――From the beginning, they had known that it was going to be a job unlike any other.
???: [Huff, huff…]
Gasping for breath, they trod through the dirt path, repeatedly glancing back over their shoulder.
They had been instructed to give heed to nothing else at all while they were running. They had been sternly warned that looking back would only slow them down and shorten their life.
Yet, they could not stop themselves from disobeying and looking back.
Such was the terror of the unknown that it eclipsed and obliterated the caution they usually observed.
???: [This is strange… so stra~nge…!]
Her face pale, the girl's cherry blossom-colored lips trembled as she lamented the absurdity of the world.
Girl: [This, this is just like…]
――It was just like a nightmare.
She gasped and shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts that had popped into her mind.
It was as if the enemy had foreseen everything: every hiding place, every plan, everything. Even the backup strategies she had prepared for unforeseen situations had been anticipated, leaving her with no escape route.
Even with all that said, she was nowhere near a position where she could merely quietly surrender on her own accord.
Should she be caught and fall into the hands of the enemy, she could not even fathom the kind of cruelty she would suffer; not at the hands of her enemy, but her own comrades. There was a certain negative trust that they would certainly carry out that cruelty.
An inner fear born from this negative trust. ――And yet, even that was now secondary.
A different kind of hell, distinct from the one she had experienced countless times before, was rapidly closing in on her.
Girl: [Shadow Lion-chan…!]
Gasping for breath, a word of regret slipped from the corner of her lips.
In the distance, beyond the thick foliage of the trees, she could hear the Witchbeast that she had sent in―― the death throes of the Shadow Lion, the Guiltilaw.
A Witchbeast unparalleled in its ferocity and cruelty. Yet, the Shadow Lion that had been dispatched to delay the enemy had fought in vain, falling prey to their venomous fangs and losing its life. ――No, it was uncertain if it had even managed to put up a fight at all. The Shadow Lion was indeed a strong Witchbeast, but it had a tendency to charge straight ahead without thinking.
That reckless nature might have made it the perfect prey for this enemy.
Girl: [――Hk]
The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had made the wrong choice.
Right from the beginning, when she had returned to her hideout after finishing her patrols, she was trapped. From that moment on, she had been completely at the mercy of the enemy. The Witchbeasts she had gathered were all hunted down with Fire Magic Stones, and the remaining fighting force of her Witchbeasts was steadily whittled away, leaving the girl with no choice but to flee.
Sending the Shadow Lion out had been a hasty decision. She should have kept it by her side to protect herself, until the very end.
She was always one step behind. ――In truth, it was supposed to be her forcing the enemy into such decisions.
Girl: [Elsa~…!]
Just as her options dwindled and her voice grew faint, her thin throat called out for her one and only ally.
The name had not been that of a Witchbeast controlled by her Divine Protection, nor of someone who had been ordered to accompany her by her terrifying Mother; it was the name of the one person she could truly consider her ally.
She was not here right now. She had been summoned and temporarily left her position. Ordered to stay behind, the girl was the only one remaining at the post. It was then that she was attacked.
Could it be, that even that summons was a ploy to separate her from her ally?
Girl: [It's just, so wei~rd…]
Such a scheme was beyond merely predicting someone's actions.
To control, manipulate, reel in the opponent's actions, and finally achieve their inscrutable stratagem―― was it not truly like the handiwork of a Witch?
???: [――Finally ran out of cards, huh? You really were a pain.]
Girl: [――Hk]
Immediately afterwards, the girl's strength left her legs as she held her breath at the sound of the voice that had been thrown her way.
She slumped down and turned around. Her eyes met those of a figure emerging from the shadows of the trees she had just passed, and her throat went dry.
Girl: [――Ah, ah.]
She had been wondering who could have set up such a trap, her mind swirling with confusion.
She had considered the two maids left behind in the mansion―― aside from the Spirit she had heard about, one of them might have noticed their hidden presence and launched a counterattack. In that case, since one of the maids was someone she was familiar with, it naturally led her to suspect the other woman.
However, she was mistaken. Completely off the mark. ――No, she should have realized it sooner.
Even Elsa had mentioned it. He was present at the scene of the failed mission in the Royal Capital.
The girl herself had seen him there. He was present at the scene when her plan had been thwarted and ended in failure. So why, up until this very moment, had she overlooked such a dangerous opponent?
???: ["He wasn't even on my radar."]
Girl: [――――]
???: [And that's fine. In fact, that's what allowed me to set up this situation. Sorry, but I'll have to capture you now.]
She was unable to say anything to the one who had read her thoughts.
She could only feel relieved that her life would not be taken here and now, though she was not sure if feeling relieved was the right response. Nevertheless, if she could survive this encounter――
???: [――I can't take Elsa down without you.]
Those words, spoken so casually, shattered the faint hope that had begun to take root.
To capture her, and subdue Elsa. To use the girl as a bargaining chip, to make Elsa submit.
The moment she heard that, the girl's vision turned crimson with rage and she tried to bite at him,
Girl: [――Ah.]
As she stepped forward, a white handkerchief was pressed against her mouth. The pungent smell assaulted her senses, pulling her consciousness away.
Though she realized she had been made to inhale something, it was too late. Strength drained from her limbs, her knees buckling beneath her. As her body began to collapse, surprisingly strong arms caught her and lifted her up.
――No. He was different, completely unlike the person he once had been.
Girl: [N-no~…]
The hoarse mutter was not directed at herself, nor at the person in front of her, but at someone who was not present.
You must not fight him. You must not challenge him or even face him. ――You absolutely cannot win.
Desperately, frantically screaming these words in her heart, the girl's consciousness sank into darkness.