Chapter 171
A dawn where stars fall.
Light seeped through the unseasonably cold, frost-covered window.
The scene framed by the window created a dim, hazy backdrop.
The moon’s halo, unwavering, and the starlight.
Only the boy possessed vitality beneath them.
Tap, tap—.
The gentle spring breeze tapped softly against the windowpane.
The brushstroke of the season painted colors across the Night Sky.
His blue hair settled gently.
His eyes gazed only at the scene outside the window.
“……”
Ruska was lost in thought.
Like winter astray in autumn.
His blinking eyelids mechanically captured the dense Night Sky.
His unfocused gaze recalled the events of a few days prior.
Specifically, the casual conversation he’d had with the target.
<F1>She is admired by countless people.</F1><F1>More than anything, she is someone I am grateful for, and someone precious to me.</F1>
The voice conveyed a hint of tenderness.
As if confessing his fresh, earnest feelings.
Waves stirred once more within the boy’s quiet heart.
Ruska merely tried to sort out his complicated thoughts.
Snowflakes bloomed at his twitching fingertips.
His only family.
Beyond the boy’s winter, shadows surged.
A dawn from which he could never escape.
<F1>You must think of your Sister.</F1><F1>If you wish for her safety, it would be best to remain loyal to the Family.</F1><F1>Wasn’t it by such a contract that you followed your Uncle from the start?</F1>
The adult’s voice was particularly odious.
Indeed, choice was about stepping forward from the edge of a cliff.
Ruska remembered the message from his uncle.
The command to offer *that guy* whom his Sister held dear as a sacrifice to the Heretic Cult.
Silence descended.
“I…
What remained in the holy night was an unheard confession.
The Voice of the Star was calling out to him.
The Young Lamb’s crime was submission, and weakness.
His sense of justice, skewed like a fleeting meteor, pierced his heart.
Because of this, the boy could not sleep, even as night deepened.
From the chest pain that felt like something was missing.
<F1>Ruska.</F1><F1>A hero isn’t necessarily someone who performs miracles.</F1><F1>If they can simply stand up, even with trembling legs, then the stars will give them a name.</F1>
A whisper reached his ears.
The connection between heroes and stars, which he had once heard from his father, existed.
The Winter Lord was proud of his son.
Ruska’s fist clenched tightly.
<F1>Be a guiding star.</F1><F1>So that the weak may hide in your shadow, and the strong may find their way in your light.</F1>
Now, these words felt too distant.
Heroic tales that had embroidered his childhood with admiration.
The boy who had found himself in all those stories was the wandering Knight, the Mage of the Red-light district, the Adventurer of the land...
However, for the grown-up Young Lamb, fairy tales no longer existed.
He had, after all, reached an age where he stepped into the adult world.
It was all a lie.
“Father.”
A particularly hollow night.
The boy, unable to resist reality, merely suffered from the disparity with his ideals.
Ultimately, his life had not become the heroic tale he had dreamed of.
A sense of loss, its origin unknown, settled in his heart.
Yet, if only his sister could be safe, his own lament was something he didn’t care about.
Ruska crushed the snowflake he had conjured at his fingertips.
A silent prayer seeped through his lips.
“……What should I do?”
Thus passed the boy’s dawn.
At the end, he was clutching a resolution.
***
The next day.
Ruska made contact with the boy designated as the target.
The day of execution had finally arrived.
He had simply told Yuda that they had somewhere to go together.
Perhaps due to his uniquely glib personality, he obediently followed the command to just come along.
Or perhaps it was because he was the younger brother of someone precious, and thus trustworthy.
Either way, it was a regrettable judgment.
“Hey.”
Ruska turned around.
He then held out something sparkling.
“Wear this.”
“Hmm?”
The sparkling object was none other than a necklace.
A reddish-colored necklace, set with a star-shaped gem.
Yuda tilted his head.
“This is... a necklace?”
“Keep it on.”
“I’m not particularly fond of receiving attention from other men, you know.”
“Stop with the useless talk. It’s for my sister’s sake.”
“Hmm... I don’t understand how wearing a necklace benefits Lady Emilia.”
“When we made plans to meet, you promised not to question my words.”
“Of course, I’ll follow! I was just curious.”
“……Fine.”
After a few sharp words, Yuda put on the necklace.
He didn’t even voice any further complaints.
Half a success, then.
Ruska narrowed his eyes.
What was around Yuda’s neck currently was an Artifact.
It was a device so intricate that it was indistinguishable from an ordinary necklace to the naked eye.
With its mana-sealing finish, there was no way its effects would be discovered externally.
Now, with just a signal, the magic within would bind him.
“Keep walking.”
However, Ruska didn’t notice.
A fleeting smile had played on the lips of the *snake* as he fiddled with the necklace.
