Chapter 66 I Can Feel Your Chestbone
Night.
At the Kirke family's mansion, one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
"――Well, we have an early start tomorrow, so let's get some rest, Fiona."
Eva said this to her friend Fiona in her own room.
Eva had invited Fiona over to her home today, not because she had any particular business to attend to. They had eaten together, taken a bath, and chatted idly, just like ordinary friends.
As planned, after dinner, Eva and Fiona had taken a bath, and then returned to Eva's room to continue their conversation, deciding to call it a night as it grew late.
Although it was a bit earlier than usual, they had to be well-rested for tomorrow's battle against the abnormal Nord.
So Fiona nodded in agreement, saying "Yeah, that's right."
After turning off the room's lights, the only source of illumination was the moonlight streaming through the window. But even in the dim light, their vision wasn't impaired.
Relying on the moonlight, the 2 of them got into the same bed.
They lay down side by side on the large, king-size bed with a canopy.
When Fiona had stayed over at the Kirke house during the attack on the Clan, she had been given a guest room, but that was because she had needed to stay for several days. When friends stayed over for just one night, it was customary for them to share a bed like this.
This was because Eva longed for a normal, friendly relationship like this.
However, Eva's idea of a "normal friendship" was largely based on incomplete information gathered from others, and was somewhat skewed. In reality, it was unlikely that ordinary friends would take baths together or share a bed.
But fortunately, Fiona didn't know much about typical friendships, so she hadn't pointed out Eva's misunderstanding.
Still――as a friend, Fiona seemed to be able to sense Eva's subtle emotions.
"...Eva."
"...What's wrong?"
As Eva turned her gaze sideways, still lying on her back, Fiona had turned her body to face her. Her red eyes were fixed intently on Eva.
"It's my line, isn't it? You must have some kind of trouble, that's why you called me."
Despite having few friends, Fiona has a surprisingly sharp intuition about such subtleties.
Eva let out a wry smile and turned her body to face Fiona.
The two of them lay down side by side, gazing at each other from a close distance.
"Why do you think that?"
"There's no reason to call me out of the blue when you're busy, unless you have something on your mind."
"Oh? Can't I call you if I don't have anything on my mind?"
"It's not that, but... you're not trying to deceive me, are you?"
Fiona asked with a suspicious glint in her eye.
Eva burst out laughing at her friend's antics.
"Hahaha, sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you or anything..."
As she spoke, Eva herself began to think about it.
Why had she wanted to call Fiona today?
――No, that's not it.
If she's being honest with herself, why did she want Fiona to be by her side?
"Maybe... I'm just feeling uneasy and uncertain..."
Fiona didn't say a word. She just waited for Eva's next words with a serious expression.
What's making her uneasy?
Lately, she's been feeling this lingering sense of unease, and Eva finally acknowledged it. It's a fact that she's been trying to ignore and deny, unconsciously looking away from it.
As if recalling a memory, she muttered to herself.
"Fiona knows, doesn't she? The reason I became the next head of the Kirke family..."
"...because your brother died in the Stampede, right?"
Eva Kirke wasn't originally supposed to be the head of the Kirke family.
She had an excellent older brother who was supposed to inherit the family title. However, the Stampede that occurred in Necronia disrupted her life plans.
When monsters from the [Seal Temple] spilled out onto the surface, her justice-driven brother led the Demon Hawk Knights to suppress the Stampede. As one of Necronia's rulers, he took a noble action to protect the citizens.
However, he died in that Stampede.
The body was never found. However, many team members, including Logan, the knight commander, witnessed the moment when her brother was devoured by a massive monster. No matter how optimistic she tried to be, the harsh reality that her brother was dead couldn't be denied.
Even after the Stampede ended, her brother never came back.
"That's right... and the reason why my brother died is also a major reason for establishing the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫."
Among the [Four Great Families of the Seals], Kirke suffered the most damage during the Stampede, losing their heir. Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that Kirke holds the deepest grudge against those who caused the Stampede.
That's why Kirke took the lead and worked with the other 3 families to establish the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, aiming to expose those who were secretly active in Necronia.
By conquering the deepest floor of the [God's Remains Labyrinth], the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ will uncover all the truth behind the scenes. That's what's supposed to happen.
Then, Kirke will be able to exact revenge on those who killed their heir.
"If we defeat Nord... the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ will finally be able to resume its activities."
Unfortunately, they couldn't find the real ≪Extreme Sword≫, but with Aaron's help, they managed to find some explorers who can make up for the lack of clan members. They've already finished investigating their backgrounds, and they plan to recruit them after defeating Nord.
The slow progress in the conquest is frustrating, but at least they can move forward for now.
"But, you see..."
According to public records, the deepest floor of the [God's Remains Labyrinth] remains unexplored.
The anxiety of whether they can really conquer it or not still lingers. The reason is...
"...Don't you believe it?"
As Fiona said, it's hard to believe that our current clan's strength is sufficient... which means it's not.
"No, it's not that. What I'm worried about is..."
She averted her gaze from Fiona, who was staring at her.
She couldn't put it into words. If she said it out loud, it would become a reality, and that was terrifying.
So, she changed the subject to something unrelated.
"I think... I could've done better, somehow..."
