How was I treated in a place like this? Esther thought. That wound should've been fatal. How long have I been sleeping, anyway?
"Um, how long have I been asleep?" asked Esther.
"The whole day," Seth replied. She checked the clock on the wall. "You slept well. You were very tired, weren't you?"
"Yes, now that you mention it, a little," said Esther.
All of a sudden, she became startled. Haven't I been speaking in Roman common language for a while? Esther thought to herself. And didn't that girl also answer in Roman language?
"You shouldn't be upset. I already know you're from the Outer," said Seth, still grinning. She sat cross-legged on the sofa. "Everything you said in your sleep was in Outer language. It was about half-Hungarian and half-Roman? And you were with some second-rate nobleman, right?"
Ion's head drooped apologetically. "Sorry, Esther, I told her." He put his mouth to Esther's ear as she flinched and lowered his voice even more. "Don't worry. I haven't told her you're from the Vatican. I told her you were a girl I met in the Outer and brought with me."
"You're doing pretty well, aren't you, young noble? Bringing a Terran girl, and an Outer one at that, into the Empire," said Seth nonchalantly.
For a Terran in the Empire, she was girl who was not very afraid of Methuselahs. It was rare for a citizen to be this unfettered in front of a noble.
"Love between a Methuselah and a Terran is taboo in this country. Who knows what will happen if you're discovered by the Inspection Institution. But please don't worry, because I won't tell on you. In exchange, will you keep it a secret that I was selling tea in a place like that? If I'm found out, I'll be kicked out of the high-class medical hospital," said Seth, "You delinquent. Do you mean to exploit a person's weakness?" asked Ion. "Well, fine." He nodded graciously as if he were relieved that he'd fooled Seth about Esther’s true identity.
After coughing once, Ion continued to lecture the girl with the shimmering eyes. "Concerning your dishonesty, I will overlook it this time. But listen, girl—from here on in, you mustn't do such a thing. For Terrans to lie about their social status and engage in work outside their legal employment is strictly forbidden by Imperial law. As a student, you should be diligent about your studies, which are your duty contribute to this Imperial society."
"Is that the time already? Say, aren't you two hungry?" asked Seth.
"Listen to the person speaking to you!" shouted Ion, angry at having his sermon interrupted.
Seth showed absolutely no sign of noticing his annoyance. While humming, she continued rolling bandages.
"Ugh! Absolutely deplorable! Although there are extenuating circumstances, overlooking the illegality of such a bad citizen, and having to break Imperial law . . .Your Majesty, please, forgive the crimes of your unworthy subject," said Ion.
"This young nobleman is rather funny. It's been a long time since I found one this worthy of teasing," said Seth. Patting Ion's back as he bowed deeply in the direction of the Celestial Imperial Palace, she grinned. "By the way, young nobleman, when you're ready, will you go buy us something to eat? We have to nourish Esther, right?"
"Why should I do a maidservant's work? You go!" said Ion, baring his fangs at the rude nonsense.
"Me? But I have to change Esther's bandages now, and then change her clothes. Or maybe you can change her clothes, young noble," Seth suggested.
Ion turned red in acknowledgement of his defeat. Turning on his heel as if sulking, he left the bedroom, hitting the door on the way out. "Listen, girl, I'll absolutely make you remember this disrespect later. Don't forget it!"
"Yes, yes. If you want side dishes, the shop on the street corner is cheap and delicious. I'd love some meat-stuffed tomatoes," said Seth, winking.
"How should I know!" said Ion.
Seth listened with a suppressed giggle to the footsteps growing distant as they trudged down the corridor beyond closed door. When they disappeared, she turned back to her patient. "Now the nuisance has disappeared. Esther, can I get you to show me your skin?"
"Eh? Oh, yes," said Esther.
Esther was still aghast at the exchange between Ion and Seth, but she suddenly came to when she was spoken to. She bared her shoulder as asked. The wound was larger than she'd thought, but it looked like the bleeding had completely stopped. When she peeked at it again, she noticed the flesh had been very deeply gouged, but she hadn't died of blood loss. It was luck that had saved her, but even more than that, it was because of the first aid administered on the spot and because the treatment thereafter had been excellent.
