Published: August 10, 2026
"Wait, hold on... Eek!"
The moment I tried to stop Matthias, a web of light came falling from above. Matthias turned around at my scream.
"Lady Rosemine!?"
With his eyes wide, Matthias pulled out his stave and started running toward me, but then a chill ran down my spine as a cold voice descended from above.
"So it is that ugly demonic beast I recognize. To think it would be in a place like this..."
This was not the first time my Little Lesser had been caught in a web of light by Grauozam. The memory of that time came flooding back—the time I had been trapped helplessly, made to drink poison, and ended up soaking in Yureve. But now, I knew what to do. If I trusted my guard knights to help me, I just had to stay inside my Mount. No matter what happened, I must not rush outside. I gripped the handle tighter, determined not to leap out.
"Rosemine!"
The instant Brother Cornelius's furious voice rang out, the force pulling at Little Lesser snapped away. Before my eyes, the web of light was shredded to pieces by Angelica, who was wielding Steinluk. By the time Matthias returned, I had already been freed.
"I recognize that web of light. ...So it was you, Grauozam."
Brother Cornelius, riding his Mount, glared up at Grauozam with a stern expression.
"My master only told me your name. I am delighted to finally meet you as an enemy on the battlefield like this."
Angelica, gripping Steinluk, leaped onto her Mount. As she did, her blue eyes gleamed challengingly and she gave a smile. There was not a trace of refinement in that smile; it was intimidating.
Matthias, who had rushed over, looked overwhelmed by the two of them and asked me,
"Lady Rosemine, what in the world is..."
"The culprit behind the attack at the beginning of the Winter Social Season, the one that led to my using Yureve, was Grauozam."
"What!? I thought Gibe Joysotark was the culprit..."
Matthias opened and closed his mouth in shock. Officially, that was how the case had ended, but the truth was different. I was about to tell Matthias even more about the sins of the father he had never known, but there was no point in hiding it now.
"Viscount Joysotark was responsible for Charlotte's kidnapping and assault. The one who cast the web of light to seize me and made me drink poison was Grauozam. ...But that is strange. It sounds different from the voice I heard when I first visited Gibe Gerlach's mansion as a blue shrine maiden apprentice."
"...Grauozam had at least three shadow doubles. But I see. So the one who harmed Lady Rosemine was Grauozam as well."
Matthias's voice was bitter as he said that, and his eyes flickered with barely restrained emotion. He gripped his stave sword and looked up toward the second-floor balcony, where Brother Cornelius and Angelica were pouring mana into their swords and striking in perfect coordination.
"Die here, Grauozam!"
The two of them attacked together beautifully, their mana entangling as they rushed at Grauozam. Grauozam raised his left arm sharply as if to shield his head. I expected that, being no knight, he would be defeated, but the next moment the light of the mana attack was sucked into Grauozam's gauntlet and vanished.
...He absorbed the mana!?
Grauozam slowly lowered his hand and curled one corner of his lips into a grin. Ignoring Brother Cornelius and Angelica's shock that their attack had done absolutely nothing, he swung his right hand. A mass of mana, tinged strongly with blue, flew out and attacked not only Brother Cornelius and Angelica, but also the knights who were recovering after drinking Yureve.
"Wind goddess Shutzelia..."
"Gettilt!"
At the same time, several shields appeared in front of the balcony and deflected Grauozam's mana attack. A white lion arrived a moment later and faced off against Grauozam, who stood on the second floor.
"Lord Ferdinand!"
The recovering knights let out relieved breaths and began summoning shields to protect themselves.
"Those still recovering, get out of here!"
Ferdinand shouted while keeping several shields deployed. The knights raised their own shields and moved. Those whose mana had nearly solidified were supported by others as they were moved away.