Head On Home...

1243, Lapis Lazuli Castle, France

4

“Oi, Snowy. Forget the river. What do you think? Do you think you can solve the mystery of how Raine and the others disappeared from the castle?”

“I think I understand. Or rather, I knew from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you'll understand that eventually.”

Snowy pulled a dagger marked “VI” from their clothes and held it up in the air.

Without a word, they turned their back to Marie and went back downstairs and into the room.

Marie followed and began to lecture them.

“What are you doing with that dagger?”

“I just went off to a battlefield and a library, but I'm back now. By the way, Princess Marie. What did you think about Raine?”

“I'm not sure. Of course I loved him, once. But now I am afraid of him. I'm afraid, because he's come back as a headless undead. At night, he dons his armor and stalks the castle.”

“Why do you think the ghost is Raine?”

“Of course it's Raine. He's left something behind and is trying to tell me. Like the helmet on the floor. I'm sure there must be something he wishes to tell me. But I am afraid. If I ever see the ghost, I'll probably faint.”

“If the ghost is actually Raine.”

“Is Raine still alive?”

“Well, he certainly won't die.”

Snowy went down the tower stairs. Marie followed them.

“...Raine's body wasn't among those headless corpses, was it?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what on Earth is going on here? I don't understand. I don't know how the knights disappeared from the castle, or how their bodies were able to be found at Cross Spring, or how Raine could yet live.”

“Yes, your ignorance is truly without limit, Princess,” Snowy said mockingly. “Let's head back to your room and talk things over in private, shall we?”

“Very well.”

Marie and Snowy returned to Marie's room. They quickly shut the door before anyone could see them. Snowy brazenly threw themself into Marie's bed and gave a theatrical sigh.

“Well, Princess, you're full of questions. As the detective, I'm full of answers. Ask me the right questions and I'll unveil a brilliant, shining truth. Now's your chance.”

“Who was responsible for destroying the Order of my White Shield?”

“Well that was abrupt. It was Geoffroy. Your father, the lord of this castle.”

“I've been thinking my father might be the culprit for a while now. But that's impossible. My father hasn't set foot outside this whole time. How could he have moved the bodies to Cross Spring? Even if father had ordered someone else to do it on his behalf, they would have left footprints outside the castle. And they would have needed a horse. No, even with a horse, they couldn't have made it in time for the bodies to be discovered by that farmer.”

“Enough time?” The corners of Snowy's mouth twitched upwards. “Of course, neither that farmer, nor even Geoffroy have the special ability to transcend time. The corpses were moved using a fantastical trick. One that used the moon, sun, and cross.”

“The moon, sun, and cross?”

“By 'cross', I of course mean the stone one outside the castle, as well as Cross Spring. By the way, some people said something about Cross Spring moving, but that was nonsense. The lake did indeed move. But that only happened because it was moved. Cross Spring was created by the lords of Languedoc, who built a society completely separate from the dynasties to the north. The lake was artificially reshaped on the orders of feudal lords. It was a project that took centuries, but it's been forgotten by history, for the simple reason that nobody ever talked about it. And nobody talked about it because nobody cared. Nobody except for one man: Geoffroy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Geoffroy was born to the House of Toulouse. He would have been born in the 9th century. He was a lord who wielded great power, and had his slaves build a lake. A gigantic lake that connected to the Mediterranean sea. The south had been dependent on slavery for centuries, in contrast to the north, which had transitioned to a monetary economy. Perhaps because of that historical background, the lake was able to be completed and become what it is today. It was slaves who moved the lake.”

“I understand the lake. But what do you mean, father was born into the House of Toulouse in the 9th century? I don't understand.”

“It's reincarnation. Reincarnation doesn't respect past or future. God, explaining this is such a pain. Will you just hurry up and remember that you used to be Kimiyo, already?”

When Snowy said that, Marie felt an indescribable anxiety. A somewhat nostalgic, somewhat painful feeling struck deep into her chest. However, she wasn't sure what was causing it.

“Anyway,” Marie looked at Snowy with a pale face. “Cross Spring was made by man, is that it? Then what is the meaning of the other cross, the stone cross?”