"Favorable progress. It's good to be young. The damage to the blood vessels has already closed up and swelling of the neighboring capillaries has already begun. You should be able to move in two or three days," said Seth.
Whistling as if she were impressed, Seth began to artfully replace the medicine-smeared gauze. Her studied movements were those of a veteran doctor.
"Um, Miss Seth?" asked Esther.
"Just Seth is fine, Esther. All of my brothers and friends call me that," said the girl.
"W-well, Miss Seth," Esther began, "You look a lot younger than I do. How old are you really?"
"Me? I'll be thirteen this year," Seth replied. "So?"
"Th-thirteen . . ." Esther repeated. Four years younger than I am, she thought. "It's amazing doing this kind of thing at that age. Or are all people in the Empire like you?"
"Work is in accordance with individual character and effort. Everybody has his and her own field of work, right? Not all Terrans can accept high-class education and become citizens," said Seth, shrugging.
After reapplying the gauze, Seth appeared as though she were lost in thought. "At least we're given an equal opportunity. Our chance to get an education is not limited by birth or finances, like in the Outer. If you work hard and pass the exams, anybody can become a citizen, no matter how old. Qualification to take the exams is not limited. This isn't necessarily limited to education, either. It's the Empire's style to value Terrans' hard work and what the individual can do so that Methuselahs and Terrans can coexist peacefully."
"Empire's style? Coexist?" asked Esther, perplexed.
According to what Esther heard in the Outer, Terrans in the Empire were treated no differently than slaves. Humans were ruled by the vampires and lived like a bunch of fearful animals. But if that were so, what about the girl standing before her? Weren't the Terrans milling about the city full of life? This person, and everything about the nation that Esther had witnessed since entering the Empire, were very different from what she'd heard.
"The Terrans are the Methuselahs' slaves, right?" asked Esther. She slowly moved her shoulder to ascertain the condition of her wound. "No matter how favorably treated, Terrans have to work for Methuselahs. Can that be called coexistence?"
"Esther, look at this," said Seth, who had pushed up the window by the bed.
Outside, sunset was approaching and the blue-black veil of night was falling. The white lights of the city blinked as they shone on the channel. The sight, somehow fantastical, was like a dream within a dream.
Seth pointed to the south of the Methuselah district—the location of a dense, green forest, and a huge group of towering buildings. "Esther, you're wrong about one thing. The Terrans' master is not the Methuselahs."
Not a trace of the girl's previous frivolity remained as she pointed to the Celestial Imperial Palace, the residence castle of the one who ruled in the past, ruled in the present, and would rule in the future.
"The Terrans' only master is the Empress of the New Human Empire. They are legally the Empress's property, and to harm them is the same thing as harming the Empress. The Methuselahs are also absolute subjects of the Empress, so in the eyes of the Empress, Terrans and Methuselahs are equal. Can't that be called a kind of racial coexistence?" asked Seth in a subdued tone.
Staring down at the fantastic city that flourished in the dark, Esther pondered. The words she'd heard in her native city of Istvan echoed in her ears: "Coexistence is the stuff of foolish dreams."
The man who'd killed all of Esther's family had said that. He was a pitiful wretch who'd murdered his family to take revenge on the Vatican. At the time, she thought what he'd said was correct. It was impossible to exist with those who killed her family and her friends in the city.
As if provoked by the impatience of not fully understanding, Esther shook her head. "There is an absolute precondition for the coexistence you speak of, Seth," she said. "That is, that the Empress is eternal. If she should die, or if she suddenly changed her mind, this nation's 'coexistence* disappears at that instant. Am I wrong?"
Seth widened her eyes and clapped her hands softly at the redheaded girl's argument. "Amazing! As I thought, you're a smart girl, Esther," she remarked, nodding as if truly impressed. "As you say, only the Empress's existence guarantees the two races' coexistence. If anything happened to her, everything in this nation would crumble. Of course, coexistence is no exception."
