Chapter 79 - Chapter 78: Is a Female Knight's Heart Something to Be Broken?
After Virone was taken away, Mika was invited to the mansion to hear the details of the situation from Cleiria.
In a room like a reception room filled with luxurious furniture, under the supervision of Cleiria and led by the Captain of the Knights, Mika's interrogation was conducted.
It seemed Virone was also being interrogated at a different location, and the initial report had just been delivered to Cleiria.
With this, by aligning it with Mika's story, Cleiria and the Captain were able to grasp the general circumstances and the sequence of events.
Cleiria, sitting next to Mika, had been gazing at him with a sorrowful expression all along.
"Such a thing...."
Cleiria had listened intently to Mika's story, but once he finished, she muttered that and let out a deep breath.
"I never thought Virone would do such a foolish thing...."
The Captain was also surprised, his expression troubled.
"It is strange to say this in front of the person themselves... But indeed, I heard Virone say 'He is dangerous' regarding Young Master Mika the other day. However, I never thought he would cause such a mess...."
"I have received similar advice from Virone on several occasions... At that time, I ignored it, telling him to stop saying rude things...."
If one considers that Virone became desperate because no one around him paid attention to his words, leading to this outburst, the logic holds up to a certain extent.
But――――.
"...Would he really go this far for that? Using His Excellency's name, if caught, having his head chopped off is natural. Virone must have known that."
The Captain twisted his face in regret.
Mika recalled the conversation he had with Virone.
When told to keep his distance from Cleiria, Mika had asked, "Is this your judgment, or the judgment of the Marquis's house?"
At that time, Virone had told Mika, "It is the judgment of the Marquis's house."
Perhaps, from that point on, Virone had already deviated from his original intentions?
Mika wanted to avoid being hated by the people of the Marquis's house, so he couldn't simply say, "Yes, I understand."
Therefore, he checked the source of the order in detail.
If it was the judgment of the Marquis's house, he had no intention of going against it.
But if it wasn't, he had no intention of obeying.
Perhaps, sensing Mika's thoughts, he hastily decided to say it was the "judgment of the Marquis's house."
After that, he checked where in the Marquis's house the order came from.
Was it the Marquis himself, or not?
For Mika, this was a natural confirmation for self-preservation, but Virone might not have thought that far.
In a way guided by Mika, he ended up saying, "It is the Marquis's order."
The miscalculation was probably not just about Mika.
Cleiria's attachment to Mika was stronger than imagined, and today she took the drastic measure of waiting for Mika in the classroom.
Mika was also flustered by the sudden event and couldn't respond properly, ending up ignoring her.
That became the trigger for Cleiria's outburst of leaving the mansion.
As soon as Cleiria returned to the mansion, she said, "I am not feeling well," and locked herself in her room, but it seemed she had already decided to leave the mansion and talk to Mika.
She wanted Mika to know all of her feelings.
She strongly instructed that no one enter until she called, locked herself in her room, moved from the balcony to the adjacent room.
She further utilized moving from the adjacent room to another room connected by a door, moving to a room with an escape route without being spotted by the guarding knights.
Mika kept his distance, so she thought she could rest easy now.
Seeing Mika's attitude today, she thought everything would be fine now.
Virone, who had been relieved, was stunned to learn that Cleiria was not in her room.
She didn't even think for a moment that her crime would be discovered.
Why?
How?
It seems she was stunned that even after doing all this, she still couldn't separate Mika and Cleiria.
"But, why did Virone go to such lengths for Young Master Mika...?"
Cleiria was likely flustered by the whole commotion.
She didn't seem to notice at all that she had returned to calling Mika by his name.
Well, Mika had no time to point that out now anyway.
It seems Virone's reason for viewing Mika as dangerous stemmed from the fight incident.
She said so in her own testimony, and she had told Cleiria and other knights about it before as well.
"That boy must not be left by Young Lady Cleiria's side."
There is a 'monster' inside Mika.