“It doesn't mean anything. The shape of a cross is just perfect for fooling people. Even if it weren't a cross, it'd still function well enough.”

“So what is it? Is it a religious object after all?”

“No. It's a slide.”

“A slide?”

“Stop repeating everything I say. You sound like an idiot.”

“You're so annoying, calling me ignorant and stupid all the time. You're so arrogant!”

“Hey hey, I made her mad!” Snowy began laughing and burst into applause. “Sorry, let's get back on track. The huge stone cross is a slide. The surface was all smooth and slippery, wasn't it? Especially on rainy days, it got as smooth as a polished gemstone. The things that slid down the slide were the corpses.”

“And where did the corpses come from?”

“From the fourth floor window in the east tower.”

Marie remembered the secret window behind the movable wall. The stone cross was visible below the window.

“Here's how it happened. After the meeting, Geoffroy poisoned the knights and brought their corpses to the fourth floor. Then he threw the bodies out the window behind the secret wall. The corpses slid down the sloping roof, then fell in parabolic arcs onto the megalith cross below. The corpses, falling just to the left of the cross's horizontal axis, slid down the sloped arms to the center, and then down the vertical axis, parallel to the slope of the hill. Then they plunged into the river, which was swollen from the rain. Thus, the corpses were removed from the castle without leaving a trace.” (See figure)

“I can't believe a cross was used to dispose of bodies...”

“The window at the back of the secret room Geoffroy built and the stone cross were both designed for the sole purpose of disposing of bodies.”

“And the bodies just... fell into the river?”

“I'm not sure, but I believe Geoffroy experimented several times to prepare for his trick. For example, your mother, Princess, was used as a test subject. You saw your mother go into that room on the fourth floor and never come back, right? I believe the trick was still in the experimental stages at that time. She was probably killed so he could examine the impact at the site where she landed, the presence of blood stains, and so on.”

“My mother was killed as an experiment...”

“Sorry for your loss.”

“But! Even if the bodies were thrown in the river, what then? The river flows towards the sea. How did they get to the banks of Cross Spring...”

Marie said that, but stopped mid-sentence as though she'd come to a realization.

“Looks like you figured it out. Yep, that river connects to Cross Spring. It wouldn't be a terrible plan to take the corpses out of the river and carry them upstream on horseback, but... nobody left the castle. If that's the case, then we can only assume that the bodies flowed upstream to Cross Spring. How can a corpse flow upstream? It's simple – if the river flows backwards, the corpse will go, too.”

“I've heard of this. There is a river that flows backwards. It's somewhere to the north, I think.”

“The Seine. Other famous rivers like this include the Amazon River and the Qiantang River in China, although I doubt a pampered young lady like you bothers to remember the names of rivers in other countries. This backwash phenomenon is called a tidal bore, or sometimes a tidal wave. It's a phenomenon where the rising tide forms a wave that flows back into a river and cuts off its usual flow while pushing back upstream. For a bore to occur, the river must have a fan-like shape at its mouth and a steep slope. And above all, the differences between high and low tide at the river's mouth must be large. Tidal differences are triggered by the moon and the sun.”

“The moon...”

“Do you know how the moon effects the Earth? No, you've forgotten. You've been reset, right, Princess? You should have at least remembered this, but it can't be helped. Since ancient times, the moon has been an object of worship and used to read the calendar. It's a light in the darkness. However, the moon doesn't only act on the world at night. The moon's gravitational pull is what causes the tides, both the ebbs and the flows. Tides aren't caused by the moon directly, but by the difference in gravitational force between the center and surface of the Earth. The moon is just the controller. High tide comes when the moon is directly overhead, and low tide when it's on the exact opposite side of the planet. High tide comes twice a day. And it's not just the moon; the sun also has a gravitational pull. During the times of the new moon and the full moon, when the Earth, moon, and sun are all in alignment, the tidal effects of the moon and the sun combine to create the largest differences between high and low tide. In some places, the difference grows as much as 15 meters. Now apply this phenomenon to Lourdes River and the Gulf of Lion. The tide gradually rises to the east. Eventually, Lourdes River and Cross Spring stabilize, but the Gulf overflows due to the high tide. What happens then is the tidal bore, causing the water to flow up into Cross Spring. What happens if there's a dead body in the river at that time? Of course, the body will be carried back to Cross Spring by the backwash. Do you get it now? This is how the bodies of the knights disappeared from the castle and appeared at Cross Spring. The whole reason Cross Spring was created to begin with was to cause the water to flow backwards.” (See figure)

“I don't understand.”