Although she'd been praised, Esther's feelings didn't elevate. Was it possible that she wanted to be wrong? She hung her head gloomily. Can such a fragile thing be true coexistence? Can coexistence that rests entirely on the Empress's shoulders constitute true coexistence?
That sort of fragile coexistence didn't exist in the Outer. There was only eternal strife and hatred there. People who hated Methuselahs branded them as "vampires," and Methuselahs who scorned humans referred to them as "cattle." Esther herself was one of the latter.
Pulling herself from deep thought, Esther gathered herself. She was surprised that she was even considering the possibility of coexistence. Wasn't she of the understanding that that kind of thing was impossible? There was nobody who understood as well as she did the deep divide between the two races.
But there were faces she couldn't get out of her mind: Jura, Radu, Aste, and Ion—people who laughed, cried, raged, and grieved in front of Esther. They, too .. .
Esther was having a hard time settling her restless mind, when all of a sudden the girls heard a raucous noise from outside the room.
"Ah, young nobleman?" asked Seth. The serious look on her face disappeared completely as she stood up. She quickly ran to the door, but as she placed her hand on the knob—
"Wah?" Seth exclaimed.
The knob and hinges shattered with a shriek after receiving a blow from outside. Then, the wooden door splintered into bits, sending Seth's body flying.
"Seth?" cried Esther. Watching Seth's small frame hit the floor hard, Esther's eyes widened. But they opened even wider when she saw the huge shadow pushing in through the door. "Th-that thing!"
Esther leapt out of bed at the sight of the pitch-black military overcoat flapping ominously in the gust. Forgetting the pain in her shoulder, she tried to run for her shotgun, which was leaning against the wall. She reached for its gunstock when a huge sound thundered overhead. By the time she glanced up, a black shadow filled Esther's entire field of vision. Before she could recognize the shadow was another enemy crashing through the ceiling, its fist bulldozed the girl's stomach.
"Ugh!" said Esther. Screaming as though squeezing out the contents of her lungs, Esther's body flew against the wall. Something wet was trickling down her numb right arm; her wound had probably reopened from the blow. Is my field of vision so dark because I hit my head? she wondered.
"Seth? Your Excellency?" said Esther weakly.
Esther somehow opened her eyes, even though her consciousness had begun to dim. Besides the paralysis in her shoulder, a tremendous ringing deafened her ears. Still, she struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, which felt like lead.
In her hazy field of vision, she could see two large black shadows and one white shadow that seemed to be confronting them. She couldn't tell if it was Seth or Ion. Either way, the two black shadows were now swinging down their massive battleaxes upon the frozen white shadow.
"Run!" Esther hollered. But because of the tinnitus, she could barely hear her own voice.
Why are my ears ringing like this? With that final thought, the nun's consciousness slipped somewhere into the darkness.
***
"Why do I, Count of Memphis, the Chief Imperial Sword Bearer, have to go shopping like a maidservant?" asked Ion as he lugged a small mountain of paper bags. The deserted alley was gloomy, but he didn't feel as though he were in danger. "Also, what was with that Terran in the shop just now? 'Cute boy,' was it? 'Cute?' Making fun of me, the Chief Imperial Sword Bearer, of all people."
Ion's first experience with shopping was truly unpleasant. As he entered the market, shop girls quickly spotted him and ran over. Pulled this way and that by the shrill-voiced girls, he continued to be jostled and cajoled, if Ion had been an actual Terran boy, he might have done a jig because he'd received a price reduction of thirty percent. However, for Count of Memphis, Chief Imperial Sword Bearer, pillar of the Empire, it was an irksome experience he wanted to forget as soon as possible.
After all, housework was a chore that Methuselahs had very little to do with. There was no time for them to take part in such things, especially when they were burdened with the government and military, and were equal to less than one percent of the Terran population.
The only exception was educating the children the Methuselahs had borne. They embraced the concept of matrilineal family, becoming one huge family who educated their own. With that exception, the general housework was almost always entrusted to citizens or automata.