No matter how vicious a criminal she had seen, Virone had never said such a thing before.
Virone had also seen quite gruesome scenes as a knight.
Still, it seems this is the first time she has shown such a sense of crisis.
(...A 'monster', huh.)
Virone's words pierced Mika.
Indeed, Mika was not a child as he appeared.
Inside him were the memories of Kuhashi Ritsu, and his judgments and choices of action were basically dominated by the values of that Kuhashi Ritsu.
Virone was the first to discover Mika when he was beating up the eight children and causing them harm.
It wouldn't be strange to feel something abnormal in that sight.
(I knew I was doing something terrible myself back then.)
Thinking about the Leventein Group, he judged that he needed to break those children's hearts.
He had no regrets about that judgment, nor did he think it was wrong.
But, ordinary children wouldn't think that far or be that thorough.
While Mika was thinking such things, Cleiria, who had been sitting next to him, quietly stood up.
"Whatever the reason, what Virone did cannot be forgiven. Because of that, Young Master Mika was made to suffer and endure painful experiences."
Cleiria pressed her lips together and looked straight at Mika with a serious expression.
"The sin of a serving knight is also my sin as their master. I sincerely apologize."
Saying that, Cleiria bowed her head.
"Young Lady Cleiria!?"
The Captain stood up in a panic, urging Cleiria, who was bowing her head, to rise.
"Young Lady Cleiria should not apologize like that! It is my lack of virtue for not being able to supervise Virone! Therefore, please do not do such a thing!"
The Captain pleaded desperately, but Cleiria continued to bow her head.
Cleiria was waiting for Mika's forgiveness.
Strictly speaking, Virone was a knight serving the Marquis of Leventein, not a knight of Cleiria.
But perhaps there was a bond between these two beyond that.
Mika let out a quiet breath.
"Cleiria, lift your head. We can't talk if you don't."
Even when Mika spoke to her, Cleiria did not try to lift her head.
This was not enough to satisfy Cleiria's mind, it seemed.
"Cleiria, please."
When Mika said that, Cleiria finally slowly lifted her head.
Cleiria had an expression as if she was desperately holding back tears.
"...I thought I could finally become friends with Young Master Mika..."
A single tear flowed down her cheek.
"...I did not have the qualification to become Young Master Mika's friend...."
Seeing Cleiria like that, the Captain made a face as if he was enduring pain.
It might be the first time he has seen Cleiria like this.
"So, did you return to 'Young Master Mika'?"
Mika also stood up and smiled at Cleiria.
But his face somehow turned sorrowful.
"...Because..."
It seemed Cleiria could no longer hold back her tears, and large tears spilled from her eyes.
Today, Cleiria cried so much it felt like she had cried her entire lifetime's worth.
"Do you want to stop being friends with me, Cleiria?"
When Mika said that, Cleiria shook her head vigorously.
"Then, we are friends."
"...But..."
Mika smiled, but Cleiria lowered her head and shook it.
"After doing something like this... how can I be friends...."
Cleiria seemed on the verge of collapsing in tears right there.
So――――.
Pinch.
He pinched her cheek.
Cleiria didn't know what was happening and stared at him with wide eyes, looking dazed.
"Huh!?"
The Captain was so surprised he was speechless.
Mika quickly let go of his hand and smiled broadly.
"If I do this to a Marquis's daughter, what usually happens?"
Mika asked the Captain, who was frozen in surprise.
"T-that is... If you do such a thing to Young Lady Cleiria, no one would complain even if you were cut down right there."
"Because."
He smiled at Cleiria, who was still surprised.
"If I don't do this, I might get cut down. But if we are friends, can't you forgive it as just a joke?"
Cleiria blinked her eyes.
"I thought you were trying to save me. Won't you become my friend? Come on, Cleiria."
Cleiria, still surprised, had an expression as if she didn't know whether to be angry at Mika's rudeness or happy that they could be friends.
"...Sorry, but even if we are friends, that is not something that can be forgiven?"
