine mist, permeating the crowd. The spell reached its completion. And then—black smoke erupted violently from several guests scattered throughout the garden. They cried out in agony and collapsed to the ground.
“Hk—This is—!”
“It’s alright. Stay still.”
Arl calmly reassured Eilfina, who had turned pale at the sudden chaos. He wasn’t surprised or panicked. He had orchestrated this very outcome.
“We suspected the Serpents would make a move during the ceremony, but we didn’t know how or when. We couldn’t identify which of the guests were enemies hidden in plain sight. But… there’s one common trait shared by all core members of the Serpents of the Sordid Garden, a hidden mark, even if we don’t know their faces.”
“…The monster’s… curse…?” Eilfina breathed, her eyes widening in realization. The insidious curse the monster-worshipping cult embraced as a blessing, willingly hosting it within their own bodies.
“Then, that song just now…!”
“Yes. A dispelling magic,” Arl confirmed. “Normally, performing a dispelling spell powerful enough to cover the entire castle grounds would require a massive, half-day ritual… but luckily, this was a concert. It was the perfect opportunity to prepare and execute a ‘Chorus Magic’ spell, amplifying the effect exponentially through multiple singers working in unison.”
Smoked out by the sudden, targeted dispelling magic, the hidden Serpents carrying the curse were revealed. Down in the garden, <Noah>’s mages and the castle guards were already moving, surrounding the unconscious figures, swiftly taking them into custody.
“I briefed Kei beforehand. It seems she gave the right instructions at the right time. This should clear out the core Serpent members hiding within the castle. Their collaborators who don’t carry the curse might still be around, but—with their main force captured here, their plan, whatever it was, should be effectively thwarted.”
“Arl…”
Eilfina looked at him, her eyes shining with undisguised admiration. But Arl gently shook his head. The true credit belonged elsewhere. He looked down at the garden again, and his eyes met those of one particular mage standing amongst the performers. She was breathing heavily, flushed pink from the exertion of the powerful song, but when she saw her Master watching from the balcony, her face broke into a wide, triumphant, utterly joyous grin.
—V!
Kirsi, the mage who had successfully completed her crucial role in the plan, proudly flashed a victorious peace sign up at him.
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