"And Seth—why do I have to take orders from that no-good girl? A girl like that... If I felt like it... No, I mustn't, I mustn't, I mustn't!" shouted Ion. Still carrying the paper bags, he chewed on his lip. "Patience, Ion. This is all in order to carry out Augusta's Imperial degree. If it means meeting our great mother's expectations, even if it means bowing on bended knee to a no-good girl, you must endure it! That is the duty of nobles."
Chief Imperial Sword Bearer was first among the many posts on the list of the career courses, but even Ion had never seen the Empress's face. However, according to what his late grandmother said, she was "dignity and magnificence in complete harmony, perfectly suited to be mother to all us Methuselahs." It was pathetic for him, her subject, to whine like this.
Still cursing, Ion arrived in front of the tea seller's house. Taking a deep breath, he regained his composure. His face suddenly clouded as he reached for the doorknob. Holding the paper bags tightly, he cautiously looked left and right.
A rush of fierce, even calamitous, wind from beyond the night sky mowed him down. At least ten short swords thrust down from above toward Ion's head. The next moment, the paper bags were rolling, shredded to bits, in the alley. But the boy who'd been holding them wasn't there.
"Idiot! You thought that trick would work on me?" said Ion. Leaping into the air, resembling a streak of blue painting the night sky, Ion laughed in ridicule. His hand was already on the short sword at his hip. "Don't underestimate me. I'm Ion Fortuna, Count of Memphis!"
Drawing his sword in mid-air, Ion energetically launched himself off the wall of the house that faced the alley, his petite body soaring higher than the roof. He aimed for the head of somebody who'd been lurking on the roof and attacked with the energy of a bird of prey that had located his kill.
"A proud Imperial noble and Chief Imperial Sword Bearer!" shouted Ion.
By the time the attacker had turned around, the naked blade had plunged down and sliced into its form. Cat-like, Ion landed on the roof as blood rained down overhead.
"It seems you've fully recovered, haven't you, Ion?" asked Radu, sarcastically.
"This is crazy. I thought I'd cut you down!" Ion said. Trembling, he instinctively jumped back, but somebody stopped him from behind.
The attacker whispered in Ion's ear as Ion fought to shake him off. "Being taken down was awful. Aren't you acting too cold toward a friend you haven't seen for a long time, my tovarisch?" asked Radu.
The boy's expression froze at the sound of his attacker's voice. "R-Radu?" Ion stammered.
"It's been a long time, Ion," said Radu. Beneath his dark hair, his copper eyes smiled. Radu Barvon, Baron of Luxor, the friend Ion should have lost forever, was standing beneath the night sky, looking exactly the same as he'd remembered.
"Radu! How? You should've died that day," said Ion.
"Died? Oh dear. Then how am I standing before you now?" asked Radu, wearing a sarcastic grin.
Using the incomparable strength of the Efreet, Radu hoisted the flailing boy to eye level.
Unable to free himself, Ion recalled how atop that airship, this man had surely been roasted by the sun and his body had fallen into the sea. Although he was a mighty Methuselah, there was only a one in ten thousand chance of surviving that. But Ion couldn't detect one blemish on Radu's white face.
"Are you seeing things again? Although I don't think the dead can talk like this," Radu quipped.
"Then what Mimarl said was true," said Ion. After finally recovering from his shock, Ion glared at his opponent, emotion welling in his eyes. "Radu, you've trapped me again! But why? Why this kind of elaborate farce? Do you hate me that much?"
"Hate? Don't be conceited. I don't particularly care about a little boy like you. I have more important business. You're merely a decoy to draw the attention of the court. You’re no more significant than that," said Radu.
"Business?" asked Ion. He felt a curious chill graze his back. Or was it the icy feelings he felt for this man who might as well have been a stranger? "What business? Killing my grandmother and framing me for that crime? What are you planning that would make you take things so far?" Ion tried to remain calm, but he couldn't keep his voice from shrieking.
Radu smiled coldly as he stared at his former friend's face. "I'll tell you, specially," Radu said, whispering into Ion's ear. "We will kill the Empress."
