Mistaken for a Masked Munchkin

Don Quixote's Reverie (2)

Past the star-filled dawn, morning came around again.

The North, piled high with snow, sparkled especially brightly whenever it caught the sunlight.

The sky was clear, the sun shone down, and the air showed no sign of warming.

Still, one deep breath was enough.

Refreshing cold seeped into the lungs, waking the body from its half-asleep haze.

The children who had been living in dreamland only a few hours ago were now bundled in fur clothes, walking across the snow-white fields.

"Waah... It's so beautiful! I've never seen a snowfield this grand and, va, vast before!"

"Hm! The snow never melts in the North all year round, after all. When it comes to snowy scenery, we take pride in being the finest in the Empire."

"I am glad you admire it so much! Miss Alice, do you enjoy sightseeing in unfamiliar places?"

"I like traveling... though I've never really gone anywhere yet..."

The North looked like a field where bundles of lilies had bloomed.

Pure white. Those blossoms continued on and on, until they came together into one grand vista. It was not lined with buildings like other major cities, nor did it offer some refined urban backdrop, but that only made it easier to feel the dignity and grandeur held by ancient nature.

The children strolled through the northern streets.

"Uuugh... Cold. Did we really have to come outside?"

"The weather is clear, you see! This is a good time for the North! I hear another snowstorm will blow for several days starting tomorrow dawn, so we will have to remain near the mansion. Should we not experience as much of the North as we can today, at least?"

"Yes, stop whining. If you really cannot bear it, can you not make some electric fire from your body?"

"Would that even work? No, more importantly, what's with you again?"

"How insolent. To address a princess of a nation so crudely. Show some respect."

"You said you're living in hiding. Is it okay for you to walk around so boldly in your real form, without even turning into a bat?"

"A disguise is enough here, so it matters not. There also does not seem to be any strong person nearby who could see through this lady's identity."

"That's one hell of a vague standard..."

"Hm! As a northerner, I am only delighted to serve Her Highness!"

"You are lively as ever today. With admirable words as a bonus."

"Hahaha!"

Had last night's events given Ranne strength?

Her dazed air had lessened, and she had regained her usual energy.

A confident voice.

The girl blended smoothly in among the children.

"Miss Lua! This is a present."

"Waah...! A rabbit made of snow! Dad, look at this!"

It could easily have become an awkward group, but Ranne more than fulfilled the role of keeping everyone together.

The ability to help people mix well.

This, too, could be seen as one aspect of a protagonist.

'Looks like she's doing a little better.'

Viktor watched the girl with a pleased smile.

'How admirable.'

The boy had his usual mask slightly lifted.

Along with his smiling lower face, part of his face was revealed amid the winter scenery.

After showing Carmilla his bare face for the first time, the boy sometimes took off his mask in front of the other children as well.

-To see what Lord Viktor looks like beneath his mask...

-Y-yes? No! It is just, you look much more, gen, gentle than I thought...!

-Sir Viktor's bare face!

-I certainly saw it when we first met.

-Hm. I did not realize it then, but you have a scar on the right side of your face.

-Well... you're not bad-looking.

-No, somehow your face doesn't match your usual behavior.

-Why does this bastard look so wholesome? If you ignore the scar on his face, he looks like he should be wearing priest robes...

The children had all reacted differently.

Of course, even in front of them, taking off the mask was still rare.

It was more like something that happened every once in a while.

The boy quietly brushed his bare face while watching the children walking ahead.

He idly touched the burn scar on the right side, but soon shook off the stray thoughts and covered his face with the mask again.

"Let's go together, Miss Ranne."

"Yes! I was just waiting for you, Sir Viktor!"

Like that, the children explored all over Kihano County.

They walked across the wide snowy landscape and wandered through streets lined with stalls.

"What, they have stalls."

"Stalls open even in such cold weather. Well, I suppose they did say this counts as warm weather by northern standards."

"Perfect. It's cold, so I'll go buy something warm to drink..."

"Bring one for this lady as well."

"Do I look like your errand boy?"

The children bustled around, enjoying their vacation.

They tasted northern food and even had a snowball fight in the white forest.

Even the few who had been indifferent at first were soon swept up in the mood and came to enjoy the sightseeing.