“Gimme a break!” Snowy shook their head. “Well, you haven't even figured out the Earth is round yet, so it's understandable. Geoffroy used the moon, sun, and crosses to move the bodies. He'd been waiting for a day that was either a new or full moon and had heavy rain. He's a reincarnation of Kito, so he must know how tides work. After six hours, high tide would turn to low tide, but by then the bodies would have already reached Cross Spring.”

“So it was my father after all.”

“That's right.”

“What if the tidal bore, as you call it, hadn't happened?”

“It happens when it happens. Though it wouldn't change that the knights disappeared from the castle. Geoffroy being able to make it so the bodies would be found at Cross Spring was an optional bonus. It'd be more of a shock and a harsher tragedy. It'd open up more possibilities. For you, I mean, Princess.”

“Why... Why did my father plan such bizarre murders?”

“By committing this impossible crime, Geoffroy was able to escape suspicion. He knows that if he's exposed as the culprit, his knights will immediately revolt. Guess he's not that stupid.”

“No, I mean... why did he kill six knights?”

“Because of you, Princess.”

5

There was no sound of rain. But the dampness in the air made Marie think it must have started. Marie hugged her arms around herself. It was chilly. Night hadn't yet fallen, but it felt as though darkness had closed around them.

“Because of me?”

“Geoffroy created the Order of Marie's White Shield, and yet he destroyed them himself. He created you too, Princess. I mean that literally. You're his daughter. He's a man who likes to destroy what he's created. He's learned the secrets of this world. Now he feels like he created the world. By fathering you. Now he's trying to destroy it. Whether he thinks he's saving the world or destroying it, only he knows.”

“Destroying?”

Marie thought back to Geoffroy's words. “Have you ever wondered why you were born?” She finally had her answer. She was born to be destroyed. Everything Marie possessed was destined to be destroyed someday. Because Geoffroy held her fate in his hands. He was the creator and the destroyer. The thought that his blood ran through her veins made Marie want to destroy herself. She covered her face.

“He's insane!”

“He's a lord. This is what he's thinking: 'What will happen if I completely destroy Marie's existence?' All her lives, all her 'exceptions' in the world should disappear. Then he can change the world forever.”

“What you're saying doesn't make sense, either.”

“To be honest, I agree. He's definitely Geoffroy, and Geoffroy is definitely Kito. But where did he get his motive? From this life? His last one? An even more distant existence?”

“Why does he hate me so much that he must treat me this way?”

Marie looked down with an expression of pain.

“He doesn't hate you. He loves you, Princess. But the one who your fate is tied to isn't Geoffroy, but Raine. It's the most ordinary motive imaginable: jealousy. How banal. Princess, if your existence were really so disgusting and loathsome, you never would have been born at all.”

“I feel sick,” said Marie, clutching her chest. “Who am I? Why was I ever born? What should I do?”

“Don't worry, Raine will come to help you.”

Snowy smiled, when all of a sudden the door flew open and a great black shadow leapt into the room. For a moment, Marie thought that Raine had returned. She thought he had finally come to her rescue. But the shadow wasn't Raine, but a knight from Geoffroy's personal entourage. He stood in the doorway holding a large crossbow, looking enraged. Behind him stood Geoffroy.

“Father?”

“Kimiyo – no, Marie. You've forgotten everything.”

It was too dark to see Geoffroy's face, but his voice was full of sorrow. It sounded as though he were lamenting something.

The knight silently raised his crossbow and pointed the tip of its bolt at Marie. Marie turned away. The crossbow slowly turned away from her and pointed to Snowy. He pulled the trigger. The crossbow bolt went flying. The strings sliced through the air with a brief, sharp noise. The arrow went straight into Snowy's right chest. Snowy screamed and collapsed to the bed. Clutching their chest, they kicked their legs and began screaming.

“AAAGH! IT HURTS! It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts!”