"Wha—?" said Ion, who hadn't been as shocked when he was told that he would be killed. Ion's eyes looked as though they would pop out of his pale face. "What d-did you just say? Kill Her Majesty? Do you really think you can do such a ridiculous thing?"
"Ridiculous thing?" Radu repeated. In contrast to the spluttering boy, Radu was calm. With his lips still at Ion's ear, he cocked his head. "Is killing the Empress really such a ridiculous thing?"
"Her Majesty the Empress?" said Ion. He studied his former friend's calm expression and grimaced as if he were looking for signs of madness. "You couldn't possibly kill the mother of all Methuselahs, the one who will rule the Empire eternally!"
"I'll correct what I said a little while ago, Ion. You're not a child," said Radu. There was neither madness nor anger in the man's voice, just a tone that seemed to ridicule everything. A frosty smile was fixed on his face as he sighed deliberately. "You're not a child. You're an idiot child. Rule eternally? Do you think such a thing is actually possible?"
Radu shrugged his shoulders dramatically. Stepping away from Ion, he continued, "They say the Empress has lived for eight hundred years, but that's some kind of myth. No Methuselah can live that long. If that story is true, the Empress isn't a Methuselah. Of course, she isn't a Terran. She's 'something' else. I don't believe such a thing. The Empress is mortal. If I believe I can kill her, I can kill her."
"But why, Radu? Why Her Majesty?" Ion asked.
Radu regarded Ion, whose lips were trembling, as if he felt sorry for him and declared "Isn't it obvious? I'm rather bored of this country that's ordered around by some sort of mysterious witch!" His thin lips curled in a devilish way. When he put them back near the boy's ear, the blue-haired Methuselah enunciated his words so as not to be misheard. "We will kill the Empress. After that, we'll destroy those abhorrent Outer Terrans, and become the rulers of this planet. We Methuselahs are qualified for that. We won't let anybody interfere with us taking our rightful place. Not even you, Ion!"
A cry of pain leaked from Ion's lips as Radu s sharp claws gouged deep into Ion's right thigh. The grasp around Ion's wrists grew tighter as he was hefted high off the ground. In severe pain, Ion struggled desperately, but Radu's strength was matchless. As if gazing at a beautiful butterfly mounted in a display case, Radu's copper eyes glimmered wickedly.
"By now, all eyes in the Celestial Imperial Palace are focused entirely on you. Thank you, Tovarisch. You've made my work much easier. All I have to do now is make sure there's no chance you're captured," said Radu.
Ion released another tortured scream as Radu's talons twisted inside the wound. Fierce pain ran along his leg, which felt as if it had exploded. But there was something else that pained Ion.
/ wonder if Esther is all right. If this man intends to eliminate me, he can't let her live, Ion thought to himself.
"Are you that worried about Esther?" asked Radu, as if he could read Ion's mind. The blue-haired Methuselah let out a mucous-laden laugh. Your face is like an open book. But Ion, is it sensible to trust the girl that much? She's a Terran, not to mention from the Vatican."
"What?" asked Ion. In his mind, which was beginning to grow hazy from the pain, Ion tried to understand what his opponent was saying. He knew Esther was Terran, even without being told. So what did Radu mean?
"What I'm saying is, haven't you been betrayed again? Why do you think I've known your every movement?" asked Radu.
Finally grasping what Radu was implying, Ion's expression changed. Forgetting his pain, he argued, "That's insane. Are you trying to say Esther betrayed me? It's Impossible. Esther of all people couldn't do such a thing!"
"Oh dear, His Excellency the Count is completely devoted to a Terran girl. If Her Majesty the Empress or your dead grandmother knew, boy, how they would grieve," said Radu, shaking his head solemnly but grinning all the while. He lowered his voice as if revealing some treasured secret. "But, Ion, did you know that she hates you? Not just you, though. She hates all Methuselahs. Did you know that?"
Ion froze momentarily. A sense of unrest muddled his eyes as he glared at his former friend. "Don't speak nonsense, Radu! Esther saved me. How is that—"
"It isn't nonsense. Listen well: Her family was killed by Methuselahs," said Radu.
