Insidious Sickness

It hadn’t taken Medrauta and Viviane long to find their mark.

True to the man’s word, they’d found One-Eyed Jack and his men exactly where they were supposed to be. Though there was a brief scuffle, Medrauta and Viviane were now well on their way through the tunnels with their newfound guide.

“Hey, can you please put that thing away now?”

Medrauta raised an eyebrow. “No. Not until we’ve reached our destination.”

“Fine.” Jack replied in a slightly irritated tone. “But can you at least stop pointing that thing at me? It’s making me nervous, and I might just forget where I’m going.”

Medrauta shrugged, lowering her sword but not her guard. She kept a tight grip on Viviane’s hand, making sure her lady was beside her at all times. After what happened with the man on the surface, Medrauta certainly wasn’t keen on allowing Viviane out of her sight anytime soon.

Likewise, Viviane had been spooked by the unpleasant encounter and decided to cling tightly to Medrauta. After the adrenaline from being taken hostage had died down, she quickly realized how close she’d been to death and how vulnerable she was without the requisite ki to enhance her body with.

Her time at the academy had left her with a vastly reduced sense of caution thanks to the immense boost in physical capabilities that she’d developed as a result of her abundant ki reserves, even allowing her to help the knights out with moving large pieces of debris from time to time.

Despite everything, Viviane didn’t exactly view it as a wholly negative experience. Her carelessness had brought her back down to earth, reminding her that in the end, she wasn’t a knight. She was a noblewoman and her place was not on the front lines, but next to Medrauta, supporting her hand-in-hand.

Well... At least until I’ve gotten a chance to replenish those reserves. Viviane thought to herself. Of course, she’d never voice that thought, knowing full well that Medrauta would vehemently reject any course of action that placed her on the battlefield. It might be a little conceited of me, but I want to do more than just stand back and shoot...

Viviane allowed herself to indulge in a bit more wishful thinking before grounding herself once more. Other than the sound of their footsteps, the trio’s journey through the tunnels had been relatively silent.

“Um... How long have they been down here?” Viviane asked.

“Eh!?” Jack jumped in surprise, not expecting the noblewoman to suddenly address him. “Uh... ‘Round a week or so? Somewhere ‘round there.”

“I see...” Viviane nodded. What Jack said certainly matched up. Sakura and Riku had departed from the academy immediately after Amelia’s betrayal two weeks ago. Given that they’d hidden themselves in Ancide for a couple days, it made sense that their presence in the underground was relatively recent.

“And have they been doing well?” Viviane continued.

Jack merely laughed. “Ma’am, no one ‘does well’ down here. ‘Specially not foreigners who’re used to livin’ in cushy mansions an’ high-class hotels.”

“A-Ah... You’re right...” Viviane pursed her lips, disappointed in herself. For a moment, she’d somehow forgotten that the tunnels were a nest for the downtrodden and destitute despite having passed by more than a few poor souls. An overwhelming sense of sadness crept over her as she realized she’d unconsciously shut those painful sights out as if they had been invisible.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was born a noble and had only ever seen the bountiful lands of her duchy or the beautiful streets of the capital, but her mind had automatically blinded her from the woes of the people who dwelled in these tunnels almost like a defense mechanism that served to protect Viviane from the evils of her world.

Viviane’s delicate hands clenched into fists as she berated herself and steeled her resolve. As a future duchess, she would need to stare villainy and poverty in the eyes. Though the sight was by no means beautiful, it was a sight that only she would be able to rectify once she inherited her father’s position.

“Heh... It ain’t that bad though.” Jack said upon seeing Viviane’s downcast expression. “We do alright for ourselves, and we’ve actually got a pretty sweet deal for us lined up. Had the duke’s knight herself come down her last week askin’ for our help. Funniest shit I’ve ever seen.”

“Hold on. Are you referring to Dame Marilyn?” Medrauta cut in. She could imagine the knight hiding out in the tunnels, but she couldn’t imagine Marilyn asking the people down here for help.

After all, the tunnels were filled with two primary groups of people: criminals and the impoverished. The latter case wouldn’t be able to render any form of help, and no knight would stoop to asking enemies of the crown for aid.

Not unless things were far more desperate than they seemed, that is. The mere thought made Medrauta’s hair stand on end as she recalled her earlier theory when she first saw the mass of archers positioned at the duchy’s interior gate. He can’t seriously be thinking of attacking the capital right...?

“Yeah, th’ one an’ only.” Jack nodded in reply. “Scared us shitless. She usually just sends her goons to clean the tunnels out from time to time, so seein’ the big cheese was a real fright.”