"Miss Alice! We are on the same team, right? We promised to always be together!"

"Hueh... Y-yes! I can't be, ene, enemies with Lord Viktor..."

"Exactly. Summon the Card Soldiers at once. We will sweep that side away with firepower!"

"Hey! That's cheating! Who uses abilities during a snowball fight...!"

"Miss Caitlin used hers too, did she not!"

"Haa... Stop fighting so childishly."

It felt like they were enjoying the School Trip a second time.

During the last School Trip, after the first few days, they had not been able to enjoy the activities.

It was as if they were making up for that time.

"Ahaha!"

If anyone enjoyed it the most, it was undoubtedly Ranne.

Was it because she was with her friends in her hometown?

The girl's expression was especially bright.

-The sky is clear today, so the stars seem especially visible!

-Before I left home, I used to look at the night sky here every day!

Even the worries that had filled her head last night did not come to mind much.

She smiled without having to force it.

'As expected.'

It must have been thanks to Sir Viktor's comfort.

Perhaps the boy had sensed something from Ranne, because he had stroked her head and told her she was doing well.

It was a line that seemed to see right through her unstable heart.

She was grateful for those words, but at the same time, they left her puzzled.

The girl had never confided her worries to anyone.

It was a festering wound that even her close vassals, and even her father, did not know about.

'Did he say that... because he knew everything?'

No.

He had simply encouraged her because she looked down.

Ranne sorted out the needless thought and smiled.

'Sir Viktor feels as if he knows everything.'

A reliable person.

No matter how hopeless the situation was, if he was by your side, he made you think, "Somehow, it will work out."

That steadiness made people want to rely on him. It felt as if the burden on one's shoulders grew lighter.

With a grateful heart, Ranne crossed the pure white snowfield.

'Sir Viktor is amazing.'

Time passed peacefully.

The problem occurred around the time they were returning to the mansion.

They had spent several hours on the snow-covered mountain and were about to descend for dinner.

"It is almost sunset. We agreed to return before dinner, so I believe we should head back soon."

"T-today... was so much fun."

"Hm! I am only grateful you would say so. Once the sun has fully set, let us go out to the garden together as well. The night sky seen from there is very beautiful. It is also my favorite place in my home."

"I look forward to it. I have heard that the northern night sky is more splendid than anywhere else on the continent."

"Of course! You will not be disappointed. But..."

"......"

"......"

The chattering conversation cut off, and the children suddenly fell silent all at once.

Something had been detected.

A snowy mountain... and in the middle of the forest, at that.

Though faint, there was definitely an alien aura.

Ranne, who was at the front, held her breath and asked the group.

"......Did you feel that? Everyone."

""......""

A wordless affirmation.

Ranne took a few steps and crouched in front of a tree.

Her hand reached out carefully. She swept the nearby ground.

When fingers holding holiness touched the earth, the traces hidden below reacted.

Chiiik-.

It smoked like a chemical reaction.

Then it turned black and drew out a thin tail.

"......It is dark mana."

Ranne spoke with certainty.

Dark mana... more precisely, traces of it having swept past.

The pitch-black tail continued somewhere, showing signs that someone had passed through.

"Cultists."

Her purple eyes trembled for a moment.

But she soon calmed herself and connected the traces of the Cultists like a thread.

"Please. Someone contact the mansion with a Crystal Orb."

"Already doing it. I'm requesting emergency support."

"Thank you, Miss Caitlin."

"W-why would traces of Cultists be in a place like this...?"

Ranne's mind spun.

Contact through a Crystal Orb.

Support from the family knight order would arrive within roughly forty minutes.

But to Ranne, that gap of forty minutes felt far too long.

'There are private homes clustered near this mountain.'

Tracking and suppression work like this lived and died by speed.

If she thought of the civilian damage that might occur later, they had to move as fast as possible.

'Who knows what could be happening right now.'

Waiting for support would make them late.

But they could not blindly chase the traces either.

Their opponent was the Cultists.

There was no telling what schemes might be waiting.

So in this kind of situation, the manual was to wait until support arrived, join up, and move together.

'On top of that, I have the group with me.'