Killed? Her family? Ion was stuck for words, as he imagined Esther's red hair and the hazel eyes always hiding beneath it. He didn't even notice Radu smiling pleasantly as he watched him. He just dropped his eyes, aghast.
"You didn't know that part, did you, Tovarisch?" asked Radu, who had mastered the art of masking sadism as sympathy. "Her home town is Istvan, the town of the Marquis of Hungaria, which was attacked by the Vatican last year. The girl was a foundling and was raised in the church by a bishop named Vitez. But last year, the bishop and all the people in the church were massacred by the Marquis of Hungaria. What a tragic end."
"That's . . ." said Ion, his voice trembling. The girl, who was always fierce and strong, but kind, never acted prejudiced toward Methuselahs, even though she was an Outer Terran. "It's impossible! It's—"
"Strange, isn't it? That she didn't tell you such an important thing," Radu interjected. The blue-haired demon cackled as he shot more poison into Ion's ear. "Could she have some grudge against you? Or else . . ."
"Or else?" Ion thought. What is he trying to say?
The boy's pondering was interrupted by a whip-like red light that sliced through the darkness. Radu pushed Ion away and leapt backward as the temperature quickly rose to a few thousand degrees, turned to gas, and burst. The red light thrashed down, leaving deep gashes in the roof. There was no trace of anything else except a haunting shadow.
"Marquise of Kiev?" said Ion to the slim shadow standing on the roof of a nearby building. When had she appeared?
Aste flashed her wrist with a hardened expression. Her slender hand drew a silver cane, the "Spear of Gei Borg," from which a plasma whip emerged with a screech. The red-hot xenon gas that sprayed from its vacuum chamber swelled in pursuit of the fleeing Efreet.
"Oh dear, it seems I said too much," said Radu. Still, his leisurely composure didn't break before the new enemy. As he bent backward to evade Aste's weapon, he energetically hurled a ball of fire produced in his palm.
Aste quickly adjusted the firing range of the spear as the fireball flew toward her at high speed. With the spear shortened to long sword size, she prepared to strike down the blue flame. But perhaps due to some sort of spell, the flame split in the air and became a few dozen small firebombs. The red light flashed like lightning, striking down the barrage of fire from one side, but there were too many. The remaining firebomb struck Aste squarely in her face.
"Marquise of Kiev!" Abel screamed, imagining that the woman would soon turn to ash. But he managed to fire a gunshot, derailing the fireball that would've engulfed Aste.
"You're slow, Father!" said Aste.
"Yeah, sorry. I stumbled on the stairs. This is painful," said Abel, his tall shadow preceding him. The revolver in his hand was accurately aimed at Radu and didn't waver.
"Baron of Luxor, I don't recommend you resist. Please let go of Count of Memphis, and give up!" demanded Astharoshe.
"Marquise of Kiev and Father Nightroad? It certainly would be foolish to fight in this situation," said Radu, miffed at the arrival of a new opponent. Turning back to the boy still collapsed on the roof, he grimaced regretfully. "Well, isn't this fun? Anyway, there's nothing anyone can do about your kind, Ion."
By the time Ion had realized what his attacker had said, the Efreet had taken several steps backward. His tall, perfectly proportioned body jumped weightlessly into the darkness. ,
"Wait, Radu!" said Ion. He stretched out his hand to no avail. The traitor's figure and wily grin seemingly melted into the night.
"You won't escape!" Astharoshe hollered.
The red light of the xenon gas gushed forth with a piercing shriek, but it only cut darkness, nothing else. The night air turned to ozone and burst; however, the enemy shadow had already entered haste mode and sunk beyond the night, without a trace.
"Argh, he's a quick escape!" said the white-haired beauty.
Meanwhile, Abel ran up to Ion, where he still lay motionless. "Are you all right, Count of Memphis? Ack, your leg is a mess. Can you stand?"
"I'm fine. It will heal quickly. But, Father, why are you two here?" asked Ion.