The Captain, wrapped in a tense atmosphere, slowly turned toward Mika.
His hand reached for his sword.
"By the way, you have been calling Young Lady Cleiria by her name over and over again since earlier. ...I had been wondering about it, but I can no longer bear it."
"Eh, wait!? H-help me, Cleiria! Seriously!"
Using Cleiria as a shield, Mika escaped from the Captain.
Perhaps finding Mika's situation amusing, Cleiria burst out laughing.
"Oh, Young Master Mika... It's fine. He is my precious friend. I forgive him."
"Hah!"
With Cleiria's one word, the Captain let go of his sword and bowed his head lightly.
The danger to his life was averted.
"You don't need 'Young Master' anymore, right? Cleiria."
"Yes... that's right. Mika."
And so, Mika and Cleiria laughed together.
The Captain standing nearby had a somewhat complicated expression.
■■■■■■
Giiiiii...
A poorly fitted iron door opened with an unpleasant sound.
As soon as the door opened, a foul smell attacked, and Mika couldn't help but grimace.
For a moment, he thought about using 'Blast' to secure his breathing, but he stopped.
He entered the dimly lit room paved with stone.
This was the dungeon in the basement of the Leventein Marquis's villa.
Although it was a dungeon that was hardly used anymore, the clinging, stagnant smell did not seem to go away easily.
Two iron bars stood side by side, and he found the target person in the front iron bars.
"Yo, idiot."
Mika called out in an intentionally cheerful voice, making a nasty, smirking face.
The one called an idiot, wearing handcuffs, sat on the floor and glared at Mika with eyes full of hatred.
"...Mika Noisheim...!"
She spat out Mika's name resentfully.
Mika watched Virone, who was wearing handcuffs, while grinning.
"Not a bad look. It suits you quite well."
"...What did you come here for! Did you come to laugh at me!"
"Yes, that is one of the purposes."
Mika shook his shoulders cheerfully, looking down at Virone.
"I thought I would lower my blood pressure a bit by watching you look frustrated. Thanks to you causing trouble, I was made to suffer too."
With that, the corners of his mouth twisted uglily.
"But, in the end, it went according to the original plan. There is no problem. ...In other words, what you did was completely useless. You just threw away your life."
"You bastard! So that was your true nature after all...!"
Virone glared at Mika and slowly stood up.
"Yes, yes. I said all sorts of things during the interrogation that weren't true. Ahahaha, it's a proper scenario that doesn't compare to your stupid lies. Try hard to clear up that dishonorable misunderstanding."
Saying that, a suspicious light settled in her eyes.
"Even if the misunderstanding is cleared, your beheading won't change! Ahahahaha!"
"You bastaaaaard...!!!"
Virone attacked as if to grab Mika, but was blocked by the iron bars.
"If you touch Young Lady Cleiria with even a finger! I will definitely! Definitely break your neck!!!"
"Try it if you can, come on!"
Mika raised his chin, showing his neck to Virone.
He tapped his neck repeatedly, provoking her mockingly.
Virone shook her hair wildly, gripping the iron bars and shaking them with enough force to break them.
But a dungeon would not serve its purpose if it could be broken so easily by one person's strength.
No matter how much Virone shook it, the iron bars did not budge.
After shaking the iron bars for a while, Virone seemed to realize it was useless and hung her head.
She slumped weakly onto the floor and slammed the handcuffs against the stone pavement with all her might.
They weren't handcuffs that could be broken by that, but instead, blood flowed from Virone's wrists.
It seemed the places rubbed by the handcuffs had torn.
"..................I......am......sorry......."
Virone's lips trembled, and a faint voice leaked out.
"...I am sorry... Young Lady Cleiria... His Excellency. ...I am sorry... ...I am s...orry... ...!"
Tears fell onto the stone pavement, drop by drop.
Twisting her face in frustration, Virone shed tears.
"...If I had been more careful... I wouldn't have let such a 'demon' run wild...!"
