So... what now? Felt asked, her voice trembling. She had been so focused on surviving the fight with Elsa that she hadn't spared a single thought for the aftermath.
I have questions, Emilia said, her gaze hardening. She needed to know who sent Elsa and why she was being targeted before the assassin woke up. Lord Kiyotaka, how long until she regains consciousness?
Hard to say. A normal person would be under for at least twenty-four hours, Ayanokoji replied. He looked down at Elsa. He knew her physiology wasn't normal; a standard human frame couldn't support the G-force of her movements.
I think my work here is done. Sorry, Lia, I'm hitting my limit, Puck yawned. His mana reserves, already strained by the sunset deadline, were bone-dry after the skirmish. You should be safe now. Emilia nodded with a smile, and Puck dissolved into shards of light, retreating into the green crystal at her neck.
Ayanokoji knelt beside the unconscious Elsa. He noticed something disturbing: the arrow wound in her shoulder had already closed, and the lacerations on her legs were scabbing over at an impossible rate. Her regenerative factor was fighting the sedative.
Without a word, he picked up one of Elsa's discarded kukri blades. With a swift, clinical motion, he brought the heavy blade down. Thwack. He severed Elsa's right hand at the wrist. Even in her deep coma, the assassin didn't stir, but the blood sprayed across the floor.
Lord Kiyotaka! What are you doing?! Emilia screamed, recoiling in horror. Even Felt jumped back, clutching her own arms. Hey! Do you have some kind of disturbing fetish or something?!
I'm verifying her regenerative limits, Ayanokoji said, turning to face them. His expression was as flat as a stagnant pond. He pointed to her shoulder. Look. The puncture from my arrow is gone. I need to know if she can regrow limbs. If she can, our current restraints are useless.
Emilia froze, her eyes drifting to the shoulder as Ayanokoji directed. He was right—the wound was gone. But the sheer efficiency with which he had maimed a defenseless woman was terrifying.
Ayanokoji ignored their shock. He watched the stump of Elsa's arm, timing the coagulation. Within minutes, the bleeding stopped entirely.
Is this bitch even human? Felt whispered, taking a step back. The realization that she had been haggling with a monster made her skin crawl. But as she looked at Ayanokoji—the boy who stood over a pool of blood with total indifference—she felt a different kind of chill. He's the real monster here.
We need more security, Ayanokoji said. Lady Emilia, use your magic to encase her limbs entirely in ice. If she can regenerate, she might deliberately break her own joints to slip out of those spikes. We need her immobile, but alive enough to speak.
Emilia bit her lip. The logic was sound, even if the method was grisly. She unleashed her mana, freezing Elsa into a solid block of ice from the neck down. To be safe, Ayanokoji had Rom wrap the ice block in heavy iron chains.
In a dark alleyway elsewhere in the Capital...
The "real" Elsa Granhiert leaned against a damp wall, watching the projection in the sky with a manic grin. Her identity was blown, her face was known to the Kingdom, and her mission was effectively scrubbed.
What a cold, heartless boy~ she whispered to the empty air. She wasn't angry. She was enchanted. She touched her own wrist, imagining the sensation of his blade. I wonder what your insides look like? I can't wait to find out.
There are no signs of other hostiles, Ayanokoji noted after a sweep of the perimeter. But we shouldn't stay. We need to move to a secure location.
We'll go to the Margrave's mansion, Emilia decided. He is my sponsor for the Royal Selection. We'll be safe there.
What about... what about us? Felt asked, looking small.
They helped us, Ayanokoji said, turning to Emilia. If we leave them here, Elsa's employers will hunt them down to erase the witnesses. Since Felt has already agreed to assist us, we should bring them along. They may still have utility.
He didn't say it out of kindness. He said it because a thief and a giant were pieces he hadn't fully played out yet.