She could accept the risk, but what about the group?

What if they got hurt because of her stubbornness?

When everything was so uncertain, was it right to drive the group forward with no plan?

Would it not be right to quietly wait for support?

'What if we are late while doing that?'

Should they chase now?

Or wait for support?

The two options clashed in the girl's head, refusing to yield.

Even then, time kept passing.

From how clear the traces were, not much time had passed since the Cultists went through this place.

If they chased right now, they might be able to suppress them before they pulled anything.

'What should I...'

Tuk-.

While she was confused, someone's hand settled on her head.

When she came back to herself, she saw the boy looking down at her.

He had even taken off his mask for a moment and was meeting Ranne's eyes.

"Let's go, Miss Ranne."

"......"

"You want to go, don't you?"

"......But."

"You can do it. Everyone is with you."

"Your safety is important as well. I cannot let my haste push you all into danger..."

"Miss Ranne."

Srrk-.

A hand stroked her as if telling her it was all right.

The boy was smiling with his bare face.

"I believe in your choice, Miss Ranne."

His voice was calm.

"So please believe in us too."

"......"

The other children seemed the same.

They did not object, only looking at her as if asking what she would do.

Ranne's breath stopped for a moment.

"Huu..."

But soon, she gave voice to her decision.

There was no time to delay.

Ranne held the thread connected to the traces and said,

"Then we will follow them as quickly as possible. Everyone, please move quietly."

"Let's go."

Tak-.

The children formed up and crossed the snowy mountain all at once.

They raised their speed while keeping their noise as low as possible.

Shwaaaaak-!

Ranne and the rest of the group moved to the other side of the snowy mountain in only thirty minutes.

They reached the end of the traces, but there was nothing in sight.

"The traces definitely lead here..."

"Did they hide somewhere?"

"It appears less than an hour has passed since these traces were left. If this dark mana truly came from Cultists, I believe the members should still be near this area."

"Let us search while staying careful."

The snowfield was strangely quiet.

The children quietly checked their surroundings as they moved forward.

Then, at the moment Ranne passed a tree and stepped on the very center of the traces,

Pajijijik-!

"......?!"

Bright red sparks scattered noisily across the ground.

A black-red magic circle rose and stained the ground around the girl's feet dark.

Ranne had been wary of this sort of situation from the start, but the divine energy she had deployed as a safeguard shattered emptily.

Crash-!

Was it because of the magic circle's powerful authority?

Letters she could not even understand seethed in the air.

'Is it a trap? Or...!'

It was too late to escape.

She did not even know what effect the magic circle under her feet would cause.

First, she had to wrap herself in as many defensive formulas as possible and prepare for any possible impact...

"Miss Ranne!"

Tuk-.

Someone grabbed Ranne's arm.

Her body was yanked hard, and she fell outside the magic circle.

Viktor, who had been closest, had run over and forcibly pulled Ranne out.

"Ugh...?!"

Her vision suddenly faced the ground.

When she hurriedly lifted her head, fluttering black hair came into view.

In Ranne's place, Viktor was being sucked into the black-red magic circle.

Kwajijijik-!

Crimson light swarmed through the scenery.

It surged as if it would devour the boy at any moment.

'Ah.'

For an instant.

The world seemed to play in slow motion.

It was only a brief moment, but the boy's lips moved as he looked at her.

-It's okay.

Pajijijik-!

Right after, the black-red magic circle evaporated.

The traces were wiped away cleanly, as if nothing had ever happened.

And the boy caught in it vanished along with the magic circle.

""......""

He disappeared.

The children stood in place, blank.

Still fallen in the snowfield, Ranne stared at the empty spot and murmured.

"Sir Viktor...?"

No answer came back.

***

Elsewhere.

The boy opened his eyes in a space covered with ice.

"Joasu."

Plan successful.

A bright smile hung on his lips.

The boy covered his face with the mask and gripped a pitch-black scythe in his hand.

"Now."

Ding!

[You have entered nonexistent space 'Lumiera's Temple'.]

[Apostles 'Knight of Old Winter' have detected you.]

[Clear the field and obtain the reward.]

"Welcome to the dungeon."

Then,

shall I go get myself a stupidly broken item?

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