Kruel

"Please, come in."

As Tantris spoke, his gaze fell on the two figures behind Hilde.

A boy and a girl, both likewise soaked from head to toe, though there was no blood on them...

The boy had short brown hair, and his features bore some resemblance to Hilde's.

The girl had long, bright-red hair and wore young-lady's clothing of such fine quality that it felt somewhat out of place. Supported by the boy, she looked just as wretched.

When she noticed his gaze, she looked distinctly displeased and turned her eyes away.

After everyone silently walked through the gate, Tantris glanced outside. Only after confirming there were no other figures beyond the door did he close it.

"Hilde!"

Isolte ran over in a panic.

Because she was so flustered, she had even forgotten to put on shoes. Her pale bare feet stepped across the muddy ground soaked by rain, picking up a little sludge.

Halfway there, she remembered that it was raining.

Then she hurriedly ran back to get an umbrella.

"Pat—"

The umbrella opened above Hilde's head, creating a small patch of shelter that kept out the cold threads of rain.

Only then was Isolte able to clearly see what she looked like. Hilde was soaked all over, her golden hair clinging to her cheeks and neck. Her lips had lost their color and trembled faintly. Her back, which was usually always straight, was now slightly hunched, and every breath she took sounded somewhat heavy.

"Hilde, you..."

Before Isolte could finish, Hilde's body swayed slightly.

As if she had finally let go of all the strength propping her up, she tipped forward weakly.

Isolte hurriedly spread her arms and caught her.

Hilde's body was even slenderer and more petite than she had imagined, especially those arms that looked completely devoid of muscle. It was hard to imagine they could swing a sword with such force.

Her forehead rested against Isolte's shoulder, and her body carried the chill of rainwater and the rusty tang of blood.

"...Sorry."

Hilde's faint voice sounded by Isolte's ear.

"The situation is rather complicated. When I thought of someone I could rely on... you were the only one."

"R-Rely on me...?"

It seemed to touch some nerve in her.

Isolte's body suddenly went rigid, as if she had been shocked, and a blush rapidly spread across her cheeks.

So when Hilde needs someone to rely on, she thinks of me?

No, that's not right.

Hilde, who always likes to act tough, who would force herself to stay standing no matter how badly she was hurt, actually lowered her head and came to me for help.

What on earth happened?

Isolte's gaze passed over Hilde's shoulder and landed on Rudeus and Eris behind her.

"A-Anyway, let's go inside first..."

"Wait. There's no rush."

Tantris's voice rang out, cutting off Isolte's thoughts.

Isolte was stunned. "Brother?"

Tantris walked over expressionlessly and said flatly, "Although you may be utterly exhausted right now, you should still explain what happened first. Otherwise, I won't allow you inside."

"Brother, Hilde is..."

"Don't interrupt, Isolte. This matter is not up for discussion."

Tantris's tone was serious.

He was willing to believe that Hilde would not do anything bad, but he also had to take responsibility for the already tottering Kruel family.

"Don't forget, I am the head of the Kruel family."

"..."

Isolte lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, thinking over how she could persuade her brother.

But she couldn't get the words out.

There was no helping it.

After all, ever since she was little, she had rarely argued with Tantris.

"It's all right, Isolte. I was indeed too presumptuous in this matter."

Hilde forced herself to stand straight and gave her a slightly apologetic smile.

Then she turned to look at Rudeus, who was supporting Eris.

"Rudeus, tell Tantris what happened. You don't need to hide anything. As far as I'm concerned, they're people worth trusting."

"Okay." Rudeus nodded.

If Hilde trusted them, then there was no problem.

The rain poured down in sheets, carrying a chill with it.

Rudeus used the simplest words he could to tell them truthfully what had happened that night.

Beside him, Eris remained silent from beginning to end, only gripping Rudeus's hand even tighter.

Hilde, meanwhile, declined Isolte's support. She crossed her arms before her chest and leaned against the wall, barely managing to stand. She did not rush him, simply listening as Rudeus finished recounting everything.

In places where Rudeus spoke vaguely, she would add a few words of explanation.

"...Unbelievable."

After Rudeus finally finished.

That was all Tantris said.

It was not that he was shocked by the dark side of this city. After all, the Kruel family could more or less be considered a knightly family, and he knew a thing or two about the customs of the Asura Kingdom's nobility. Some things were already nothing new to him.

It was just...

His gaze fell to the side, on Hilde, who was leaning against the wall as she stood there.

If everything Rudeus said was true.

It was hard to imagine that this child could still be standing here after going through a battle like that.

No, just surviving it was already a miracle, wasn't it?

"That is the gist of what happened."

Hilde spoke in a calm tone.

"To be honest, there are probably people in the city right now searching for me and Rudeus, trying to silence us. I don't know what sort of big shot the other party is, but if you keep us here, the Kruel family may end up getting dragged into this as well."

"I know it's rather shameless to come asking for help despite knowing that. And my relationship with Isolte... probably isn't deep enough for this."

"The reason I did it can simply be understood as having nowhere else to turn."

"This was the only place we could come to for help."

Hilde said it in as steady a tone as she could manage.

Tantris was silent for a moment. "If I refuse, what do you plan to do?"

"Brother?" Isolte froze for a second.

Hilde took a deep breath.

"If you refuse, we'll leave and think of another way."

"Didn't you just say you had nowhere else to turn? With your personality, if there were any other way, you wouldn't have chosen to come here for help, would you?" Tantris said mercilessly.

"There will be a way."

Hilde said it earnestly.

"..."

No one knew what way Hilde meant by "there will be a way." Perhaps even Hilde herself did not know.

There was only one thing Hilde knew: she would protect Rudeus.

Whether it was dignity or morals.

Compared to Rudeus, none of it was worth mentioning.

"Hilde..."

Rudeus pressed his lips tightly together.

If he had known it would turn into a situation like this, would he still have chosen to go back and save Eris?

Eris said nothing. She only gripped Rudeus's hand even harder.

"Hah..."

After a long while, Tantris finally made his decision.

"Isolte, take them inside to rest."

"Okay!" Hearing that, Isolte immediately stepped forward, ready to lead Hilde into the house.

But just then, Hilde's body suddenly swayed.

Her nerves had been stretched taut the entire night, her strength already long since drained. She had made it all the way here purely by sheer willpower.

The instant she could finally relax, she could no longer hold out.

Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

She fell straight down.