Time slipped by endlessly as I drifted in and out of sleep.
My consciousness was like a cork wine bottle bobbing on the sea. When a wave washed over it, I'd sink with a gurgle, only to bob back up without warning. Between one wave and the next, when a slightly calmer surface of awareness spread out, voices reached me in scattered fragments—like the cries of seagulls.
"How is the Master…?"
"According to what the mage and the priest said…necessary…"
Those were the voices of Laura and Ivar.
They must have used magic to reach Amstel. I had told Laura the plan in advance. She had no particular reason to come, but the whole point of this visit was to advertise to everyone around me that I was truly in critical condition.
A close aide rushes over in a panic to tend to the sickbed. That's how bad things must be. People needed to believe that.
Laura had rocketed to legendary status after the last campaign. Now was exactly the time when all eyes were on her. It was the perfect moment to capitalize on the publicity effect. Laura had come through just as I'd instructed.
"Lord Jeremy assured us, but is there really nothing wrong with him?"
Laura's voice was anxious. It was agitated. For someone who knew I would be fine, her tone was a touch too vividly concerned.
"The Master's complexion looks dark. Is he truly alright?"
"The most dangerous part has passed. Minister of War, please calm yourself…."
"Don't be absurd! How could this girl calm down while looking at the Master like this!"
My ears rang. I thought I had furrowed my face without realizing it, but in truth my expression hadn't moved at all. It felt as though the skin on my face wasn't even mine.
How troublesome. Take away my face and there's nothing left of me. I worry the young ladies of the continent and the Demon Realm might fall into despair. Really, I suppose I'm a man with deep karma.
…The fact that foolish jokes were surfacing in my mind meant things probably weren't at their worst.
Well, it was probably a side effect of having used too much anesthetic. My consciousness was clear yet hazy at the same time.
"I opposed this laughable operation from the very start! Ivar. You yourself assured me there would be no problems!"
"That's right. Minister of War, the materials I delivered to Lord Jeremy were definitively safe…."
"Hah. It's already been a week since the master hasn't regained consciousness. It seems that even this situation doesn't count as a 'problem' for a mere maid."
Laura growled like a wolf.
"I swear it here. If, by some slim chance — if even the slightest misfortune befalls the master — I will personally throw you, the head of the self-defense corps, and the head maid to the Death Knights with my own two hands. I'll show you a hell where you can't die even if you want to!"
In the haze of my dimmed consciousness, I was faintly surprised. It was rare to hear Laura's voice like that. It felt like I'd heard it somewhere before... quite a long time ago, when was it again...
This wasn't working. I couldn't remember. It felt like my thoughts were floating against the inside of my skull rather than inside my brain.
But really, Laura. Even if Ivar is technically your subordinate, you're too harsh with her. Ivar may look like that, but she has a gentle heart — show some consideration.
I was worried that Laura didn't really have anyone she was close to among our group besides Lapis. Since she's Barbatos's lover, everyone kept a slight distance...
"That's enough, Laura."
"Sister Lapis. But...!"
"We cannot shift the blame to maid Ivar."
Lapis's firm voice cut through. I could hear the words, but their meaning didn't immediately register. There was a slight stutter between perception and comprehension.
"You agreed to it, and so did I. Above all, His Highness was the one who personally pushed for this. You should know that, Laura."
"..."
"Or are you doubting Lord Jeremy's skill and loyalty?"
Something was off.
Lapis was in a different situation from Laura. Laura, frankly, was practically a shut-in as long as no war broke out. She had nothing to do. It was fine for her to leave the Demon Lord's Castle and come here to visit the sick.
But Lapis was swamped with work every day. She had virtually no fame compared to Laura, so coming here wouldn't exactly generate any noteworthy publicity. Why make the trip for nothing...
"No. I don't doubt Lord Jeremy... However, Lord Jeremy did not deliver the poison himself. The head maid was the one who handled it in between. And as we all know, the head maid is the kind of creature who tries to poison the master at every opportunity!"
"Laura. Head Maid Daisy would never rebel because of the Slave Brand..."
"Who knows what tricks she might have pulled!"
Laura screamed as though she were shouting at the top of her lungs.
That's all well and good, but I'd appreciate it if they'd start remembering that this is a patient's room.
"My Lord laughed it off, saying everything was fine, but I've been uneasy from the start... I knew this kind of incident would happen. That wretch delivered the wrong herbs. There's no doubt about it. I'll kill the Head Maid!"
"Laura de Farnese."
For once, Lapis raised her voice. A cold, clear voice like the winter wind echoed through the room. But Laura did not back down.
"Don't deny it! You must have had the same thought, sister. Otherwise, why did you assign the Head Maid to attend to the Saint while leaving Lord Jeremy's nursing to a new maid?"
"..."
"The Head Maid is someone who can't be fully trusted. That's why you reversed the assignments, sister! If I'm wrong, then prove me wrong!"
A terrible silence descended.
Only Laura's ragged breathing filled the room. Everyone sat in uneasy silence.
I wanted to open my mouth and scold her. Foolish Laura — how dare a mere Military Affairs Secretary challenge Lapis, the pinnacle of our Demon Lord's army. She should be on her knees apologizing right now. No — she should be on her knees licking Lapis's toes.