"'Demon', isn't that harsh? You have such a cute face!"
Mika smiled innocently.
If this were a portrait, the title would be 'Angel Smile'.
But Virone didn't even glance at such Mika, only repeating her apologies to Cleiria and the Marquis.
Seeing Virone like that, Mika let out a quiet sigh.
■■■■■■
"Pardon plea?"
Mika nodded solemnly at Cleiria, who looked surprised.
After successfully establishing a friendship with Cleiria, Mika brought up the matter to Cleiria and the Captain.
"Virone made a fatal mistake in her methods. She must make amends for that no matter what, but taking her life for this is too heavy."
"But, she pretended to be your father's order and gave you false instructions, didn't she? It is still a serious crime equivalent to title fraud."
At Cleiria's words, the Captain also nodded heavily.
In this country, the authority of nobles is incredibly vast.
On the other hand, they bear heavy responsibilities, but using a noble's name without permission is naturally a serious crime.
And even if one does not pretend to be a noble themselves, lying that it is a noble's order is also a very serious crime.
Both are basically beheading.
This is because if such things were allowed, the foundation of the kingdom could collapse.
The kingdom will never forgive those who arbitrarily abuse authority granted to them to fulfill the heavy responsibilities they bear.
Incidentally, the laws of this kingdom apply to the royal family and all nobles, but there are actually people to whom the law does not apply.
His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
These three are exempt from the application of the kingdom's laws.
In this country where no constitution exists, it seems they cannot be punished at all for killing their vassals on a whim or massacring the people.
(Does that mean the Crown Prince could assassinate the King without being punished...?)
Mika had a terrifying imagination, but it seems there are rules within the royal family regarding this.
If the Crown Prince openly killed the King and ascended the throne, it would be impossible to accept.
Therefore, although not law, there are rules imposed only on the royal family.
I think it would be better to codify it as law, but there must be a reason they don't want to codify it, yeah.
It's terrifying, so I don't want to know any deeper than that.
So, according to the law, Virone's only option is almost certainly beheading.
But in this case, that is too heavy.
"I think it is wrong to treat someone who used a noble's name for personal gain and Virone, who used a noble's name for her master despite a misunderstanding, on the same level. I think there should be leniency."
"Even if you say that..."
Cleiria looked troubled.
"Cleiria wants to save Virone, doesn't she?"
"Of course! ...But, using my father's name is still not something that can be forgiven."
Perhaps because they are people of the Marquis's house, they cannot overlook this.
But for Cleiria, Virone was the knight she had been by her side since she was small and trusted the most.
(She even ran to Virone and cried when she was kidnapped.)
The scene from that time floated in Mika's mind.
Mika tried hard to think of a way to save a loyal retainer who went berserk for Cleiria's sake, even though she knew it was a serious crime.
"Either way, if Virone remains as she is now, even if she is saved, I think she will repeat the same thing. Virone needs to change."
"Change? How do you mean?"
Cleiria looked at Mika with a puzzled expression.
To such Cleiria, Mika gently whispered the answer.
"Break her heart."
■■■■■■
Looking down at Virone, who was slumped on the stone pavement, muttering apologies repeatedly, Mika let out a quiet sigh.
(...Breaking a female knight's heart, that might appeal to people with that kind of fetish. But for me, it's a bit...)
But here, he must be ruthless and take on the challenge.
He needs to engrave into the depths of his heart that going berserk due to preconceptions will yield nothing.
Otherwise, depending on the Marquis's ruling, even if she is saved, there is a risk she will go berserk again.
Now, as he was thinking about how to corner her next, a voice came from the side.
"...That is enough for now, Mika."
Cleiria, with a sorrowful expression, came to the dungeon where Virone was locked up.
Virone, noticing that voice, looked at Cleiria with a stunned face.
"...Y-Young Lady Cleiria, you must not! To come to such a place!"
Virone was extremely flustered, panicking about what to do.