“Snowy!” Marie grabbed Snowy's arm. “Stay with me, Snowy!”

Snowy suddenly stopped flailing and limply collapsed. Their chest was covered in blood.

“Why are you doing this!?”

“They're a witch. Get them out of here,” Geoffroy ordered the knight. “Bury them in the basement.”

The knight dragged Snowy off the bed and carried them from the room as roughly as though they were an object. Marie and Geoffroy were alone in the room.

“Do you remember yet?” Geoffroy asked, hands on his hips.

“No, nothing!”

Marie lunged at Geoffroy and scratched at his face with her nails. However, he quickly dodged her and she dealt no serious injury, only leaving a thin red line on his cheek. Her attack having failed, Marie was left off balance, and Geoffroy grabbed her. She let out a small scream.

“It seems that Raine is still alive. We must find him. I'll need your help.”

“Let go of me!”

“Please be quiet. Please, Marie.”

Geoffroy retrieved some thin chain and bound Marie's arms. Her arms were rapidly covered in scratches. Geoffroy pulled her by her bound arms and forced her from the room.

“Can you hear me, Raine?” Geoffroy shouted into the corridor. “I have Marie. If you don't do something soon, you'll kill her again. You're sick of repeating this, aren't you?”

The corridor was silent. Marie had hoped for even a glimpse of Raine, but nobody, Raine or otherwise, appeared before them.

“Come. We're going to the great hall.”

Geoffroy forcefully pulled her by the arm. Her arms were by now covered in black and red scars. The pain left Marie with tears in her eyes, but she endured.

The great hall lay behind a massive set of double doors. Geoffroy practically kicked them open. A magnificent view unfolded before them. The ceiling was decorated with a fresco detailing motifs from the Book of Genesis, and on the far wall was a wooden cross and a statue of Christ. The statue of Christ looked off into the distance with a fleeting expression. The air was freezing. Marie shivered both from the cold and from fear.

They stood in the center of the large room.

“Come out, Raine!” Geoffroy roared. His voice reverberated until it shook the walls of the room.

Out of the corner of her eye, Marie saw a sharp gleam. A longsword. Behind the statue of Christ, a double-edged sword was moving.

“I finally remembered. I've been waiting for a chance to escape with Marie for a few days now.”

Raine appeared. He slowly emerged from behind the statue of Christ, sword in one hand, a crossbow in the other. He aimed the crossbow at Geoffroy. Marie looked at him, all fear forgotten. A man who was supposed to be dead had revived and returned to this world. It was an unbelievable event. However, there was a definite difference between the Raine in Marie's memories and the man standing before her. He looked much more gaunt than before, and he appeared to be completely covered in injuries. The bandage wrapped around his leg was covered in blood.

“Good day,” said Geoffroy, giving him a small bow. “You killed me without even asking.”

“I swore I'd do it again, but I remembered too late. If I had never remembered, maybe I could have left you alone. But I did remember, Kito. So now I have to kill you. That's all.”

Raine's sword shined, reflecting Geoffroy's face.

“For us, death is meaningless, like a piece of flimsy paper. Whether we die or not, whether we kill or not, what does it matter?” Geoffroy gave a sneering laugh. “I wasn't sure which of you was the reincarnation, since none of you remembered anything. That's why I placed the six people who were drawn to the daggers by Marie. I don't know for sure where they came from, but those daggers attract people who continue to reincarnate.”

“Kito... No, Geoffroy. What are you planning?”

“Nothing. I'm merely rushing towards destruction. I've long forgotten what drives me or where I am headed. I've learned the secret of reincarnation. But what I do know is... something is different from what I know. It's proof the world is starting to crumble. My memory isn't what it used to be, but I sense that fate is no longer controlled by man's decisions.”

“There's no need to involve me or Marie in this. If you want to witness the transformation of the world, do it on your own. Why did you father Marie? If you hadn't, you might have gotten everything you wanted.”

“That's an awfully harsh thing to say to the girl. Are you saying I shouldn't have brought Marie into the world? You don't understand anything. Marie will be born. No matter what, it is absolute.”

Geoffroy drew a dagger from the sheath at his waist. It was the dagger with the seven-pointed star that Raine had once held. He placed the tip against Marie's chest.

