This country should wither and die.

　Once a day, Erdis looked down on the hanging gardens of Gazalia from the only window allowed in the tower. She gritted her teeth with a curse in her eyes and hatred in her heart.

　There's nothing I can do. I understand that. I'm trapped in this tower for the rest of my life and I'm going to rot away. You should just die. It will be a much better life if you take your life sooner rather than later.

　But Erdis understood. She knew that her own survival was the only way to cause the man who imprisoned her the most pain. So, today I live. I give up everything and spend an empty day, embracing myself and my spirit, which will eventually be broken.

　It is the same even though the adventurer named Lugis has been imprisoned.

　He was injured, and the only thing that could cure him was comfort. I don't care if people live or die, but if they die in front of me, I don't know where to dump their bodies.

　Besides, the purpose for which he was imprisoned here was transparent.

　He's a heraldic man, then he's an undeniable enemy to Gazalia now that he's allied with the Great Sacred Church. He must be a very important person to be imprisoned in a tower prison like that. From the looks of him, I don't think he is.

　Then the man's purpose was immediately apparent. If he dies here, he's going to blame me for it. On the other hand, if he survives, well, man and woman. They want him to get his hands on me and defile himself.

　Apparently, the royal court is in a great hurry. If I don't go crazy in the tower, they won't take any hard measures. Erdis' eyes narrowed involuntarily. Elddis has been living in this tower for a very long time now. A life with no entertainment, no change.

　And yet her spirit is unbroken. Even though the feeling of having her soul grated and corrupted haunts her daily.

　But Erdis wasn't about to take the slight that would incite his few supporters. Nothing would come of it anyway. There was nothing more she could do, she thought. The best I could do was to stay alive and harass them.

　However, despite some hatred and pent-up feelings, the presence of her cellmate was not so bad for Elddis.

　Lugis's language was coarse, and he did not seem to be of noble birth. He was not the kind of man she had ever known.

　However, he has a great deal of wisdom as an adventurer. His story is too interesting. It was like a fairy tale.

　Of a knight single-handedly destroying a large magical beast.

　Of sorcerers who wielded magic beyond reason.

　Stories of heroes who drown out the sun.

　They were all incredible stories, but they were told with such skill. Before you know it, you're drawn into the story. Secretly, listening to the stories has been added to Elddis's daily routine, which must be just a way to pass the time.

　It was all part of the healing process, Elddis understood.

　Today, I will prepare the cure. A drop of healing that the elves had received from the bounty of the earth. A potion that rubs herbs together and prevents the wound from becoming infected. With this, you will not die.

　Elddis takes another bottle from the cupboard and adds it to the potion. It's the same every day.

　I wonder why she's so devoted. No, that's not it. It's sympathy. Sympathy at its worst.

　Maybe you feel sympathy for him because you can smell the resignation in him. He must have given up something deep inside. Something he has given up. So deep down you feel a mutual sympathy for each other, like licking a wound.

　Not bad. Not bad. You give up, and eventually you break down and die. There's nothing you can do about it now. If it was within your reach, you'd have done it by now. I'm sure it's the same with Lugis.

　Her father was killed, and she was deprived of the throne of Finn, and here she is, just living with hatred in her heart. And just like that, I'm rotting away.

　You will be swallowed up in the murky waters of history and disappear without even a glimmer. That's all.

　Erdis puckered her lips and went to his bed.

　--Such inconvenience to a princess. ......

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　The world turns.

　The world comes and goes. I understood very well that the world comes and goes, whether it's the world of humans or the world of elves.

"I have no words of apology, Princess.

　As I carefully observed her figure, I realized that the Elf was, without a doubt, the commander who had welcomed me in front of the royal palace. That female elf is now kneeling in front of Elddis, earnestly begging for forgiveness.

　Does she serve Eldis, or did she once serve him? I do not know. But there is no doubt in my mind that she has some loyalty to Elddis in her heart. I could see it clearly.



"Valianne, so don't be a princess. Besides, I don't care. Neither he nor I are going to get out of here anyway. If we do, it'll be when our heads are separated from our bodies.

　These were words of resignation. To her, they were words that were out of character for Elddis, a being who could knock down anything that stood in her way.

　Well, I can understand why she has a reason. I'm sure there are things about her that I don't understand and don't need to know.

　Yeah, but... But... I can't help but feel a deep-seated emotion when I hear those words.

"Oh, don't be so sure, Elddis. I've never said anything like that before.

　As he sat on the bed, his still sluggish body trembled and he cowered.

　He must have heard those words. The female elf called Valianne, who until a moment ago seemed to have treated me as if I didn't exist, turned her piercing eyes towards me. I've seen the color of her eyes before. They are the color of the eyes of a higher class of people when they are angry at the rudeness of a lower class of people and look down on them.

　Elddis's blue eyes twinkled in wonder at my words.

　I don't care. It's not that I'm afraid of anything with her, or with Elddis. It's just that we've been locked up together here for a while, that's all.

　She slowly wet her lips and threw her words at the princess and the knight to whom she swore allegiance.

"This is ridiculous. You can give up on things all you want. You can give up on things all you want, let yourself be swept up in the murky waters.

　I felt a murky emotion tremble in my chest. Deep down, there was still fear of Elddis. He could feel his breath becoming uneven at times.

"But I want you to let me go. I don't want to be your companion. I've got a lot of work to do. I don't want to live my life being swept along and caught up in everything.

　That's true. The saint, the elf princess, they're all conveniently dragging me into this. I have my purpose. I have my will. I'm not a puppet or a pawn to be manipulated.

　At the end of the day, it's me who decides everything. I'm nothing more. Every horrible outcome, every ridiculous decision, was chosen by my will.

　The murky waters of history are made by the brilliant. I'm well aware of that. There's no way I could have created that flow. That's why it's okay for me to make at least one decision of my own. Before I knew it, I was clenching my fists.

　Perhaps it was because I was so immersed in my own emotions.

　I was a moment too late to notice the change in her.

"Oh, yeah. You haven't given up, have you?

　As if in response to her words, Erdis' voice leaked into the room. Her heels trembled a little at the surprise.

　I thought it would be the female elf known as Valianne who would come at me with these words. A woman whose only claim to fame is loyalty. If you poke her about Elddis, she won't be able to keep her mouth shut.

　Besides, Elddis doesn't let her emotions get the better of her.

　Or so I thought.

"Yes. Then you should try it. ...... Valianne.

　Erdis's voice was very cold in my ears. As if in resonance with her voice, the room temperature seemed to have dropped directly. Her lips wavered as if she was frightened. It's not only me, but that Valianne as well.

　Valianne kneels down and responds to Elddis' words.

I've dismissed the matter you mentioned, but you can proceed. It seems that he, Lugis, really wants to die a horrible death.

　The voice was colder and more cruel. I felt the blue eyes turn towards me. The color that came to mind was really a kind of eye, like looking at insects.

　It was the first glimpse of the old Erdis that I had seen in this age.