Chapter 47 – I Will Kill Him

【Reina PoV】

The lock was a joke.

I could have shattered it in less than a second. A simple mana-inversion pulse would have turned the ancient runes to dust. The door would have crumbled. But Ryuuji needed a show. He needed to believe this was a challenge. And I needed them all to stay put.

The mountain air was cold, but I barely felt it. My focus was entirely on Ryuuji. He stood there, his face a perfect mask of grim determination. He was playing his part so beautifully. My perfect, brilliant Ryuuji. He thought this was about rescuing that golden-haired piece of trash. He was so wonderfully naive.

He didn’t understand the threat. Siegfried was a stain. A blight. A rival for Ryuuji’s attention. I had promised I wouldn’t kill him. But promises can be reinterpreted. The filth needed to be cleansed. For Ryuuji’s sake.

“So this is the place.”

Kenji’s voice was full of stupid, heroic awe. He looked at the door like it was the gate to a glorious legend. He saw a challenge. I saw a cage holding a dead man. He just didn’t know it yet.

“This is it.”

Ryuuji’s voice. It was firm. Resolute. Every word sent a shiver of warmth through me. He was trying so hard to be the leader they all saw. My heart ached with a fierce, burning love. I would do anything to protect this moment for him. I would do anything to protect him.

“The magical energy is immense. It’s even stronger than when I was trapped inside.”

He was so observant. So clever. He had no idea the energy he felt was mostly mine, leaking out as I suppressed the urge to simply erase the door, the mountain, and Siegfried along with it.

Daisuke grunted. The big oaf was loyal, I’d give him that. A useful shield for Ryuuji. Nothing more.

I stepped forward. I placed my hand on the stone, letting my fingers brush against the crude, clumsy runes. It felt like a child’s scribbles. Pathetic.

“The seal is complex.”

I made my voice sound thoughtful. Concerned. I let a little bit of my real power flow into the stone, just enough to make the runes flare. It gave the illusion of a powerful ward reacting to my presence.

“It’s a multi-layered barrier woven with suppression and spatial magic. Very old. Very powerful.”

The words were nonsense, of course. A mix of technical terms I’d read in a book once. It sounded impressive. It sounded like a real obstacle. Kenji and Daisuke would buy it completely. Even Ryuuji would be convinced. His knowledge was based on stories, not practical application. It was one of the things I adored most about him.

“Can you open it?”

Kenji, the hopeful puppy. He was so predictable.

I paused. I closed my eyes. I made a show of concentrating, of feeling out the imaginary complexities of the seal. The key wasn’t to say no. The key was to fail. Failure would buy me time.

“I can try.”

The look on Ryuuji’s face was perfect. A flicker of hope mixed with tension. He was so invested in this little drama. He had no idea the real story was happening right here, in my head.

I raised my hands. I gathered my energy, not into a focused point, but into a big, flashy ball of chaos. Raw, uncontrolled power looked much more impressive than a clean, efficient spell. I let it crackle and spit, pouring darkness into it until it looked like a miniature black hole. It was absurdly overkill. A firecracker trying to look like a bomb.

“Stand back.”

They obeyed instantly. Their trust in me was absolute. Their trust was my weapon.

I watched Ryuuji’s face. He stood his ground, unafraid. My perfect, brave lord. He deserved to be protected from the filth of the world. He deserved to have all obstacles removed from his path.

“Haaaa!”

I screamed, putting all my effort into the performance. I threw the unstable ball of magic at the door. At the last second, just before impact, I cast a simple recoil ward on myself.

The spell hit the door and fizzled, just as I’d designed. My own recoil spell activated a split-second later, throwing me backward into the air. It was perfectly timed. It looked exactly like the dungeon’s defenses had repelled my mighty attack.

Daisuke’s arms were a solid wall. He caught me easily. I let myself go limp, feigning exhaustion.

“Reina! Are you okay?”

Ryuuji was at my side in an instant. His voice was laced with genuine concern. It was a sweet, sharp pain in my chest. He cared. He cared about me.

“I’m fine, Ryuuji. Don’t worry about me.”

I leaned against Daisuke but my eyes never left Ryuuji. I needed him to see that I was okay. That I was strong. That I did this for him.

“The seal is stronger than I thought. It absorbed my attack and retaliated.”

I let a little tremor enter my voice. Just a hint of weakness to sell the lie.

“You shouldn’t have been so reckless, Reina. You could have been seriously hurt.”