The two boys’ steps passed through the Academy District, accompanied by complex emotions.
The path now reached the Academy outskirts.
“Hmm... we’re moving quite deep.”
“Quiet.”
Human presence was rare due to the recent lockdown.
Now, even signs of life are completely absent.
Perhaps it was due to the suddenly eerie atmosphere.
A low tension hung between them.
“……My legs are starting to ache, you know.”
“We’ve arrived just in time.”
Suddenly, Ruska, who had been leading, stopped.
A dead end at the end of a winding alley.
Several Shadows and a carriage were waiting there.
The assailants were all cloaked as Robed Figures.
Ruska recognized them.
The Awl.
House Vanity... specifically, the Duke’s direct Assassination Squad.
They were the killers mobilized for this operation.
Once he incapacitated Yuda with the necklace, they knocked him out and threw him into the carriage.
He probably wouldn’t have expected those who came under the guise of House Vanity to commit kidnapping.
It was an operation that both the Heretic Cult and House Vanity had thrown themselves into without reservation.
Ruska turned around.
“A dead end...”
Had he sensed the subtle killing intent?
Yuda, too, seemed to have realized the gravity of the situation.
The boy’s gaze darted around, surveying his surroundings.
He wore a look of bewilderment, then stared at Ruska, who had led him there.
A faint echo spread beyond the alley.
“……To think, I’ve fallen into a trap.”
His voice held no resentment.
Only a calm realization.
A somewhat bitter smile played on the boy’s lips.
Unable to bear that moment, Ruska spoke.
Words that sounded like mere excuses even to his own ears.
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“……”
“I don’t expect you to understand, but I hope you won’t think too badly of me.”
“I haven’t particularly thought of Young Master Ruska as bad.”
“At least, everything I’m about to do… is all for my Sister.”
“Lady Emilia must be quite reassured to have such a devoted younger brother.”
“……If it’s sarcasm, I’ll gladly listen to it.”
The Robed Figures, who had been standing at a distance, approached step by step.
Their eyes were like those of predators eyeing their prey.
Even against the backdrop of such monsters, Ruska’s expression was completely hidden.
Perhaps to keep his resolve from wavering, he had lowered his head.
Yuda quietly watched Ruska’s blue hair flutter in the wind.
The Assassins drew closer, adding a few words.
“So you finally brought him… Good work, Young Master.”
“The Family Head wants to see that pale-faced fellow, doesn’t he?”
“Well… if we’re just handing him over to the Demon Worshippers anyway, it won’t matter if he’s a little damaged, will it?”
“I’ll go first! That pretty face of his has been annoying me; I want to tear it off!”
“Alright~ Shall we have some fun?”
Killing intent oozed forth.
The assailants each drew their swords, closing the distance.
Yuda stood frozen, unable to resist.
As if the boy’s state caught his eye, Ruska stepped beside him first.
“Yuda Sneakers.”
Tap, tap—.
The blue-haired boy tapped the *snake’s* shoulder.
Then he whispered a few words into his ear.
So the assailants couldn’t hear.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
And then.
“Please… take care of my sister.”
Snap—!
Ruska snapped his fingers without hesitation.
The conclusion he had reached after staying up all night was clear.
The necklace around Yuda’s neck began to glow immediately after.
A bluish light enveloped the boy in a soft glow.
Only then did the form become visible to his eyes.
<F1>This is an item provided by the Businessman.</F1><F1>It's an Artifact that suppresses the wearer’s mana... more accurately, a restraint.</F1><F1>Yes... if you put the restraint on him and lure him to the designated spot, the Family’s Mages will step in.</F1>
The necklace his uncle had given him.
Unlike the one with a hexagonal gem, the *snake’s* necklace was set with a <F1>star shape</F1>.
Furthermore, the reddish color, which had been a disguise, peeled away.
What was revealed beneath was pure white.
“This is…?”
Before anyone could realize, it happened.
The magic contained within the Artifact swallowed the boy.
A brilliant Flash filled the alley.
The next moment.
“……”
The *snake* vanished from the alley.
Mid-range Teleportation Magic.
The necklace had transported Yuda to a Safe Zone.
All that remained was Ruska and the Assassins, left chasing a phantom.
His tilted blue eyes held a clear sneer.
The boy spoke, as if relieved.
“What’s wrong?”
The Betrayers who had turned their backs on the Family.
It was contempt directed at the watchdogs who had become his Uncle’s dogs in time.
“Did you really think I’d dance to your tune until the very end?”
Ruska gripped his sword.
The blade, forged from carved ice, pointed towards justice.
Behind the boy, a faint light spread.
Meanwhile.
The Slit-Eyed One had been watching all these scenes.
As if finding it utterly amusing.