“No!”

“Marie, it's okay,” Raine said in a calm voice. “No one can kill you. We can't be killed by anyone but each other. The rules of the dagger are absolute. Just keep calm and you'll be okay.”

Marie noticed that the way he spoke about his lord no longer held any respect. She stopped moving, as Raine had said, and also stopped struggling against her shackles. She heard Geoffroy click his tongue.

“Hmph, even if I poison you and throw you out a window, you just come back. Of course you won't die.”

“No, I didn't drink it. I just pretended to.” Raine approached Geoffroy, dragging his wounded leg. “On the rainy night when we had the meeting, I had a sudden dizzy spell and almost lost myself. I was so dizzy that I couldn't remember who I was. Ordinarily, I would have blamed it on a physical ailment, but something about this was different. As I struggled to remember who I was, I recalled memories of my previous life. All of a sudden, memories of Kimiyo and Kito came rushing back to me. Before I had any time to dwell on my new memories, I was summoned to a meeting. Even though he was my lord, I had always gotten a sense that Geoffroy was dangerous, but now my feelings were definite. I realized that you were a reincarnation of Kito. So, I decided to wear my chain armor underneath my clothes during the meeting. That way, if I were attacked, I would still be safe. I couldn't wear my helmet to the meeting without drawing suspicion, so I left it in front of Marie's room as a message. 'If anything happens, I will definitely come back.' When I went to the meeting, I found a vision of hell. Flanders, Annaud, and the others all collapsed after drinking the wine. Some of them died instantly. Others suffered terribly. I spat the wine out without swallowing any. I was the last to drink. I played the part of the perfect corpse. You were there. I'm glad you didn't think to confirm my death.”

“It seems you were aware of the cross as well.”

“Ah, well. I didn't know that a river could flow backwards, but I could predict that you'd dispose of the bodies by throwing them in the river. People have been theorizing about what that giant cross is for for a while now. But I did have to endure the pain of being thrown off the top floor of the east tower, and the cold and current of the river. One by one, the knights were brought to the fourth floor of the tower. I was the fifth person to be taken up and thrown out. By that time, you were already exhausted from carrying all those corpses. Without checking if I was even dead, you threw me out the window like a piece of garbage. The armor I had prepared was useless. I slammed into the top of the stone cross. My right leg was injured, but I wasn't killed. I tried to walk up the slope of the cross, but I slipped and fell in the river. I was surprised to see the river flowing upstream. I had intended to get to shore as quickly as possible, but the current was unexpectedly strong. However, I knew the river was a possibility, so I'd come prepared. I had pieces of wood hidden at my belly and behind my back.”

“Pieces of wood – the mannequin's head!” Marie declared.

“That's right. I prepared the mannequin's head just in case I was dropped in the river. I took the head off the mannequin, cut it in half with my sword, and hid the pieces as inconspicuously as possible. Luckily, the meeting was held at night. Under the bright light of day you may have noticed them. But as planned, you didn't find the pieces of wood I had hidden under my clothes. I was able to float on two pieces of wood all the way to Cross Spring without drowning. Though I must say, it was an unreliable plan.”

“But you were the one who decapitated your comrades, weren't you, Raine?”

“I do feel bad about what happened to Flanders and the others. Perhaps I could have warned them in advance not to attend the meeting. But it's too late to think about that now. After being swept away up the river, I was the only survivor. The other five were all dead. I was the only one who could protect Marie. Under the light of dawn, I cut the heads off the other five and buried them nearby. I did that so the people at the castle wouldn't know who survived. It's an old trick, but in this day and age, highly effective.”

“But there were six bodies.”

“The sixth corpse was that of one of the knights sent to search for us. They arrived much earlier than I expected. It was obvious they had come to Cross Spring with a rough idea of where we were. I had a hunch they had come on Geoffroy's direct orders. I stole one of their horses and tried to return to the castle, but one of the knights saw me. He attacked me while making an expression as though I were a ghost. I fought back and slashed him to death. After dressing his corpse in my clothes and cutting off his head, I placed him next to Flanders. Another knight came to search for me, but I was able to convince him to keep quiet.”

