I Am Alive

"I see. It is quite unfortunate but you will have to die then, Ryuuko."

This line was mercilessly uttered by the one person that I never wanted to hear it from. There was only one option I could take right now.

So I took it. I fucking bolted out of the room.

I'd been staying here at the Zaltsel clan's castle for the past two months. At first, the hallways were downright labyrinthine and nearly impossible to maneuver but I eventually managed to adapt thanks to my decent mental stats.

The corner that I just turned would eventually lead to a T-shaped hallway. Turning left would bring me outdoors on the castle's ramparts. From there, I could probably make an escape.

Originally, I considered hiding somewhere within the castle, but I quickly realized that such a plan was doomed to failure. She was much more familiar with the layout of the building anyway.

I skidded to a halt in front of the wall before me and prepared to make a sharp left. In just another moment, I would be safe from the horrors that were about to befall me but standing there was a group of guards who barred my way.

They were only armed with swords and lightly armored. Normally, they'd be no threat to me, but due to a few circumstances, I wasn't able to use lethal force. All I could do right now was subdue them, but that'd take a bit more time than I liked. She was hot on my heels after all.

"Grab her! Don't let her get through that door!" A clarion voice rang through the hallways. The same voice which had unhesitantly proclaimed my death.

Accustomed to decades upon decades of following orders, the guards immediately sprung forward and grappled me, pinning me in place before I could even react. If I really wanted to, I could probably break free of their hold with ease using [Demonic Enhancement], but I was frozen in fear.

A wicked grin spread on her face as she lifted the object of my terror toward my face.

"A-Antenora... Please... Don't do this." I pleaded out of desperation, only serving to magnify that evil smile on her face.

Antenora didn't even bother to answer. Instead, she merely pinched my nose shut, shutting off my supply of oxygen. I was holding my breath, but I'd have to open my mouth eventually. She brought that vile... thing closer and closer to my firmly shut lips, knowing full well that my struggle was futile.

At last, I was forced to gasp for air, and in that moment we all knew it.

My fate was sealed.

Antenora immediately seized the opportunity and thrust whatever she was holding straight into my mouth. I still had no clue what the fuck it was, but I swear that thing had somehow gained sentience and began wriggling in her fingers. It was charred and took on a black-purple color. Normally, I would've thought that it was just a burnt piece of food, but this was far, far beyond "burnt."

It was just a fucking black mass of eldritch horrors. There were even some specks of green and blue in there, which were colors I didn't even know were possible to create when immolating a perfectly good piece of meat.

I couldn't even describe what I felt on my tongue when Antenora forcefully slammed my mouth shut after releasing her hold on my nose. Every cell in my body was pleading for me to end the suffering, but I simply couldn't.

I wanted to scream so much that I'd tear my lungs apart, but I knew it wouldn't help. Nothing could purge this horrific abomination of flavor from my tongue now.

This alien substance had already done the damage, and it wasn't a flavor that I would be able to forget any time soon. The inside of my mouth felt as if it were filled with smoke and on fire all at the same time.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at Antenora who now had a smile on her face. It was the smile of someone who had narrowly escaped their own death through sacrificing someone else.

There was no pride in it. Just a great sense of relief.

Antenora... How could you...?

I heard several footsteps coming from my right. Shakily, I lifted my head and turned it just enough to put three individuals into my field of vision. Lucrezia, Priya, and in the center of it all was the one who spawned this monstrosity in the first place: Aurelia.

"Did you eat it, Ryuuko?" Aurelia's cheery voice rang violently in the canals of my ears. Not only was that the last question I wanted to answer right now, but her voice was the last thing I wanted to hear.

I hung my head in defeat, which she probably took as an affirmative nod because a bright grin now adorned her face.

"What did you think?"

I stared at her, surprised that she would even ask such a question. She was even twirling her hair with one hand, her eyes looking downward and to the side as if there was even something to act bashful about.

My gaze flickered to Lucrezia and Priya, but I already knew I'd find no help from them. Lucrezia was actively avoiding the act of meeting my eyes and Priya was simply smiling apologetically. Of course, there would be no salvation for me.

Aurelia—terror of the kitchen—was implacable in her dominance. Not even I could defeat her hellish cooking even with my ridiculously busted constitution stat. It had gone up significantly since I first arrived, but even so, it stood no chance against Aurelia's so-called "food."

I forced a smile on my lips, barely managing to keep my entire body from violently convulsing as I responded. "I t-think it could do with a bit less heat, Aurelia..."

Aurelia placed a finger to her lips in a thoughtful gesture. It would've been somewhat cute if she wasn't responsible for the state I was in right now. "Hm... Less heat. Gotcha! I'll be sure to make you something even tastier next time, Ryuuko!"

My eyes widened in fear, and I started to shake my head, but she was already lost in her own world. I didn't know what kind of bizarre concoctions that she was cooking up in her head right now, but I was probably better off not knowing.

The guards released me as Aurelia began walking away. She hummed a cheerful tune, skipping along to her own beat. If only she'd focus on musical pursuits instead of trying to master the culinary arts, we'd have to suffer a lot less.

Priya stepped over to me and patted me on the back in an attempt to console me. It was feeble, but at least it was something. I could still feel the aftereffects of Aurelia's grotesquery in my mouth, though Priya's touch helped it fade a little.

"I'm so sorry... Sister's been doing this for ages and when she sets her mind to something, none of us can stop her..." Lucrezia was apologizing profusely, but I simply mustered all of my strength and gave her a pat on the head.

Normally, Antenora and Lucrezia were on a "taste-tester rotation" which swapped every week to maximize their chances of survival. However, with the addition of Priya and I, Aurelia had seen fit to start bringing us into this terrible fold.

Lucrezia had tried to stop her sister before the cooking even began, but that just resulted in her being forced to taste-test much earlier than me. At this point, we were pretty much comrades in arms who'd witnessed the very same horrors of war.

"You did well, Ryuuko." Antenora said.

Damn you!

"Thanks, asshole."

"I cannot disobey an order from Lady Aurelia. My deepest apologies."

If she felt sorry, I sure as hell couldn't hear it in her voice. That didn't matter though, because now it was my turn to smile wickedly and for the first time today, the shadow of doubt flitted across Antenora's face.

"Of course you can't, Antenora. You're the Zaltsel clan's loyal maid, aren't you? That's why you won't forget that tomorrow's the start of a new week, right? Your week."

Antenora gulped, and suddenly she wasn't feeling so confident anymore. "R-Right..."

I smirked, but the victorious feeling of exultation was cut short by the telltale signs of magic. A bright light spilled out from one of Lucrezia's pockets and the sound of birds chirping filled the air.

It was the flugranz that was given to her by Cyrus. It took the shape of a bird-shaped medallion with a large golden gemstone in the center. When he gave it to us, it was glowing dimly with the light of mana, but now it was dull and translucent.

A letter popped into existence when Lucrezia took it out, and her eyes widened as she read its contents.

"Ryuuko..." She began.

I sighed.

What the hell is with this timing!?