"Summon the Head Maid here."
"...Laura. Are you serious?"
"Lapis Lazuli, Secretary of State."
Laura's voice turned cold.
"I am not speaking to you now as Lord Jeremy's mere concubine, but as the third-ranked officer of the Dantalion Demon Lord's army — the Military Affairs Secretary."
"..."
"The deadline Commander Jeremy of the Self-Defense Corps promised was three days. And now, it has been well past three days — a full week — yet His Lordship shows no improvement in condition. Of course, His Lordship could wake up tomorrow without any issues. But the fact that the schedule has gone awry is itself grounds for accountability."
Lapis let out a sigh.
"If Lord Dantalion were to see you like this, he would be very disappointed."
"It doesn't matter. One person—Sister Lapis—is enough to understand the Master."
Laura spoke. Her voice dripped with a dark venom.
"This maiden is the Master's sword. If there were even the slightest chance of a threat to His Lordship, I would cut it down without hesitation."
"……A weapon that acts on its own without the master's orders has no value."
"The Master commanded this maiden to become a weapon that thinks for herself, and indeed, everything shall come to pass exactly as the Master has decreed."
Lapis's sigh deepened.
"Laura. You are dangerously fanatical about Lord Dantalion. To think that you, who always pretend to be composed and languid before His Lordship, are in fact the most vicious fanatic of all. Even His Lordship himself probably has no idea."
"This maiden simply stands by the Master's side."
Laura answered without missing a beat.
"The true fanatic is actually you, Sister. This maiden knows. She knows why you refuse to form a deeper relationship with the Master."
"……."
"I hear that Succubi have a tendency to become obsessively fixated on their first love. That their possessiveness can go so far as to drive the other person to ruin."
Laura spoke with a sneer.
"You're afraid. That you won't be able to control your own feelings."
"……That's nothing more than a baseless conjecture."
"The Master loves those who can stand firmly on their own. If you can't even control your own emotions and are swept away by them, you would earn His Lordship's contempt. That's what terrifies you. You coward! Running away from your own feelings is precisely the kind of thing the Master despises—you don't even realize that!"
*Smack*—the sound of flesh striking flesh rang out.
A silence even more profound than before settled over them.
Within it, Laura's voice sank quietly.
"You are deeply mistaken. First of all, if you truly believed in Lord Dantalion, you wouldn't be throwing this kind of tantrum. Do you really think His Lordship mistakenly entrusted the medicine delivery to the head maid? Lord Dantalion is not that sort of person."
"......"
"You're the one being swept away by your own emotions, Laura. You're so anxious about what might happen to His Lordship that you can't keep yourself in check. How pathetic."
Ah, it was Lapis. That was Lapis.
I couldn't see a thing in front of me, but I was certain she was wearing her usual icy, expressionless face.
"A person's true worth reveals itself in moments of crisis. With His Lordship absent, you've become nothing more than a monster consumed by emotion, lashing out in every direction. You've lost your mind entirely. At this rate, I'd have to question the judgment of Lord Dantalion, who appointed you as Minister of Military Affairs."
"What do you—"
"And secondly."
Lapis gave the other party no room to object.
"Refusing to be ruled by your emotions is never an act of evasion."
"......"
"I face my emotions head-on, deliberate on them, reflect on the life I've lived so far, look ahead to the life yet to come, and only then do I make my decision. Even if that conclusion is to stop my emotions in their tracks, it is not evasion. That is simply who I am."
Lapis spoke without a trace of emotion.
"Whether it's right or wrong. Whether it's natural or unnatural. Those questions are in the wrong order. This is the rightness I have decided upon, and this is the naturalness I have accepted. ……There is only one issue: whether I can find someone who will accept my rightness and my naturalness. That is all."
Laura fell silent.
Sorry, but Lapis is the only person on this entire continent I have no confidence I can beat in a verbal sparring match. She's a bit much for Laura to handle.
"Laura. You're exhausted. You haven't slept for over five days now."
"Sister Lapis... she... I mean... I..."
"It's perfectly fine to tend to His Lordship, but at least get some rest. I'll take over the nursing tonight."
A short round of applause was heard.
"Escort the Minister of Military Affairs to her quarters."
"Ah, yes. I understand."
"Ivar. The same goes for you. Get some rest until noon tomorrow."
Laura and Ivar seemed about to protest, but Lapis was unmoved.
"His Lordship is lying ill in the patient's room, and you're here making noise and causing a disturbance. To think you could care for a patient in such a state of mind is absurd. This is an order. If you cause any more of a scene, I will have you disciplined under military law."
Eventually, a moment later, the sound of a door was heard. The two of them must have left the sickroom.
Finally, the room went quiet. Only then could my consciousness safely drift back to sleep.
What they'd been talking about was already fading from memory, but oh well. What did it matter? If it had truly been important, it would have stuck on its own. I trusted my memory.
Just as my senses were about to cut out, a small voice reached me.
"...Please don't worry too much about me."
That voice was far too gentle to be called nagging.
If my entire body hadn't been under anesthesia, I would have answered without even realizing it—that kind of voice.
============================ Author's Notes ============================
When the monarch disappears, the Dantalion family ends up just like that right away.
It's nice how harmonious everyone is!