"Well, when we returned from the Celestial Imperial Palace, the Marquise of Kiev's mansion was in a big uproar. Then, it seemed that you and Esther had disappeared," said Abel. His tone contained a slight hint of criticism as he wrapped a handkerchief around the blood-stained thigh. "It was a pretty big deal, so we hurried to look for you, but we had no idea where you'd gone."
"A strange letter arrived at my home recently. This address was written in it," said Astharoshe.
Ion looked up suspiciously at Aste's face as she leapt from the neighboring roof.
"Letter?" Ion asked. "Who in the world—"
"How should I know?" Astharoshe shouted angrily. She gripped Ion's chest. "Never mind that, brat! I'm certain I told you to stay in the house while I was gone! And you—"
"Say, Aste. Go a little easy on him. We don't have time for that now," said Abel. As he pulled Aste, who was baring her fangs, away from the boy, he asked, "By the way, Count, where's Esther? Wasn't she with you?"
"Esther?" asked Ion.
"She hates all Methuselahs." Ion shook his head to clear it of the poison that afflicted his subconscious. "She's in that house," said Ion, pointing at the lights of the house visible across the way. He stood up and carelessly began to walk ahead, but he screamed and collapsed at the severe pain that ran through his leg.
"Please don't do anything rash. I'll go," assured Abel. Relieved that he'd ascertained Esther's whereabouts, Abel calmly stood up and sprinted down the roof.
"Is your leg all right, Count of Memphis?" asked Astharoshe as she watched Abel leave. Her voice sounded gruff, but she grasped the boy's arm gently, giving him the impression that there was tenderness somewhere in her heart. "If you're able to move, we'll move at once. If we loiter, Terrans will gather. We have to withdraw before then."
"I'm very sorry, Marquise of Kiev," said Ion. Only then he noticed how soft Aste's skin was. "I did something truly selfish, and caused you trouble. I haven't the words to apologize."
Although Ion expected to be yelled at again, Aste's reply was surprisingly calm. When he glanced up, her amber eyes were peering at him with a faint tinge of concern amid their overall hardness.
"It isn't as though I don't understand your impatience," said Astharoshe. "Besides, it's partially my fault for reviving you too much. Hereafter, refrain from selfish actions."
"Yes, I'll definitely—Ah!" said Ion.
"What's wrong?" asked Astharoshe.
Gripping Aste's hand, Ion shouted, "We d-don't have time to loiter here! Her . . . Majesty is in danger!"
"Her Majesty?" asked Astharoshe. Her white face gradually became a map of deep wrinkles.
Ion stared intently into Astharoshe's eyes. "They . . . Radu intends to murder Her Majesty!"
"What?" Astharoshe exclaimed. Her face went white.
***
"... er?" asked Abel.
The girl could hear a voice from faraway. Somebody was calling her. Was it Seth? No, it couldn't be. The voice was too warm-sounding.
"Esther!" Abel beckoned.
"Wah!" said Esther. She sprang up so energetically that her head collided with the head of the silver-haired young man who was calling her.
"Owww! Uh, wha . . . Father?" asked Esther. Her eyes were teary from the impact, and there was blood spurting from Abel's nose. Why is he here? Esther wondered. I know I was wounded and carried to this house, and tended to by the girl here. But after that. . .After that? Oh, yes, those guys!
Esther's eyes darted around The last image she remembered was the dreadful flash of a sword being swung down over Seth. But where did those giants go? Where was Seth? Why aren't I dead? she asked herself.
Clinging to the priest, who was next to her holding his nose to stop the blood, Esther asked hastily, "What happened to that girl? The one who was with me? Where is she?"
"If you mean Count of Memphis, he's perfectly all right. He's only slightly wounded. Aste is with him now," said Abel.
"No, not Count of Memphis," said Esther, shaking her head impatiently. She grabbed her companion's collar and shouted, "There was one more person here, a girl called Seth! What happened to her? Is she all right?"
"What?" asked Abel. The priest looked around anxiously. "There's no such girl here."