If they had mobilized the power of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], they might have uncovered the true identity of the mastermind by now. Or they could've suppressed this "Great Outbreak" more quickly.
Why didn't the heads of the 4 families use their respective knight orders to take action?
Why didn't they take their enemies more seriously?
Why did they rely so heavily on external explorers to conquer the labyrinth?
Why... her father――
Why...
She had a feeling that something was off. But she concluded that it couldn't be, or it would contradict their current activities.
If all the [Four Great Families of the Seals] were like 'that', then there would be no need to establish the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ in the first place.
The truth behind the Stampede could be dismissed as a mere coincidence, a result of the "Great Outbreak". There was no need to investigate further.
But that wasn't the reality.
The many "whys" about the 4 families' inaction could be explained by the fact that they were wary of other families, including the mastermind.
So, she still didn't get an answer today.
She reached the conclusion that there was nothing strange going on.
But she still felt uneasy, trapped in her own delusions, as if she was the only one desperately trying to make sense of things.
"...Eva is doing well."
She must have looked pitiful. Fiona comforted her, saying,
"You want to avenge your brother, don't you?"
"......"
She's not really sure if she wants to avenge her brother or not.
That's why, when she invited Aaron Gale to her mansion for the first time and told him the truth about Stampede, she might have been overwhelmed by his intense anger.
To be honest, she respected her brother and loved him as family. He was an excellent person who was always kind. But in reality, she didn't really care about avenging her brother; she just wanted to prove that they were right, clean, and innocent, and expose the true culprit to the light of day.
But she couldn't say that to anyone, and she shouldn't have said it.
"That's right. I have to avenge my brother. I can't give up."
Eva forced a smile and said that. But Fiona immediately denied it, saying,
"That's not it."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Fiona looked straight at Eva, who was bewildered, and continued,
"What I'm saying is, you've already done enough. You don't need to push yourself any further."
"......"
"Just leave it to us from now on. If you're worried about something, don't hesitate to talk to us. Trusting others and leaving your burdens to them is also necessary, isn't it? That's what trust is all about."
"Fiona..."
She couldn't help but stare at her friend in surprise.
Those were words she never expected to hear.
"You've really changed, haven't you?"
"Is that so?"
Her encounter with Fiona was out of curiosity.
She was a solo explorer, and on top of that, she was quite successful. She felt a sense of sympathy towards her, so she approached her, supported her as a patron, and even witnessed her carefree side. They became friends, and she didn't feel any pressure around her.
There wasn't anything particularly fateful or dramatic about their meeting.
But, to put it bluntly, Fiona's straightforward attitude was refreshing, and she felt comfortable around her without any sense of obligation.
She genuinely thought she wanted to be friends with Fiona without any ulterior motives.
On the other hand, she thinks she wasn't the kind of person who could say something like that when they first met.
Fiona always seemed to be on edge, like she was worried about something. That started to change around the time of the Stampede.
And recently, Fiona has been showing an even more remarkable transformation.
It's not just that she's become more confident as an explorer――there's something subtly different about her.
The reason for this change is probably...
"Hey, Fiona."
"What is it?"
"...I wonder if girls change when they have experiences too?"
She asked, her face turning bright red.
"Huh? What kind of experience are you talking about?"
"It's... um... yeah, it's good."
She said, but couldn't bring herself to say it clearly, and gave up.
Eva, the young lady, couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
"I don't really get it, but..."
Eva was feeling embarrassed, and Fiona looked at her and said.
"If there's something you want me to do, I'll do it, okay? Or is there something going on that's why you called me out today?"
Today, of course, referred to the important day when they would be heading out to defeat Nord tomorrow.
"It's not like that... really, it's not... but, yeah..."
There wasn't any particular favor Eva wanted to ask of Fiona. She was just feeling anxious and wanted someone by her side.
But, taking advantage of the opportunity, Eva decided to ask her friend for a favor.
However, saying it out loud was extremely embarrassing. So, with her ears bright red, she spoke in a tiny voice.
"Um... I'm scared, and a little... afraid, maybe... so, um... I want you to, you know, hold me tight, but..."
An awkward silence fell.
Fiona looked at Eva, her mouth agape. Was she stunned or just surprised? Just as Eva was starting to regret what she had said, Fiona burst out laughing.
"What's with that, you're acting like a kid?"
"W-was that bad?"
Eva's mother had passed away when she was young, so she didn't have any memories of being spoiled by her mother. That's why she might have had an unconscious desire to seek maternal love somewhere.
However,
(We're friends, but it's still a bit awkward, aren't we?)
and regret it. She was about to say "Just kidding" to cover it up,
"...I'm fine."
But before that, Fiona stretched out her arm and pulled Eva close.
She wrapped her arms around Eva's head, holding her tight against her chest.
"No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
"......Fiona."
Eva thought, This friend of mine has really become strong.
Or maybe she's been strong since they first met, and she just didn't notice until now, after all this time they've spent together.
It's the kind of strength that puts others at ease. A strength called kindness. That's why she wanted to be with her today, maybe.
Eva buried her face in Fiona's chest and took a deep breath. She smelled something comforting, something kind.
And if she were to complain about something,
"......it's a bit...I can feel your chestbone..."
"......Want me to blast it away for you?"
The symbol of motherhood was just a little small.
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