“...Right. Is she still down here?” Medrauta asked. Based on the contents of the letter and the fact that Orinth was where she’d planned to meet reinforcements sent by the academy, there was a pretty good chance that she was, allowing Medrauta and Viviane to accomplish both of their objectives in one fell swoop.

“Nah,” Jack shook his head much to the knight’s chagrin. “She left ‘round the same time those foreigners arrived. They passed each other briefly, but that’s ‘bout it.”

“Did they speak?” Viviane asked, jumping back into the conversation. A twinge of worry seeped into her voice after hearing that Marilyn had left. They had no way of tracking her down, and the senior knight was probably their best bet when it came to resolving whatever was going on in the duchy.

“Hell if I know. I was busy stayin’ the fuck away from ‘em. I mean, the foreign woman paid me somethin’ crazy, but her knight was eyein’ me something fierce. Lil’ worse than how your knight’s been lookin’ at me this whole time, actually.”

“I’m hurt,” Medrauta feigned an upset expression. “I’ve been trying my best.”

The trio shared a bout of laughter despite their differences as Jack led them through the underground labyrinth. They turned the corner and reached a door with a frame that had been forcefully crammed into the roughly carved rock surrounding it.

“Alright, we’re here.” Jack announced, knocking on the door.

“Who’s there?” A muffled voice responded. Though the sound was slightly distorted, it was nonetheless recognizable by Medrauta and Viviane.

“It’s Jack. There’s two people out here lookin’ fer—”

“Sir Riku! It’s me, Viviane!” Viviane exclaimed almost immediately. Though she rushed ahead toward the door, Medrauta’s grip on her hand remained firm. Viviane looked back at her knight, prompting Medrauta to shake her head firmly.

“Let’s wait for him to open up first. Knowing Riku, he’s probably got his sword drawn and if you bust the door down and run in, he won’t have enough time to react.”

“O-Okay...”

Sure enough, the door began opening slightly with the point of a slightly curved sword leading the way. A moment later and the door opened wide enough for Riku to poke his head through, causing him to sigh in relief as he spotted Medrauta and Viviane.

“Dame Medrauta, Lady Viviane...” Riku allowed the point of his sword to drop to the ground. Now that the door was fully open, they could see just how much his physical condition had deteriorated while on the run. Save for their weapons, all of their food and belongings had been confiscated thanks to Bastiche’s sinister machinations.

“Sir Riku! It’s really you!” Viviane cried, a grin spreading across her face as she rushed toward the knight and gave him a quick hug. “Thank Aluvsha you’re alright! Where’s Lady Sakura!?”

“...Lady Viviane?” As if on cue, a refined but weak voice echoed from the back of the dimly lit room. Viviane heard the sound of sheets rustling as a black-haired woman pushed herself off a creaky bed and made her way toward the open door.

“...Lady Sakura?” Viviane stared at her friend and mentor, horror and worry flickering across her face. “W-What happened!?”

While Riku looked pale and gaunt compared to his days at the academy, Sakura somehow managed to look even worse. Her clothes hung loosely off her thin body and her chest heaved with the mere effort of moving to stand before Viviane.

Despite her horrible condition, Sakura still managed a smile, if only to allay Viviane’s worries just a little.

“Sorry you have to see me like this, Lady Viviane. Dame Medrauta. You see... I’m sick.”

“Sick!? Sick with what!?” Viviane asked. She’d practically leapt forward as soon as the words left Sakura’s lips, inspecting the foreign lady from head to toe.

Medrauta cleared her throat. “Vivi... Don’t you think fussing over someone is kind of improper for a noblewoman?”

“Oh my,” Sakura laughed, wincing as a brief thorn of pain shot through her chest from the gesture. “Someone’s jealous.”

“...Shut up.” Medrauta blushed as she pulled Viviane back toward herself possessively.

“H-Hey!” Viviane exclaimed. “It wasn’t like that, Medrauta! We’ve got medical supplies in our bags, so I thought maybe we could give her some medicine if we could find out what she’s sick with...”

“...I wouldn’t exactly call you sick, Lady Sakura.” Riku sighed. “There’s no point in avoiding it, so I’ll simply tell you straight, Lady Viviane. She is not sick. She was poisoned.”

“P-Poisoned!?” Viviane’s voice practically exploded through the tunnels, causing Jack to wince and step back as he watched the reunion unfold before him.

“See?” Sakura shook her head. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell them. Now they’re going to—”

Viviane grabbed Sakura’s wrists before the foreign lady could say anything more.

“We have to get you treatment immediately!”