“Sounds more like a threat than persuasion. He died just now, by the way. I had him tortured. At first he said he'd been attacked by bandits, but finally, he confessed that you were still alive, Raine. Now they're off to torture the farmer who found the bodies.”

“There's no point. He didn't see anything. He just found a number of bodies, I doubt he counted them.”

“Well, either way.” A low chuckle came from Geoffroy. “Whatever the case, it's funny hearing you talk about protecting Marie. You're already a butcher, Raine. What sort of knight could chop the heads from his own comrades and remain so calm?”

“I'm not calm. I'm confused. What is fate? Originally, you were supposed to be the one to cut off the heads. Isn't that right? Why did you, who are so faithful to your own destiny, throw the knights out the window without first cutting off their heads? You built that giant stone cross solely to fulfill your fate, didn't you?”

“I didn't have enough time that night. That's all there was to it.”

“No, that's not it. You can't have gone against fate. You couldn't find me after I was reincarnated. In 1971, you met yourself, who had memories of being reincarnated, and spoke to him. That's how you were able to find Kimiyo. However, you didn't hear anything about a knight named Raine. If you did, I guess you forgot all about it. You had no way of knowing which of the six knights was my reincarnation. If you poisoned us, you could immediately determine which of us it was, due to the rule that I can only be killed by the dagger. But what if there were other survivors? If you decapitated us all, you could have killed even the reincarnation, in violation of that rule. That's what you were afraid of, weren't you? Fate.”

When Raine said that, Geoffroy shook his head with a strange smile.

“You said I couldn't go against fate. Indeed, that is true. If I'd cut off your head, it would have ended your destiny of infinite reincarnation. But even if I threw away your body without cutting off your head, I'd still change the original history. What I encountered that night was unmistakably a giant shadow over fate. Whatever path I chose, the world would be distorted. Although I felt both fear and excitement, in the end, I chose to abandon the bodies.”

“And have you tested the world?”

“This is the result. Even if you go against it, the world can only ever become itself. The world isn't easy to destroy. It's a beautiful world that can never be destroyed.”

Geoffroy waved the dagger in the air, ecstasy written in his features.

The door to the great hall opened with a loud sound. A knight ran in, breathing heavily.

“Emergency! The witch has disappeared from the basement!”

Geoffroy turned around at the sound of the knight's voice.

Taking advantage of the opening, Marie threw off Geoffroy's arm. She ran to Raine with all her strength. She felt Geoffroy's fingertips on her back. Not wanting to be recaptured, she fought him off.

Raine fired the crossbow. The bolt flew past Marie and into Geoffroy's chest.

Geoffroy groaned and his back arched. He clutched his chest and staggered backwards a few steps, but quickly righted himself.

He struck back at Raine with the dagger in his hand.

Raine parried it with his sword, knocking it from his hand. Using his momentum, he swung his sword into a reverse grip and stabbed it into Geoffroy's stomach.

However, it bounced back with a violent metal-on-metal impact.

“Plate mail hasn't caught on yet in this day and age.” Geoffroy pulled the crossbow bolt from his chest and threw it away. “It was a real pain, but I explained the whole thing from first principles and had a blacksmith make it for me.”

He had an armor made from sheets of hammered metal under his surcoat. It seemed the steel armor was sufficient to protect him from swords and arrows.

Geoffroy pulled a black lump the size of a dagger from his coat. It was a strange tool with a curved handle and a hole in the end. He pointed it at Raine.

“Do you know what this is? It's a gun. The barrel was made by heat-treating a great helm. The stock was taken from a crossbow. The gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter. Of course, it's a functional weapon.”

The next moment, a deafening explosion echoed through the hall. Marie instinctively crouched down and covered her ears. It wasn't immediately clear what had happened. When she looked up, Raine was kneeling on the floor before her, his face twisted in agony. A massive amount of blood was spilling from his stomach through the fingers of his right hand. Marie screamed without understanding why. Dark blood soaked the floor.

“Didn't you say he can't go against fate? How is this possible?”

