Chapter 125

“Rosaline. I believe that people can become strong for the sake of precious things.”

Ricardis’ thumb rubbed her wrist bone.

“Rosaline.”

“... Yes.”

“Rosaline Esther.”

“Yes.”

“The Radwiell’s Rosaline Esther.”

“Yes.”

“The sharpest and brightest.”

It was familiar. Rosaline recalled the sense of deja vu. It was the mouthwatering phrase she said to the emperor when she won the martial arts tournament. Rosaline looked up slowly. Her gaze, freed from the necklace of Haqab, contained something brighter than that.

“My sword.”

Ricardis smiled. Rosaline stared blankly at him before opening her mouth.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ricardis gripped the hand he was holding tighter. It didn’t hurt, but it was very tight. Rosaline did not resist and moved her hand according to his strength. The outstretched hand gradually curled up. Haqab’s necklace in her hand began to disappear.

The man took out a bottle without the owner’s permission. Calyx didn’t know how the man knew, but it was the most expensive wine on display in the wine cellar.

The man clapped the neck of the bottle with the blade of his hand. The top part fell off with a sharp cross-section as if it had been cut with a blade. Perhaps worried about the glass pieces going in, the man blew the cut section, inhaled the wine, and made a loud, old-man-like sound.

Even though his favorite wine decreased in real time, Calyx didn’t say a word because it was ridiculous.

“... Macaron. When did you come?”

“A moment ago. Let’s go quickly.”

Macaron sat cross-legged on the sofa. He looked comfortable, but Calyx didn’t like it because the center part of his body was especially noticeable as he was naked.

“Would you like some...clothes?”

Calyx’s desperate wish was thwarted by Macaron, who answered, “No, I’m lazy. I’m about to fly soon.” Calyx honestly didn’t want to see it, so he said as he walked to the table, ignoring him as much as possible.

“You came just in time. The item from last time has arrived.”

He rummaged through the drawers and carefully placed the leather-wrapped items on the table. Macaron roughly tossed the wine bottle on the sofa and picked it up.

“Oh, really?”

Calyx looked at the red marks on the sofa in vain and answered, “... Yes, it’s ‘Fragments’.”

It was the weapon used by the assassins of the Black Moon during the hunting competition and had been shown to Rosaline before. The evidence obtained through the cooperation of Count Drywood was kept in the castle within the Radwiell estate.

A few weeks ago, Macaron asked if there was any way to get the ‘Fragments’. He had just returned from the mission with the greatest risk of encountering ‘Fragments’, so why had he asked for it only now? That question was quickly resolved because another danger had come to the imperial castle: the delegation of Balta.