Kenji’s earnest scolding was almost funny. He thought this was about recklessness. He couldn’t possibly comprehend the layers of my plan.

“I had to try.”

“We’re a team.”

The word felt like ash in my mouth. There was no team. There was Ryuuji, and there were his temporary bodyguards.

“We should have come up with a plan together.”

A plan. My mind was already spinning, weaving a new layer of deception. I needed something that would take time. Something that would require searching. Something that would keep them busy until I could act.

I pushed myself off Daisuke. I stood, a little unsteady on my feet for effect.

“It’s a feedback ward.”

I said the first technical-sounding term that came to mind.

“The more power you throw at it, the stronger it becomes. A direct assault is useless.”

It was a classic, believable trope. They would have no reason to doubt it.

“So, what do we do?”

Kenji was already looking for a new solution. The hero complex was a powerful, predictable engine.

“Is there another way?”

“There is always a way.”

I let my confidence return. I was the magic expert. I was their only hope. They would follow my lead without question.

“The seal is powered by a central focusing crystal. A nexus.”

I invented it on the spot. It sounded right. It sounded like something from one of Ryuuji’s stories.

“If we can find it and overload it, the entire barrier should collapse.”

“A focusing crystal. Right. Where would it be?”

Ryuuji was playing his part. He was asking the right questions, helping me build the illusion. We were working together, even if he didn’t know it.

“It won’t be obvious. It will be hidden. Protected. We’ll have to search for ley lines. Magical conduits that feed the seal. If we follow them, they should lead us to the nexus.”

Ley lines. Crystals. Nexus. It was a beautiful, intricate lie. A quest that could take days. More than enough time.

“Then that’s what we’ll do! We’ll split up and search. We’ll find this crystal and free Siegfried!”

The idiot. He actually wanted to split up. To make my job even easier.

“No.”

I made my voice sharp. Kenji flinched.

“We don’t split up. Not here. It’s too dangerous.”

I glanced at Ryuuji. I let him see my worry. My worry for him. He would think I was being cautious. That I was protecting the team. He wouldn’t see that I was just keeping my eye on him. I couldn’t risk him trying something stupid and heroic on his own.

“Reina’s right. We stick together. We’ll search for these ley lines as a group.”

My heart soared. He agreed with me. He trusted me.

The sun was beginning to set. The timing was perfect. Another excuse. Another delay.

“It’s too late.”

I pointed toward the horizon.

“The ley lines will be nearly impossible to track in the dark. The ambient magic of the night will obscure them. We would just be wasting our energy.”

It was another lie, of course. For a mage of my caliber, tracking magic was easier in the quiet of the night. But they didn’t know that.

“So we just wait? Siegfried is in there counting on us.”

Kenji’s frustration was a sweet melody. Let him wait. Let that filth rot.

“A hero needs to know when to advance and when to wait, Kenji. Rushing in blind is reckless. We’ll make camp. Rest. And we’ll find the crystal tomorrow.”

Ryuuji’s words sealed my plan in place. He had taken my lies and turned them into a leader’s wise command. He was a natural.

“Let’s set up camp. Daisuke, help me with the firewood. Kenji, you’re on watch first.”

I gave the orders. They followed. They were children, playing at being heroes. And I was their patient, watchful guardian.

The fire crackled, a small island of light in the growing darkness. Kenji stood his watch, staring intently into the shadows. Daisuke sat like a stone statue, his gaze fixed on the flames. And Ryuuji… my Ryuuji… he stared at the dungeon door. I could feel his frustration. His impatience. He didn’t understand that I was doing this for him.

He would, eventually.

Hours passed. The fire burned low. Kenji’s watch ended, and he was replaced by Daisuke. Soon, even he returned to his bedroll.

The sound of their breathing filled the quiet night. Kenji’s soft snores. Daisuke’s deep, rhythmic breaths. And Ryuuji’s, the softest of all.

I waited until I was sure. Until the camp was still and silent, bathed in the pale light of the moon.

My promise to Ryuuji echoed in my mind. I promise I won’t kill him. But he was in danger. Siegfried’s very existence was a threat to Ryuuji’s story. To his happiness. A promise made to protect him could be broken to protect him further. My logic was flawless.

Quietly, I rose from my bedroll. A single, thin dagger felt cool and solid in my hand. My movements made no sound.

I looked back at Ryuuji’s sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. So perfect.

I would remove the filth that threatened his world. He would never even have to know.

I turned and slipped into the darkness, moving toward the dungeon door.