Geoffroy threw away the gun and retrieved a second one from his coat. In less than a second, he'd aimed it at Raine and fired again. Another large hole opened in Raine's body. Marie jumped at Raine. Her chained, broken hands pressed the bleeding wound. The blood flowed right past them. Raine was saying something in a weak voice. She could barely hear him. His body twitched and convulsed.

“Raine! It's okay, Raine. You always say that, don't you? It'll all be okay. Oh, what do I do?”

“Kill him.” Geoffroy threw the dagger to Marie. “Kill him with the dagger. Otherwise he'll remain trapped in a state between life and death. Look at him, he's still alive. You're the only one who can kill him. That's all there is to it. That's how it's supposed to go. Hmm, so this is fate. Ridiculous.”

The dagger bounced off the floor with a clear sound and landed at Marie's feet. The silver sheen of the blade flickered at the corner of her vision. Stimulated by the sharp glow, Marie suddenly regained a piece of her memory.

“Kito!” Marie looked from the dagger to Geoffroy. “You are Kito, aren't you?”

“You're starting to remember.”

Marie lifted her dagger.

“Liar. You're a liar. Every time you deceive me.”

“That's not it. I'm just hopelessly in love with you. The world only needs the two of us, doesn't it?”

Geoffroy smiled.

“I'll kill you!”

Marie screamed and grabbed the dagger. She slashed at Geoffroy. However, her blade only grazed him, cutting nothing but air. Marie fell forward, dagger still stuck out. Just as she was about to land, Geoffroy grabbed her and pulled her back up. She saw him raise the gun in his hand. The next moment, it hit her in the head. It was a dull pain, so strong that she lost consciousness. Marie collapsed to the floor.

“Unfortunately, this gun can only hold one bullet. So I had no choice but to hit you instead. Please don't hold it against me.”

“I wasn't born to be killed by you...”

Marie put her hand on the floor and bit her bottom lip. The center of her head throbbed. She could feel the blood running down her forehead. Geoffroy's aides finally arrived at the sound of the commotion, quickly surrounding Marie and drawing their swords.

“You're nothing but a piece of my property. Come, Marie. Take the dagger. Kill Raine.”

Marie stood up and gripped the dagger tightly in her free hand. With a blank look in her eye, she walked over to where Raine lay on the floor and knelt down. The room was silent. Everyone watched Marie's slightest movement.

Marie picked up Raine's upper body and held it to her chest.

“I won't let you have your way.”

“Marie?”

Geoffroy raised an eyebrow, his face contorting.

“I'll die here. Alongside Raine. In the next life, Raine and I will meet again. I'll never forget what happened here today, even in my next life. And I'll remind you that this world won't go the way you think.”

“Stop!”

“I can't die yet. I have to help Snowy escape. Bring me Snowy.”

“They're gone.”

“We thought we'd locked them up, but they disappeared from the basement.”

A few knights were speaking in low voices. Marie recognized them from the group that supported her over her father.

“After I threw them in the dungeon, I locked the door and left to call for a guard, and they disappeared. No one saw them escape. I'm sure-”

“They managed to escape. I'm glad.”

Marie pressed herself to Raine's back and held the dagger above her head.

“Raine is the only one who has to die here. Marie, stay with me. Marie!” Geoffroy shouted in dismay.

“A lonely world fits you.”

Marie swung the dagger diagonally down into Raine's stomach. It pierced through his body and reached hers. Marie let go of the hilt and hugged Raine's body. The dagger remained, connecting them. Marie thought that was fine. Her vision gradually faded white. She wasn't sure if the strange sensation in her abdomen was “pain”. Marie hugged Raine's back. Then she stopped breathing.

Marie was dead.

6

He saw confusion in Geoffroy's eyes.

Raine opened his eyes slightly. He had a dagger in his stomach, but he felt little pain. More importantly, he could feel the weight of Marie on his back. With the last of his remaining strength, Raine pulled out the gun he had hidden in his clothes.

Raine had prepared a gun while hiding in the castle, just like Geoffroy. Raine's gun was just a crossbow with a flintlock's igniter. The barrel was made of the same sort of oak wood as the crossbow, making it too dangerous to use except as a trump card.

Raine lifted his gun. No one noticed his slight movement. He pointed it at Geoffroy and pulled the trigger.

Raine died before he saw if the bullet hit.