"Because of your idiotic vassal's mess, Cleiria came to such a place? Do you realize it? It's your fault, you know?"
Mika mercilessly hammered the truth onto the flustered Virone.
"Cleiria didn't come here because she was being selfish. She came to such a place because of you. Do you understand?"
"Mika..."
Cleiria weakly shook her head at Mika's relentless barrage.
It meant no more was necessary.
Mika stepped back and decided to leave it to Cleiria.
"Young Lady Cleiria! That boy is dangerous! Just now――――!"
"Yes, I heard."
A momentary look of joy flashed on Virone's face.
Mika's true identity had been understood by Cleiria as well.
She could protect Cleiria now.
She must have thought so.
"I heard everything from the beginning. I have been holding back because Mika told me to."
Not understanding the meaning of Cleiria's words, Virone's expression hardened.
From the beginning?
Why?
Why would she do something like revealing her true identity herself?
Virone couldn't understand a single fragment of what Mika was thinking.
"Virone, Mika is not a 'demon' like you think."
"N-no, that's wrong! Young Lady Cleiria! This boy――――!"
"If Mika is a 'demon', why did you make a plea for his life?"
At Cleiria's words, Virone seemed to reach the peak of her confusion, freezing with a stiff face.
"...Plea for life?"
"Yes."
Cleiria nodded at Virone's mutter.
"We may have said many things to my father in vain. But even so, Mika said he wanted to help you somehow. Even with that, do you still call Mika a 'demon'?"
Cleiria clenched her hands so tightly they turned white, looking straight at Virone with her purple eyes.
She pleaded as if squeezing out her voice to the pitiful loyal retainer possessed by obsession.
"If you still call Mika a 'demon' even after this, then you are the one who is a 'demon' who doesn't understand human hearts! Wake up already, Viene!"
Cleiria scolded while shedding tears.
Her voice trembled, her shoulders shook, and she desperately held back unbearable sadness.
Mika watched her from a slight distance.
(...If she still can't change after seeing Cleiria like this, then it's hopeless.)
If even the voice of her master, who came to the dungeon herself and pleaded with tears, cannot reach her, then there is no point in saving her anymore.
She will surely repeat the same thing again.
In that case, although it will be a cold remark, it would be better to deal with her in this case, thinking about the future.
For Cleiria's sake, and for Virone's sake.
This plan is a little different from 'breaking her heart', but this might be more effective for Virone.
If this doesn't work, breaking her heart will ultimately be useless.
Cleiria turned around and urged Mika to leave the room.
"Think about it well for one night."
She spoke to Virone, who had lowered her head and stopped moving, and Cleiria also left the room.
They closed the iron door that made an unpleasant sound and silently climbed the stairs together.
At the entrance of the stairs leading to the dungeon, the Captain was standing with a worried expression.
Seeing Cleiria's expression, the Captain said nothing, just bowed his head lightly to let Cleiria pass.
Back in the reception room, Cleiria finally let out a deep breath.
Turning toward Mika, Cleiria bowed her head.
"I am truly sorry for the trouble I caused you, Mika. I dragged you into a problem that should have been handled by the Leventein family...."
"I was the one who brought up Virone's matter, so there is no need for you to bow your head."
"But..."
It seemed she wasn't satisfied yet, and Cleiria's expression was gloomy.
"Besides, if we are friends, we shouldn't worry about such trivial things. Isn't that fine?"
When Mika said that and smiled broadly, Cleiria was drawn into a smile as well.
But soon, she frowned.
"But, I never thought Young Master Mika would be thinking such things. I might need to re-examine the report from the interrogation just now. It seems you said 'I said all sorts of things that weren't true'."
"Eh!?"
Cleiria suddenly said such a thing.
"This might be something we should think about well as friends too. Right, Young Master Mika?"
"Y-Young Lady Cleiria?"
Mika called out timidly.
"Of course, it's a joke, Mika."
Cleiria stuck her tongue out and answered with a slightly lonely smile.